My own, personal, watercooler.

At least among AOL mail users, according this survey

The study of 4,000 users also showed people checking their email with regularity from the following unusual and perhaps inappropriate locales:

• In bed in their pajamas: 67%
• From the bathroom: 59%
• While driving: 50%
• In a bar or club: 39%
• In a business meeting: 38%
• During happy hour: 34%
• While on a date: 25%
• From church: 15% (up from 12% last year)

the most email addicted cities are New York, Houston, and Chicago, with San Francisco coming in at a surprisingly low 5th.

The report also includes a word to the wise regarding email sign-offs: 25% report being annoyed by “xoxo” while “cheers” irritated 13% of the respondents.

Courtesy of Mashable, that has created their own email poll

Courtesy of photoshop disasters, my new favourite blog.

Kate wants to get a dog. And, I was sent this video today.

Dog Years

Nice organ music. The real find here, however is in the comments on youtube: proof that, if something exists, there are people arguing about it on the internet somewhere.

YouTube – Koopman: Schmücke Dich, o liebe Seele BWV 654 – J.S. Bach

Hello all,

Please pass this on to the homeless nearest and dearest to your heart.

Thank you kindly. And yes Stephen, I still live amazlingly, stupendously far from the mission. At least 10 minutes.

Jon

———————————

Bright, beautiful br w/ bath. Cheerful roomies.

About us:

- I am a San Francisco State graduate student in my mid thirties, studying research psychology. Former room mates have described me as easygoing, cheerful and pleasant.
- My girlfriend Kate is a designer, and creates product packaging for one of those fancy-pants design firms that San Francisco is famous for. You have seen her work at your local supermarket/grocery/corner store, or the hackneyed “been living under a rock/on a desert island/in a monastery” applies. (That is a bit of an exaggeration. I am sure I will get into a lot of trouble when she reads this.) She is also a nice person to be around.
- I am vegan and Kate is vegetarian. Neither of us faint at the sight of meat, nor have we lived with a vegetarian roommate. We enjoy to cook and do so often. Our lives are busy and cluttered, but we do our best to make sure that common areas are not. We smoke cannabis. We don’t smoke cigarettes. We have our friends over every so often for dinner.

We are looking for:

- An easy going, considerate roommate knows how to pick up after themselves, pay their share of the bills and plays well with others. We are open to well-behaved, well cared-for pets. There are hopes to add a dog to our household, though these are still in the early stages – we intend to figure out the ifs-and-whens when you are here to discuss them.

The apartment:

The room is about 14 x 13 with a 15 foot ceilings, and a full length built-in closet. The house itself is a bit over 1000 ft.², a top (third) floor corner unit with views of McClaren park. Amenities:

- Washing machine and dryer
- Dishwasher, microwave, gas stove, garbage disposal.
- Full bathroom of your own (We use the other one).
- Back deck (We should use it more often)
- Internet access, and a generous selection of digital media: several terabytes movies, tv shows, documentaries and music. And every xbox game ever created, though we never play those these days. We don’t have cable – bit torrents make it a tad redundant. There is a cable hook-up in your room, should you require it.
- Plenty of permit-free street parking (Hah! Let’s see the other ads you read today top that :>), and parking space for a motorcycle in the garage.

Location :

- Less than two miles from the Balboa Park BART station and the 280 freeway, and an equal distance in the opposite direction from the 3rd St Muni line, the Bayshore Caltrain station and the 101. The 9x bus stops right outside, and the 29 stops about five minutes walk away. Kate takes the bus and Muni to work. I take the bus to school. Stonestown and Serramonte Malls are a few minutes drive.
- Right next to McLaren Park, the second largest stretch of open space in the city after the golden gate, and just below San Bruno Mountain. McLaren Park has a leash free zone, multiple basketball courts, and plenty of open space for games and picnics. There’s also lovely long walks with views — this is not a park you will get bored walking your dog with. If you like the outdoors, San Bruno mountain is one of San Francisco’s best kept secrets. Fortunately, the fires last week did not do much damage.

We are taking pictures today. Let us know, we’ll send them to you.

Aubrey de Grey’s keynote speech from last weeks Aging 08 conference.

Oh well, my favourite secret hiking spot is now a pile of burned grass.

San Bruno Mountain fire is 75 percent contained

Firefighters are continuing to battle a wildfire in Brisbane early this morning that had burned 300 acres on San Bruno Mountain near a residential area, lighting up the sky with flames and sending smoke billowing over the area.

The fire was about 75 percent contained early this morning and it was expected to be fully contained sometime Monday, said Scott Jalbert, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“The fog came in and helped us out tremendously,” Jalbert said.

Steep terrain and the dark skies prevented firefighters from getting full containment, Jalbert said. But, 200 residents who had been evacuated from their Brisbane homes late Sunday were allowed to return to their properties. No structures burned.

Going to go up later today and take pictures to post. I hope the butterfly species that lives there and only there will be around for another year.

Most alcohol research tends to deal in the standard drink — whatever contains 0.6 ounces or 1.2 tablespoons of pure alcohol, be it 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor, 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or assorted spirits of other strengths.

But just as the portions in many a fast-food restaurant are “super-sized,” a new study finds that the same thing holds true in bars and restaurants, at least in northern California.

They say that like it’s a bad thing!

…”the typical wine, beer or mixed spirits drink in bars is larger than a standard drink, often by 50 percent or more.”

Bar drinks often stronger than standard :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Nation

Imagine a system of parking meters that:

- increased the fees when fewer spots were available, and decreased them when there were less

- that you could pay for with your cell phone

- that texted you when your time was almost up so you could ‘feed the meter’ without going back to your car.

Well, imagine no more, just come to San Francisco. 6,000 or so meters are to be being replaced with these new fancy dodads, that include underground sensors to check if there is a car in the space.

Now, those that you know me are well aware of my propensity to suggest technological solutions for all problems. I won’t even boil water without a microwave, unless it’s absolutely necessary. And this new system has a number of excellent benefits:

- there will be, as the system intends, more spaces available during peak hours

- there will be, as the system intends, a discouragement of car use.

- there will be, as the system intends, and increase in revenue.

Howewver,

- there will be major pissed off-ness when people try to figure out why the parking meters, that used to involve the simple process of putting coins in, now require and instruction manual and haggling and bartering with.

- there will be major pissed off ness, when you find out that the change you brought will only last you 1/2 the length of your doctors appointment.

- there will be major pissed off-ness, when parking charges go through the roof in order to pay for these ridiculous doodas, with the bulk of the cash going to pay for the fany pants meters, and none of it going to into the city bank.

Hey, maybe it will work. I think it’s someone’s free market obession run amok.