The Tomb of Cao Cao

對酒當歌，人生幾何？
I lift my drink and sing a song,
for who knows if life is short or long?

譬如朝露，去日苦多。
Man’s life is but the morning dew,
past days many, future ones few.

慨當以慷，憂思難忘。
The melancholy my heart begets,
comes from cares I cannot forget.;

何以解憂？唯有杜康。
What can unravel these woes of mine?
I know but one drink – Du Kang Wine.


According to the Zhengzhou Evening News, a newspaper based in Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan Province: in addition to the artifacts recovered from the site, archeologists also discovered human bones which are believed to belong to three persons. Among them, one is believed to be a male who was in his sixties, which is consistent with the historical chronicle of Cao's death at 66. This assumption is also confirmed by multiple inscriptions found in the grave with Cao's temple name The Invincible King of Wei (魏武王).

Wang Liqun, a historian who attended yesterday's media conference held in Beijing about the excavation, said that he was hopeful that by examining the recovered skull, the scientists would pinpoint the cause of Cao's headache which supposedly propelled him to kill his doctors and eventually led to his own death.

Painting by Li Ying-Lai

Foreboding

Just a feeling. Somehow I expect stormy days ahead rather than smooth sailing. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Picture from New Mexico, 2006

Plastic Bags are Saving the Environment?

The plastic bag industry, which has been killing marine life with its products for years, is marketing itself as an endangered species in need of environmental protection.

That’s right — the plastic industry’s renamed itself the “Save the Plastic Bag” coalition. And it’s arguing that the California Environmental Quality Act — which requires environmental impact reports for projects and plans that may harm the environment — applies to plastic bag bans! The industry’s saying that cities and counties must be required to conduct time-consuming environmental impact study to see if banning plastic bags could be bad for the environment.

The biggest reason the plastic bag industry is stating that they are helping the environment is that if plastic is banned, everyone will turn to paper bags instead, further harming the environment. Because of course, banning plastic, charging for paper would never force people to change their habits and carry a few bags in their trunk.

Seriously, just go buy some Flip and Tumblebags. Sure, they are nylon instead or organic cotton/bamboo, etc. but they hold 25 pounds each and smash into a ball the size of a small fist. I take a few of these everywhere I go and use them for everything from grocery shopping to carrying my lunch to work. I am in no way hindered by the lack of plastic bags, and don't require paper either. I hate it when big business decides the best way to fix their issue is to sue instead of just accepting that maybe they are the problem instead of the solution.

Best Card Ever

"I just don't find it funny at all. If it had been about a black child or an overweight child the store would have been shut down by now."

If I could get a box of these I might actually be tempted to send Christmas cards to people. These are fantastic. Only way to make it better would be to somehow show that the kid is also a step-child.

Go Gingers!

Readers by Author

Stereotyping People by Their Favorite Author

Some of my favorite authors on the list:

Ayn Rand - Workaholics seeking validation.

Haruki Murakami - People who like good music.

Friedrich Nietzsche - Sommeliers.

Richard Dawkins - People who have their significant other grab them under the table in order to shut them up whenever someone else at a dinner says something absolutely ridiculous and wrong.

How Clean is your Water?

I'm a big advocate of drinking tap water. I bring my own bottles to work filled up, I drink pretty much nothing but plain, boring tap water all day long. And while it is good to know that my city's tap water is in the top 50 cleanest in the country, it still makes me sad it is all the way down at number 50.

Dallas didn't even feature in the top 100, so I suppose moving back to Plano was a good idea. If it weren't such a hike to get to work, moving to Arlington would seem a good plan, considering it has the best water in the country, although after 8 years, I no longer could attest that claim.

Check out your own city at Environmental Working Group's "What's in your water?"

Colors Are Wrong

And according to Starbucks, Wishing make the Holidays.....

..via Exploding Dog

Breakfast of Champions

Oh hells yeah. Oatmeal is awesome.

Alcoholic Monkeys

“Significantly, the percentage of teetotaler monkeys matches the nondrinkers in the human population. In line with human habits, most drink in moderation, 12% are steady drinkers, and 5% drink to the last drop. The similarity between us shows that our liking for alcohol is determined by our genes.”

Plus, drunk monkeys. Really, the video has it all. :)

Meow: The Zombie Kitten Apocalypse

..via Nag on the Lake

Design Flaw

I saw this in a local Starbucks the other day, and the wording really caught me off guard. I understand they are trying to convey that Starbucks uses nothing but the best, but I keep reading it to mean that 3% of their beans are the best in the world and the other 97% of their coffee is from other sub-par beans. Perhaps it should have been worded along the lines "Can you spot the coffee made from the top 3% of the worlds best coffee beans?" A few extra words makes all the difference.

Lazy Saturday Movies

So browsing the upcoming movie trailers on Apple, I was pleasantly surprised to see a trailer for The Other Side of Paradise, starring an old friend, Arianne Martin. Known her about a decade, from our beginning times as stupid, innocent kids working at Circuit City to later working at Starbucks together. Knew she had finished this project up a while ago, incredibly glad it is getting some recognition. Trailer below:


In other random movie events, can anyone see the reason why Death at a Funeral has been remade, exactly the same, but with a different race and more well known actors? Check out the trailers to see the exact same movie. And really, the midget has to be played by the same actor in both versions? Can someone please give Peter Dinklage some other movies so he doesn't have to play the same part every 3 years? Should I expect to see this in 2013 redone with an Asian cast? Maybe some Eskimo's?

Art by Kate MacDowell

We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words--to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. – C.S. Lewis.

This is WHY I am not Trendy

To tell you the truth, I suddenly fall in love with the Ed Hardy Sweaters when they first appear in my eyes especially the sweaters for woman. In my opinion, they are very chic and they will make people look modern and classy."

Because when I think classy, I automatically think 'Why not wear a shitty cheap tank top made in China/USA/Portugal that specializes in printing huge old tattoo styles on them! Go America! By printing the tattoos of old, I don't actually have to worry about any sort of style, color scheme, flattering fit etc. Ready made for all douches who want to be popular!'

Best is that the quote comes from a blog called Design you Trust

Ataque de Pánico!

I especially like the stroller just being dumoed down the stairs. Good parenting during panic.

Jacked from Diablo Maldito

Is It?

Asterick

Richardson, 12/14/09 ~1430

Continue......

Not all measures are the same; perspective changes everything. Today, I am an optimist.

Copenhagen Climate Summit

Ms Jorgensen reckons that between her and her rivals the total number of limos in Copenhagen next week has already broken the 1,200 barrier. The French alone rang up on Thursday and ordered another 42. "We haven't got enough limos in the country to fulfil the demand," she says. "We're having to drive them in hundreds of miles from Germany and Sweden."

And the total number of electric cars or hybrids among that number? "Five," says Ms Jorgensen. "The government has some alternative fuel cars but the rest will be petrol or diesel. We don't have any hybrids in Denmark, unfortunately, due to the extreme taxes on those cars. It makes no sense at all, but it's very Danish."

Ridiculous. Pile everyone in a bus or train them in.

Nerdism

Jabba the Hut - The Early Years by Kit Lane.

This seriously made me laugh way too much.

Correlation vs Causation?

Ready for better times......week is almost over.

Evolution of a Hispter

See? I was never cool enough to be a hipster. Besides, if I ever had a Vespa the fuzzy hat would be out in lieu of full white leathers.

Evolution in Action

Putting out seeds and bread for the birds in winter can do more than fatten them up — it can alter the course of their evolution, according to scientists.

They say that the British fondness for bird tables has caused a group of the European blackcap to break their custom of migrating to Spain and instead spend the winter season in Britain. In fewer than 30 generations, birds visiting Britain have evolved different-shaped wings and beaks.

Interesting that this can be seen over one human lifetime.

Getting Rid of Swine Flu

For the nerd in all of us. Part of Stormtroopers 365 by Stéfan

Rent a Tree

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, each year you bring to me delight.

Of course, the famous carol doesn't mention the 33 million delightful Christmas trees across North America that end up in the wood chipper each year.

An Oakville native living in Burnaby, B.C., hopes to change that.

Jeff Ferguson and his business partner, Sean Macalister, recently launched Evergrow Christmas Trees Co., which rents live trees to customers, drops them off in a pot, then picks them up after Christmas and replants them.

Stolen from Steve

If Atheists Ruled the World

All text taken directly from online Christian fundamentalist forums. http://www.fstdt.net

No matter what beliefs I hold, I don't know if I could say all that with a straight face. Kudos for the acting.

It' Only Been a Matter of Time

Until my dreams came true.....

“Dry” vodka can be wrapped in paper and carried around in a pocket or a bag. Vodka in form of a pill would come handy at parties when “consumers” would be able to calculate their exact required dosage.

Happy Friday

Ferrofluid image by Maurizio_mwg

Ah, Texas

Teo days ago I was outside at a party wearing a tank top. This morning I have snow on my car. Tonight, dry again. Gotta love the seasons.

Something Like This

31 20 31 31 20 31 37 20 32 38 20 33 33 20 34 37

I Seem to have a Problem

Phones I have carries in the last year: Motorola SLVR (1+ years), Apple iPhone 2G (6 months), Blackberry Storm (4 months, prior to dropping), Blackberry 8830 World Edition (used phone, connector broke inside of phone, 1 month), Blackberry Storm (non-broken option, 1 week), Blackberry Tour 9630 (2 days). This is not counting the other 2 phones I carried before the Storm while owning the iPhone as well.

Technology and I are not friends it seems. And, I need to go recycle all of these instead of throwing them in my kitchen drawer.

Crossing my fingers I can keep from breaking the Tour, as this is by far the best phone I have ever used since the iPhone. Much more versatile for work usage, and still able to customize and add applications like crazy. I think I am in love.