• Radio - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Its beginning to look a lot like public radio at WBEZ

    Its beginning to look a lot like public radio at WBEZ | Chicago Tribune So WBEZ had music in its sights for much of the year, but in the end, it couldn't pull the trigger. The Chicago public radio station (FM 91.5) has posted its new, news-and-talk schedule, and the surprise is that so much music survives, although very little of it is jazz. It was the threatened death of WBEZ's voluminous jazz programming that caused so much (well-mannered) furor when the plans were announced earlier this year. Not from me, I was totally ecstatic when I heard WBEZ was…

  • Geek Out! - Random Access Memories - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Squirrelly little guy flew with the dinosaurs | Chicago Tribune

    Squirrelly little guy flew with the dinosaurs | Chicago Tribune A furry, squirrel-sized creature that soared through prehistoric skies–possibly even sharing the lofty view with birds' first ancestors–suggests that mammals took flight nearly 70 million years earlier than scientists had thought. The evidence comes in the form of a squashed skeleton found in Inner Mongolia that belonged to a tree-inhabiting creature born with a built-in hang glider–a fold of furry skin that stretched between its front and hind legs. This news item sent me Googling around to chase down an old, old memory from college: a professor of evolution who…

  • Episcopal - Parish: Holy Moly (ECUSA) - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Fraught Process

    My little Episcopal parish, Holy Moly, is closing at the end of this month. I'm part of the lay leadership; I'm involved in this process. If you had told me 5 years ago when I reluctantly agreed to be on the Bishop's Committee that I'd be part of the stubborn remainder that had to come to this decision and actually deal with the physical and emotional and spiritual challenges that come with closing a church, I'd have said "no way. Not gonna do it." Well, here I am, in at the death. In my time, I've attended probably 50 normal…

  • Hot Off The Presses - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Real Life (and Death) Murder Mystery In Britain

    Bloomberg.com: U.K. Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) — A prostitute who was one of five suspected victims of a U.K. serial killer gave a television interview four days before she vanished. Paula Clennell, 24, was filmed on Dec. 5 as she continued to walk the streets in the red light district of Ipswich, in the eastern English county of Suffolk, even though the body of one local prostitute had already been found and another was missing. "I need the money,'' Clennell told regional broadcaster ITV Anglia. "I am a bit wary about getting into cars.'' Clennell was last seen on Dec. 9.…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Geek Out! - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Wessex Archaeology And Flickr

    Wessex Archaeology And Flickr: How We Use Web 2.0 – 24 Hour Museum – official guide to UK museums, galleries, exhibitions and heritage       Wessex Archaeology is one of the largest commercial archaeological practices in the UK, employing over 160 people. We are a registered charity with educational objectives and play a vital role in helping people learn about their past. In September 2005, we decided the Wessex Archaeology gallery (on the web) was looking a little long in the tooth. It was using a proprietary ASP gallery script and the process of uploading new photos was a…

  • Mini-Posts - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Colbert is magnanimous in truthiness victory

    Truthiness is the word of the year – CNN.com According to a survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster, "truthiness" is the word of the year. In an email to the AP, Stephen Colbert, coiner of the word, forgave the "wordinistas" he had earlier derided for their reference-book minded, "fact based agenda," simply because they wished to honor him.  Word. 

  • Hot Off The Presses - Mini-Posts - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Chicago Trib adds video, audio to news stories

    Bone-weary haulers raise risks on road | Chicago Tribune The story is not that thrilling, but when you click on the link, a multimedia file plays that shows a mixture of video and still pictures, taken by a Trib reporter and photographer who rode along with a long-distance trucker. Interesting story, interesting use of the capabilities of the Trib online edition. 

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Connections - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Bits & Pieces: Fender skirts and steering knobs

    Bits & Pieces: Fender skirts and steering knobs On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes.In the '50s, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure. This is what has now been done with Mom's house. The hardwood floors under the living room carpet were in fairly good shape, except for the entry way that Mom sorta ruined by putting down self-stick vinyl flooring. The floors in the dining room weren't the same quality, as it was formerly a garage, so new flooring was…

  • Hot Off The Presses - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Inchworm, Inchworm, Measuring the whaaaAAAAT?

    BBC NEWS | South Asia | Condoms too big for Indian men A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men. The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms. It has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India. The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth…