My new favorite band

The First Vienna Vegetable Orchestra. If I had a cucumber and some peppers, I might make a salad, but these nine musicians use vegetables to make their instruments. The strangest thing? The experimental music is surprisingly good. I want their latest CD (on which they cover Kraftwerk!), but so far I've only seen places in Europe that carry it, and with shipping it's almost $30. I'm sure it's worth it, but still.



Lush green plastic

When I read this L.A. Times article about how Orange County, California is encouraging residents to install synthetic lawns, I cringed, picturing the cheapy kind of Astroturf you can buy on a big roll from Home Depot. But the promotional photos at SYNLawn and AstroLawn are entrancing. Is this what our future will look like? I wonder if they could make the grass out of recycled plastic. Here's a question I'd never have thought to ask, from Astrolawn's FAQ:

How do you keep AstroLawn clean?

Simply treat AstroLawn like regular grass. Use a rake or blower to remove leaves. When animals think it's real grass, simply scoop up the mess and wash the area with a garden hose.

I guess even a plastic lawn has to get watered once in a while!