At work, we have those metal bars that roll down in front of the main entrance for security. Even though it cost $1000 to install, I don’t think we’ve ever used them. My manager says that was put in for the shoe store that used to be there - have to protect that merchandise! Well, since it’s been there for so long without anyone using it, birds have been nesting in its housing unit every year. This year, things have gotten kind of hairy.

Almost every day I would see a bird fly up there above the entrance, trying to fit into the slim slit that leads into the spacious inside. When it comes out, I would sometimes see it get stuck by its foot and start fluttering wildly above the glass door entrance. I was afraid it would injure itself because it looked pretty dangerous. Then, during one Saturday program, a blue egg fell from up there and squished to the ground. Eventually, a really bad stench started coming from the housing.

While I’m a big fan of not disturbing animals, even I knew something had to be done because the smell was getting overwhelming, and there were feathers everywhere from the birds that would get stuck. Earlier today, the property owner and his son (a friend of mine) cleared the housing out. They found five dead birds and a squirrel nest…

How they ever learned to live together up there, I’ll never know. Maybe the squirrels had something to do with the deaths, or maybe the birds didn’t get enouth to eat because the parents couldn’t get up there often enough.

I came just as they were putting up some chicken wire to block up the opening to the thing, and while the friend of mine filled me in on what they found, two squirrels came running up the stairs to where we were. One of them wasn’t afraid of us at all - walked right past our feet, looked at us with its big black eyes, and put its paw on the glass door of our entrance. It then jumped up on the railing below the housing despite the property owner there on a ladder, sealing it up. It wouldn’t leave until he banged on the railing a few times - then the squirrel went flying to the ground and scurried away across the street. Poor little guy. I hope it finds a new home.

[full article @ wired]
There’s a fresh (albeit expensive) alternative to the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle: the FLEPIA~! Although it’s one of the first of its kind and it’s sure to be somewhat clunky, I like the direction in which e-readers are going. Shall we take a look at the specs? Yes, Ray, let’s look at the specs! Okay!

• Approx US$1000
• 8″ screen
• 260,000 color display
• Bluetooth & Wifi
• Mini USB port
• Touch screen technology (w/stylus)
• Windows CE 5

While a thousand bux is a little over the top for someone wanting a simple e-reader, power users may find this little piece of tech purchase-worthy. With Windows CE, wifi and a USB port, you practically have a mini PC that can take over the job of any electronic organizer, including smart phones (sans the phone service of course).

It has not only a color display, which will pave the way for e-comics and e-graphic novels, but also a touch screen that will work in conjunction with a stylus. (WIRED mag reports that it probably won’t be finger-touchable like the iPhone.)

Lower the price a smidgen and I might just be interested in getting one of these bad boys :p

I’m generally a fan of science fiction, but an enamored fan of science fiction becoming science fact. Interesting developments in weapons technology have resulted in a military grade laser, which may make its way to the battlefield, though no time soon.

It’s cool in and of itself, but I’m not a big fan of war or killing. As mentioned in the WIRED article, researchers of this technology have been receiving lackluster funding because most military experts “prefer blowing the shit out of things”, since it’s more effective. The current laser technology would only be used as a missile/mortar deterrent because it’s not as miniaturized as it needs to be for, say, a rifle, but it does pave the way for that possibility.

Ever since finishing the first book in Liz Williams’s Inspector Chen series, I’ve been looking for more of the author’s works. Easier said than done apparently. Roaming from bookstore to bookstore, I couldn’t find anything other than Inspector Chen. While I do like that particular series, I was hoping to find another side to her writing.

Well, a few searches on ebay turned up a title I’ve been interested in: Darklands. Judging from Snake Agent, I can tell that Williams is a fairly skilled action/adventure writer, and the story of Darklands would seem to draw on that strength. I’m looking forward to it, and will write up a review if I particularly like it.

And while I happened to be at Walmart, I spotted THIS:

I normally don’t eat sugary stuff, but I felt compelled by seasonal cheer and little yellow chicks.