Twenty Acre Lake

Discovering a used book store leads to some fun finds in paperback. This week we careen from the latest ‘greatest American’ poll and its odd inhabitants to Doblin’s ten types of innovation, from the decline and fall of the national nightly TV news to portable walls made of honeycombed paper. Dante and Virgil stroll through the relatively tame First Circle in the Inferno, but is it just the calm before the storm? The podsafe music this week is a funky song from Wattwuzzat.

Let me know what you think. You can email me via the Contact link in the sidebar. You can also post comments here and/or join the forum.

The Discovery Channel’s Ten Greatest Americans
The Ten Types of Innovation
Declining Evening News Viewership

Wattwuzzat at the Podsafe Music Network
Wattwuzzat at MySpace

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I’m back this week with a very full episode. From the Time 100 People Who Shape Our World to the 50 Greatest Robots Ever, from the bad design of plastic wrap to the good design of a hot new lamp, there’s so much to talk about… And that’s not even counting the next installment of Dante’s Inferno in this episode! The podsafe music this week is a great song from Something to Burn.

It may seem silly, but bad design can drive you crazy, even with something as mundane as the plastic wrap in your kitchen. Maybe the wrap itself is good, but the packaging is so bad you might never know.

A well-designed home appliance, like a small personal lamp, looks great whether it’s in use or not. And what a smart idea, so many different effects to match different needs, spaces and conditions.

Let me know what you think. You can email me via the Contact link in the sidebar. You can also post comments here and/or join the forum.

The Time 100
The 50 Greatest Robots Ever

Something to Burn at the Podsafe Music Network
Something to Burn at MySpace

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Now it’s easy to send me an audio comment. Just use the little box over in the right-hand sidebar (scroll down) and record your voice mail. It’s free, but watch out for the 2-minute limit!

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Hey all. Just a quick note to let you know the next episode is slightly behind and will be posted Monday. I went to Boston for work the first week of the month, then to Salt Lake City the second week. I’m a little tired!

I had a very pleasant video chat with Nick’s Mom this afternoon. We talked about housework, the weather (it was a cold Saturday morning there, and it was snowing in Balclutha for the first time in two years!), and Nick’s new iPod Nano he received for winning the Big Contest. Oh, and Nick was in the video chat, too.

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Wow, that was entirely too long of a break. First I had a cold - first cold in forever - and then was busy with work. So I finally got this episode recorded and posted, and I think it’s really worth it.

I went to Las Vegas for the first time and this episode starts with my first impressions of the place. Then I’ve got a couple of stories of my two “brush with greatness” encounters. And listening to WankerGirl a couple of weeks ago prompted me to watch Robocop again and talk a little about why I think it’s a great movie. The podsafe music this week is a great song from Jack in the Pulpit.

Remember the Ferrari vs. Mustang pictures? I heard from Jayne that she prefers the Ferrari. Excellent taste, Jayne. The Mustang is a thoroughbred American muscle car, without a doubt. But the Ferrari has classic Italian grace and curves.

Let me know what you think. You can email me via the Contact link in the sidebar. You can also post comments here and/or join the forum.

Five Terrible Fake LiveJournal Memes
Robert Fripp
Amy Van Dyken

Jack in the Pulpit at the Podsafe Music Network
Jack in the Pulpit at MySpace

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Congrats to Nick of The Nick and Jayne Show for winning The Big Contest. You totally deserve it!

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Still on target for Episode 6 to be out in a couple of days. In the meantime, Nick from The Nick and Jayne Show posted his interview of me. I tried not to sound like a total dork. He interviewed me via audio chat using Apple’s iChat. He’s all the way over in New Zealand, and I’m not sure he was operating at full bandwidth at the time, and I sound somewhat muffled. But it all worked out.

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I caught a cold this week, and there’s no way I’m recording a podcast while I sound so sick! In the meantime, I recommend the following podcasts:

• Dawn and Drew
• The Nick and Jayne Show
• BLARM!
• History According to Bob
• Bob’s Yer Uncle

Also, feel free to send me an email, leave a comment or stop by the message board.

Below are pictures of two cars, a new Ferrari 599GTB and a new Ford Mustang. Which car looks better to you? Why?

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The Lists of the Week were fun this week—all about the richest fictional characters, and the scariest celebrities on HDTV. Next week’s Question of the Week could yield some good stories—who’s the most famous person you’ve met? I finally get started on the subject of design, and there’s a new Design of the Week. The podsafe music this week is a great song from Coppermine.

Here is the Briggs & Riley rolling computer case I describe in this episode. It’s very compact when all zipped up, but it still has plenty of room for a surprising amount of stuff. I can put everything I need into it, and then some, and it still slips easily under an airplane seat.

I thought the picture below would be a fitting image to go along with this episode. Raise your hand if you recognize it. Extra points if you can name what’s at the center.

Let me know what you think. You can email me via the Contact link in the sidebar. You can also post comments here and/or join the forum. I’ve started writing some things in the forum, and I plan on doing a lot more of that.

Forbes Fictional 15
10 Scariest Stars in HDTV
Briggs & Riley rolling computer case

Coppermine at the Podsafe Music Network

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