We just got a gigantic phonebook thrown onto our porch. I couldn't agree with this more. What a waste!

(via canucklehead)

Here are Libby and I gathering water for the plants on our front porch:

We'll probably buy another one for the other side of the house. I doubt they will pay for themselves anytime soon, but it feels so nice to have a giant barrel of "free" water.

(via pete)

The Chevrolet Volt, on other hand, runs on electricity that comes from two sources -- a battery as well as a gasoline engine. How much is generated by burning gasoline depends on how far the car is driven.
...
So let's say the car is driven 50 miles in a day. For the first 40 miles, no gas is used and during the last 10 miles, 0.2 gallons are used. That's the equivalent of 250 miles per gallon. But, if the driver continues on to 80 miles, total fuel economy would drop to about 100 mpg. And if the driver goes 300 miles, the fuel economy would be a just 62.5 mpg.

Even the "worst" MPG rating is impressive.

Let me be explicit: the support I have for legalization comes from a desire to save taxpayer money, both by imposing taxes on the market for this plant and by reducing the burden on our criminal justice system. I have no desire to consume marijuana, legal or otherwise.

The continued drug "war" against this particular plant has, at great cost, done nothing to reduce it's use. The environmental site EcoSalon has just published a well reasoned article addressing several common arguments used to justify making the Cannabis plant illegal to grow. A few highlights:

Myth: Won’t people just be able to go to hemp fields and gather plants for getting high?
The fact is, hemp is so low in THC that you’d have to smoke a ridiculously, nauseatingly large amount of it to get high. No one would even bother. Trust me.

Myth: Farming hemp for fiber could turn into a coverup for growing potent marijuana.
Anyone trying to hide their potent strains of marijuana amidst the fields of hemp would be wasting their time: the plants cross-pollinate and always result in weaker strains. Any experienced marijuana grower would keep their plants far, far away from a hemp field.

Myth: Legalizing marijuana would create a druggie free-for-all.
Not so. The Netherlands legalized marijuana for recreational purposes in the 1970s and statistically they have less marijuana use and abuse than the United States. Marijuana is sold in coffee shops and the “thrill” of doing something illegal has been taken out of it. Also, cannabis smokers never have to do business with a “drug dealer,” which means they’re not exposed to other, potentially harder drugs.

Myth: Marijuana prohibition keeps it out of the hands of our youth.
Wrong again. Despite the War On Drugs, marijuana has remained easily available to high schoolers for decades, usually because it is sold to them by their own fellow students. If marijuana were legalized, it would be regulated in much the same way as alcohol, sold only in certain types of shops and require an age limit to purchase. This would certainly make it more difficult for young people to acquire.

This was the first time I have every been able to feel an earthquake and it was very cool (because no one was hurt). The bed vibrated rhythmically with enough force to wake me up (though oddly not enough to disturb Libby). It was as if the house was on top of a clothes dryer. I could hear a constant grumbling sound, like a mellow clap of thunder lasting for about 20 seconds. Then it was over and everything was silent again.

UPDATE: Early this afternoon I (and my co-workers) felt another aftershock. It was milder and shorter than the initial tremor, but still surprisingly strong for how far away the epicenter was.

• Libby's bath lasted until 8:10, so my earth hour was shifted slightly.
• After about 5 minutes I could see very well (much better than I thought I would be able to).
• Sitting alone on a couch in a dark house drinking a beer is the following (in order): weird, relaxing, extremely boring.
• I was able to do the dishes and put away Libby's toys, thanks to my neighbor's outdoor lights. There was not much else I could do without using electricity (did I mention that I really miss Shannon?).

Here is a picture of me on the couch with my beer and baby monitor:

All in all I think this was an "ok" experience. I'll do it again next year - hopefully start a trend. I was thinking that it would be really cool to be in a restaurant or pub for that hour - with candles lit and a bottle of red (maybe a bottle of white), and some live acoustic music playing? Sounds nice.

UPDATE: Looks like Google got in on the action too (see screenshot here).