April Fool's Days of Yore April 2, 2004 12:00 am

Language Police Run Amok April 16, 2004 12:00 am

What's next, gee-whillikers?! 4:32pm
 

Treknology Today April 17, 2004 12:00 am

 
A modern-day variant of the 24th century Star Trek communicator pin is now available. Mostly used for now by hospitals, the devices act like a two-way, short-range CB unit. As of yet they can't replace cell phones.

But give 'em a few years. After all, cell phones have already reached the twenty-third century Treknology stage. 10:19am
 

Things I'd Never Seen Before, Part One April 20, 2004 12:00 am

 
Just north of Oakhurst on 65th W. Ave, the ever-anonymous "they" have opened up a brand-new cemetary. From the street it looked like there were only two plots currently in use.

I realize there have to be new cemetaries opening up as the old ones don't have unlimited space. But prior to seeing this one that idea had never once entered my mind. 11:30am
 

Tulsa Gas Prices: For the Record April 20, 2004 12:00 am

 
The record high for the average price of gasoline in Tulsa, not counting the few stations that illegally attempted to gouge customers the afternoon of 9/11/2001, was $1.78 a gallon, set on 15 June 2000, and caused by new federal regulations involving cleaner-burning fuel.

Nothing really noteworthy here, just wanted to get the info on the weblog in case I wanted to refer to it in the future. 11:24am
 

NASCAR Reminder April 21, 2004 12:00 am

 
As I mentioned in The 264th Sign of the Apocalypse back in January, this weekend's Nextel Cup race at Talledega is the first one this year where Kerry Earnhardt will be attempting to compete. I reiterate that he is the worst Busch series driver that I've seen in a long time, and that the only reason he's being allowed on the track is because of his last name.

With the forecast allowing little chance of qualifying being rained out, my only hope right now is this: there are currently 48 cars signed up to qualify for the 43 spots, and Kerry has no provisionals to fall back on. My wish is that he's too slow to make the field. It'll make the race a lot safer for all the other drivers competing Sunday.

The new list I think will be most interesting to follow is the Busch Series owner standings. As with the end of last year, there is currently a difference between the Driver leader and the Owner leader: Michael Waltrip leads in the driver points, but the DEI-owned #8 car is currently ahead in the owner standings. This list deserves keeping an eye on throughout the year. 1:50pm
 

The 266th Sign of the Apocalypse April 22, 2004 12:00 am

 
What do you get when the creator of The Bachelor strands a real-life skipper, first mate, millionaire couple, movie star, Kansas farm girl and professor on a desert isle, and tells them to try to figure out how to get off?

You get the reality-series version of Gilligan's Island, debuting this fall on TBS! 11:54am
 

Life-Long Dream May Finally Be Fulfilled April 23, 2004 12:00 am

 
Holmes Peak, the red dot at the upper left of this Tulsa World map (click on map for a larger view) as well as the tallest natural point in the Tulsa area, has been designated the site of "The American", the largest bronze statue ever constructed. When completed it will stand at 176-feet, over 25 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Why do I care? The statue, and the tourist dollars it will bring in to the area, provides a major reason for completing the Gilcrease Expressway (the green dashed line on the map) from Lewis all the way to 51st Street south of the river. Thanks to "The American", the Gilcrease Expressway, primarily a dashed-line proposed highway on road maps for the past fifty years, may now finally be completed in the next ten!

And hopefully, that dream can go one step further and the finished Gilcrease Expressway will be christened I-644. 1:15pm
 

Unlikely Invention Pairs April 26, 2004 12:00 am

 
The man who created the Lear Jet also invented the 8-track tape.

The "Nobel" of the Nobel Peace Prize invented dynamite.

The doctor who invented the Lie Detector also created Wonder Woman. 10:28am
 

Men Are from Mars, Boys Are from Virginia April 26, 2004 12:00 am

 
Little League Baseball has granted its Northern Virginia district jurisdiction over the planet Mars. A cute story, and an innovative attempt to get kids interested in science. 10:24am
 

The Highs & Lows of ABC News. And That's Just Tonight! April 30, 2004 12:00 am

 
As much as I hate agreeing with the Republicans about anything these days, I totally side with Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) regarding tonight's broadcast of ABC's Nightline, in which anchor Ted Koppel will read the names and show the faces of the more than 500 U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war.

The ABC affiliates across the nation owned by Sinclair Broadcasting have been ordered not to air this program, claiming its sole purpose is "to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq," when it's nothing more than a tribute to fallen soldiers. I'm just glad Sinclair doesn't own any stations in Tulsa so I won't have to boycott anything.

More and more, I'm starting to believe that, not just the best source, but also the only source, of unbiased news is Jon Stewart's The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Much more informative than the local ten o'clock newscasts. 3:38pm
 

Tulsa Gas Prices: Broken Record April 30, 2004 12:00 am

 
Well, so much for listing that 2000 record gas price for posterity. As of this morning, the record has been shattered. Prices rose twelve cents overnight, the Tulsa average now being $1.79.

Still, I'd rather be here than in California. A gas station in Pasadena, coincidentally just as far away from Historic Route 66 as I am, is currently selling gas at $2.65 a gallon. 1:41pm