Ron's Log

Super Rickroll

For April 1 YouTube is linking EVERY video to Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Really. Just follow the link and pick any video at random! I hope he's getting residuals on this.

Apparently they've been implementing this on a country by country basis as April 1 arrived. It started in the U.S. at midnight east coast time.

Dr. Bronner's

Someone has been good enough to unpeel and scan the Dr. Bronner's label for your reading pleasure. Thank goodness, because I so rarely wear my reading glasses in the tub.

Monkey Butt?

Via Frank Martin I've come across this product called Anti Monkey Butt Powder. Turns out that motorcyclists call the butt rash you can get from sitting on your bike for too many hours "monkey butt" cause you have to walk like a monkey. They say this product will help bicyclists too, but their website gives no hint as to the contents of the product. I'm sure they don't want to give away all of their competitive advantage, but howzabout a vague idea. Talcum? Arsenic? Cornstarch? Orange blossoms? Ganges mud?

Wildflower Walk in Mission Creek Preserve

Today, Bill led a Great Outdoors wildflower walk in the Mission Creek Preserve which is just west of Desert Hot Springs. Mission Creek is one of the preserves that are owned by The Wildlands Conservancy. Go here to see the complete set of photos. It was pretty windy, so it took some patience to get clear close-ups of the flowers. Here are a few samples.

Here I sit on what has been reported to be the epicenter of the 5.6 earthquake that happened in 1986. Pat and I inspected the area hoping, as always, to find a gaping pit revealing a lake of frothing hot magma, but we were disappointed again. Here's a Google satellite image showing the location if you'd like to look for evidence of the fault.

Frazier's Story

The Press-Enterprise has a story on Frazier Haney, manager of the new Whitewater Preserve in Whitewater Canyon.

Haney lives in half of a cabin-like duplex. Jack Thompson, a ranger, lives in the other half. Staff Charlotte Burns and Nick Burkett reside on the grounds. Ranger Robert Culver lives in a nearby ranch house.

He enjoys living on the grounds with his fellow workers and, while it only takes about 20 minutes to drive to Banning or Palm Springs, relishes the feeling of isolation in the canyon.

He chose not to install a satellite dish for television and instead watches recorded movies. He taps into the Internet through a satellite system. He is joyful that his home in the outdoors also lacks cell-phone reception. "I hope that doesn't change," he said.

Your Guess

Photo by yusheng.

Karl Baker Heading To Sacramento

Don't worry, it's probably just for a day. He'll be heading up there to offer testimony before the Senate Committee on Local Government regarding Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny's Senate Bill 1326 which would require greater openness in accounting at vector control districts and would place restrictions on their ability to levy special benefit assessment taxes.

You can follow the status of SB 1326 here.

The Inexorable Advance Of Science

This YouTube video addresses the very latest discoveries in genetic research.

Where Are Those Sweet People Who Love America AND Hillary Clinton

Just asking, cause they seem to be, uh, spread thinly.

What struck me as the best commentary on the Bosnia story came from a poster called GI Joe who wrote in to a news blog: "Actually Mrs. Clinton was too modest. I was there and saw it all. When Mrs. Clinton got off the plane the tarmac came under mortar and machine gun fire. I was blown off my tank and exposed to enemy fire. Mrs. Clinton without regard to her own safety dragged me to safety, jumped on the tank and opened fire, killing 50 of the enemy." Soon a suicide bomber appeared, but Mrs. Clinton stopped the guards from opening fire. "She talked to the man in his own language and got him [to] surrender. She found that he had suffered terribly as a result of policies of George Bush. She defused the bomb vest herself." Then she turned to his wounds. "She stopped my bleeding and saved my life. Chelsea donated the blood."

Figure Out Why An Application Is Not A Mac Application

Oh, I'm sorry - it's actually entitled Figure out why an application hangs [in Windows]. I apologize for my stupidly embarrassing lack of reading skillz.