A local engineer, Ron Patrick, has mounted a jet engine on his VW Beetle. What does it sound like when he starts it up? Exactly like a jet plane.

Pictures, a video and details here.

What do ‘Maria’ from West Side Story, the Simpson’s theme melody, and Wagner’s Gotterdammerung have in common?

Some would say the music of the devil, or Diabolus in Musica, or tritones. Fans of Slayer and other metal bands are quite familiar with it. Much more, including samples, here.

Many Americans, more than half of us, say they want one. But coughing up the bucks is a bit tough, seeing as how so much of the household budget is going for gas.

Roast pork and salad. And now I’m having strawberries and pineapple with two spoonfuls (yes, spoons, not scoops) of Fudge Tracks ice cream for dipping.

I saw Spellbound, and I expect to see Akeelah and the Bee as well. Bee Season was annoying in places, but overall, much better than I thought it would be.

It’s a little-known fact that ants love to have their pictures taken. I don’t set out to shoot them especially, but lately, they wind up in many of the photos.

I spent part of the afternoon in my mother’s garden.

The Fuji apple tree is blooming.

Don’t do it. A Canadian patient on anti-coagulant medication (warfarin) for a heart condition drank chamomile tea for a sore throat. She was admitted to the hospital with severe internal bleeding as a result.

Warfarin is a highly effective blood thinner, and comes from coumarin, which is found in plants. Chamomile also contains coumarin. Other chamomile products, such as lotion, should also be avoided.

In the world of search and online ads, Google’s growth rate was 80% and Yahoo’s 36%. Microsoft, chafing at its 7% showing, is rolling up its sleeves and planning to spend big.

Obviously, there were places in California that didn’t have two months of rain this spring.

There’s the doll. There’s a jacket. Put the jacket on someone you love. Or your dog, which of course you love. Probably not a good idea to put it on your cat.

Oh, and you must have an internet connection.

Stuck in your office late, can’t get home? Hug the doll. Whoever is wearing the jacket will feel the love.

Most cats would not understand, I’m guessing. You could prep your cat, and say, ‘Now look here, at 5:30 this afternoon, I’m going to send you a hug and a scratch behind the ears via this cute jacket. Got that?’ Tell him 200 times. At 5:30, he will still leap 3 feet straight in the air, possibly more if he was in the litter box, and his fur will not have recovered when you get home at 8.

The article says the doll records the same sensation that it receives. Does this mean that if you punch the doll, the jacket wearer will be beaten? Can you tickle someone this way?

It’s true I could ask for it without the bun, but at least this way, it looks like a burger at the beginning. Could have used more napkins though.

Am I still on the low-carb diet?

Last night, there was leftover chicken and beans, and the Kurosawa movie I’ve had for awhile but not seen.

Not being completely over the bug, I stopped after The Tunnel dream. The one where the lone military officer enters a tunnel guarded by possibly the most ferocious and scary German shepherd ever. With what appear to be explosives strapped it its back. Then of course, the officer walks out of the tunnel, and the fun begins.

Parts of the movie reminded me very much of Kwaidan, another movie not for the sick.

I must be better today since I washed the car. And took a thousand pictures of lilies till I got one that wasn’t right but close.

If only the flowers lasted more than a day.

When my younger son was teething, his slightly older brother and I had to deal with more tears than usual. At some point, we came up with the Tear Cup, actually a plastic dose measure that came with cough medicine.

It was magic. By holding the cup to the corner of an eye, the crying would stop. (This failed to work in the middle of the night, however.)

Now we learn that tears are much more than a simple fluid that flows from the eyes. The film covering our eyes is made of molecules in a somewhat orderly arrangement, with crystal-like patterns mixed in.

At the end of a few minutes, the prey was tidily wrapped for safekeeping.

Only about 20 bears remain in the French Pyrenees, compared to 200 in 1937. In 1995, only six were left. Attempts to bring in more have been met with protests by farmers, who say the bears, notably Boutxy, eat livestock and attack their beehives.

The latest bear, Palouma, has been released in a secret location. Names of other bears and further details here.

Scientists discover that wallaby milk contains a potent substance that kills Streptococci, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli.

Dubbed Compound AGG01, it is also effective against a form of the antibiotic-resistant MRSA.

Why would wallaby joeys (or wallbabies, as a relative calls them) need such powerful milk? A researcher notes that the joeys are extremely immature when born, and have no immune systems.

I wish I could recall the name of this bulb.

After examining 100 writing systems from all over the world, scientists conclude that humans base their writing on features of the natural world, including trees, the moon and waterways.

They also point out that if there is alien intelligence on a planet akin to ours, their writing system would be based on similar features. More details here.

This fluffy little bird and its mate have built their nest in a bush under the eaves. Possibly from the family that was raised in a basket in our garage earlier. They seem to be quite used to people, and have a strange habit of flying at the window every few minutes.

It can’t be insects unless they are microscopic. They aren’t gathering nest materials because construction appears to be finished. Maybe they want to come in.

What we need is a porch.

Chicken, butter beans, and salad. I wanted to see the young Warren Beatty again, and maybe watch only half the movie. But of course, it is mesmerizing and impossible to not watch to its bloody conclusion.

Vegetable soup mostly, homemade. Asparagus. Day 4 of the South Beach diet. The other night a family passed by, the father saying they should go get a pizza. I almost followed them.

Walk the Line is an excellent evening’s entertainment, much better than say, The Truth About Charlie, of which I could not stand more than a few minutes last night. Partly because I really don’t like Mark Wahlberg.

Less than a second later, they were gone.

More nausea. Got chills. Sound asleep at noon again in my chair in front of my monitor. Despite the Diet Pepsi. Well, I do start work at 6, but still.

Yesterday after my shower, I decided to moisturize with some Dove green tea lotion. It sure looked like lotion. Felt a little heavy. Too late, I realized it was the travel-size body wash that came with the big bottle used up some time ago. Did not, most certainly did not want to step back in the shower.

But trying to sponge it off only made bubbles and lather.

Yesterday was a grumbly day.

Injuries are said to be minor in the sparsely-populated region, which also endured a 6.2 aftershock.

The UN is supporting efforts to market products such as camel cheese and camel’s milk chocolate. The milk is extra rich in iron and vitamin C, and output per camel can be increased from 5 liters/day to 20 liters/day if the animals receive better food and care.

Not that kind of weather. There has been sunshine, but only two or three Kleenex in the house. No Pepsi. Lots of Diet Coke, but no Pepsi. I can’t get through a workday without Diet Pepsi. Obviously that’s why I’ve been falling asleep around noon. That and this bug.

I can walk forward without getting dizzy. Sudden turns make me queasy. Last night I got nauseous, but that could have been all that talk of placenta. Whatever I have involves a persistent headache and general torpor. It was a time for one-stop shopping.

Surely Target was the answer. But the soda was $4.99/12-pack. At Safeway, there was, happily, a huge display of Pepsi just inside the door. The sign said ‘Buy 3, get another free. Pay only $3.33!’ No Diet Pepsi in the display. At the end of an aisle, another big display, this one with Diet Pepsi. ‘Sale! Two for $7.00!’

Was it some kind of math test?

By Dai Sijie. The book on my list was Mr. Muo’s Travelling Couch by the same author, so I got both. Balzac is his first novel.

Just now starting to bloom.

Taking the afternoon off in order to see what’s been going on in the garden.

Leftover chili and asparagus. It’s not an excellent choice for a dinner movie, but I kind of knew that. For a change, I really didn’t know what the movie was going to be about.

Did I just contradict myself? That’s because I’m coming down with something wretched, and I watched through a haze of discomfort.

Most probably the last word on the subject from these parts.

By the way, Katie and Tom gave birth to a girl last night.

The excitement in the Hundred Acre Wood must have been overwhelming as Pooh and his friends got ready to go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. Piglet possibly fainted dead away, since only Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore showed up to cheer Pooh on. Along with his public, of course, of which there were throngs. Throngs!

U.S. scientists report that powdered ginger causes ovarian cancer cell death in the lab. Its effects are equal to chemotherapy currently used in treatment.

Researchers hope to isolate the beneficial substance in ginger in order to produce new drugs. They caution that the findings are in very early stages, and that no one should eat large quantities of ginger as a preventative.

An FDA study indicates that the common supermarket mushroom has the potential to become a major source of Vitamin D. While many of us get our D from milk, a lot of people (me included) can’t tolerate milk.

And if you lived under two months of almost constant rain, as Bay Area residents have done, you need a little something.

By exposing mushrooms to a period of ultraviolet light, researchers say the Vitamin D content rises significantly.

It has been a very busy few days. Only 18 more of these in the fridge.

Wichita Lineman, Skylark and Only a Dream in Rio.

Disgruntled but faithful reader Jeff comments:

‘god dammit what the hell is wrong with people. cats eat the placenta after their kittens are born. cats!!

‘although who knows. maybe katie’s so brainwashed by scientology that she’ll see it as a bonding experience when her diminutive husband begins chowing down on the bloody mess that will be expelled from her womb along with their baby.’

Suggestion to medical personnel at the Upcoming Cruise Event: Please confiscate any video cameras. Please.

We will assume that Tom will be too busy eagerly awaiting his meal, and will not be filming. But you never know. A stray relative might be in attendance.

Some sights are not meant for general, casual viewing. If the anticipated activity takes place, and there is indeed video, millions will be sickened.

Although there are some points to ponder, now that we’ve plunged into the subject. Exactly how will he ingest the afterbirth? Bare hands? Knife and fork?

Excuse me, I need some calming down music.

‘Shrinks swollen membranes’ comes to mind today. Perhaps in small print on hemorrhoid cream packaging, there will appear the following, ‘If it can anesthesize a lively, full-grown cane toad, it will help your problem.’

It would be prudent to keep the cane toad juice information away from Tom Cruise. We are aware that the hemorrhoid cream possibly adds some ‘frosting on the cake’ appeal, so to speak, but he’s better off digesting some baby care books at this point in his life.

He plans to eat the cord too. No vegan he.

The loathsome cane toad is the source of a potent new liquid fertilizer. Dispensing with hordes of toads is almost the national pastime, as residents brandish golf clubs and cricket bats to rid their grounds of the pests.

But I suspect you didn’t know the preferred method of cane toad killing, the technique recommended by none other than the Australian RSPCA. It involves hemorrhoid cream and a more merciful death.

These days, I have a normal purse, but back in the day, when the boys were little, it was a magical vessel of wondrous things.

Besides the usual bandages, tissues, wet wipes, there had to be Things to Amuse While Waiting in Line. At any given time, I had dinosaurs, small jets, small cars, and a sizable wad of homemade play clay in the depths.

In addition to the lines, there were recitals to sit through. Their piano teacher also taught several thousand (or so it seemed) very young violin students, whose performances were always first.

Once, when my older son was 5, there was a recital with more advanced students. I somehow missed this one, but sent along a fresh batch of play clay with his dad. As it turned out, the instructor completely forgot that he was on the program, which dragged on for almost two hours. He performed last. I should have had that batch of clay bronzed.

My younger son, who will graduate from college next month, was playing with my Hoberman key ring just the other day.

Mmmmm. Raw placenta. Tom expects to chow down right there at the birthing gurney. Nothing like ‘nutritious’ food, freshly delivered.

No word from Katie. Surely, there’s enough to share.

Most of the time, an octopus’ arms move freely, turning every which way. But at chow time, these same arms can form joints that help move the food to the octopus’ mouth.

Scientists discovered that muscle contractions will form a shoulder, an elbow, and a wrist.

The other players complained that they had too many vowels.

Feathers, the raw material of artificial flies, are not as available now, thanks to global trade bans. Customs agents are burning shipments, and the price of feathers is rising.

It depends on what shape the person is in, among other things, and whether or not there is water.

For 10 weeks, he was lost in the Outback. After about one week, he discovered a natural dam where the leeches resided. He ate those, along with grasshoppers and frogs.

Observers say he looked like a walking skeleton when found.

An intimidating one, size-wise.

Not visible here, but sunlight streamed through the windows making shadows. We haven’t seen shadows in ages.

Hurrying around a corner of the yard, I surprised several doves. One seemed to be injured, and fluttered away, but not far. This one appeared to be younger, and froze against the appropriate backdrop.

I wondered if the injured dove escaped more serious damage from the hawk attack last week.

Yesterday, I found seeds for this heirloom tomato at Target. Somehow, it didn’t make it home. I thought it would be great fun to grow a tomato named after a sausage.

It lunges out of the water to catch insects. Scientists are amazed at its ability to angle its head toward food, and say the discovery sheds light on how fish made the transition from water to land.

From a visit to Steinhart Aquarium.

The part where Richard Chamberlain’s character watches pedestrians go by with their umbrellas. Not the second time, when they float by, but stay tuned.

At Target’s parking lot, shoppers were trying to ignore the rain. Grimly. Not a hood or umbrella in sight, just the usual Californians ducking between the sprinkles. It got a little trickier when the torrential downpour hit.

Earlier, I got behind a driver who was hitting his head with his hands. At first I thought he was clapping, but no. Then he switched to just his left hand. Then back to both. He appeared to be talking to someone in the passenger seat. Then it was back to the left hand. I wondered if it was his music, or if he was moving to a really different drummer within. It was a very long light.

One of The Register’s journalists received a most interesting 419 in response to his report on a laptop.

These are not your usual smallish owls. Eagle owls can be three feet tall, and have been seen carrying off small dogs and attacking deer.

Authorities suspect the owls are being released by citizens who believe the species should be revived in Scotland.

The flight was headed to Dublin, diverted to Prestwick in Scotland, now is being escorted by a fighter jet. Via Briefing.com and BBC news.

When research efforts don’t progress as they should, some scientists resort to charms of various kinds. At Mauna Kea’s Subaru Observatory, astronomers use Japanese cloth ghosts. At Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, it’s a protein prep dragon, which accepts offerings of Twinkies. The University of Georgia has its lucky sombrero.

Jeff, one of my faithful readers, comments on a previous post:

do we live in seattle? i think we do.

I’ve lived in Seattle. It rained less.

Last fall, I mentioned the Orion search engine. Yesterday, Google bought Orion.

It rained almost every day in March. It has rained every day except one in April . Rain is expected for at least another week.

Can you say ’saturation’?

A Native American story.

It is eating a path through village gardens, and gardeners are furious. ‘Massive’ is one word used to describe it, and ‘brute’ is another.

So far, no one has given it a name.

Still more rain in the forecast.

Only a few sprinkles this afternoon.

It comes from bacteria, specifically Caulobacter crescentus, which uses it to adhere to rocks in waterways. Scientists are intrigued because the glue works on wet surfaces.

A UK professor applies for approval of a study on the effects of dark chocolate on heart patients. He thinks the day is coming when chocolate will have a firm place in healthy dietary habits.

The coming storm just might knock all the flowers off.

We got home before it opened up.

We had settled in to watch the movie when I yelled, Pause it! and raced outside. Either my jasmine blooming on the fence had just exploded, or a hawk bagged its supper in a spectacular way.

Unfortunately, it was raining, so I only took a quick look, but my companion saw movement in the corner of the garden. The hawk could still be heard, so we shot pictures and hurried back in.