Dusty Chalk

Those pictures are great. Not only are they fantastic shots, but the subject matter is some of my favorite subject matter (I've said many times that mother nature is my favorite artist). Well done, and thanks for sharing it with us.

I don't remember there being a buzz issue with the SRM-1 Mk2 that I've had (admittedly small amount of) experience with. If your buddy is on the same power system, I would make that the first thing to check.

End of Green, High Hopes in Low Places -- totally dig. Rock. (Doubled?) Male vocals. Goth-ish without being full-on goth. Certainly has a certain Sisters of Mercy-ness to them. (And if not SoM, then it's someone else that I'm not putting my finger on, but it's someone I dig a lot.) EDIT: I think maybe black-album-era Metallica. Maybe Type O Negative. I don't know.

Perhaps we should subcontract out to Postjack International? (Which would probably just subcontract out to Sri Lanka, or perhaps someplace innovative, like Kyrgyzstan.)

I like stabbing paper with a letter opener.

We just got a fax (alas, no, it was not alcoholic) from Envirofax asking us to fax them our unwanted faxes. I lollered.

No, it was probably attached to a rocket.

It was probably an iPhone.

Nice.

Can we get that as an emoticon and as a fried-fish sandwich?

Can we get that as an emoticon?

Met Dan for lunch, that was nice.

Unholy carp!

That sounds like a 'yes'.

Kang Pao chicken from Far East restaurant -- needed some comfort food

Stolen Babies, There Be Squabbles Ahead

New 'Walking Dead' already given life for season 2 Love that headline

There's a local Crutchfield store? (makes a mental note to look it up) Yeah, I agree with the distribution system theory -- weak link in most stores. Did you try going into the Magnolia section of a Best Buy? Also, Belmont TV. The one in Laurel is better than any of the others, but they might be a little more accommodating if you went to the closest one to you.

That doesn't sound right. Were they older models? Here's the only two things I can think of: The screen itself does not flicker, it's an interaction pattern with overhead fluorescent lights (although I thought that was more LCD's than plasmas); Upscaling problem -- this shouldn't be a problem with the 600Hz sets, do you remember the refresh rates of the sets you were looking at?

I have a heating blanket from the 90's that gets pretty hot, so I don't think you have to go that far back.

The only possible consideration not to get a plasma is if you are going to regularly try to watch it during conditions in which you can't get the room dark enough (e.g. you don't have room-darkening shades and you regularly plan on watching during the daylight or you have a bright neon sign or streetlight immediately outside the window). Well, alright, there's also the whole black levels thing.

Changed a flat. Tomorrow's post now:

Can't you just close your eyes and pretend?

New Order was inconsistent -- sometimes they sucked, sometimes they were great.

Sorry to hear about your foot, but this was my first thought as well: