from the spam
southwestern bell corporation
Lemon Cuke
My friend had his lemon cucumbers out for sale at the Hanover (Illinois) market this morning, and I bought this one. And I bought his mixed greens, his kale, and his oregano, as well as zucchini and new potatoes from an Elizabeth (Illinois) man who also sells grass-pastured lamb and beef. (I still have some of his lamb in my freezer compartment, so I bought no meat today.) Also, four little zucchini muffins from a woman selling baked goods, jam, and pickles.
It is a low-key market, and that is what makes it fun, as many buyers and sellers seem to know one another.
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we hope you will expand your horizons with us
Andrew forwarded a post from Colin Marshall on The Tree of Life, and audience reactions to it. What caught my attention was the graphic he linked from a Connecticut theater warning its patrons about the movie they were about to see. I’m pleased the theater did it, but I’m not sure what to say about it beyond that. We live in interesting times. And I don’t think that’s a curse.
Thanks, Andrew.
I see four of you

the future of bendable electronics
mc10 is a startup in Cambridge Massachusetts that specializes in electronics that move with the body.
The company’s first commercially available product debut will come in the form of athletic apparel integrated with “skin like” high-performance electronics. It’s being created for Reebok, and will debut during the first half of 2012, says chief executive David Icke.
Neither mc10 nor Reebok have released details on the products, but rumors speculate shirts that can monitor a runner’s pulse or a hoodie that can charge an iPod.
While that sounds useful, Rogers says that the future of bendable electronics has far wider implications.
‘It was as if possessing it provided a password into an exclusive club, even if that club existed only in your own mind’
I think the only other book I knew at that point that had a type-only cover was the Bible. Was this book making the same claim to authority? And that title: what did it mean?
In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the publication of Catcher in the Rye, Design Observer relinked Michael Bierut’s thoughts on its most recognizable cover.
One hour ago
I was still walking home from my therapy appointment when I received a call from United Airlines. My connecting flight scheduled from Chicago to Cleveland tomorrow morning has been cancelled, but luckily I’ve been rebooked to depart late tomorrow evening so I’ll still make it to my destination. The first half of my brother-in-law’s memorial weekend begins in the town he grew up in, Milan, Ohio, tomorrow morning. So I called my dad. One of his flights to Cleveland today was cancelled. He and my stepmom are hours late, but almost there. They got the same notification. They told me they’d call United and, with Dad’s world-traveling clout, make something happen. I was about two blocks from my apartment when I got the new itinerary. 9pm departure to Newark. I hadn’t even packed yet! My original red-eye to Chicago departs long after 11. I packed. I kissed Nina. I jumped in a taxi. Halfway there I realized I didn’t have any cash on me. The driver assured me he could accept credit. We pulled up to the airport and he charged my card. The tip was $5.70, for an even $43. Instead the receipt showed a tip of $55.70. We settled with a cash difference. I checked in, I walked through security, my flight boards in a half hour.
just a little love for your vertical smile
I know I just lost by posting this, but whatever.
(thanks? Patrick)
photo out of context
Did you know Clusterflock would be illegal if run from the UK?
What do you follow?
Apparently the percentage of people who follow brands on social media is on the rise. What brands do you follow, and why? Do you do it for just a short time (say, while you’re shopping for ketchup, you follow Heinz to see if there are any sweet deals going on), or long term?
By the way, if you’re in the mood to see what the Netherlands office of Heinz ketchup is up to, well, here you go.
headline of the day
Florida jail ends free underwear for inmates to cut costs
motorcycle tooth removal
A youngster has his tooth removed via sisterly love, a long piece of dental floss, and a mini motorcycle.
from the comments
This has always been my approach. I see little point in filling my mind with meaningless facts. It sometimes plays out in odd ways, though. I’ll get the same question repeatedly in a crossword puzzle, and each time I won’t remember it–I have to work around it to learn the answer (again). I don’t see this as inefficient, though. My many years in libraries have shown me that access to information is key, not ownership of it. I’m convinced that this practice on my part is why I seem able to do so much mental work in a concentrated period of time. My mind is free to do what it does best, without having to navigate a bunch of obstacles.
None of this is to say that there isn’t much knowledge that we should hold to. It just has to be relevant to something of importance in your life. Like my ability to quote Beavis & Butthead. That’s important.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gas Station
The town of Cloquet, Minnesota plays host to the world’s only Frank Lloyd Wright gas station.
In the early 1930s, Wright began developing concepts for Broadacre City, a city spread out to the point where it would be ‘everywhere and nowhere,’ kind of like what we would eventually call ‘suburbia.’ The design for the Lindholm gas station came directly from this conceptual project, and it was built in 1956. The station remains open and fully operational today, and it’s currently getting restored to its original condition.
Click through for a link to a video of some of the station’s details.
(via @coudal)
dear clusterflock
Show us your desktop.
tweet of the day
google mind
A study of 46 college students found lower rates of recall on newly-learned facts when students thought those facts were saved on a computer for later recovery.
Update:
A study of 46 college students found lower rates of recall on newly-learned facts when students thought those facts were saved on a computer for later recovery.
headline of the day, III
It’s totally worth reading the actual article, too. (via jim ray)
Spotify launches in US
If you haven’t heard, Spotify just opened up in the US. There’s an invitation wait list, or you can just pay to sign up. I think I’m going to pay.
tweet of the day
dueling codices
Radiohead live from the basement — Codex
[thanks, Amy]
&
The Case of the Codex Calixtinus: A 12th century manuscript, of apparently incalculable value, was stolen from the cathedral vault in the Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela.
Written in the mid-1100s under the auspices of Pope Calixtus II, the Codex is about the apostle St. James, whose remains are believed to have miraculously washed up on the coast of northwestern Spain. The town that houses his tomb, which became known as Santiago de Compostela (Santiago means “St. James” in Spanish), was transformed in the Middle Ages into a major pilgrimage site – the third most important, after Jerusalem and Rome – for Christians from all over Europe. Indeed, book five of the Codex is a sort of a Michelin guide to Santiago, helpfully instructing pilgrims on the best routes to take and the poisonous rivers to avoid. “It is one of the most important texts of the Middle Ages and of incalculable value,” says Jesus Tanco, a St. James expert at the University of Navarra.
Bonus: The Correct Plural of Codex
I’ve seen it wrong too many times. Time for some prescriptive smackdown. People write codexes, codici, codi, and all manner of linguistic blasphemies. The correct plural of codex is codices. That is all.
headline of the day, II
Woman Cuts Off Husband’s Penis with 10-inch Knife
from the comments
Someone needs to teach these people how to masturbate.






