Category Archives: The Unusual and the Weird

Astromixology

By | January 30, 2012

Whenever I’m looking for a drink recipe, I first seek out my trusty Mixology pamphlet, courtesy of the Southern Comfort Corporation, ca. 1974. What better source could there be for cocktail recipes than a pamphlet that mixes astrology with photos of swinging dudes in gaudy polyester leisure suits accompanied by the smiling Stepford wives. Sure,… Read More »

Kohler Numi Review in NY Times

By | October 22, 2011

The competition for toilet supremacy is heating up. The NY Times has a great review of Kohler’s Numi, which opens up like a Transformer to accept your tributes. Someone should hack the opening chime to play a recording of Optimus Prime saying “No sacrifice is too great in the service of freedom.” And I would love to see… Read More »

Snail Mail 419 Scam

By | November 23, 2010

While it was tempting to write this post in all caps, that would cause me too much pain. Yesterday I received my first ever 419-style spam/scam by US Postal mail. It was actually posted from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with a cool rhino stamp that cost somebody 800 Tanzanian shillings, which is currently about 55… Read More »

Audi TT Instrument Cluster

By | June 28, 2009

A few months ago, the instrument cluster on my Audi TT started behaving very oddly for the first twenty seconds after I started the car in the morning. As time passed, twenty seconds became thirty, forty, … and then up to two minutes before returning to normal behavior. The colder the weather, the longer it… Read More »

Patient Zero

By | May 4, 2009

This image was forwarded by a cousin, who is a medical doctor, with a suitable warning that the CDC does not condone, encourage or reward the above activity.

Disturbing Reading List Coincidences

By | June 4, 2008

Sometimes there are obvious connections between the books I read consecutively, but I never expected a fistula-based connection. A month or so ago I finished reading the bicep builder Quicksilver (Volume One of the Baroque Cycle) by Neal Stephenson. I don’t often read 900+ page books, but this one was worth it. Not sure I… Read More »

Beach Jesus Diorama

By | January 3, 2008

My sister-in-law and her husband hosted a great pre-Christmas party with an excellent twist on the gift exchange game. The basic rules were the same, i.e. you can open a new package or steal something already opened, but on the third steal it’s yours to keep. In their version, though, everyone had to bring two… Read More »

NY Times Article on Rats in Cars

By | December 29, 2007

The New York Times ran a good article by Patricia Cohen on rats in cars with the headline “Under the Hood, a Cozy Rat Retreat“. The article mentions someone who had a problem with rats chewing on the knock-sensor wire on his Honda Accord. Looking on the Web, he found other Honda owners complaining about… Read More »

Rock Smuggling

By | August 9, 2007

About eleven days ago I had a minor crash on my new bike (the acquisition of said bike remains to be blogged). Fortunately, my bike came out of it with just a few small scratches. That’s because my body cushioned its landing. I got the standard hip contusion with the attractive purple and yellow bruise… Read More »