Really, it’s not my fault; it’s my genes that make my hair unmanageable.

Punkasspunk.com is on blogdex today because of the Futurama Panoramas, but everything I checked out on the site was moderately entertaining. Snackin’ Jesus especially caught my eye and my fancy (though my first thought was the monolith from 2001 rather than a vending machine).

I want to know how to make these. Zori is the generic term for sandals, while waraji is very specific (the ones with extra go-faster straps for samurai speed). There are workshops in Japan on how to make them from old cloth, eco-zori— cool! But zori were always a re-use of industrial byproducts. Even some schoolkids make their own.

Good zori pix, and check out those boots!

From Scientific American, January 2nd, 1847

“Ingenious Mechanism
An Albany paper speaks of a squirrel cage, got up for a holiday present, and so constructed that when in operation, it puts in play a fountain, propels a train of railroad cars and other machinery. In connection with this subject it may be remarked that the squirrel — especially the red kind, — evinces a particular fondness for mechanical motion, and a capacity for timing with music. We once connected a revolving cage with a small hand organ, and were amused to observe that in less than three hours, the little operator kept time accurately with the music of the organ; and so pleased was he with his own performance, after finding the music so completely at his command, that he so wearied himself to exhaustion, that is was found requisite to disstract the machinery to give the squirrel a chance to rest.”

When you apply mathematics to personal names through time, you get some interesting parallels to genetics, and maybe insight into memes. The full report is available here.

A candidate for FP’s new slogan comes from the ebook Consumers’ Cooperative Societies in New York State:

“Each for All and All for Each”

No chance of seeing When Harry Met Sally with Alyson Hannigan. And Molly Ringwald just doesn’t have the same, well, anything.

There are a wide assortment of declassified documents from the Hanford project, including many photos, searchable by entering “N1D” in the simple search field. As it turns out, construction photos are timeless.

A Unitarian church in Texas denied tax-exempt status by the state comptroller is the latest in a string of fishy-looking denials: Ethical Culture groups, witches, agnostic groups and new agers are also apparently potential fraudsters. Or not Texan enough? The issue would make a good discussion group topic.

Since you can’t get married at the Church of Elvis anymore (though you may be able to see your friend, Stephanie G. Pierce, at the Portland Saturday Market — which is also open Sundays), why not try Voodoo Doughnut (and wedding chapel)? Earlier, they were a 24-hour operation, but they seem to have cut back to evening-to-morning hours.