Today was better...  much better.  Got a lot done, and took a ride mid-day; Rockstore, did it in 1:46 too, my best for quite a while.

And tonight... we're going to the always-fabulous Christmas Tree Lighting at the Promenade Shopping Center here in Westlake Village.  We'll have carol singing by school kids, speeches by local politicians, a corny skit featuring Santa Claus, and finally the giant 60' tree will be lit, followed by a respectable fireworks display.  We've seen it all before and we'll enjoy it anyway :)

Powerline: How Obama got Elected.  No surprise to me, but a Zogby poll apparently showed that most people who voted for Obama had no idea of his policies or experience, and no idea of McCain's either.  And 57 percent thought the Republicans still control Congress.  I think those people's votes shouldn't have counted, but what do I know... 

Speaking of votes which shouldn't have counted, the recount presently going on in Minnesota for the Senatorial contest between Norm Coleman and Al Franklin is really something; for example, Franklin has challenged the vote shown at right.  Currently Coleman leads by 136 votes.  File this as "yes, your vote does count". 

Seems like so far Obama's choices for his cabinet are pretty good: 

Obama has apparently selected Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.  I must say he could do worse.  And I'm glad she chose to accept.

Another good choice: Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to lead the department of Homeland Security.

And another most crucial choice, NY Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner for Treasury Secretary.  A good sign: when this rumor began today, the market rallied.

Oh, and meanwhile, Victor Davis Hanson asks What Went Wrong?  I don't think this election was about the failure of conservatism, it was about change.  The pendulum will swing back. 

Remember Better Place?  Well according to CNet they're coming to Silicon Valley...  with a $1B electric car network.  How excellent... and a perfect place to gain a foothold, too.  They're swimming against the economic tide right now, of course, but let's hope they make it.  ArsTechnica has more. 

Remember the premise behind Jurassic Park?  In the book / movie scientists cloned dinosaurs from DNA found in ancient mosquitoes trapped in amber.  So apparently that wasn't so farfetched, because apparently scientists believe they can resurrect a woolly mammoth from hair found in frozen fossils.  (And it will only cost $10M!)  Wow, how cool is that? 

Hey guess what?  You know my famous W=UH formula, in which Ugliness correlates to Wrongness?  Well now mathematicians have proven that beauty is truth in mathematical intuition.  So be it.  I knew it was right, it was too beautiful to be wrong :) 

Photo of the day: this bear diving into the arctic sea.  Excellent! 

Goes well with this photo montage in the Boston Globe: Scenes from Antarctica.  Just stunning, amazing and beautiful.