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I was surprised to realize that I was kisrael'ing Heelys, those sneakers each with a single wheel in the back, all the way back in 2001 (a few days before 9/11, come to notice it...) And now that they've achieved some popularity with the kids, I have to say, I am insanely jealous, and a bit bitter about how foolish I would look in a pair. (Though come to think of it I haven't worn sneakers when I wasn't actively trying to be athletic for a long, long time.) There is something magical when a kid strolls along and then starts gliding, if they were just a few inches above the ground they would exactly be acting out a recurring dream image I have.

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Quote of the Moment

Look at nature. Nature is one big woodchipper. Sooner or later everything shoots out the other end in a spray of blood, bones, and hair.

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Patents of the Moment
At work they have those little mini stacks of Pringles. Scott at work pointed out how many damn patent numbers are printed on one... 5,464,643, 6,066,353, 6,177,116, 6,235,333, 6,287,622, 6,312,747, 6,461,663, 6,521,281, 6,544,580 and D452,152. Boy, when I'm craving a salty snack product, my first thought is to reach for one that could be spending years in expensive patent litigation.

It's a little interesting figuring out what problems Pringle engineers must face. Most of the patents are for "resulting flakes [that] can be used to prepare a more cohesive, non-adhesive, machineable dough."