If I Could Change the World

Worldchanging, the blog, is now available in book form. Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future.

The Hug Shirt

The Hug Shirt is a shirt that makes people send hugs over distance! Embedded in the shirt there are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one.

Pamelina H.

It's too bad someone else already has my domain name. The good news is, she's a fantastic artist.

The Cool Hunter

The Cool Hunter puts all the cool stuff on the web in one place. Much like the blog you're reading now (smug grin).

How to Save Your Summer Bounty

Whenever I get around to growing an edible garden, I might need this book.

Jack's Wish List

For Christmas, Jack wants the dog-friendly CD, "Songs to Make Dogs Happy," created for and approved by dogs. He'd really like the puppy pedometer too, but "Santa" got him a new coat from Land's End instead. Good thing he can't read (yet).

Steal Their Style

You probably already have a favorite concert tee from your favorite band or singer. What could be better? : This.

Betta Get ta Plantin'

Now's the time to plant bulbs if you want spring flowers. Better Homes and Gardens has nice guide to planting bulbs, and here are a few of their favorites:

Earliest to Bloom
Snowdrop
Winter Aconite
Snow Crocus

Best Colonizers
Puschkinia
Dutch Crocus
Grape Hyacinth

Most Flamboyant
Parrot Tulips
Globemaster Allium
Crown Imperial

Most Fragrant
Hyacinth
Tazetta Daffodis
Spring Starflower

Best for Shade
Scilla
Dog's-Tooth Violet
Winter Aconite

No Note Left Behind

Instrumental Assistance provides kids the chance to learn music, regardless of their economic situation, by supporting local school districts with creative options and instruments to build a music presence within the schools.

Bombs That "Do Not Do Lasting Harm"

British Aerospace is now producing green weapons. “This is laughable,” said Symon Hill of Campaign Against Arms Trade. “BAE is determined to try to make itself look ethical, but they make weapons to kill people and it’s utterly ridiculous to suggest they are environmentally friendly.”

Lunch in Jerusalem

From The Washington Post - ISRAEL
Plenty to Put in a Pita
Friday, November 3, 2006; Page A24

On Ben Yehuda Street in West Jerusalem, the sandwich of choice is the sabih: a pita filled with hummus, chopped boiled egg and deep-fried eggplant slices. You can request a sprinkle of chopped parsley, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and pickles. Then choose a sauce: spicy green, hot red, tangy tahini or spicy mango-pickle sauce. Brought to Israel by Iraqi Jews, the sabih costs about $3.50.

Or pick up a kebab in East Jerusalem. Ground beef patties seasoned with parsley, garlic, spices and lamb fat (for extra flavor) are threaded on skewers between cubes of onion and tomato and cooked over a small charcoal fire. Then the whole skewer is emptied into a pita, topped with fresh tomato and cucumber salad and hot red sauce. In front of the Damascus Gate, a kebab sells for just over $2.

-- Samuel Sockol

What Cows and Junk Mail Have in Common

The average person gets 41 pounds of junk mail each year. Make it stop for only $1 a pound. In an effort to prevent unwanted junk mail from entering your home, the organization is also helping the environment by reducing consumption and the waste that it takes to produce bulk mailings.

In related environmental news, for every 41 pounds of milk produced, cows create 32 pounds of manure. Vegans are up in arms about all this waste and would like you to switch to soy.

Psychological Jewelry

Serotonin, a chemical responsible for happiness and relaxation, has an elegant shape that makes for a terrific necklace that will make you grin as much as the chemical it represents. And the dopamine earrings represent passion and pleasure with splendid scientific flair.

Yes, You Can Be Both

Another example of Christian environmentalists, this time right here in Virginia: the Mennonite Central Committee Appalachia take on the coal-mining practice of mountaintop removal.

11/17/06: For more information, visit Christians for the Mountains.

Where I'll Be in 10 Years

Visiting New York City

This is gonna be so awesome!

Roanoke's Green House

Somewhere in the Gainsboro community of Roanoke, there's a cradle-to-cradle house. What the heck does that mean? Well, for starters, it's a modular design that minimizes or eliminates construction waste and adapts natural energy systems such as gray water treatment. The metal roof is coated to maintain comfortable interior temperatures, recycled pickle barrels will catch rainwater for irrigation, and low-flush toilets and energy-efficient appliances are part of the package. The decision to build the home in Roanoke City resulted from the designers' desire to associate sustainability with affordability and tradition.

Preschool Puberty

Be careful what your kids are using around the house. Products may contain hormones that you don't even know about.

Fabric Freak

I'm a quilter, and I love fabric. It can become an addiction if you're not careful. According to Better Homes and Gardens, "the Internet is a gold mine for rustic items from the 1940's and '50s." Here are four old-skool fabric websites that make me drool.

Sharon's Antiques: Vintage Fabrics
Revival Fabrics
Repro Depot
Full Swing Textiles

That's What I Call A Win-Win

You eat chocolate, they give away mammograms.

What's Your Emergency?

At work, I'm known as Miss A. I consider myself a practical and prepared person. That's why the "Miss A Kit" was the most fitting birthday present I've ever received. Thanks to my boss, Ms. French, for tha sweetest hook up of 2006.

Is God Green?

This episode of Moyers on America covers one of my favorite topics: the inclusion of environmental issues in the prayers of evangelical Christians.

Not Your Average Rabbit Ears

This little technobunny is the cutest thing ever. It's a Wi-Fi robot that can wake you up, read you a story, predict the weather, sing you a song... and be your new best friend! (Don't tell the dog.)

I'm kind of an expert at Photoshop...

Submit your own entries or just browse and vote.

Fun for Fans of The Simpsons

Use the Simpsomaker to create your own character. I made a dude that looked like Mr. Garrison with the classroom background and the caption, "Mr. Garrison moves to Springfield." Too bad I couldn't get a screen capture or save the image. Check out the author's other funny animations here.

P.S. Click the picture for a demonstration of Homer's various emotional states.

Pigs Love Cupcakes

The object of this game is to stack pigs on top of one another until they reach the cupcakes. The higher you go, the more points you can earn. There are many other cute games here. Enjoy!

DMB First Encore "Sister" 9/22/06

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a trade association, defines itself "as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture industry." But its rating system for films impacts much more than the industry. MPAA ratings affect a film's distribution and thus its financial success; this, in turn, limits what kinds of movies get made and what people get to see at the local movie theater. Sign this petition to join the campaign for a more fair and open cinematic experience.

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin

Even in death, Darwin has taken alot of crap. Actually, I really admire him and his work. After hearing a flippin sweet story on NPR about Darwin as a person, it made me want to read this book. I might.

11/9/06: This just in, an interview with the author.

My Teenage Pup

Jack's gonna have to expand his wardrobe this fall. He turned 14 a few months ago and I guess he's in that adolescent phase of needing to express his individuality. Anyway, as of right now, he's kind of into the rockabilly look.

They Ain't No Kin of Mine!

Redneck Photo Album

A Mini-Vacation for Me and Jack

Stanley's Spot Dog Park
Stanley's Spot Dog Park is a fun place to take your best friend - your dog! The park features fenced areas for large and small dogs and is located along the Decker's Creek Trail. Dogs over 6 months of age are welcome and must be licensed and vaccinated. Owners must clean up after dog(s), be in verbal control of dog(s) and have a leash visible. Other guidelines apply. Locals love this fenced park, situated along West Virginia's 47-mile rail trail network. Call 296-8356 for further details. A cooperative venture by BOPARC and Morgantown Dog Owners Group (MDOG).

Contact Information
Decker's Creek Trail
Eld Street
Morgantown, WV
Phone:304-296-8356
Parks and Recreation Commission

Travel
Total Est. Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 269.35 miles

Morgantown Trail Maps

Coopers Rock State Forest
Rt. 1 Box 270
Bruceton Mills, WV 26525
(304) 594-1561

Rates:.........................................$20.00
10% Discount to Senior Citizen 60 & older

All 25 sites have electric hookup
The campground opens April 1- November 30
Pets must be leashed and not left unattended
Price is for one tent or trailer per site and six people per site. Additional people are $3.00 per person and a maximum of 10 people permitted.
Hot showers are available in the showerhouse and water is available at an outside faucet
Firewood $4.00/bundle
Ice $1.00/bag

Pinehill Campground.
When you want to go camping but don't have the time to hassle with a tent; think about reserving one of our cabins. We have heated cabins with private baths, ideal for couples or families. The cabins are secluded in the woods with a private picnic table and fire ring. AAA Inspected and Approved. Call 304-379-4612 for Reservations.

Travelin' TiVo

Now you can take your DVR anywhere with you. Pretty much all you need is this thing, a laptop, and WiFi.

10/30/06: There's a "second generation" now; looks more sporty, but it's still not Mac compatible.

Whistle While You Wipe

Feel free to buy me one of these for my birthday or Christmas.

A Comic Tragedy

9/11 in the format of a graphic novel.

My Cyborg Name

Create your name in Robot language.

Snakes on a Mutha Fu**in' Webpage

Snakes on any webpage you want.

A Real Dookified Day

Music Makes Your Brain Happy

Pretty cool article about the new research on how music affects the brain.

That Settles It

I'm going to Japan to get my next cell phone. This one's #1 on Fosfor's list of the "Top 10 Most Beautiful Cell Phones."

Driveway or Drive-thru?

In case you were wondering, it is environmentally safer to use a carwash than to wash your car at home. Or to solve the problem altogether, just get a car that's allergic to water like mine, and never wash it!

Accessories for the Eco-Minded

All products are made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through a network of fair trade partnerships around the world.

$96 Will Fill You Both Up

You wanna gas guzzler with them fries?

M&M's Make Paint for Inmate

Imagination equals freedom, even behind bars. Donny Johnson, who's serving three life sentences in Pelican Bay Prison, made paintings out of M&M dye and a paintbrush made of his own hair. He sold two of them for $500 each, until he was reprimanded by officials who will no longer allow him to mail the paintings to the host gallery. The money was being donated to charity.

Turning Spam Into Art

It's a screensaver that grows with every piece of spam you get. Cool

He's not panting, he's laughing!

A company called PeTalk now offers a digitally recorded CD of dogs laughing during play, which has been found to soothe shelter dogs into a calm silence. For more information on the Laughing Dog CD click here.

PeTalk will soon offer an electronic communication board that will allow pets to "talk" to their humans.

Can I shop there now?

Wal-Mart's still talking about their plans to embark on the biggest corporate greening in history. Here's the latest.

JEM Theme video

JEM and the holograms opening video cartoon.

Go Figure

Silent Bob's my kind of Christian. Click on the pic for NPR's Clerks II story. For more info,here's a less recent interview.

Jack's Audioblog

Painted Hands

Equalizer T-Shirt

This t-shirt's built-in, sound-sensitive graphic equalizer panel lights up to the beat of any music playing nearby.

R.I.P.

Click to hear my voice