Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

This is so true - some people are like Teflon...

Another reason why I have an indoor cat...

Hawk eats pidgen on my front lawn
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

This hawk was eating a pigeon on my front lawn on Friday evening. He wasn't too worried about the two mad photographers trying to get as close as possible, until one got just a little too close:



(p.s. I know it needs mowing again).

I've been Boing Boing'd!

My panorama's of the Reed College flags have been mentioned on Boing Boing - one of the most visited blogs in the 'verse. Fame at last! Pity I'm at home sick so I can't really enjoy my 15 minutes of fame. :-(

Update 1: As mentioned on Boing Boing: The numbers are derived from the highly controversial Lancet study that used unverified sampling methodology. Iraq Body Count, which documents verifiable deaths, currently places the number of civilians killed at over an order of magnitude less—at maximum, 64,444. This is why I mentioned that I wasn't sure if the numbers were correct. See here. Also, I feel I should point out that the red flags were not distributed evenly amongst the white; there was a large square of them.

Update 2: There is some debate at BB as to if these numbers are good or not, it seems that the controversy could be more political than scientific . Their methodology may not have been so suspect...see This American Life.

The voices are not real but they do have some good ideas

The voices are not real but they do have some good ideas
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

Finally. a sign I can really relate to!

Photogenic war protest and memorial

360 Panorama: Reed College War Memorial and Protest Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

I stumbled across this protest/memorial at Reed College today, as I was looking for something to photograph with my new Canon XTI Digital SLR. This is a 360 degree panorama of the front of the college after someone had placed 123,000 little flags on the lawn. (You can also see it displayed in a viewer, or much bigger). Each red flag represents a US solder who has died in the war; each white represents 6 Iraqis who has died. (I can't vouch for the accuracy of the numbers). The sight was impressive and quite moving.

Things they don't tell you when you go skiiing for the first time

(View of Mount Hood from Bruno Ski Lift)

1. It's a different world up there, like the rules of physics were replaced with more slippery ones.
2. Try not to lose your ski pass while being distracted by equipement. (I found it again!).
3. The boots come in half sizes. (My big toes hurt all day - I wasn't sure if that was normal, really I needed a half size bigger).
4. The bunny slope is the most crowded part of the resort.
5. Some ski instructors are experienced, patient and helpful. continuing to give you tips and help after the lesson is over. (Unlike some snowboard instructors I could mention).
6. How do you decide to leave the bunny slope and go on a real one?
7. The "Pucci" run in Timberline isn't totally an easy "green" slope. Part of it is blue. There is no green slope all the way to the bottom. It seems very, very steep compared to Bruno.
8. Light snow is great fun to fall into.
9. The "Pucci" run is fantastic fun in light of (8) and (4) especially if you have a little confidence and don't care about throwing yourself down if you feel out of control, and you have some more experienced friends to encourage you (I only threw myself down 3 or 4 times!).
10. The "Pucci" run is scary and not fun if you aren't quite ready and you don't want your friends to watch. (One of our party not have a good time on that slope, we waited at the end).
11. Bruno seems tame after Pucci, but there is nothing in between, and so even the people who didn't like Pucci realized that Bruno is dull but Pucci is still to advanced.
12. They forgot to tell us about sunburn. I look like a raccoon now, and my face hurts more than my legs, back and toes ache!
13. Another go on the mountain with some more lessons is a MUST, especially a lesson on a real slope.

(Update: looking at the map today, it seems there are easier runs (e.g. Glade). Next time we'll check the map!)

By the time you make ends meet they move the ends

By the time you make ends meet they move the ends
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

Latest sign no the Beaverton-Hillsdale highway.

The sign is in Portland, Oregon. (On the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway,
between Portland and Beaverton). I have no affiliation - I just drive
or ride the bus past the sign most days.

Here is a new feature of Flickr - a map with photos on it. Nice!

Skiers expecting to ski down Pill Hill

Skiers expecting to ski down Pill Hill Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

This group of skiers, all dressed up for the new tram which goes to the, er, hospital. They had loud music and danced; they spoke with German accents and were very excited about "ze ski jumps" and snow which would be greeting them at the top. This was taken from the tram on the way down, so I knew what would really be greeting them. Taken on the Grand Opening Day of the Portland Aerial Tram, see the full set of pictures on Flickr. Here's another one:

Surprise Chelsea Buns came in the mail!

We got a very, very nice surprise on Friday, a little bit of England arrive in the mail. A slightly heavy small box sent via airmail...

Which turned out of be four Fitzbillies Chelsea buns from our good friends The Wartnabies! How very nice indeed.

We heated up two of 'em and ate 'em after dinner, while watching an Inspector Morse from Netflix. Very, very tasty indeed, it brought back so many memories of the 5 years we lived in Cambridge.

Adam, my room mate (now moved back to NZ) worked in Fitzbillies for a while and we'd often take visitors there. It is opposite the Fitzwilliam Museum, which we visited in January. We didn't make it to Fitzbillies so this was a special treat.

Thanks Very Much Clare, Charie, Georgie and Ros, what a lovely surprise!

Yeah! A snow day in Portland

Up the Garden Path
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

Here is my garden in the snow, this almost looks black and white. I worked from home but did manage to go out and have some fun in the snow. I always feel guilty on snow days, especially as this is the time of year when I have the most work.

Snow is getting rarer and rarer it seems, so for once I'm happy to make the most of it.

Updates done - label cloud added

Mauna Kea Clouds, Hawai'i
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

All done now! Tweaking the styles has it almost like it was before, but now I can more easily add sections, and I've added a label cloud which shows all the labels and allows me to characterize each posting.

My favorite cloud is is Autocare Sign.

Normal service will now be resumed.

This blog will look a bit wobbly while I update it!

I'm working on modernizing the technology used for this blog, but without changing the actual layout just yet. For a few hours this blog will look funny as I sort it all out and re-work my layout using the fancy new interface.

Moved!

http://blog.teleportaloo.org

UPDATED!

I moved the blog to my own domain, as the domain wasn't getting used much, and I might as well use it. I also didn't like the name of the old blog very much, the domain name is funnier.

Update 1: Originally I tried hosting the blog myself, but it is already too big! I'm editing this post as I try different things. Right now I've set up a new domain so that the http://blog.teleportaloo.org will work. Currently I'm waiting for the DNS changes to propagate; once they are done I'll make the switch. The link won't work until I do!

Update 2: After a couple of hours the subdomain started to work, so I did do it right. I'm going to delete all the files from my ISP as blogger is actually hosting them still. Links to the old page will still work too, so this is pretty groovy. Google rocks!

Update 3: And I changed the name of the blog. Why not? It has been 3 years now, and I feel like a change.

Taken in Canterbury, England:

It's a sign!

Comet McNaught cropped Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

This is Comet McNaught over Gabriel Park, Portland, Oregon. We got to the hill about 10 minutes before sunset, and then about 25 other people turned up with binoculars. The tail was very visible. Just before we left (about 5:30) a man turned up with a telescope and son in tow but he was too late, the time in the Oregonian had been wrong! Here is a bigger version:

Here is one with an airplane (to the right and above the aircraft):

I've seen the truth & it makes no sense, winter tire and service

I've seen the truth & it makes no sense, winter tire and service
Originally uploaded by Major Clanger.

Maybe I'll need those winter tires - snow is on the way, it was hailing tonight.