Like a lot of people, we've been having trouble getting our hands on Obama lawn signs around here. All my friends have had the same problem (I don't know of one that has a lawn sign) and I met a guy at a party the other day who said he and his wife had donated about $600 worth of computer equipment and as they were dropping the stuff off at the Obama headquarters they asked of they could get a lawn sign. Nope. All sold out. I don't really mind this -- it's a good omen, really. Nor do I completely resent the $8 a sign they are charging -- although I hated like heck to ask for that money when I was door belling for whatisface -- Kerry. But still, even if we're in the bag for Obama, I want to be part of the movement -- or more accurately, I want my landscaping to be part of the movement.

Someone suggested I go to the Obama store for lawn signs, but I don't see any. I am kind of tempted by some of the goods in Runway for Change (although I was a little disappointed it doesn't have anything to do with Project Runway).

Others are making their own, too.

So, this Sunday, from 10 am until around 3, we're having a lawn-sign making thing at my house. I'm still not exactly sure of the materials -- I don't know if I can spring for enough plywood for everyone, and that seems like a bad use of resources for one season -- I'm going to try for a more recycled-materials approach. (On the other hand, I think I will have some plywood on hand for a few more-or-less timeless signs like, "Vote Democratic for peace and prosperity" -- like Dave's famous, "Lies, lies, lies" protest sign -- or is it, "They Lie"? I can't remember -- it's in his garage ready for anything, and it's very well made.)

I'm making it a gentle fund-raiser -- if people want to donate to Obama in exchange for making a sign, I'll have the means (a laptop) available.

We're offering to make some for friends who can't come, too, and I'll suggest a donation to the Obama campaign for that but of course will make ones for people either way. I have a request for "Mavericks for Obama" ("take that mccain - we're all mavericks") and I'm looking forward to that one.

I'll post some pictures after we're done and if you're in Portland (and still reading this blank space) and want to come, or want a lawn sign, let me know!

PS. Many thanks to Chris for upgrading my Moveable Type. Busyness, as well as a certain lack of faith in the interest / relevance of my own ideas was the reason I haven't blogged for so long, but it looks like I have some time on my hands and I'm really looking forward to it.

PPS. I don't know the guy in the video, but it's a pretty sweet sign!

Hurrah! Now I can enjoy my mom's honey, as well as her eggs.

More here. (By way of Dan Cohen's Digital Humanities Blog.)

In other news, I'm kind of tired of my own schtick. I'm not saying I'm giving up -- just that the "idea blog" seemed fun five years ago, and now I'm a little over myself. Maybe it has something to do with being depressed the last couple of years. Maybe I'm working too much. Or maybe it was the ideas that just got boring. ANYWAY -- if I don't do ideas, what DO I do? What do you do with the url, "Mary's Great Ideas" after the ideas are gone? No wonder I'm depressed! Maybe twitter will help.

My dissatisfaction with iTunes as a podcast manager makes me wonder how Panic's Audion would have handled them -- which I never used, but enjoyed reading about, and now wish I could use.

Since sleep is the new water, I better get busy! and have I mentioned to you that audio is the new video? (Also: wool is the new cotton - but that's another post).

Here are some things that look interesting -- although not necessarily sleep related (I say "look" instead of "sound" because I haven't actually listened to them yet).

(BTW, I'm getting more and more dissatisfied with how iTunes handles podcasts -- including, among other things, the fact that it's hard to link to them. I think they are due for an upgrade or some competition.)

The Smithsonian has several podcasts that look promising, especially the American Folkways collection podcast, co-produced with CKUA radio. Each episode is longish (an hour or so). Two bad it's only 24 episodes long!

You know, I like that old time stuff, so maybe I'll like the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour Podcast? eh ... after a 20 seconds listen, not so much. It's not old timey enough.

I'm not really what I consider a "Hawaii" person, but I still think I could get into this beachwalk podcast. And she agrees -- sleep is the new water (I also like the dog-action -- I could happily watch a video podcast of dog walks on the beach.)

I'm now getting tired, if not actually sleepy. I'm sad because all I've found are dopey new age relaxation music podcasts. I want more atmospheric stuff, not flutes. More field recordings like the framework field recording thing, but without any jarring metallic grinding sounds in the middle.

I'm going to give "Guided Relaxation (Garden)" a go of it -- I'm psyched about the "5 mins of cricket sounds at the end." Plus, it was "created as a New Year's gift during the oil crisis of 1973-4."

Good night!

I've been enjoying my subscription to Wholphin -- so much so that I started to get sad that I hadn't started it earlier. So I was happy to see a bunch of movies there on the site to view -- it's worth some clicking around.

Then I could recommend things like the maple-rosemary trout (it sounds gross but it was incredibly tasty) -- and while they're at it, they could make it so you could rate food and have a machine recommend foods for you. I think what's happening is, with all the choices in the world, we need technical help to develop and keep track of our own tastes. At least, I do. Too many choices means creating technologies to help us sort them all out.

This is one of many cases where I had an idea (last winter) failed to act on it (I was hoping to make one before I blogged) only to discover that the world has already acted by the time I got to blogging. So, hurrah! I don't have time to make them, anyway.

But you know, I'm not really that sporty. What I had in mind was a velcro-fastened wrap-around made out of colorful oilcloth. But after some clicking reading, what a sad thing it is to realize that oilcloth is no longer on the market and that what we now call oil cloth is PVC based. Ugh. No more cute tablecloths for me.

So now I want someone to manufacture real oil cloth, and then make rain skirts out of them.

In the meantime, when 2008 comes around, I'll order one of these rainskirts, assuming they come in sizes to fit the short and round.

I think someone should make modern (or even post-modern) cuckoo clocks with a lot of fancy animatronics. It looks easy, right?

It looks like you can get the internal parts on eBay. The first idea suggested the other day was to make one that looked like Nat coming out of a dark office with a glowing computer on the hour and saying, "get back to work!" not that he has a tendency to say things like that ... it's funny, but I can't really think of any Nat catch phrases. Maybe, "That's. Pretty. Awesome!" ? That would be encouraging -- to have someone say that to you every hour, right?

Maybe someone has made Personal Affirmations Cuckoo Clocks? They could say things like, "You're doing a great job!" or, "Keep up the good work!" or "You look fantastic!" or whatever every hour or even half hour, if you were especially insecure.

You can get some cuckoo clocks with other animals. Some modern-looking ones. But I'm not seeing cuckoo clocks with, like, a modern business man running for a bus or whatever cursing as he goes along.

But you know, right now, after all this clicking around, I don't want a postmodern cuckoo clock, I want a good old-fashioned one. Like a 22in Moving Wood Sawyers & Turning Waterwheel German Black Forest Cuckoo Clock 1 Day Musical -- doesn't somebody love me enough to get me a $700 cuckoo clock for Christmas? Or a 22in Moving Cute Girl & Deers, German Black Forest Cuckoo Clock 8 Day Musical Chalet (including hummel-esque figure). Or what about this one, the most beautiful cuckoo clock 2004?

Anyone? Anyone?

I wish I could go buy one in a shop.

Now that I think about it, what about a clock that looked like a slice of log? I'd like one of those, too.

I was thinking about animatronics because Chris Higgins made me watch this episode of the The Secret Life of Machines the other night, and I was intrigued by the discussion of irregular cogs (or whatever it was) used to make machine movements look more life-like. This guy Tim Hunkin seems to be some kind of genious.