It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?

Fred Rogers, 1928-2003

Think yo kids ain't fly? Give them the headstart they need, brutha.

In case you find the current US administration a bit bland take a look at these new trading cards sure to brighten any dull political convention.

Acid sold separately.

Kansas - where crime doesn't pay quite as well. I wonder if they get a 401K?

Ted Molczan - "thorn in the NRO's side", and "satisfied electrolysis consumer". I have in my mind's eye an image of a hairless satellite-watcher that just won't go away ...

I have no idea what I just said.

I lost count of the number times I said "Wow" out loud while reading this article about elves, sprites & blue jets, infrasound (and more here), and the Space Shuttle that, in the reversal of the normal sequence of events, apparently did a "go boom, fall down". I also went "wow" several more times while reading this article about ACE, and SOHO, and the ill-fated Space Shuttle, and an apparent large shockwave in the solar wind, and the fact that these satellites orbit ... nothing at all. Well, actually, they orbit Lagrange or libration points, but thems ain't physical objects. See? Wow. And former Shuttle astronaut Tammy Jernigan (who apparently transported the now-famous photo purporting to show a purple corkscrew lightning-bolt thing to NASA in Houston) even got in on the act with a "Wow" of her own in this article that may or may not ultimately debunk the phenonemon that may, or may not, have been photographed as Columbia passed over San Francisco.

I'm in Tokyo. It's an interesting place. I've been pondering the nature of souvenirs. I came to the conclusion that the really interesting souvenirs are not the things that are typically (perhaps stereotypically) Japanese, such as rice paper wood block prints (ukiyo-e) or Hakata dolls, since, because of their fundamentally iconic association with Japan, every time some random gallery or antique shop wants to represent "Japaneseness", these are the very things they'll offer you. Consequently, bring home one of these (admittedly, although conventionally, attractive) items and your home will resemble nothing so much as the local Pier 1 Imports.

So, what to bring home as a reminder of your time in far-away places? Toiletries. Candy. Matchbooks. Flyers. Brochures. In other words, the ephemera of daily living. Why? I think that the answer lies in there very ordinariness - these items are too inconsequential, pointless, or just plain goofy for any trend-following importer of Japaniana to bother with.

Having said this, of course, some kind soul will surely send me the URL to these very items on J-List, which I will promptly ignore, fuck you very much.

Finally, since I'm here for work, I have now visited a couple of IBM offices in Tokyo and was very surprised when my chaperon handed me a small packet of tissues before I went to the bathroom. Apparently, IBM (and most other large companies) have stopped providing paper towels to their employees as a cost-saving measure (yes, I know - IBM haven't quite stooped to this level yet, but you get the idea).

Help! I've been infected by <insert worm name here>

Stoopid things people do to their PCs. My favourite? The guy who has not one, but two Visa cards stuck in his floppy drive.

In response to Cameron, an iPod hack for those Microsoft lovers out there.

...since I appear to be on a bit of posting rampage these past couple of days, here's one for Ian. Should you ever want your iPod to do more than just play music, here's a guy who has ported it to Linux. It doesn't actually DO anything, mind you, but it's still "supremely cool".

The NEW IBM. Bottom right...

Harking back to Jason's post of a couple of days ago, here is a more light-hearted look at Dubya's REAL agenda... I should be careful, though, lest you guys never let me in your country again.

Ever wondered if that sexual position was actually possible? Well now's your chance to find out without risking your neck...