My internet connection is acting kind of flaky. Actually the connection is fine, but it…

My internet connection is acting kind of flaky. Actually the connection is fine, but it isn't talking to some content delivery network, so all the small-time websites load perfectly, but Facebook takes 20 minutes to load a 16×16 “share link” button, and I have yet to see more than the title on PayPal. *grumble*

On Facebook

Neptune Pool (Hearst Castle)

Neptune Pool

The main outdoor swimming pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Taken on a tour last February.

This was at least the third time I’ve been to Hearst Castle, and the second time as an adult. I vaguely remember visiting when I was eight, or ten, or somewhere around that age. Years later, in 2008, my wife and I planned a trip to San Francisco and decided to do it in stages, including a stopover at Hearst Castle. We only had time for one of the four tours, so when we planned another trip this year, we made sure to include another stop in San Simeon. This time we had a little more sense of how much time was involved, and managed to fit in two of the remaining tours.

At some point, we need to head back during spring or summer when they’re running the garden tour.

In a brilliant move, I have just twisted my shoulder funny 5 minutes before driving home. At least it’s the left shoulder. Still: Ow!

In a brilliant move, I have just twisted my shoulder funny 5 minutes before driving home. At least it’s the left shoulder. Still: Ow!

…1 day later…

Right shoulder seems OK. Left shoulder still recovering from whatever the heck I did to it yesterday. The dangers of…office chairs?

WTF? I just tweaked my *other* shoulder doing nothing more exciting than reaching for my mouse. Nowhere near as badly, at least!

Morning Glories

Morning Glories
Morning Glories, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Last year my wife and I found some morning glories growing in our backyard, and decided to train them with twine to grow along the back wall. They did phenomenally well…and then produced a zillion seed pods, reminding us that they’re often classified as weeds.

They’re gone now.

One difference: the seasonal flu vaccine is based on…

One difference: the seasonal flu vaccine is based on predicting ahead of time which strains of flu are likely to circulate during the upcoming flu season and targeting those strains. Sometimes the predictions are accurate, sometimes they’re not. The H1N1 vaccine targets a specific strain that we know is circulating.

In RFC terms:
A seasonal flu vaccine MAY protect you from seasonal flu.
An H1N1 flu vaccine SHOULD protect you from H1N1 flu.

On Slashdot

How dare the big bad librarians silence those parents’ attempts to silence ideas that they don’t like! (Grr.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20160425071332/http://robot6.comicbookresources.com:80/2009/09/even-banned-books-week-has-its-detractors-surprise/

How dare the big bad librarians silence those parents’ attempts to silence ideas that they don’t like! Won’t somebody please think of the children? (Grr.)

On Facebook

Tunguska Event

comment on the post “Flash Facts: Tunguska Event“:

I remember my first encounter with the Tunguska event was in The New Teen Titans, with the origin of Red Star. The weird thing is, I went back later and reread the issues with him and the story never actually states that the incident involved was the Tunguska event!

I must have thought of the origin story when I first read about the real event, and connected them in my mind to the extent that I was convinced the story had specifically referred to it!