Drive Through Church

Orlando, Flordia

Daytona Beach Disciples of Christ
3140 South Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118 MAP

At the Daytona Drive in Church, in Florida, Christians don't even have to get out of the car. Reverend Larry G. Deitch delivers a sermon from a balcony to the church goers at the parking lot.

This drive-in Christian Church is a converted drive-in movie theatre in Daytona Beach. The minister delivers his message from a high balcony just below where the movie screen once hung.
According to National Catholic Reporter, the congregation attracts an average of 700 people every week. To hear the service, worshipers must tune 88.5 FM.

Covered Bridges

China

Chengyang Bridge (Wind and Rain Bridge)
The wind and rain bridges were a type of bridge built by the Dong people (a minority ethnic group) in China. Because they live in the lowlands and the valleys with many rivers, the Dong people are excellent bridge builders. They are called "wind and rain" bridges because the covered bridges not only let people cross the river, but also protect them from the elements.
The Dong people don’t use nails or rivets to build these bridges - instead, they dovetail all of the wood. The largest and most magnificent is the Chenyang Bridge, spanning the Linxi River near the Dong village of Maan. The bridge is about 100 years old, and like all wind and rain bridges, it was built without a single nail.

Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, also called Yongji Bridge or Panlong Bridge, spans the Linxi River of Sanjiang County. Built in 1916, it is 64.4 meters (73.43 yards) long, 3.4 metes (3.72 yards) wide and 10.6 meters (34.78 feet) high. Constructed with wood and stones, the surface of the bridge is paved with wooden boards and both sides are inlayed with railings. On the bridge itself, there are five tower-like kiosks with 'horns' and eaves which resemble the flapping wings of birds.

Walking out onto the bridge, you can sit on the bench and appreciate the picturesque scenery. Looking far ahead, you will be intoxicated with what you see: the Linxi River meandering from the horizon; tea trees growing on the hills; local peasants working hard in the fields; and waterwheels turning, sending water cascading down the river.

Dong stockade village near Chengyang Wind and Rain BridgeMany visitors like to spend time here enjoying the perfect pastoral life and to experience the customs of the Dong people. There are eight famous stockade villages here that offer a peek into the Dong's life and customs. They are Ma'an, Pingzhai, Yanzhai, Chengyang-Dazhai, Pingpu, Pingtan, Jichang and Guandong.

Accommodation: Near the bridge, there are several hostels. If you want to have a spectacular view of the charming scenery, you may want to stay in the Drum Tower Folk Hostel built on the hill.

Badminton Meals

Los Angeles, CA

Bebe’s Cafe
Olympic Training Town, 1432 N Main St, Orange, CA MAP
(714) 639-5400



The sport may be understated, but badminton has a heck of a following in this town. The sport's Olympians train at the Orange County Badminton Club, a 77,000-square-foot building that manages to combine Thai food, lobster tails, state-of-the-art facilities and a catalog-printing center.


If you've ever wanted to know who won the 1982 Orange County Open, here is your chance to peruse. Also, if a tourney is going on, connecting windows allow you to "eat and watch." While the Thai Fusion menu is limited and taste/quality isn’t great, it’s said to be good, and with good atmosphere… especially if there’s a tournament.

Murphy Mail

Say you’re on travel and you forgot to bring along your critical file. What to do? You have several options (virtual desktop, remote desktop, call someone, etc). Now we have another option. Murphy Mail!

With Murphy Mail you just email your home computer the path and filename to what you want, and it will generate a respond email with the attached file. Wahoo! Granted it needs your home computer to be on… or periodically unsleep itself to run a few rule macros, but it's a quite fascinating option.

Murphy Mail requires use of Mail.app and works only with Macs email client.

However, Windows users can use Shantz Macro for outlook to accomplish the same thing.

Geeky Applications:

• Great way for remote desktop access from anything Internet enabled
• Easily configurable to plant on a friends computer to send pre-form emails at your will, or even execute programs
  

Pros:

• Never really have to remember to bring files along

Cons:

• Requires computer to be on and you to remember paths and filenames
• Very limited functionality when compared to other full featured remote-desktop options
  

I believe both of these could be made much cooler if they exploited the "wake on LAN" feature through a ping to the IP address. And then allowed you to get some DOS-esque directory search features because who actually remembers directory/filename info?

Living on the edge

Victoria Falls
Livinstone (Maramba), Zambia

General Overview
Nature is particularly boring, but danger is not. Victoria Falls sits between Zambia and Zimbabwe, which makes it quite adventures to get to in the first place. But once you’re there, you can be immerse yourself in a amazing sight, twice as tall as Niagara Falls and several times longer.

But sheer size and volume of rushing water isn’t enough to draw attention, no. Between September and December (low water levels) you can swim to the edge of the world, and wade about in Devils Pool, a reasonably current free natural pool close enough to the edge to hang yourself over. Surprisingly dangerous yet safe enough kids regularly wade through.

My Opinion:
I hear touring Africa only costs about $10/day. If I could get myself to the continent, I’d certainly mock death.

Readers Opinons:

I really haz can cheezburger

I’m not sure how to classify this. Is it a travel gadget or a travel tool or a tip? Whatever it is, yes, it really is a cheeseburger in a can! It defies categorization. And I am simply stunned at how good that burger looks when it comes straight out of a can.

I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to feel about this thing: Are we witnessing the downfall of humanity or its crowning achievement? I do believe it indicates that we are in the future.

Now 4 Euro does seem an awful lot to pay for a burger, but that’s only because of an unfavorable exchange rate. That said, the cheeseburger-in-a-can comes from Trekking-Mahlzeiten, a an 80 year old company that, ironically, provides food to Special Ops, extreme adventure athletes, and international relief organizations.

In any case, a guy online bought one and ate it to appease mass curiosity. His verdict:
“I'm not sick and I say I would eat this thing again if it weren't so expensive.
And I really must say that this probably is faaaar better when you're many kilometers away from civilization on top of some mountain and you can whip out a cheeseburger with nearly the same quality as a McDonald's cheeseburger while your friend eats dry bread or power bars.”

Keep in mind you're not supposed to look inside a McDonald's burger either

Overall the opinion was that the bottom bun was a little soggy, probably due to a cooking error, and that the overall taste was a little bland. He cooked it in a boiling pot of water for about 10 minutes, popped the top and munched away. Pretty straight forward instructions… and you could add a little class and celebration by reconstituting some dehydrated red wine!



The future ROCKS!

Treehouse

San Francisco, CA

Blackthorne Inn
266 Vallejo Avenue, Inverness, California 94937 MAP
(415) 663-8621

General Overview:
From what I gather, Blackthorne Inn is probably the closest thing to being in Myst I’ll probably get to experience. While there are several themed rooms available, the one I’m focused on here is the Eagles Nest.


Blackthorne itself is a rustic bed and breakfast, designed much like a giant elegant treehouse. I don’t have much specific to say other than that. The Eagles Nest is a quaint octagonal room, accessible by catwalk, with a private hot tub, nestled at treetop height for unobstructed views of the trees, the moon, and other things nature. It strikes me as being very surreal in the proper weather and company.


My opinion:
It seems more a novelty, but I don't have California money or expectations.

Readers Opinions:

Bed Rock

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Kokopellis Cave Bed & Breakfast
3204 Crestridge Drive, Farmington NM 87401
505-326-2461

General Overview
This 1600 square foot one-room hotel was carved from a river which, surprisingly, left behind plush carpeting, kitchen, and a jacuzzi. Nature sure is neat! Actually that’s a lie. The hole was dynamited out as a personal home and later converted.


The naturalness of the Kokopellis Cave B&B is what’s really appealing. Wildlife, remote location, and a balcony 300 ft high from overlooking a river, and southwest sunsets covering the four-states region.


Now, I’m not a hiker, but I imagine this place isn’t built to be easily accessible. A 4wd would probably be helpful to actually get to the room, and packing heavy probably isn’t a good idea. However, the insideness of being outdoors is quite appealing. Probably a must if you’re building an outdoor vacation.

My opinion:
Hiking, trekking and spelunking are cheap vacations (walking is free), so offset those savings and live better than in a tent. I like the wilderness, but I don't want to be surrounded by it.

Readers Opinions:

Sleeping with the fish

The Keys, Flordia

Jules Underwater Lodge
51 Shoreland Dr, Key Largo, FL 33037 MAP
305-451-2353


General Overview

When it comes to unique, Jules has it made. As one the only option in the US, and one of the few in the world, this hotel offers you a unique perspective on shuteye.

Located 30 feet underwater, just to enter you must scuba dive to your undersea cottage. Not short on creature comforts, it has hot showers, a stocked kitchen, TVs and beds under portals to watch the fish. Still more interesting, the room service menu consists of lobster or steak, delivered by a mer-chef who dives to the hotel and delivers the meal.


My opinions:
I’m not scuba certified, but since the hotel offers it, it makes things more appealing. While the murky gulf coast waters may not be the most ideal for fish watching, it may offer a better alternative to the areas high end land hotels.

Readers Opinion:

Crazy Hotel

Berlin, Germany

Propeller Island City Lodge
Albrecht Achilles Str. 58
10709 Berlin, Germany
891 90 16


General Overview:

Propeller Island City Lodge nails it as both a destination and as a comfortable place to sleep, especially if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live life upside down.



This Berlin hotel is beyond unique, bordering on bizarre, which makes things all that more flavorful. Each of the 30 rooms are designed around a unique theme, some overwhelmingly graphic, others parodically minimalist, and others feel a bit like a psychology experiment. Coffins for beds, potato sacks for pillows, jail cell you have to break out of in the morning, and the upside-down room where the furniture is attached to the ceiling and you sleep in compartments beneath the bed. Clearly this is a stay for the experience, not for the traditionalists.

My Opinion:
If I'm touring with the mentality to spend more time in a hotel room than the hours unconscious and sleeping, I'd spring for the ~$200/night costs.

Readers Opinion:

Dining Dilbert

San Francisco, California

Staceys Café
310 Main St, Pleasanton CA 94566 MAP
925-461-3113

Staceys Café
4500 Tassajara Rd Suite C, Dublin CA 94568 MAP
925-551-8325


General Overview

I’m against celebrity establishments. Too frequently do investors lure the dimwitted pop personalities into getting involved in things they have no business. Britnney Spears’ “NYLA?” Toby Keiths “I Love this Bar & Grill?” Planet Hollywood? Sigh. So what about this quaint little place owned by Dilbert’s own Scott Adams. Dilbert has a tie that curls upwards. And he’s a geek icon. He’s exempt.


Sure I love the comic, but you won’t find much mention or hints of it at Staceys, which is actually why I consider it exempt. Much to his chagrins, the restaurant is having trouble, forcing him to publicly ask for suggestions to improve business traffic. But without theme-ing it up. Kudos in my book. In that light, Stacey’s has more in common with an upscale Palo Alto restaurant. About the only comedic influence is a menu with quirky remarks. Otherwise it positions itself in the moderately priced candle-lit romance category. The menu is typical Californian.


Recommended dishes:
Sweet House Salad
Gorgonzola Filet
Pancetta Wrapped Chicken Picatta & shallots
Chicken Breast Sandwich
Bread Pudding
Cheesecake

Not Recommended:
Fondue
Artichoke Spinach Dip


Cost 20-30
Service ?
Food ?
Variety ?
Ambiance ?
Experience ?
Overall ?


My opinions: I definately will be heading over here if I'm within an hours drive. It may be upscale and it may be out of the way, but I advocate local business. And there's a possibility of running across Adams himself.


Readers Opinions

Moon Trees

Locations nationwide
Moon Trees


General Overview:
Ever been jealous of a tree? Unlikely, but you’ve never met a moon tree. They look like normal trees, but they think they’re better than you.

Every NASA trip to the Moon there was an unlucky fellow who got stuck in the craft as the guys walked around on the Moon. On Apollo 14 it was Alan Shepard, former US Forest Service smoke jumper. With him he carried a pouch of tree seeds as part of, from I can only presume, a study to see if baby trees get space dementia.


In any case, while the intended study wound up being a failure, the seeds returned to Earth and were planted around the US. These trees have all survived and are adorned with signage.

My opinions: I probably wouldn't go more than 30 minutes out of my way to visit one, but I'm also not a NASA junkie.

Reader Opinions:

Eye-Fi

I don’t actually own this. Yet.

That being said, this thing looks fascinating. An illustration of the future that you can buy today. And a pretty impressive feat of technology too.

Eye-Fi is an SD card with a catch. Squeezed in somehow is an 802.11b transmitter which will wirelessly upload your photos to Flickr and other photo sharing sites. Auto-magically.

Yes.

It works like any other SD card. But whenever you get in range of your preconfigured network router, the card will access your computer, wirelessly download the photos to your PC and then upload them to your specified site. Quite the impressive feat, and while I hear it does it very well, I’ve never personally seen or experienced it, and I’m sure there are probably quirks. One thing I do know is that (as of now) it wont erase the photos off the card after they’ve been transferred to the PC, but that’s just a software tweak (hackers anyone). At that point I’d call this thing revolutionary since it would basically become an “unlimited memory card.”


Geeky Applications:

• Even more convenient avenue for attention whore photo sharing!
• You can take photos at an event and have them project on a wall for instant sharing.

Pros:

• When in range of an approved network, will being wireless transfer
• Also functions as a normal SD card when out of range
• Potential

Cons:

• Only SD, only transmits JPGs, and only works in cameras. However you can put it into an SD to compact flash converter resulting in reduced range
• Uses cameras battery an unquantified “slight” amount
• Only works on a preconfigured laptop+router, does not work ad hoc or on open networks
• At the moment $100 for a 2gb… which equals 15gb of normal SD cards

Decent Competitive Alternative:

• None that I'm aware of
  

Art for the Gamers

Los Angeles, California
San Francisco California

Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles CA 90038 MAP
323-937-7088

Gallery 1988
1173 Sutter St, San Francisco CA 94109 MAP
415-409-1376

General Overview:


The local art scene is not something high on any geeks priority, but Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight is more than just a gallery. It’s an artistic homage to our culture. Geek.

Gallery 1988 features art inspired by or reconceptualized from important pop culture subjects relevant to the geek. New shows occur monthly, but previous topics have included such things as: old school video games, comics, and cartoons.

I won’t try to sell the importance of culture, but examples of what usually shows up are :














































My Opinions:

Reader Opinions:

WonderWorks

Orlando, Florida
Knoxville, Tennessee

Wonder Works
9067 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 MAP
407 351 8800

Wonder Works
100 Music Road, Pigeon Forge, TN MAP
865-868-1800





General Overview:
Wonderworks bills itself as an amusement part for the mind. This is quite apparent from the rather oddly misplaced upside building in which it resides. This motif is delightfully carried on into the lobby, where the floor is on the ceiling, paintings on the walls have tumbled down, and steel girders broken through the walls from the horrible accident which placed it in its current resting position.



Inside it seems to transform more into a children’s science museum with some unique exhibits: 6.5 earthquake simulator, 65mph hurricane winds tunnel, roller coaster, lazer tag, VR sports, Escher-esuqe paintings, and somewhere I read a fire bridge.

At my age I’m not particularly sure how or where to rank it as a must do, but I’m sure I could be lured. However it does rank pretty high on the “must see in person to get a few pictures in the free areas” category.

(also similar to the Wonderworks in Tennessee)


My Opinions:

Reader Opinions:

Good Eats

Atlanta, Georgia

Good Eats HQ Map
Be Square Productions Inc, 1371 Southland Cir. Nw, Atlanta, GA 30318


General Overview:
I’d rather be unemployed than go to Georgia. However, lured by Alton Brown, chef geek supreme, it might make it bearable. Good Eats and it’s aforementioned host are an oddity on the Food Network… dishing out recipes sprinkled with a zest of chemistry, a touch of science and a dash of historical lineage. You wouldn’t think that it’d be geeky, but when you make his delectable delights and suddenly realize you were subtlety taught something, you realize you were secretly geeked and accept his infinite food wisdom.



Actual information and pictures for the place are quite hard to come by. It is a production studio which also (supposedly) has independent clientele. So getting to witness or personally experience your wizard chef is unlikely. However, just the mere attempt at finding this elusive little man is something that should be tried. He’s like a leprechaun. But with knives!

My Opinion:

Others Opinion:

Mythbusters

San Francisco, California

Mythbusters HQ
M5 Industries, 1268 Missouri St, San Francisco, Ca, 94107-3310 M
General Overview:
Definitely a destination of choice for Discover Channel geeks. The Mythbusters are a tinkerers wet dream... a televised team of special effects gurus whose job it is to build, test, and confirm or deny common myths and misconceptions.

You won’t be able to see anything except the stale signage outside, but there’s a distinct possibility you may stumble through during a coffee break or a random explosion. Keep in mind that this basically like a reality show filmed inside a working special effects shop, so the chances of experiencing more than the parking lot most likely won't happen.



My Opinion:

Others Opinion: