Important Science Update

I report. You decide.

Key quote: "We're all curious what makes people different."

Yeah...as in what makes what's inside their EARS different...

Have you....Met...Life?

The MetLife blimp was in town today. For some reason. Flying near my work. Still don't know why...

Uh-oh

Either the ducks know something that I don't know about what's on the ground...or they're spying on me...

Hmmm...Bauer must be using his styles...

...on the oil executives! Keep it up, Jack!

Home...home again...

After taking a red-eye and sleeping almost all of the way...I wake up to...

...sunrise ahead...

...and a waking city...home.

Almost time to head home...(Day 6)

Got out of work early today from the customer...and I had eight hours to kill before my flight. What to do...what to do...

Drive through the Microsoft! (I, appropriately, flipped 'em off...)

This is some weird sculpture-buoy-think in the harbor as I crossed over from Redmond...

Let's visit the Science Fiction Museum and Hall-of-Fame!

The museum has CAPTAIN KIRK'S ORIGINAL CHAIR! WOW!

HAL 9000! Of course...looking over my shoulder...

I caught a fish THIS big...It's the loader that Ripley used in Aliens when fighting the queen alien...speaking of which...

AAAAAAIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

G'kar's outfit from Babylon 5...

Ambassador Molari's outfit from Babylon 5...

...and, finally, Delenn's!

The Space Needle at night...

Me inside a replica of a Gemini space capsule at the Boeing Imax Theater.

Speaking of Imax...groovy 3D glasses...and I saw a great movie ("Walking on the Moon") there...

Well, time for the airport...gee...now...which one is my flight...

The Winner of the "Strangest Business Concept That Originated From A Decent Idea". Someone sat around and said...hmmm...people's cell phones run low on battery power, How can we help? I know, we'll make a device that lets people recharge their phones. All they have to do is pay us...and hook up the phone...and then stand around...for THIRTY MINUTES....Yeah. Thirty freakin' minutes. Just wrong...I could never sit around for that long. Just give me a new battery or something...

And on the fifth day...

...I rested. Well, worked. And rested. No photos here. Move along.

Thank you, Hertz! (Day 4)

The Highlander was a nice upgrade. And easily outclassed that freakin' ugly Honda Helement that I parked next to...

More of the same...(Day 3)

It just never ends...

The world's most laid-back TV reporter...

No tie, unbuttoned shirt...no undershirt to be seen. I'm telling ya...this guy was probably drunk that night...

Yeah...this is kinda what I expected from Seattle. (Day 2)

The blog is traveling (Seattle, day 1)

I'm in Seattle this week for business. Here's some pictures to wet your appetite...

It's been 25 years since I traveled out of the 'remote' E concourse at Miami International Airport. It was originally meant for international flights, and you have to take a special tram to get to it. In 25 years...I have not had to take that tram. Until today...

Wait yer turn...I said wait for it!

A tale of two sub-divisions. Shingle tile roofs on the left, tile roofs on the right. Which do you think fared worse in the hurricane?

A meal...served with scripture. In my entire life, ham, egg & cheese breakfast sandwiches have always turned my stomach. On this flight...they smelled good. Real good. Can not resist...and I ate the entire thing. I was not myself. Couldn't have been. Nope, wasn't me.

A real remote airport. I wonder what the car rental situation is like there...

If anyone can tell me what that ring-looking thing is...it was caused by the sun...it is NOT a photographic anomaly...please let me know.

Mountains in Idaho or Washington...who can say?...seen on my non-stop flight from Miami to Seattle...

One of the entrances to the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle...

Lots of fresh fruit! And food! And, well, there were other stores and stuff...

...and...interesting...people to meet...and things to hold...

Stairs to descend into another level of Pike Place Market.

The Great Wind Up. Guess what type of toys they sell?

Get yer Librarian Action Figures Here! We got 'em all! Einstein! Jesus! Mozart! Male Nurse! Get yer hard-to-find action figures here!

The Space Needle!

Looking south at Downtown Seattle from the Space Needle. It was 1) windy and 2) cold. Brrrr. If *I'M* complaining about it being cold...it's cold...

The arcs you see in the distance are for the stadium where the Seattle Seahawks were playing for the chance to play in the Super Bowl (they won the game).

A panoramic view from the Space Needle!

My other ride is...

...not this...

Holding steady....

Some friends of mine would say "Sure...it'll work."

Somehow...I doubt it.

Yes, it WAS really like that.

Really.

It's lucky that it's lucky.

If I weren't Irish, and somewhat superstitious...this cricket would have been toast. It was huge...a good 2-3 inches big. I scooped him up and threw him outside.

At what point is the line crossed?

Specifically, I mean, between when these cease to be motorcycles and become cars?

Despite Jack being on the case again...

...the price of gas continues to go up...

Jack Bauer has a problem...

BTW, the exploits for last night's episode are recapped here.

JACK BAUER POWER HOUR HAS RETURNED!

Okay, my favorite action show has returned for a new season! God bless you, Fox!

Yay! Tick, tock, tick, tock...or is it bleep, bloop, bleep, bloop...

Anyway, over on Dave Barry's blog, Dave posts realtime updates as the show goes, and his dedicated readers..er...followers...er...yeah, whatever, post comments along with him, as the show progresses. Hilarious as hell. This is how I'm setup as I watch the show:

SPOILERS BELOW! BEWARE!!!

By the end of the first 10 minutes, President Palmer...

...has ceased to be a going concern on the face of the planet.

Shortly afterwards, he's joined in the afterlife with...

...Michelle Dressler. Which means that...

...Tony can't be far behind...but he does manage to survive. And, also, Chloe...

...is chased down as well, but gets away with enough time to call...

...Jack, who now has to come out of hiding...and save the world...again.

KICK ASS!

The one plot point that I don't get...("ONLY ONE?!?!" you're probably asking yourself)...is why former President Palmer would entrust a secret regarding national security to a crazy woman whom no one would believe. He surely had to be smarter than that...right? RIGHT?!?