the movie tonight: Genghis Blues

January 3, 2006

Hearing throatsingers makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but in a good way. Similar to hearing didgeridoos, only a bit different.

After watching the movie, a son is now out in my car practicing his vocal technique. He can get pretty loud, and according to his snowboarding friends, got in more practice on the lift up the slopes of Heavenly.

My other son also throatsings, and finds that driving is a good time to hone his craft.

It’s fortunate that just one is out in the driveway at the moment.

heteropods, the sea elephants

A mostly transparent snail that lives in the open sea. It has a proboscis that resembles a trunk, hence the name. Pictures with extraordinary detail can be seen here.

sauteed shrimp

shrimp

With a good sprinkling of kosher salt. Messy, but good.

Willie Nelson and biodiesel

He sees it as the hope of the future, while environmental and transportation experts may not wholeheartedly agree. His brand of fuel is called BioWillie, sold at 13 gas stations and truck stops in four states.

one hour teeth

An entire new set can be yours, if you need such an overhaul. Thanks to new dental visualization software and an implant procedure, someone can walk out with a permanent set of choppers in the time it takes it takes to get a root canal.

noodles for lunch

noodles for lunch

With chopped shrimp, shiitakes, and garlic shoots. The shoots I swam out to the garden to get. Well, it’s not quite that wet out, but close.

listening to Eric Clapton

Fall Like Rain.

asthmatics: down to the salt mines

Speleotherapy is offered at Solotvyno Salt Mine, where asthma sufferers, half of them children, breathe much more easily. The salt crystals lend a magical air, and kids can run around in their pajamas due to the warm environment.

the quagga: bringing back an extinct species

A South African taxidermist is surprising scientists with his dedication to producing a quagga. The animal disappeared in the late 19th century, victim of overly-enthusiastic hunters and farmers protecting grazing lands for their livestock.

the physics of Rapunzel

How her hair could support the weight of a man, and how a beanstalk could do the same, explained in the traveling show run by two Australian scientists.