RoasterBoy's playlist

1)	RoasterBoy has sent you a custom Slacker radio station RoasterBoy sent you a personalized Slacker radio station. Check out the station details below or click ... http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/roasterboy-has-sent-you-custom-slacker.html
2)	Genius playlist based on Little Feat's Dixie Chicken Little Feat - Dixie Chicken Waiting For Columbus [Live] The Outlaws - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky Best of The Outlaws: Green ... http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/genius-playlist-based-on-little-feats.html
3)	YouTube - Pogues live - Dirty Old Town YouTube - Pogues live - Dirty Old Town http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/youtube-pogues-live-dirty-old-town.html
4)	YouTube - Rock Lobster • The B-52's This is an old, black-and-white clip, an unpolished gem: YouTube - Rock Lobster • The B-52's http://rbplaylist.blogspot.com/2008/10/youtube-rock-lobster-b-52s.html

Warning: Finns getting funky

Friend Liz senr the following link for a Finnish disco dance lesson:

I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours

One of our neighbors, a retired engineer, says that he dreams of work every night. That's not been m case, but I do dream of work often. This night, it was the variant on the forgetting-to-study-for-an-exam college classic. I had, in the dream, taken the notes for a previous meeting and couldn' find the notes. So, while I'm back in my office, trying to get my laptop going, my office mate has left his pre-school daughter there for the day. The floor is covered in popcorn and there was something about a cat. (Last evening, I'd watched a piece of Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives where they mentioned Schrödinger's cat.) In the end, I was racing back to the conference room to connect my laptop to the projector so that all could see the notes. I woke exhausted, as though I'd worked a hard day.

Re the title, Bob Dylan said that.

George W. Bush may have his roots in Finnish Savo

Yikes. It turns out that President Bush may be a descendant of a group of "slash-and-burn farmers" who were exiled from northern Sweden to Deleware in the 17th century. 'Splains some stuff, maybe.

Dept. of HBD

Happy 17^th, Matt.

New post on Real Worcester site

Worcestershire Journal - Banking Done Right : Real Worcester - Worcester News and Blogs

Brainwave most likely to strike at 10.04pm

According to this study, the most creative time of day occurs just as the sleep timer has turned off our TV.
via /.

Caring for the poor, old school

A brief story about how communities used to take responsibility for their poor. It wasn't always the most gracious, but it does remind us to see our neighbors as, well, our neighbors:
Mass Moments: Town Meeting Auctions Poor Woman to Lowest Bidder

via BlueMassGroup.com

The future isn't what it used to be

OK, so what does this portend? Even though I've been away from work for more than two years, I've kept up some of my connections to the technical writing community. One connection is a subscription to a long-standing, email-based tech writing group, Techwr-l (tech writing list). Techwr-l has been around for nearly a dozen years. It's been fun to search the archives and see some of my posts from long-gone email addresses.
Recently, I received a message from the Techwr-l administrator, informing me that my name had been selected at random from the list of subscribers and that I would receive a free admission to next week's Doctrain East conference. This includes passes to the pre- and post-conference training workshops, four days of technical documentation training and presentations, valued at nearly a thousand bucks.
I'm a guy who never buys lottery or raffle tickets, who has been to Vegas and never wagered a cent in the casinos. To win something such as this is, well, I don't know what it means.
Oh, and early next month, I'll attend a seminar on patent searches. A friend and former co-worker is now an intellectual property attorney. She sent me the notice of the seminar. I may do some part-time patent researching.
All of which reminds us that you don't have to know where you're going to get there.

They did us proud

The Red Sox gave us a full season, including an exciting last few games of the championship series. They hung on longer than expected, particularly with the loss of Mike Lowell and the Manny distractions in the summer.
A few other notes:

• Dustin Pedroia has so many great instincts, but running while Ortiz was at bat was a dumb move, leading to the strke-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play.
• Something has to be done to give Jacoby Ellsbury more playing time.
• Jason Veritek is worthy of being team captain for his leadership on and off the field. The Red Sox should do what it takes to keep him in Boston for the remainder of his career. In return, though, he's gotta fix his hitting.
  
• As much as i respect the guy, I think that it's time for Tim Wakefield to hang 'em up.
  

Report from the 2008 Ionman Hawaii competition

Friend Tania recently completed the Ford Ironman World Championship competition. Here's her report:

hi all!
i know i've been hush-hush about this, b/c i've been so nervous...but at 4 minutes to midnight saturday night, i became an ironman hawaii world championship finisher :)
it is not everyday that an average person like myself gets to be in a world championship for anything...but i won a coveted lottery slot to participate in the event, so i trained hard this summer and went to kona to do it...and i miraculously finished!!
it was great...and hard...and a very, **very** long day. my official time to complete the race was 16:55:46. almost the full 17 hours allowed...my slowest ironman yet -- but i did not and still absolutely do not care. :) there were only 6 of us left on the course, and only 5 of us finished officially...with less than 5 minutes to spare. so, i am truly just grateful i was one of those final 5 to finish!!
the race's legendary heat and winds were said to be worse than usual, and had me worried i might not even make the bike cutoff. there were times where i was working hard just to pedal downhill! and then by the time the run came, it was more like a 26.2 mile speed walk and shuffle than a run. but i just kept saying to myself "never, never, never give up" -- even though some moments i really wanted to.
i'm still quite sore and tired, but i'm bending down and going up and down stairs with greater ease each day! accomplishing this and feeling the joy of running down alii drive towards those big lights and finish line makes it totally bearable :)
i attached my new favorite photo. the girl behind me is joanna, we met during the marathon portion of the event. in true ironman spirit, for more than 6 hours, we stuck together to the very end, motivating one another to keeping going and finish before the cutoff.
thank you all for your support that day...undoubtedly i had angels and good vibes on my side all day long!!
love,
tania...currently ranked #1630 in the world at the ironman distance ;)

Editor's note: In case you are wondering, an Ironman competition is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon (26.2 miles).

To Avoid Being 'Depressed,' Palin Skimps on Campaign News | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Imagine how depressing she'd find the PDB (President's Daily Brief) to be.

To Avoid Being 'Depressed,' Palin Skimps on Campaign News | The Trail | washingtonpost.com: "At those times on the campaign trail when sometimes it's easy to get a little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the news when your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news,' she said, prompting laughter from the group. 'Usually they're like 'Oh my gosh, don't watch. You're going to, you know, you're going to get depressed.''"

This is the campaign I wish both of them would have run.

Blue Mass. Group:: Al Smith dinner -- "prepare yourself for nonstop hilarity"

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, October 6

6:47 p.m. Individual with head down on table at Dunkin Donuts
10:15 p.m. Animals and/or people on Holden St.

Tuesday, October 7

4:42 p.m. Caller reports mother stealing money from him; problem straightened out
7:51 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle on Crestwood Dr.; new driver trying to drive a standard
9:18 p.m. Repo man trying to get vehicle from backyard, will be trespassing
11:37 p.m. Skunk in road at Shrewsbury and South Wachusett

Wednesday, October 8

6:40 p.m. Report of someone going around Parker Ave. neighborhood filling other people's trash cans with their garbage

Thursday, October 9

9:41 a.m. Caller from motor vehicle accident grateful for PD handling of matter
11:06 a.m. Caller to say he's giving money back and doesn't think party should have called police about matter
5:09 p.m. Teenager in Mobil Station lot trying to get adults to buy cigarettes for him

Saturday, October 11

8:35 a.m. Caller to thank police who assisted her when she was disoriented

Sunday, October 12

10:27 a.m. Large moving van on Birch Ave.
7:35 p.m. Suspicious object left on Lovell Rd.; large papier mache head
10:23 p.m. Outraged citizen complaining about line painting; advised to discuss it with selectmen
11:06 p.m. Box of Christmas ornaments and dolls left on front lawn on North St.

Paxton

Monday, October 6

12:47 a.m. Cat stuck in trap caller put out for a dog. Laurel St.

Thursday, October 9

1:21 p.m. Injured squirrel in backyard, Brigham Cir.

Friday, October 10

5:11 p.m. Suspicious male talking on cell phone, access road to Boynton Park
8:25 p.m. People loading items into Ford pick-up by Howes Stand, Pleasant St.; OK, it's the Howes.

Saturday, October 11

8:46 a.m. Numerous reports of injured raccoon, Holden Rd. One shot fired, notified Hwy Dept
11:20 a.m. Police assistance requested for unruly foursome of golfers. Kettlebrook Golf Club

Sunday, October 12

12:39 a.m. Party in station advising he will attempt to repo a motor vehicle on Pleasant St.
5:47 a.m. Cell caller requesting courtesy transport to Worcester line since her flashlight is on the fritz and it is dark

Princeton

Monday, October 6

7:44 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.

Wednesday, October 8

8:15 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Worcester Rd.

Friday, October 10

11:50 a.m. Request for animal control officer, Ball Hill Rd.

Saturday, October 11

9:15 a.m. Request for animal control officer, E. Princeton Rd.
2:00 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Mountain Rd.
2:25 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Hubbardston Rd.
5:43 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Willson Rd.

Rutland

Tuesday, October 7

5:34 p.m. Sewer pump station at high level, Miles Rd.
5:48 p.m. Runaway, Miles Rd.

Thursday, October 9

4:48 p.m. Sick rabbit, Brunelle Dr.

Sunday, October 13

11:49 p.m. Traffic safety, walker in all black walking down road, Wachusett St at East County Rd.

Sterling

Monday, October 6

7:37 p.m. Possibly intoxicated person looking for AA meeting, Meetinghouse Hill Rd. (Editor's note: There's a meeting in Sterling on Thursday nights.)

Thursday, October 9

5:05 p.m. Large red tail hawk with injured wing in backyard, Rugg Rd.

Friday, October 10

10:11 a.m. Skunk caught in Have-a-Heart trap, School St. Caller requesting assistance to get animal out

Sunday, October 12

12:52 p.m. West Boylston, Holden and Princeton PDs all received calls about loud explosion; demolitions training at Ft. Devens

Did you miss Global Handwashing Day yesterday?

It's not too late. Go ahead and wash your hands now.
The UN sponsored a global effort to get people, primarily kids, to wash their hands. Washing with soap and water can reduce the transmission of gastrointestinal diseases by up to 40%.
AFP: On Global Hand-Washing Day, Senegal school may be saving lives

Verizon and AT&T Provided Cell Towers for McCain Ranch

I wish Verizon would answer my phone calls and give us a cell tower. Wait, of course, they won't answer my calls because I can't get a signal. It's also probably because I'm not on the Senate Commerce Committee: Exclusive: Verizon and AT&T Provided Cell Towers for McCain Ranch - Washington Post Investigations

Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event in which bloggers worldwide address a single issue. This year's topic is poverty.
If you're hungry, it's hard to think about anything else. It's hard to pay attention in school. It's hard to work or look for work. Hunger doesn't give up center stage easily.
It's been a long time since I've been that hungry, but there was a time. One day, I found a small job, painting an apartment for a few dollars and dinner. The meal was liver and onions, the first, last, and only time such a meal tasted so very good.
Joseph's Project brings food to people. We're a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so you donations are tax-deductible. Join us at our Halloween Party on October 24th.

RSS

Did we slip through a tear in the space/time continuum and wind up on April 1st?

According to a report on WNBC and shown on the PETA website, PETA is asking Ben and Jerry's to consider using human breast milk in their ice cream.

Where to put your money in times of trouble

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported

"The desperation was especially striking in the market for U.S. government debt, long considered the safest of investments. At one point during the day, investors were willing to pay more for one-month Treasurys than they could expect to get back when the bonds matured. Some investors, in essence, had decided that a small but known loss was better than the uncertainty connected to any other type of investment." (link, WSJ subscription required.)

These wise people believe that it's better to lose a small amount with certainty than to risk losing a lot in an uncertain investment. You'd think, smart people that they are, that just putting the cash in a known repository would be better than losing money. You'd think.
We can be grateful then, that Harriet Carter has a solution for them and for us: the "Fanny" bank, with up to six flatulent sound effects.

OK, now this is officially creepy

You can get a fake pet that fakes breathing and, if you're lucky, snoring.

Look closely at the picture and you can see the pseudopooch breathing.

When competition makes you stupid

This article goes along with my rant that wireless companies are more interested in control than innovation, to the point that they're making less money than they could if there was a more open wireless system in this country. I'd gladly pay the extra $50/month or so for wireless broadband if I could get a good signal at our camp. There are three companies that give 1-bar or less coverage. If they didn't have to duplicate their coverage, they could blanket the area with more towers and give us higher capacity connections.

The real reason carriers are limiting services and charging more is to maintain control of what people can do on their networks.

On teachability

When I was a manager, I tried to hire people who were temperamentally suited to the job. Lack of skills or knowledge, the reasoning went, can usually be overcome by training. (Of course, in technical fields, you do have to have a basic understanding and aptitude in the domains in which you are working.) A key to that right temperament was teachability, the ability and,  most importantly, the willingness to learn and change. Knowing what you don't know is the basis for all learning.

We're hiring a president. We want a president who not only knows enough, but is capable of learning even more. Then, with that knowledge, the president can act with wisdom, prudence, and imagination, inspiring us as we move through troubled times.

So, it's a bit surprising to see a leading conservative voice, George Will, sounding off against the Republican candidate in McCain Loses His Head:

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

Obvious. Paging Captain Obvious. Pick up the white courtesy phone ...

Technorati Confirms: Blogging Continues To Be Pitiless Work that Doesn’t Pay | TekPopuli

blogging continues to be a thankless, pitiless and lonely effort for the vast majority of bloggers,

Of course, most of us aren't in it for the money. Blogging is, at least from this writer's corner, a chance to keep in touch with family and friends and to get ideas out into the ether before they get knotted up like so much fishing line.

Wind powah in Wustah

Last Friday, I attended the first of five sessions in my W.I.S.E. course. We walked around the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, a leisurely two-hour walk that took us through thick woods (all hardwoods, interestingly) and across the eponymous meadow. Our guide pointed out a tower in the distance, a tower that would soon be a wind turbine.

A couple of Worcester bloggers, Jeff at Wormtown Taxi and 4rilla at 4rilla is for real!, have noted that the turbine is complete and stands tall behind Holy Name High School.

Wormtown Taxi via kwout

They're playing our song

As ships of various registry make their way along the St. Lawrence, the crew is often surprised to hear their national anthem bursting from the hillside. As one captain's log records, "There is a gentleman who lives high on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence who salutes each ship as it passes by with the national flag of the ship and its anthem. He has a large flagpole with yardarms and a gaff on which he runs up the flag. He also has a huge sound system that blasts out the anthem across the half mile river."
It was probably 20 years ago when I first heard this story. At the time, the man playing the national anthems would likely have had CDs or even vinyl recordings of the various anthems. Today, with the wonderousness that is the worldwide web, he could go to a site such as nationalanthems.info and, with a few mouse clicks, find the needed tune. (Did you know that the Finnish anthem is identical to the Estonian melody?)

Good dog. Well dog.

It's a maxim in the dog kingdom that even a trip to the vet's includes a ride in the car.

This morning, I brought Marley to the vet's for his annual physical. For a 12, almost 13,-year-old dog, he's doing fine. It takes a bit more effort for him to jump in the car. He's lost a half-pound since his last visit. His heart rate is nice and slow. Sometimes, his hearing needs a boost, but he finds a way to listen to what he wants to listen to.

Now that the cooler weather has arrived, he spends more time in front of the wood stove, enjoying the warmth, waiting for the next good thing to happen.

Knowing less after you read a sign than before

I've discussed how some things are fixed in documentation - people choosing to put up signs that warn you of some thing rather than fixing the thing in the first place. This one's different. I was contentedly waiting for the red light to change until I saw this sign. After reading the sign, I knew less what to do than before.

I think that this means that traffic going in either this direction or the opposite gets a green light sooner than the other. That probably makes a difference if I'm going to take a left turn, which I am not.

Roaster Boy's Playlist

September 17, 2008

iTunes Genius Playlist, based on O Mary Don't You Weep

Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band - O Mary Don't You Weep
Live In Dublin
Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band - How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live
Live In Dublin
Bob Dylan - Thunder On The Mountain
Modern Times
Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Review - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall [Live]
Live 1975 - The Rolling Thunder Revue (Bootleg Series Vol. 5) (Disc 1)
Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues
Small Change
Van Morrison & The Chieftains - Irish Heartbeat
Irish Heartbeat
Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel
The Trinity Session
Bruce Springsteen - If I Should Fall Behind
Lucky Town
The Rolling Stones - Shine A Light
Exile On Main Street
Rod Stewart - Mandolin Wind
Every Picture Tells A Story
The Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes
Live MCMXCIII
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited
Paul Simon - Graceland
Graceland
John Mellencamp - Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)
Mr. Happy Go Lucky
George Harrison - If Not For You
All Things Must Pass (Disc 1)
Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band - This Little Light of Mine
Live In Dublin
Bruce Springsteen - Jacob's Ladder
We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions
Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Released
"The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 : Rare And Unreleased, 1961-1991 [BOX SET]"
Neil Young - After The Gold Rush
Live Rust
Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Twelve
Bonnie Raitt & John Prine - Angel From Montgomery (Live)
John Prine Live
Derek & The Dominos - Bell Bottom Blues
Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart
The Wind
Bruce Springsteen - Out In The Street (Live)
Live in New York City (Disc 1)
Paul Simon with The Jessy Dixon Singers - Mother And Child Reunion
Live Rhymin'
4 Days ago

 

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Insert your own 'World has gone to the dogs' joke here

OK, now this has passed the point of being silly. Last week, I posted a note about a sign I'd seen while Marley and I were out for a walk in our fair town. Now we learn that Israeli hamlet plans DNA database for dog poop. Maybe someone should remind them that Katyusha rockets might be a more serious threat to the well-being of this village than Caleb's leavings.
We should be grateful, I guess, that Superman doesn't really have a dog.

Headlines that make us go "Whaaa?"

Enter Content Here: Bluenog subtly forks Hippo via kwout

This is an article that briefly describes a new content management product is based on another's open source product. The title, however, seems like Zippy's free-association ramblings.

1K of RoasterBoy

This is the 1024^th post to this blog. In computer parlance, that's 1K or 2¹⁰. As with most milestones, such as birthdays, New Year's, or, also today, the anniversary of the passing of my mother, it is, as friend used to say, a chance to look back down the hill.
My mother had the spirit of blogging decades before we had the web. It was the Hakkarainen Clipping Service, "No obligation to read, acknoledge, or return." She used the U.S. mail to send news and notes to friends all over. We were the only family I knew of who had a mimeograph machine for personal use. My mother used her letter-writing and clippings not only to advocate peace, but to practice it.
So, it's fitting that today is also International Day of Peace.

My Commitment via kwout

Rest in peace, TJL.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Sunday, September 14

6:32 p.m. Ongoing problem with neighbor walking dog without leash and dog pooping in neighbors' yard; asked to stop in past and hasn't (Editor's note: ?)

Paxton

Thursday, September 11

8:28 p.m. Suspicious activity , West St. Woman said her son ran upstairs saying he thought someone came in to the house; checked by two units and it appears it was family pet

Rutland

Monday, September 8

10:36 a.m. Resident advising there is a nest of bees in a bush, Prescott St.

Hello, I must be going.

Nice sign that welcomes people to the outpatient mental health facility (aka the Farm House) at UMass Memorial.

It might be a bit more welcoming, however, particularly given the
clientele, if you could see the sign on your way in, rather than as you leave.

Cocktails for Two - Miss Cellania - Miss Cellania

Don used to be able to do a wonderful rendition of the hiccups in this classic Cocktails for Two - via Miss Cellania

Political signs in suburbia

Nippies

As you come into downtown Brattleboro on VT Route 9, the first store that you see on Main Street says that you're in some place, um, special.


It'd been more than 30 years since I'd been in the downtown. Then, the brick buildings of the old mill town didn't look so good. The storefronts have been loved up nicely, sprinkled with patchouli, and given a mission and a passion.

Unlike their kindred spirits such as Northampton or Cambridge, Brattleboro drivers aren't as charitable toward pedestrians. People on foot are expected to obey the traffic signals and cross at crosswalks. We heard one driver scold a pedestrian for crossing the street at the wrong time.

So, we're sitting on plastic chairs on a very slanted sidewalk in front of Mocha Joe's cafe in Brattleboro. The late afternoon sun is sliding behind the hills. There's an empty chair next to Sandra. A young man sits down and begins to talk with us (well, with Sandra, mostly). He's from a lot of different places and has lots of ideas. Did you know that the water in L.A. goes through five different uses before it gets to the kitchen tap? He likes Vermont because it has first-run water.
We identify ourselves as aging hippies. Sandra asks if he thinks of himself as a hippie. "Nihilist," he says. "Nihilist hippies. I guess, that makes us nippies."
Soon, a young woman, his wife, sits down on his lap. We briefly mention dogs, at which point, she hops up, lifts her shirt, and shows a tatoo in the southeast corner of her tummy. The tatoo is of her dog, Peaches, who died not long ago at age 23. Lovingly, she says that her husband is the reincarnation of Peaches.
They say that they have no money, but they do have tickets from JFK airport in New York back to the west coast. They're looking for a ride to New York. We mention that we're in town for the Pete Seeger concert and that there might be people from New York who'd help them out. They liked the idea. Then, he notices passer-by who has a shopping bag from Sam's Outfitters in one hand and a small bag of popcorn in the other. "Is Sam's giving away free popcorn?" Peaches asks. The passer-by nods in the affirmative. Taking their leave quickly, the two head into Sam's.

Like a tree, standing by the water

Last Saturday night, Sandra and I saw Pete Seeger in concert. He performed in Brattleboro in a benefit for Strolling of the Heifers, an organization that provides micro-loans and other support for Vermont farmers. Pete appeared with his grandson, Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, and Guy Davis.

Pete's leaning on 90 and doesn't tour much. The (mostly gray-haired) crowd was there not just to hear him perform, but, primarily, to thank him. We thanked him for nearly 80 years of music that strengthened us when we were weary, comforted us when we were lonely, and inspired us when our moral vision was dim.
Because he makes it sound so natural, we forget that he's a formidable musician. His voice may have softened, but his banjo-picking is clear and clean. Tao and Guy are also world-class performers. Together they took us on a grand tour of music's expanses of space and time. Even those of use with 3/4-octave sang along. As Pete has often said, his mission is not to put songs in people's ears, but on people's lips.
Tears welled up from the first song, Midnight Special. Our eyes stayed wet through the closing number, This Land Is Your Land, because it really is our national anthem and because it was time for one of our greatest servants to go home. There's plenty of work to be done, but Pete has earned his rest.

Back to school

Tomorrow morning, I'll return to school. It's not  your typical course so I won't be buying a new lunch box or pocket protector. Instead, I'll show up at 9:30 at the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester and be prepared to look at and listen to birds.

The course is an offering from W.I.S.E. (Worcester Institute for Senior Education), an innovative program of non-credit educational offerings sponsored by Assumption College. (Here's the Fall 2008 catalog in PDF.) The semester is divided into two parts. In the second session, I'll take a course titled Einstein’s Theory of Relativity for Laypeople. I don't think that they'll let us near the Large Hadron Collider, but we might understand a bit better why the world didn't implode when they turned on the LHC.

All that you dream

Lynn's brother, Tom Henrickson,is the subject of this week's cover story in Worcester Magazine.

Worcester Magazine - 09-11-08 via kwout

Tom has written and produced a theatrical short called The Third Date. The article tells the story about how Tom developed and wrote the movie, how he built a network to get the film produced, and how he's continuing to expand the network in the hopes of making The Third Date into a feature-length film. Ultimately, though, the story is about a middle-aged guy with a dream to, as they say in minor league baseball, make it to the show.
Good luck, Tom.