Harrison Ford: Has Seven Planes, But He Only Flies One At A Time

If you look to celebrities for moral guidance, you may very well end up being disappointed. Once again, changing behavior is for the little people, not our superiors. Note the watch he just introduced with Hamilton and the organization's stated goals.

"... to inspire and enable individual behavioral change ..."

Harrison Ford flies in on his private jet (Hans) solo and says: 'I only fly one of my seven planes at a time': "Harrison Ford may have a green-coloured private jet, but he definitely wasn't indulging in any green practices when he was spotted landing his plane at Santa Monica Airport. Hans Solo appeared to be flying solo as he was seen carrying one overnight bag and what appeared to be a computer case out of the aircraft. His wife, actress Calista Flockhart, 45, was nowhere to be seen. ... As to owning seven planes, Ford also said: 'I only fly one of them at a time, and the contribution of general aviation to greenhouse gas emissions is less than two per cent.'"

Harrison Ford Khaki Conservation Watch: "Harrison Ford, a long time board member of Conservation International has partnered with Hamilton watches to create the Khaki Conservation watch. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the watch (4,000 units to be offered from mid-November to the end of December) will go to support Conservation International."

N E W M o d e l – Hamilton Team Earth Watch: "Harrison Ford and Hamilton create a new collection in support of Team Earth,A a coalition addressing some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day. Created as a platform for change, Team Earth is committed to catalyzing personal and collective action for the planet via the connective power of the web. The Khaki Team Earth Collection is the second series of watches created in collaboration with the American actor to benefit the work of Conservation International. Announced in September of 2009, Team Earth couples the power of Conservation International’s cross-sector partnerships and the credibility of science with mechanisms to inspire and enable individual behavioral change. Uniting businesses, non-profits, scientists, educators, individuals and children around collective action, Team Earth focuses on five core issues: climate, waste, water, food and health."

Saturday Grab Bag of Links ...

Cars. (pic via Uncrate)
Dodge Mopar '10 Challenger
Factory Two-Cammer: 1970 Datsun Fairlady Z432
Qatari royal family’s supercars clamped outside Harrods
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible – West 23rd Street, NYC
New Product: 2011 Ford Explorer – Herald Square, NYC
Physically closer but still far off: Up close with the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Top Ten Best Driving Movie Scenes Ever
a time to get: ... And Put Away Wet
Chevy Styleline Deluxe Sport Coupe – Forest Grove, Oregon
This Is The Sultan Of Brunei's Garage
Things Is Cool: The Land Rover Defender
And you thought your bike was special ...
TimeZone: Automotive: Rolling Art

Architecture.
The Nutmeg of Consolation - Studio on a Lifeboat
14 Famous Man Caves - The Art of Manliness
Shell House / Far East Design Lab
AD Round Up: Leisure Part IV
Concrete Conch: Spiral Shell-Inspired Fractal Beach House
Over-the-Top Duplex: Strange Set of Semi-Spanish Homes
Folded Roof House - CoolBoom
Contemporary Architecture Making Up For A Harsh Environment
Concrete House II by A-cero Architects
Otter Cove Residence by Sagan Piechota

Computers.
An Order of Seven Global Cyber-Guardians Now Hold Keys to the Internet
asciimo - create awesome ascii art with javascript!
20 brilliant web apps you've never heard of

NASA.
‘Beyond,’ the Solar System at Air and Space Museum - NYTimes.com

Animals.
That is One Unique Fingerprint — Cute Overload
Sea Turtles - DISCOVER Magazine
Zoologger: Horror lizard squirts tears of blood
Tarantulas on the loose in Britain - Telegraph
Bishop the Bernese Mountain Dog - Daily Puppy

Travel.
5 Websites That Make Business Travel Easier

Insurance.
Offsetting Behaviour: Insuring the uninsurable

Photography.
British Royal Family Has a Flickr Account
Ansel Adams photos found at garage sale worth $200 million - CNN
Faking It With Style – Enhancing Your Images With TiltShiftMaker
Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943
Dogs Looking Very Embarrassed - Photo Gallery
Do You Recognize These Famous Places in Tilt Shift Photos?
Photo Essay: 18 Natural Wonders of the USA
Samsung’s Wi-Fi Camera Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Computer

Climate / Green.
We need to talk about wind farms ...
Carbon Cronyism: Why Cap-and-Trade Is Not Dead Yet
A Crisis Gone to Waste - Jonah Goldberg

Computers.
12-Core Mac Pro and 27-inch IPS Cinema Display
Two Free Antivirus Programs For Mac OS X

Food.
Ho Chiak: The Well Tempered Wok: Imperial Treasure
BBC News - The big cheese
22 Quick, No-Cook Recipes - Real Simple
Ho Chiak: Ching Huat:: Seafood under the coconut trees
FoodHeads, Home of Outstanding Soups and the Best Fish Tacos in Austin
Snack Break: The Stories Behind Your Favorite Movie Theater Candy
Korean-Style Tacos Move From West to East - NYTimes.com
ESPN - What's lurking in your stadium food? - E-ticket
Sugarcane rums gaining in popularity

Education.
Why More Spending Doesn’t Produce Better Schools

Gadgets / Gear.
Note-Worthy Panasonic Earbuds Have Best Packaging Ever
Porsche Design Knives
Spyderco Matriarch Flat Ground Folding Knife
The Top 10 Toys of Summer
New Amazon Kindle - Gear Patrol

Style.
(...and one more for the road)
The 25 Most Badass Movie Sunglasses
Sartorial Hero - Commander Schweppes (Part II)
the impossible cool
10engines: orvis - us patent
Dandy Events: Times Square Mad Men Viewing
No Sleep till Bushwick - Inside Martin Greenfield
STEVE McQUEEN - LE MANS & BEYOND GRATUITOUS 1970s RACING GOODNESS

Fountain Pens / Writing.
The Pen Addict: Ink Links
J Herbin Bleu Pervenche Ink Review - Without Ink
Porsche Design P’3120 mechanical pencils
Penmania: Bullet Space Pen: Black Titanium Nitrade
Noodler’s Navy - The Dizzy Pen
Bulletproof Ink - Pens'n'Paper

Shoes / Boots.
Quoddy Chromexcel Bluchers
Yes You Can! - Start With Typewriters

Science.
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Viruses
Diamond Razor Blades Boast Long Life
New Pain Pills Made From Sea-Snail Spit Could Be More Powerful than Morphine

Coffee.
Coffee Capitals: 20 Cities That Drink the Most Caffeine

Misc.
Camper Bicycle
BBC News - The false teeth that 'helped win WWII' are auctioned
7 Different Seven Wonders of the World
Reports of the Death of James Bond are Greatly Exaggerated
5 Online Sources For Amazon Promotional Codes
Clive Thompson on the Death of the Phone Call
Word Spy - blamestorming

Do The Rich Pay Their Fair Share of Taxes?

This business of the so-called "rich" not paying their share of taxes is a deep-seated and recurrent meme among the left. They seem to cling to this idea in spite of evidence.

I'll go further. I think that having a percentage (as opposed to a flat dollar amount) of one's income taxed is a progressive tax to begin with. Having those with higher incomes pay a higher percentage is, in my view, doubly progressive.

Undertaxed?: "E.J. Dionne argues that rich Americans are “undertaxed” (“In American politics, stupidity is the name of the game,” July 29). He quotes the Congressional Budget Office to explain why: “the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest fifths of the country more than tripled between 1979 and 2007.” Mr. Dionne’s view of “undertaxed” is odd. The IRS reports that in 2007 (the latest year for which data are available) the top 1 percent of taxpayers in the U.S. paid 40.4 percent of the total income taxes collected by Uncle Sam. This percentage is well above the 24.8 percent of the income-tax burden borne by this group in 1987, the year after the 1986 tax reform. Moreover, the top 1 percent of taxpayers now pay more federal income taxes than do the bottom 95 percent combined!*"

The Tax Foundation - Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95%: "Remarkably, the share of the tax burden borne by the top 1 percent now exceeds the share paid by the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined. In 2007, the bottom 95 percent paid 39.4 percent of the income tax burden. This is down from the 58 percent of the total income tax burden they paid twenty years ago. To put this in perspective, the top 1 percent is comprised of just 1.4 million taxpayers and they pay a larger share of the income tax burden now than the bottom 134 million taxpayers combined."

Liberty & Govt. At Work: FOIA Requests, FBI Cheats, Apollo 2, & More

Solid list today. I don't much care for the "fusion" business below. Do read the NASA piece.

Where are the Democrats and liberals/leftists on the SEC exemption from FOIA requests and Obama's FBI monitoring internet activity?! They would have been absolutely apoplectic if this was going on under the Bush regime (and rightfully so). But paradoxically (okay, not actually a paradox or surprising) they seem to be silent now that their guy is running the show.

Once again I ask, do you believe we are heading in the direction of liberty and prosperity? (pic via Wiki)

Director Defends FBI Over Test Cheating Allegations : NPR: "FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress on Wednesday that he does not know how many of his agents cheated on an important exam on the bureau's policies, discussing an embarrassing investigation that raises questions about whether the FBI knows its own rules for conducting surveillance on Americans. The Justice Department inspector general is investigating whether hundreds of agents cheated on the test. Some took the open-book test together, violating rules that they take it alone. Others finished the lengthy exam unusually quickly, current and former officials said." (more)

An American Stasi? - Ideas On Liberty: "Fusion centers began in 2003 under the administration of George W. Bush as a joint project between the departments of Justice and Homeland Security. The purpose (pdf) is to coordinate federal and local law enforcement by using the “800,000 plus law enforcement officers across the country” whose intimate awareness of their own communities makes them “best placed to function as the ‘eyes and ears’ of an extended national security community.” The fusion centers are hubs for the coordination. By April 2008 there were 58."

On the Bloated Intelligence - Bureaucracy by Ron Paul: "I have often spoken about the excessive size of government, and most recently how waste and inefficiency needs to be eliminated from our military budget. Our foreign policy is not only bankrupting us, but actively creating and antagonizing enemies of the United States, and compromising our national security. Spending more and adding more programs and initiatives does not improve things for us; it makes them much much worse. This applies to more than just the military budget."

The Schumer for Majority Leader Act - WSJ.com: "A bill to make political speech freer for some than for others. In theory, campaign finance reform is about clean elections, transparency and ending special interest influence. In practice, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a cloture vote for this week on a bill designed to undo a recent Supreme Court free speech decision and give Democrats a fund-raising advantage in the fall elections."

To the Moon Alice! - The Unbroken Window: "The last time NASA awarded a manned spaceship contract to Lockheed Martin of Bethesda , Md. , was in 1996 for a spaceplane that was supposed to replace the space shuttle. NASA spent $912 million and the ship, called X-33, never got built because of technical problems."

Additional links:
Federal News Radio - Defense can't account for $8.7 billion
Thomas Sowell - How Smart Are We?
Feds demand diversity on Wall Street - POLITICO.com
SEC Says New Financial Regulation Law Exempts it From Public Disclosure
A Drug Raid Goes Viral: Radley Balko on the Missouri SWAT Raid Video
Videos Rouse Russian Anger Toward Police
The ADA: Another Popular Bad Law - John Stossel

Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: LAMY Pico, Porsche, Noodler’s, & More

I'm thinking about picking up a Lamy Pico, and a Zebra Sharbo, and a Noodler's pen.

And how nice do these Porsche pencils look?! (get 'em here)

Pocket Blonde: Noodler's Kung Te-cheng Emperor's Purple ink: "Another ink I received to review from Lily Kim of JetPens was a bottle of Noodler's Kung Te-cheng Emperor's Purple ink, one of Noodler's specialty inks from the Asia Pacific Bulletproof series."

Noodler’s Legal Lapis - The Dizzy Pen: "It’s Noodler’s week here at The Dizzy Pen, so here is Noodler’s review 2 of 3: Noodler’s Legal Lapis. For months and months I’ve seen folks on FPN raving about this ink."

Oodles of Noodler’s: "The first and lower priced line is a piston filler in a range of plastic colors with a screw cap. It’s a basic design that reminds me of German school pens of the 60s and 70s. The other is an aerometric filler in hard rubber with a slip cap. These pens come in your choice of green mottled and brown mottled."

Whatever: Featured Pen - Salz Manhattan GF: "This week's pen is actually a set. This is a Salz Manhattan Gold Filled set from somewhere around the 1920s or 1930s. This is a very difficult brand of pen to date, because there is so little information out there on this company."

pencil talk - Porsche Design P’3120 mechanical pencils: "The Porsche Design P’3120 series of writing instruments are machined from single blocks of aluminum. There are pencils and ballpoints in the series – no fountain pens or rollerballs. They are made by Faber-Castell, though press announcements indicate Pelikan is slated to take over manufacture of the Porsche writing implements."

The Glamourous Grad Student: My fabulous Filofax: "So I chose the Filofax Domino Personal in Lavander as my new organizer. The colour was sold out on the UK website so I ordered it from France."

Ultimate Moleskine Repair Kit - SkineCover: "Ideally, you will never need to repair your Moleskine notebook. However, if your notebook comes across difficult times we have constructed a list of ways to repair your Mole."

Ink Review: J. Herbin Orange Indien - Rants of The Archer: "Orange Indien. An ink color I wanted to have for so long. An ink color that has been the topic of a lot of discussions about non-black and non-blue inks."

Additional links:
twsbi ink bottle update - twsbi's posterous
The Pen-Guin: Pilot G-2: 0.38 mm
Favourites for pen, paper and ink addicts - lady dandelion
Aurora Optima Review - The Fountain Pen Network
The LAMY pico now also in white
Pelikan Griffix - Schreiblern-System von Pelikan
moleskinerie: Kydex Moleskine Cover
Review: Pentel Hybrid Technica 0.5mm Fluorescent Orange
Retro Pelikan Pelikano TV Advertisements
Man Shaped Paper Clips :: OfficeSupplyGeek
Scratchy Nib? Check Your Tipping!
moleskinerie: Book: Moresukine (Amazon Link)
J. Herbin Creapen Refillable Marker Review

Citigroup Fined $75 Million by the SEC

I'm a bit confused by this. What is a $75 million fine when you've already been given tens of billions of dollars? What signals does this send, and incentives does it reinforce?

Citigroup Fined $75 Million by the SEC - DailyFinance: "Citigroup (C) got hit with a $75 million fine to settle SEC allegations that it mislead its investors about its subprime mortgage asset exposure, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday. Citigroup's former chief financial officer Gary Crittenden and its former investor relations chief Arthur Tildesley Jr. also agreed to SEC settlements. In its combo lawsuit-settlement filing, the SEC alleged that Citigroup (C) assured investors between July and mid-October 2007 that subprime mortgages accounted for $13 billion or less of its investment banking exposure, when in actuality it was more than $50 billion, the SEC claimed. Crittenden agreed to pay a $100,000 fine and Tildesley a $80,000 fine. Both former finance executives and Citigroup agreed to settle without admitting or denying the SEC allegations."

What's A Good Kindergarten Teacher Worth?

Imagine a setting where you care about performance (e.g. a professional football team, or a currency trader). You wouldn't think of granting tenure. So why do it in academics?
-- Steven Levitt (ht: Megan McArdle)

Regarding the NPR/NYT item below ...

1. How can we be sure that $320,000 is the right value? Doesn't it seem high? Perhaps it's too low. This seems like a bit of hubris, a fatal conceit. Rather than guess, let's harness the power of free markets to determine which teachers are the best.

2. Teacher tenure seems to run about 180° in the opposite direction of the where we need to be going.

3. "Given today’s budget pressures, finding the money for any new programs will be difficult."
I remain convinced that the problem is not a lack of funds, or dearth of "new" programs. The root problems are who is spending the money, and how it is being spent.

4. A government school teacher once told me that the argument for teachers getting tenure was that they could and would do a better job if they didn't have to worry about getting fired. But couldn't that same argument be made for just about any job?!

What's A Good Kindergarten Teacher Worth? : NPR: "What do you remember from kindergarten? Maybe your teacher or your best friend's name, but what about what you learned? Can you recall what you were taught? A new study about kindergarten education suggests that what took place in that classroom may play a much larger role in your future than previously thought, particularly in regards to earnings potential. The New York Times reports on the 'fairly explosive' results of a study which followed 12,000 Tennessee children from kindergarten to adulthood. ... The study done by Harvard economist, Raj Chetty, and his colleagues suggests that because students who learn more in kindergarten can expect to see their earnings increase significantly, an excellent kindergarten teacher could be worth as much as $320,000 a year."

Retro Pelikan Pelikano TV Advertisements

These are fantastic, I love the Pelican! ;-) (more here)

Today's Quotes: Stewie Griffin, Madison, Twain, & More

And finally, anyone who uses the terms, irregardless, a-whole-nother or
all-of-the-sudden will be sent to a work camp.
-- Stewie Griffin

In the beginning of a change the patriot is
a scarce man and brave, and hated and scorned.
When his cause succeeds, the timid join him
for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
-- Mark Twain

The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government
are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments
are numerous and indefinite.
--James Madison, Federalist No. 45

"It's a mistake to think that poor people get the benefit from the welfare
system. It's a total fraud. Most welfare go to the rich of this country: the
military-industrial complex, the bankers, the foreign dictators, it's totally
out of control. [...] This idea that the government has services or goods that
they can pass on is a complete farce. Governments have nothing. They can't
create anything, they never have. All they can do is steal from one group and
give it to another at the destruction of the principles of freedom, and we
ought to challenge that concept."
-- Ron Paul

Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: J. Herbin, Snorkels, Noodler’s, & More

I would like to get a daily-use Sheaffer Snorkel pen sometime later this year. The Pelikan Toledo is a beauty.

Now I want to try out one of these Tombow AirPress models. Every time you retract the pen it charges/pressurizes the ink cartridge (see pic for detail). And check out the new Pelikan Windows screensaver.

Ink Review: J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage - Rants of The Archer: "I received this bottle of J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage in early April, and that gave me enough time to use it before writing this review. I was reluctant to use it at first because green is not an ink color I am usually fond of, but I was so attracted to Lierre Sauvage's hue that I filled my (green) Chelpark Moti pen with it, pronto."

REVIEW: Pelikan M710 Toledo - The Fountain Pen Network: "Tastes are subjective, but for me the M710 and M910 models are the most beautiful Pelikans ever made. I stress again that the M7XX Toledos are very small and some may not want to pay the $700 retail price tag for such an itty-bitty pen."

Dunhill-Namiki Highlights August Fine Pen Sale at Bonhams NY: "A Krone, limited edition 3/8 'Pink Stingray' fountain pen. Sterling silver with a genuine pink stingray cap accented by pink diamonds. Estimate: $8,000 - 10,000."

Scriblets: Exacompta Journal: "Back in May, when I got a bottle of J Herbin 1670 Anniversaire ink from WritersBloc, I also got one of the Exacompta Club Leatherette journals, the ones that come in nine different colors, each an unusual and eye-catching shade."

The Pen-Guin: Uni-Ball Fanthom: Purple: "First things first, the pen has semi-torpedo design, since the the erasing mechanism is in the cap (something the FriXion lacks). It takes a bit of strength to take off the cap, but you can put it on top of the pen, so when you write, you can flip it over to erase."

Stainless Steel Sharpie: "Dress up your office pen cup with a Stainless Steel Sharpie ($8). This fine-tipped permanent marker features a stainless steel barrel with a laser-etched Sharpie logo, a replaceable ink cartridge, and a matching cap."

Tombow Pen & Pencil GmbH - Writing Instruments - AirPress Pen: "One „Click“ and the red bolt in the flagpole runs into a white pump and drywell respectively. The disappearing Air from it runs into the ink-lead and averts the backflow of the ink. The result: The AirPress Pen stays certainly ready for use. Always and everywhere."

Pocket Blonde: Kokuyo Beetle Tip Highlighters: "While I'm not much on highlighting anymore having overdone it in college (my text books look like they're printed on yellow paper), every once in awhile I do need to note something and reach for one of the freebie highlighter pens picked up at a vendor show."

Noodler’s Eel Blue - The Dizzy Pen: "I happened upon this ink when I was looking for an ink to improve the flow of my Pilot Custom 823. I have to tell you I was pleasantly surprised by this ink. Not only is the flow magnificent, but the lubrication is out of this world! It is SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH."

Sheaffer Snorkel.
The Snorkel: A Sheaffer Innovation In Filling
Sheaffer Snorkel Clipper – a review
Sheaffer Stub Nibs - 1955 Snorkel Demonstrator
Whatever: Featured Pen - Sheaffer Statesman Snorkel

Additional links:
moleskinerie: Project: Turn a Moleskine into a travel journal
Pocket Blonde: Private Reserve Naples Blue Ink
The Pen Addict: Fisher Space Pen
Pelikano - the new generation
Charles de Gaulle limited edition fountain pen
Parker 61 – a review - Stompy.org
The Pen Addict: Review: Uni-Ball Signo 207 0.7mm Needle Tip
Manufacturing and tradition - Pelikan
Rediscovering Old Inks - Rants of The Archer

Wednesday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via AD)
Tree House / Mount Fuji Architects Studio
The Union Swiss Office Interior by Inhouse Brand
Indianapolis Island
EDDI’s House - CoolBoom
The Marcus Beach House by Bark Architects
House D by Bemb - Dellinger Architects
Licanten Public Library / Emilio Marin Murua-Valenzuela
Nuclear Family Housing: Life In A Missile Silo Home

Animals.
The World's Top 10 Worst Zoos
Rare hairy-nosed otter captured on camera in Borneo
Baby Bush Dogs! - ZooBorns
Tortoise moves BBQ grill [video]
Hamilton 1883 – Blog - Fish Warrior
Maybe the Dingo Ate Your Kibble... - ZooBorns

Photography.
5 Tips for Taking Great Travel Photos
30 Modern Examples of The Decisive Moment in Photography
50 Best Examples Of Tilt Shift Photography
60 Incredible Aerial Photos You Must See
Men’s Mentore - Old Japan in 3d
10 STUNNING Pics Of Our Wonderful Sky!
2010 Tour de France - part II - The Big Picture
The Frame: Pakistan water crisis

Food.
Top 10 farmers markets in U.S.
Top 10 Chocolate Destinations
How to Make a Unique Cocktail - Esquire
World's Most Expensive Hot Dog: Taste Test - Slashfood
Picture of Nutella on Brioche
Picture Pizza Cones in Coney Island, New York
Our choice of the best rooftop bars in New York
Tomatoes! - Classic BLT Sandwich - Photo Gallery

Travel.
Seeing Valencia from the Air
The Rideau Canal: From Ottawa to Lake Ontario
10 Most Colorful Towns on Earth
mental_floss Blog - 5 Big Cities That Changed Their Names
Top 10 Secluded U.S. Beaches

Education.
UC online degree proposal rattles academics - SFGate
Top 20 Best-Paying College Degrees in 2010

Fountain Pens / Writing.
A tiny pen paper shredder with “invisible letters writing”
Pictures From The Penopoly Bbq 7/24/2010
Review: Visconti Van Gogh Maxi

Healthcare.
As Massachusetts health 'reform' goes, so could go Obamacare
Axe falls on NHS services - Telegraph

Style.
JAMES DEAN CULTURAL GIANT OF THE REBEL SET
Prodigal Meetup in a Paris revitalised
Getting It Together: Wardrobe Maintenance
suitorial. gentleman's weekly.: Unexpected encounters
Fine And Dandy Shop: Dandies On TV: Mad Men
Don’t Ruin Your Silhouette
Ivy Style - The Rights Stuff: The Publication of “Take Ivy”
Best Designer Clothes for Men - 2010 Fall Fashion Must Haves

Shoes / Boots.
Vans $1.99 leather laces = much cooler
Alden Shoes – The Ranger Shoe : Leather Soul Hawaii
Black Antique Polished Shoes
Shoes That Make A Man: Essential Footwear For The Working Stiff

Gadgets / Gear.
The Goods: August 2010's Hottest Gadgets
To play RUSSIAN ROULETTE
Leatherman Blast - Gear Patrol
EDC - Tritium Slotted NiteCore D10 Pistons via...
Motorola Droid X: Thoroughly Reviewed - AnandTech

Apple.
Why Apple's iPhone Defense Is Total Nonsense

Computers.
Hands On: Tweeting via Amazon's Kindle 2.5 Software
Build a $200 Linux PC - How To by ExtremeTech
Ten Reasons to Dump Windows and Use Linux

Cars.
TAG Heuer McLaren MP4-12C
Porsche Boxster Spyder: A Top That Scrapes the Bottom
Moto Guzzi racer - Bike EXIF
Behind the Wheel: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI
The Bat Pod Replica You Can Actually Ride

Art.
Origami that Will Blow Your Mind
Top 10: Art galleries: expert recommendations for this autumn

Misc.
What your enjoyment of sleep-away camp, or lack of same, says about your character
50 More Things That Remind Us Of Childhood
Can You Hear Me Now?* - Five Billion Mobile Phones and Counting
Fertility website offers 'ugly' people chance to find beautiful donors - Telegraph

Wristwatch Updates: Dufour Simplicity, Thomas Prescher, Bremont, & More!

Looooove that Dufour Simplicity! And Patek Repeaters?! (pic via Hodinkee)

And don't miss this video about the Omega Speedmaster in space.

The Bremont Supermarine Underwater Dive & Review (Video) - Hodinkee: "One of the most dynamic and exciting watch brands to emerge in the past decade is Bremont. The British company has attracted both celebs and adventurers and is as likely to be seen courtside at a Lakers game as it is on top of Everest – no easy feat. So how do they do it?"

Photography by Peter Chong: Philippe Dufour Simplicity: "This is the iconic watch of the century...created by grand master watchmaker Philippe Dufour...after many years of only making super complicated watches...his portfolio before the Simplicity was the world premiere of a Grand et Petite Sonnerie on a wristwatch, and the world premiere of a wristwatch featuring dual, escapements to a single train known as the Duality."

Patek Philippe - The striking watches of Patek Philippe!: "Some recent discussions about the difficult choice of a Patek Philippe wrist watch minute repeater have led me to take the time to show you some pictures I have of such marvels."

TimeZone: Dive Watches: Seiko SKX173 goes swimming: "I'm on vacation this week and I picked up a waterproof camera before we left. Here are my first attempts at underwater watch photography." (Part 2)

Zenith Christophe Colomb - Perpetuelle.com Blog: "As I alluded to above, the watch’s regulating mechanism features prominently beneath a protruding dome both on the dial and caseback. The mechanism is kept horizontal at all times through a clever Cardan suspension system, a mechanism commonly found in gyroscopes whose origins date back to the early 1500s ..."

A day at Workshop with Thomas Prescher - AHCI: "Twann - Douane - (Customs) in French, is the municipality that determines the language barrier between the Swiss Germany and Swiss Romande. It is in this symbolic place that Thomas Prescher is established, we find, in his watch the same influences Franco-Swiss and Saxon."

Omega: Hour Vision More Scans: "I promised to post more pics of my still very new Hour Vision. I finally figured out how to post mulitple images, so here are a few different views. It is still spot on, within five seconds, after a full month!"

Roger Dubuis - Horloger Genevois: "On the wrist the dial just suits the entire watch perfectly and i wouldn’t change anything about it. The engraving of the dial is absolutely stunning. It’s incredibly complex, yet absolutely not ‘loud’. This watch has all the ingredients I like, a mono-poussoir chronograph, an absolutely stunning movement which is superbly finished ..."

The Entire Bell & Ross Vintage Line For Your Inspection: Watches That Are Tough To Argue With - Hodinkee: "The Bell & Ross Vintage line is easily the brand's most conservative collection, and it may also be a breakthrough into the style-conscious set." (more)

Rolex Super-Coolness: Jon Hamm MAD MEN Rolex: "John Hamm plays Donald Draper on the TV mega-hit, MAD MEN, and in the season premier for this 4th season, which aired yesterday, I noticed for the first time he was wearing a Rolex!!!"

Orient 60th Anniversary Commemorative Book - Yeoman's Watch Review: "Orient released a commemorative book as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. This 200-page book tells the story of Orient including its history, products and expertise. It also features staff from different departments as well as business associates."

Additional links:
Macro shots practice take II: Lange 1 MP
INDUSTRY NEWS – Bell & Ross – The Vintage Collection
Steinhart "Nav B Chrono 47 mm " Art.Nr.: 010420 - some photos
Girard Peregaux - 2x Tourbillon - some photos
GMT 9 - 10 Most Popular Articles on GMT 9
N E W M o d e l – Hamilton Team Earth Watch
Chronoswiss Kairos - some photos
TimeZone: A lot more pics of my Panerai 359
Tech Watch Review - Gear Junkie
Benarus Automatic Dive Watches
Linde Werdelin - ‘Click’ to Perfection

San Francisco Spends $25 Million To Test 'Goldilocks' Parking

Economics in action. Though I wonder how many people will be outraged when the parking price goes up, ever.

San Francisco Spends $25 Million To Test 'Goldilocks' Parking : NPR: "San Francisco is about to spend $25 million to answer a simple question: How much should a city charge for parking? The price should be cheap enough that most of the metered spaces and city parking lots are always almost full. But it shouldn't be so cheap that spaces are entirely full, leaving drivers frustrated and adding to congestion as cars circle endlessly looking for a place to park. 'It's the 'Goldilocks' principle of parking spaces,' said Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at UCLA who wrote a book called 'The High Cost of Free Parking.' Shoup's work was the inspiration for a high-tech project San Francisco is launching today. Its aim: to set parking prices just right."

Markets In Everything: Filthy Bottled Water

That's just downright nasty. On the actual stories behind the bad water and suffering humans, I wonder how much of it is due to government action/inaction and lack of private property rights? (pic via PSFK)

UNICEF Installs Dirty Water Vending Machine In Manhattan: "4,200 children die of water-related diseases everyday. UNICEF attempts to change that by shocking the public to create awareness with their Dirty Water campaign. There are 8 “flavors” of water that represent common diseases that affect the global poor: malaria, cholera, typhoid, dengue, hepatitis, dysentery, salmonella, and yellow fever. Thirsty people can choose their favorite infected water to support the charity – each dollar goes to UNICEF’s efforts to provide clean water to those that need it. A purchase of one bottle provides 40 days worth of potable water for a child."

Liberty & Govt. At Work: Kane, Food Police, Fannie/Freddie, & More

I'm not particularly shocked by the news in the WikiLeaks info. Orszag and Obama's budget shenanigans are particularly unsettling. Does Pelosi know about this?! I'm confident she wouldn't stand for it ... right?! Oh, and don't miss the Glenn Jacobs (Kane) interview below.

A legacy of budget trickery - NYPOST.com: "No more budget gimmicks? That’s what outgoing White House budget director Peter Orszag promised as the Obama team prepared to take control of the White House. “The president prefers to tell the truth, rather than make the numbers look better by pretending,” he told The New York Times. But numbers games turned out to be Orszag’s specialty. He’s set to step down at the end of July, but for the last 18 months, he’s presided over a wave of fiscal trickery. This year’s White House budget, which Orszag played a key role in preparing, is a prime example."

A Splendid Essay on the Two Great Classes in Contemporary America - The Beacon: "Codevilla cuts immediately to the core: the United States today is divided into (a) a ruling class, which dominates the government at every level, the schools and universities, the mainstream media, Hollywood, and a great deal else, and (b) all of the rest of us, a heterogeneous agglomeration that Codevilla dubs the country class. The ruling class holds the lion’s share of the institutional power, but the country class encompasses perhaps two-thirds of the people."

Fan and Fred and the Problem of Narrative - WSJ.com: "Fannie and Freddie have liabilities in excess of $5 trillion. They have already directly cost taxpayers nearly $150 billion, with no end in sight. Most of the banks bailed out in the fall of 2008 have gotten back on their feet and many have paid back, or started to pay back, the money provided to recapitalize them at the height of the panic. Not so Fan and Fred. They continue to bleed money ..."

Bill for the Unborn: $20,000 (FY2011) - The Beacon: "Total bill: $5,000 per capita. For those of us who recklessly married, have two children and pay taxes the bill is $5,000 X 4 = $20,000 for this year only plus interest. Even worse, 40% of the population pays nothing in income taxes. The rest of us must pay much more than $20,000. Think of it as a deferred tax bill with interest due."

Food Police - John Stossel: "But the LA Times reveals that that’s not good enough for our ever more intrusive government: 'With no warning one weekday morning, investigators entered an organic grocery with a search warrant and ordered the hemp-clad workers to put down their buckets of mashed coconut cream and to step away from the nuts."

Freedom Watch - Kane / Glenn Jacobs: "FBN’s Judge Andrew Napolitano and the heavyweight champion of the world Kane discuss the philosophical roots of libertarianism."

US ‘Strongly Condemns’ Mass Publication of Afghan War Docs -- Antiwar.com: "Just as The Guardian released a massive collection of leaked Afghan War documents obtained from WikiLeaks, the US government publicly condemned the release, with National Security Adviser James Jones taking the lead in the condemnations."

WikiLeaks:
Website Releases Secrets on Afghan War - WSJ.com
Afghanistan: The war logs - guardian.co.uk
Task Force 373 – special forces hunting top Taliban
WikiLeaks: More US documents coming on Afghan war
WikiLeaks Drops 90,000 War Docs; Fingers Pakistan as Insurgent Ally

Additional links:
California city manager's pension could top $30 million
Karzai: NATO rocket killed 52 Afghan civilians
Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right
Survival of the Fattest - WSJ.com

Best Name I Saw Today ...

Count Anton-Wolfgang Lother Andreas von Faber Castell.

Faber-Castell looks like a cool place. (more) (pic via Wiki)

Hayek, Broadband, and Progress ...

What our generation has forgotten is that the system of private property is
the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property,
but scarcely less for those who do not.
-- Friedrich A. Hayek

Automated Stock Trading Could Speed Up Your ISP — No, Really - Wired.com: "In a never-ending race to react to minute fluctuations in stock prices faster than anyone else in the world, financial firms have gone to extraordinary lengths to build the fastest possible networks, processors and software. They measure their success by the nanosecond, which is the amount of time it takes light to travel a scant eight inches through a fiber-optic cable. While that might seem absurd to those of us still stuck on sluggish and overpriced consumer net connections, their obsession will, one day, likely become our gain." (photo of Adva's Atlanta test lab courtesy of Adva)

So What Has The Increased Minimum-Wage Wrought?

New evidence that the demand curve for normal goods does indeed slope downward. This is immutable. It can not be legislated or wished away, any more than we can legislate the force of gravity or the speed of light. (pic via Wiki)

Young and Jobless - WSJ.com: "New evidence that the minimum wage has hurt teenage workers. ... Today marks the first anniversary of Congress's decision to raise the federal minimum wage by 41% to $7.25 an hour. But hold the confetti. According to a new study, more than 100,000 fewer teens are employed today due to the wage hikes. Economic slowdowns are tough on many job-seekers, but they're especially hard on the young and inexperienced, whose job prospects have suffered tremendously from Washington's ill-advised attempts to put a floor under wages. In a new paper published by the Employment Policies Institute, labor economists William Even of Miami University in Ohio and David Macpherson of Trinity University in Texas find a significant drop in teen employment as a direct result of the minimum wage hikes."

Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: Iron Gall Ink, Diamine, Schneider, & More

More fun things to checkout as we start the week. Still using my Pelikan M800 on a daily basis. Pic courtesy of our friend Lady Dandelion.

Lady dandelion - on an eternal quest for the perfectly shaped fountain pen: "I can’t really tell why I am so fond of iron gall ink. It might be that it is made from iron and I am from a country rich of iron and there is houses painted in iron oxide and copper red all over. Or that it is a traditional ink. Or the exquisite shading. Or the non-feathering. That it often writes on the dryish side. I don’t know, but like them I do and I was therefore happy to finally try Rohrer and Klingner’s Salix"

Letters frozen in time arrive after 60 years - Telegraph: "When an airliner crashed near the summit of Mont Blanc 60 years ago, rescuers fought desperately through storms to reach the site."

Chasing daisies… › The Schneider iD fountain pen: "This model has a medium nib, which is a “European” medium i.e. fairly broad, and is also slightly italic. It is pleasantly smooth on the paper and ink flows well, or at least it does now. Originally when first filling it the thing had trouble starting and was writing quite dryly. “Oh gawd,” I thought, “another fifteen quid wasted on a pen I’ll never use,” but being sensible I gave it a good flush and a soak for an extended period with a little washing-up liquid to clean out any gunk from factory or storage or malicious pen pixies, and now it seems fine, at least with Waterman Florida Blue which is what I have in it at the moment."

Whatever: Miami Pen Show 2010: "So, another pen show is in the history books. This year was good, because having been to last year's show I had more of an idea what to expect, plus I dragged my good friend, Carla, with me. She is a fountain pen newbie so I got to impart some of my wisdom or lack thereof (LOL)."

Mix and match: When notebooks collide - Quo Vadis Blog: "At the moment, we sell our staplebound Basics notebooks either singly or in “duo packs” of two books. There are four different cover colors, and our current duo packs bundle them together in black tan and red green covers."

Bic Triumph 537RT 0.7mm Retractable Gel Pen – Black, Blue, and Red: "The ink performed well, writing smoothly without any skipping or scratching (although there was a bit of white lining at first, perhaps due to the fact that it was brand new). One thing I did notice was that the ink was dark…"

Ink Nouveau: 10 New Diamine Colors!: "Yes, that's right...as if there weren't too many temptations already! Diamine just released 10 new colors, 2 of which have been on their website for a couple of months (Amazing Amethyst and Sherwood Forest), the other 8 are brand spanking new."

Tale of a Vandal Pen User: A Highlighter Pen, Revisited - Peaceable Writer: "The very first post of Peaceable Writer was about my desire to keep my highlighter out of the landfill by using highlighter ink in refillable pens. Using a Noodler’s highlighting ink in an eyedropper-style Platinum Preppy pen the worst the future could hold would be to replace the tip of the pen from time to time."

Edison Pen Company: Introducing the Huron Grande and Herald Grande....: "I am proud to introduce two new pen models. I have created larger versions of the Herald and Huron. These will be known as the Huron Grande and Herald Grande."

Additional links:
Pelikan - Why Piston Fillers?!
Edison Pen Company: Bulb Fillers
More Links for July, 2010 - An Inkophile’s Blog
Parker 51 Vacumatic Set with one of My Custom Music Nibs!
RichardsPens.com • Inks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Pen Addict: Ink Links
MUCU Notebooks
Moleskine Index Cards: Professional Memo Cards
Introducing the Huron Grande and Herald Grande....
A Revisited with a S.T. Dupont Feed Destroyed by Noodler’s
Room with a view: The Moleskine New York office
Pencil talk - Staedtler 175th anniversary pencil set
Stitch-it Staple-less Stepler from Inventor Jared Joyce

Today's Quotes: Zappa, de Tocquiville, Armey, & More!

It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights -- the "right" to education,
the "right" to health care, the "right" to food and housing. That's not
freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of
slavery -- hay and a barn for human cattle.
-- Alexis de Tocquiville

No legal tender law is ever needed to make men take good money;
its only use is to make them take bad money.
-- Stephen T. Byington
Source: September 1895

Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre
educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library
and educate yourself if you've got any guts.
-- Frank Zappa

Government is saying to the average citizen every January 1: 'For the next
five months you’ll be working for us, for goals we shall determine. Is that
clear? After May 5 you may look after your own needs and ambitions, but report
back to us next January. Now move along.' ... If nearly half of what you make
is spent by someone else, that means that half your work time is spent working
for someone else. Call me a radical, but I think that comes dangerously close
to being a form of indentured servitude.
-- Richard Armey

To compel a man to subsidize with
his taxes the propagation of ideas which he
disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
-- Thomas Jefferson

Wristwatch Updates: Nicolas Hayek , Urwerk CC-1, Rafael Nadal, & More!

While I have nothing but respect for them from a technical/engineering standpoint, I'm not a huge fan of the AP styles. I find most Breitling models a bit too busy. (pic © Swatch)

Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie - From our correspondents - A Tribute to Nicolas George Hayek (19/2/1928 – 28/6/2010): "Very few men achieve such high iconic status in their own lifetime as that of Nicolas G Hayek. His pivotal involvement in the reconstruction of the Swiss watch industry will be studied, analysed, and emulated as an example to which many may aspire but only a very select few can achieve." (more, more)

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver (Ref 15703) - Perpetuelle: "Perhaps one of the most exciting new watches of 2010 is the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver — Ref 15703. What I like most about this new Royal Oak Offshore Diver is its relative simplicity in both form and function."

The Urwerk CC-1 Cobra Explained (Video) - Hodinkee: "Back in Basel, we had the chance to sit down with Martin Frei, chief designer for one of our very favorite modern haute horology brands, Urwerk. He walked us through his entire design philosphy and explained each of Urwerk's timepieces."

In Celebration of the the Return of Mad Men: An IWC Ultra-Thin, Perfect For Don Draper - Hodinkee: "The movement is the caliber 401, which was a very thin and reliable movement made by IWC. The watch looks like it was worn only a few times over the decades and has basically been stored safely hidden from light and dust."

Rafael Nadal's actual RM 027: "Whilst leading a tour around the factory for a group of some very fine journalists, we had the luck to be there just before Nadal's actual timepiece watch was sent off to him. This is the watch he wore at Roland Garros."

Casio G-Shock MTG-1500 - Wired.com Product Reviews: "Strawberry or chocolate? Brunette or blonde? Porsche or Lexus? If you have trouble being the decider, the Casio G-Shock MTG-1500 could be the watch for you. Casio has crammed just about everything a geek might lust after into this attractively chunky timekeeper."

Halios Holotype Watch Review: "The $325 Halotype is the first watch from Halios, and is a Chinese-made unit with Japanese movement, designed in Vancouver BC. The Chinese sourcing is quite common among the new wave of startup brands, as the case, crystal, bracelet, hands and dial makers in China have ever-improving quality and unbeatable prices."

Additional links:
IWC Big Pilot Watch Blue America
Grand Seiko Fan Event 2010 - WatchingHorology
Georgia Aquarium Photoshoot - My Panda takes a dive
Thank goodness it's Friday! That also means it's Scan Day. Let's see 'em... (modem burner)
TimeZone: New arrival: my first wrist clock
The JLC Master Diving Chronograph GMT In Its Natural Habitat - Navy SEAL Training Camp
Panerai iPhone Application
Jetman Yves Rossy Flies With the Breitling Wingwalkers
A Paul Newman Daytona With Tropical Registers & Full Documentation
Citizen Astrodea Stargazing Watch Collection
ETA, a symbol of Swiss watchmaking history
Studio Shot Of The Day AAKViper's Rolex Milgauss ...
Studio Shot Of The Day: Rolex Submariner LV
SCUBAWATCH.ORG HOME

Sunday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via AD)
322 Reinvented / Substance Architecture
Gebhartstrasse Apartment Building by Halle 58
Winecenter Kaltern / feld72
Vacation House Design in Southern Argentina Casa Techos
Escape: Frank Lloyd Wright's Palmer House
The V House by Plan B Architects

Recycling.
I Recycle! - The Freeman

Computers.
Hands On With the New Google Image Search
Get a Read Receipt Using Gmail - Business Hacks
4 New Cool Improvements Of Google Image Search
Firefox Just Perfected Tabbed Browsing

Signs of The Times.
Inside Our Toxic Asset: An 81-Year-Old Man With A Dog Named Muffin : NPR

Food.
Titos Handmade Vodka
Coffee Coalition: Coffee Retail
15th Avenue E Coffee & Tea by Starbucks Coffee
In Season: Black-Eyed Peas
Do You Prefer Water Garnished With Lemons or Limes?
Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Mint Chocolate Brownies

Photography.
Stormy skies - The Big Picture - Boston.com
From the Archive: American Cities Pre-1950
Panasonic Lumix LX5
30 Lovely Images of Macro Photography
Colours of the Rothschilds… - How to be a Retronaut
Panasonic officially announces DMC-LX5 premium compact

Cars.
Porsche Panamera [hideous edition] – Las Vegas, NV
Unlikely Track Car: 1955 Ford Thunderbird Racer
Swede Utility: 1966 Volvo P210 Duett
Ural T sidecar - Bike EXIF
1967 Velocette MSS - Bike EXIF
Car, driver tumble into giant sinkhole amid rainstorm

Travel.
Hidden gems: America's 20 least-visited National Monuments

Healthcare.
As Massachusetts health 'reform' goes, so could go Obamacare

Gadgets / Gear.
Gerber Rivermate
Silveira Watercraft
The Presurfer: Tape That Looks Like Hinges
Every Day Carry Blog
36 Sneaky Hidden Compartments [pics]

Style.
Off Duty - Mad Men Casual Looks
Studying the Preppy Look and its Reference Points - NYTimes.com (slideshow)
Summer Style: Know Your Fabrics - Seersucker
welldressed - An American on The Row
The Right Short Sleeved Shirt
When Cocktails Were Office Supplies - NYTimes.com
My Desk: Matthew Weiner - Vanity Fair

Shoes / Boots.
Alden Shoes – Ravello Shortwing (LSW)
New John Lobb Saint-Crépin Model
Some amazing work shoes possibly by Redwing

Economics.
Economists vs. Economics
Should We Buy Only Locally Grown Produce?
The market's bounty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Watches.
Vintage Chronograph watches
Omega - Black or White? Bracelet or Rubber Strap?
amphibians, reptiles and other mechanical creatures
time to pam it up.. the PAM360... one can dream of getting one ;)
Chopard Mille Miglia (ETA Cal. 2892-A2) …
TimeZone: New arrival...
Ok chaps, how about a chronograph thread?

Photography.
30 Wonderful Photos of Windmills From Around the World
40 Outstanding Award Winning Photos Around the World
The Frame: Farnborough International Airshow
National Geographic Magazine
30 Amazing Examples of Reflection Photography

Computers.
Squad is a beautiful text editor for the Web with a great future (hopefully)
Hamster batch converts your video files for free

Real Estate.
Glorious 11th Century French Castle on Market
Trapper Peak Ranch, Estate of the Day

Animals.
The cuddly killer: Urban otters attacking family fish ponds

Misc.
For Bobby Fischer, The Drama Won’t Die - NYTimes.com
15 Classic Batman TV Show Villains
Japanese rice paddy art
Longest Eclipse Ever: Airplane Chases the Moon’s Shadow
David Warren, Inventor of Flight Data Recorder, Dies at 85
For sale - jewels British king showered on U.S. lover