an undone calm

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/cant-place-the-name-but-the-typeface-is-familiar

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:09:46 -0500

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/cant-place-the-name-but-the-typeface-is-familiar:

9/11 Memorial typeface mystery solved!

Taken with instagram

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:22:11 -0400

Taken with instagram

Sunscreen explained!

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:06:30 -0400

Sunscreen explained!

Conan at Dartmouth.

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:51:39 -0400

Conan at Dartmouth.

Shazam to the rescue… I love the This American Life podcast. So much so, in fact, that I look...

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:16:00 -0400

Shazam to the rescue…

I love the This American Life podcast. So much so, in fact, that I look forward to my Monday morning walk to work because that’s when I first listen to it. However, as a music buff as well, their policy of not identifying the music in their podcasts makes me crazy. From the TAL FAQ:

What’s that great music you’re playing under the stories?
We list the songs between stories on the individual episode pages in the radio archive. Over the years, we’ve used hundreds of songs under our stories—and in some stories, we use a number of different songs in different sections. We tried to answer these emails for awhile, but often it was impossible sometimes to pinpoint which song people were asking about—and the reality of digging up the answer completely overwhelmed us. We do keep track, but the files are kept in one place, and our web manager is in another. For this reason, it’s unfortunately not possible for us to answer emails asking what music was playing under a particular story. That said, if you’re just browsing for ideas generally, some of the music on the show comes from movie soundtracks: Donnie Darko, Amelie, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Virgin Suicides, I Heart Huckabees, and others. We also use a lot of Calexico and Bexar Bexar.

So three weeks ago they aired the “Prom” episode #186 and between minutes 16:05-17:30 there was music that was absolutely familiar to me but I couldn’t identify it. It’s been driving me nuts for weeks. At one point I even tried to listen to everything in my 9000 item iTunes library that I thought could conceivably match. Today it occurred to me to use Shazam and despite the broadcast on top of the music, Shazam identified it as… “Ending (Ascent)” by Brian Eno. Duh… I knew that.

Can someone please explain to me why This American Life can get away without crediting the music in any way, shape or form? Don’t they have to pay royalties on it? And since they admit they are keeping track of the music used, how hard is it to include the list, even if they don’t list the exact times?

A+! I probably should have just given blood to figure this out...

Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:52 -0400

A+! I probably should have just given blood to figure this out but my curiosity was killing me. Amazon.com to the rescue: Eldoncard Blood Typing Kit.

http://www.goodhealthwellnessblog.com/204/agave-syrup-exposed-as-high-fructose-corn-syrup-replacement/

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:48:00 -0400

http://www.goodhealthwellnessblog.com/204/agave-syrup-exposed-as-high-fructose-corn-syrup-replacement/:

This article is a good follow up to the sugar video from last week (fructose is a poison) and now I learn that agave syrup is up to 90% fructose. Funny how that whole glycemic index thing now makes no sense (fructose is a low glycemic index sugar). So foods like agave syrup that are “low glycemic index” because they contain mostly fructose are actually WORSE for you than plain sugar because your body turns fructose into fat and fructose doesn’t trigger your body’s appetite control system (leptin). Fascinating!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/your-money/23money.html

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:58:57 -0400

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/your-money/23money.html:

This article explores the possibly inadequate insurance on Zipcar rentals ($300k limit). I have no recollection what my coverage limits were on my old car insurance policy - $1,000,000 seems absurd, but the author makes an excellent argument.

Another take on the obesity epidemic and this one is pretty...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:38:00 -0400

Another take on the obesity epidemic and this one is pretty convincing. It gets good around 45mins when he breaks out the biochemistry. Love the citric acid cycle!

These are the best crackers I have ever eaten. Sold throughout...

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:48:24 -0400

These are the best crackers I have ever eaten. Sold throughout Canada, but possibly available at your local Whole Foods Market. Deeeeelicious!

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/361/fear-of-sleep

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:42:37 -0400

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/361/fear-of-sleep:

Do yourself a favor and listen to minutes 7:30-20:55 of this episode of This American Life from 2008. I was laughing so hard on the airplane to Miami I was almost embarrassed. The ease of listening to podcasts is by far the best feature of my new iPhone. This American Life is my favorite, along with everyone else on iTunes (12405 ratings, with an average of 5 stars).

Think Like a Doctor Contest

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:23:16 -0400

Think Like a Doctor Contest:

Nytimes.com readers went nuts for this “contest” based off the must-read Diagnosis column from the magazine - nearly 1400 comments!

Just finished watching this year’s Academy Award winner...

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:37:00 -0400

Just finished watching this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Documentary: Inside Job. My initial reaction is first, that everyone should see this film, and second, that the rest of the world should be really pissed off at the United States government and the financial services industry for their irresponsibility. Inside Job is another one of those documentaries (like Sicko or Food, Inc.) that leave you thinking, “This is so f*@#ed up.”

"You might think half a muffin over an entire day wouldn’t matter much, particularly if you..."

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:09:00 -0400

“You might think half a muffin over an entire day wouldn’t matter much, particularly if you exercise regularly. After all, doesn’t exercise turn fat to muscle, and doesn’t muscle process excess calories more efficiently than fat does? Yes, although the muscle-fat relationship is often misunderstood. According to calculations published in the journal Obesity Research by a Columbia University team in 2001, a pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that.”

- From the 2009 Time Magazine article: Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin

It wasn’t available for me on February 10th and the last...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:32:25 -0400

It wasn’t available for me on February 10th and the last 32 days of waiting have been excruciating, but finally, after a 2.5 year wait, I have a iPhone. Yay!

why CT scans are bad for children

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:12:00 -0400

why CT scans are bad for children:

Nice piece about the dangers of radiation from unnecessary CT scans in children. From the Tufts alumni mag.

Maru is safe

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:35:00 -0500

Maru is safe:

While clearly there are other things to worry about in Japan, it is nice to know that my favorite box loving YouTube superstar cat is safe.

"Feist, whose conversation is often a stream of poetic imagery, said over a cup of tea,..."

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:28:00 -0400

“Feist, whose conversation is often a stream of poetic imagery, said over a cup of tea, “I’m on the archaeological dig to find the place where my heart ended up.””

- NYT