paidContent.org: “One down, one to go for the next phase of resurrecting Ma Bell … the Justice Department has approved the $78.5 billion deal that would make BellSouth part of already massive AT&T…”

MAKE Magazine: “Here are some, er, interesting DIY costume ideas from Popular Science 1939”

MAKE Magazine: “CRAFT Instructable group member Honus posted up a clever/simple bat decoration”

Cool Tools: “I’ve owned and played professionally close to a hundred fine instruments in the 35 years I’ve been playing and I’ve ended up being something of an accidental Martin collector. When people ask me what they should buy for their first guitar, I tell them to go straight to their nearest authorized Martin dealer and get a OO-15 or an OM-15.”

Autoblog: “In the ‘Easily Amused’ category for today is this video of an unfortunate racer who loses an all-important component — a tire (or tyre, if you’re so inclined to use the British spelling). The wayward appendage put on quite a show for the cameras, bouncing without interrupting the rest of the race and then lands in just about the funniest place possible — play the video to check it out.”

This is my third straight year of supporting John Gruber’s [Daring Fireball](http://daringfireball.net/members) website. It’s a fantastic source of Apple and Macintosh news and analysis with heavier emphasis about developer and technical issues. John’s Fireballs are well written and insightful and very balanced. It has replaced MacInTouch (no link on purpose) as my primary source of Apple and Macintosh news.

Thanks John!

Kerner on Food: “What is Cake Day you ask? It’s the fourth Saturday in September and it serves as an excuse to bake a cake. This isn’t just any cake though, it’s an excuse to bake an exceptional cake – decorated to the best of your abilities.”

Since I’m tired and not much in the mood to write a long post, I’ll make this short. I started a new job earlier this month and that’s a good thing. It’s the right job and it looks like the right company for me. They understand the value of knowledge and they have high standards with respect to customers and products alike.

That explains why I haven’t written much original content lately. My brain has been empty, used up with the excitement of a new job and it’s corresponding challenges. I love working in a technical field but best of all, I’m working with technical *people* that push me to think harder, faster, and more creatively than I have in probably five years.

More later. Watch for a few smoker postings this weekend while I tackle Karen’s Ham Loaf. Yum!

ken-jennings.com: “Here’s a little quiz I’ve been meaning to post. I recently stumbled on the website of an author named Chris Epting, whose next book will include modern re-creations of famous rock album covers. Specifically, he’s taking photos of the locations from classic album cover photos. (These would be even more interesting if he’d tried to duplicate lighting, angle, etc. in all cases, but they’re still great.)”

bbum’s weblog-o-mat: “If it is assembled correctly, the lettuce will act as a gasket between the two halves. This is the critical detail.”