I just got back from a bike ride - the skies have cleared and it was the most beautiful day imaginable.  Southern California after a rain is really quite breathtaking.  The hills were shining, the lake was shimmering, and the sun bathed everything in a wonderful yellow light.  All set for tomorrow's Rose Parade, so people watching while freezing across the country can decide to move here :)

And speaking of the Rose Parade, bookmark this page!  This is the "floatcam" from high atop the 50' high JPL/Caltech robot.  This parade float, built entirely from flowers as the rules require, is named "In Praise of Explorers", and will definitely win the technology awards.  (Makes me proud, as usual, to be a Caltech alum...)

You can warm up by viewing the RealPlayer video feed, which is currently playing a loop showing testing of the robot.  Here are some stills (click thumbnails for larger pics):

The JPL/Caltech robot float
(click for larger pics)