I’ll be in Napa for a long weekend… I apologize if comments aren’t approved promptly.

Because I had leftover batter, a skillet, and a whim.

Sharks love to eat seals. It’s their favorite meal, and with good reason — sharks gain a lot of energy from seals. One bite of a seal is the equivalent of a human eating 200 burgers or 500 candy bars in one sitting.

And what does that have to do with me?

Well, this charming comparison is part of the Discovery Channel’s new Perfect Predators program, produced by Tigress Productions. And whose candy bar will illustrate the point? My very own…

Perfect Predators will be airing in the US on the Discovery Channel this Saturday, Aug 4. In Los Angeles, my listings show that it will be on at 2pm on channel 210. It is actually about sharks’ array of mechanisms that make them such skillful hunters.

This image will be shown for approximately 2 seconds at some point during the second of its two hours. A scientist will point to it, and I believe that the number “500″ may be superimposed on top of it. So, you can’t miss it… Just. Don’t. Blink.

I’ll post updates of futures airings, esp in Europe and the UK.

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Btw, I like the equation: 1 Bite of Seal = 500 Candy Bars = 200 Burgers = A Lot of Energy

I also like the corollary to this: 1 Burger = 2.5 Candy Bars.

When given the choice btw 1 Burger, 2.5 Candy Bars, or 1/200 Bite of Seal, I think I know what would win for me most every time…

EDIT: Now Chad has been, too.

I’m not sure how accurate my simpsonification is, but it’s pretty cool to see myself in that world, in whatever form.

http://simpsonizeme.com/#

Be warned, this went pretty slowly on my computer… I am now all too well aware that the pink-frosted donut used in promotions is actually a jelly at heart.

Please enjoy this shameless plug for my boyfriend’s new website, Socialverse!

You may already know that Chad’s good at thinking up dreamy birthday cake ideas, but you should also know that his true area of expertise is software engineering. With Socialverse, I like to think that his company has developed a way for people to walk the world from the comfort of their computers.**

When you sign up, you get your own little doppelganger who can stroll around a map of the US. While you can explore cities and states that you dream of visiting, the site is mostly geared towards local search and social networking. So, you can chat up locals and friends near and far as well as browse businesses. Of course, people like us would probably first think to check out and add our thoughts to the restaurants and markets, but even I sometimes need to go to the hardware store or see a dentist. Socialverse lets you put your favorites on the map and find new places to go.

I suppose that it’s like citysearch and yelp, but Socialverse is cooler because it’s in real time (using Web 2.0 in clever ways) and you can actually see where these places in the country are b/c “you” are there, too.

In a typical move, Chad has thoughtfully provided lots of goodies that go above and beyond basics. So, here’s a cheat sheet to my favorite things that you can do that might not be obvious right away:

• Click on the “online” line on the upper right of the screen to see who else is online. Click on someone’s name to move closer to them.
• Place your blog (as an object) in an area where people will find it useful. You’ll find Sweet Napa already on the map somewhere in LA.
• Find the nearest ATM.
• If a location isn’t on the map yet, add it and talk about it.
• Use additional motions — such as sleeping, meditating, dancing, and acting scared.
• Adjust your appearance — clothing, size, hairstyle.
• If you are a business owner, you can promote your business online.
• Check the weather.
• You can’t zoom in or out on the main map, but if you click on “Self” then “Mini Map” in the “Navigate” menu, you can see where you on a zoomable mini map.
• Share photos.
• Search local classifieds and post your own.

Please keep in mind that this is, as Chad says, “the early public beta.” There are still bugs, but he’ll happily be the victim of anyone’s criticism… or suggestions… or insouciant banter. When the basics are ironed out, the long-term goals are to make it a nexus of local search for any type of person, business, or organization you may be interested in, and in turn, a way to build relationships and become closer with your community. More features will be added — such as perhaps coupons and ads for shops around the corner being implemented, trees being planted, menus being posted, icons being customizable, and whatever people want that the world can support.

So, feel free to sign up, check it out, and tell everyone you know about it. The world is wide open.**

**Right now, the map only functions in the US, but there are plans to make it international down the line. Also, the faster your internet connection is, the faster you’ll be able to do things. Broadband is recommended. It is also only compatible with Firefox and IE for now.