It's always a good sign when you can still remember your password

It's been too long. The links are piling up. Here are some fluffy, inoffensive and friendly ones (if you don't have a Tuscan deck house in Orange County) -

Human nature hasn't changed much. Via Andrew Tobias some time back, possibly a rerun here too -

The poor man cries before your house, and you pay no attention... you stand there, confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering.
-- St. Ambrose of Milan (339-397)

One of many choice quotes from Harvey Skunklove -

[on TV home makeover shows that are] "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" only with a house instead of a person. Nine times out of ten people want their homes to look like Tuscany. How the hell are you going to make a deck house in Orange County look like Tuscany? I mean besides using hallucinogenics.

I know we can do better. I know we can, for the same cost that we are spending on these urban main street malls, build places that aren't wearing a plastic Italian mask.

and he had the greatest idea... wish I was in a position to implement it -

something I've always wanted to do: work on a rural greenfield project far off in the mountains and, hidden among the Oak Lanes, Crestline Boulevards, and Winter Creek Roads, name a street 'East 237th'. To keep people on their toes and all.

Introducing their readers to weblogs,
Time magazine (Meet Joe Blog) and the Dallas Morning News

very cool demo on making streets pedestrian-friendly (via)