Check out this neat-o way to multiply numbers!

Math Graph Video

My challenge to anyone daring enough: Is this graph technique valid for all real numbers?

Source: Al V - thanks! (original source unknown)

ANNOUNCEMENT: Mattel recently announced the release of limited-edition Barbie Dolls for the Austin Texas market:

"Westlake Barbie"

This princess Barbie is sold only at Davenport Village. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade, Prada and LV Handbags, Rolex watch a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a 25,000 sq ft. patio home.

Available with or without tummy tuck and facelift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

"Round Rock Barbie"

The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation.

Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately

"East Riverside Barbie"

This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about.

"Lakeway Barbie"

This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of Rolls Royce convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them.

"Bastrop Barbie"

This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

"Warehouse District Barbie"

This collagen injected, rhino plastic Barbie wears a leopard print outfit and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends. Percocet prescription available as well as warehouse conversion condo.

"Buda Barbie"

This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Bastrop Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

"Travis Heights Barbie"

This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Travis Heights Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag! bumper sticker for free.

"Del Valle Barbie"

This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

"Hutto Barbie"

She's perfect in every way. We don't know where Ken is because he's always out a-'huntin'.

"Downtown Barbie/Ken"

This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding/subtracting the multiple snap-on parts.

Source: Anu, thanks (original source not known)

Check out my car this morning in Austin, TX. Now its a little more evident why my work closed yesterday and had a late start today. After about 15 minutes of chipping away with my little pocketknife, I was able to open the driver side door and get my work badge for today. Luckily, the roommate parked his car under covered parking and gave me a lift!

That's right, the next trip has been planned. Tickets purchased for the South American destination of Colombia March 8th thru March 20th. Claudia is taking me home to meet the parents and get acquainted with her homeland. I know what you're thinking. Isn't that the cocaine exporting capital of the world? (answer: yes) Isn't that where drug lord Pablo Escobar is from? (answer: yes) Isn't it unsafe to travel there? (answer: no! evidence: USA Today article)

I'm super-stoked for so many reasons...

• We're meeting up with Chuck who's been travelling for many many months
• Checking out a location where very few Americans are ever priveledged to go
• Get to experience sights in Colombia with my own personal colombian Srta. Claudia Bella; sights that even she is not familiar with

Our loose plan is to fly into Bogota the first night, get acclimated. Then take off (maybe by plane) to Baranquilla and see the northern pacific coast of Colombia. They have all sorts of really cool ruins and they even have a volcano that spews out warm mud that people can bathe in. You know I'm gonna do my best to get dipped into that mud bath! ¡Viva Colombia!

Do you ever just feel like a day is destined for headache? Take for instance today, I arrive (late) to work after having a bunch of tumultuous dreams to find my Dell Desktop computer with blue screens showing for all the world to see. No big deal, these things randomly occur, right? Yeah, well I can't reboot and get past the blue screen. Its just stuck there, like if you turned your car on and it started for 3 seconds and then died every time. If you're a mechanic, you're irritated and you pop the hood and start testing out theory A and theory B. In the computer case, not even the expert (in this case me) can put together theories without consulting random message boards from the one thousand other unfortunate souls who ran into this problem previously. What do I care about RAID drives and iastor.sys and hex address 0x000000D1? Apparently I care a lot because my day cannot progress without figuring it out. Boo Hoo. Today is a Black Day.

Warning: its addictive and its a little long. But its toooootally worth watching if you've ever played a Final Fantasy game in your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPutYwiiE0o

Source: Bob P, thanks!

If you're only going to see one park in Austin in 2007, go to Zilker Park. If you're going to see 2 parks in Austin, see Zliker Park than see Gillis Park.