Yearly Archives: 2007

International Day of Awesomeness

Fun, Holiday! Celebrate!, Plain foolishness

March 10th, 2008 is the first NationalInternational Day of Awesomeness. I’ll let the awesome official site speak for itself:

What is The International Day of Awesomeness?

The International Day of Awesomeness is a celebration of awesomeness. People are awesome every day, frequently don’t realize it, and their feats of awesomeness are rarely recognized. We aim to fix that, with a special day to both perform and celebrate feats of awesomeness!

It’s the brainchild of Kevin Lawver, who knows a thing or two about awesomeness himself. So, what feats of awesomeness will you perform? You have a few months to decide.

UPDATE: It’s no longer just national, it’s INTERnational. And it’s on Eventful.

How walkable is your neighborhood?

Environment, Technology

Just found out about a site called Walk Score today. It uses Google Maps data to calculate a walkability score for any address based on how close it is to services like grocery stores, restaurants, schools, etc. For instance, my house got a “walker’s paradise” 91 (out of 100), while my work got only a 63. Still, not bad for San Diego.

It’s a simple but powerful idea; now I have a benchmark to use when deciding between hotels on vacation or (eventually) deciding which house to buy. Perhaps it’ll encourage more neighborhoods to become walkable…

DeLoreans go back into production?

Fun, Science fiction, Technology

The appeal of the DeLorean doesn’t seem to have diminished, according to a recent BBC story. On the contrary, the revived DeLorean Motor Company (based in Texas this time) has been doing a swift business in parts, accessories, and in some cases complete refurbishment (new parts on an original chassis).

As it turns out, demand has gotten high enough to warrant building new ones:

Demand for DeLorean cars is so high that it may go back into production, according to a US firm.

Mr Espey added: “There are guys who were in their teens when they first saw the movie, who are now in their late 30s or early 40s, who are at that point in life when they can get the car they wanted when they were a kid.

“We feel quite confident that there is a market for between 20-25 hand-built made to order cars each year, without question. Right now, we have a nine-month waiting list for cars.”

Ah, just in time for 2015 to come around! OK, who’s working on the hoverconversion technology? Mr. Fusion, anyone?

Dinner with Barack

Government, Holiday! Celebrate!, Politics

My aunt and uncle have recently had several opportunities to go to DC to speak with Senators and Congresspeople about the issue of asbestos. As a result, they’ve gotten a chance to meet many of the personalities we see in the news, including Barack Obama. Thus, I’ll let my uncle describe this video of Senator Barack Obama in his own words:

The video . . . provides a great sampling of Obama the man, consistent with the two personal interactions that [we] have had with him. In our judgment, he’s genuine, intelligent and exemplifies integrity. If you’ve been waiting for him to state the specifics of his plans, be sure to click on [this] link. . . which will take you to his campaign website, where you can read his policies and plans on various issues and offer your own ideas.

The idea was simple: invite some “regular folks” out to dinner, have a conversation, tape it and use it on the campaign website. But it’s more than that; Senator Obama is actually talking to these people. He could be sitting there pandering to the camera, but he’s actually paying attention to his dinner guests and having a conversation. And listening. It’s enough to give one hope in this jaded day and age.