Look Before You Litigate!

New Math Geography.

Here's something to ponder.

Nearly every day, the twirling globe widget on the sidebar records a visitor from yet another country. It's now up to 229 countries. So, as I was changing the header, yet again, I wondered aloud to Margaret, "How many countries are there?" She said, "Good question, why don't you Google it". So I did.

195 is the answer. Hmmmm.

I think the discrepancy can be explained in the last paragraph:

"However...
Recognize that there are dozens of territories and colonies that are sometimes erroneously called "countries" but don't count at all - they're governed by other countries. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England - they're not fully independent countries, states, or nation-states)."

So, I'll be changing the header to better reflect the reality.
Unfortunately, I don't know all the countries and territories that are
represented there, as it only lists the 30 most popular. The rest are all
bundled under "Other countries". Whoever they are, 229 is still a lot!

Convenience... At a Price, Of Course.

As we left the lure coursing trial in Hutto, TX last Sunday, I decided I wanted to avoid the usual glut of traffic we would encounter on US79 and I35. Bad nearly all the time, it's worse on Sunday afternoons and Fridays. I hopped on the toll road (130). This was only the second time we've traveled this highway, because the first time we were put off by paying $4.50 for a roughly 6 mile trip. This time, however, we weren't pulling the car, and we would be going about 20 miles or so. The nice thing about the toll roads is that Texans rarely use them, so traffic is very light.

As we approached the toll plaza, I noticed that in addition to the "TXTag" lane, (a prepaid option, similar to that used on toll roads all over the country), there was also a sign for "Pay by Mail". That's different, I thought. I wondered how that worked. Could it be as simple as it sounds? Camera takes a picture of your plate and mails you a bill? So, when we paid the lady in the toll booth I asked. And that's exactly how it works.

What a great idea, even though there's a dollar charge added to the bill. I use almost that much in gas to slow and stop, then idle while we exchange cash (an item we're occasionally low on) for a receipt, then have to accelerate back to freeway speeds. What convenience to just.. keep.. going. I like it. Wish they did that in Chicago, and Oklahoma, among other places.

Outtakes.

By now you've all seen the viral video of Governor Palin pardoning a turkey while other turkeys are being whacked in the background. But have you seen the outtakes? SlateV has them here.

We Hit the Big Time

When you blog, at least on the level that we here at the old Hare-Brained Express Tour blog, you expect to be read by your friends, acquaintances, customers, family, (I'm not sure even my family reads this... maybe Margaret's does), and that's about it. We get visited to the tune of around 30 visitors a day.

Then you write something like my satellite radio rant the other day, and suddenly you get linked by Rolling Stone online. Yeah... that Rolling Stone. How cool is that?

I bet that's never happened to Patrick... or Steve... or.. or.. Todd. :-)

"Clown Face"

Another image from our "Summer Vacation". We've already posted a picture of the largest bird we saw at Pinnacles National Monument. Here are some smaller, but no less unique birds.

These are Acorn Woodpeckers. Quite tame, so they posed patiently for the cameras. Note the "clown face".

Team Beige at the Shore.

Specifically, Cayucos, CA on Estero Bay... a short drive from Paso Robles. This is the beginnig of where we start catching up on image postings. There's a new slide show of great "beach sport" on the sidebar. Don't miss the UFO!

And while I'm mentioning new stuff on the blog, here's a few more things of note:

• "Reactions" ... these are the boxes at the bottom of each post. If you're too shy to comment, or too lazy, just tick an appropriate box. Lets us know we're on the right track, blogwise.
• "Comments"... are now embedded in the post. No need to open a new window.
• "Follow"... this is for bloggers. Allows you to follow your favorite blog. Located on the sidebar, you can see we now have 5 "followers". Find the edit tools on your Blogger dashboard.
• "Subscribe"... other ways to keep track of this blog.. by email or, more commonly, in a "reader". Click through for information.
• Worldwide... we've now been visited from 224 countries!
• "Library Thing"... it's been there a while, but I don't think we've mentioned it. Just a fun widget that helps you keep track of the books on your shelf. Click on it and see what I've (Dan only) been reading. See if you can detect any patterns :)