I do. My wife has had one for as long as I’ve known her. It’s an amazing thing. I’ve seen it work countless times including when we’ve unexpectedly lost power and had to awaken at some horrendous hour without an alarm. She simply “sets her body clock” and awakens at the designated hour. Like clockwork. Amazing. Wish I had one.

So I was pleased to read that researchers at the University of Lubeck in Germany have discovered what may be the first biological evidence for the curious ability to wake up at will. As I might have guessed, they believe it has to do with hormonal secretions triggered by the stress of having to wake up. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, they haven’t yet developed a psychological technique to strengthen the ability to set one’s internal alarm clock. Cognitive self-instruction, they speculate, in which a person drills himself in his plans for the next day, may wind the alarm.

So for now I’ll depend on the alarm clock. And my wife.

One of my favorite hobbies, though not seriously pursued in recent years, is travel and wildlife photography. It requires lugging the heavy gear, getting up before daylight to be in the right place at the right time, and great patience waiting for the miracle to happen. More often than not, the moment doesn’t come or, worse yet, we miss it when it does. But every once in a while, everything seems to fall into place and we get a really great image. And that’s what keeps us going back for more.

Here’s one example, not one of mine I’m sorry to say, but a finalist in the 36th annual National Wildlife Photo Contest, the results for which were published in the Dec-Jan 2007 issue of National Wildlife Magazine.

Amateur photographer Steve Irving photographed a male calliope hummingbird (left) attempting to chase a female rufous hummingbird away from a feeding flower while he was attending a photography workshop last year in British Columbia. “I’ve taken many photos of fighting hummingbirds,” Steve says. “Usually all I get is wings or a blur, or nothing at all.” This great shot earned him First Place in the “Birds, Amateur” category.

More than 12,000 images were submitted in eight categories during the past year to the contest. Selected by the editors on the basis of originality and execution, the winners appear in the linked article. They are amazing and include captions by the photographers describing how they captured each image. Nice work all!

        Click to enlargeThey still haven’t found a cure for the common cold, mind you, but I’m happy to report that scientists have been hard at work analyzing the dynamics of cow tipping — “a pastime allegedly common in rural areas, in which participants sneak up on an upright sleeping cow and then push it over for amusement” — and concluded it would require 4.43 able-bodied hayseeds to accomplish the task.

The physics seem sound. One objection that could be raised, however, is that the formula fails to take one critical factor into account: the total volume of alcohol consumed prior to the event. The groundbreaking study deserves kudos nonetheless. Read more…

Personally, I’m of the school of thought that believes cow tipping is pure urban legend. After all, I’ve never known anyone who has actually tipped a cow. Usually, they know a guy who knows a guy who has a friend whose crazy cousin Wilbur from Wisconsin used to go drinking with some guys who tried to break the local record for cows successfully tipped in one night, and probably would have if the cops hadn’t showed up and spoiled the attempt.

But I’m always open to being proven wrong, so if you’re a real live cow tipper and are willing to prove your unusual skill by tipping a few for me, let me know. I’ll bring the video camera and a case of beer. Maybe we can put this age old question to rest once and for all…

For more information and science on this exciting and controversial subject, check out Wikipedia where offered are evidence that cow tipping is an urban myth and, conversely, the possibility that cow tipping may be achievable.

This warning comes via Michael. Apparently, unscrupulous hackers are trying to trick businesses into downloading a harmful MS Word document. The e-mails purportedly come from the Better Business Bureau claiming that a customer has filed a complaint against the business and that you should open an attached document supposedly outlining details of the complaint.

The Word document is mislabeled with a PDF extension. Embedded in the document is a keylogging program. It records data from the victim’s computer and uploads it to a Malaysian server. In February, the Better Business Bureau warned of a similar attack. However, the earlier attack directed recipients to malicious Web sites. If you receive one of these e-mail messages, don’t open the attachment!

Don’t ask. I have no idea. If you have an explanation, I’m all ears.

Since the early days of the republic, Americans have recognized Thomas Jefferson’s distinctive role in helping to shape the American national character. As Founder and statesman, Jefferson thought broadly about the virtues Americans would need to cultivate in order to preserve and perfect their experiment in republican self-government.

He and the Founders of our country understood the importance of good citizenship, and they understood what made someone a good citizen. To be a good citizen is to embody certain virtues, such as self-reliance, responsibility, honesty, charity, loyalty, and respect for the law.

These virtues are the strength of our nation and are necessary for our experiment in self-government. As President Bush has said, “When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.”

Modern times have tested these virtues — and the traditional notion of citizenship — but they are still there to be called upon every day. They enable us to meet tragic events in extraordinary times, and in ordinary times to take back responsibility for ourselves and for the problems in our communities: drugs, crime, a faltering education system, family breakdown, and a corrosive popular culture.

But tough circumstances provide opportunities to rise to the occasion. And that’s where I think we Americans shine. As John F. Kennedy said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And somehow, despite political differences and difficult times, we always do. Oh, we may stray outside the lines in the pursuit, but our inherent desire to do what’s right always manages to keep us on course and moving forward.

It’s another reason I’m proud of America and our system, flaws and all, and why I’m optimistic about the future we’re building for our children and grandchildren. There are tough decisions to be made but I think, in the end, we’ll again proudly meet the challenge.

Don’t forget to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott,  Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.

A great new commercial from Bud Light about the “swear jar” at the office.

H.T. to Rudy!

I got this clever image from Denny Wilson who says, “It’s official! McDonald’s has now reached Africa.”

Michael sent this nice collection of 40 aviation images ranging from commercial to military to aerobatic. I extracted them from the Powerpoint file so they could be posted here. Click on the image below to view them all (Click  any image to enlarge.)

LOS ANGELES - Poor Paris Hilton has been ordered to return to the dirty old jail and serve the remainder of her original 45 day sentence. She’ll likely spend the weekend in the medical ward pending an appeal to be filed by7 her attorneys later today of Monday.

Most consider this a win for justice and a blow to celebrity special treatment although the spectacle of it all, complete with the usual Hollywood drama, has been difficult to stomach. For crisake, the little twit’s ridiculous parents should be serving in adjoining cells!

              Click to enlargePeople were glued to their TVs and radios all morning as it all played out, but not for the reasons many believe. Few, I suspect, care much for Miss Hilton. But most were anxious to see whether she’d get her usual pampered treatment or be forced to suffer the consequences of her bad behavior like the rest of us.

Bully for the judge! Had he not roared, I’d have been surprised.

Apparently there was much sobbing and shouting as the judge reaffirmed his original order. But the judge didn’t rule on whether the Sheriff will be held in contempt of court for changing the judge’s order. My guess is that he won’t, but (imho) he should be. Consequences for inappropriate actions. It applies to all of us.

“But I thought it worked longer than that…”

This may be a stretch for a Patriot’s Journey post, but one of the things I love about America is our airshows. We have dozens of them annually that are within reasonable driving distance and many feature either the U.S. Navy Blue Angels or the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. There are no better airshows anywhere in the world! And whenever I see either of these precision flying teams perform, my heart beats faster and I’m reminded why I’m glad to be an American. You can’t watch the Thunderbirds and not agree!

That said, the second annual California Capital Airshow at Mather Field will run this weekend featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Red Bull Air Force, Jim Varden, Greg Poe and many more. Local Aerobatics Champion Julie Clark will also perform. It promises to be a great show… If you can get in.

Last year’s show, featuring the Blue Angels, suffered a bit of a logistical snafu - planners so grossly underestimated attendance that Highway 50 was gridlocked for hours, parking was impossible, and many folks, including us, finally gave up in frustration.

Supposedly, planners have “solved” the problems and promise smoother sailing this year. Their  “plan” seems centered around encouraging attendees to ride buses and  the RT. Says RT Driver, “Imagine upwards of 50,000 people trying to exit at Mather Field Rd. over the few hours leading up to the show… Now imagine that you and your family are not among them!!” Hmmm… We’ll see.

With that in mind, we won’t be attending the show this year. Instead, we’ll be spending part of Saturday afternoon at a friend’s home near Mather so, if I’m lucky, I might get off a few shots of aircraft flying over their house… I’ll wait and see how the traffic situation plays out this weekend before deciding whether or not to give it a try next year.

But tomorrow afternoon Dawn and I will be sitting comfortably around a pool, sipping mojitos, enjoying the company of good friends and watching the show action right over our heads. Life is good! God bless America!

Regular contributor Dave sends this clip of Terje Haakonsen going down Alaska’s Peak 7601 in the awesome snowboarding documentary First Descent.

Jana, I know you snowboard. What do you think of this run?

Got this from my mother-in-law…

A mother and father take their 6-year old son to a nude beach. As the boy walks along the sand, he notices that many of the women have boobs bigger than his mother’s, so he goes back to ask her why.

She tells her son, “The bigger they are, the sillier the lady is.”

The boy, pleased with the answer, goes to play in the ocean but returns to tell his mother that many of the men have larger “things” than his dad does.

She replies, “The bigger they are, the dumber the man is.”

Again satisfied with her answer, the boy goes back to the ocean to play. Shortly thereafter, the boy returns again and promptly tells his mother, “Daddy is talking to the silliest lady on the beach, and the longer he talks, the dumber he gets…”

D (D5 - All things Digital, The WSJ Executive Conference) is unlike any other executive conference. Since its debut in 2003, D has brought to life the energy and excitement of the digital revolution in an unscripted, upfront and unparalleled way. And a highlight this year was Steve Jobs and Bill Gates interacting on the same stage for the first time in 20 years.

You can read about the entire event on the D5 website which includes video footage, photos and more.

YouTube also has most of the Gates-Jobs footage posted in several clips, one of which follows below:

Read the various speakers’ presentations and transcripts to get an idea of what’s coming in the world of technology inovation. Watch all the Gates-Jobs clips if you’re a fan with time on your hands.