Want to See Some Giant Plastic Sunflowers (Or Just Get Online) Today?

Then head on down to Westlake Park, where Toyota has set up "Solar Flowers" to promote their new Prius. The flowers, which are powered by solar panels on the back of their petals and on their stems, provide wi-fi (free) and power to charge cell phones and laptops. They look as if Dr. Seuss had been given an engineering budget. They'll be available August 29 to September 7 from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily (this coincides nicely with the Seattle Public Library's weeklong closure). If you're a Luddite or prefer to pay for your power, you can still enjoy the sight of six-foot tall dandelions looming in Westlake Park.

(Speaking of the Prius, have any of you noticed that Honda has redesigned the Insight to look like a Prius? What used to look like an El Camino crossed with an experimental bicycle is now the Go-Bot to the Prius' Transformer. We wonder how green-energy-hungry Seattle will react to this branding.)