Hot dog pi (2) Dec 13, 2006
Yep that's a pun.  WikiHow has an article describing in copious detail how to generate an approximate value of pi by repeatedly throwing a hot dog and counting how many times it lands in a position that crosses a line on the floor.  After a few hundred throws, the ratio of twice the number of throws to the number of times a line was crossed should be around 3.14.  $2 to the first person who can explain why this happens (my vote's on Rich).  (via Cynical-C) #food
Sports on demand Dec 13, 2006
I recently found a way to watch NFL on demand.  Well, sorta.  It's more like "every NFL game regardless of geographical location".  It's not exactly "on demand" in that I can't watch whenever I want; only on Sundays or other times when games are regularly broadcast.  Go to Streaming NFL Games and find the game you want to watch.  Download and install the appropriate software based on the links at the top right of the website.  Click the link for the game you want to watch and voila, you're watching low-quality streaming video.  The way it works is that people with TV tuners in their computers can share their TV channels by using the aforementioned appropriate software.  Then jerks like me who live in an area other than the one that houses my favorite team can use the same software to watch other people's TV streams.  I'm pretty sure it's illegal, but it works for now.  The only [major] downside is that the video quality takes you right back to 1997 and the dawn of dial-up internet (sorry Dad, it's not your fault rural Virginia still has dial-up).  So if you're as angry with NFL TV coverage as me, this might be worth a shot. #entertainment
Soy is gay (4) Dec 13, 2006
This WorldNetDaily article talks about why soy is making people gay.  The basic idea is that soy products contain estrogen, the chemical that makes girls girly.  Lots of food products contain soy (ever hear of soybean oil?), so this could potentially be a big deal.  I'm not sure if I believe this idea, simply because it sounds a little crazy.  But the writer states up front that he's a health food kind of guy, so he's not biased.  (via Cynical-C) #food
Handy Dec 13, 2006
Scott Adams (the Dilbert guy) writes offensive, political, gross, and sometimes hilarious things in his very own blog.  Yesterday was a hilarious day.  He wrote about his lack of handy-ness when fixing things around the house.  He often uses a hammer and a screwdriver to disassemble delicate things, and he later fixes the broken parts with duct tape or "a process I call 'jamming it in there'".  By far, the best statement in his post was this:  "I go through life like Helen Keller in a room full of Rubic's Cubes."  Genius. 

On the topic of being handy, Wendy works with a guy who has a young son.  The guy was doing color flash cards with his son and he showed him a card with a brown teddy bear on it.  The guy asked, "What's this color?"  His son said, "Yellow."  The guy said, "No, it's brown."  He went through a few more different color flash cards and eventually got back to the brown teddy bear.  He asked, "What's this color?"  His son said, "Yellow."  The guy looked at his wife and said, "Let's hope he's handy." 

On a final note, "Handy" is the name of Satchel's watch in the comic Get Fuzzy. #psychology
Memory Dec 12, 2006
For as long as I can remember, I've had a terrible memory.  Maybe I was dropped on my head as a kid, or maybe I ate too much Play-Doh, chapstick, crayons, or glue.  Whatever the reason, I can't remember anything unless I write it down.  In most circumstances, this isn't a bad thing.  I've always been a good note taker, and I tend to carry objects with me that enable me to write things down (e.g. pen, paper, Palm).  The problem with this is that I literally can't remember anything.  Somebody tells me what we're doing this weekend; I hear it and forget it instantly.  I decide I need to bring a textbook to work tomorrow; I don't write it down and forget it instantly.  And the bigger problem is what's happened as a result of forgetting all the time:  I don't even try anymore.  If I know I'll forget it, I won't even try to remember it.  I'll tell somebody else to remember it so it takes the pressure (and future blame) off me.  Or I'll immediately write it down so it frees up some memory in my head (think flying toasters).  Sometimes I can't get to sleep at night, not because there's a lot on my mind, but because I'm afraid I'll forget the stuff that's on my mind.  Maybe I should take some pills or something.  Any suggestions? #psychology
Clothes sizes (9) Dec 12, 2006
When I was younger, I used to buy clothes that were too big for me, thinking that my current growth rate would eventually cause the clothes to fit perfectly.  While this was true for a while, I stopped growing when I was about 16 or 17, so this trend of buying big clothes should've stopped.  It didn't.  In college, I continued to buy clothes that were too big.  Now, some 4-5 years later, I still own some of these clothes [1], and they still don't fit.  My 32 x 34 pants are still at least 2 inches too long.  I always wear a belt because all my pants are at least 1 inch too wide [2]. 

But in a surprising turn of events, I might finally be growing into my 7-year-old clothes.  But it's not because I'm growing in the vertical direction; it's because I'm "growing" in the horizontal direction.  I've reached my maximum height, so there's only one other thing that can happen:  I'll get fatter.  I'm not too concerned yet because I'm relatively active and I have a supernatural metabolism.  But I'm dreading the year 2012, which is when I'll officially be over the hill.  That's right, 30 years old.  I've been told by several people that the second you hit the age of 30 (or the age of 30 hits you), your metabolism drops from 100% to 5%, so your weight gain matches your diet.  That's my worst nightmare:  Not that I'll be fat, but that I won't be able to eat candy anymore. 

[1] I find it extremely gratifying that I'm able to wear clothes for several years before they wear out or I get sick of them.  The whole time I was growing up, I had to get new clothes and new shoes all the time.  This sounds like a good thing, but it basically meant I got a lot of cheap things and hand-me-downs that didn't fit me one way or the other.  So at any given moment, there was a good chance I was wearing my dad's old pants that were too big for me and last summer's new t-shirt which was painfully too small for me.  Nowadays, I wear my $20 jeans until they disintegrate and my $10 shirts until they literally become last decade's style.  And I'm extremely proud of that. 

[2] There's something very wrong with the variety of clothes sizes.  All my life, I've never fit into the pants that were on the shelf.  The 30s are too tight and the 32s are too loose.  The 32s are too short and the 34s are too long.  I need 31 x 33!  Why don't they make my size?  Some stores occasionally have a single pair of oddly-sized pants, but they're usually not the right odd sizes (i.e. 31 x 30 or 32 x 33).  When will I be a normal size?  I've been waiting for this my whole life. #lifestyle
Cash cards Dec 11, 2006
Quite possibly the most useful advance in the world of commerce in recent years is the cash card:  Essentially, it's a refillable gift card for a store that usually sells frequently-purchased, small-ticket items.  The Starbucks Card is a good example.  And I just came across the Subway Cash Card.  There are at least 5 reasons why these cards are an incredibly great idea: 
  1. They're easier to carry than cash.
  2. They're faster than paying with a credit card (there's no receipt-signing involved).
  3. I can still earn credit card points when I purchase and refill the card.
  4. They're unlikely to cause major damage if stolen (stealer can't access bank records or charge anything).  Plus, they usually don't carry balances over $20-30.  And Subway's card has a few theft protection measures on their website.
  5. The stores are getting guaranteed repeat customers.
In my research for this post, I found out that Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, and many other places have cash cards.  I guess any store that sells gift cards would function in the same way.  But places like Home Depot and Target are slightly different:  They treat the card like a credit card, so there's receipt-signing and other time-wasting processes.  My advice for stores that want to make the cash card system work is to make it as fast as possible.  Just swipe and go.  Otherwise, there's no benefit to using it instead of cash or normal credit cards. #business
Giving blood (3) Dec 10, 2006
I enjoy giving blood.  It's an easy way to help people out without putting forth too much effort.  You just sit there and let somebody stick a needle in your arm.  It's understandable when people don't give blood because they're afraid of needles.  The dumbest excuse for not giving blood (sorry if that person is reading this) was something along the lines of the level of uncleanliness and disease-spreading capabilities in the blood-giving process.  I can sort of understand that logic, but if you've ever actually gone through the process, you'd know it's extremely clean and sterile, and I've never heard of anybody getting sick from donating at a blood drive. 

I get reminders in the mail every now and then that tell me what's going on the world of blood-giving and things like that.  They're always trying to get me to give blood.  And that's fine; I'm totally willing to give blood on a regular basis.  The problem is, blood drives are poorly organized and poorly managed.  They're usually at an obscure location and/or at an inconvenient time.  And there are often too many people giving at one time, so there are unnecessarily long lines and wait times.  I'd be more than willing to give blood on a regular basis if it was a little more convenient.  If it was as easy as going to an ATM or stopping somewhere to get coffee, I'd do it as much as possible.  I'm a quick bleeder and I'm comfortable with blood and needles, so I'm usually in and out quicker than most people.  And I don't really need time to sit around and eat cookies afterwards (though I usually do anyway because I like cookies).  So maybe somebody could create a blood drive center with slow, medium, and fast service.  Have a walk-in area where you provide identification and answer a few quick questions ("Since the last time you gave blood, have you had sex with a gay man while living in African and shared needles with AIDS patients?"  Still no.).  Then do a quick sit down, pump out blood, get up and go.  Simple as that.  I'd be a regular giver. 

The other way they could attract more people to give blood is to hand each person a $5 bill after they give.  Or give them an actual meal.  Since there's money exchanged for donated blood (blood money, if you will), the donor should see some of that money.  And while we appreciate the cookies and juice boxes, I'd be a heck of a lot happier with a sandwich or some cash.  Make it part of a deal:  Turkey BLT, 1 pint; Turkey BLT w/ drink and chips, 2 pints. #health
Reuse dishes Dec 9, 2006
As the primary dish-washer in my house, I have a tendency to reuse dishes and silverware.  I won't reuse anything that looks/smells gross or has any hardened food on it, but I'll usually do my best to use a plate more than once and a cup as long as possible.  The way I see it, my actions will have at least 3 benefits:  (1) I'll have to do less dishes; (2) I'll use less water and electricity; (3) I'll feel good because of (1) and (2).  I developed this tendency in the brief time I lived by myself.  I didn't have many dishes to begin with, so I had to stretch out their use as long as possible.  I basically had two sets of plates and cups:  The set I was using, and the set I wasn't using.  So to minimize time spent on frivolous tasks (like washing dishes) and maximize my available resources, I'd reuse my dishes over and over again.  And since I lived by myself, no one knew about it but me. #psychology
Punctuation (2) Dec 8, 2006
I find it interesting that a simple change in punctuation can change the entire meaning and mood of a particular statement.  This is especially true for online conversations where it's otherwise difficult or impossible to convey mood and tone. 

I'm working on a project with a few other people where we were originally planning on meeting at 3pm on Friday afternoon, but one of the group members just pushed it back to 4.  Fridays aren't meant to be filled with work in the first place, and Friday afternoon's productivity diminishes exponentially with respect to time (I tried my hardest to make that sound as geeky as possible).  I just wrote an email to the group, and I said, "I'm hoping we can bang stuff out pretty quick because I'd like to get home at a decent time".  If that statement is followed by a period, it sounds like I'm stressed and hurried.  My true feelings are conveyed pretty well.  I don't want to be meeting on Friday afternoon, let alone on Friday at all.  I just want to go there, get the work done, and leave.  But in the email, I ended the sentence with an exclamation point, and it changed the mood entirely.  That was my plan.  I don't want to sound like a jerk, so I made the sentence seem light-hearted and somewhat humorous.  I've come across this fact several times in the past, and I'm always amazed at how I can convey truth and meaning, while at the same time sounding playful and agreeable. #language