Between Meal Snack: I have to get my Los Angeles essay done, and then I'm thinking about an article on how to fix the airlines, or how not to. In the mean time here're some time passers.

• Two more folks responded to my plea for Business as Usual reviews on bookstore sites (Why don't you?); this time at Barnes & Noble. And I don’t know how Apple Pie got selected under Religion & Spirituality at this site, but I'll take it.


• Great and insightful lecture from Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park, et. al.) on the casual misunderstanding and outright abuse of science and the scientific process. I'm glad he was brave enough to point out what a snake-oil salesman Carl Sagan was.


• Speaking of misinterpreted science: Mad Cow Disease is primed to be the new SARS. Before you turn vegan, try to keep it in perspective. More.


• Ads you will not see in the US. We had some fun with the Rube Goldberg-like Honda ad earlier in the year, but frankly, I'm happy to miss some of these. To wit the one with "an overweight, useless parent who uses a sausage and a beer glass to illustrate the facts of life."


• "Welcome to Die screaming with sharp things in your head, our collection of impaled garden gnomes." Words fail me.


• Some good surfing courtesy of Yahoo. And you can now do a blog search courtesy of Blogarama.


• After seeing this I have decided my next book will be titled An Idiot's Guide to For Dummies books.