A study of UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families finds that convenience foods aren’t. Which is to say, families relying on so-called “convenience” foods spent as much time preparing dinner as those families who leaned on, e.g., hot dogs and frozen peas. (EurekAlert: “Convenience foods save little time for working families at dinner.” [Aug […]
Please pass the Hamburger Augmentation Product
Posted by Ben on August 8, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/please-pass-the-hamburger-augmentation-product/
Water, water, every where… and much of it to drink
Elizabeth Royte, who wrote the charming eco-logue the Tapir’s Morning Bath, does a piece on New York City’s water supply. It’s interesting, both historically and also in the infrastructural how-it-works sort of gee-whiz way. (It also encourages me to move Royte’s book on garbage further up on my to-read list.) (If the NYT can make […]
Posted by Ben on July 31, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/water-water-every-where-and-much-of-it-to-drink/
How to know you’re on the right track
In Alaska, a child saves a life by dialing 911 — thanks to the teachings of one of his favorite books, It’s Time To Call 911 – What To Do In An Emergency. The real question, though, is how a child raised on Captain Underpants And The Preposterous Plight Of The Purple Potty People would […]
Posted by Ben on May 18, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/how-to-know-youre-on-the-right-track/
Why it’s a good thing baby whales aren’t the size of goldfish, or, Alligator v. Python
Not exactly breaking news, but Burmese pythons are setting up shop in the Everglades, and–apparently–they quite like it. Each year a significant number of Burmese pythons – like the snake on sale in a pet store here – are taken home by people who never quite understand the presale warning. They are told point-blank that […]
Posted by Ben on May 9, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/why-its-a-good-thing-baby-whales-arent-the-size-of-goldfish-or-alligator-v-python/
Also, she had more tails than you’d expect to find, on a woman
A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked “strangely fat,” officials said Monday. (CBS/AP: “Woman Has Crocodiles Strapped To Body.” [Mar 26, 2007])
Posted by Ben on March 26, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/also-she-had-more-tails-than-youd-expect-to-find-on-a-woman/
Turn up the volume…
…on soil remediation! Researchers have developed a prototype that cleans soil by making mud of it and blasting it with ultrasound: Sound waves travel through water as a series of high pressure waves with low pressure areas in between. The low pressure causes the water to boil and form microscopic bubbles. The high pressure then […]
Posted by Ben on March 20, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/turn-up-the-volume/
Oekologie is…
…the Utne Reader of environmental blogs, though the phrase the folks there use is “traveling blog carnival”. This month’s “issue” is posted at Perceiving Wholes.
Posted by Ben on February 19, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/oekologie-is/
In which the phrase “Hemingway look-alike” comes up in totally the wrong context
Yeah, I was surprised, too. A trailing headline at the foot of an article on the Book Standard boldly shouted “Florida man wins Hemingway look-alike contest”. Except that the link is defunct, and doesn’t actually lead to an article describing the contest in all its certain hilarity. So I did a search on Yahoo! News… […]
Posted by Ben on February 13, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/in-which-the-phrase-hemingway-look-alike-comes-up-in-totally-the-wrong-context/
Books smarten up a room, annotated edition
Books are so popular in home decor that even people who don’t read acquire them. They buy volumes by the yard at Half Price Books. They send orders off to a California book-decor specialist who ships Danish language books by the foot. No comment. Danish? Well, they aren’t meant to be read. Unless you happen […]
Posted by Ben on December 27, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/books-smarten-up-a-room-annotated-edition/
In the news: opposites attack
Pretty faces negatively influence ad campaigns, anti-smoking ads encourage smoking.
Posted by Ben on November 26, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/in-the-news-opposites-attack/