tumbledry

Backpack that Charges Your Cell Phone

Backpack that Charges Your Cell Phone - This takes the up-and-down movement of the load in your backpack and translates it into up to 7 watts of electrical energy. This makes so much sense for college students and city dwellers.

Stonehenge Watch

Stonehenge Watch - A watch that is a sundial. Who wouldn’t want one?

Hair Washing

What a bizarre thought that passed through my head but … does everyone wash their hair second in the shower? What I mean is, I always wash myself first, and then wash my hair. It has always made sense to do things that way, but it’s one of those things in life that just makes you wonder, do I have any compelling reason (heck, any reason at all) to do it this way? Do other people think it sacrilege to wash hair first? Honestly, though, I hope there aren’t too many things in my life that I do simply because I have always done them that way, it would be an “unexamined life,” to quote Socrates. I do things like drive on the right side of the road not on the left, sleep at night not during the day, and wear socks with shoes all for very good reasons … I guess I will try to make sure I have reasons for most everything.

Also, posts like this give the blogs a bad name. E.g. (this kid actually wrote about washing hair!)

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Movie: Jacket

Very artsy movie. Not horror-film esque really … there were horrible parts, but no jumpy scenes, and none of this ‘opening a door and getting attacked by something’ that I hate so much. Quick diversion from this movie: I can’t stand when I know the horror formula, but it still scares me. Sure, there’s going to be something in the next room, sure the slow walking and rising soundtrack strings indicate something bad approaching, but it still scares the heck out of me - I hate that. Anyway: this movie was not like that.

As some of the reviews noted, the movie is a fusion of a love story, sci-fi time travel, and thriller. The movie put itself together rather slowly, and the link to the war, to me, is still very tenuous. So, the core of the movie is a good intriguing plot, but some of the extra dongles hung around that plot distract from the focus. The movie is very reminiscient of The Butterfly Effect, and maintains the same death-grip on your thoughts. Once you fall into the pattern of the movie, the main characters’ ability to move about in time and bring bits of information from the future into his current time (with profound effect on those around him), you have to know how it ends. I think more could have been done to explain what was going on, why the doctors wanted to do what they did (more details would have made it more ‘believable’), but I can understand why that information might be considered extraneous to the plot development.

I especially liked the ending: for all the crazy and horrible things that happened throughout the movie, seeing what happened at the end made the movie worth watching.

Closed Gates

Closed Gates

Setting sun through the gates on our field.

Rolling Stones in St. Paul

Rolling Stones in St. Paul - These guys are still rockin’ after all this time? Amazing. I did not have the financial means to attend this concert, but I am quite impressed with the review:

“The Stones played with the energy and drive of a band about to say farewell — even though the band members have never confirmed this is their last tour. Indeed, the band’s new album ‘A Bigger Bang’ is the best Stones disc in decades, and they’ve hinted that it’s just the start of a creative revival in the studio.”

Cell Phone

Yesterday, I has the privilege of witnessing the fastest cell-phone-turn-off in the history of panicked faux-paus committing individuals. Indeed, only 3 or 4 notes (notes!) of the beginning of an annoying ring sung out until the individual responsible (a business major in the third row) instinctively flinched, silencing the sound. It was almost so short that the pause in the class was everyone checking their sub-conscious, wondering if it was just a random synapse firing that had caused them to think of what they did.

The situation was similar to the beginning of Fight Club, where the screen flashes for a quick moment (literally one frame), foreshadowing the protagonist’s insanity. Thankfully, in this case, I think we are all quite sane; and I do have a lot of respect for whoever managed to turn off their cell that quickly. If it happens again, though, and nobody else notices, I am going to be a little worried re: my own sanity.

Benjamin Franklin Quote

Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.

— Benjamin Franklin

5th Floor, Evening

5th Floor, Evening

A gorgeous sunset, I am a sucker for these, let me tell you. That is the Minneapolis skyline at the bottom (not enough of it to merit a tag on this photo, though).

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Fan

Fan

One of the last pictures I took before I left for college. Strange how I took home for granted, and miss it so right now.

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