The last couple of years our resolve has shaken that we can survive summers here in the BlueTower with no air conditioning. There's been an AC unit in my office all along, as the converted attic has always been crazy hot, but the rest of our shady brick house with its high ceilings has been generally comfortable except on a couple of the very hottest days of the year. The trouble is lately there have been far more of those. It's generally around seven or eight degrees cooler inside than out, but yesterday with the internet saying it was 90°F outside it was 88°F in the house: I went out back with my instant-read cooking thermometer and got a reading of 95°F, which made more sense. Anyway, with this coming on the third day of summer, it was obviously time to surrender, and I got on Amazon to order an AC. There was a note about the one I ordered warning that it might take extra time to ship, so it didn't seem worth a rush order, but in typical fashion, Amazon under-promises and over-delivers, as I later got an email saying it will be delivered today instead of tomorrow, so it will actually arrive before the brace to keep it in the window.

R.I.P.: 'I Am Legend' writer Richard Matheson dies at 87.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Night Lights. Pandora - Epic Battles.
Stories:	Wallenda walks fine line high, high above river gorge. Thanks brother19. Britain's 'real-life Lassie' hangs up her lead. Thanks Boing Boing.
Science:	Gut bacteria may be key to crop pest’s resurgence.
Media:	Kenichi Ebina - Matrix Robotik Dancer. Thanks TheFlyingPenguin. All Your Pot Are Belong to Us. The Mario Rap.