The Double A Lounge

This article from the New York Times outlines why it is that the cheapest foods to come by are the worst ones for us. It further points out how the whole system is rigged so that in order to eat better, you would have to spend a lot more money to do so than someone on a tighter budget. Walk into any supermarket and you can see first hand exactly what he is talking about in the article.

My own journey to replace processed foods with wholesome foods made from scratch definitely puts quite a pinch in my wallet. It leaves me with a difficult dilemma: should I spend less, get more food, but risk my health in the long run or should I spend more, get less food, and increase my chances for better health over time? If money were no object, then the choice would be easy but this is not the case for me and for many others in the same situation. The points made in the article certainly make good food for thought.

Apparently snail mail is not just a land lubber activity as this article shows.  I like the line about the lines always being short.  Perhaps this would be the best way for the postal service to reduce those nasty lines that form during the holiday season.

I think the picture below says it all.  For anyone who has ever caught someone shoplifting, you wish you had this sign in your place of business.  Thanks to the Consumerist.com web site.

This is a neat time lapse video of a boat journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific via the Panama Canal. I’ve never been there myself so it was neat to see how it really worked. An amazing feat of engineering considering it was completed in the year 1914. The aforementioned link has some interesting tidbits such as how much the tolls are to cross it and some good historical data.

For anyone who has ever had an appetite for classic rock music, you know full well the legendary status of a group like Pink Floyd.  If you like Pink Floyd and Polka music, I’ve finally found the group for you!  They are called Polka Floyd and if you click on this link, you can visit their MySpace page and sample some of their tunes.  There are plenty of tribute bands out there in one form or another.  Many of the better ones manage to get a member of the original band to perform with them (ala Phil Collins from Genesis performing with The Musical Box in Geneva in 2005) so I wonder if Roger Waters, David Gilmour, or even Nick Mason would be willing to jam with these guys.

Other suggested song titles for their collection:

Kielbasa (sung to the tune “Money”)

Shine On You Crazy Beer Glass (sung to the tune “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”)

I’ll stop while I’m ahead.

If you need something to listen to while jogging, this page might have what you need. Someone recorded different Marine core cadences they use while jogging during basic training. Best thing to do would be to download them, put them on your I-Pod or other MP3 player and set them to loop over and over. If you like a faster or slower pace, you could always use a sound editor like Audacity and alter the speed and pitch to your liking.

It would a great way to get in shape, stay motivated, and honor our troops at the same time.

We get overloaded with all sorts directions when we are driving.  From the traffic light to stop signs to the new message signs on highways, we have a lot of things to watch for.  If you ever wondered what driving would be like without all these things, then this article would give you a pretty good idea.  It’s not so chaotic as you would think.

Looking for something interesting for your computer?  Here is an item that might spice things up a bit.  It’s a telelgraph key that taps out morse code of RSS feeds from net.  Keep in mind that back in the day, the telegraph was a big deal.  It allowed messages to traverse this great country (and parts at that time not yet part of this country) with a speed that was unheard of.  So in one sense you pay tribute to a great invention from days of yore and have a great conversation piece to boot.