Quotation of the day

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them--work, family, health, friends, and spirit--and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls--family, health, friends, and spirit--are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

- Brian G. Dyson, speaking at Georgia Tech's 172nd commencement address in September 1996. Dyson was then Coca-Cola Enterprises president and CEO.

WPClipart offers 23,000+ royalty free images

"... currently boasts 23,872 public domain images covering just about every subject imaginable. Most are offered as lossless PNG files."

Unhappy Meals - Michael Pollan

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. That, more or less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy. "

Another sinus treatment recommendation

I've written before about dealing with sinus issues, and while that product is good, I'm now a fan of the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. It's helped me avoid, or quickly resolve, lots of sinus infections, which used to trouble me often in the winter for long time spans. Their mixture packets are good, but to save money I make my own, as follows: 8 ounces warm water, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. (you may need to adjust that slightly to whatever is most comfortable for you, varying the amounts and rations of salt and baking soda).

DavidPye.com - where everything is free

Very nice website with interesting stories, lots of fonts, images, avatars, desktops, and much more.

10 Facts Every Westerner Should Know About the Middle East

"Most Westerners know very little about the Middle East and the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand, and engage in intelligent discussion about, current events."

Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: the best parenting book I've read

"a very short book that does exactly what it says on the cover: it's a simple prescription for teaching your baby to sleep through the whole night by 12 weeks."

Amelie

A little French girl tells a story.

Kongar-ol Ondar the Tuvan Singer

And there's someone you all know who can also do a bit of overtone singing.

Quote of the Day

"I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument while the song I came to sing remains unsung."

- Rabindranath Tagore

The Cholesterol Con -- Where Were the Doctors? (part 1)

The Bad Science That Created the Cholesterol Con (part 2)

Quote of the day

"One of the major weaknesses of observational data is the possibility of bias, including selection bias and reporting bias, which can be obviated largely by using randomised controlled trials. The relevance to parachute use is that individuals jumping from aircraft without the help of a parachute are likely to have a high prevalence of pre-existing psychiatric morbidity. Individuals who use parachutes are likely to have less psychiatric morbidity and may also differ in key demographic factors, such as income and cigarette use. It follows, therefore, that the apparent protective effect of parachutes may be merely an example of the "healthy cohort" effect."

- Gordon Smith and Jill Pell, in "Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials".

The Five Big Mistakes That Changed My Life and How I Moved Past Them

"I never got back to myself. I became better than I was."

The Chap Olympics

"Described for 'the perfectly dressed, under-achieving dandies with no interest in sport', the event is organised by The Chap Magazine."

thisissand.com

Click the square for instructions. Cool!

Your brain lies to you

"The brain does not simply gather and stockpile information as a computer's hard drive does."

How To Write an Effective Thank You Note for Any Occasion

"Why Send Thank You Notes At All? A thank you note has two big things going for it."

PocketMod: The Free Recyclable Personal Organizer

"With the PocketMod, you can carry around the days notes, keep them organized in any way you wish, then easily transfer the notes to your PDA, spreadsheet, or planner"

Distracting Miss Daisy

"Why stop signs and speed limits endanger Americans"

Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips

"First of all, you're starting off a full mile higher than Everest, so after a few gulps of disappointing air you're going to black out. This is not a bad thing. If you have ever tried to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you know what I mean. "

6 ways you're wasting gas

"It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank."

Quote of the Day

"Television is the device that has changed a generation of youngsters from an irresistible force into immovable objects."
- Anonymous

20 Ways to Eliminate Stress From Your Life

"By careful editing of your life, and changing certain habits, you can eliminate most (not all) sources of stress in your life."

Free Range Kids: Giving Kids Freedom to be Kids

"At Free Range, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age children go outside, they need a security detail."

Fighting with spouse can be good for your health

"But new research at the University of Michigan shows that hashing out marital disagreements is actually good for your health. It's squelching anger, especially when you feel you've been wronged, that's dangerous."

Journalist bites reality

"How broadcast journalism is flawed in such a fundamental way that its utility as a tool for informing viewers is almost nil."

The Chili Cheese Burrito and You

"Enter ChiliCheese.org. They have compiled a list of Taco Bells that still carry the Chili Cheese Burrito. So, you can experience the wonders of the CCB once again. "

Avoid pesky shipping costs with Free Shipping On

"Free Shipping On is a new service that makes it easier to find free shipping deals. First, the site has a huge database of deals and coupon codes you can use to get free shipping from stores like Newegg, Circuit City, Staples, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Apple."

10 Ways We Get the Odds Wrong

"Our emotions push us to make snap judgments that once were sensible—but may not be anymore."

Airport Art: Digital Sculpture at Heathrow Airport Demonstrates that Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

"Commissioned for the atrium of the brand spanking new Terminal 5 at Heathrow, Cloud is a digital sculpture conceived by art and design studio Troika. "
(be sure to see the movie at the bottom of the page)

Quote of the Day

"The story of English spelling is an improbable one in every sense. It is a tale of a process of evolution that contains so many curious accidents and bizarre twists of fate that the end result -- how we spell English today -- must be regarded as one of the most absurd, ridiculous, and protracted (1,500 years and counting) accidents of human culture.

"Yet no matter how accidental and ridiculous the story of English spelling is, and no matter how many suggestions have been made for "improving" English spelling (which is normally taken to mean making it more consistent), the ridiculous accident of English spelling has continued on its merry path much as before, and it's the would-be reformers who have, largely, been forgotten."

- James Essinger: Spellbound - The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling

Tentacle arm

"While we've been using our primitive, apelike arms like a bunch of jerks, the squids of the world have been clutching their prey with their superior tentacles and laughing at us." Hello Halloween!