Hemispherical Arrogance?

I had an interesting thought the other day. I have seen many maps, and anytime I see a map it is oriented the same way. Maps are always oriented with the Northern side on the top. Is there a reason for this? Is it something to do with magnetic North or some other scientific something or other? If you lived somewhere below the equator, wouldn't you want the Southern side to be on top of your map? Aren't you offended? Wouldn't you want to see your half of the world on top? Is it Northern hemispherical arrogance that is to blame for this "standard" orientation of maps? Did you notice that I displayed this arrogance earlier when I made a reference to "below the equator"? Doesn't what is below the equator depend on what side of the equator you are actually on? Why isn't South ever on top?

For that matter, why isn't the Western or Eastern hemisphere, or anything in between, ever on the top of the map?

I envision a map that looks like the above. This is just fair, no?

Original map found at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml?&print

Thanksgiving

Things for which I am grateful (2007 version)



1. Football

2. Fish (for eating, apparently, they are good for me. (something about Omega...Acids, or something))

3. Racquetball

4. Oxygen

5. Good movies (Bourne Ultimatum at the top this year.)

6. Entertaining Books. (HP7 I am looking in your direction this year.)

7. The funny signs that homeless guy that stands near the 13th East exit makes.

8. Remodeling (grateful for the end result, NOT the process.)

9. The king of meats, sausage.

10. Vacations


Disclaimer: Of course I am thankful for my family, job, faith etc., but those things make a less interesting list. (I guess I am assuming that the items I did include on the list are interesting, which may be a bad assumption, but whatever. It's my list and I can do what I want.)

Wrong

Other wrong things:



Crossing the velvet rope barriers at museums.


Punching clowns.


Spiking the punch.


Smashing all the potato chips in the bag.


Yelling obscenities while your friend is teeing off.


Forgetting to wash your hands after using the restroom.


Announcie the end or plot details of movies to those in line to see the film.


Starting a fight at an office party.


Wearing a tuxedo to a backyard barbecue.


Bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Gotta love microbes

http://www.newsweek.com/id/57368

You see! I knew that it was a good idea for me to be a slob. It keeps my family healthy and more resistant to disease. Hooray! So much for the ultrasanitized lifestyle. Germs are good.

This was a very interesting article that described the relationship between bacteria and other microbes and our bodies, and the importance of that relationsip. Being overly clean and sanitary, especially while children are young, can actually have a negative effect because we are not colonized by certain helpful types of microbes, and can become more susceptible to certain types of diseases, including autoimmune diseases and even cancer. An interesting read, and some interesting research going on right now.

Spelunking in REM

I have several recurring dreams that revolve around caves. There are three that come to mind.

The first involves a trip to a hole in the ground, from which I descend, with several others, none of whom I know (though at least one person, a man, is always there), into a vast cavern. Once you reach the bottom, there is much to explore, though the details of any exploring escape my memory. Mostly I remember that I get to the hole, go down, wander around a bit, and come back up. This one is quite tame.

The second involves a cave which I have also visited many times, sometimes with others, such as my family, sometimes with strangers, and sometimes alone. I don't remember much about the mouth of the cave, most of what I remember from these dreams is that the cave is huge, and is a lost/abandoned city. I remember taking trips to grocery stores where anything you want can be taken from the shelves. I remember visting the house of a really creepy, mysterious, old lady who still lived in the cave. I remember there being dangerous paths and crossings, and various determinations to find things of importance.

The third repeated itself again last night. In this dream, I remember clearly the hike to the mouth of the cave. Last night, I was the first to get there. When I got there, I realized that I had nothing to drink. In my dream, I remembered that the last time that I had been there (in reality the last time I had dreamed that I had been there), I had had a backpack with a water bottle. Fortunately, there is a convenience store at the top of the mountain where the cave mouth is. I went in, and was considering a gatorade, but they were quickly snatched up by other shoppers. Fortunately, I found a nice water bottle on a shelf and purchased it. In this dream, I remember the mouth of the cave, I remember my drinking needs, and then I am all of the sudden in the cave, on my back, fighting off lunging tigers or leopards or something, which are trying to get at the food that is covering me. I don't know what kind of food, or where it came from, only that I can get them off of me by grabbing their heads, and using my legs to heave them off of a cliff. Last night, I fended off dozens of animals, and remembered that last time I had been in the cave (or the last time that I dreamed it), that I had been pleasantly surprised that I had only had to fight off one tiger/leopard/creature.

Gotta love dreams.

On a completely unrelated cave note, did anyone see this?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/photogalleries/giant-crystals-cave/index.html

Ekeltricity

It is the classic saying "You don't know what you got till it's gone" that applies to my Tuesday night. There were severe thunderstorms/microburst winds/etc. throughout the area on Tuesday night, and my electricity went out at 6:30 pm. I knew that it was out before I got home, because I saw a downed power line around the corner from my house being watched over by a fire truck.

Life without electricity is miserable. We had two lanterns going when it got dark, but there are really limited ways of entertaining yourself when the lights are out. We played board games until it got dark, and that was fine, but then what? Sing songs? Practice interpretive dancing? Scrapbook by candlelight? No thanks. I played monopoly on my cellphone until the battery died, then I laid there in the dark/heat/humidity and did absolutely nothing but get angry at the power company and attempt to sell my soul to the devil if he would turn my bedside fan on. (It didn't work.) My wife had gone to work, and my kids had gone to bed, so there wasn't even anyone to talk to.

I used my iPod to get to sleep, but without my fan, I was sleeping restlessly and overheated. The power did not come on again until a little after 2am, and when my lights and fan kicked on, I was a happy boy.

I think it's a little bit crazy that my power should be off for nearly 8 hours in the year 2007, and that I couldn't get any sort of area specific update from the power company's useless telephone system, but what are you gonna do.

Electricity, I love you.

Homicular Vehicide

Apparently, I have the automotive touch of death. Two cars in the last week have fallen victim to my curse.

The first was an innocent, and brand new, van. I purchased a Toyota Sienna on Aug. 2. On Aug. 4, I drove that new van into a suburban. The front of the van was crumpled and they had to tow my van away. Wrecking a new vehicle within 48 hours of purchasing it is not a pleasant experience. That van had less than 300 miles on it.

Despite how weird that wreck was, I did not suspect that anything was out of the ordinary. I assumed that it was just a freak accident and that all was well.

I got a rental car to drive while the van was being repaired. It was a 2007 Nissan Altima. It was a nice car, I enjoyed driving it. I picked it up on Monday morning and drove it all week. On Friday, my wife drove the Altima to work. When she was 2/3 of the way there, the car stalled and would not drive. She called me and I came and picked her up and took her to work. I then had to go back to the vehicle and wait for the tow truck from the rental company's roadside assistance. When I got back to the Altima, I noticed that smoke was coming from under the hood. Within about 5 minutes, this white smoke turned to black smoke and then became a fire.

By the time the fire truck came and put out the fire, the entire front end of the car had burned. There was no hood, no side panels, no lights, nothing left but the frame and engine block.

Another car bit the dust.

The rental company has now given me a Toyota Prius. I am afraid to drive it. I stayed home most of the day Saturday and Sunday, hoping to shake off the curse. It is now Monday midday. So far So good.