Lovin' My 'Nips

Parsnips and turnips, that is.

I have been experimenting with them as alternatives to potatoes. The tastes are definitely stronger, but the consistency is satisfying. Turnips are sweet, and parsnips have a gingery taste . Parsnips are about half the calories and half the carbohydrates of potatoes, and turnips are about one-sixth!

I have cubed and roasted both of them, which was easy and yummy. Tonight I boiled and mashed the parsnips with a little butter and salt. They tasted good, but they are not as easy to mash as potatoes, because of their stringier texture. I didn't peel them- perhaps that would help. They have a higher water count, so there is no need to add liquid.

Kenpo says, "I forbid you to ever make mashed potatoes again!"

Nutrition Data for Turnips


Nutrition Data for Parsnips

Jimmy Wales on Fresh Air

NPR : Jimmy Wales on the User-Generated Generation

This is a link to the Jimmy Wales interview on NPR's Fresh Air. (Jimmy Wales is the founder of Wikipedia.)

Frickin'..... Yay.

O.K. So I know it's silly to get caught up on specific numbers, especially since weight is so relative. But I haven't been under 130 lbs. for 15 years.

When I first started trying to lose weight, my goal was 135lbs. Now I am 5lbs. beneath that, and my body fat is still around 30%! (give or take a few %, since the scale is not perfectly accurate.) It just goes to show how much muscle mass I have lost in 15 years.

I'm not really using weight as my primary goal now, I'm using body fat instead. I'd like to be around 20%. I don't know what weight I will be, since I am putting on muscle mass at the same time.

High Intensity Resistance Training

A Google search on "High Intensity Resistance Training" returns a plethora of studies that cite the beneficial effects of such training (similar to the Crossfit workouts), as well as its limits. A few of the most interesting to me were:

High-Intensity Resistance Training Improves Glycemic Control in ...High-Intensity Resistance Training Improves Glycemic Control in Older Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. David W. Dunstan, PHD1, Robin M. Daly, PHD2, ...
care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/10/1729 - Similar pages - Note this

Effects of High-Intensity Resistance Training on Untrained Older ...

Effects of High-Intensity Resistance Training on Untrained Older Men. II. Muscle Fiber Characteristics and Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Relationships ...
biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/55/7/B347 - Similar pages - Note this


And this one is about High Intensity Training
(not necessarily resistance) on football referees:

The Impact of Specific High-Intensity Training Sessions on ...

Study Design: The authors examined the cardiovascular strain of specific high-intensity training sessions and also their impact on referees’ fitness levels. ...
ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/1_suppl/54S - Similar pages - Note this

Ethnography and Collaborative Systems

Here's a link to a short review I wrote about:

Crabtree, Andy. (2003). Work Studies and Design. In Designing Collaborative Systems: A Practical Guide to Ethnography (pp.87-125). London: Springer

Crabtree advocates using a pattern language (based on Christopher Alexander's work) as a lingua franca between ethnographers and designers. However, his adapted pattern language does not include a solution.

Link

Nutrition Data

Nutritiondata.com is a great comprehensive source for the nutritional content of just about every food you can imagine. Features include a display of the ratio between protein, carbs and fat, a "Nutritional Target Map," which shows the balance between how nutritious and how filling a food is, the glycemic load, and of course, the complete nutritional analysis (shown below).

Friends

My Favorite Marinade

My brother turned me on to this marinade... Basque Meat Tenderizer and Barbecue Sauce. (Note for link: beware cheesy music!) It's basically a marinade of red wine and spices. I've been using it for a few years now, and haven't tired of it yet. I cover pork, chicken, or beef with it in the morning and grill it at night. They also have a fish sauce that I've used on fish, but I don't taste much difference from the original.

Is Government Behind Increase in Milk Prices? - Associated Content

If you've noticed the rise in milk prices lately, you might be interested in this:

"I first learned that the federal government controls milk prices when I owned a convenience store. I aggressively protested the rise of retail milk prices two years ago that sent my customers to big discount stores for relief. Ignorantly accusing our milk distributor of price gouging, I was astonished to learn from our supplier that raw milk prices are controlled by the federal government, and that program ultimately leads to the retail price of milk. "

The rest of the story here.

And a FAQ from the California Department of Agriculture.

Braggin' About My Honey

Caravella comes back for second at Santa Cruz Criterium - By Julie Jag - Sentinel Staff Writer - April 16, 2007: "A few unknowns from Santa Cruz County placed well in other categories Sunday. Rob Evans of Capitola took second in the Cat. 3 men's race, Bryan King of La Selva Beach took second in the Cat. 5 men's race and Vladen Strbae placed second in the Masters 35 Cat. 4/5 race, followed by Eric Horton of Aptos, who took fifth."

Crossfit Update

Max Front Squat: 100 lbs.

I hadn't worked out in five days- I had a wicked case of DOMS in my arms from doing shoulder presses. I couldn't lift my arms comfortably or sleep through the night until yesterday. But the pain is gone, so no damage done.

I checked my measurements yesterday compared to November, and I have lost two inches in my waist, two inches off my hips, and an inch around my thighs. I had to buy some new pants. My body fat is a little under 30% (27-29%?) , so I still have a substantial amount of fat to lose.

I'm trying to get back to three times per week.

Crossfit

Holy Calories, Batman!

Next time I consider breakfast at Denny's, I'll have to remember this. Considering I need less than 2,000 calories per day to maintain my weight, these breakfasts are ridiculous. Even the omelettes are more than a prudent breakfast should be. And I won't even mention the protein/carb/ fat ratio.

Boing Boing: Virtual ants simulated in Second Life

Boing Boing: Virtual ants simulated in Second Life: "Wagner James Au sez, 'A programming student created this ultracool video demonstrating his ant colony simulation in Second Life; he's programmed his ants to have different behavior states, so they can coordinate their food gathering. 'The behavior is arguably emergent,' he says, 'because the ants only interact locally and follow local state-based rules, yet they end up working together to harvest food.''"

Thesis Methodology

Methodology

Research Question: What features contribute to a wiki's growth?
The proposed methodology for this project will be a quantitative analysis that compares the growth rate of different wikis with differnt features.

Growth rate might be measured using the following: (These metrics are taken from Jakob Voss: Measuring Wikipedia)

1. Database size (combined size of all articles including redirects in bytes)

2. Total number of words (excluding redirects and special markup)

3. Total number of internal links (excluding redirects and stubs)

4. Number of articles (at least contain one internal link)

5. Number of active Users (contributed 5 times or more in a given month)

6. Number of very active Users (contributed 100 times or more in a given month)

Possible Hypotheses to Test

Exclusive Content: wikis that provide a place for content that is not easily available from other places will grow faster than wikis that replicate easily available content.

How to measure: Measure the difference in growth rate between:

1. A set of wikis whose common feature is that they offer a unique place for content, with
2. A set of wikis whose common feature is that they replicate already available content.

Competitive magnets: Contests will result in contribution flurry. But do they lead to an increase in overall contributions?

How to measure:

1. Compare the contribution rate of a single page before a contest solicitation, and after the end of the contest.
2. Compare the overall growth rate of the wiki before and after the contest

Seeding: wikis that are seeded with content grow faster than wikis that expect users to create content from scratch.

How to measure: compare the growth rate between:

1. A set of wikis whose common feature is that they were pre-seeded with content.
2. A set of wikis whose common feature is that they were started from scratch.

Legos–Those Evil Tools of Capitalist Domination - Britannica Blog

Legos–Those Evil Tools of Capitalist Domination - Britannica Blog:

Here's a blog entry that describes a situation in a private school in Washington in which the Lego town class was building was accidentally destroyed one weekend. The teachers thought it was a good opportunity to teach the kids a lesson in economics:

"The teachers devised a game involving Lego blocks. In the first round, the fundamental rule of the game, an explanation what was required to win, was kept from the children until after they had each chosen a set of blocks. Then it was announced that colors have point value, and the child who happened to have chosen all his blocks of the highest-value color was declared winner. In subsequent rounds new rules were added by previous winners. After several rounds there was general disgust with the game. What was the point? The teachers explain it to us as they had to explain it to the children, who in their still unenlightened state

were unable or unwilling to see that the rules of the game — which mirrored the rules of our capitalist meritocracy — were a setup for winning and losing."

Those damn capitalist LEGOs! I guess we should all be given an equal number of blocks, regardless of whether we have earned it.

They should have let kids who perform better in the class (in behavior and academic achievement) have more blocks to add to the city.

Porn Increases Literacy

O.K. so the title of this post is a purposefully titillating. But I read an interesting paper called Circulating Libraries and Video Rental Stores that compares for-profit libraries in 19th-Century England with Video Rental stores of the 80's and 90's. Here are some of the similarities:

• Erotic content was a factor in the initial popularity of both media.
  
• The rental model was a new economic model that allowed both books and videos to be available to a wider audience because it was more affordable than owning.
• Both industries experienced backlash from producers (booksellers and movie studios) that thought the rental market would hurt the overall market, but it turns out to have helped provide more demand in both cases.

The authors also posit that circulating libraries helped to increase literacy during the 19th century by bringing more books to the masses. (And since erotic content helped fuel the interest in circulating libraries, you have the title of the blog post.)


Circulating Libraries and Video Rental Stores by Richard Roehl and Hal R. Varian
First Monday, volume 6, number 5 (May 2001),
URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_5/roehl/index.html

Art De Vany: Evolutionary Fitness

Art De Vany: Chapter One

Art De Vany has made the first chapter of his new book, Evolutionary Fitness, available on his website. His theory is that our genes have not evolved much since the stone age, and we are living a lifestyle not conducive to our genotypes. He advocates intense, short workouts that vary (sounds like crossfit) as opposed to either pure endurance or pure anaerobic (power lifting) workouts. Interesting read. His blog is interesting stuff, too.

My First Pull-up!

I did my first pull-up at Crossfit on Monday. (Actually, I did four in a row. These are "kipping pull-ups, not "dead-hang.") It's sort of a milestone, especially for women. I was as giddy as when I got my first point shoes!

Murder in the Library, Part 2: J - Z - Britannica Blog

Murder in the Library, Part 2: J - Z - Britannica Blog

More books to put on my reading list.... books which feature murders in libraries. Here is an example:

Allen Kurzweil, The Grand Complication. New York: Hyperion, 2001. Bibliophile Henry James Jesson III hires New York Public Library reference librarian Alexander Short to identify the missing object in an 18th-century cabinet of curiosities. Involved in the intrigue is George Speaight, the curator of the erotica-oriented Center for Material Culture, whose nickname is the “Librarian of Sexual Congress.”

Why home ownership causes unemployment. - By Tim Harford - Slate Magazine

Why home ownership causes unemployment. - By Tim Harford - Slate Magazine: "The Renter's Manifesto: Why home ownership causes unemployment.
By Tim Harford
Posted Saturday, March 17, 2007, at 12:09 AM ET"

An interesting article. Harford posits that owning a home prevents one from changing jobs easily by saddling people to a particular city. Perhaps this is true. But what is it that prevents people from selling and moving besides their own reluctance and emotional ties?

"So, professor Oswald is right to argue that we should do everything possible to free up impediments to renting or to selling a house and buying a new one."

What impediments? Perhaps he is talking about governments "no growth" policies that drive the prices of homes above what most people can afford, or the fact that selling a house requires so much time and effort compared to moving out of an apartment? I wish he were more specific about this.

My Name is on the Rise!

Quick! Name your baby "Julia" before everyone else does!

Data is according to Baby Name Wizard's Name Voyager.

(In case you can't read it, the left-most decade on the bottom is 1880's, and the right-most date is 2005.)

Possible Thesis

Theory: One of the motivations for participation in human stigmergic systems is competition.

I. Stigmergy: This is a model from the insect world that is increasingly being applied to human collaboration. Stigmergy is a method of communication in complex systems, where the individual parts of the system (agents) communicate with one another indirectly, by modifying their local environment. The result is often a complex artifact, with emergent properties; that is, the artifact has properties that have "emerged" without being centrally planned, and yet have a system of organization. Examples in nature are ant and termite nests: ants and termites communicate by reacting to pheremone trails and build complex artifacts without having a central "architect." This model begs comparison with human collaborative efforts, such as Wikipedia.

A. Motivation: What motivates agents to modify their local environment? The work done by one individual must provide a stimulus for another individual to add to it. Insects have their motivation "cooked in" to them by their genes. What about humans?

1. One theory is that humans are motivated to contribute by competition. Possibilities include competition for social status, as posited by Eric S. Raymond, who talks about open-source hackers motivated by a "gift culture."
a. Some could argue that humans have competition "cooked in" to their genes as well, which is why stigmergy can be so effective.

II. Why this is important: This theory can be a guide to help those who want to build collaborative networks. Many collaborative projects (like wikis) fail to take off.

A. This theory of "collaboration via self-interest" is contrary to some beliefs that cooperation requires altruistic motives. There is a paradox here; selfish behavior results in collaborative products.

III. Approaches:
A. Analysis of successful and unsuccessful projects- I could look at different collaborative projects and compare the stimuli for contribution with the outcomes.

Resolute

This is my exercise diary for January. So far so good. Some of these are Crossfit workouts, some runs, and some indoor cycling.

Crossfit Update for Feb 3

Max Bench-Press: 93 lbs.

250 M row: 1:06

What does this say about me?

Customers who bought items in your Recent History also bought:

California Green Seedless Grapes, 1 lbs

Wiki: Web Collaboration by Anja Ebersbach

The Tuscan Milk Phenomenon

The latest version of a stigmergic structure online-- that is, a "pile" that grows when people add to it by simply reacting to the "pile" itself, and not other people, like ants or termites-- is to be found on Amazon.

Amazon sells gallons of milk (yep, that's right, good ol' gallons of cold milk), and people thought it humorous enough to start writing rave reviews of the product. Reviews have now grown into a "pile" of humor that will keep you laughing for hours. There are even epic poems dedicated to the creamy, white nectar of the gods.

Be sure to check out the user photographs as well.

link

Crossfit Update

Max Push-Ups (from toes): 15
Max Dead-Lift: 153 lbs.
Max Pull-ups (jumping): 23

Crossfit Link

Tackling Pynchon

Rob and I have decided to read Gravity's Rainbow together. We bought two copies, and are slowly making our way through it. What a mind bender!

I'm considering getting the companion by Weisenberger.

There's a pretty good web companion for the book online as well.


Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon

Crossfit update

CrossFit Santa Cruz: Get Some...Go Again


My Crossfit saga is going well so far. This picture is of one of my classes (I'm the one at the end, but you can just barely make me out.)

Some of my progress includes the following:

I climbed a rope for the first time ever last week.

I can do 7-8 push-ups from my toes.(And 20-30 from my knees)

I can do 50 sit-ups. (full-range, not "crunches")

I can recover in about two days after my legs are so sore I feel like I'll never walk again.

Crossfit, rope climb, pain

Crossfit Update

Had my second Crossfit class tonight..... can't type much, because I'm shaking.... I almost puked during the second run, but managed to hold it together. I didn't know what a Turkish Get Up was before tonight.

I cried when I got home.

Still, I'm going back on Friday.

Crossfit,

Crossfit Kicks Ass.... Mine, that is....

Dear Diary,

I had my first Crossfit class last night. I survived! (Barely.) This is after six private sessions with Chriscilla, my trainer, to teach me the exercises. We did something like this:

Start:
1000 meter row

Warm-up:
21 thrusters (with a dowel)
21 jumping pull-ups
12 thrusters
12 jumping pull-ups
9 thrusters
9 jumping pull-ups

Set 1:
21 cleans
21 jumping ring dips

Set 2:
Sprint (about 400 meters?)
21 kettle-bell swings
12 jumping pull-ups

Set 3:
21 Dead lifts
21 Push-ups

Finish: 500 meter row for time (which means we race to see who can finish first. Guess who came in last?)

Just for fun: 50 sit-ups

I felt pretty good just being able to finish, though. I'm a little sore today, but not as bad as I thought I'd be. My shoulders and back are pretty sore. I also have a hard time squatting to the floor and up again. My goal is to hit two classes a week.

Crossfit, pukie, exercise

My Thesis Wiki

I started a wiki to collect idea possibilities for my Master's Thesis. My current idea is "Wikis as Stigmergic Structures."

(By the way, the picture to the left is a termite mound, architected with no architect.)

If you are curious about stigmergy, check out Wikipedia's article.

Tags:
stigmergy, library science, wikis

Sex on the brain - The Boston Globe

Here is a great article in the Boston Globe about the 'women talk more' myth that has been spread in countless self-help books. It turns out, when one looks for the original research supporting this pseudo-fact, it turns out to be bogus.

Rudd Sound Bites: Hot enough for you?

This article on Rudd Sound Bitesbrings to mind something I have been curious about. Is it just my perception, or am I more comfortable with heat since I have lost 30lbs.? I definitely think the thinner I am, the easier it is to handle a heat wave. What if there really is no global warming after all- we're just getting fatter?

Floatation Devices

One of my students asked me, "Mrs. Evans, when the airplanes hit the buildings on 9-11, why didn't the people in the airplane put on those things that let them float to the ground?"
      "Oh, parachutes? They don't have parachutes on passenger airplanes."
      "No, not parachutes. You know those things that are under the seat? You put them on like a vest and blow into a tube..."
      "Yes? What about them?"
      "Why didn't the people on the plane put those on and float down to the ground?"
      "Because floatation device means that you will float in the water, sweetie, not in the air."
Hmmm... time for a little physics lesson, I think.

Beyond White Zinfandel.....

Coming of drinking age in California in the early 90's meant my first wines were the icky-sweet, mass-produced, cheap white zinfandels. As I have branched out and learned to drink wine out of a bottle rather than a box, I have followed popular wisdom (and my changing palate) and left the pink wine behind.

But, lo and behold! Not all pink wine is icky-sweet. There is a long tradition in Europe of dry rosé that is crisp, refreshing, and pairs well with many foods. In fact, there is an organization called RAP (Rosé Avengers and Producers) that is trying to break the taboo of pink wine in California. Vinography has a report on the recent pink wine tasting in SF.

Vinography: A Wine Blog: Drinking Pink: Notes From the RAP Pink Out Rose Tasting

While my local supermarket only sells one true rosé upon its shelves, the liquor store down the street from me (K's liquor on Capitola Avenue) has an excellent wine selection, and a few California and European rosés. In fact, it was the wine merchant that suggested a rosé when Rob and I were looking for something different. Trader Joe's also has a few rosés as well.

It looks like I'll be branching out and blushing pink the rest of the summer....

wine, white zinfandel, rosé

Is There Such a Thing as Adult Space in New York Anymore? -- New York Magazine

It's not that I don't like children, but isn't there anywhere we can go without children romping around? I thought going to a pub would be a safe, but parents seem to be briging their children to bars, too. It looks like I'm not the only one who has noticed.
Is There Such a Thing as Adult Space in New York Anymore? -- New York Magazine

childfree, adult space, bad parenting

Boing Boing: Sen. Stevens' hilariously awful explanation of the Internet

I can't believe a senator said this. Whoa. I am scared for the future of internet legislation.

Boing Boing: Sen. Stevens' hilariously awful explanation of the Internet:


"I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially...

They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material."

List of problems solved by MacGyver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If anyone ever questions the usefulness of Wikipedia, show them this entry of the List of problems solved by MacGyver.

Lioness in zoo kills man who invoked God - Yahoo! News

Apparently, some guy leaped into the lion exhibit in the Kiev zoo and claimed that if God existed, the lions wouldn't kill him. Then.... a lion killed him.

And people complain about TV leading people to do crazy things. This came from the story of Daniel in the Old Testament.

Lioness in zoo kills man who invoked God - Yahoo! News

Newsflash: Reading Makes You Smarter. Duh.

What Effect Reading Has on Our Minds - MSN Encarta

According to this article, readers have better vocabularies, are less likely to be misinformed, and keep memory and reasoning abilities as they age.

The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search

Rob and I were flipping through the channels and came across this reality show on Country Music Television. I can't believe they are having contests to see who is the best dancer on top of the bar. I'm no feminazi, but this show makes me cringe.

CMT.com: Shows: The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search: About the Series: "Beginning in NY, two women are chosen in each of five cities to join a road trip down to New Orleans where Lil lives and where the New Orleans bar needs a grand re-opening. Along the way the women will learn all the Coyote skills - bar flairing, singing, dancing and bartending. Lil will decide who stays on the road trip and who is sent home in regular eliminations until we find five finalists who will compete to be the one to win $25,000 on the night of the bar's grand re-opening."

YouTube - Won't You Be My Neighbor?

YouTube - Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Here's a video of Mr. Rogers melting the heart of a hostile congressman.

Note to Self: Don't take a JavaScript course and a Cataloging course Together Ever Again!

I'm done. I turned in my course project for my cataloging course a few minutes ago, and submitted my final project for my XHTML, etc. course on Thursday. This semester has definitely taken a toll on me. I suffered through a terrible several-week cold, my neck completely seized up for a few days, and I have gained at least five pounds.

That is the last time I take two technical courses concurrently. Time for a long, hot bath and a cocktail. (Gee. It's a little early for a drink. Well, maybe a bloody mary.)

How Being a Mother is Like Being a Marine

Today is mother's day, and I have always thought of this day in terms of honoring my own mother. But for the first time, with all the women I know having children, it occured to me: how do I regard Mother's Day as a woman who has elected not to be a mother herself? Do I feel left out? The short answer is: no.

I think of Mother's day much like I think of Veteran's Day. I am extremely grateful to all the soldiers who serve our country; however, I don't grudge those who decide not to join. It's not for everybody.

I feel much the same way about motherhood-- I admire those who have taken the responsibility seriously, and are doing a great service to everyone by raising the next generation. I admire my own mother for the job she has done. You see, I can admire an occupation that I have chosen not to pursue.

So today, I salute those who have chosen to be mothers, who take the job seriously, because they are in it for the long haul- no matter what. All I ask is that you don't grudge my decision not to sign up.

My goals lie on other fields of battle.

BlogShares - Evans' Gate

The fantasy blog stock market. I'm worth about $1200 bucks.

BlogShares - Evans' Gate

Before and after photos

Rob and I before....


Rob and I about 2 and 1/2 years later...











Whoa.

Seek and Ye Shall Find: Desktop search showdown - Lifehacker

Wendy Boswell hs a review of desktop search applications on Lifehacker

Seek and Ye Shall Find: Desktop search showdown - Lifehacker: "The popularity of desktop search applications - installable software that indexes your computer files instead of Web pages - is growing by leaps and bounds. A simple search in Google for the phrase desktop search returns over 700 million results!

But which offering is best? Today I’ve lined up the top five most downloaded desktop search services - Google, Yahoo, Copernic, Ask, and MSN - with a simple list of their pros and cons."

:::...Lebowski Fest...:::

A tribute to The Big Lebowski

This agression will not stand, man....

:::...Lebowski Fest...:::: "Lebowski Fest is a bowling event celebrating all things relating to the Coen Brothers 1998 film, The Big Lebowski. It can be likened to a Star Trek convention in a very loose sense. The event takes place at a bowling alley and includes unlimited bowling, costume , trivia, farthest traveled, and bowling contests, prizes, and what-have-you. "

Asteroid � Easter turducken

When will this be on Emeril Live?

Asteroid � Easter turducken

Happy Easter.

The Library Hotel

I'm drooling. I would love to stay here, if I ever win the lottery.

Library Hotel, New York City, Best Small Hotels

Rob wins 2nd place at Ronde Van Brisbeen! The competition was fierce, as you can see. (Actually he did win 2nd, but it was in Cat 5, 35+). 

My New Holy Name

My Holy name given by the Order of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is Prego Julia de Cavatappi.
Take Flying Spaghetti Monster Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

May you be touched by his noodly appendage.

Dark Portrait of a 'Painter of Light' - Los Angeles Times

Oh, dear. My apologies to any Kinkade fans, but I have always been a little cynical about the "painter of light," especially the way he uses Christianity as a marketing tool. (And why are there no people of color in his "idealized" paintings?) Anyway, this just goes to show that public behavior will always come back to haunt you.

Dark Portrait of a 'Painter of Light' - Los Angeles Times: "On the eve of the broadcast, Sheppard said, he and Kinkade returned to the Disneyland Hotel after a night of heavy drinking. As they walked to their rooms, according to Sheppard and another person who was there, Kinkade veered toward a nearby figure of a Disney character.

'Thom wanders over to Winnie the Pooh and decides to 'mark his territory,' ' Sheppard told The Times.

In a deposition, the artist alluded to his practice of urinating outdoors, saying he 'grew up in the country' where it was common. When pressed about allegedly relieving himself in a hotel elevator in Las Vegas, Kinkade said it might have happened."

The Vegan Experiment: Day 9

Major changes noticed so far after eating a vegan diet for nine days: none.

Digestion: slightly improved; that is to say, things seem to be moving through better, if you catch my drift. Probably due to the extra fiber I am eating.

Weight loss: none. I attribute this to the increase in bread consumption to make up for the loss of meat.

General health: terrible. I got a severe cold from the kids I teach and have been hacking up my lungs for the last few days. I don't think this has anything to do with diet. It may have more to do with the gin & tonics I had while out on Saturday night that were the last straw for my immune system.

Negative effects: none. No loss of energy (except due to the cold), no cravings for meat, no problems eating out (order salad), no urges to wear hemp, grow dredlocks and protest downtown.

Foods I have discovered I like:

• Soy sour cream. Yum! Makes a baked potato taste the way it should be. Not any less calories than real sour cream, so not much advantage here, unless you have some clear reason for avoiding dairy.
• Boca burgers. One minute in the microwave makes a tasty sandwich.
  
• Peanut butter Odwalla bars. Need I say more?
• Tapioca pudding made with coconut milk. A real calorie and fat bomb, but a tasty vegan dessert.
• Sweet potatoes- otherwise known as "yams"- the dark orange ones

As you can see, I haven't been suffering at all. In fact, there is not much that I miss except for cheese. Most soy cheese contains "milk proteins," so I am staying away from it for now, just so I can say I haven't cheated.

Honey is technically ot considered vegan, but that is only due to philosophical issues. It's not much different chemically than sugar, so I won't bother avoiding that.

I have a suspicion that the "health" effects of a vegan diet are a way for hippies to push their animal rights agendas on us omnivores. But its still pretty early to tell. Who knows, maybe I'll keep this going longer than the two weeks I had originally planned.

panopticist: The Electric Company: We're Gonna Turn It On

Panopticist posts about the box set of the Electric Company. Includes some nostalgic video clips:

panopticist: The Electric Company: We're Gonna Turn It On: "As I watch these discs, I'm constantly struck by the overt fetishization not just of letters, but of the letterforms themselves. I imagine at least one or two typography careers owe something to the childhood sight of gigantic letterforms on The Electric Company. Look, next to Spidey, it's 10,000-point Franklin Gothic Condensed:"

The Vegan Experiment: Day 1

I've decided to try eating vegan for the next two weeks. Why? To see what happens. More specifically, there are a few things I am interested in monitoring:

1. Weight. I am on the "last ten pounds" phase of my weight-loss goal. There is no real evidence, as far as I can tell, that a vegan diet contributes to weight loss. But this is a last ditch effort to see if there is an easy solution to losing ten pounds before I go back to counting every calorie and dropping my caloric intake to 1,300/ day. In other words, hopeful laziness.

2. Lactose. I've never removed dairy from my diet. Ever. I know it affects a lot of people's digestion, etc. What happens to me? There are a lot of claims about improved skin, sex drive, etc. from removing dairy. We'll see.

3. More healthy foods. Removing all animal products will force me to look to other sources that I commonly neglect (e.g., vegetables). Perhaps forcing myself to eat more leafy greens in the short-term will help me to make them part of my regular diet in the long-term.

4. The placebo effect: If I think I'm doing something good for me, perhaps I'll feel "healthier" simply from the psychological effect of it.

The only legitimate health concerns I found about a vegan diet are the possibility of not enough B-12, or omega-3 fatty acids. I think my fancy-schmancy vitamin supplement I picked up at New Leaf market should take care of that.

It doesn't seem like it will be very difficult. I live in Santa Cruz, Ca... probably the easiest city in the country to be vegetarian in. I can even eat out at Dharma's.

So far so good. Breakfast this morning:

Cheerios
Soy milk
Banana
Coffee w/soy creamer

NMAH | Taking America To Lunch

NMAH | Taking America To Lunch



The Smithsonian has a cool collection of vintage lunchboxes.

Moderate Drinking

What is Moderate Drinking or Alcohol Consumption?

Here is a comparison of what some different countries' guidelines are on "moderate" drinking. (Vive la France!)

The U.S. gov't says moderate drinking is one drink a day for women, and two per day for men. Who has one drink at a time? What if I have seven on saturday night?

Canada seems to have a little more sensible view: no more than nine drinks a week for women, 14 a week for men, no more than two at a time.

It looks like moderate drinkers (however you define them) also have a lower risk for developing type II diabetes.

Now, where was that bottle of Pinot Noir I've been saving . . .

Tiki Fireplace Eerily Reminiscent...

Tiki Fireplace

This fireplace is awesome. It reminds me of something...

Zardoz!

If you haven't seen Zardoz, it's one of the best "bad" movies ever. It stars a young Sean Connery running around in a loin cloth for most of the movie. It begins with a floating head (much like the above fireplace) that descends upon a bunch of men in loin cloths shouting "Guns are good. The penis is evil!" I am not kidding. It's a must-see.

Living Kid Free

Marketplace on living without children:

Living Kid Free: "There's a new American dream. The picket fence is still there. So is the hope of a nice career. But, you might not find the 2.5 kids playing in the backyard. Alex Cohen reports."

Our Christmas in Yosemite 

Espress Yourself

Rob and I have gradually increased our coffee intake to the point where we both drink an incredibly large mug in the moring (the equivalent of two or three small mugs), and then have to pee every hour for the next three hours.

Consequently, we have decided to start drinking espressos in order to reduce the overall intake volume.

We bought this Bialetti stovetop espresso machine (cost: approx. $38.00):

But does it really make espresso?

Short answer, no. It makes strong, "italian-style" coffee, which I like. But it doesn't have sufficient pressure to make the crema and flavor of an espresso made with a power machine.

What's a coffee geek to do? Buy an expensive espresso machine. We are researching brands and prices.

Don't Skip the Roux, People.

Julia Child would be proud of Sara Dickerman, who favors the traditional roux-based aproach to mac n' cheese.

"Crusty Macaroni and Cheese" - What's wrong with�the New York Times' weirdly popular recipe. By Sara Dickerman: "Moskin offers up the tantalizing possibility that delicious macaroni and cheese can be made without white sauce, or b�chamel, the butter/flour/milk goop that binds pasta and cheddar together in a traditional mac and cheese. For backup, she quotes a cranky John Thorne, the iconoclastic food writer, who calls white sauce 'a noxious paste of flour-thickened milk' that diminishes 'this dish flavored with a tiny grating of cheese.'"

Are Orange Aprons Next?

A public sector employee taking customer service seriously? Maybe they will adopt my idea of outfitting them in orange aprons.

HeraldNet: Librarians on the move

"A private-sector sales concept is improving service at public libraries in Lynnwood and Mukilteo.

On busy afternoons, a librarian walks around and is available to anyone who needs help, as opposed to having staff stationed at reference desks."

Out of the Cameras of Babes

This photo was taken by a five-year-old with my camera phone. She set up the books (Winnie the Pooh) just the way she wanted. I think it's pretty good.

"Please Keep Your Feet On A Floor"

This notice was photographed on an airport shuttle bus. It says, "Please keep your feet on a floor." I didn't know I had other floor options to choose from.

Tri-Anorak: IMAX Cycling Movie

Tri-Anorak posts:

IMAX Cycling Movie

The subject of the film is the amazing ability of the human brain to overcome adversity, accomplish the near-impossible, and power each of us to victory and success in life. The film will illustrate these various abilities by following cyclists racing in the Tour De France.

How to Read a Book

I just finished Adler & Van Doren's classic How to Read a Book, which I can't believe I never read until now. (Actually, I think I started it once, but abandoned it. Ironic.) The authors outline a system of analytical reading and "syntopical" reading to allow you to get the most out of any book, and stretch your reading capabilities. Not that all books are worthy of analytical reading. There is an appendix in the back of the book of their recommendations of great books that are worth the effort.

Syntopical reading (their term) is the process of analyzing several books on one topic in order to formulate a discussion on the issue. This is essentially wht is required to write anything at the graduate level, and it is immesely helpful to have the process explicity and systematically explained. I could have used this last semester!

Of course, in order to be an expert reader, one has to read books of quality. (Reading for information and reading for pleasure are not going to improve one's mind.) The guilt I feel upon examining my own reading habits has inspired me to do two things: First, I am going to buy the Great Books of the Western World collection, so I can syntopically examine the greatest ideas by the greatest minds of all time. Second, since I have a month before school starts, my next novel will be one I have been putting off for some time: Tolstoy's War and Peace. The length has always been daunting to me, but I just realized that if I add up the pages I expect to read in the next month, they would be equal to the length of W&P anyway. Why read three or four shallow books when I can read one great one?

On a lighter note (hey, not everythig I read has to be cannonical), I just finished Julie Powell's Julie & Julia, an account of one woman's self-appointed project to prepare every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking within a year. This was a lighthearted and fun book, especially as I love cooking, and what with my immense regard for Julia Child (another Julia who admires Julia). The tone was a little cynical for me, but I had a fun time living through her failures and trumphs (I have had my own experiences with recipes in my copy of MtAoFC.) I found myself propelled though the book in order to find out how the project ended. It was touching as well.

Heaven on Earth | PBS

Think you're a socialist? Think again. At least this documentary should give you some food for thought. It's a good historical summary of the rise and fall of communism.

Ujiko: "Evolving Search Internet Player"

I had to critique a search engine for my Information Retrieval Class. Ujiko is built as a layer upon the Yahoo! search egine. It calls itself an "evolving search internet player" adding more functionality as the user gains expertise. It has an interface like a video game. Here is part of my review:

I came up with five categories to review Ujiko’s interface, based on what we discussed in class, and what Ujiko claims to offer: analytic search capability, search navigation, interactive browsing, visualization of the information space, and “evolutionary” capability. I have rated these on a scale of one to ten (one being poor, ten being excellent), and provided a summary of the features that provide the basis for my critique.

Analytic Search Capability	1
Search Navigation	7
Interactive Browsing	8
Visualization of the Information Space	6
“Evolutionary” Capability	2

Analytic Search Capability: simply put, Ujiko provides none. There are no “advanced search” options except for the capability to support a Boolean query, and this is not even mentioned on the help page. To Ujiko’s credit, analytic capability is not its ultimate goal.

Search Navigation: Ujiko offers several features to keep the user from “getting lost” during their search, and to help organize search results. There are three buttons to keep track of search history: “last queries,” “last answered queries”, and “last pages visited.” I found these to be very helpful in avoiding duplicate searches while adjusting my queries. Ujiko also provides five folders to file results by your own categories, and look at later as a set.

Interactive Browsing: There are three key features that I consider to be the highlight of Ujiko’s interface, and provide the opportunity for fast relevance judgments. First, when one mouses over the URLs provided, Ujiko provides “thumbshots” (provided by thumbshots.org) of the web pages with a summary underneath. This is a quick way to determine whether a site warrants further investigation without clicking on it. Second, one can rank each site by clicking on a heart icon (giving it relevance points) or a trash icon, which will filter it out of the results. If you run a previous query, the results you picked as relevant will appear at the top of the list. Third, Ujiko provides additional query suggestions in the middle of the page (pulled from the pages’ metadata) and allows you to pose a new query with the additional key words by clicking on them. These three features make sorting and filtering a large number of results very efficient.

Visualization of the Information Space: Ujiko’s visual layout is fun and easy to maneuver. Providing results in two columns around a circle prevents scrolling, which is a plus. The use of color-coded bars to associate query terms with individual results is also effective, although it is a very limited way of showing the relationships between results. The major weakness of the layout is that it is framed in an oval, which eliminates substatial screen “real estate.” One of the limits of information retrieval is our lack of screen space, and Ujiko’s interface makes it even smaller.

“Evolutionary Capability:” Ujiko promotes itself as an engine which “grows” with the user’s expertise. The more you use it, the more “advanced” options it provides. This is complete nonsense, and my major problem with this search engine. It awards points for every site visited, and awards additional capabilities by moving you to a new "level" every ten points. While novel at first (and somewhat addictive, I admit) it becomes increasingly frustrating. The first five levels provide you with the features that I have mentioned in this review: buttons to view previous search history, folders to sort results, etc. But these features could hardly be considered to provide “advanced” search capability; a novice user could easily manage these features before they have visited fifty pages. As I advanced through the levels, I was increasingly disappointed by the features added. At level eleven (after one hundred ten sited were visited) the newest feature was a button linked to Wikipedia (which it simply opens in a new browser window). Needless to say, the concept of Ujiko being “evolutionary” is hype intended to keep the user interested in the tool.

Overall, Ujiko is an interesting interface, and a highly interactive search engine. Will I use it in the future? Probably not. But the "video game" metaphor is worth investigating. I would like to use this interface with a joystick rather than a mouse. Given the propensity for video-game playing today, maybe this will be the way we search for information in the future.

What are you missing if you only Google?

Search Engine Results Continuing to Diverge

This is an interesting article from back in August about how little overlap there is in search engines.

Ambient Findability

This is a new book that my husband pointed me to. I ordered it from Amazon, but won't be able to get to it until next week, when my final for my current class is finished.

It looks like it explores the meeting space between computer and library sciences. It is more of a theoretical than practical book. Can't wait to get inside the covers of this one.

Wind Chime Hell

I live about half a mile from the beach where we get a pretty constant coastal breeze in the afternoons. Many people in the neighborhood feel compelled to hang a collection of aluminum pipes outside their front door. When I open my window at night, all I hear is a cacophony of random ding-a-ling-a-dinga-dings. New neighbors moved into our apartment complex and- guess what? They have aluminum wind chimes! What is going on? I'm no music afficonado with perfect pitch. In fact, I have trouble singing on key, but the chimes are driving me batty. Am I the only one who hates these things and fantasizes about cutting them down?