Something about having taps at your table seem like an alluring, yet ultimately bad, idea, and this is coming from a beer enthusiast.

I know its early for to start making decisions, but I think I just discovered a good candidate for 2008 Word of the Year :

"... the process of deleveraging in and of itself causes more deleveraging. If you are a hedge fund and your bank wants you to pay back a loan, and you don't have ready capital at hand, then you must sell off some of the assets you are invested in. But when a bunch of hedge funds all try to sell off their assets at the same time, the frenzy only puts more downward pressure on the price of those assets, which means that the overall investment position of the hedge funds gets even worse, encouraging more creditors to come knocking at the door, and requiring the fire-sale of even more assets."

Sounds like a fancy way of saying meltdown to me.

Gary Gygax, creator of "the quintessential geek pastime" fails the final saving throw. Thanks for the fantasies...

"Warning: This book may cause flatulence". From William Kotzwinkle, the author who brought us E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (and the lesser knownThe Bear Went over the Mountain, a very fun satire of literary stardom) comes a brilliantly illustrated and hilariously subversive childrens' book series dedicated to "anyone who's ever been misunderstood".

I absolutely love these books, but then I don't have children whom I'm trying to teach good manners. I do, however, have nephews to lead astray in proper avuncular fashion.

Paving over farmland is not the good kind of carbon sequestration. Echoes of Wang Lung (no, not Wang Chung) in the contemporary real estate - debt living - development debacle. Anyone want to move to rural Iowa?

No one quite knew what to expect as the lights came up on a pair of astrophysicists dressed as binary galaxies. To the tune of an old tango, Ruth Gruetzbauch stalked and twirled around Jesús Varela before surrendering to his supermassive gravity. The rowdy audience of scientists exploded with applause. The world's first Dance Your Ph.D. Contest, with Christoph Campregher at the controls of the sound system, was off to a good start.

* * * * *

A View of Students Today, from the Digital Ethnography Project.

Creative Commons music online. Apparently as vast as it is diverse.

I don't know why, but I just love when Brits parody Americans, especially when its done in G Major.

It was a treat to get to see JimmyR, Jen, Ned and Shari after Christmas, even if J&J's cats beat up on my dog Rufus (70 lbs.) , and then Jim proceeded to kick him repeatedly through the course of the night. Fortunately Rufus has an extremely hard head and a healthy respect for his feline friends.

Happy and healthy new year to all,

Hobbits HOORAY!

Post-modern military BOO!