July seems to be a traditionally busy month for the Collective. It was four years ago this month that we (well, Sarah) started blogging (I know this because the original Smelltone blog is still out there, gathering dust). In November of that same year, we moved the blog to our own site, and there it has remained ever since (not counting a migration from Greymatter to Movable Type and from our "free with ISP" page to a formally hosted one).

I have sometimes toyed with the idea of a minimalist news site, one that only tells you the news that you really need to know, and only updates you when there is actual new news. But since most people I know are habitual news trawlers, I don’t think it would be for anyone but me, and since I would have to do significant news checking to make the site, it would mean I was reading more news than my minimum daily allowance. Instead of that, here are a few sites that allow you to skip a lot of cruft if you wish to.

Regional Public Information Network
All of the Puget Sound area government organizations that tell you when some urgent event needs your attention, all in one place.

Newseum’s Front Pages
The Newseum collects just the front page from papers arount the world, a quick way to see what the top one or two stories are in any given area, with the nice option of visually averaging out how important a story is globally. Takes some poking around to get the region you want.

Wikipedia Main Page
Wikipedia gives you links to articles related to what’s in the news, an assortment of randomly selected information, today’s holidays and anniversaries and links to a more exhaustive list of same.

Hey! Report that dead bird (in King County, at any rate) to the Public Health Department in a surprisingly detailed form.

Facilities replaced a bunch of lights at work, at the request of some higher ups who thought the old lights made it a bit dim and dreary here (they were right). Unfortunately, the new bright lights make the ratty carpet and worn desks that much more apparent. Oh well.

You should totally read Jason’s essay on various Georges.

Start the countdown to a House, M.D. episode featuring Mothball Huffing.

Maybe it was just because we were strangers, but, for being the 4th happiest population, Icelanders sure weren’t very personable. Or maybe I’m simply in error imagining that happy people are personable.
Update: See the Original data (and an interactive map if you’re running Flash).

Today I saw a kid with a snake painted across his face, though it was a rather simple snake: at first I thought someone had just drawn a line across his face with a fat-tipped dark green marker. But then I saw the little red tongue sticking out of one end (the “business” end?). I was reminded of John Candy’s SCTV character, Harry, the Man with the Snake on His Face. His snake was more elaborate, though.

Here at FP, we do science so you don’t have to!

Experiment 1, Field: Economics.
Can you pay for purchases at the Fred Meyer self-serve checkout only using pennies?
Answer: sort of. I got through $2.00 in pennies (buying a soaker hose, toothpaste and two baking pans) when the attendant asked if I was really going to pay with all those pennies. I indicated that I was. She suggested that I just give her the rolled pennies, since putting them in one at a time would take all day (a good inference, since it was taking quite a while to feed in all those pennies). So she took the rolled pennies and credited them to my purchase. I paid for the rest with paper money. My recommendation is to only buy small things with pennies, and avoid any time when there is a line.

Experiment 2, Field: Physics
Can you make an air conditioner with a fan and some ice?
Answer: yes! I used an Archie McPhee Sumo Fan and a metal mixing bowl filled with ice cubes. I placed one before the other, and turned the fan on. I was immediately more comfortable.

A frequent contributor to Fortean Times, the Mary Evans Picture Library is pretty darn cool.