Good column from Michael Kinsley on the unbridled egotism afforded by the Web:

For the ultimate in solipsism, check out Twitter.com, a site where -- once you register -- you can answer the question "What are you doing?" At 7:47 am on Monday, for example, Lynda was going to get a glass of cold water.
This raises more questions than it answers. Did she get it? Was it cold enough?

Tragically, we'll never know until someone starts a site about what you were doing before what you're doing now. Or possibly an interactive site about what you are going to do next after you finish doing what you're doing now. There could be multiple options. People could vote. Hey, someone call Google. We're rich!

Of course, I'm glad I'm unaffected by this trend of self-aggrandizement.

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Here's a review of the new Tesla electric car -- it'll debut next year with a pricetag of around $100,000.

The author predicts the end of the traditional engine:

I've always marveled at how long the antique internal-combustion engine has survived. By 2006 standards, my car's power plant is a noisy, heat-blasting, poison-spewing monster with way too many moving parts. One spin in a Tesla made me realize that the gas engine might finally be on its last legs—and not because electric cars will help wean us from Saudi oil and save us from global warming. Rather, the Tesla Roadster is a rolling demo that proves electric cars now outperform their gas-guzzling counterparts in comfort, convenience, and, best of all, speed. Electric motors differ from gasoline engines in lots of ways, but the torque curve is the most startling.

In a car with a gas engine, you press the accelerator, the engine rotates faster, and its torque output rises to reach a somewhat-flat plateau. At that point, the car accelerates smoothly as the engine spins ever faster. Eventually, the torque starts to fall off, and it's time to drop the engine's speed back below the sweet spot, shift up to the next gear, and start over. Why do sports cars have so many gears? To make sure the engine is revving in its maximum torque zone at just about any speed. Spin it too slow, though, and the engine stalls.

Interesting concept -- no shifting gears. We'll tell our grandkids about how we used to wait for the engine to catch up with the gas pedal.

Then they'll ask, "What's gas?"

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For the last few days I've been reading letters to the editor in my local paper about a great article that ran last week in the sports section. Several readers have said it was the most inspiring, heart-warming story they've ever read.

I decided to go back and read this story, and the readers were right. Here's the first few graphs:

In a noisy moment at Banneker High's homecoming pep rally, coach Benny Crane felt a tug on his sleeve. It was not a yank, but a slight pull, enough to get his attention. He turned and glanced down into the excited yet concerned eyes of Gerard Robinson.

At 5-foot-3, Robinson is shorter than most of his classmates, but his audacity and charisma elevate his stature. As Coach Crane bent over to listen, he could see Robinson's mouth quiver.

The 17-year-old had a question: Would his name be called out with all the football players?
Although Robinson was not officially part of the team, Coach Crane assured him with a nod, a smile and a hand on the shoulder. Yes.

And as the look in Robinson's eyes shifted to sheer joy, another notion entered the coach's heart. Maybe there was something even greater he could do for this unlikeliest of football players.

Click here to read the rest (you may have to register, sorry.) Your eyes won't be dry by the time you get to the end.

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Atlanta police shot and killed a 92-year-old woman last night. Instapundit has a nice overview including this pithy gem:

Do the police have video that would support their story? Because in cases like this, I think the burden should be on the government to demonstrate that it acted appropriately. Home, castle, and all that.

Great point.

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Instead of enjoying Thanksgiving with their families, employees of Kmart will be working. The store will be open all day, according to an insert in my morning newspaper.

Yet another reason to avoid shopping at Kmart.

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One of my eight loyal readers asks, "What happened to the boat?"

Yeah, what did happen to the boat.

Well, I've not gotten much work done on the ole boat-to-be. I haven't touched her since September after I finally got the chine log attached to the stem. It took me three pieces of oak to finally make the connection.

Chine log problems aside, I really don't have enough free time to devote to the boat ever since I took that teaching job. So, I'm afraid she's going to be on the back-burner until I'm only working one job.

As for my blog's subtitle, I think I'll keep it. It's certainly unique.

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Here's a great NPR report on George Clinton, the Godfather of Funk. Take the time to listen to it -- it'll brighten your day.

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Tim Blair's got more photos of anti-globalization protesters. The caption for the green maraca guy is the funniest.

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This sounds cool:

There may be hope -- however distant -- for recharging nearly drained cell phone, laptop and other batteries without plugging them into the wall, a scientist said. Although he hasn't built a device yet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Marin Soljacic said he has figured out how to wirelessly recharge batteries, much like the way people can surf the Web untethered.

Reminds me of some of Nikola Tesla's ideas.

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Pretty audacious site from Coca-Cola. The headline reads:

Yes, coffee and soda are two ways to help you stay hydrated.

I guess Coke doesn't like this whole "drinking water" fad.

Check out the rest of the site. They clearly see the health-conscious writing on the wall.

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Because the O.J. Simpson case isn't quite surreal enough:

Fox plans to broadcast an interview with O.J. Simpson in which the former football star discusses 'how he would have committed' the slayings of his ex-wife and her friend, for which he was acquitted, the network said.

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So, the Washington Post will require shorter articles of its writers:

We will take a new approach to story length, which remains an important challenge, despite the progress already made in some parts of the paper. We will soon publish story length guidelines for the staff, along with ways to adhere to them.

I'm not sure this is the right move. Used to be a newspaper is where you went when you wanted to get in-depth coverage. Can't get very in-depth with a 10-inch article. Might as well watch CBS News. After this move, what advantage will newspapers have left?

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Only three television shows went off the air while they were No. 1 in the ratings. "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld" are two of the three. Click here to read about the third.

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This really inspires confidence in our space program:

NASA is considering a launch as early as Dec. 7 in an effort to avoid a potential computer glitch. The agency is concerned that Discovery is not equipped to register a change in year, should the shuttle be in orbit on New Year’s Eve.

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A little bad PR for Burger King:

A Burger King restaurant manager is being charged with shooting a teenage boy dead the two argued, and the boy spit in the manager's face. Police say 16-year-old Shaka Walcott and 45-year-old Ronald Johannes had been arguing for more than a week. Police say the teenager returned to the Bronx Burger King Saturday night and was shot several times in the chest by the manager.

Apparently, the customer isn't always right.

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Interesting analysis on the chances of winning the grand prize from McDonald's Monopoly game:

Want to win the first-ever $5 million grand prize in the heavily promoted McDonald's Monopoly contest? Good luck. You're almost 300 times more likely to win the top prize in the multi-state Powerball lottery, according to published odds. To collect the grand prize this year, a customer must gather four game pieces corresponding to the four railroads on the Monopoly game board. The agate-like official rules say the odds of this happening are "approximately 1 in 41,497,391,309." When I asked McDonald's spokeswoman Shannelle Armstrong about those formidable odds, she said, "It is very consistent to what you would find in the industry

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More proof that Family Guy is the funniest show on TV. I doubt they could make a more odd non-sequitor or obscure reference than this one.

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It's hard to disagree with this statement:

Americans "have come to the conclusion, as we did some time ago, that a one-party town simply doesn't work," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told party workers early Wednesday.

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Check out the county-by-county interactive map on USA Today. You can flip back and forth between 2004 and 2006 to see the differing voting patterns. Looks like that smattering of blue that popped up in the Northeast made all the difference.

Hello, Speaker Pelosi.

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The best political ad of the season.

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Interesting poll analysis. Tomorrow's going to be an interesting night.

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It's not every day you see a self-professed "CherFan" also displaying a Marine Corps sticker. Luckily, I had my new cell phone camera!

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Click here to sign up for a free sample of the new Folgers gourmet season.

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