The 7 Wonders of Mariah

OK, that didn't take long. Clearly I mis-spoke about my favorite Mariah songs. Kelly's corrected me, so in no particular order here are my top 7 Mariah songs...

1. Dreamlover
2. Fantasy
3. Always Be My Baby
   
4. All I Want For Christmas
5. Heartbreaker
6. Joy to the World
7. One Sweet Day
   

I did debate on #7... I thought about Hero, since apparently she wrote that for Gloria Estefan, and I love Gloria to death as well. But One Sweet Day is so evocative... I had to go with it, instead.

American Idol Final 6 - WTF!!!!!!!

OK SERIOUSLY. WHAT. THE. FUCK.

How in god's name did Syesha and Carly end up in the bottom two?! Their performances were easily the 2 strongest of the night (followed by the Davids). I love Brooke to death, but she and Jason should have been in the bottom 2, and Jason should have been eliminated. What total BULLSHIT that Carly was booted.

I LOVE YOU CARLY!!!!!! Come to SF and sing for us. I'll pay to see you in a heartbeat!!!!!

OK yes, I'm a week behind. But I'm all caught up now on Idol from Tivo.... god bless you Tivo.

Anyways.... F YOU AMERICA. hahahaha. kidding. I guess I need to watch Idol live on Tuesday and vote this week to keep my faves in place. :(

American Idol Final 7 - David Cook singing Mariah

OK... I loves me some Mariah... especially Always Be My Baby, one of my top 3 Mariah songs (along with Fantasy and Heartbreaker). And this is an AWESOME arrangement that David Cook did for the Mariah episode of American Idol this season. It's fantastic... and been stuck in my head for days!

Wind Farm in Lake Michigan?

Wow, check out this site that describes a project to build a ~2 gigaWatt wind farm out in the middle of Lake Michigan...! It'll be too far from shore for people to see and thus bitch about... and freaking 2 GW! That's huge! The site also has a little ticker that shows the total tons of CO2 emitted by burning coal in the US starting in 2007 (up to 656.5 million metric tons).

The site hasn't been updated in 2008... so I'm not sure what that means. If I wasn't so swamped at work I'd look into it more, but alas, you'll have to figure that out for yourself. :P

Thanks to Walti for the link!

Space-based Solar Power

Pew pew lasers!!! Fried chicken falling from the sky!!! The future is here... today!!!

JAXA (Japan's space agency) is testing a space-based solar power system! This technology has been discussed for decades, and is actually somewhat common in the world of sci-fi. Basically, the, system would use orbiting solar panels to collect energy, which it would then beam to a terrestrial base station on the surface using microwaves. Yes, the microwave beam would be dangerous, but you would just set up a no-fly zone around it and pray that birds will learn to steer clear.

The advantage of this system is that you can set up massive solar arrays in space without losing any planet-side real estate. 100s of square miles, if you wanted! And you can also set these up adjacent to the planet, so you're catching solar energy that wouldn't have otherwise hit the Earth. You could even set them up close to the sun to get more intense radiation. So the energy capture possibilities are tremendous. As are the technological hurdles. But still, it's pretty damned cool.

Also, a quick shout-out to Pink Tentacle, which is a really engaging blog about random Japan-y topics. I recommend reading it. = )

Bottled Water is NOT HEALTHIER than Tap Water, Especially in the Bay Area

OK... the following is an e-mail I just wrote to my roommate and dear friend. I'm so proud of it that I've decided to copy/paste it in here for all of you folks out there to share with your friends.

=======================================================

Leah –

I’ve prepared the following arguments just for you. I wrote this entire thing. Please read it through, and then cease and desist all further consumption of bottled water. I’m posting this shit to my blog in a second.

First off, it is a total myth that bottled water is healthier than tap water; tap water is actually healthier than bottled water, on average. Below you will find significant evidence supporting that statement.

Second, in the SF Bay Area, our tap water is actually amongst the cleanest water in the world, including bottled waters. That’s because all Bay Area tap water comes from the same source: the Sierra Nevadas. Specifically, Hetch Hetchy. Tests have consistently shown that this water is nearly 100% contaminant free, but far far far healthier for you than any bottled water you can buy. Below you will find significant evidence supporting that statement as well.

Third and finally, bottled water is a total waste of money. “The fact is that people pay from $1 to $4 a gallon for the perception of higher quality, when in fact the quality of bottled water is at best unknown! Over 90% of the cost of bottled water is in the bottle, lid and label.” (link #1) So for you, Leah, who are concerned with money… you should NOT be wasting money on a product that makes false claims of its health benefits and costs you assloads of cash at the same time.

Some key quotes on how bottled water is generally no better than tap:

• “The FDA, which regulates bottled water, states that "Companies that market bottled water as being safer than tap water are defrauding the American public."” (link #1)

• “There's no question that drinking water is essential to our survival. But does it matter whether it comes from the sink or the store? Not according to Benjamin Grumbles, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water programs. "It's an urban myth that bottled water is safer than tap water," he says. "Without a doubt, we have a drinking water system that's the envy of the world."” (link #5)

• “Most bottled water appears to be safe. Of the bottles we tested, the majority proved to be high quality and relatively free of contaminants. The quality of some brands [of bottled water] was spotty, however, and such products may pose a health risk, primarily for people with weakened immune systems (such as the frail elderly, some infants, transplant and cancer patients, or people with HIV/AIDS). About 22 percent of the brands we tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. If consumed over a long period of time, some of these contaminants could cause cancer or other health problems.” (link #7)

• “Recent research suggests that there could be cause for concern [from the plastic in water bottles], and that the issue should be studied closely. Studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic and in glass bottles contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic cap or liner. Although there are regulatory standards limiting phthalates in tap water, there are no legal limits for phthalates in bottled water -- the bottled water industry waged a successful campaign opposing the FDA proposal to set a legal limit for these chemicals.” (link #7)

• “"A common misconception is that bottled water is better than tap water. All drinking water has to meet the same [minimum] standard," says Dale Kemery, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency.” (link #12)
  

Some key quotes on how GREAT the water is in the Bay Area:

• ““It turned out that they got it wrong; that the drinking water here in the Bay Area throughout Public Utilities Commission turned out to be the finest that the association that did the testing had ever tasted,” Newsom continued. “Not only was it the safest and the cleanest — they were mesmerized by how clean it was because for every single thing they tested, which were not necessarily known contaminants, this is the next phase of testing into the future, they couldn’t find anything that led to any concern,” the mayor reported.” (link #9)

• “While most cities and states have to drink treated water, San Francisco has "bragging rights over pure Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water surrounded by nearly 500 square miles of Yosemite Valley wilderness." Snap.” (link #10)

• “"You guys have the best water that we tested. Period," Snyder said of San Francisco's drinking water. "I don't think we've ever tested drinking water that didn't have any of our target compounds in it." … San Francisco's utility serves 2.4 million customers in the city and in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.” (link #11)

Sites describing how tap water is BETTER than bottled water (1-8), and how Bay Area water is better than bottled water (9-13):

1. "Bottled Water Facts"
2. “Bottled water may not be better, environmental group reports”
3. “Bottled Water Isn’t Healthier than Tap”
4. “Bad to the last drop”
5. “Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?”
6. “Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?”
7. Bottled Water FAQ from the Natural Resources Defense Council
8. “Bottled Water no better than tap water, sometimes worse”
9. “San Francisco tap water said better than bottled water”
10. “San Francisco's Tap Water Reigns Supreme”
11. “S.F.'s Tap Water Best in Tests, Chemists Say”
12. “Latest Gourmet Offering: Tap Water”
13. “For the Love of Tap Water”

So…. No more bottled water for you, Leah. EVER. $15 for a SIIG and that’s all you use from now on. No more excuses!!

Love,
G

ColecoVison 1980s Commercial

omg... I loved my ColecoVision. I used to play this awesome Smurfs game on there, back when I was like 7. =D

South African Dock Workers Refuse to Unload Zimbabwe-bound Chinese Weapons

OK, this is really neat. A group of dock workers in South Africa have refused to unload a shipment of Chinese-made weapons that were bound for Zimbabwe (which is currently in crisis). Sometimes it's easy to forget about the nature of logistics, but weapons don't just spring forth from the Earth or teleport themselves from the factory to the hands of an army. If anyone in the supply chain of the weapon manufacturer refuses to cooperate, the delivery is disrupted. So god bless those dock workers for doing their small part to help lessen the current catastrophe in Zimbabwe.

If you'd like, you can sign a petition to show support for this action and to ask the SADC and gov'ts throughout the world to show similar acts of solidarity.

Wanda Sykes on Gay Marriage

omg, I love Wanda Sykes. She's hi-larious.

speling is hard!

Why did no one ever menshin that I'd mis-spelled "harassed" in the tag-line of mah blog? How embarrasing.

Sea Level Rise Explorer

Now, through the wonders of the internet, you can explore what the world will look like when the ice caps begin to melt and sea levels rise 20+ feet. This mash-up of NASA satellite info and google maps can help you identify just how screwed your favorite beach spot will be. It also has a neat tutorial at the bottom that walks you through where the extra ocean is coming from.

Sadly, my neighborhood in San Francisco looks pretty screwed, as it's squarely in the red. I guess that shouldn't be much of a surprise, given that it's all landfill/liquefaction zone. =P

International Slave Trade: some investigative journalism

So good news! The international slave trade is alive and kicking. Apparently there are more slaves globally now than there have ever been at any point in human history: 27 million. Hard to believe, but as Hillary Clinton says, this is "the dark underbelly of globalization."

Author E. Benjamin Skinner recently wrote a book on the subject after going undercover around the world to learn more about how it all works. It comes in many forms (debt bondage, forced domestic servitude, forced prostitution), and is rampant throughout Asian, Africa, Europe, the Americas... it's everywhere.

There's an interview with the author on salon.com, which is a short 2-page read, and may be more than you can stomach. But in my mind, knowing about the problem and spreading awareness are probably the least (and maybe even the most) I can do, and I'd ask that you do the same. Who knows, you may be in a position at some point to help someone who's tied to slavery...

Northwest and Delta to merge

So in case you hadn't heard, Northwest and Delta are planning to merge to create the largest airline in the world. That's great news for people who care, among whom I am not. What this does for me is merge two useless frequent flyer programs that I never use into a single useless frequent flyer program that I never use. But that new program will have 50k miles or so sitting in it, so maybe I'll get around to using it sometime.

What would be a useful merger to me would be United and American. Then I can get to Europe, Asia, AND South America all on the same airline. THAT would be helpful. So UA, AA, get on it!!!

But I also hear some interesting analysis on Friday on NPR's Marketplace that suggested that the airline business could really only be profitable under monopolies. Which I would believe, given the massive scale of costs and logistics involved (a la US Postal Service and others). But of course that creates problems of price, since classical economic theory holds that perfect competition is the ideal way for prices to equilibrate at the point of incremental cost. Which is basically just the idea that competitors will each lower their prices to beat each other until their prices are basically matching their costs (assuming that costs include the minimum mark-up to remain profitable).

However, in a monopoly, the prices aren't necessarily that much higher than in perfect competition. They can be, but they don't *have* to be. There's a lot of economic theory involved, but the basics are that sometimes a monopoly is the best way to deliver a good or service. Again, think of USPS... do you really want to have multiple post offices to choose from, just to shave 3 cents off of your stamp cost? If there were competing post offices, prices would be driven down to the point that service would be cut off in rural and hard-to-reach areas, which would disenfranchise significant sections of the population. Generally, in questions of infrastructure, it's better to have a monopoly delivering the service (USPS, Amtrak, gov't providing roads/highways, etc), so that minimum service levels are maintained for everyone.

OK, so I didn't really proof or review what I just wrote, but I think in summary I've convinced myself that airlines are infrastructure and that we'd be better as a society to have air travel provided by monopolies, thus ensuring maximum service levels for all Americans, but at slightly higher prices. Hmmmm. Yeah, that sounds right to me.

I'm probly the only one who'll think this is funny..

Cat Massages Dog

I think I've been entirely too lowbrow with my posts overall... or maybe just midbrow... or perhaps sidebrow since a lot of them have been about my life. I should really post more crap from my personal philosophies... such as Graeme's Theory on Social Entropy, whereby social conflict resolves itself to the lowest energy state for the system... or my thoughts on sustainability and the ethics of permaculture... and countless other observations and formulations I've developed over the years. All of which I will get to eventually.

For now, however, enjoy this video of a cat massaging a dog.

Fucking BALLS!

That seems to be my new phrase. When something goes wrong I shout, "Fucking BALLS!!!" The lesser version is just, "BALLS!!!", or "oh, balls."

I have no idea where it came from. But I wanted to share that as part of an effort to chart my wordogenesis, since I seem to create words and phrases from thin air, and propagate them to others. Though "I'm so tired I'm going to sleep like a dead baby tonight" hasn't caught on just yet... can't imagine why.