Thought Distillery

Some comment spam is so zany you just can’t help but share it with everyone. After searching for Aunt Mary’s and getting very benevolent results (dog rescue, quilt shop, yarn store, etc), I figured it was safe to share this without advancing the spammer’s cause. Get your shoes and socks on people, it’s right around the corner:

Aunt Mary’s is THE place! Where else can you order some delicious Yummy Fun Bags, have an ice cold PBR or tasty glass of wine, hear an awesome band, find the perfect gag gift or birthday card, relax on the most comfortable sofa anywhere, visit with locals and out-of-towners alike at the new counter/bar, and even get to tell Adam and Josh that they truly suck at Whilrwind? Where else? That’s right, this is the ONLY place on Earth. No, there is no other place. You’re an idiot if you think there’s another place like this anywhere. An idiot! Now go visit Aunt Mary’s!!! (Oh, if you’re not 18 years of age, Rocky won’t let you in)

[Edit: it turns out that Aunty Mary’s actually IS right around corner - see comments below. Everything is real, even Oz! Or am I just dreaming?]

Today I started reading The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby. Toward the end of the first chapter, I was struck by her quote of Bill Moyers, a journalist whom I hold in the highest regard. Jacoby uses Moyers to back her argument that a disturbing trend of anti-rationalism, partially fueled by religious fundamentalism, has taken root in American culture over the last quarter century. Moyers, as always, clearly expresses his somber observations:

One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seats of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington. Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a worldview despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. The offspring of ideology and theology are not always bad but they are always blind. And that is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts.

Today I took the fixie out for little spin and ended up going farther than I had planned. All turned out well: no flat tyres and I managed to push things to the limit going down Bellfountain Road where I spun out at 32mph. Upon returning, I thought of a wonderful idea for a collaborative site using Google Maps API to plot out bicycle routes. Naturally Bikely.com has already done this so back to the drawing board for me. At least they don’t have too many routes near Corvallis so I might just do my civil duty and add a few. Swallowing my distrust for Google, below is my first stab. Whee!