El Cotoro

World's Oldest Lightbulb Celebrates 110th Birthday!

2011-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

The oldest known continuously burning lightbulb hangs in an unassuming fire station in Livermore California.

Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, the bulb has been burning for-or-less continuously since 1901. It was installed just months after the death of Queen Victoria, and two years before the Wright brothers' first flight.

The bulb has actually been off for short periods of time due to power outages, and during a move of the fire station. It is now powered by a generator with a surge protector to prevent damage to the bulb.

The bulb has been featured in many articles, books, and television programs (including Mythbusters). In keeping with its notoriety, the City of Livermore is hosting a public birthday celebration for the bulb on Saturday, June 18, 2011.

And of course the bulb has its own website, at www.centennialbulb.org. Among the features on the site is a Bulb Cam which is updated every ten seconds.

A Taste of Venice in San Francisco

2011-05-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy Cindy Couling

El Cotoro enjoyed a fabulous wine and food pairing at Da Flora, a North Beach restaurant specializing in Venetian cooking.

The meal was organized by North Beach chef and blogger Gianni. It was an afternoon event (Da Flora is normally open evenings only), allowing us to keep the door open and enjoy a wonderful fresh spring day.

The meal was a four-course custom menu, with a carefully selected Italian wine paired with each course. My favorites included the fresh-baked focaccia, the absolutely delicious Paleta de risi frita (fried rice balls stuffed with bay shrimp with a spicy aioli), and Lombatino di porseo (spice-rubbed roasted pork medallions with sauteed fava greens, roasted asparagus and pickled red spring onions, with a whole grain mustard sauce.

Of the wines, a really enjoyed the La Montechia Piuchebello 2008 (Veneto), a white wine made from Muscat grapes.

I highly recommend planning a visit to Da Flora for a unique and unforgettable meal!

Share your review of Da Flora and RestaurantRatingz.com.

Bamboo Bicycles?

2011-04-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

On a recent visit to San Francisco's Academy of Sciences, I saw a display of a fascinating product - a bamboo bicycle.

The bicycle frames are made by Stalk Bicyles, an Oakland, California company. They've been developing the design and techniques for a couple of years.

While the frames and even handlebars can be made from bamboo, other components use traditional materials. (Stalk is currently doing research and testing of bamboo composites that could eventually be used in new ways.)

Bamboo is a fast growing, renewable resource. It can be locally grown, and while growing it absorbs much more carbon and produces more oxygen than hardwood forests.

Its strength and resilience compare favorably with the steel alloys and carbon fiber materials used for most bicycle frames today.

But just as importantly... these bikes are cool!

Currently, Stalk is producing custom frames and bikes "to order." As production expands, they will begin producing ready-made frames in standard frame sizes.

Check out the Stalk Bicycles website, and if you are in the area, visit these guys. Let your bike make a statement for sustainability.

Coming soon: Maker Faire 2011

2011-04-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

May 21 and 22, 2011

What is Maker Faire?

The 21st century equivalent of an old-fashioned county fair. The world's largest Do-It-Yourself festival. Steam Punk meets Silicon Valley, with a bit of Burning Man thrown in.

For two days, people gather to celebrate and see creativity in all forms. Some of my favorite memories of past years include:

The crazy cupcake cars whizzing and whirling around the entryway.

The Flaming Lotus Girls, combining kinetic sculpture with propane, fire and mayhem.

The robot rickshaw plodding patiently through the fairgrounds.

Lightning harnessed and unleashed by the enormous Tesla coils.

The 3-D printer, making replicas and models directly from engineering specs.

The Mentos and diet coke show (don't stand too close to the stage!)

Rockets, fire, balloons, costumes, robots, art, tools and projects, and oh yes, did I mention fire?

Maker Faire began in the San Francisco Bay Area (at the San Mateo Fairgrounds) in 2006, and has since spread to New York and Detroit; there are also smaller "mini faires" in a number of other cities.

The Bay Area Faire is May 21 and 22. Get your tickets in advance and be in line when the gates open... things get crowded late in the day!

Update to Reservations Reward Scam

2011-03-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last month I reported on the Reservation Rewards Scam, which charges unwitting consumers a monthly fee for "special offers and discounts."

I called the number listed on my credit card statement and talked to someone at Reservation Rewards. They sent me a form to claim a refund. I filled out the form, and yes, all the fees have been credited back to my charge account.

Apparently one way Reservation Rewards gets away with this scam is by refunding money when you complain, so most people don't take any further action. Check your credit statements, and if you see charges from Reservation Rewards (or Web Loyalty, the parent company), call and demand a refund!

Snow in San Francisco?

2011-02-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

The weather service is predicting that San Francisco may get an inch of snow this coming Saturday. Hardly significant for people who are used to snow, but a historic and possibly calamitous event for people who've never driven on snowy streets.

While unusual, snow in San Francisco is not unparalleled. Records show snowfall in 1882, 1887, 1951, 1962, and 1976. (El Cotoro remembers the 1976 storm!)

The photos in this post were taken in 1882 and 1887, respectively, and are now in the public domain.

How I Got Scammed on the Internet!

2011-02-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a pretty informed and cautious web user.

I don't reply to e-mail offering me a million dollars to help someone move their money from Nigeria.

I don't click links in e-mail I don't recognize.

I check the URL and security certificate before entering sensitive information.

Unfortunately, like many people, I don't pay too much attention to my monthly credit card statement. Oh sure, I look it over, but if I see a charge less that about $15 or $20, I assume it's something I bought online and skip over it.

But recently, I noticed that a $12 charge had appeared several months in a row. The company was called Reservation Rewards, and there was an 800 number on my statement, but no other info.

After further investigation, I found that Reservation Rewards had been charging my card since August, 2009. (OK, that's embarrassing to admit... but again, I think the key to this scam is keeping the monthly charge below most people's attention threshold.)

The Reservation Rewards "membership program" offers various discount coupons to members. But I could not remember signing up for the program.

In fact, I didn't - at least not knowingly. Back in August 2009, I ordered some flowers at FTD.com. During the checkout process, there was apparently a box asking if I'd like to receive discount offers. The default was YES. And nowhere did it say that there was a charge for these discount offers.

When I did not "opt out" of the discount offers, FTD passed my credit card information to Reservation Rewards, which began charging me a monthly membership fee.

You may find it unbelievable that a well-known and trusted company like FTD would be involved in a scam like this, but you'll be even more surprised to learn that they are not alone. Other Reservation Rewards affiliates include Orbitz.com, AllPosters.com, Expedia.com, Fandango.com, Moviefone.com, ShutterFly.com... and those are just the companies I've been able to identify with a casual search. Apparently, Reservation Rewards offers a very generous payout to their affiliates.

The Reservation Rewards scam is "old news" - online complaints seem to go back to 2005. But I was not aware of the program, and I bet most of my readers aren't either.

There are two sad lessons from this experience: check your credit card statements in detail, and don't trust even well-known and "responsible" websites.

As a short addendum: I found instructions online for requesting a refund from Reservation Rewards. (Apparently one way ReservationRewards dodges legal action is by making it easy for people to get their money back.) I am submitting the form, and I'll post back in a few weeks to let you know what happens.

The Howling Demon Cat

2010-07-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my cat started to howl. And continued to howl. And howl. Days. Nights. Mornings.

This was not a pleasant little kitty howl. This was a demons-from-the-ninth-circle-of-hell howl. I work at home, so the howling (and lack of sleep) quickly started to affect my work.

My cat has had serious health problems in the past, so I was worried that the howling was a sign of pain or distress. But after my vet gave the little demon a clean bill of health, I began to do some research on the Internet.

I found that howling is quite common in older cats, and there are various theories as to why. (My vet shrugged his shoulders and said, "Some cats do that.")

None of the websites I found offered a good solution.

I'm a strong believer in behavioral conditioning, so I decided to take direct action. I bought a laundry "squirt bottle" that could shoot a stream of water about 20 feet. And I began a methodical program to squirt the cat every time he howled.

Operation Squirt seemed to be working. There was a significant decrease in howling for the first two days. But on the third day, my cat developed a new behavior... he would come to the door of whatever room I was in, howl loudly, and run.

And so began Operation You Can Run But You Can't Hide!

I determined that whenever the demon cat howled, wherever he was, whatever time of day or night, I would chase him down and squirt him. For several days, the tides tilted back and forth. Each time he howled, I chased him through the house, knocking over furniture, tripping over the dog (an innocent bystander in the escalating war), but eventual squirting him. But he continued to howl and run.

In our final skirmish, the cat came to my office door and emitted a particularly loud, long, and grating howl... almost like issuing a challenge. I grabbed the squirt bottle and chased him down the hall to the bedroom, where he immediately ran behind the headboard of the bed. I slid my arm behind the bed and began firing, only stopping when the bottle was half empty.

Satisfied that the cat had finally learned his lesson, I walked up the hallway toward my office, only to be startled by another howl. I turned and saw the cat, following behind me. Drenched, glaring at me, tail twitching angrily... and howling. I realized I was defeated.

The next few weeks saw a variety of new battle plans:

Operation Shaker Can. A can filled with pebbles was vigorously shaken each time the cat howled. Other than sounding like a demented marimba band, this had no effect.

Operation Cold Shoulder. On the advice of cat experts, I tried giving my cat lots of attention when he was quiet, but ignoring him whenever he howled. Clearly the cat experts have never tried to work while a cat howled continuously at the door of their office.

Operation Nerf Darts. I dug out my old Nerf dart gun, and fired a foam dart at the cat each time he howled. A pattern was quickly established. The cat would howl. I would shoot him with a Nerf dart, which he would play with for about two minutes. He would then come back and howl again, demanding a fresh Nerf dart. I have about thirty darts, but I ran out of ammunition before the cat ran out of patience with this new game.

Operation Solitary Confinement. When the cat howled, he got locked in the garage until he stopped howling. Who would have guessed that a cat could howl continuously for eight hours? I eventually stood at the door to the garage until he paused for breath, so I could let him in and declare victory. The cat just smirked at me as he walked back into the house, tail swaying regally.

Things were looking bleak when I realized that I had committed the classic animal training mistake... I was clearly the source of all the deterrent efforts. I had made each campaign into a game or competition between the cat and me... and the demon cat was clearly the stronger competitor!

To win I had to change the strategy. I had to make "the environment" provide the deterrent.

I quickly assembled the parts I would need for Operation Siren:

Batteries. A 110-decibel siren. A lo-o-o-ong wire, and a push-button control.

I placed the siren in the hallway, and ran the wire to my office (where the button would be close at hand), and waited.

Within a few minutes, I heard the familiar screeching howl. I pressed the button and held it for three seconds. A 110-decibel siren is about as loud as a chain saw. Three seconds seemed like forever. But when I released the button, there was silence. No siren. And no howling.

I cautiously went to my office door and looked down the hallway. The demon cat was standing there, absolutely still, eyes wide, hair standing on end. As soon as he saw me, he ran to me. I turned and walked back into my office... smiling.

I kept the button near at hand for the first few days, threading the wire into my office, the kitchen, the bedroom, or wherever I happened to be.

Fortunately, the cat is somewhat ignorant about electrical appliances, and never made the connection between the button and the siren. (I had considered a wireless remote as the next step if the battle escalated.)

It was surprising how fast the resistance crumbled once the cat realized he could not escape Operation Siren. He howled less and less, and after a few days he stopped completely.

Now, weeks later, he still howls on occasion - briefly and quietly, once every few days. I sometimes squirt him or shoot him with a Nerf dart. There's a nostalgic feel to these incidents, like two soldiers from opposite sides meeting on the battlefield, years after the war.

But The Siren stands as a silent sentinel, should the howling demon cat ever decide to challenge me again.

Stop-motion graffiti animation: "Big Bang Big Boom"

2010-07-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

The origins and evolution of life, in ten minutes of amazing stop-frame animation. This is an amazing video!

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

4th of July on the San Francisco Bay

2010-07-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July with our friends Paul Dines and Marina O'Neill of SF Bay Adventures, on their beautiful new schooner the Freda B. In addition to lots of good food, plenty to drink, and a fun crowd, we got an "up close and personal" view of the Sausalito fireworks display. In fact, we may have gotten a bit too close, as you can hear on the video.

I came away with a souvenir of my adventure... a fragment of a firework that hit me in the head and bounced to the deck. With the smell of powder, the drifting smoke and the falling embers, all that was missing were some deck guns to return fire!

We'll have to join Paul and Marina for one of their SF Bay Pirate Adventures!

Self-Promotion over Substance

2010-02-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Political campaigns today seem to be entirely based on promises and self-promotion, rather than track record.

In the case of Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, she is actually basing her qualifications on her experience as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, one of California's largest and most prestigious corporations. Unfortunately, what Carly isn't saying (and that the press largely ignores) is that she was a dismal failure, and was fired by the HP board of directors.

Condé Nast Portfolio rated Fiorina the 19th worth American CEO of all time. InfoWorld rated her one of the 25 All-Time Top Flops in the tech industry.

Please read about Carly Fiorina's record of Failure at HP, and read what HP employees say about Carly Fiorina.

On the Bridge of the Enterprise

2009-12-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a visit to the Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose, where I saw StarTrek: the Exhibition. The StarTrek franchise, through four TV series and 9 movies, has become an iconic part of our culture, adding new terms to our language, and shaping our vision of the future.

The exhibition included costumes, props, video clips, and ship models that were actually used in filming the shows. In addition, there was a replica of the bridge from the original series, and a replica of the transporter room from the Next Generation.

Whether or not you consider yourself a "trekkie," it's hard to resist the appeal of seeing a phaser close up, peaking into Captain Picard's quarters, or sitting in Captain Kirk's seat on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Beam me up!

No Longer a Newspaper Subscriber

2009-12-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

After decades of reading the San Jose Mercury News, I allowed my subscription to lapse this year. A few weeks after it expired, a got a phone call from the Mercury News, "reminding" me that I hadn't renewed.

I said that I didn't intend to renew, and the caller politely asked me why.

I said, "The paper is thinner now than it's ever been, but the price keeps going up. And I really don't read it much anymore. I get most of my news online."

I expected the usual sales pitch... perhaps an offer of a lower price, or some persuasive argument about the unique value of local papers.

Instead, the caller said sadly, "Oh OK. Have a nice evening."

Perhaps he was just having a bad day. Perhaps he would normally go into full "sales" mode, and fight for every last subscriber. But I can't help thinking that, even for the people who still work for newspapers, the handwriting is on the wall.

Airships Return to Moffett

2009-11-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

Some time back I wrote about the historic Hangar One at Sunnyvale's Moffett Field. Hangar One was home to the Navy airship Macon, until it was destroyed in a crash in 1935.

Now, almost 75 years later, there is once again an airship flying from Moffett Field. The airship Eureka, operated by Airship Ventures, is housed in Moffett's Hangar Three. The Eureka is a Zeppelin NT (for new technology) airship. At 275 feet long, it is less than 1/3 the length of the Macon.

Airship Ventures offers sightseeing flights of Silicon Valley, Monterey, and San Francisco.

The History of Coke Bottles

2009-11-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun look at the evolution of the Coke bottle... one of the most iconic shapes in the world (Coca-Cola is the most widely recognized brand, worldwide).

For more info on the history of the Coke bottle, with lots of pictures, visit www.cowieandfox.com/blog/tag/coke/

Sand Drawing... amazing "Performance Art"

2009-09-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ukrainian artist Kseniya Simonova uses a lightbox and sand to tell a story - in this case, Germany's WW II invasion of the Ukraine. Nothing I can say will do justice to this amazing woman's art... take a few minutes to watch it for yourself!

(Blogger 'crops' the embedded video on the right side - you can see the original at video.yahoo.com/watch/5771163/15113200.)

Amazing Sand Drawing @ Yahoo! Video

Musical Highways

2009-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

You may have seen the Honda TV commercial showing a car driving over a grooved stretch of road. The vibrations induced by the grooves of the road produced a passable rendition of the William Tell Overture.

Soon after the commercial was shot, local residents began complaining about the noise and traffic, and the city council decided to pave over the grooves. However, the small town was reluctant to lose a potential tourist attraction, and has since created a new "musical highway" on a more remote stretch of road.

Musical highways, or melody roads, are nothing new in other parts of the world. There are at least three in Japan, as well as others in South Korea and Denmark

Go Fly a Flyke

2009-08-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

British IT teacher John Carverhas just embarks on an 800 mile journey from Land's End, Cornwall, to John o' Groats, Scotland - at the far tip of the United Kingdom.

What makes this trip unusual is that Carver will be traveling by Flyke... a propeller-driven tricycle suspended from a paraglider canopy. The Flyke can travel at over 20 miles per hour, buts need to land for refueling every two hours. Carver will pause at campgrounds along the way, and plans to take three to four week to complete his journey.

If successful, he will set a record for the longest journey by Trike. He also hopes to raise more that £10,000 ($16,750) for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation through sponsorships and donations.

Fun with 3-D

2009-07-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Click the image to enlarge

I've recently gotten into 3-D images... the old-fashioned technology that requires special glasses with red and cyan (or orange and blue) lenses.

These images are called anaglyphs, and they create a stereoscopic 3D effect when viewed with 2 color glasses (each lens a chromatically opposite color, usually red and cyan).

It's pretty easy to produce anaglyphs like the one shown here using a digital camera, and an image manipulation program like PhotoShop.

If you need 3-D glasses, here are some places that will send you a free sample:

rainbowsymphony.com, 3dglassesonline.com, and 3dglasses.net

PEZ Lawsuit Leaves Sour Taste

2009-07-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Since 1995, the Museum of Pez Memorabilia has operated from a small storefront in Burlingame, California. The quirky museum, which features displays of virtually every Pez dispenser ever made, plus posters, comics, and marketing materials, has become a Mecca for collectors of the candy dispensers.

Now, however, the museum is being sued by the Pez company for copyright violation. The charges are based on a giant model of a classic "snowman" dispenser, which the museum's owners had made as an in-store display.

Unique Historic Structure may be Lost

2009-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are many, many historic structures endangered by neglect. But you have to admit, Hangar One at Sunnyvale's Moffett Field is pretty exceptional.

This enormous structure, which covers more than 8 acres, was built to house the USS Macon, a Navy scouting and recon dirigible. The Macon itself was pretty exceptional - it was one of the largest helium airships ever built, and actually carried five Sparrowhawk biplanes, making it the world's only flying aircraft carrier!

The Macon crashed in 1953, after less than two years of service.

The historic Hangar One may become a victim of budget battles between the US Navy and NASA. The structure needs a costly environmental clean-up, and in these days of tight budgets, nobody has been willing to commit to the costs of restoration and maintenance.

For more about the structure and the battle to preserve it, visit preservationnation.org

SteamPunk Macintosh

2009-06-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

There's something wonderfully demented about modifying a state-of-the-art computer to look like it was built in the 1800's. Kudos to Dave Veloz for his beautiful Mac Mini conversion.

Read more about this project (and see lots of great photos) at the Steampunk Workshop website.

Word Oddities

2009-06-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm always intrigued by unusual words, or word trivia. Here are a couple:

A reflexive verb is one in which the subject and object are the same. In English, I've heard there is just one verb that can only be used reflexively: perjure. (You can perjure yourself, but you can't perjure someone else.)

Let me know if you can think of another example.

And here's an unusual word I hadn't heard before: bespoke, meaning "custom made." The term originally referred to custom suits and clothing, but is now applied to other luxury, hand-made goods. (Thanks to Michael's Custom Suits and Clothing of Los Angeles.)

Capture the History of the SF Earthquake

2006-04-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco earthquake struck the Bay Area one hundred years ago today. Much has been written about this fascinating event, but one thing to note is that we're almost beyond the point when living people will have first-hand memories of the earthquake and its aftermath. SFmuseum.org would like to hear from people whose lives were affected by the earthquake. Visit their website to learn more.

Still Rebuilding!

2006-04-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

The 100 year anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake is approaching (next week), and the topic is very much in the news. The San Jose Museum of Art is taking advantage of the attention to publicise a new project... rebuilding the clock tower that was destroyed in the earthquake 100 years ago!

The rebuilt clock tower will be a nice addition to a city that all too often neglects its heritage and its architecture. You can learn more about the project, and the history of the museum building, on the San Jose Museum of Art website.

Once every Hundred Years

2006-04-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

The time is:

2:03 4/5/06

The Curiously LESS Strong Peppermints

2006-03-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

For many years I've been a fan of Altoids, the "Curiously Strong Peppermints" from Callard and Bowser. The mints have evolved, but the original formula dates back to the 1780's!

Recently I saw a new Altoids tin in a store. It's the same size, but the design has been changed and is more old-fashioned looking. Oddly enough, the mints tasted just a bit different, so I compared the list of ingredients with an old tin I had on hand.

OLD LIST: sugar, oil of peppermint, gum arabic, gelatin, corn syrup

NEW LIST: sugar, gum arabic, artificial flavor, oil of peppermint, gelatin, glucose syrup

Oil of peppermint has gone form the second to the fourth ingredient! *sigh*

Time to try another mint.

History All Around Us

2006-03-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's not surprising that there's a lot of history around us... people have been living in this country for a long time. And in almost every community, there are people who care about that history, and work to preserve it. Hostorical societies and small museums abound. Some communities may have "living history" centers that cover many acres and preserve dozens of structures; others may have a small room in the city hall or community center where a handful of artifacts are preserved.

It's hard for these history exhibits to compete with multi-media entertainment centers, but they are there, year after year, waiting for you. It's worth your time to see what your community was like in the past. It's not something that's "good for you" - it's just plain fun.

Take a little time this week and seek out a local history exhibit or museum! And maybe - just maybe - you'll want to become a little more involved in preserving your community's history for others to enjoy.

Fun with Photoshop?

2006-03-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

The story below has been circulating around the Internet in recent days. I have no idea if it's true... it certainly has the "feel" of an Internet hoax. Nevertheless, the picture is funny, so I'll post the accompanying story as well:

Edge Designs is an all women run company that designs interior office space.

They had a recent opportunity to do an office project in NYC. The client allowed the women of this company a free hand in all design aspects. The client was a company that was also run by all women execs. The result
............well.......!

We all know that men never talk, never look at each other, and never laugh much in the restroom. The men's room is a serious and quiet place. But now, with the addition of one mural on the wall, lets just say the men's restroom is a place of laughter and smiles.

Search your Photos

2006-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Most of us have searched for images on the Internet, or perhaps searched a stock photo site. The image searches don't really have anything to do with the images... they consider files names, tags, and words surrounding the image.

The premise behind Riya.com is different. The site can be "trained" to recognize images of particular people, and then can recognize other photos of the same people. The site, which is currently in beta testing, offices a service allowing users to automatically catalog thier photos.

Similar technology has been around for many years, but has never worked well enough to be broadly used. (El Cotoro recalls a demonstration in which the software repeatedly confused photographs of Humphrey Bogart with a lamp.)

The small number of images I tried on the Riay site didn't give very good results, but maybe you'll have more patience and better luck!

Coupons on your Cell Phone

2006-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of new kinds of advertising, especially when it involves my phone number, but a company called CouponZap.com has introduced a new wrinkle that actually makes sense. Cell phone users can sign up for call lists for specific companies. The companies can then use text messaging to send each subscriber coupons that can be redeemed by simply showing the text messages. Each message has a unique code, so the company can keep track of who redeems which coupons, to better target their offers.

The service probably makes the most sense for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, who can send out special incentives to bring in customers on slow nights.

Customers can "opt out" of the call list at any time.

Panda-monium!

2006-02-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

The captive breeding program at the Wolong Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre has been a great success, with 16 pandas born between July and December, 2005. If you'd like to learn more about pandas, and see dozens more pictures, visit pandafans.org!

Welcome to Zombo-com

2006-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I find this funny... but maybe you will too:

Zombo.com

Forward it to your friends, so they too can experience Zombo.com!

Sand Skiing

2006-02-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

Another entry in the "bizarre but true" category: a 25-story indoor ski facility has been built in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ski facility is located in the billion dollar Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping centers in the world. Notice the sand and palm trees at the base of the structure.

Take 5 Minutes to Help a Science Fair Project

2006-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

Help high school student Matthew Rongey by participating as a subject in his science fair project at sciproj.yes2.us. If you agree to take part in this experiment, you will be shown a short 2.5 minute video. After the video, you will be asked a series of questions pertaining to the video and regarding demographic information. All the details are on Matthew's site.

If you'd like to help other students with science fair projects, go to www.sciencebuddies.org

Canstruction

2006-01-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Architects and engineers compete to see whose team can build the most spectacular structure using little more than cans of food at Construction, the annual Design and Build competition in New York and other cities. Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity and Jurors’ Favorite. At the end of each competition, the more than 100,000 cans that are part of the exhibit are given to the Second Harvest Food Bank. For details and pictures, visit www.canstruction.org/

Where's George?

2006-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

I recently got a dollar bill, stamped in red ink with the words, "Track this bill at www.WheresGeorge.com"

The WheresGeorge website lets you enter the serial number of the bill to see where it has been. Unfortunately, I was only the second stop for my bill, so it wasn't too interesting - but some bills on the site have criss-crossed the country (there's a view that shows the path on a map). Check the top ten menu to see the most interesting bills. Cute idea...

Need a Break?

2006-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you've ever spent a mindless half-half hour watching one of those home video shows on TV, you'll enjoy break.com. People post homemade videos, which you can rate and comment on.

Thanks PG&E

2006-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

El Cotoro spent a cold and dreary New Years day this year, thanks to a fallen branch that brought down a power wire. Our neighborhood - 165 houses - was without power for a day and a half.

A day and a half is not a long time, but it was long enough for us to transfer our "most perishable" food from the refrigerator to a cooler packed with ice. Long enough for us to experience "Internet withdrawal." Long enough for us to spend an evening huddled in front of a fire to keep warm. Long enough for us to wrap our tropical fish tank with blankets and hot water bottles to keep the fish alive. Long enough for us to appreciate (and play with) those fancy LED flashlights in our emergency kit. Long enough to realize that reading by candlelight (or even LED light) is not easy.

A day and a half is not a long time, and many people went through much, much worse over the past year. Still, it gave me a greater appreciation for the thousands of people who gave up their holidays to work, nonstop, in cold wet weather in order to restore basic services to their community.

Thanks, PG&E!

Get Restaurant Ratings on your desktop

2005-12-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

You may already have an assortment of widgets on your computer... small applications for Konfabulator or the Macintosh Dashboard. My new favorite is the RestaurantRatingz widget, which lets you quickly look up ratings and reviews for local restuarants. True, the reviews are already available on the RestaurantRatingz.com website, but when I am working in my web browser, I don't like to open a lot of extra windows. Somehow the widget just seems more convenient, and I suspect I will use it more often.

The widget was developed by Intertron Software, and you can download it from their website at www.inertron.com/widgets/.

Any Guesses?

2005-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

El Cotoro loves gadgets! In the information age, there's something satisfying about a well-designed device you can hold in your hand... whatever it does! This particular gadget is for applying postage stamps! It takes a standard Post Office roll of 100 self-adhesive stamps. Drag it across an envelope, and it quickly and neatly applies one postage stamp. You might not think you'd ever need a gadget like this... until you have to apply stamps to 5000 postcards for a volunteer organization!

You can buy it on the Internet for less than $20. Just search for "Premier Stamp Affixer"

The Long Now

2005-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

The purpose of The Long Now Foundation is to help people to think in longer terms... thousands of years, rather than a few weeks or months.

To foster longer thinking, they have several projects, including a website, Long Bets, where you can place "bets" on future events (though the timeframe for most of the bets seems dissapointingly short!)

Perhaps the most intriguing project is the 10,000 Year Clock. The idea is to build a mechanical clock in a chamber under the Nevada desert which, with regular maintenance, will operate for 10,000 years. There is no timeframe for the project, but prototypes have been built, operating principles defined, and donations are being accepted.

LEDs

2005-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

I had never really thought much about LEDs, until a friend showed me the GlowBug.com website. The GlowBug site is entirely devoted to LED lights of all kinds... flashlights, keychains, lamps, lanterns, headlights, and even booklights.

I learned a lot from GlowBug. Did you know that the life expectancy of an LED is 5 to 10 years of continuous use? Or that they consume less than 1/10 the electricity of equivalent lightbulbs? LEDs are also much less fragile than lightbulbs. (They don't break when you drop your flashlight!)

While still too expensive to replace household lightbulbs, LEDs are very affordable for flashlights and other "portable" applications. Plus... they're cool! (Literally, because unlike lightbulbs, LEDs waste very little energy in the form of heat.)

Grand Canyon Skywalk: Not a Hoax

2005-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was skeptical when a friend first sent me this picture. It has all the earmarks of an Internet hoax. But with a little web searching, I found that there really is a glass walkway being built over the edge of the Grand Canyon. The glass-bottomed Skywalk is being built by the Hualapai Tribe, and it is now scheduled to open in January 2006. It will project 70 feet from the rim of the canyon, and allow visitors to look straight down over 4000 feet.

For more information visit www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/pressrelease.html

Talking Turkey

2005-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

For the past few years I've been hearing about organic, free-range turkeys. People who've tried them swear they are better tasting. Now there's another reason to "go organic."

Most turkeys are fed a steady diet of antibiotics to keep them healthy and promote growth. But of course, there are still bacteria present in the turkeys and in their environment. Due to poor sanitation in the poultry industry, some of these bacteria may remain in/on the turkey.

Here's the big problem: due to the long-term exposure to the antibiotics, the bacteria in the turkey is extremely resistant. So if you get sick from bacteria in the turkey, you won't respond to conventional treatments. This is becoming a major problem, to the extent that some large food companies (including McDonalds) are now requiring their suppliers to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in poultry.

If you want to avoid antibiotics in your holiday bird, look for a UDSDA Certified Organic turkey. For more information, visit www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=4131

2005-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

You Are a Freedom Rocker!

You're stuck in the 70s - for better or worse
Crazy hair, pot soaked clothes, and tons of groupies
Your kind showed the world how to rock
Is that freedom rock?... Well turn it up man!

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

OK - this is El Cotoro's result from one of those online test thingies. I don't even know what to call these things, but you've probably seen them... "What's your Martian name?" - "What kind of boss are you?" - "Could you pass 8th grade English?"

Well, follow the link above and you'll find a BUNCH of these things. Don't blame El Cotoro if you waste half your day!

(PS - let me know... what movie genre would you be?)

Connect with the Arts

2005-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

There are over 100,000 art groups, galleries, guilds, schools and museums in the United States and Canada. Most of us can name only a few, even in our own communities.

ArtChain is an ambitious attempt to "connect people with the arts" in their communities and on their travels by providing a comprehensive, searchable directory of arts organizations. Presently there are only a few hundred entries in the ArtChain directory. Some areas are well covered, while others are sparse. There is not a single art museum listed in the state of Indiana, for example.

But the project seems worthwhile, and it's easy (and free) to add a listing. Visit ArtChain.com and check it out. And if you belong to an arts organization of any sort, add it to this growing directory.

New Moon

2005-10-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Seems appropriate to post on Halloween, doesn't it?

The cute thing about this bit of web magic is that it uses the timezone and clock on your computer, so you should see the correct phase of the moon whereever you are. Let El Cotoro know if it works!

The Million Dollar Homepage

2005-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Alex Tew is a pretty clever guy. He's a college student in the UK, studying Business Management, and he came up with an idea to pay for his education. He set up a web page and divided it into 10,000 little blocks, each 10 pixels by 10 pixels. He is selling ad space on his site in blocks, and each block costs 100 dollars ($1 per pixel). If he sells every block, he will make $1 million.

This idea has already been copied, but apparently Alex was the first to think of it. He got some good press, and his site is getting a lot of traffic. (For those of you who care about such things, the Google pagerank is 7, and the Alexa traffic rank is 2,518.) It's actually not a bad deal for advertisers, because the site is quite popular, and people seem to spend time clicking on the links. Alex promises to keep the ads up for 5 years, though I expect that traffic will fall off once the novelty wears off.

Alex certainly doesn't need my help... he's already sold over half the space on the site. But I think it's a clever idea. You can check it out at www.milliondollarhomepage.com

Al Gore and Governer Schwarzenegger agree!

2005-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

What do Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Senator John McCain, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Vice-President Al Gore all agree on?

Each has spoken out about the crisis of global climate change, or global warming, and the need for effective action.

Each has joined an online movment called the Virtual March on Washington, to help publicize the problem of global warming.

The Virtual March is essentially a year-long press tour to publicize the problem. A growing list of membership signups on the website are an indication of the public support for action on this issue.

Please take a few minutes to sign up and show your support. Visit www.stopglobalwarming.org

Self Made TV

2005-10-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I found this website - one of those days that started as a research project and got diverted into random web surfing - but it's a great example of how broadband Internet connections are enabling new kinds of information and entertainment.

Simply put, this site lets you watch short videos. Some are "artsy,” some are straightforward, some are even TV commercials. Most are entertaining. And that's the appeal. I spent almost an hour on the site and still haven't run out of things to see.

The site is not easy to navigate... it's not at all clear to me what I will see when I click on various parts of the screen, or how to get back to something I've seen before. But maybe that's not what this experience is about. Sometimes it's fun to let someone ELSE point you to things you might never have discovered on your own.

So check it out: selfmadetv.com

Ghost Hunters - a Guilty Pleasure

2005-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Amid all the new TV shows, El Cotoro has discovered a "guilty pleasure" - Ghost Hunters. Actually, this show is not new... it's been running for some time on the SciFi channel.

Each week, a team of investigators goes to a supposedly haunted building. The formula is always the same: they interview the owners, who tell about the experiences they've had with the "ghosts." The investigators then set up a bunch of recorders and cameras. After a few hours, they leave to analyze the "evidence." They then meet with the owners to tell them what was found. Usually it's nothing. In a few cases, there may be some strange sounds on a recording, or a brief flash or motion on the video.

Sounds boring, doesn't it? But for some reason, it's fascinating!

The shows are shot in some really creepy places, and even if there are no ghosts to be found, the show has a creepy atmosphere. The investigators are either really into what they're doing, or great actors. It's fun just watching them. And it's not all serious. On a few of the shows they play jokes on one another, especially when they have a new team member. And did I mention that the two lead investigators are plumbers by day?

I can't explain why I watch this show week after week, but I'm not alone... the show has an almost fanatical fan base. Maybe we're all possessed???

Fish Photos!

2005-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

On my recent snorkeling trip, I tried a new toy... a disposable underwater camera. These cameras are just like the cardboard disposables. In fact, they ARE cardboard disposables, with a watertight plastic case around them. (Supposedly the plastic cases get recycled.)

I had a lot of fun with the camera, and I would be even happier if the pictures were better. The water in Maui was incredibly clear, the sun was bright, and the fish were beautiful. Unfortunately, none of that comes through in the photos! The snapshot to the right is about the best of the bunch I took.

I should emphasize that the camera is capable of pretty good pictures. It's just hard to realize how quickly the water attentuates light. So if you want to get good results, keep three things in mind:

(1) Use the camera near the surface on a BRIGHT day. Don;t even bother if it's overcast.

(2) Try to take pictures with the sunlight coming over your shoulder and shining directly on the fish.

(3) Get within 3 to 6 feet of the fish... anything beyond that comes out dark, even if the water seems clear and bright.

I'm glad I tried one of these things... it's fun showing off my fish pictures! But if you remember my three simple rules, you'll get much better results than El Cotoro!

Snorkeling with Bob

2005-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

El Cotero recently took a trip to Maui to visit some distant relatives. (Parrots aren’t really native to Hawaii, but the climate is great!)

While in Maui, El Cotero spent some time snorkeling. We rented our gear from Snorkel Bob’s. There are many places on Maui that advertise cheap prices for snorkel gear. Bob’s prices are a little higher. But I certainly felt like we got our money’s worth. Bob’s offers masks in several sizes (many of the places have a one-size fits all approach). They make their own masks with silicon bodies so they seal really well. They also have masks with prescription lenses, so those of us who need glasses can actually see the fish! I was really surprised at how well the prescription lenses worked.

The girl who helped us was very careful to make sure I had a good prescription match… she made me try several. She also checked the fit on our masks and fins. We had a great time snorkeling, and I think it had a lot to do with the excellent service, advice, and equipment we got at Snorkel Bob’s.

I know that most of my readers probably won’t be headed to Maui in the near future… so why write about Snorkel Bob’s? Because good service is a rare thing these days, when everyone seems to be shopping for the lowest possible prices. So when you find a place that give really good service, it’s worth paying a little more… and taking the time to tell people about it.

It's a Hoax!

2005-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I frequently get e-mail from friends and family urging me to boycott a company because of something terrible they've done, or to buy a product in order to suppport a worthy cause, or to send a greeting card to a sick child. These messages all have one thing in common: they are hoaxes.

No, I don't mean that my friends are deliberately trying to trick me. They are simply forwarding messages that they believe to be worthwhile. But the messages are, in almost every case, false. In the very few cases I found where the original message was true, it was long ago expired. (For example, the Mars candy company really did make donations for breast cancer research every time someone bought special pink and white M&Ms. But the offer expired in 2004, and the mail is STILL being forwarded around the Internet.)

These perpetually circulating messages of often innocent enough, but in in some cases they are malicious and can cause a great deal of damage. I recently got an e-mail urging me not to shop at Target stores because Target refused to support veterans group, and was owned by a French company (gasp!). Of course, the story was false - but how many people now have a bad image of Target because of the e-mail?

It's pretty simple to stop these messages. Just don't forward them - ever, and ask your friends not to send them to you. Of the dozens I've received, only ONE has turned out to be valid.

If you need help proving to your friends that a particular message is a hoax, visit urbanlegends.about.com or www.snopes.com, or use your favorite search engine to search for the title of the mail message plus the word "hoax".

Free CDs in TV Guide

2005-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I bought a copy of TV Guide at the grocery store today. It has a mini-CD stuck to the front cover, promoting the TV show Lost. The mini-CD will work in most tray-loading CD players. I popped in in my computer and played with it. It had outtakes from the TV show, pictures, musics, games, and lots of fun stuff - plus the inevitable ads to buy the boxed CD set of the show's first season.

It was pretty cool as a novelty item. It's amazing to me that CDs are so cheap to make that they can stick them in magazines.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off if lots of people do this, but if you are a Lost fan, pick up a copy of TV Guide.

Survive the IRS (inside info for businesses)

2005-08-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

This should interest everyone who runs a business!

When the IRS audits a business tax return, the auditors need to know something about the type of business in order to know what to look for. So the IRS prepares training documents on all sorts of businesses, ranging from auto repair to nightclubs and restaurants. This tells the auditors exactly what they should look at and question.

Wow! So if you're in one of those businesses, wouldn't it be great to know exactly what the IRS auditors will question?

Well, you can. You'll find a bunch of these IRS documents (called "Audit Techniques Guides") right on the IRS website. There's also another list, inluding some older (possibly outdated) guides, at http://www.unclefed.com/SurviveIRS/MSSP/

Skype Me!

2005-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around a bit with Skype, an Internet telephone (VOIP) application. (See www.skype.com)

Skype requires that you have a microphone on your computer (a headset combining microphone and earphones is the best bet), and a high-speed Internet connection. You can talk to other Skype users, computer-to-computer, for free. You can call ordinary telephone numbers for a small per-minute charge.

Skype is also adding a feature that will allow you to pay a subscription fee in order to have a real telephone number, so that people can call you at your computer. Right now it's being tested.

So, what's the verdict?

I have a VERY high-speed connection, but I found the quality to be poor. Kind of like a weak cell-phone connection. I also found the interface to be a little clumsy.

From a purely technical standpoint, voice and data are being integrated, and a lot of phone traffic is alreayd routed over IP lines. But for personal use, Skype isn't quite there. If you are paying high fees for long distance calls, you *might* want to investigate Skype... after all, free is good! But for now at least, you're probably better off shopping around for a better rate plan for your regular phone.

How We Got Here (a good book)

2005-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I recently read a fascinating book, Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond. The book sets out to answer the questions, "Why did advanced civilizations arise in some places but not others? How did people of European descent come to dominate the world economically and politically?"

This is not light summer reading - but it is surprisingly interesting and well written. Need more convincing? The book won a Pulitzer prize, it was on the New York Times bestseller list, and on the back of the book there is a recommendation from Bill Gates! (OK, maybe that's not the best recommendation - but read the book anyway.)

Art Cards

2005-08-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I know a fair number of artists and designers, and I've always been surprised to find that in their free time, they create more art!

Often these "spare time" projects and quick forms of self-expression, meant to be given away or traded. I've recently discovered art cards... simple works of art (sometimes multi-media) created in a 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 size - like an old fashioned baseball trading card.

In fact, art cards were originally intended to be traded among artists... but now many are available for sale. It's an inexpensive way to pick up some nice original artwork, and they don't take a lot of wallspace!

Visit eBay and search the Art section for ATC (artist trading cards) or ACEO (Artist Cards - Editions and Originals).

Thanks to Cindy Couling for permission to use her Art Card, "El Cotorro." Visit Cindy's blog at lunagraphica.blogspot.com

A User Edited Web Directory: Wikidweb.com

2005-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

There are many web "directories" that contain thousands or even millions of web pages, organized into neat categories. The two biggest, Yahoo and DMOZ (the so-called "Open Directory") are now too restrictive for most small sites. Yahoo charges $300 a year for a listing, effectively keeping out anything but large commercial sites. DMOZ has a bureaucratic system of volunteer editors, so that it often takes onths or years to get submissions approved.

A new directory, wikidweb.com, is trying to solve this problem by creating a community edited web directory. Quite simply, anyone can add to or edit the directory. This system has worked very well for wikipedia.com, the online encyclopedia, and hopefully it will work equally well for wikidweb.

Visit wikidweb and take some time to learn how the site works. Add your own favorite sites, and volunteer some of your time to help edit and clean up existing entries. It's a worthwhile effort.

El Cotoro

2005-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

"El Cotoro" seems to be an archaic Spanish word for parrot. I found the word on an old deck of Loteria cards. I've also seen it spelled el cotorro, but neither spelling shows up in my Spanish dictionary.

What does that have to do with this blog? Nothing. I liked the word. I liked the image. And that's it.

That's what this blog is about. Stuff that catches my interest for a moment or two. Stuff that I find fun, or interesting, or intriguing. New products? Sure! El Cotoro is attracted to shiny things!

Maybe the things that catch my eye will appeal to you as well. There's a little bit of El Cotoro in everyone.