In getting ready for my trip to Costa Rica I have ordered and received this little toy: Stowaway XT Ultra-Thin Keyboard. I hope to use my iPAQ to write down blog entries as the trip proceeds. I just opened up the box and it’s an impressive little feat of engineering.

This is an interesting piece of software and I wonder how long it will be until people deliberately make products that have a very short shelf life. Sell as many as you can with a huge marketing blitz before you get sued and then move on to another product. From GIZMODO: TimeTrax: Convert XM Radio Read More …

I wonder what happens to the plants after long term exposure to all that vibrating? Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage Singing Japanese plantsTue 20 July, 2004 11:44 TOKYO (Reuters) – People who like talking to their plants can now enjoy a musical accompaniment, thanks to a Japanese invention that turns petals Read More …

Army rations rehydrated by urine | New Scientist 19:00 21 July 04 Would you eat food cooked in your own urine? Food scientists working for the US military have developed a dried food ration that troops can hydrate by adding the filthiest of muddy swamp water or even peeing on it.

I wonder if this would lead to more people wondering around outside in thier underwear? CNN.com – Washing no longer dirty work – Jul 22, 2004 HONG KONG (CNN) — Two Chinese scientists have come up with the perfect solution to every laundrophobe’s biggest problem — by developing clothes that never get dirty.

I didn’t get around to doing as many updates for landscaping as I had wanted. It’s all done. In total it took 6 days with a quick stop this morning to add some ground cover and replace a dead bush at the front of the house, a victim of the mole army I think. It Read More …

The other day while I was out taking pictures of the new landscaping I saw our newest wildlife adoptee. A few weeks ago I started hearing the strangest noise every time I was outside. It sounded like a screaming child. It was constant, loud and lasted all day long. I had no idea what it Read More …

Yesterday was the first real day of landscaping. The crew was out here for about 8 hours and we have some progress! The woods are well on the way to being cleared out near the front of the property. One poor guy with a rake, I didn’t envy him that job. The longest part was Read More …

At long last the great landscaping project of 2004 has commenced, sort of. It was supposed to start on June 8th, but the late spring and early summer of this year have been nothing but rain. That, combined with a busier than usual schedule and some truck problems has caused out landscaping company to fall Read More …

Wired News: Florida to Tax Home Networks Florida state officials are considering taxing home networks that have more than one computer, under a modified 1985 state law that was intended to tax the few businesses that used internal communication networks instead of the local telephone company.