i have a love/hate relationship with technology. when it makes my life better, i love it. when it invades my life or makes it more difficult, i hate it. today i was reminded that there are certain places you should not be able to check your email, like 10,000 feet above sea level at the top of mt. lassen. that kind of instantaneous access to the world ruins the mystery of being at the end of the earth, in the middle of nowhere. the geek in me of course couldn't resist, but the luddite in me felt dirty.

these people are nuts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzVaT2Cd8n4

amuse your friends, impress the girl next door, and bring peace on earth. learn the thriller dance. there's even a world-wide record breaking attempt to have as many people dance simultaneously as possible.
http://www.thrilltheworld.com/learn

my upper lip is free from its hairy oppressor. it's been so long that i can now feel the slightest breeze against my skin.

interesting article on a guy who can crack medeco's top of the line locks, used by government agencies for high security areas.
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-06/ff_keymaster?currentPage=1

an interesting article (and accompanying book) about the choice between today's modern white collar jobs, their need for higher education, and the increased risk of outsourcing, versus blue collar jobs, with lower education requirements, the decreased risk of outsourcing, and the stigma that's unnecessarily attached to them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?_r=1&hp

these are cool. too bad they're kind of pricey.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25087112

i finally finished writing up my doorbell phone project.
http://www.bryanzimmer.net/Main/Doorbell_Phone.html

"This project combines a battery-operated doorbell, antique phone, Arduino, and subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC) to make a wireless doorbell. Readers are taken through basic phone restoration, creation of a custom doorbell button transmitter, modification of the receiver, workings of the SLIC, and description of the Arduino code. Readers must know how to read a schematic, but soldering and other electronics knowledge are optional. This project will be of interest to those who like to customize their home or office, people who like to repurpose antiques, and those who have been wondering how to ring a phone with an Arduino or other microcontroller."

we have the worst roads in the nation, costing drivers an average of $590 a year extra in maintenance.
http://www.norcalminis.com/2009/05/were-no-1.html