In other news (while distracted)
 

Some other events have occurred quietly.

Intel has hired Computer chip design engineers, by the team loads, from both Compaq and HP. These teams have already been assigned design task on various releases of the Itanium IA-64 architecture for future products.

Also during this time, a chip war is getting running rampant in the Pentium line. Intel also had announced a new breakthrough in chip making technology using ultra violent rather than visible light. They have also just announced a new packaging necessary for both CPU heat removal and better connections from chip to pins. Basically the chip and the package are to be manufactured as one.

Also Intel has better defined their future product line. They intend to move into networking - in particular the products that Cisco, Lucent, and Northern Telecom would require for their product line. Intel intends to ignore the low end of the market (NICs, embedded processors, etc).

The Kursk has been raised and is heading for port:
Kursk Information

The leaves are changing color. Anybody notice little things these days?

Re: In other news (while distracted)
 

Presumably that's for use in game consoles? :-)

Re: In other news (while distracted)
 

I like to try and look at them while driving home at night. They're starting to get there, but I figure it'll be another 2-3 weeks before the real color comes out.

Re: In other news (while distracted)
 

It's spider season. Two very large spiders have set up on each side of my front door. They have too far to attach to get this done, so their setups are unstable, blown down by the wind almost every day and they rebuild.

Liar! They are only just coming out..Some people just don't know what they're on about *stalks off grumbeling* (for the IQ impared, this is a lame joke, i do realise the concept of the earth rotating around the sun on an angle.....)

I thought about that for a minute, you know you have a a really good point. So lost in the rush that i didn't even notice how me herbs were doing for two weeks damn......scary.

This is the best time of year in NEPA. The maples are spectacular. We pressed 5 gallons of cider over the weekend. Our apple trees really produced this year, which is kinda random since other places nearby had a late frost which nipped all their blossoms this spring. Garden finally frosted out Sat. night and I'm training a new dog (Australian Shepard name of Merlin) for our flock which does not yet exist. tws right we shouldn't lose sight of those little things that give us pleasure when we could all start obsessing over the big things we cannot control. Oh yah, the russian fireplace I built actually works! Count your blessings, this earth of ours is not a half bad place.

What's a russian fireplace?

Russian fireplace is a generic term for a wide range of wood burning masonry heaters in the Scandinavian tradition. Its also called a kachelofen in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. Mine is a modern version which has a manufactured core precisely made to burn firewood at around 1500 degrees F and at about 94% efficiency. This intense heat is stored in the masonry and slowly released so that only one or two short burns are required per day, so you don't risk a chimney fire at night. Its a really good fit for a tight efficient home. My first house was a log cabin with a regular woodstove which tended to have wide temperature swings. My new heater draws air for combustion from outside and can be completely closed down with a chimney top damper,so you optimize efficiency and maintain good air quality in the house.

I had to build a conrete and stone pier from the basement for it to sit on, assemble the core using refractory cement, face it in field stone picked off our farm here, and build and face a chimney. The brand I went with was Temp-Cast oot of Toronto. They usually have an add in Mother Earth News. (you can still build the whole thing yourself in you have the unyielding desire)

edit- smelling

Ummm...why isn't it called a Scandanavian heater? ;)

*reads the rest of the post...sycamore becomes enlightened*

Every time I hear about someone that lives out in nature (e.g. on a farm), it makes me want to buy some land somewhere and build a hideaway.

The wifes a Swede (ishamerican) so IMHO Scandanavians are too hot to require heaters. ;)

movin' to the country gonna eat a lotta peaches
 

Syc- It can be very enlightening and sometimes amusing to watch urbanites aclimate to rural living. Folks who weren't raised out here don't have a lot of preconceived notions about the art making a living in the backwoods and so are willing to make mistakes and have successes that locals won't.

One bunch of guys here would look for all the world to be a bunch of 4th generation hillbillies but really moved up from philly about 25 years ago and haven't looked back, embracing pond hockey, bluegrass music, deer hunting, and the sort of tribal justice that exists in "underpoliced" areas. On the other end theres a lady here who moved in maybe 35 years ago and is still a flatlander, trying to impose her ideas of virtue on all her neighbors. A happy medium would be the lady who runs the local wildlife rescue place, even the most hard bitten rednecks will show up at her door with wounded fawns/foxes or whatever just because shes willing to stop at the local tavern and shoot the bull once in a while.

When I was trying to determine whether to go rural or urban I read The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing. Scotts red politics got him run out of his teaching job in NYC and ironically (to me anyway) lead to a life of self-sufficiency out in the boonies. A really neat read.

We can always use new blood out here even if the locals don't always admit it. If moving to the boonies ever gets to be something you need to do, feel free to bounce ideas off me, of course if they're really good I reserve the right to steal them for my own purposes. g

Re: movin' to the country gonna eat a lotta peaches
 

I'll kind that in mind Griff, but I don't think I would move permanently out to the sticks...I've already sorta done that once. ;)

From late 1994 to the end of 1995, I went away to school at Southeast Missouri State University. SEMO is in Cape Girardeau, a small city (40,000) about 110 miles SE of St. Louis. Now, 40,000 people is nothing to sneeze at, but (at the time) the biggest problem is that Cape was not very "college-friendly." There were a few bars, but not a whole hell of a lot for college kids to do. For real fun, you drove to St. Louis or Memphis.

It didn't take much time to get out of town...and once you were out of the city, you were IN the sticks. I used to love driving all the backroads throughout Southeast Missouri. Just south of Cape, the Ozarks turn into flat cotton land. I saw a lot of neat little small towns...and absolute destitution in some spots.

When I first arrived in Cape, I was the kid from the city with blonde hair and piercings...it did NOT go over well, particularly at my job. However, as time passed (and my blonde went back to brown), we got along swell.

In addition, an old friend of mine lives in the city of Dexter, Missouri (pop. 8000). I used to love going down there to hang out. It was the quintessential small town...we'd go driving the backroads, drink, smoke, etc. It would be cool for a few days...but they did that EVERY DAY.

At this point, I would love to buy a small place, maybe along the Chesapeake, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Just a place to relax and be at peace.

Cape Girardeau? Guess that makes you a big Rush fan eh? ;)

Eastern shore
 

Mmmm, beautiful place. The drive from D.C. to Ocean City on U.S. Highway 50, during a road trip around 4th July 2000, was one of the most scenic and satisfying of my life. On such clear, sunny days that place is a slice of heaven. Those red cliff faces around the bay? Wow. And let's not forget the huge causeway of the C.B.B.T. that makes you feel as if you're driving on the surface of the water.

You've gotta let me visit ;)

You HAD to go there didn't you Griff? ;)

You all may have seen one of my earlier posts (from a few months back)--Signs that the apocalypse is coming (or something like that). There is a whole section dedicated to Rush on the local newspaper's website, The Southeast Missourian.

When you drive south on I-55 out of St. Louis, you see a big ad for Cape Girardeau. Cape is known as the City of Roses...but now they tout it as "Home of Rush Limbaugh." *shakes his head*

The Limbaugh family is well-known in the town. Rush's grandfather was a well-respected attorney, who practiced even after turning 100. His cousin Stephen is a Federal judge in St. Louis.

And what about Rush? Well, he damned near flunked out of SEMO. And I'm sorry, but if you can't at least cut a C while sleeping at SEMO, you're a moron. ;)

Rush is on that list of things that make me ashamed to be from Missouri...right up there with John Ashcroft.

More late-breaking news
 

About a week ago, it dawned on me--I had a birthday coming up. Not that I REALLY didn't know, but just didn't think much about it.

This morning, while driving the PA Turnpike, it came to me--"Hey! My birthday is tomorrow!"

And now, about 15 minutes ago, I just realized, "Shit! I'm 26 now! Whooohooo!"

I mean, 26, big deal...it's not a special b-day or anything. (No car insurance discount or anything like that.) But it makes me keenly aware that I am getting older. Obviously, it's not THAT old...I'm still a young pup. But I still feel like I did the day I graduated from high school 7 years ago...trying to figure out how we're gonna buy beer for the party afterwards. ;)

On the other hand, in such a short time, I feel like I've seen and done so much...I guess it's THAT part of it that makes me feel "old."

(Please e-mail me for directions for dropping off gifts. Although Sycamore Day at the Cellar would be nice. ;) )

Developing appreciation
 

I was very fortunate in that my birthday happened to fall on my regular day off (Friday). I did very little, and yet, it was the best birthday I've had in years.

My mother has a horrible habit of waking me up early on my birthday. I don't know if she did it on purpose this year (given that she knows I'm off on Fridays) or what, but she woke me up at 7:30 to wish me a happy birthday. I wound up not being able to go back to sleep, so I got up and got my Friday chores (laundry, dishes) done rather early.

Originally, I had planned to drive up to Staten Island (don't ask...I had no real plan), but then decided to head towards the Jersey shore. I knew if I took I-195 east from Trenton, I would wind up somewhere near the shore. So, I just started driving. I had never driven all of 195, so I didn't realize that it goes through a mostly rural area, with lots of trees on both sides of the highway. The colors are looking great...better than on this side of the Delaware.

Then, I got a bit lost. I wandered around several towns, trying to figure out HOW to get to the ocean. Unfortunately, I didn't have my road atlas on me, and I was completely unfamiliar with the area. After a bit of driving, I stumbled upon Belmar, New Jersey. I had never heard of the town, but apparently, it is a small resort town.

Finally, I saw the signs for the beach and stumbled upon the Atlantic Ocean. It was a clear day, with mild weather, and few people on the beach. So, I spent my time drawing in the sand, collecting seashells, and playing in the waves (which were rather high).

This little town seems like the perfect place to go if you love the beach, but want to avoid all the tourist trappings along many beaches. Very peaceful, with a few restaurants, hotels, and a 7-Eleven. I'm a sucker for the ocean, so it was hard as hell to get back in my car and drive home to Philadelphia.

As I drove home, I stopped for gas, and decided to take a detour, driving through the backroads of Mercer County. I had to change my route when State Police had one of the roads blocked off...I later found out about the guy from nearby Fort Dix that shot several people. I guess they were trying to head him off at the time.

All in all, it was a great day, and it reminded me a lot of the drives I used to take when I lived back in Missouri. And, *gulp*, it made me better appreciate the state of New Jersey. I've seen plenty of rough spots there, but I don't think it's as bad as some (including myself at times) make it. :)

=)
Happy post-birthday =)

General question: Anyone else suffering news fatigue yet? I just _do not_ want to hear any more about the attacks, just hit some kind of internal limit and i just want to switch off, anyone else know waht i mean? Probably somehting to do with school stress atm (exams in 2 weeks) but?

The news here has shifted to the anthrax cases, particularly since two cases have popped up at one of our broadcast television companies. I swear, the first 5-10 stories on the evening news last night were about the anthrax cases and false alarms.

Every fucking media source here seem to be enitrely USattacks(including anthrax) or the ellection, i wetn though 2 major papers and didn't find one non-related article!
*sighs*

Big news. The xenophobic John Howard should be removed as Prime Minister of Australia - if Australians are truly to become a multi-cultural people. As if what was done to the aboriginals was not racist enough. Aussies also vote for a party that would be called 'David Duke' in America - the One Nation party.

Even a more moderate - John Howard - is so xenophobic as to violate Australia's obligations to the 1951 UN conventions on refugees. 10(?) November should tell us what kind of people the Aussies want to be.

aw, thats a bit harsh, hes jsut a poor little polly who'd sell his mother into slavery without blinking to be re-elected.
Also breaches international marintime laws.
Sad thing is it does have popular support, australia ageing outback(and city(!)) population with so many districts under their control are deeply racist. Depressing.