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JohnGabree.com Impractical Proposals

2006-04-28

Good Eatin': A Thorough, Not-to-Say Obsessive, Intro to Knife Sharpening

There's so much, so very, very much you don't know, Grasshopper:
"Knife sharpening is not difficult. It is not shrouded in mystery. With a little knowledge, a little geometry, a couple of tricks and some inexpensive tools, knife sharpening can be fairly easy and extremely rewarding. At the very least it’s a great skill for the toolbox. You’ll come away from this clinic with a better understanding of edges, steel and how to maintain your knives yourself. Or, if you decide to send them out, you’ll know how to make sure you’re getting what you want – and what you pay for." -- from the website of the eGullet Culinary Institute.
<http://forums.egullet.org/>

Webcams: Baby Bald Eagles

A "unique partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's training facility in Shepherdstown, WVA and the technology center of the Wheeling Jesuit University is bringing real-time online views of the growth and development of three energetic American bald eagle chicks. The camera is strategically placed directly above their nest on the grounds of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center....Video is available for viewing Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. EDT through mid-June." <http://www.fws.gov/nctc/cam/videoinstr.html>

2006-04-27

Audio: Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project

"With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the UCSB Libraries have created a digital collection of over 6,000 cylinder recordings held by the Department of Special Collections. In an effort to bring these recordings to a wider audience, they can be freely downloaded or streamed online...Listen to thousands of musical and spoken selections from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and discover a little-known era of recorded sound." -- from the website. <http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/>

2006-04-25

A Day in the Life: September 21, 1939 on the Radio

Created by UVA's American Studies dept., "A Day in Radio" features the entire day of programming for September 21, 1939, including "Sunday with Arthur Godfrey;" a program featuring the comedian Joe E. Brown; several radio dramas, such as "The Romance of Helen Trent" (which ran for 27 years) and "Life Can Be Beautiful;" the blackface (blackvoice?) comedy "Amos n' Andy;" and Major Bowes' talent show out of New York, the precursor of "American Idol" (though Bowes "discovered" only a few who went on to great fame, one who got his start on the show was Frank Sinatra). <xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/Radio/day/radio.html>

Exertions: American Cheerleader

Here is the source for illustrated instructions in such cheerleading exertions as extensions, partner stunts, dismounts, and transitions. Created by American Cheerleader, a journal of teleological tumbling, the site includes images of step-by-step sequences demonstrated by actual cheerleading squads. <http://www.americancheerleader.com/>

Etiquette: Elevator Rules

"Welcome to ElevatorRules.com....learn more about elevator etiquette so that you become a better person and help those around you to have a better day....To all of you we say hello, and good for you. You are making the world a better place - one elevator ride at a time." -- from the website. <http://www.elevatorrules.com/>

Sow's Ears: Styrofoam

"From Christmas ornaments to wedding topiaries, we've helped shape your crafting memories for more than 50 years...helping you make tomorrow's memories." -- from the website. <http://craft.dow.com/>

2006-04-24

Travel: Ghost Towns of the West

Ghost Towns Gallery is collection of more than 1300 Mogollon, NM images from 174 ghost towns and historic places from Colorado to California, including western towns, sometimes completely abandoned, sometimes still lively; abandoned gold mines; old ore mills; spooky cemeteries; and other artifacts from olden times; plus maps to get you there and virtual post cards if you can't make it. <http://www.ghosttowngallery.com/>

Photography: Liquid Sculpture

"We hope you enjoy the fun, whimsy and wonder of these selected works....Please take a moment and see where your imagination takes you....What you see on this site are high-resolution photographs of liquids in motion, captured with high-speed flash photography....They are droplets witnessed in mid-splash." -- from the website. <http://www2.liquidsculpture.com/fine_art/index.htm>

Memories: "Tinker to Evers to Chance!"

"Chicago Cubs infielders
Joe Tinker,
Johnny Evers,
and Frank Chance
formed the most memorable
double-play combination
in the history of baseball."
-- from the website.
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bbhtml/bb1.html>

Pencil Sharpening: Great Ads on Video Collection

Visit4Info -- "the place for ads" -- is a video repository of funny ads, commercials, movie previews, etc., organized in such categories as Funny, Sexy, Cool, Weird, Classic and Viral. If you missed the Superbowl, here's your chance to catch up. <http://www.visit4info.com/>

2006-04-21

Pencil Sharpening: Troll Man

Somebody sent me the Troll Man video, which got me thinking about Trolls are seldom seen in daylighttroll parodies and trolls in general. I remember they were the only thing, besides those infernal brooms in Fantasia, more the fault of composer Paul Dukas, I think, than satanist Walt Disney's coven of animators, that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.

The Lost Decade: Disco Ball dot com

The Disco Ball and the 70s live on: peruse the "Top 700 Disco Songs;" see photos of old records, artists, DJs, outfits...; chat with persons not unlike yourself.<http://www.discomusic.com/>

Visualization: Where the money goes
Military Spending: 399 billion
Non-Military Spending: 383 billion

"The discretionary budget is that amount of money that Congress has direct control over; essentially, the money taken out of your paycheck under Federal Income Tax....This graph is a representation of your tax dollars and how your elected officials choose to spend it." -- from the website. <http://www.deviantart.com/view/9410862/>

Pencil Sharpening: EyeTricks.com

Is it a duck or a rabbit?Your source
for optical illusions,
brain teasers,
games,
3D images
and other mind teasing oddities:
<Eyetricks.com>

Music: Classics Today - news and reviews

"ClassicsToday.com is the world's first and only classical music DAILY. Taking advantage of the latest electronic publishing technology, ClassicsToday.com is proud to offer...comprehensive review coverage of new recordings that's both accurate and completely up-to-date." -- from the website. <http://classicstoday.com/>

Engineering: How to Build a Geodesic Dome out of Cardboard

"This site was designed in response to people asking us how we made our domes and who were interested in making their own. The design was borrowed from a 1973 edition of Popular Science and was improved upon to meet the rigors of the Black Rock Desert. These domes have served as an effective shelter against wind, extreme heat and, once painted, rainfall." -- from the website. <http://www.monkeyc.org/dome/index.html>

Science: Charles Darwin

"Discover the man and the revolutionary theory that changed the course of science and The Devil's right handsociety....For 21 years he kept his theory a secret....Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection underlies all modern biology. It enables us to decipher our genes and fight viruses, and to understand Earth's fossil record and rich biodiversity. Simple yet at times controversial, misunderstood and misused for social goals, the theory remains unchallenged as the central concept of biology. Charles Darwin, reluctant revolutionary, profoundly altered our view of the natural world and our place in it." -- from the website. <http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/?src=e_f>

American Civilization (with more than a little help from the Brits): The Bad Fads Museum

"While the name of this site is BAD FADS, please note that this is neither an indictment nor an endorsement of any of the fads mentioned. As you know, during the '70s the word 'bad' could alternately mean 'good!' Thus, this site was created to take a fun and nostalgic look at fashions, collectibles, activities and events which are cherished by some and ridiculed by others. "Come back soon and remember that these are the fads you wished would stay forever (or never come back)." -- from the website. <http://www.badfads.com/>