26 Feb 2010

This head cold just won't let go. I felt crummy last night and today isn't a whole lot better; I have a semi-fever, an elevated temperature that doesn't quite rise to the level of putting me in bed but won't let me feel very energetic, either. After the Blue and Gold Cub Scout Banquet hoo-hah stuff I have to do tonight I'm leaving early and going home! End of organ recital.

I spent some time with the 1958 Sears Christmas Wishbook yesterday; check this out. Can you imagine inflicting this upon your family? That crying baby is the most sensible family member. Or Mom was; she was too embarrassed and refused to show up for the photo shoot.

I found this, which I had. I also found this outer space ray gun; I remember it because of the plus and minus buttons, which intrigued me. Did they make the beam stronger or less powerful? In the 1964 edition of the Sears Wishbook I also found the train set I used to have. (As a spoiled only child I had the $29.89 set, naturally). What fun!

The URL is here. They have wishbooks from 1933 to 1988, so you, too, can find toys you once had no matter what your age. Unless, of course, you're very young - and I don't think I have that demographic reading this blog...

Earlier this week a Burbankia reader invoked the name "Stelling Hellings," which immediately called up a mental image of a gap-toothed, handlebar mustachioed race car driver. Explanation here.

Last night I watched an episode of Top Gear which featured the Carver One - a weird but wonderful car/bike from Holland. "...they hope to have the car available in the North American market by the end of 2009." I haven't seen one yet, have you? I would really like to drive one of these...

I was talking to a woman at work yesterday about noetic theory, or the notion that there are ways in which mere thought can become reality. The basis for her knowledge about it comes from a book by Dan Brown, the fellow who wrote "The Da Vinci Code." Mine comes from a couple of Star Trek episodes (this one and this one - both examples of good science-fiction) and a knowledge of the EPR Paradox - "spooky action at a distance" - in which the strictest interpretation of quantum mechanics insists that a sub-atomic particle cannot have an attribute until it is observed. Wild stuff, all related.

The woman I talked to was Greek, and as I expressed my admiration for the incredible intellectual achievements of the ancient Athenians I told her that while noetic theory may seem far out and new, I'd bet that the idea was first thought of by an ancient Greek. Why not? They thought of nearly everything else.

Ha! Yep... his name was Anaxagoras. The word "noetic" is adapted from the Greek word nous, meaning intellect. Amazing people, those ancient Greeks. It's as if somebody had dumped a buttload of pure intellect upon Athens circa 500 B.C. just to see what would happen. Has there ever been the like?

I watched another episode of the 1991 Dark Shadows television series last night. (Fortunately this time it didn't cause me to have any dreams about anachronistic architecture.) Ben Cross made a convincing Barnabas Collins. Of course, Canadian actor Jonathan Frid originated the role. There is no way I can see Johnny Depp in the part. But...a friend of mine tells me that he and Burton don't even own the rights to use the characters, so perhaps it's all moot. (I hope so.)

An adjunct activity to the Great Hardwood Flooring Project of 2010 is carpet replacement. Yesterday a crew came by and replaced our crappy old builder-grade stairs carpet with a wool one of a clever design. I think it looks great... my son hates it. What do you think?

Okay, that's it. I ran out of things to write. Have a great weekend!

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