DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

Machine translation, AI’s “next big thing” since about 1954, is always good for a laugh. Today’s piece in Der Spiegel about hygiene during vacations, when processed by babelfish, contains some insightful turns of phrase:

• The introduction describes Howard Hughes as a man who “suffered from wash obligation.” I can’t help but wonder if the article’s author, “Evelyn Striking Stone” according to the fish, was sitting near me on my recent trip to the land of asparagus and pop music. I mean, that’s me all over.
• With childlike honesty and a simplicity that is rarely found in print journalism, the translated article pinpoints the core of the human condition, and especially the core condition of humans who travel: “you are rather an aesthetic problem.”

Bravo, M.T.!

The 2005 North American Solar Challenge, a 2500-mile road race for solar vehicles, begins today. It will end on July 27 (presumably depending on the weather?).

The Chronicle article contains some background info and explores the local angle: Race car drivers who love the sun.

The NASC website shows near-realtime maps indicating the position of the various participants (look for the blue stars).

See the Reports from the Road section for the latest news.

The Mousesavers.com site has some useful discount and coupon codes for saving money on rental cars.

Be sure to call the agency to ask about extra-driver fees. Some of the “contract IDs” on the Mousesavers site provide for a free extra driver, whereas others allow for up to 8 free drivers. (Alamo, for example, charges $7/day for each additional driver.)

Also, be forewarned that spending two hours trying every possible permutation of coupon code, contract ID, and rate code is a terrible way to save $10.

My old band played the Plaza tonight. The stage seemed much more spacious, as shown in this photo. The secret is that the entire drum kit is the same size as a small guitar cab.

Compare to last year.

This is just too good:

A businessman has asked the town of Weare, N.H., to seize the home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter in order to build a hotel and museum on the property. (local mirror)

Seriously, go read the whole thing. It’s the best thing you’ll see all week.

“Just Desserts.” Ha!

(Backstory.)