Featuring the Keep Aways.

This is the maiden voyage of the Gonzo Science youtube channel, the Gonzonomicron.

Maybe this isn’t really a local enough topic for PDD, but given the earlier post on whether we’re vulnerable here to earthquakes, a Yahoo news story today seems interesting and relevant. The Chile quake apparently may have shifted earth’s axis, and made earth days slightly shorter. And this has happened before with big quakes, too.

Reminds me, too, of a Harper’s article from 2000 about dam building. There’s a quotation in that article that says: “The planet accommodates 40,000 large dams–dams more than four stories high–and some 800,000 small ones. They have shifted so much weight that geophysicists believe they have slightly altered the speed of the earth’s rotation, the tilt of its axis, and the shape of its gravitational field. Together they blot out a terrain bigger than California.”

So, any thoughts–think we’re headed towards shorter Perfect Duluth Days due to earthquakes and dam building?

“First ever Geek Prom set for Tango’s Ballroom”

http://centralwisconsinhub.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100115/WDH0501/1140390

…who spends most of the winter fighting the urge to sneak through parking lots, compulsively kicking ice chunks off of other people’s cars?

I just drove from the West End to the East Hillside. Here’s what I observed/experienced:

• Visibility is very poor. This has improved quite a bit since I first set out, since the sun has come up. Mainly your enemies today are wind and blowing snow.
• I-35 is quite clear, but slow going. I had to completely stop twice. I think the top speed was about 45, though it might have reached 50 for a moment.
• Mesaba is a traffic jam. No surprise.
• Second Street has a lot of snow on it. Also people are having difficulty finding their lane. There are three lanes on Second Street, and even in the best conditions it is wise to choose one. Thankfully, no one is doing that thing where you blow through the lights just as they change green. That would be stupid on a day like today.
• Fourth Street is worse than Second Street.
• The avenues are slippery and difficult to negotiate. As you’re spinning your wheels up them or sliding down them sideways, please take a moment to realize that this is why your house with an incredible view is affordable.
• No matter how bad it gets, there’s always someone who is in a big effing hurry and thinks that tailgating will help. You will encounter that person today. Please try not to be that person today.

Please post your experiences and the road conditions for your part of the region in the comments. If you are somewhere that’s warm and doesn’t get snow, and feel the need to point that out in the comments, please realize that the rest of us are rolling our eyes and making the “jerk-off” gesture with our dominant hands

I had been trying to find this clip for ages, turns out it was right under my nose at Funnyordie.com. I’m not sure if this has posted before, but I’d thought I’d share it anyways. Enjoy.

I am looking forward to the movie “2012″ coming out next month. I’m glad they didn’t wait until 2012 to release the movie, cause, you know.
Someone has compiled a list of 22 possible ways for the earth to end in a couple years. My favorites are “Rise of the Machines” and “Time Travel Error.”

While watching the trailer for the movie, I noticed they’re not forgetting to save the giraffes, not something I would have put on my short list to save.
I invite you to consider:
1. What do you think is the most likely way for earth to meet its end in two years?
2. What stupid thing would you try to save if you got a seat on a secret government ship?

Wow. Truly wow. It’s like living in an alternate universe. I’m not sure if I should be more stunned or less.

With an explanation, even.

They could have at least added a couple coils of razor wire for ambience.

angry dumb-asses really annoy me.

h/t Pam’s House Blend

Local hater and  ne-er do-well Chuck Horton is rallying the troops to the steps of City Hall today to protest corruption in city government and to demand the resignations of a couple of councilors. (6:00 pm).  To make this my perfect Duluth day, I’d like to see some counter-protesters holding up signs with snappy slogans, like “Hey Horton, Get a Job!” or “Carinda is hotter than Sharla” or “Taxes = Anarchy.” I’m sure you guys get the idea. If you are too busy to counter-protest, at least share your pithy placard pronouncements on Perfect Duluth Day!

Tickets to Daniel Johnston at First Avenue are $14 each. So, two tickets would be $28, right? That seems reasonable to me.

What? Oh, there’s a service charge. Well, I suppose that’s not a big deal. How much more could it be, really?

What? Over 60 percent more? All right, in that case I guess I’ll just throw my keyboard through my monitor and change my plans for Aug. 13.

Advance tickets/ages 18+ with valid ID — US $14.00 x 2
Total Building Facility Charge(s) — US $1.00 x 2
Total Convenience Charge(s) — US $4.95 x 2
Additional Taxes — US $0.74
Order Processing Charge(s) — US $4.57
Standard Mail — No Charge
TOTAL CHARGES US $45.21

More info here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090718/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_wienermobile_wreck

From the Duluth News Tribune website: The top searched item is “Hells Angles.”

Hells Angels = badass bikers

Hells Angles = badass mathematicians?

Maybe you’ve read this post from my facebook note, but in case you haven’t succumbed to that monster…

…As some of you already know, I will be moving out of town soon to be with the love of my life, the wonderful and lovely Rebecca Zaban, in St. Paul.

Nine years is a pretty good run, though. I’ve made a lot of friends up here, and I’m grateful for all of you, but this no goodbye, just an update for those who don’t see me often enough to know what’s going on.

We’ll be living in the Irvine Park neighborhood for a while. I’ve got a job at Mississippi Market in the deli kitchen; my first day is on the 8th oh July.

Expect an all encompassing ART/BOOKS/MUSIC GEAR, etc. BLOWOUT-SALE-PARTY sometime in July at my old house (more details later).

It’s been fun, Duluth. I hope you will still let me sleep on your floor when I’m in town.

Peace out!

–Ben

P.S. @ Paul & Stephanie, as of last night I am now in possession of your painting that I owe you. Can I drop it off tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon somewhere before I head south?  if so, where?  if not, umm…  we’ll figure something out. I swear.

P.P.S. @ mevdev, I still have your Schoenberg Harmony book. And, sorry I didn’t return your call about the party invite. I meant to, but I forgot. Also, my phone is still sort of broken.

P.P.P.S. @ Starfire, do you still have any Duluth Quacks and/or gnome shirts? I want one, but I realize I may have missed the boat.

P.P.P.P.S. @ pdd, God, I’m going to miss this town! Bye everybody! Thanks for all of it!

I was at 26th Avenue East and London Road when I saw these two cars. They’re a little unusual, so I thought it was funny to see two together. The question that lingers for me: Is it possible these people are together? Do friends ever buy the same kind of car so they’ll match?

It’s been one year since Starfire’s 100 Pushup Challenge. Did anyone make it? I’m still stuck on week four of the workout. Six weeks? Yeah, right!

I’m no expert, but I came across this and I would guess that $20/gallon taconite pellets would turn the Iron Range economy around in a hurry?  I haven’t done the math but I’m pretty sure this deal looks like a winner!

Is this?

Dear manufacturers of pretty much every electronics product,

Thank you so much for including a plastic sleeve for the owner’s manual. It would truly be a shame if such an important document as an owner’s manual were to ever be damaged by dust or spilled liquids during the two minutes between it coming out of the box and getting jammed into a file cabinet.

Like everyone I want to save for my retirement. I save bits of money each month and it has added up to a small amount now. This spring I was assessed an ‘Account Maintenance fee’ from LPL for my roth IRA ($40). That was it.

I heartily recommend AVOIDING Nels Erickson and his sham financial brokerage LPL financial. I have now moved my accounts, but not after they took about 10% of my savings for closing my account and had always charged a ridiculous $50 a trade.

So, save for college, save for retirement, but please don’t go to LPL.

(I’ve switched my stuff to sharebuilder.com, which is owned by ING and my trades are less than $10 even for a live trade, $4 if batch it)

Duluth Mayor Don Ness and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Not sayin, just sayin.

from The Huffington Post:

Representative Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) announcement today that she planned to re-register as a Democrat, has sent the Democratic leadership into crisis mode. (more…)

8-11 pm

be there or…

be at Sacred Heart or Blue Crab.

Tuesday night should have our own kickball team–Dada approach.  TimK, could you build a backpack van de graaff generator with blinky lights and a vaccum attachment by noon on Saturday? We’ll need it for the game (Buenos Aries, 1941).

probable unemployed actors attempting to act afraid of the gays

see a snippets of the horrendous auditions for the “storm of gays” video.