Evans, NY 14047

Ever since I was a kid I was mesmerized by maps. In my off-time I created this little art project where I turned map data into non-abstract abstract art. I may make this more dynamic - maybe put it in a Flash app or something, improve the navigation or whatever - but it's pretty cool as-is.

You will need an SVG-enabled browser [anything but IE]. Every page is a representation of a county, town, or ZIP code, which is shown in the window title. The part of the image inside the county/town/ZIP is solid-colored; the part outside is faded. If you click outside the area, it will shift the image. If you click inside the area, it will zoom in or out. Hover over the map for a tooltip telling you what you're hovering over [this is also the image you'll go to if you click].

- Z

I don't know if anybody else is having this problem, but we're having trouble with the google-webs at my house. It's weird, I can't concentrate without it. I don't know if I've got emails, or if somebody's posted on estrip, or if the world is ending, or what hilarious LULZ somebody's glued to a kitten in the last three hours. I haven't used Yahoo in like ten years and although I'm sure it's a lovely site it's just totally throwing me off-kilter.

- Z

I could watch this video all day. I just wanted to see what it was like to watch it twice at the same time.

I think this guy needs a cable TV show where he explains things to people.

- Z

As the Western terminus of the Erie Canal and an important part of Western New York's industrial heritage, North Tonawanda has a rich and interesting history. The North Tonawanda History Museum boggles my mind:



A couple of days ago, e:dragonlady7 made me go with her to Big Lots. I told her it was a bad idea, since it was almost my naptime and when I get tired I cause trouble. She said it would be a short trip [it wasn't] and that they had good prices on patio furniture [they do, but they left me with no opinion whatsoever - either positive or negative - and it's tough to drop a couple hundred bucks on stuff like that]. e:fi said it would be a cultural experience. So I went but all I wanted to do was sleep on The Biggest Recliner They had a pretty decent selection of all kinds of things, but their discount aisle [Big Lots has a discount aisle] was definitely weird.



So when we finally made it to the checkout counter, I was feeling a bit punchy. The guy behind us in line was buying a pretty big bottle of ketchup and I thought this was hilarious. In my mind, he was very self-conscious about the ketchup he was buying, like a man buying tampons for his wife. I really wanted to fuck with him. 'Hey man, that's a lot of ketchup.' 'What's with all the ketchup?' 'You are one ketchup-loving sumbuck.' But my instinct for self-preservation kicked in and I didn't want to have to explain to the emergency room why I picked a fight about ketchup.

- Z

There's definitely something wrong with me.



To the driver of the orange Saturn VUE with New York State license plate #AGN-3258: check, mate.



n.b.: If I see your car as a personal challenge, you're definitely doing something wrong.

- Z