Two wonderful sites I came across while surfing: WhatTheFont and identifont, a cool indentification key for fonts.

posted by Lorna Brown at 3:09 AM

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.

-Helen Keller

posted by Lorna Brown at 7:17 PM

I spent today at the La Brea tar pits with a group of science illustrators from the Southern CA GNSI chapter. We got a behind the scenes tour of the paleo lab, and their bone room, which is just miles and miles of bones in drawers...

Things I learned:

- The La Brea tar pits are neither pits, nor are they made from tar.

- The "tar" is a liquid asphalt substance that was more like flypaper than quicksand - animals would step in only about 4 inches of the tar and become mired, then would die above ground - not sinking in quickly as is usually depicted.

- The "pits" are holes formed from excavations during the early part of the 20th century. The tarry asphalt naturally flows up from underground, and filled up the holes after they were dug out. Somehow, though, "La Brea Asphalt Puddles" doesn't quite have the same dramatic appeal.

- Approximately one out of every five adults who walked past the mammoth skeleton made a comment about the saber-toothed squirrel from "Ice Age."

- One out of every three kids under the age of 12 who walked past the mammoth skeleton said, "COOOL!!!"

- The three most common species found in the pits are: 1. Dire Wolf, 2. Saber-toothed cats, 3. Coyotes.

- The skeletons on display are composed of many different animals. They don't usually recover complete skeletons in the mud the way you'd find a fossil in stone.

- Mammoths were the most common ice age mammals, but the tar pits caught a disproportionate number of carnivores. The reason for this is believed to be because of the inherent nature of carnivores to eat whatever else is weaker than they are - once the tar pits claimed one animal, many other carnivores would be attracted by the prospect of an easy meal.

- I drew the mammoth skull from a whole mammoth skeleton. They are of course, gigantic, at an average of 15,000 pounds and 12' tall.

- While I was drawing it, a little boy came and watched me for a minute, and said doubtfully, "You're NEVER going to fit all THAT on one page!"

- He was entirely correct.

Check out the rest of the photos!

posted by Lorna Brown at 4:06 AM

posted by Lorna Brown at 6:10 AM

There is a wonderful article by Joan Ryan about America's reaction to the Columbia tragedy on sfgate.

I remember the day the Challenger exploded as clearly as if it were last week. I was in the sixth grade. My friends and I talked about how our generation had finally found its defining moment. In quiet tones, our parents would talk about how they would never forget what they were doing when they heard that John F. Kennedy had been shot. After January 28, 1986, we realized we had lived through a critical moment in history. We had our first taste of the history of our generation, and in the sorrow that cemented our nation together, we too learned to speak in subdued voices.

No matter how much you might have hated Reagan's politics, you almost certainly took comfort in the beauty of his words that day:

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."

But today, I hear Bush's words, and I only feel worse, and more alone:

"The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to earth but we can pray that they are safely home."

I am tired of having to be comforted by a warlord. I am tired of watching this country get so beaten down by fear and anxiety that his watered down condolences are acceptable. I am tired of the worried looks I exchange with my friends every time we read a new headline - we are so conditioned to bad news now, it seems like a reflex.

But I am thankful for the Web, because I know I am not alone in my feelings and observations. I am thankful for the anti-war protesters holding signs in downtown Studio City, and the neverending chorus of cars honking in support. I am thankful for the comedians at the local coffeehouse that speak quite candidly about their fears. I am thankful for the actors and actresses who are willing to speak their minds about their beliefs, while risking their popularity and their entire careers. I am thankful for the writers and columnists who still believe in a free press, and for their belief must deal with hatemail every day.

Most of all, I am thankful that 2004 is only 10 more months away.

posted by Lorna Brown at 5:54 AM