I (Heart) EPCOT

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the park's opening; can't wait to see it again in all its splendor.

I (Heart) Crepe Myrtle

I have been inundated by lovely Crepe Myrtles during the summer travel season and am madly trying to find out if a hearty genus exists for my central Indiana location. Based on most arbor sites I'm just on the edge based on my zone of 5B. Any recommendations?

In response to Josh's challenge for a better Vegetarian Wednesday image

Not that there's anything wrong with "Do (A) Vegetarian Wednesday" but I thought it might be read as a bit too racy for some. After all, punctuation can be hard on some readers and I wouldn't want Vegetarian Wednesday to have any sexual overtones.

Vegetarian Wednesday Hits It Big Time

From Tim O'Reilly's mouth on a Web 2.0 article. (Please note it's more tongue in cheek.) Real article found here.

Epcot Center Monorail Preview (25 Years Ago)

And just how cool would this have been to see 25 years ago? Man, bring the magic back!

The Maestro has left the building

Not by any means the best tenor of the last century but certainly the most popular, Luciano Pavarotti single handedly kept opera in the consciousness of many during his spectacular career. I wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to make sure you had a chance to read about him in his passing.

NY Times

NPR

The Moderate Voice

The BBC

Laser Beam Conundrum

Hayes would like to know what would happen when two equally forceful laser beams, preferably one red and one green from Star Wars, collide head-on. I talked with Hayes about energy, angle of deflection, etc., and came to the conclusion that they would not repel one another but consume each other. Laser beams not fired directly at one another would bounce off the other and change their directory.

I was able to find this reference but, alas, it's not exactly what Hayes wanted to know. Does anybody know?

Hayes's First Day of the First Grade

Here we are just before leaving the house this morning.


Boy am I determined!


Here's my new room and that empty desk is mine!


Now I'm not so sure about this. . .


I wonder how it went today for Hayes.


Alright!

Serendipity and IBM

Some of you know I spent quite a bit of time with IBM from April-June this year and learned lots about them. Let's just say Big Blue is busy on various fronts. A recent post from Josh brought something I discussed with one of their employees a month or so ago. The serendipitous event is Josh's love for data visualization. Josh; I never knew! (I should have asked.)

Anyway, here's an example of IBM+Josh+my iTunes library. Enjoy.

my iTunes library, visualized

NASA Woes

It used to be the only controversy surrounding NASA concerned its dwindling budgets; not anymore. Here's a double whammy from today's NY Times about the space agency.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program

I've got new pics of the happiest places on earth so I'm posting again to the other blog site. However, I saw this little item via digg and immediately thought Josh would agree.

Remember the 'Bass-O-Matic '76'?

Fans of early SNL shows certainly remember Dan Akryod pushing the 'Bass-O-Matic '76' and, I can only assume, that's what prompted the good folks at Blendtec to push the envelope. Presented for your viewing pleasure is the answer to rather new question: "Will an iPhone blend?"

You'll find lots of other questions here and please refer to the 'safe' versus 'unsafe' labels plastered all over the site.

Amusing, but pretty much worthless

find your car personality here

Hint: I guessed too low on Schumacher's career victories.

Oh, my aching back!

Anybody got a home remedy for a persistent lower back ache? If so, please let me know!

A little Frank Caliendo, anyone?

The first time I heard the famous Frank Caliendo 'John Madden' impersonation I couldn't believe it wasn't really John making fun of himself. But, incredibly, this spoof isn't Frank Caliendo's only dead on impersonation, it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Check out this clip from Frank's upcoming TBS show this fall; the characters from 'Seinfeld', even in 2027, have never looked or heard better.

An Era, Ended

Prime Minster Tony Blair's time at the helm of the UK has come to an end; while many here might not much exposure to his body of work I am in awe of Mr. Blair's accomplishments over the past ten years. The Blair Doctrine is the one that means the most to me.

Link from the NY Times

Epcot's 25th - Communicore

As much as I love the Magic Kingdom, I deeply appreciate Epcot Center. It's true that my late conversion to worshiping at the feet of the mouse meant I missed quite a bit of the early Epcot years but I remain nostalgic for what Epcot used to be and remain optimistic it could be much more than it currently is.

Perhaps one the most cleverly hidden gems of early Epcot would be Communicore. For those of you who are familiar with the current layout of this park this area is now known as Innoventions. Toady, Innoventions is mostly nothing more than a speed bump between Future World East and West. In contrast, Communicore was tightly integrated with the early park. As noted by Lou Mongello and Jeff Pepper in the 24 June WDW Radio Show podcast Communicore was a valid attraction; one that enthralled children and adults alike. It's hard for many of us to remember but in 1982 computers were still new and fresh. Guests must have appreciated the ability to take a peek into the rows and banks of computers that ran many of the attractions and communication systems for Epcot Central: wouldn't you?

The customer service in and around Communicore was also fantastic. Where else could guests use touchscreen systems to make dining reservations? The item most sorely missed by my family would be the Epcot Outreach and Teacher Center; I would dearly love to have a dedicated research center to address my many questions.

I've included some Communicore links below and a fun video clip. Enjoy!

Link courtesy of startedbyamouse.com
Link courtesy of solarius.com
Link courtesy of waltdatedworld.com
Link courtesy of aatvideo.com and their Lost Epcot pages

By comparison, here's what we have now.

Link courtesy of allears.net

Thatcher Golf Tournament

Japanese Beetle Sex

Ugh - Japanese Beetle season. Currently, they are everywhere in my yard; a bit too early for my taste but I'm sure it's due to the very high average temperature in June and the overall lack of rain. Against the sage advice of my father I've put in place beetle bags (the overall lack of detailed landscaping in our new community means all of them are already in my yard) and the frenzy has begun. For those of you in Indiana, here's the scoop from the Purdue University extension. (Go Boilers!)

Link Purdue University Extension

Croupier

A hidden gem from the turn of the last century would be 'Croupier'. I think Josh turned me onto this film and, after watching it again after a few years (enough to forget certain key plot twists) it's still a very good film. I caught Clive Owen in 'Children of Men' and it was fun to do a compare/contrast; let's just say Clive still has a deft touch but has put on a couple of pounds. I think the writer's aspect in 'Croupier' was a bit more intriguing for me this time; I recommend the film to those who don't care to gamble.