Archive: October 30, 2004

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Happy Halloween!

Saturday,  10/30/04  11:36 AM

Just wanted to wish everyone and their families a Happy Halloween.

It may be spooky and scary and a bit hard to explain to foreigners, but I think Halloween is a great holiday.  Never mind how it came to be, it is a good thing.  First and foremost, you get to spend time with your kids doing something fun.  That’s always important.  Second, you get to spend time with your neighbors.  I don’t know about you, but I really like my neighbors, however I hardly ever interact with them.  Unless it is a wave “hello” in the morning or a carpool or an explicit party, I really don’t spend any time with them.  And that’s just my immediate neighbors, let alone the people down the street that I see every day but have never even spoken with.  So at Halloween I get to go to their house, say hello, see their kids (maybe, if I can recognize them :) and get more of a feel for who they are.  I like that.  Third, you get to go outside at night.  I’m sure there are people who walk their dog or jog or bike ride early in the morning or something who get out when it’s dark, but I do not.  I try to spend as much time as I can outside, within the parameter of having a job that requires staring at a computer screen, but hardly ever do so at night.  It’s fun – the stars, the lack of noise, the feeling of peace and quiet.  Well what am I talking about on Halloween my street is filled with screaming kids so what lack of noise and peace and quiet.  Anyway I like being outside at night.  Finally, there’s a sort of license to eat candy.  Any other time of the year you might feel guilty or stupid for eating candy, but not October 31.  Well what am I talking about there’s Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter and New Year’s and birthdays and ...  Anyway Halloween is a good thing.

So.  Have a great Halloween!

 


"pumpkin casemod"

 

 

Saturday,  10/30/04  11:47 PM

Slate: Al-Qaqaa reconsidered.  "Always remember to read more than one newspaper a day."  In fact, checking blogs is a good thing to do, too :) 

Are you still trying to decide who to vote for?  No, I didn't think you were.  But if you were, Gerard Van der Leun has Fifty Reasons Why (in pictures).  My favorite is on the right. 

Wired reports Titan Photos Pose New Questions.  "Scientists had hoped the spacecraft's 745-mile-high flight over Titan's surface would finally reveal the lakes, craters and other features thought to be on the giant moon.  But so far, the images and data returned from Cassini have only shown splattered light and dark patches that just barely resemble features seen on other rocky bodies in the solar system.

And this is interesting: Giant Squid 'Taking Over World'.  "According to scientists, squid have overtaken humans in terms of total bio-mass.  That means they take up more space on the planet than us.  The reason has been put down to overfishing of other species and climate change.

If you still can't decide what to wear on Halloween, maybe you can be an iPod.  [ via Gizmodo, with the caption: "No, really.  Just hit 'menu'." ] 

Hey, this is the last Sunday in October!  Time to Fall Back!

 

 
 

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