"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." (Norman Cousins, quoted by Christopher Kennedy Lawford in Symptoms of Withdrawal.)
11:19:17 AM    comment []  trackback []  

Over the weekend Greta brought another playmate into the house for fun and games. I assumed it was a mouse, although when I caught cat Greta jumping up onto my bed and releasing it onto the blankets (yikes!) my glimpse of it revealed a strange-looking "mouse." Greta stopped playing on Day 2. (Usually dog Sally puts an impatient snip-snap end to all such shenanigans.) Turns out, though, that the creature has taken up residence in my room (out of desperation, one imagines). A couple of days ago I noticed that something had been eating my lotion bar—a large, hardened, soap-like lozenge made from beeswax, almond milk, lavender oil, and the like, excellent for softening skin. It was disappearing at an alarming rate and the edges showed tiny teeth marks.

I keep the bar on the top of a broad bookshelf near my bed. I guessed that's where the rodent was holed up, safely off the floor. And clearly very hungry. As I was falling asleep last night I heard a papery rustle from the shelf. When I switched on the lamp I surprised the creature in its attempt to drag the bar (in its wrapper) behind a stack of books; it vanished behind the books, and I went downstairs to bait a little plastic live-trap I use to capture house mice. I slathered in a dollop of peanut butter and set it up where the lotion bar had been, and turned out the light. Again, just as I was drifting off there was a clatter and rattle as the plastic trap closed up, but when the light came on there the animal still was, too large to fit in the trap. But it didn't vanish this time. It started to move off, but then it turned around and sat up on its little haunches and stared right at me for several long moments. It's a kangaroo rat, must be a juvenile because it's smaller than the ones I've found dead out in the yard.

As soon as I made a move the creature took off. And once it found the floor Greta was again on the case. The pursuit was wildly underway through the upstairs as I descended to the kitchen. There I brushed a few small crusts and crumbs from the cutting board into a shallow bowl and returned to my room. I placed the bowl atop the shelf where the trap had been, turned out the light, and this time, as I finally drifted off (it was a rough night, so this was around 3), I heard the faint ceramic ring of tiny feet on porcelain, and this morning the bowl was licked clean.

It's going to get got someday, for certain. Tomorrow I'll try to find a larger live trap at the hardware store. In any case, that shelf is destined for the shop and won't be in my room much longer.
10:23:39 AM    comment []  trackback []  

First, check out Project Censored's list of the 25 most underreported stories of 2006. Number 1 on the list: "Bush Administration Moves to Eliminate Open Government," which you'll find covered here and here.

The NYPD actually has a weekly podcast. Listen at http://nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/dcpi/podcastsubscription.html.

Around 400 bucks will turn your DNA into wall art. Submit your saliva along with your cash to DNA11.com and they will immortalize your essence in a graphic art piece.

"Magnum in Motion" exhibits Magnum photographers' work as multimedia photoessays. It's the first place I'm going once the phone guys hook up the broadband in the bookshop.

Likewise the Science of Music presentation at the Exploratorium site.

Locate Blogs in "Meatspace": FeedMap "lets you geocode your 'blog and generate a little badge-sized map that indicates where you are." gFeedMap takes that geocode information and allows you to browse for location by searching city and state. "Searching New York, NY generated a map with dozens of tags. Mousing over them gives information about that blog -- unfortunately sometimes the tags get in the way. Clicking on the tag takes you right to the 'blog." (Source: ResearchBuzz)

DiscontinuedItem.com has expanded its directory, according to ResearchBuzz, which adds, "They had good pointers to companies where one can get old sewing machine parts and parts of older office machines. Information includes description, online and offline contact information, and Web address."

The Basking Spot has collected an enormous list of referrers to info about reptiles and amphibians.
9:52:44 AM    comment []  trackback []  

From today's NYTimes: "Internet Grows as Factor in Used-Book Business":

In barely a decade, online booksellers have grown to account for two-thirds of the market for general-interest used books, a trend that calls into question the future of brick-and-mortar stores devoted to used books, according to a study financed by the publishing industry and released yesterday.

"The growth reflects how easy is has become to sell used books and to create inventory in this business," Jeff Abraham, the executive director of the study group, said in an interview.

Most of the growth is coming in the online sale of general-interest books, said Jeff Hayes, a group director of InfoTrends, a research company that worked on the study, a trend suggesting that traditional used bookstores might be an increasingly endangered species.

"The growth is really being entirely fueled by the online channels," Mr. Hayes said. "And without question, the volume is going to continue to go up." Mr. Abraham said that the sales growth was being aided by the fact that most customers of online booksellers report having good experiences with vendors, leading them to conclude overwhelmingly that they would recommend such services to friends....

8:35:02 AM    comment []  trackback []