It's surprising what you can read

Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the

 ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the

word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Adn I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

NYTimes: Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green?

"America's drafty building methods account for as much as 40 percent of its primary energy use, 70 percent of its electricity consumption and nearly 40 percent of its carbon-dioxide emissions.
A so-called passive home... Its orientation toward the sun and superthick insulation to its algorithmic design and virtually unbroken air envelope — that it requires minimal heating...The additional cost for a passive house, versus a more conventional home, is... a minimum of 10 percent. "
Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green?
Advocates of the passive-house standard for home design say it could greatly improve on America's drafty houses. But it has caught on only in Europe.
http://nyti.ms/9amLkL

Quotation

"What more is there to life than to eat well, love well, and wear good shoes." - Kevin Gandhi.

NYTimes: Too Many Hamburgers?

Telling it like it is. As you can see from this excerpt, he's not mincing any words. This op-ed columnist berates America for allowing our "can-do" esprit de corps to decay over the past few decades.TE
"There is absolutely no reason our democracy should not be able to generate the kind of focus, legitimacy, unity and stick-to-it-iveness to do big things — democratically — that China does autocratically. We've done it before. But we're not doing it now because too many of our poll-driven, toxically partisan, cable-TV-addicted, money-corrupted political class are more interested in what keeps them in power than what would again make America powerful, more interested in defeating each other than saving the country."
OP-ED COLUMNIST: Too Many Hamburgers?
On a visit to China, getting a good look at how the Chinese view us Americans.
http://nyti.ms/di5Em7

NYTimes: Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep

Massage decreases stress-related hormones.

VITAL SIGNS: Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep

Researchers found that a single session of massage caused biological changes, like increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment.

http://nyti.ms/ctP4gA

Tips for a family photo shoot

1. wear something comfortable, colorful but not complex
2. bring a favorite item or two - even a chair or pillow
3. prepare bribes for kids - it works
4. get a good night's sleep
http://smontgomeryphoto.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-02-24T21:46:00-08:00&max-results=7

NYTimes: Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes

Environmentally-friendly cleaners may not clean as well as harsher chemicals, but here's a documented less obvious benefit of them - housekeeping staff reporting less days off or symptoms.
"some users attest to quantifiable benefits. Reports of burns, rashes, dizziness and scratchy throats among housekeeping employees have plummeted at North Central Bronx Hospital and Jacobi Medical Center since the staff switched to new cleaning products in 2004, said Peter Lucey, an associate executive director for support services at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. The number of lost days linked to injuries from the products declined from 54 in 2004 to zero last year, he said. "It's the switch and the training," Mr. Lucey said"

Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes

Many find low-phosphate detergents as appealing as low-flow showers, underscoring the tradeoffs people often face in a more environmentally conscious marketplace.

http://nyti.ms/b1IOhd

Nautical charts on iphone GPS for free

I have used this amazing little program for a while (and their subscription-based driving directions program also) but I was surprised recently to see they've added US nautical charts for free. I have previously paid hundreds of dollars for these charts, that become outdated within a year or so. This is a pretty amazing deal if you ask me.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motionx-gps-lite/id293935935?mt=8

Path of a storm

An interesting set of graphics that look at the concentrated path of destruction this storm. As you can see from these photos, and this video, it was a pretty severe tornado.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/09/17/nyregion/brooklyn-storm-map.html

View your own street view as backdrop for a video - clever.

A colleague heard about this on NPR. It's a music video that's illustrated using the view looking down your own street, whatever street you enter, using google's "street view" data. It's totally cool. Make sure you watch through to the end - half-way through there's an interactive animation (that might seem like it's the end of the video) where you draw something, but then it becomes part of the video.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

More of the story at

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129631778

NYTimes: The 3,000-Mile Oil Change Is Pretty Much History

Send your oil in for diagnostic analysis.

SHORTCUTS: The 3,000-Mile Oil Change Is Pretty Much History

Knowing how often to change your car oil takes more information than in the past. The good news is that it's probably less often.

http://nyti.ms/dn3SNz

3D 'printing' to manufacture objects

This is the best description I;ve seen yet of the capability of desktop 'printing' (or manufacturing by depositing thin layers) of 3D objects in plastic. It's incredible what complex parts they can print in a single printing (see at 1:05 in the video.) TE

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/09/13/technology/1248068999175/desktop-manufacturing.html

In the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/technology/14print.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

I'm not much of a ballet fan, but take a look at these impressive feats of balance and strength.

http://www.nzwide.com/swanlake.htm

NYTimes: F.C.C. Likely to Open New Airwaves to Wireless

Why is the availability of new airwaves such a big deal? Repurposing the old TV broadcast signals uses a wavelength that penetrates buildings and valleys better than current cell phone frequencies.

F.C.C. Likely to Open New Airwaves to Wireless

Allowing anyone to use "white spaces" in the spectrum would open the door to supercharged Wi-Fi networks.

http://nyti.ms/9Az0wH

NYTimes: For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Should you pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? -
"remove baked on food and large chunks, but for the most part, everyone I spoke to said prerinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher was not only unnecessary, it wasted thousands of gallons of water and could actually result in dirtier dishes"

SHORTCUTS: For the Dishwasher's Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

Go easy on the detergent in dishwashers and washing machines, and never clean your oven the day before Thanksgiving.

http://nyti.ms/8YSQ8V