2010

Short on cash for holiday shopping? Check out this list of Ten Gift Ideas from the Depression Era.

(via reddit)

[R]ead on for the best why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas for shrinking your household expenses, from getting free trees from your town's public works department to installing an under-sink filter to cut costs on pricey bottled water.

Are you a starving student? Or do you just feel like one most days? Never fear, the Internet is here to feed you.

In Praise of Leftovers — "This blog is for anyone who’s ever opened the fridge and been overwhelmed by what to do with its contents," writes Sarah Murphy-Kangas on her blog. "It’s also about making do — seeing what’s around, rescuing ailing vegetables from the brink, taking advantage of simple things like dried beans or grains. And nothing makes me happier than finding a way to use all the random bits in my fridge." Recommended posts: "Farfalle with Kale, Bacon, and Mint" and "Grilled Steak with Peppers and Chimichurri Sauce."

The Official Ramen Page — "I do not have a professional background in cooking and I don’t cook that much myself aside from making ramen," explains Matt Fischer. "I started the blog in college about 14 years ago (although it was not called a blog back then) because everyone in my dorm had some crazy ways to cook ramen and I wanted a place to document them. At the time I was also trying to figure out what to put on my homepage. In 1996, everyone had one and they were all useless, usually a list of bookmarks and a few pictures (if you had a scanner!), I figured that the Internet needed a ramen recipe page and my friends were the inspiration for the recipes." Recommended posts: "Mama Pork Flavor Ramen" and "Super Spicy Indian Potato Curry Noodles."

Poor Girl Eats Well —"I created Poor Girl Eats Well in August of 2008 as a fun way for me to share how I make it possible to eat quite well despite my limited means," writes Kimberly A. Morales. "Poor Girl Eats Well is quite different from other blogs in that I try to make most of my meals as healthy as possible, with a sinful treat thrown in here & there for good measure." Recommended posts: "Recipe: Cannellini Beans, Broccoli & Tomatoes with Dijon Vinaigrette" and "Recipe: Tuna, Veggie & Couscous Salad."

Read the rest…

(via reddit)

I'll be digging through these sites for some new reading material, you can bet on that…

Baen Free Library
You’ll find around a hundred or so free ebooks here. There’s also an Annotated Baen Free eBook Listing, which includes scads of CD-ROMs that shipped as promotional materials, all neatly zipped up for download.

Craphound.com
Cory Doctorow has made gobs of his science fiction novels and novellas available online for download. I enjoyed Little Brother, though fans of classic space opera are likely to be left somewhat mystified.

Double-Dragon-ebooks.com
Nearly 500 DRM-free science fiction ebooks, most of which are new to me, for good or ill. Ratings from the community should help both the visitor and myself to judge what might be worth downloading.

(via Reddit)

Like all of us, teachers have their facepalm moments…

Read the rest…

(via linkfilter)

Received as an intraoffice chain email…

HOW TO START A FIGHT

One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift. The next year, I didn't buy her a gift. When she asked me why, I replied, "Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!" And that's how the fight started…

· · · · · · · ·

My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to fool around?' 'No,' she answered. I then said, 'Is that your final answer?' She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, 'Yes…' So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend." And that's when the fight started…

· · · · · · · ·

I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first. "I'll have the rump steak, rare, please." He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?" "Nah, she can order for herself." And that's when the fight started…

The cult TV show Firefly was cancelled after less than a season, but lives on in comics. USA Today has just published an eight-page story called Serenity: Downtime.

(via Great Geek Manual)

Thanksgiving will be upon us before you know it. Tired of the same-old, same-old feast? Surprise your family with the Thanksgiving Turkey Cake!

And for dessert, you'll wow them with the cherpumple.

Followed, of course, with a Pepto-Bismol chaser.

(via Joe.My.God)

Yes, there are superheroes… and they have the coolest gadgets.

(via Slashdot)

I loves me a good curse, and these curses from the cult TV show Firefly are both potent and imaginative. What follows is the only one I feel comfortable reproducing here…

15) Stupid Inbred Stack of Meat 笨天生的一堆肉。· BUN tyen-shung duh ee-DWAY-RO

On a visit to one of Mal's old Army buddies, Monty, on an uninhabited moon, Mal and crew encounter "Saffron", the beautiful con-artist who once tricked Mal into marriage, and nearly stole his ship (played by the absolutely magnificent Christina Hendricks); this time, she's taken the name "Bridget" and married Monty. A short tussle ensues between her and Mal (lucky bastard) which Monty breaks up as Mal explains the details of their shared history. When Saffron, who had been denying everything, lets it slip that she knows Mal's name, Monty abandons her on the barren lunar surface. She screams this bit of Mandarin to the heavens as his ship departs.

This phrase is also noteworthy for its use on the back cover of Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, where Chinese characters inform prospective buyers: "If you don't buy this book, your friends will think you're a stupid inbred stack of meat."

(via The Great Geek Manual)

I'd like to think that, after I pass on, my being on this earth will have made some difference. I bet you'd like to think that, too. TinyBuddha has some suggestions for making that difference:

1. Wake up. ~ Karen Maezen Miller

2. Make a difference in yourself, for the better. Such an inward difference always has rippling outward benefits. ~ Hansoul Kim

3. Remember there are three poisons: greed, anger and ignorance. Do not deny their existence but turn them around and you have generosity, compassion and wisdom. ~ Clifton Bradley

4. Make it a habit to respect everyone. ~ Margarita Medina

5. Consider the people you see each day. Sometimes I get wrapped up in things I am working on — fundraisers etc. But the coworker, family member, pet right next to you are the people you can truly reach and touch. ~ Amy E. Moore

Read the rest.

David Sawyer walked into the kitchen of his townhouse and thrust his tablet at his husband James.

"I’m running for city council," he said.

James neither took the tablet nor looked up from his coffee and toast. "The elections were last month," he said. "And we already have a councilman. Please inform those responsible for maintaining your information bubble that they are falling down on the job."

"We had a councilman," David said. "Note the tense." He thrust the tablet at James again.

James took it, frowning. "Councilman Krugg is dead? When did that happen?"

"Last night," David said. "He’s been molting and he went out before his new carapace stiffened up. Was talking on his phone and not paying attention and walked in front of a bus. They say the death was instant."

"And messy," James said, glancing at the picture accompanying the story.

"He should have stayed off the streets until his carapace grew in," David said.

"When you walk in front of a bus I don’t think a full suit of chitin is going to help you much," James said. "As a general rule when it’s a city bus versus any biological creature, it’s safe to bet on the bus."

"The point is," David said, "Krugg’s seat is now open." He leaned over and pointed at the news story on the tablet. "They’re going to hold a special election in three weeks so the winner can serve the full term. And I’m going to run."

read the rest…

What's so great about Google's Chrome browser? 15 Killer Google Chrome Features You Might Not Know About explains the excitement.

This is going to be a bit different. Normally I don't talk about myself at all on this blog, but this is a story I have to tell. It's an open letter to Wil Wheaton, the actor and writer, whom I have never met, but who has had the most amazing impact on my life nevertheless.

Wil…

I want to tell you a little story about you, me, and the love of my life.

I'm in my mid-fifties, and a confirmed geek. I've been divorced about six years. It was an amicable parting, and my ex and I are still good friends… but still, such an event leaves a huge gaping hole in one's heart. Losing the one that you thought you would be with until death is nearly as traumatic as death itself. It was for me, at least.

After a couple of black years during which I was barely aware of anything, I started to climb out of the dark places. I had the help of some very good friends, and a couple of very good therapists. Eventually, I realized that being alone for the rest of my life was neither predestined, nor desirable. So I started dating again.

It went about as well as could be expected for the first couple of years. Occasionally I met a woman who was intelligent, charming, and interested in a long-term relationship. And invariably, I would screw things up, and the relationship would end. But I paid attention and tried to learn from my mistakes.

Then I met Nadine. She was beautiful, well-spoken, interested in just about everything. I took things slowly — very slowly, because one of the lessons I had learned was that I had sabotaged my earlier attempts at relationships by loading them up with emotional freight before they were ready to bear the weight. Things were going great… Read the rest of this entry »