bookofjoe

Luis Meléndez: Spanish Master of the Still Life

How to improve your life if you plan to be in the Washington, D.C. area anytime between now and August 23, 2009: visit the National Gallery of Art and spend some time with his 30 still life paintings (selections above and below).

Much better use of your time than anything else you could possibly do.

Unequivocally.

If I'm wrong, just let me know and I'll refund every penny you paid for admission.

It's free, you say?

Go away.

Nacho Hat

Cota Froise

shows

and tells you

how to make

your very own

right here.

[via no puedo creer and flapa] 

Dark Night of the Soul — by David Lynch

A collaboration with Danger Mouse.

Easter eggs?

That's for you to know, and me to find out.

Wait a minute....

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: you want to hear the music from their new album, right?

No problema: right here.

Free, the way we like it.

Metal Detector Sandals

Great mashup — why didn't I think of combining a metal detector with sandals to make treasure hunting on the beach more efficient?

Not to mention stylish, what?

From the website:

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Metal Detector Sandals

These sandals can detect metal while you walk, allowing you to find buried artifacts while strolling the beach.

A copper coil built into the right sandal is powered via a battery pack that straps to your calf [top].

Using beat frequency oscillation technology, the ring creates a magnetic field: when a metal object is underfoot — up to 2 feet deep — it distorts the field and the battery pack alerts you to the presence of metal using a flashing red light and either a gentle vibration or a clearly audible buzz.

Requires one 9-volt battery (not included) which provides up to six hours of use.

Sandals have non-skid soles and polyurethane foam footbeds.

Black.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

$59.95.

Blast from the past: 'Expert's Expert: How to get one last call out of your dying smartphone/cellphone battery'

The original post appeared March 21, 2005; seems more timely than ever now; it follows.

•••••••••••••••••••

Expert's Expert: How to get one last call out of your dying cellphone battery

I always like these little "tricks of the trade"; this one's from Sam Schechner's feature in the Wall Street Journal titled, oddly enough, "Tricks of the Trade."

He chatted with Motorola Corporate Vice President Rob Shaddock about insider battery knowledge and came away with some useful information.

Here it is:

• When your battery is dying, go to a high place like a hilltop or a building's upper terrace – phones use much less energy when they have a strong signal.

• When your battery is low, turn off extra features like Bluetooth.

• Try not to touch the keys unnecessarily – this activates the screen's power-hungry backlight (of course, if you've already turned off the backlight feature, you're ahead of the game).

• Never turn off the phone to rest the battery – powering it back up uses up more energy than letting it sit in standby in a strong signal area (shades of not turning off the lights when you leave a room... some things never change, huh?)

• Make a quick voice phone call rather than sending a long text message – typing drains a battery quickly.

• Warm the battery to get out the last bit of juice – put it under a desk lamp for a few minutes if it dies. Turn it back on, and you may be able to get one last quick call before it's finally dead. 

Official earbuds of E.T.

Phone 

home.

$9.99.

[via My Digital Life]

The wisdom of Deckard, repurposed: 'It's either interesting or a distraction.'

"If it's interesting, nuf sed; if it's a distraction, go away."

That's my take on things these days.

Deckard's observation about replicants: "They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem."

Before you go off and say Deckard and replicants are make-believe, not real, consider this: last time you or I saw either they were a whole lot more real than the dessicated wetware scattered around the planet.

"Have you ever retired a human by mistake?"

Light-up Lionfish

Fun in the tub.

Or the pool.

"Fierce-looking battery-powered fish swims about with eyes and fins lit up."

Measures 11¼"L x 3½"W x 7½"H.

For ages 5 and up.

Everybody in.

$24.95.