I’ve always been a huge Van Gogh fan.  Starry Night is one of my favorites and is also regarded as one of Van Gogh’s best (or most) important works, even though he apparently didn’t like it very much.

This morning, when cruising through my Daily folder which includes the Astronomy Picture of the Day site, I came across a new reproduction titled Starry Night Scavenger Hunt.  Using Starry Night as a backdrop, it includes a bunch of stuff including a comet, a spiral galaxy, an open star cluster,a supernova remnant – well – and the rings of Supernova 1987A, the Eskimo Nebula, the Crab Nebula, Thor’s Helmut, the Carhwheel Galaxy, and the Ant Nebula.  And some other stuff. 

Deeply awesome.

A few years ago, several friends started a company called Evergreen IP to help inventors commercialize their consumer innovations.  I participated in the financing as an angel investor (it was during the period of time between funds where I was once again making angel investments) and since then they have commercialized several products and spun off several companies, including my favorite, TrashCo, which makes a product called Flings. 

First off, how could you NOT love a company named TrashCo?  Seriously, what a great name.  While my talent around my obsession with the product is limited to products made out of bits, I can appreciate a good product made out of atoms. 

In this case, Flings’ Pop-Up Recycling and Trash Bins are sweet.  And they are available at most Safeway stores in Seattle, Portland, and Northern CA; at most Vons in Southern CA; at most HEB’s in Texas; and at all Price Choppers in New York State/Western CT.  And, of course, on Amazon (enter coupon code EARTHD25 and get 25% off through the end of May.)

Do my friends at TrashCo a solid and try ‘em out.  I wonder if they know that one of the early names (at least in my head) for Foundry Group was VentureCo.

At first I thought it was AT&T.

Then I realized it was me.

Props go to The Form Group.  Deeply brilliant.

These people are way cooler than I could ever be.  At least I have something to aspire to.

Megan Sweeney, the awesome person who put together the TechStars Founders video series, put up a beautiful video of her golden retriever Owen explaining his Rules of Love.

Owen’s rules of love are (1) Don’t limit your love, (2) Let yourself be loved, and (3) Never give up.  Good lessons for all human beings.

Now, while I know it’s Valentine’s Day (and I’ll behave appropriately), I am very much looking forward to Valentine’s Day for Guys which happens in a month.  In the mean time, remember that all you need is love. 

I’ve really enjoyed my time on this planet so far and look forward to many other years here.  If Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Heinlein are to be believed, I should be able to travel to other planets by now.  Since I can’t, I’m limited to looking at really cool photos.

Guess the planet.  No clicking through to the APOD site until after you’ve made a guess.  I’m 44 – wouldn’t it be cool if in my lifetime I could go to this planet?  Oh – and where’s my jetpack – NASA promised me that when I was a kid.

In my effort to keep you on your toes, take a look at the “roll cloud” below.  It’s totally worth a click through to the APOD site and a moment of contemplation on a large monitor.

I’ve seen small rolls clouds in the past although I didn’t know they were called roll clouds, nor did I have a clue how roll clouds were formed.  While 720p videoconferencing with Skype on my Internet connected TV is pretty cool, nature continues to amaze me.  Time for a run.

How to be a Jewish Star.  I feel like some potato latkes this morning.

When I was a kid, everyone said that Hanukkah was better than Christmas since we got eight gifts.  My view was that we got eight shitty little gifts while all my friends had a giant gift orgy on Christmas.  At some point I stopped caring completely.  Really, I don’t care.  Really!  Well not really.

Another awesome APOD photo.

I wonder how evil and scary the blue horse looks when backlit like this.