The Transfăgărăşan, Romania. Photo taken by Tom Robinson. jmj

Ahh... some good ol' cheat sheets for the city folk. tjc

I haven't even started to read this new Malcolm Gladwell piece for the New Yorker but I'm sure it's great. It asks why genius is expected to an early arrival. I think it shadows his new book coming up, Outliers. Also from the New Yorker, Surowiecki says we need trust to lend. Right now, no trust. tjc

Apparently North Korea is being let off the hook. jmj

If you're an American history nut and you loved the movie Sin City, go get the graphic novel version of the U.S. Constitution. tjc

McSweeney's Lists: "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in My Spam Box." tjc

Ringo Starr told his fans via video on his website that he will no longer sign memorabilia for fans and will throw away all fan mail because he is "too busy". I didn't know that he still had a following to tell you the truth. jmj

In case you didn't notice, the NHL started its season. It's news to me! jmj

Nine swimmers entered the water off the coast of San Deigo on the morning of April 25, 2008. Newcomer to the weekly Friday morning swim, Laurene Booth, fell into a nice rhythm and found herself swimming comfortably along side Dave Martin. As a result she was the first on the scene and held his bleeding body afloat after a Great White attacked. By the time his body was taken to shore it was too late. Dave Martin passed away as a reault of the shark attack. Being a swimmer, this story brings about a little anxiousness and fear just reading it. Living through it and after it as Laurene and the seven others have had to do has been no easy task. eab

Kottke, today, linked to The Muji Chronotebook - an amazingly simple development in the world of daily pocket planners. For anyone who still relies on the pen and paper approach to keep track of their day to day lives, as I do, this certainly is an exciting day! I ordered a set of 4 this morning and feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa. You can have your i-Phone, I'll take my Chronotebook! And it's pretty damn cheap too. Here is the Muji site. And if you are interested in ordering, call their SOHO location directly.eab

The Sidewalk to Nowhere. You can't really hear what the Obama supporters are saying but the hatred and venom spewing from the mouths of the McCain supporters is striking. eab