More and more I think a Golf TDI is in my future. I found a resource that, if it is to be believed, is very convincing:

The Volkswagen Golf TDI (Turbo Diesel) is one of the most fuel efficient cars sold in America and one of the most popular cars in Europe. I own a 2002 Golf TDI, and this page chronicles some of my experiences and impressions of this vehicle.

[ VW Golf TDI Review, Long Term Road Test, Biodiesel Information ]

My needs for a vehicle are fuel efficiency, enjoyable to drive, flexible for cargo hauls, and big enough for my family. The Golf TDI fits all of those needs, and with the exact same body as my GTI, the only question remains is it peppy and fun to drive? From what I've read, yes it is. Oh, and in our post-apocalyptic future, I would be able to run my car on vegetable oil, that's pretty cool...

Sometimes a convergence of ideas and technologies come together to form something that is greater than anyone could have every imagined. This is just such a case.

Wedding Crashers Movie Preview (featuring Spongebob Squarepants)

Props: Gibson

Perhaps just come up with better guides. It took me close to 20 minutes to find any sort of site/page that had a decent explanation of forged email headers/addresses geared toward the non-technical.

e-mail forgery is easy-to-do and not unusual, and, at this point-in-time, little can be done about it

[ MFCF/CSCF Frequently Asked Questions: Dealing with Email Forgery ]

First, props to U Waterloo, I should have just checked the Canadian internets to begin with.

Second, if you are in a position to hire, make sure you hire good IT staff. Don't skimp. Really.

Third, if you are responsible for sending spam, shame on you.

I hope this one lives up to the hype in my head:

YOU ARE JOHN RAIMI, a disease-control agent with the federal government, temporarily assigned to an elite counterterrorism unit. The mission: Infiltrate the Volks Corporation in southern France and extract a sample of a mysterious biological agent. But as you creep through Volks's labyrinthine corridors, unraveling the secrets of the bioweapons program, the mission takes a horrific turn. Captured by Volks security and subjected to the corporation's gruesome experiments, your soul is wrenched from your body...

[ Geist for Nintendo GameCube ]

I haven't been playing much lately, I guess that most of my list just isn't very compelling. Zelda will be out soon, but man cannot live on Zelda alone.

...for crabs.

Obrycki's is located on land that was part of the original William Fell estate, in the area known as historic Fells Point. The corner building at 1729 East Pratt Street was built in 1851 and the adjoining building was built the following year.

[ Obrycki's - Steamed Crabs and Crab Cakes our Specialty ]

I've never been to Obrycki's, but I've heard through the family grapevine that there is no better place in B'more for steamed hard shell blue crabs. And, of course, there is no place in the world that could possibly make better crabs than Baltimore... TravelLady disagree, however. TravelLady also points out the surprise that Bohager's does crabs (though they might be closed), and I think that is quite the surprise. I see that Ocean Pride is in Lutherville, near my Aunt's place, so perhaps I should head for there instead...

Update: Done

The Internet is bigger:

Third Degree - "intense interrogation by police," 1900, probably a reference to Third Degree of master mason in Freemasonry (1772), the conferring of which included an interrogation ceremony.

[ Online Etymology Dictionary ]

Seriously, where would I have gone 15 years ago to research the things that I can investigate so quickly now?

I've finally eaten at the 24 hour restaurant on Little River Turnpike that has been calling to me. The name is displayed, along with an illustration of a little man in a big hat drinking soup from a bowl, but it's in Korean so I never knew the name of the place. 정선달 apparently means Jung Sun Dal, though I don't know what that means.

Not only is the sign in Korean, but practically everything inside is in Korean too. And, as far as I can tell, no one working in the place speaks any English. The menu, printed on the place-mats, does have rough translations of most of the menu, and Yaty decided to go with the "vegetables, beef, egg, and rice" because she couldn't tell which items was Bibim Bap. To her surprise the waitress said just that, so I ordered the same. Only $6.95 a bowl, and it comes with a big bowl of miso soup too, what a bargain.

The place seems to be "homestyle Korean" and does have a bit more pork on the menu than I care for, but the waitress does understand "no pork" so it's all good. I'm not sure what to rate it, as it's only the 3rd Korean restaurant I've ever eaten at in my life, and I'm still not sure I understand Korean food.

Welcome home STS-114.

Space Shuttle Discovery touched down this morning at Edwards Air Force Base in California to successfully conclude NASA's Return to Flight Mission. STS-114 was the first Shuttle mission to fly since the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and the STS-107 crew on Feb. 1, 2003.

[NASA - Return to Flight ]

Perhaps a lofty name, perhaps a lofty ideal:

We hope that in taking this journey, through the taste of Nirvana, your soul, and stomach, will be alleviated from the pressures of daily life.

[Nirvana ]

Yummy buffet, though

Wikipedia.

Contrary to popular belief, Coca-Cola Zero is not a new product. The same blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium along with the Coca-Cola Classic formula has been available for quite some time in many European countries which were never exposed to New Coke. Commonly called Coca-Cola Light or Coca Light in Europe, the Coca-Cola Zero formula is identical that used in foreign countries.

[ Coca-Cola Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

And, apparently, Nate's drink of choice.

There must be some way to work the system...

The District of Columbia will offer a Sales Tax Holiday from Saturday, August 6, 2005, through Sunday, August 14, 2005 – just in time for back-to-school shopping

[ Office of Tax and Revenue: Press Release - July 20, 2005 ]

Granted, in theory, as a resident of Virginia, I am required to track all of my purchases that are not taxed by another state, and pay tax to the state of Virginia at the end of the year. So, technically, this does me no good what-so-ever. Plus Iman is already back in school...

Forget the iPod, Apple's new mouse is hot. Period.

At $49, Mighty Mouse features the revolutionary Scroll Ball that lets you move anywhere inside a document, without lifting a finger. And with touch-sensitive technology concealed under the seamless top shell, you get the programability of a four-button mouse in a single-button design.

[ Apple - Mighty Mouse ]

Priced right, packed with features, I wonder what the wireless version will cost...

Props to Sajous

Afghanistan is not part of Iraq!

...mentioning that the U.S. talked about bringing troops home from Iraq in 2006, despite my constant corrections that I was actually in a different country with a different name, to wit Afghanistan.

[ Paravonia ]

And drunk ladies hanging out at bars don't know much about current events...

Props to Karol