I saw The Holy Modal Rounders at a bar in Vermont a long time ago. I bought their album and I still have it. 'New Amphetemine Shriek' is my favorite.

Sheldon Brown rules. I bought my bike from his shop, a Surly Cross-Check. It's scary fast on dirt roads, and pretty nice on the highway, too. I use my beater in town to run errands.

Ignore jwz. Stay off the sidewalk, fix your own flats. Get a sweet ride and go really fast. It IS worth it. What did you spend on your car? Your computer? Please!

Check out Sheldon Brown's site. He was a great man and he will be missed.

Futurama, Mars Day episode.

Screw the article, screw the headline. Read the bill itself before drawing any conclusions.

It's totally creepy!!! Read it!!! Ob my God!!!

I've seen German half-liter beer glasses with that same little CE mark in the store for a lot less than $7. I think perhaps the Germans are also quite capable of determining the volume of a beer glass to the required degree of precision.

With all of the terrible things happening in the world, it's good to know that people take great care to ensure the accuracy of the markings on their beer glasses.

Wine drinkers are apparently not so obsessed with an accurate pour; you don't hear about drives to standardize the size of wine glasses.

Stripping goods damaged in shipment for parts is nothing new. Happens all the time. This is what the 'grey market' is all about. It is well understood by all that these are not OEM parts, that there are potential issues, etc. The cut-rate prices of these such reflect their lack of OEM heritage. It's really just another form of recycling.

In the grocery business, the manufacturers are quite insistent that only undamaged merchandise is seen by the public. They often require (as part of the sales contract) that distributors and retailers set damaged goods aside, and they reimburse in full for all related costs. The manufacturers send inspectors into the stores to make sure the products are not damaged. Image is all important for retail, everyone knows that.

These cars can be stripped down and sold as parts. Such parts are often marked in some way to indicate that they are not the same as original new factory parts. The parts are easily inspectable for damage. As any car thief will tell you, they are worth more as parts than as assembled cars.

Bare feet are for bare ground. You need shoes to walk on manufactured surfaces. I love walking barefoot outside in the grass, but I gotta wear shoes on floors or pavement, otherwise my feet hurt.