Snake weight Jan 23, 2008
Officials found more than a ton of snakes on board a cargo flight from Thailand to Vietnam.  A ton.  I'm not really sure how much each snake weighed, but I'm overwhelmed by the idea of a ton of snakes. #nature
Don't need a bag (1) Jan 22, 2008
In a small attempt to reduce pollution and thereby save the world, I make an effort to refuse the offer of a plastic bag at the checkout counter.  Sometimes it's hard to get around, such as when I buy a bunch of oddly-shaped food items that (a) don't have handles and (b) don't form a reasonable pile in my arms.  But most times, I can easily fit all my items in the same hands that carried said items to the checkout counter in the first place. 

I've found that certain stores are more understanding of this than others.  Or, more accurately, certain cashiers.  Most times I say "I don't need a bag," I experience some sort of hassle.  For example, at one store, instead of giving me zero bags, the cashier actually gave me two (double-bagged), saying, "These bags are really flimsy.  You'll need more than one."  I politely thanked her for her mind-blowing insightfulness and went on my way.  At another store, when buying two t-shirts and declining to have them in a bag, the cashier looked at me in dumbfounded amazement.  "Carry your t-shirts to your car ... in your ... hands?  Good God."  The most common experience is the "whoops I already put your stuff in a bag, so ... you'll just have to take the bag."  It feels good to be part of the same species as these people. 

Add another point to the self-checkout bandwagon.  In addition to doing it myself, I get to make my no-bag choice without even trying to explain it to someone.  Similar to the self-checkout line is the "bag your own" line at supermarkets.  I don't really know why these lines exist, other than to satisfy crotchety and/or weird people who like to package their food items by color, and people who want to cut down on plastic bag use. 

I realize there's a simple solution to all this:  Bring my own bags.  I could easily tote around a cloth bag that's not only environmentally friendly, but also comfortable and fashionable.  But here's the problem:  I'm a dude.  I don't carry bags unless they're made of plastic and/or contain sharp metal objects.  I'm sorry, but I really can't get over that.  An alternative is to use one of those ACME nylon bags that I oddly enough just received as a Christmas present a few weeks ago (and that was written about on Cool Tools just yesterday).  But that would require me to remember to bring it into the store with me, not to mention build up the courage to take it out at the cash register and sheepishly ask the cashier to put my juice and candy into my cute little nylon baggie.  There's a psychological aspect to all this, and I don't think many people realize it. 

A huge way to cut down on plastic bag usage would be to get retailers on board.  Not only would it make my life easier when I try to decline a bag, but it would make it more common and acceptable.  And when things like that become "company policy" and your company has 20,000 stores around the country, you start to make a difference. 

The other way to make an impact would be to use incentives.  For example, I know certain stores reward customers who use their own bags, i.e. they pay you like $0.05 per bag or something pitiful like that.  I'm sure there are people who are motivated by things like this, but unless it started to add up quick, I wouldn't be interested.  A more powerful motivating factor is punishment.  Financial punishment.  Instead of rewarding people for bringing their own bags, charge people for using store bags.  Like, a lot.  If plastic bags cost $0.25 or $0.50 each, I wouldn't be caught dead with one.  And just like that, you have a life-long convert.  I hope someone important reads this. #business
Smart Jan 22, 2008
On a regular basis, I hear people talk about "that guy from high school" or "that girl I used to be friends with" and say, "He/she is really smart, but..." followed by some reason why the person doesn't utilize their smartness, such as "but he dropped out of school" or "she liked to smoke pot" or "he's just lazy".  In my opinion, those people aren't smart.  They obviously have some amount of natural intelligence and the ability to learn, but by not utilizing it, I think it disqualifies them from holding the title of "smart".

[On a side note, I'm having quite a bit of trouble writing this post because I don't want to write things that make me sound stupid because that would seem to defeat the purpose of the post.  However, assume that I'm a neutral third party whose smartness is absolute and must remain unchallenged.  This gives me the option of using words like "smartness" and putting punctuation after quotes like "this".]

I think in order to be considered smart, a person needs to have an ability or create an ability, and use it.  I grew up with a kid who was super-smart.  He was in all the smart classes and did well.  He was extremely creative and was able to get incredible results without putting in much effort.  Where is this guy now?  Living down the street from his parents (not that there's anything wrong with that), probably without a college degree (not that there's anything wrong with that), and doing some sort of low-paying manual labor (not that there's anything wrong with that).  My point is not that smartness breeds success, and success is measured by things like proximity to home, college degrees, and non-manual labor.  My point is that smartness, when left un-utilitized, can no longer be considered smartness.  It's wasted smartness, which in effect is stupidity.  So to say a person is smart "but..." something, you're saying the person isn't smart. #psychology
Gillette Stadium logo (3) Jan 20, 2008
The New England Patriots play in Gillette Stadium and they've been on TV a few times recently, so I've noticed their home field's logo:  A tower and a bridge, representing the entrance to Gillette Stadium.  In other words, Gillette Stadium's logo is a picture of Gillette Stadium.  That's like wearing a t-shirt with your picture on it. #sports
Church budget and faith (3) Jan 20, 2008
It's Sunday, so I'll write about churchy things.  Today, my pastor said an interesting thing about the church budget.  He said church budget planning needs to include an act of faith.  In other words, you don't just say, "Well, we have X amount of money, so we can do the following Y things."  Instead, budget planners should have faith that God will provide more than they can plan for. 

It's an interesting idea, and I have mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand, I agree that faith should be exercised in all areas of life.  If you're gonna take Christianity seriously, you shouldn't do it selectively.  This applies to marriage, friendships, work, and yes, money. 

However, on the other hand, I feel like the church should use our (and my) money wisely.  They should plan according to what they have, and make it work well.  Instead of overbudgeting and then doing a series of sermons about money and tithing, they should budget like a company or a family and do it conservatively.  When a family decides on a budget, they don't plan a few extra vacations and have faith that God will provide the means.  I realize this is different than what a church does, but the idea is similar. #religion
Do you have cello? (7) Jan 20, 2008
I've decided that my favorite stringed instrument is the cello.  I personally play guitar and have played bass and banjo in the past.  But if there was a choice between listening to guitar, violin, or cello, I'd choose cello.  It has such a nice soothing, almost mature sound. #entertainment
Unfounded (7) Jan 18, 2008
My favorite unfounded comment of all time is from this recent holiday season, comparing Microsoft's Zune to Apple's iPod: 
Cousin:  "The Zune is more advanced."
It's easy to make bold claims without even a thought as to backing them up. #psychology
Kottke guests Jan 18, 2008
I really hate when Jason Kottke has guest writers.  Especially this Choire guy.  If I wanted to read what he had to say, I'd read his website or any of his many publications.  It turns out I really don't like what he has to say, and it's really ruining the normal Kottke experience.  I usually read Kottke to find interesting links about unusual topics.  But this current guy is totally different, and I don't like him.  Take that as Kottke freedbacking, Mr. Kottke. #technology
Try before you buy (4) Jan 18, 2008
I usually like to be able to try something before I buy it.  If I'm getting a new cell phone or camera, I want to try it out, see how it works, see what I like and don't like about it.  Reading a review or getting some other second-hand opinion just doesn't cut it. 

Other products are sort of cut and dry, and if you've tried one, you've tried them all.  I don't need to try a basketball before I buy one.  Same goes for a coffee maker or a TV. 

Music is the type of product I like to listen to before I buy it.  And it's pretty easy to do.  I'm still a member of BMG, which has 30-second song samples for pretty much its entire music catalog.  Amazon is another place that has song samples, and for seemingly billions of artists and albums.  I made the mistake recently of buying a bunch of new music without sampling it first.  Now I'm wishing I didn't buy A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  It wasn't. #business
Sammies Jan 18, 2008
I'm a big fan of Quiznos' Sammies.  I've only had them a few times, but it's been a good experience each time.  The contents of each Sammie are normal Quiznos ingredients:  Meat, lettuce, tomato, and some special secret sauce.  But what makes them better than a traditional sandwich is
  1. They're smaller, so you can get two or three and have each of them be a different flavor.
  2. They're $2 each, so it feels like you're spending less money (though you're probably spending around the same amount).
  3. The bread they're on is nice and fluffy.
#food