When I make pizza, I usually pull off a chunk of the dough for the kids’ cheese -only pizza (they don’t appreciate good food). I put ours in first, and while it sets, I’ll cook the kids’ pizza. Last week they were particularly cranky, and I was rushed to get theirs done before they had […]
Two pizzas, hold the fire Read More »
Last month, I was musing about my phone bill. One mystery was why I was being charged $0.02 more for the Federal Excise Tax than the 3% mandated. I called the phone company, but they were unable to provide any explanation. I asked the public utility commission, who provided the information below. The legal interpretation
My two cents (of Federal Excise Tax) Read More »
I’m taking a photography class in hopes that I can improve my technique. We have an exhibition in a couple of weeks, and I’m behind on the number of “exhibitable” (ahem) prints. This weekend I rented a fisheye (16mm f2.8) and a macro (105mm f2.8) lens and set out to take a bunch of photos
Self-checkout kiosks have been appearing in various stores over the last couple of years. Businesses believe they can save money by having one employee monitor mulyiple registers. Customers are sold these as a convenience. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: You place all of your items on the input tray While there are items on
Home Depot’s Self-Checkout Doesn’t Work Read More »
I received an invite to join a group of friends in Orkut, “an online community that connects people through a network of trusted friends.” My first reaction was oh, brother, yet another linking portal. I already have entries on Friendster, the “online community that connects people through networks of friends” and LinkedIn, where you can
How many degrees of Kevin Bacon can be sliced? Read More »
There’s a great urban legend that says a penny tossed off the top of the Empire State building will impact with enough force to embed itself in the ground. Or, if it hit someone in the head, it would kill them. Last week’s Mythbusters (one of my favorite TV shows) busted the myth experimentally. However,
Monday morning armchair physicist Read More »
NASA is currently holding a press conference after the successful landing of “Opportunity” and potential workaround of the flash memory problem on “Spirit.” I’m reslishing seeing all the engineers cheering and high fives. Much like Pathfinder, this is an amazing opportunity to witness the highs and lows of exploration in near real time. If you
One of the things I really missed when I moved to Seattle from Austin was the lack of quality salsa, which I use like Australians do vegemite (or my kids use ketchup). Many of the restaurants here use something that tastes like tomato paste with oregano (shudder), and store bought generally has a litany of