My kinda town

A 24-hour book vending machine in Paris.

"Our biggest vending machine sellers are 'The Wok Cookbook' and a French-English dictionary,'' said Chambon, who added that poet Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal'' -"The Flowers of Evil'' - also is "very popular.''

Help a girl out?

I need to come up with a list of potential training opportunities before Friday so we can start working out which ones are reasonable and which aren't. Things I'm interested in: databases, particularly mySQL and/or PostgreSQL, XML, and AJAX. Possibly very basic Java. Here's stuff I've found so far that might work:

• http://www.nofluffjuststuff.com/show_agenda.jsp?showId=43
  
• https://www.cmpevents.com/SDw6/a.asp?option=C (the Web Services and XML tracks particularly)
  
• http://www.mysqluc.com/
  
• http://www.bignerdranch.com/classes/postgresql.shtml (Wow, does this look like fun. No, really. Except for lack of cell phone signal.)
  
• http://www.bignerdranch.com/classes/ruby.shtml (maybe, if I pick up some Ruby first)
  
• http://www.mulberrytech.com/services/classes/upcoming.html
  

Got any other suggestions for training classes and/or conferences you think I should check out? My coworker will probably end up at JavaOne, so that's out for me.

And people joke about iTunes being sentient.

Disney has apparently patented a media player that selects songs based on its owner's latest mood.

Reasons I love my friends #472

Even a straightforward question about technical conferences and training will eventually turn into an innuendo-laden flirtfest. *laugh*

Which is not to say that I don't actually want serious suggestions on the original topic, mind you.