Television host, 1963

The program is "Music Hop" on the CBC.  The host is a young Alex Trebek.  Via.

Nature preserve for children and disabled persons

My hiking today took me to a small gem of a nature spot: the Jenni and Kyle Preserve.

The vision for the Jenni and Kyle Preserve began in 1989 with a donation from Harvey and Patricia Wilmeth, given as a memorial to their two grandchildren, Jenni and Kyle, who both died at the age of 4 due to a degenerative neurological disorder. The Jenni and Kyle Preserve is unique in that the park is intended to serve children and persons with disabilities, and provides accessible fishing and picnic areas, trails, wheelchair swings, and a shelter building around two spring-fed ponds containing trout and panfish.

The paths are paved with asphalt to facilitate wheelchair transport, and the three wooden bridges/docks on the ponds project out so that those in wheelchairs can have direct access to the water for fishing (permitted in the preserve only for those under age 14).  But what really intrigued me were the two wheelchair-accessible swings:

The swings have fold-down ends to allow roll-on, roll-off entrance/exit and a number of security chains.

Very nicely done.  More cities and towns should have such facilities.

Reposted from 2012.

Unhappiness resulting from too many choices

From an article published by the Stanford Center on Longevity:

Summary: We presume that more choices allows us to get exactly what we want, making us happier.  While there is no doubt that some choice is better than none, more may quickly become too much.  Drawbacks include:

• Regret:  More options means constantly considering the option we didn’t choose –decreasing satisfaction overall.
  • Instead, learn to accept “good enough” and stop thinking about it.

• Adaptation: By becoming accustomed to whatever we’ve chosen, the availability to more options decreases our satisfaction with our choice.
  • Instead, limit thinking about options foregone, and focus on the positive of the option chosen.

• Unattainable expectations: With increased options, our expectation escalates until we constantly expect to get precisely what we want.  Thus anything less than perfect is disappointing, and we blame ourselves (as the decision makers) for our unhappiness.
  • Instead, control expectations to a certain standard of requirements, and keep them reasonable.

• Paralysis: Too many options can decrease the likelihood of making any decision at all.
  • Instead, limit options when decisions aren’t crucial.

Largely an issue for modern, affluent Western societies, the paradox of too much choice strains consumers’ capacity for decision making.  Making financial security decisions simple, easy, and justifiable may facilitate increased and happier participation.

The source article has a detailed analysis of what I often refer to as "first-world problems."  Via Boing Boing.  Photo taken at my local Target.

Addendum:  A hat tip to reader dragonmamma for providing the link to this relevant Calvin and Hobbes cartoon:

"Belling the cat"

"Belling the Cat" is a fable also known under the titles "The Bell and the Cat" and "The Mice in Council". Although often attributed to Aesop, it was not recorded before the Middle Ages...

The fable concerns a group of mice who debate plans to nullify the threat of a marauding cat. One of them proposes placing a bell around its neck, so that they are warned of its approach. The plan is applauded by the others, until one mouse asks who will volunteer to place the bell on the cat. All of them make excuses. The story is used to teach the wisdom of evaluating a plan on not only how desirable the outcome would be but also how it can be executed.

Washing removes numbers and scale from a measuring cup

Discussed at the mildlyinfuriating subreddit.

Hip exosuit (exoskeleton shorts)

I hope they can embed or add a gyroscope to help prevent falls.  Via Boing Boing.

"Murdered by words"

Mocking a "motivational poster."

Title of this post from the subreddit devoted to similar "eloquent but brutal takedowns"

"Redneck engineering"

Via.  Note there is an entire redneckengineering subreddit, where you can find stuff like this:

Abandoned train

Reportedly somewhere in Siberia (note the star logo on the two front steam engines).  Via.

Satire as prophesy

The discussion thread at ABoringDystopia explains for the younger generation that the prisoners are in fact unconvicted "suspects" who have now lived there almost twenty years.

Scariest photo I've seen all year

That white cloud on the ground is anhydrous ammonia flowing across an Illinois suburban neighborhood after an early morning accident involving a tractor transporting a tank to a farm field.

I used to give lectures on the hazards of toxic gases, and while the war gases like phosgene and mustard gas are fascinating, the more relevant risk for civilians is exposure to ammonia and chlorine.  Anhydrous ammonia accidents usually occur in rural locations while using equipment like this:

The gas is also potentially flammable, which is why hazmat officials advised residents near the spill to turn off heating equipment while sheltering in place.

Top photo via and some discussion here.  Lower image cropped for size from the original.

About those airplane crashes

YouTube link

Some cogent discussion at Reddit.

2018 Scrabble championship game

YouTube link

Related - an advertisement for Scrabble:

YouTube link

See also:  Fun variants of Scrabble

Amsterdam will eliminate 11,000 parking spots for cars

This week, Amsterdam is taking its reputation for pro-bike, anti-car polices one step further by announcing that it will systematically strip its inner city of parking spaces.

Amsterdam transit commissioner Sharon Dijksma announced Thursday that starting this summer, the city plans to reduce the number of people permitted to park in the city core by around 1,500 per year. These people already require a permit to access a specific space (and the cost for that permit will also rise), and so by reducing these permits steadily in number, the city will also remove up to 11,200 parking spaces from its streets by the end of 2025.

The cleared spaces won’t be left empty, however. As room for cars is removed, it will be replaced by trees, bike parking, and wider sidewalks, allowing Amsterdammers to instantly see and feel the benefits of what will still be a fairly controversial policy among drivers.

How can the city get away with it? Put simply, Amsterdam’s government has been given a mandate to. The city is currently being run by a coalition of left and centrist parties in which the Green Left party (GroenLinks) has the largest share. A promise to reduce parking space formed part of the initial coalition agreement. It also helps that no driver will actually be stripped of the right to park. Rather than revoking permits, the city will simply not replace any that are given up when drivers leave the city, give up their cars, or die. In this way, the city reckons it can naturally do away with about 1,100 permits a year.

More at CityLab, via Neatorama

Powerwashing NYC

I'm sure it's wet and grimy and unpleasant in inclement weather, but there must be a certain satisfaction in a job that involves powerwashing.  (pic via)

Also here and here, and lots of tips and advice in the PowerWashing subreddit.

Mother-daughter flight crew

ATLANTA, Ga. (WFLA) - A photo of a mother and daughter has gone viral as they flew together as a flight crew.

The duo, Capt. Wendy Rexon and First Officer Kelly Rexon were smiling ear to ear as they prepared to fly a Delta Boeing 757 together.

The photo was taken by Dr. John R. Watret, the chancellor of Embry-Riddle Worldwide, a world-renowned aeronautical university, who just happened to overhear that there was a mother-daughter flight crew. The viral tweet meant a great deal to Watret because of Embry-Riddle’s commitment to creating more opportunities for women in all areas of the aviation industry.

"Ikigai"

Via the Toronto Star.

This nail gun uses wooden nails

YouTube link.

More videos about the company's products.

In praise of the Driftless Historium and other county museums

When I travel I particularly enjoy driving secondary roads - the "blue highways," as William Least Heat-Moon designated them.   And if time permits when I'm in a new area, I try to visit local county museums.   These ventures, almost always staffed and maintained by local enthusiasts, offer better insight into local history than what one gets from large historical society or national museums.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a new museum - the Driftless Historium in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin.   This is a brand-new, well-designed, spotlessly clean, well-lighted venue that focuses on this history of Dane County and the larger "driftless area" of southwestern Wisconsin.

The exhibits are extensively described, and are supplemented with historical information on an abundance of wall placards.  The layout leads the visitor through a timeline that begins with glacial geology/landforms and moves on from there to native American history, to settlement and statehood, and eventually to modern times.  Special exhibits feature arts and crafts of immigrant and local artisans.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of a product that screams Midwestern understatement: rubbers that were marketed as being "better-than-usual."

I recommend allotting a couple hours to explore this excellent museum - perhaps supplemented by a visit to the Sunn Cafe across the street for lunch.

Updated map of legal marijuana

In July Vermont turned dark green:

Context at the Burlington Free Press.