Lost 2 squash plants to gophers a couple days ago. They dug up to the plant and ate it. Entirely. Not a trace left.
Garden … moister than usual
The garden is coming along. But it’s raining today! This is, by all local accounts, a very late spring. That we’re getting rains this late in the spring is very unusual. Anyway… Here’s where things were on May 9: It had just been tilled with the tractor. Nice puffy dirt! All the weeds chewed up. … Continue reading Garden … moister than usual
Martin Gardner
One of my heroes in my days as a math major in college was Martin Gardner. I was reading his column in Scientific American when I was in high school. I read the column where he introduced John Conway’s cellular automata game of “Life“. I have had a copy of his “Annotated Alice” for years.… Continue reading Martin Gardner
The bale-raising
It was a great day. Overcast in the morning, but clear and sunny by 10:30 or so. The hosts provided breakfast and lunch (catered mostly; some potluck action, too.). Got there around 9:00 and saw the framed buildings and 3 large stacks of bales of hay. Rice hay it was. People were gathering. Things got… Continue reading The bale-raising
25% wireless-only !
Yup. Here it is. 25% of U.S. households – households, not individuals – have no landline phone. Related story also on NYTimes Technology pages – cellphones used for data processing more than for making phonecalls!
A “Bale-Raising”
I’ve been included on an invitation to a “bale raising”. Next Saturday (May 15). I’m going! The purpose of a straw-bale raising is to shape and place the bales of straw (which are far more energy-efficient than conventional framing) into the framework of the house. We’d really appreciate having your help! (or just your company… Continue reading A “Bale-Raising”
The “Business Model” of doing things…. feh!
Yet another piece at the NYTimes about education and NCLB. (Or, as I’ve heard some teacher-friends call it: NTLS – No Teacher Left Standing). Apparently, a book, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education”, by Diane Ravitch, is arguing that the latest fashion in high… Continue reading The “Business Model” of doing things…. feh!
Lose something at Disneyland?
Just for fun… LA Times article about what’s found in the bottom of the fake ponds at Disneyland when they drain them for maintenance. Interesting claim: the water was originally stocked with actual live fish! Of course, now no fish could live in it. Which highlights the next factoid: they didn’t drain the water to… Continue reading Lose something at Disneyland?
Drosera
The biology club on campus is having their annual (or maybe bi-annual) plant sale. I’ve purchased stuff from them before. They get their wares from nurseries in the area that donate their less-than-pristine goods to the club. The stuff is in fine shape – it’s just a little … disheveled, say. This year, they got… Continue reading Drosera
Weekend plans
We may try the Petaluma Film Festival for this Saturday’s festivities. Here’s the event’s home page. Dinner somewhere interesting in Petaluma and then catch the 7:30 program of shorts. Briefly considered alternative: The Beaches of Agnes at the Sonoma Film Institute. It’s a French thing (as you’ll quickly notice), but for a moment there I… Continue reading Weekend plans