Slightly Off KIlter

Normal is overrated

  • A Calorie is a Calorie… or is it?

    The dietary establishment has long argued it's impossible, but a new study offers intriguing evidence for the idea that people on low-carbohydrate diets can actually eat more than folks on standard lowfat plans and still lose weight. … [This] strikes at one of the most revered beliefs in nutrition: A calorie is a calorie is… Continue reading

  • 24-hour clocks

    I prefer digital clocks that show the time in 24 (unique) hourly numbers, from 00:59 – 23:59. Unfortunately, many alarm clocks in the U.S. don't do this. Has it ever occurred to you, however, that all digital clocks are "24 hour clocks"? An analog clock (you remember, the old-fashioned circular faces with the hands? 🙂… Continue reading

  • Puzzle Cult

    Read Part 1 — Interview Ups and Downs How would you weigh a jet plane without using scales? How would you test a saltshaker? Count in Base negative 2. I had a job interview a few weeks ago in which my chances appeared to hinge almost entirely on whether I could solve a particular puzzle.… Continue reading

  • Does Winter make you SAD?

    It's the middle of October. The middle of Autumn. The next three and a half months are my least favorite time of the year. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, 37.8° North latitude (about even with Richmond, VA to the east); if we lived much further north, I probably wouldn't like February either.… Continue reading

  • The South Beach Diet

    I have been reading "The South Beach Diet" by Dr. Arthur Agatston. (The hardcover book is currently on sale for softcover prices ($15) at both amazon.com and Barnes & Noble; there are used copies available as well through amazon.com starting at $11.75. Dr. Agatston is a cardiologist who started investigating diet as a way to… Continue reading

  • iChat, iSight, iSign

    Video conference programs expand horizons for the deaf. Unlike any other technology he had seen, [Melvin] Patterson, 31, said the iChat AV software produced video that was clear enough to see another person’s fingers and hand movements, a crucial element in communicating in American Sign Language.” Continue reading

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  • Not even the Splendid Bowl

    The Friday 5 for this week asks about sports… Do you watch sports? If so, which ones? What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes? Are there any sports you hate? Have you ever been to a sports event? Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play? Continue reading

  • The Best Time to Shop

    Common wisdom holds that the best time to shop for groceries is when you’re not hungry. The same can be said about shopping for a job. The best time to look for a job is when you already have one. If you don’t have one and you really need one, you’re too hungry. Continue reading

  • Under the Tuscan Sun

    Rich and I recently finished reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. It's quite a good read if you enjoy this sort of book; you'll find it shelved under travel memoirs. We're both fans of Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence) and similar sorts of books. This is very much in the same vein.… Continue reading

  • Graveyard in the Blogosphere ?

    The Register (an admittedly caustic British ezine with the tagline “Biting the hand that feeds IT”) posted a rather depressing article about weblogs today. In the article, the writer discussed “one of the first comprehensive studies of weblogging conducted by research company Perseus, which has analyzed over three thousand weblogs”. Perseus claims that they “surveyed”… Continue reading