Sci Fi Jungle

Ecological Goodies

Our local recycling program has gotten a lot better, and we are now recycling a larger and larger percentage of our trash each week.  Check out this cool double trash can so you can quickly stash the trash and recyclables in the same unit.

Here's an interesting frugal choice.  It's a garbage can designed to use plastic store bags.  (Of course the most eco-friendly choice is to use reusable grocery bags but maybe you have a lot of these things stored up)

Ok speaking of reusable shopping bags - check out these recycled cotton totes. Very nice.

Tesla Shows Prototype of 4 Door All Electric Car

Tesla unveiled  their Model S prototype on March 26th.  This will be a zero emissions all electric sedan seating 7 and traveling up to 300 miles on one battery charge.  Tesla is funded in part by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the CEO and product architect is Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal and founder of SpaceX.

Tesla plans to use government funding as well as venture capital to produce the vehicles for delivery to customers in 2012.

 

The Model S goes from 0 - 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 130 miles per hour.
 Consumers will chose from three battery types for either a 160, 230, or 300-miles-per-charge range. The batteries also feature a 45 minute quick charge. The car's floor-mounted powertrain allows the space under the front hood to be reserved for a second trunk, in addition to the the rear hatch back.

The base model of the S will retail for $49,900 accounting for federal tax credits of about $7,500.  Interested prospective customers can sign up for the waiting list for either car on http://www.teslamotors.com.

The Tesla promises to have quite a lot of interesting technology on board.  It will feature the Intel Atom processor with combined Microsoft Auto software for its onboard computing.  The dash will have a 7-inch touch-screen and 3G wireless connectivity to allow drivers to check data such as Google Maps.  (Hopefully not while they are driving!)

Elon Musk makes the argument that the Tesla Model S will in reality be more affordable than the $49,000 price  indicates. Calculating for the the cheaper price per mile of electricity as compared to a predicted  future gas price of $4.00 a gallon,  and the fact that an all electric car requires no oil changes, Musk says that a lease on a Model S will factor to be about the same per mile cost as a $35,000 gasoline powered car.

Carl Sagan on Hulu

Their awesomely funny commercials aside, Hulu must not be totally trying to rot our brains to prepare for the alien invasion - case in point, they now have 13 episodes of Carl Sagan's old PBS series Cosmos. 

Here is the url - copy and paste into your browser -

http://www.hulu.com/cosmos

So when you are done with your insurance lead generation or whatever important work you are doing today, check it out.  My unemployed self is playing Scrabble Cubes on WorldWinner.  My husband came home for lunch and caught me playing video games instead of cleaning the house, job hunting, or doing anything remotely useful.  Oops. 

Musing about Music

I am listening to the most amazing song - it's called Framed, by Lena.  She is a very young singer songwriter.  You can check out Lena's myspace page to hear the song.

I've also really been liking Duffy, and Corinne Bailey Rae as well.  It seems like this year is a great time for female singers with a bluesy 50's feel to them.   People need to relax, and the female voice is very soothing.   I like a jazzy bluesy song with a catchy hook.

Are you buying records as CDs, iTunes downloads, or by other means?  The most recent music purchase I made was actually a DVD of the Police "Certifiable."

Circuit Board Snacks from Evil Mad Scientist

You simply must check out this link - they have taken graham crackers, icing, and assorted candies and made them to look like circuit boards and such.  Freakin' awesome!  I totally want some spray icing and make green graham crackers now.  And I mean RIGHT NOW.  LOL.

Random Cool Stuff and News Wednesday Edition

Put down the Christian videos and get a load of these interesting web sites.

1.  http://trinadgey.com/ This guy survived cancer and decided to create an Internet site and alternate Sci Fi world.  I am not sure I understand the correlation

2.  http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/94878  An Entire article dedicated to the meaning of life that is the number 42.

3.  Uge List of Sci Fi spoilers from i09: http://io9.com/5173026/mega+spoilers-for-wolverine-doctor-who-monsters-vs-aliens-and-dollhouse

4.  More cast announcements for Stargate Universe:  Lou Diamond Phillips, Ming-Na, Elyse Levesque and Alaina Huffman  http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-2-25-four-more-stars-enter-sci-fi-s-stargate-universe

Sci Fi Channel renaming to SyFy

The SciFi channel is changing its name to SyFy.  Am I the only one noticing that in the economic slowdown companies are making weird knee jerk changes that don't really make sense?   Here's another one.  In order to disassociate themselves from the apparently geeky image of Sci Fi they are changing their name and broadening their programming.  Great - now we will have more cheesy reality TV style Ghost Hunting or talking to dead people or whatever and less quality Sci Fi. 

Personally I don't really care what you call it, just as long as you have some good shows on and down cancel your good shows too soon.  How hard is it to put out quality stuff, market it properly, put it on the schedule at a good time and let the artists be successful at entertaining and enlightening us.  How hard is this people?  Stop making TV down to the lowest common denominator of the American public.  They are poor and don't buy stuff anyway - advertisers be informed.  Geeky Sci Fi types are successful people who buy technology, gadgets, DVDs... on and on. 

From TVWeek:

“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.

Dude, that is like way harsh.  Hanging out in boys basements playing video games is my idea of very social fun.  I guess the people who would later become network executives were spending their time duct taping other boys a$$ cheeks together after wrestlig practice or getting drunk at Frat parties.  Whatever.

If you were looking for me back in the 80s I was down in the basement playing SunDog on my Atari ST with all the smart boys who would later attend Ivy League schools and become Internet millionaires.   

Happy Pi Day - Pi Jokes

Yes folks, 3/14 is pi day.   I started to celebrate and just couldn't stop - it had no end.  In honor of pi day here are some tasty math jokes.

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin pi.

Math Girl Pickup Line:
Honey, you're sweeter than 3.14.

Mathematician: Pi r squared

Baker: No! Pie are round, cakes are square!

THREE POINT ONE FOUR CHEERS FOR PI DAY!

In case you want to sit in your discount recliners and do some more Pi Joke surfing check out these sites from which I pilfered these jokes.

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/Div/Winchester/jhhs/math/humor/pijokes.html
http://www.freewebs.com/abishek/pisongsjokes.htm
http://blogger.xs4all.nl/jcdverha/archive/2005/03/13/30798.aspx

Reading: A Woman Worth Ten Coppers

I am in the middle of a new book by an author I have not read before.  It's called A Woman Worth Ten Coppers by Morgan Howell.  I admit that the pretty girl on the cover did influence me to pick it up, but its not as cheesy as it appears.  In fact, it is a very well written story.

The story centers around a young woman named Yim, who has grown up with a Wise Woman in a small village, knowing she must fulfill a special destiny, but never knowing what it is.  Yim was taken from her father to the Wise Woman after she had a vision from the Goddess they worship.  The book begins with Yim starting a journey with a peddler she has neven met before as the Wise Woman sends her away with this stranger.  So many adventures ensue from there, the most pertinent being that Yim is sold as a slave to a man who works for the Temple of the same goddess, who has been advised never to bear his own pack.  Their destinies appear to be entwined somehow, but how can this be if Yim is treated as a possession instead of a person?

The world they inhabit is kind of a D and D inspired doom ridden landscape.  The technology is medieval, although there appears to be some visions and the ability to communicate with ghosts.  There are no wireless security systems or other anachronisms and the story of their day to day journey and the people they meet along the way (both good and bad) seem quite realistic.  The author does a great job of letting you suspend your disbelief and immerse yourself in this troubled world.

 

My Top 5 Sci Fi Crushes

Forget sexy lingerie, my Sci Fi crushes area little bit more on the macho side. 

1.  Dr Who, Tom Baker edition.  Tall, dark, and alien.  But kind and cute in a non threatening way.

2. Spock, played by Leonad Nimoy on the original Star Trek.  I just know that I could bring out his emotional side if given a chance.  

3.  Han Solo.  Mmmmm...  Harrison Ford and that strong neck of his made my heart patter when I was younger.  He's still cute too.

4.  Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood.  John Barrowman is just plain hot.  Probably one of the best looking guys out there and what a great marketing ploy - he's an equal opportunity hottie - likes guys and gals (and aliens).

5.  Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman.  I just plain old LURVE me some Hugh Jackman, in any form or way available.  The guy is a sensitive hunk who does yoga, loves his kids, meditates, and works out.  Add in an Australian accent and it just doesn't get any better than this.