On a whim I caught the pilot for USA Network's new spy show Burn Notice. I wasn't expecting much, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. The main character is Michael Westen, international spy and trouble-maker - who's been forcibly retired, or as they say in the spy-biz: he's received a "burn notice." All of his assets have been frozen and he's under constant surveillance - granted this happens against the oh-so-chic backdrop of Miami, so it doesn't totally suck.

While he tries to figure out why this happened to him, he has to use his skills to make a buck while he's down on his luck. Fortunately he's ably supported by his ex-gf Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), an ex-IRA femme fatale for whom violence is fore-play. Bruce Campbell provides the comic relief as Sam, another ex-spook who's been so drunk and out of the biz that no one considers him a threat anymore - a perfect support operative for Michael.

The show has a slightly dark sense of humor, with a sort of instructional MacGyver edge, as Michael has to cobble together the tools of his trade from everyday household items. Give it a look!

Burn Notice (USA Network)

A beach-tote that's lined with solar panels so it can charge your hand-held devices while you catch some rays? Outstanding!

Solar Beach Tote (via Gizmodo)

Being a first-born, I've often heard the theories on how/why first-borns seem smarter and more motivated. It's always a winner at the family dining table! :D Well here's a study that claims to validate that belief and provides some theories as to why (via Slate).

Eldest children have IQs three points higher than their siblings, on average, in a huge sample of young Norwegian men. The study shows this difference is due to family dynamics, not "prenatal gestational factors," since "second- and third-born men who became the eldest in their families due to the death of one or two older siblings … had IQs close to that of firstborns." Theories: 1) Firstborns get more parental attention. 2) They're presented with higher expectations. 3) They benefit from teaching younger siblings. 4) They strive to achieve, so their siblings seek a less achievement-oriented identity. Critiques: 1) The difference is just an average; when sibling IQ scores differ, there's a 43 percent chance the younger kid scores higher. 2) Smaller U.S. studies differ from the Norwegian one. 3) Previously asserted birth-order effects have been debunked. 4) Younger siblings are less likely to be smart but more likely to be brilliant. 5) Younger siblings may have lower IQs, but they're more interesting. (To debate IQ and birth order, click here.)

Why firstborn kids are smarter. - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

The secret of being a bore is to tell everything. - Voltaire

I see artistic indecision trying to pass itself off as inspiration, and a TV-watching intelligentsia, after recovering from its initial disorientation, rushing in to bestow approval that I do not believe will ring down through the ages. - Timothy Noah on Slate on the Sopranos series finale, and the resulting critic reaction.

Sopranos Finale Discussion

After our recent trip out to Central WA Wine Country, I found this article very interesting. Below is a quote that takes the cake. 

...the late Auberon (son of Evelyn) Waugh, in his wine column for Britain's Tatler, described one wine as smelling of "a dead chrysanthemum on the grave of a still-born West Indian baby" (no, he wasn't fired, but he and his editor, Tina Brown, were brought before the Press Council to answer charges of insensitivity).

Why wine writers talk that way. - By Mike Steinberger - Slate Magazine

OK this took balls! I love it. (via Boing Boing) 

Yes Men crash oil expo, propose turning corpses into fuel

Cory Doctorow: Master pranksters The Yes Men crashed the Gas and Oil Exposition 2007 in Calgary this week, impersonating a rep from the National Petroleum Council at a keynote in which they proposed to convert people who died from climate change disasters into fuel.

 After noting that current energy policies will likely lead to "huge global calamities" and disrupt oil supplies, Wolff told the audience "that in the worst case scenario, the oil industry could "keep fuel flowing" by transforming the billions of people who die into oil," said a Yes Men press release.

Yes Man Mike Bonnano, posing as an Exxon representative named Florian Osenberg, added that "With more fossil fuels comes a greater chance of disaster, but that means more feedstock for Vivoleum. Fuel will continue to flow for those of us left."

The impostors led growingly suspicious attendees in lighting Vivoleum candles made, they said, from a former Exxon janitor who died from cleaning a toxic spill. When shown a mock video of the janitor professing his desire to be turned in death into candles, a conference organizer pulled Bonanno and Bichlbaum from the stage.

As security guards led Bonanno from the room, Bichlbaum told reporters that "Without oil we could no longer produce or transport food, and most of humanity would starve. That would be a tragedy, but at least all those bodies could be turned into fuel for the rest of us."

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A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. - Baltasar Gracian

Check out this Beer bottle solar water heater.

[via Boing Boing]

David Pescovitz: Ma Yanjun, a farmer in China's Shaanxi province, reportedly built a DIY solar water heater out of 66 beer bottles. According to Weird Asia News, water flowing through the bottles is heated by the sun and then routed into the bathroom for showers. Apparently, ten other families in his village. Qiqiao, have since built similar systems. From Weird Asia News:

FREAKIN AWESOME (and probably a lawsuit waiting to happen) :D 

[Via Geekologie] The Auto Mower is like a giant Roomba for your lawn. It self-charges at a docking station and then goes off and mows your lawn on its own or at a set schedule. The thing costs $2,000, but is more environmentally friendly than regular gas-powered lawnmowers. Plus regular lawn mowers don't look like they'd chase you around and try to kill you. Would you seriously want a giant robot with spinning blades roaming freely around your home?

Just wanted to do a shout out to Josh, one of our artists at ArenaNet. Josh is a talented sculptor who also loves to share his gift with others. One of the coolest things he does is lead sculpting classes for all ages and skill levels. Check out his work at the link below - sometimes playful, sometimes haunting - definitely memorable.

Breath of Life - Art Studio

The worst enemy of agile anticipation is our human propensity for comfy self-delusion. - David Brin, on the problems of accurate prognostication.

She had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for wit. - W. Somerset Maugham

I always referred to it as "regressing" - but now there's a hot hip new term for it: rejuvenile. Of course members of the videogames industry are more prone to indulge than others - our livelihood depends on our ability to tap our inner-child. (via Boing Boing)

Noxon wants to know why America's adults increasingly dress up as Klingons, collect dolls and action figures, participate in urban pillowfights, play RPGs (fantasy and massively multiplayer), participate in crafts, read comics, and hang out on the carpet with the kids and the legos instead of plopping the kids into a playpen and then settling in with a martooni.

Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up: Books: Christopher Noxon

I've been catching up on Dexter on Showtime. It's CSI meets Silence of the Lambs - and it's good. Michael C. Hall (from Six Feet Under) does a great job as a blood spatter expert for the Miami police department - who in his spare time is also a serial killer who hunts other serial killers. Mostly I appreciate how intelligently it's written and the dark humor. If you don't get Showtime, you should Netflix a few episodes.

[Link]

The Cave B Inn is nestled onto the side of the Columbia River gorge (and for all you rockers is on the way to the Gorge Amphitheater). We first heard about it when we were out in Vermont during my sabbatical - the head chef at Jackson House, Jason Merrill, mentioned that one of his friends worked there. For a couple of years now we'd been talking about checking out the local Washington wine scene and after we saw a recent write-up in Seattle Metropolitan we decided this was our chance.

As a facility the inn is easily on par with some of its more expensive and stuffy cousins down in California Wine country. Immaculate grounds, top-rate spa, and the rooms are sumptuous and well appointed. Our room was located in The Cavern - a building that is literally carved out of the the cliff-face. While the exposed rock-face is not visible from inside the rooms, it is located just outside the door. The views of the Columbia Gorge from the Cavern rooms were very dramatic especially at sunset.

The one disappointment was the restaurant Tendrils. Although lauded with the prestigious James Beard award - we just didn't find that the food measured up to expectations. Our scallops were a tad on the fishy side and our beef, while robust in taste, was not tender. It's my hope that this is something the staff can address in order to turn Cave B into a true 5-star accommodation.

Wine-Tasting

The Inn is also well situated at the end-point of a long wine-tasting tour that will take you through Wenatchee all the way to Leavenworth. Tyler at the Cave B winery recommended a number of neighboring wineries to visit - and although not all of them were open (they tend to only open on Saturday afternoons) we did find some gems. We highly recommend Martin-Scott, a relatively young vineyard whose manager Chris shares his down-to-earth thoughts on his wine in a comfortable, folksy atmosphere. Their Raven Ridge Red is excellent and recently won an "Outstanding" in a recent Wine Press Northwest, and at $19/bottle it's still quite a steal IMO.

There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. - James Thurber

Alpha-geek humor, speaks for itself ... or not at all. :)

Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones. - Bertrand Russell

I think I found out about this thru one of Amazon's hot-seller lists. I was a little leery - I've never been big on reading comics on the PC. But the prospect of being able to read every Amazing Spider-man from the the 1960s thru 2006 was too good to resist.

I've always been more of a reader than a collector, so something that gives me access to so much story without having to pay stupid collector prices is right up my alley.

It took a little getting used to reading comics in PDF format, but having a wide-screen monitor definitely helps. Right now I'm going thru John Romita Sr's original run in the 60's and loving it.