THE BLIND(LY AWESOME) WATCHMAKER: It's probably no great surprise that a kid might follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a world-class watchmaker. It might be a bit of a surprise that he took a detour in life as the lead guitarist of Anthrax.

YOU HAVE ATTACKED THE SYSTEM ... GOOD LUCK WITH THAT:  The Wire, 8-bit video game version.  Folks participating in Wire Wednesdays should stop after Level 3 (3:40 in), obvs.

IN WHICH I WAS THE SHEEP:  At the arena in Charlotte this week -- again, not that we're talking about why I was in Charlotte -- they had free cell phone charger stations arrayed around the concourse on each level. With ports for every type of device (though not enough for iPhone users), these kiosks were a great amenity for folks at the end of long and battery-draining days, and I assume they'll become standard at many locations within a year or two. Plug in, wait by your device (or trust the credentialed masses being watched by Secret Service), voila.  (I did also see kiosks with credit card-activated locked doors for devices, but they weren't at the arena.) Except ...

Except that it was free. And because it was free, folks would hog scarce ports for thirty minutes, an hour, or more (and with monitors on the concourse, you could still keep tabs of the proceedings on the stage), and iPhone and Droid users were often left waiting in intolerable queues.

If there's a better illustration of the tragedy of the commons, I'm not sure what it would be. Consider what would have happened had they instead charged for charging -- $2 for ten minutes?  $5? (We know this was a valuable resource given how much people were willing to wait for it.) That way, you provide an endpoint to everyone's consumption of the resource while capturing the value that's out there. Or am I missing something?

THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM FOR KNOPE 2016: We don't normally traffic in celebrity gossip, but news that Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are separating has generated enough dismay amongst TV critics and similar folks that it would seem a problem to not have a space for mourning.

ALOTT5MA EXPURGATION DESK: Of course there's a Kidz Bop version of Call Me Maybe, which sounds even more like a computer singing it than usual.  Lyric changes to be safe for kids?

• Rather than "skin was showin'," "smile showin'"
• Rather than "beg and borrow and steal," "beg and borrow and feel."

WARP SPEED, JUSTICE SCALIA: Io9 helpfully catalogs a number of judicial references to Star Trek.  Live long and prosper, my friends.

IF I LIVE TO SEE THE SEVEN WONDERS, I'LL MAKE A PATH TO THE RAINBOW'S END: Reader Heather K has a request for the ALOTT5MA Travel and Leisure Desk:

I am about to go on my honeymoon (well kind of about) that mostly is a Mediterranean cruise (on Royal Carribean). We are opting not to do most of their excursions because they seem to be for elderly people who are afraid of foreigners and also way too expensive for the return. BUT I thought some people who follow this blog might have some advice on things to do on a few of our day trip stops. We have Athens planned out, but we could use some tips on things to do for a part of a day in the following three ports:

• Messina (Sicily), Italy
• Ephesus/Kusadasi, Turkey
• Chania (Souda), Crete