Pop Stopper: It's sounds like one of those adult sites, but it's not. The weblog Technoerotica has done the world a great service by posting a set of links to where you can "opt-out" of those annoying pop-up ads. In case you didn't know, it is possible to stop all those X-10 and World's Largest Casino ads. The links here will give you instructions.

In the Interest of Safety: I once knew someone who was a solid environmentally concerned citizen. I naturally assumed she would hate those gaudy, gas-guzzling SUVs, so I was suprised when I found out she drove one. When I asked, she said, "It's OK, I just drive it for safety." Alrighty.

I'm not a big fan of SUVs - not for environmental reasons, but just that it's imposssible to see around them when you're pulling out into traffic. Coming out of Meijer's, and seeing my car surrounded by a pair of Chevy Tahoes can induce a cursing fit worthy of the father in A Christmas Story.

So I may buy an SUV. In fact, I may buy a Maximog, just to show them I am not to be trifled with. They will respect me. They will fear me.

For safety's sake.

Space Bugs: We often hear that there was the Age of Dinosaurs and now we live in the Age of Mammals or the Age of Man. All wrong. It has always been the Age of Bacteria, and probably always will be. Bacteria is everywhere, it covers everthing we see or touch or think about. I never realized how much this was true until I read this article about how bacteria left over from the Apollo missions has survived on the Moon. Amazing little creatures.

If anything ever does overtake bacteria, it might be the descendents of the Flying Robot Insects we are planning to send to Mars. The Martians may want to bone up on their Sci-Fi novels in preperation for the invasion.