The Nation's phallus.

(photo by tom) 

I went up with a friend to hang out in DC. This picture on the National Mall shows the university teams setting up for the Solar Decathlon. Their houses are powered entirely by solar energy. They have to perform a variety of tasks during the week, such as wasing dishes, cooking, showering, and recharging an electrical car. See what's possible? We demand alternative energy now!

Hanging out at the fountain in the sculpture garden on a warm fall day. The building is the national art museum.

Tom snoozing next to the fountain. A Warhol-esque photo.

Part of the little cafe where we ate lunch in the sculpture garden on the National Mall. The building in the background is the National Archives.

Here's a shot from an Andy Warhol exhibit we went to see. An interesting juxtaposition of paintings, I thought. What does it say to u?

I'm trying to get out of here on a Friday afternoon, but as I was going to close my office window I found this guy *inside* and very close to my desk. In the pic he's quite annoyed that I'm zooming in with my cam. He's been hanging around for most of the summer, but on the outside of the window.

Recent work, since my job duties cover just about anything (earlier this week I was changing light bulbs in the ceiling). The power source in this computer died and I had to replace it. It's always fascinating to crack a box and see what's going on inside.

I went for a hike in the mountains recently. This is the start of the Hazel River. A few fall leaves had begun to fall. I saw a mama black bear and her cub! They're usually very shy, but I still gave them time to mosey along.

a b & w (digital) shot. i think they're difficult to take and this one doesn't impress me much.

I'm glad I saw this guy in time to avoid him. He was big and hungry-looking.

morning light on the kitchen wall. framed pics are of parents' front yard.

A recent rental. I thought it was a great movie--well written, important topics, nice camera work. I like these types of movies where multiple characters are seemingly unrelated until their stories start to meld.

Listen up!

The latest toy: Mercora. Have you tried it? You can download a small app to search other users' music databases and listen to their songs or interenet radio station. While listening, it records the music to your hard drive for 30 days. It's pretty high quality...and it's legal! This is kind of what I've been searching for...a way to listen to an album or artist for a while before I go out and purchase their album. Give it a try!

What did we do before streaming radio? We were enslaved to overpriced music that was engineered to appeal to the masses. With the internet and internet radio, we can listen to our favorites and hear similar artists to whom we might never have been exposed. Best of all, prices may one day come down to legitimate costs with higher profits for real artists, rather than recording companies.

Bring it on. Oh--and send me something new to listen to.