October 1, 2004

• 1) Bush sure looked like a fool for the parts of the debate I saw. Of course, that doesn't really say much. But the point here is that by doing some research on national politics, I once again found the national atlas, cited to show congressional districts. (This same set of data gets used for everything from congressional districts to an animation showing the outbreak of avian cholera to...)

  2) Here's a neet-o map which combines geological and topographic data, from the USGS. You can almost feel the erosion taking place. There's also a pseudo-panoramic version which you can scroll around and zoom in on, state-by-state info, and all kinds of nifty stuff. If you're a nerdy geek like me (a shard off the old knap).

  3) Speaking of shards and knapping, I've been curious about paleotechnology of late. How valuable a skill would arrowhead manufacture be? A web search later, I've learned that there's a place in Oregon called Glass Butte, where the obsidian doth flow, and which I'm interested in seeing. From there I learn that Oregon has a state rock, and the state rock of Oregon is the thunderegg. The name comes from local native legend, as if you couldn't guess.

  But I love the idea of an egg that's going to hatch and give birth to thunder. Oregon thunderstorm omelette, anyone?

  • 12:46 am
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