A $27 million catastrophe

In 1740, Commodore George Anson of the Royal Navy left Portsmouth in command of seven ships and 2,000 men, beginning a journey that would become the navy’s first circumnavigation of the globe. Of those 2,000 sailors and marines, 1,400 died during the voyage,...

Bring out your dead! (Clang)

A little while ago Gary posted a blog about Wal Mart, and the general point of the piece was that people who shop at Wal Mart are typically overweight and undercultured. Also, they dress poorly and they’re so out of shape that they circle the parking lot for...

A good walk (not) spoiled – a photo blog

Since I was 25 or so I’ve this goal regarding my writing career–I want to make enough money from my work that I can comfortably afford to treat my dad and two of my longtime golf buddies to a golf weekend on the Monterey Peninsula. We would play The Links...

From This High Up, He Said, People Look Like Ants

Viewed from an altitude of 37,000 feet, the Earth looks a lot different than our everyday experience. The majestic Rockies are a bumpy patch of acne. Mighty rivers look like static, crooked lines. Teeming cities become their smoggy, Google Earth counterparts. We build...

The March of the Dreaded Zultons – Part 1 of 2

In the late 1940s, musician Les Paul began experimenting with a machine that allowed him to record himself playing music, and later record another track while listening to the first. In 1947 he released “Lover (When You’re Near Me)”, a song that...