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Monthly Archives: July 2009

Voicemail

One of the many modern ‘conveniences’ that actually take more time than they save is voicemail. Answering machines and voicemail are occasionally useful, but more often than not, someone just leaves a rambling message with details they end up repeating when you call them back. Fortunately, Caller ID has mostly eliminated the need for voicemail: [...]

MacBook screens

There are rumors that Apple may reintroduce matte screens as an option on their notebooks. Apple can’t return to glare free displays soon enough! I’m looking forward to buying an aluminum computer once they fix this design flaw. The latest 13 inch MacBook Pro would be almost perfect with an anti-glare screen. [Update 2009-08-11] Anti-glare [...]

One-hundred and ten

I had a flash of inspiration this morning. A story about the All-Star game came on the radio and got me thinking. I’ve always been annoyed when people, often athletes, say “I gave it one-hundred and ten percent,” or something along those lines. Now, there are plenty of times when percentages over 100 make sense, [...]

Bike saddle

If you are reading this, you probably already know that I really like bicycles. I frequently bike to work, and go on several rides each week. Two years ago I switched the type of saddle I ride. My current saddle is a Selle San Marco Ponza. I can easily ride on it for hours very [...]

Energy efficiency in China

This is from a month ago, but I think it needs to be fresh in everyone’s minds. New York Times: China Is Said to Plan Strict Gas Mileage Rules You should also read Thomas L. Friedman’s latest editorial. It is past time for Americans to get serious about energy efficiency.

Obesity

One of today’s headlines is “Hoosier obesity rate flat at 27.4%.” The article cites a RWJF/Trust for America’s Health report, which included this map and an interesting interactive map. The original data are from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. Sources: The Journal Gazette: Hoosier obesity rate flat at 27.4% Trust for America’s Health: [...]