Nothing Like Cute Livestock to Turn a Girl Vegetarian (Well, Almost)

Maybe it’s punishment for poking fun at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ anti-meat campaigns: A holiday trip to the Del Mar Fair made me question my carnivorous tendencies.

After ingesting enough food to feed a small country (funnel cakes and batter-fried potatoes), then spinning myself sick on a ride called the Storm, the animal exhibits looked like a welcome respite.

I’m a city girl, and it was my first time meeting livestock up close and personal. I expected the cows, goats, chickens and pigs to be lying around in their own manure. But they weren’t. They were clean and cute.

“Aw, they look just like our cats!” said my boyfriend, Adam, watching a pair of piglets at play.

It was difficult to get into the spirit of the exhibit: celebrating the business of raising animals for food. I imagined the blue-ribbon pig and the gold-medal chicken on my plate. Yes, vegetarianism was looking tasty, for the first time in my life.

I haven’t eaten meat since. Actually, that’s a lie. But at least I’m eating it with a guilty conscience.

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Victoria’s Secret isn’t the only retailer that can stage an online fashion show with scantily clad models. Playboy will unveil its swimwear collection tonight at 7 during a live Web cast at https://www.playboy.com.

Darva “I Just Want My Life Back” Conger, who appears nude in the August issue of Playboy, will be a guest at the Las Vegas event, which will feature 20 Playmates modeling swimwear and accessories.

And for those who still haven’t had enough of Darva Watch 2000, the “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” bride will hold her first online chat Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Playboy’s site.

Computers are going to be a-crashin’ all over the world!

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A shoe that converts human energy into electricity could be stepping into stores soon. The shoes, which are being developed by the Electric Shoe Co. in Fairford, England, would provide enough energy to charge a cell-phone battery, a flashlight or a Walkman.

A prototype was worn by Trevor Baylis, a British inventor, on a 100-mile trek in Africa to raise money for charity last week. The power device, which was embedded in the heel of Baylis’ shoe, is based on the same principle as a stove, according to Electric Shoe Co. spokesman Piers Hubbard Miles. As Baylis walked, his foot compressed a coil, causing a spark to generate enough energy to power a cell phone charger, which was mounted on the outside of the shoe. Baylis, said Miles, was able to use the phone to call British tycoon Richard Branson in London.

Prototypes for the shoes will not be perfected until the end of the year, he said, and the earliest they will be on the market is next summer, although the price has not been set.

Could be the new power accessory.

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Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.