Transmissions 
..........Activating Directional Antenna............
..........Searching for Earth.......................
..........Earth Found!..............................
..........Synchronizing Chronometers................
Chronomike = 20070225
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Transmission # = 5254371767960849892
Rotation Increment = 11:47 AM
Bachelor Feminine Hygiene
My neighbor, Miriam, tried to convince Hans and I that we needed a stash of feminine hygiene products as a thoughtful gesture for our female friends in times of emergency. I was thoroughly against it for the following reasons:- It breaks the sanctity of the bachelor pad. By adding in strictly womanly elements, it no longer can scream, "Men live here!"
- It sends a dangerous message. By having tampons and pads lying around, not for anyone in particular or in response to a particular situation, it says, "We have so many women in and out of here, that we need to be prepared for anything."
- It is not hard to obtain feminine hygiene products. There's a gas station within a block. Why should these items that may potentially never get used take up my shelf space?
- It's not thoughtful. It's creepy.
Nevertheless, Miriam was able to convince Hans. Hans bought his first box of pads and another of tampons last week. Now they sit on a shelf in the bathroom like a sign that reads, "Menstruating Women Welcome!"
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070222
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Transmission # = 5796773629400738733
Rotation Increment = 9:16 PM
Bald Before Britney
Whenever pop culture takes a turn for the weird, you can count on someone to immortalize it on a T-shirt. This time, the weirdness of the freshly bald Britney Spears and my immortal T-shirts team up to bring you the Hans-inspired "Bald Before Britney" T-shirt. It features a shiny bald head outline and the slogan in a truly girly font. Remind the world that you were ahead of the times. Pop culture, kiss this bald head!
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070219
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Transmission # = 3771660202378916085
Rotation Increment = 2:14 PM
I'm a Mac!
Last week I bought myself a Mac Mini. It was frustrating at first because I had some trouble copying my old PC files over to it. I also managed to crash the Mac in under 24 hours. (Don't let anyone tell you Mac's don't crash.) Last night, however, I successfully FTPed into it and sent the files over. Now there are only minor problems to solve. I've even got my Palm happily iSyncing.
On The Planet Mike, Mac's are more popular than PCs. PCs are the underdog, and the "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." ad campaign is for PCs. Check out these twisted ads. They're as funny as the Earth versions.
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070214
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Transmission # = 3339831170377838483
Rotation Increment = 6:48 PM
Happy Valentine's Day!
But are people really happy today? Experience people's moods live at http://www.wefeelfine.org/ as you interact with an artistic representation of how people say they feel on blogs across the internet. It's fascinating.
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070212
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Transmission # = 7632939587442020248
Rotation Increment = 12:12 PM
Happy Birthday, Darwin!
Today is Darwin's birthday. To celebrate, I've decided to combine this holiday with Valentine's Day to create the Darwin Kissing Mask! The idea started as a joke email to my boss that for Valentine's Day we should set up a Darwin / Marie Curie kissing booth for the staff. She liked the idea, so of course I had to take it one step further by making the mask. You may notice that Darwin's lips are puckered and flushed a little more than usual.
Right click on the above link and select "Download." Simply cut out the lighter areas, including the eyes and mouth, then tie a string around your head and through the holes. You may want to print it on heavy card stock so it will hold better. Then go smooch the fittest girl!
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Transmission # = 5679340886684505209
Rotation Increment = 10:48 AM
Robots
On The Planet Mike there are robots everywhere. Some are twelve feet tall and look like over-engineered garbage trucks. Others are human-sized and look like snakes that walk on two legs with no discernible head. My favorite, however, are little eight-inch humanoid robots that love to fight. The larger robots find programming them with kung fu moves incredibly amusing. Robot fighting is illegal here, so it goes on in dimly lit basements late into the night. I think fights are held in my apartment building, for I often wake up to the whoops and howls of not-so-distant cheering robots.
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070210
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Transmission # = 7139874387070590494
Rotation Increment = 7:41 PM
Zrbtt
I've added one of my favorite childhood words to my dictionary: zrbtt. It's best performed, not pronounced.
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Transmission # = 5275845251195204245
Rotation Increment = 11:17 AM
"Flock of Dodos" Now Playing
"Flock of Dodos: the Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus highlights the debate between those who believe in the concept of intelligent design and the scientific establishment that supports evolution. The film is being shown as part of a nationwide effort and it all coincides with the birthday of the man who created the theory of evolution nearly 150 years ago." (Quoted from Pacific Science Center's web site.)
I got to see a press preview earlier this week at work. The movie was great! Randy Olson, the filmmaker, came and spoke after the screening. He highlighted the need for better communication between the scientific community and the public. Intelligent Design proponents are very good at connecting with people on a gut level, and provide the public with talking points on the subject. Scientists generally ignore the intelligent design argument so as not to give it scientific validity, but what this does is it alienates the public. There are no great talking points for evolution in pop culture other than Darwin's name. There are no gut-level connections to evolution for the public. Evolution arguments are all cerebral. While this is vitally important to good science, it does nothing for the public. The public needs emotional reaction on an intuitive level.
I suppose they could always buy my T-shirts.
What are your strongest talking points for evolution?
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070205
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Transmission # = 1483374758307934725
Rotation Increment = 5:03 PM
Vote Tomorrow for School Levies
Levies loom, but it's back to basics: "...the loss of the $397 million operating levy would likely spark widespread layoffs and cuts in special education, sports, music and other programs, the district's chief operating officer, Mark Green, has said."
SCHOOL LEVIES AT A GLANCE
On Tuesday, Seattle voters will decide the fate of two school levies.
To pass, both measures require a supermajority yes vote of 60 percent.
# Proposition 1: A short-term bond that would raise $490 million over six years for school construction and renovations, water and air-quality improvements and athletic field improvements.
The levy is over six years.
The owner of a $400,000 house would pay $308 in 2008 and $228 in 2012. The tax rate would decrease from 77 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2007 to 57 cents in 2012.
# Proposition 2: The three-year, $397 million levy would provide nearly a quarter of the district's annual general fund budget and pay for a host of programs, such as full-day kindergarten, bilingual and special education, and student transportation.
The operations levy would be for three years and the rate would rise from $1.16 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $1.18. The levy would break down to an average rate of $468 per year for the owner of a $400,000 home.
(Quoted from the Seattle PI.)
And if you think voting it too quixotic for you, check out Love Agent's latest non sequitur on voting machines.
SCHOOL LEVIES AT A GLANCE
On Tuesday, Seattle voters will decide the fate of two school levies.
To pass, both measures require a supermajority yes vote of 60 percent.
# Proposition 1: A short-term bond that would raise $490 million over six years for school construction and renovations, water and air-quality improvements and athletic field improvements.
The levy is over six years.
The owner of a $400,000 house would pay $308 in 2008 and $228 in 2012. The tax rate would decrease from 77 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2007 to 57 cents in 2012.
# Proposition 2: The three-year, $397 million levy would provide nearly a quarter of the district's annual general fund budget and pay for a host of programs, such as full-day kindergarten, bilingual and special education, and student transportation.
The operations levy would be for three years and the rate would rise from $1.16 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $1.18. The levy would break down to an average rate of $468 per year for the owner of a $400,000 home.
(Quoted from the Seattle PI.)
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Transmission # = 7545932123674689186
Rotation Increment = 10:34 AM
Game over on global warming? - Los Angeles Times
Game over on global warming?: "Given the scale of the problem, experts see no realistic way to lower the concentration of atmospheric carbon."
I recommend we all stop breathing out.
Or, if you'd prefer to breathe, you could buy my global warming T-shirt which reminds us all of the many little things we can do to make a big difference.
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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Chronomike = 20070204
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Transmission # = 1369789330585478580
Rotation Increment = 10:32 AM
Coffee, with sugar, in Seattle - Los Angeles Times
Ryan forwarded me this story from LA about sexpresso stands in Shoreline and around Washington. The idea is that scantily clad "bikini baristas" serve drinks with new sexy names. The article calls sexpresso stands the Hooters for coffee.
I'm not sure about the ethics of it. I mean, is it right to blatantly use coffee, which we know to be addictive, to sell sex?
Transmitted by Michael Bowers
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