Audioblogging Manifesto

Truer than ever, given the proliferation of video (and the scourge of searchable text: infographics).

4 annoying sounds you need to stop making

Video. Covers:



  • uptalk
  • vocal fry (and its cousin "sexy baby vocal virus": high pitch and vocal fry and uptalk)
  • shushing
  • "sustained mid-central vowel or bilabial nasal" noise; how we talk when we don't want the other person to interrupt.

Hard Boiled Eggs with an Electric Pressure Cooker

[click headline above] Works great! I've tried for a long time to make easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs, and this method seems to work well. And the Instant Pot is great for all kinds of other things: as a slow cooker, rice cooker, for saute and soups, etc.



My exact method for eggs:



  • although most pressure cookers come with a steamer tray or rack, I lost mine, so I got one of those folding metal ones [link] and put that in the pot
  • loaded a dozen eggs into it, and added approx. 1 cup water
  • put on the lid, with the vent in the closed position
  • started the cooker in manual mode, high pressure, set for 5 minutes
  • the device warmed up, hissed for a bit until the pressure built up, and then began timing 5 minutes, beeping when done and reverting to Keep Warm
  • I let it sit like that for 5 minutes, then released the pressure, and used tongs to move the eggs into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process
  • peeled one, very nice! put the rest back into the egg carton with "HB" written on it and put them in the fridge; had another a few hours later, still easy to peel and perfectly done
How I've found is the best way to peel eggs: tap them around the equator on the counter or side of the sink to break the shell, then roll them briefly between your hands to further pulverize the shell, and then peel the shell off.

There are many more recipes out there for eggs this way, and many of them use low pressure and a natural pressure release (where you just let things cool down until the pressure lets up; less steps); I may try one of those with the next batch.

Hummus Made Easy

I saw this at the store the other day and tried the black bean version: very good! Best hummus I've ever had. (click headline above to go the product website)

I made it using an electric mixer, so the beans weren't completely mushed, there was some nice texture to not having them completely blended.

I read somewhere that hummus is made better by adding sour cream, and that works even for packaged hummus, and also for this.

I made another batch with refried black beans, and some chopped onion and only light mixing, and that is maybe the best batch so far.

I read a Tweet once that said "I feel good knowing I've put so many of the Sabra kids through college." :-)

I have no affiliation with Bush's, an have received no recompense for this post; I'm just a person who has tried to like hummus, and now knows how to make really good hummus. 


24 Music Genres Worth a Listen

Each video contains multiple samples. Sign me up for Djent and Glitch.

To The EpiPen CEO: My Daughters Will Be Nothing Like You

How to Reckon with Emotion and Change Your Narrative

"Storytelling helps us all impose order on chaos—including emotional chaos. When we're in pain, we create a narrative to help us make sense of it. This story doesn't have to be based on any real information."

The Disquieting Anxiety Caused By Being Disliked For No Apparent Reason [video]

"... thoughtful insight into the disquieting anxiety caused by being disliked intensely for no apparent reason, particularly in this age of social media and digital communication."

Dear Mothers: We're Not Meant to "Bounce Back"

"We’re not meant to “bounce back” after babies. Not physically, not emotionally, and definitely not spiritually.We’re meant to step forward into more awakened, more attuned, and more powerful versions of ourselves. Motherhood is a sacred, beautiful, honorable evolution, not the shameful shift into a lesser-than state of being that our society makes it seem."

This Is How to Find Happiness: 6 Proven Secrets From Research

 "So what produces happiness all around the world, among people young and old, across the most varied backgrounds imaginable?"

Missouri, Kansas join other states pushing 'zipper merge'

"Using all available lanes until the last moment, then alternating entry into the open lane, helps reduce accidents by keeping both lanes moving at the same speed, said David Silvester, a Missouri Department of Transportation engineer."

I'm a black ex-cop, and this is the real truth about race and policing

"Every officer in the country should be wearing a body camera that remains activated throughout any interaction they have with the public while on duty. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy for officers when they are on duty and in service to the public. Citizens must also have the right to record police officers as they carry out their public service, provided that they are at a safe distance, based on the circumstances, and not interfering. Witnessing an interaction does not by itself constitute interference."

Jim Jeffries (comic) on gun control

Warning: salty language.
In 2 parts:




How Romantic Ideas Destroy Your Chance at Love

"Society has set us up with the wrong expectations"

John Oliver stands up for science, pours cold water on all those scientific studies you love [article/video]

How To Help a Grieving Friend

"It’s hard to know what to do when someone we love is facing something awful. We don’t want to do the wrong thing or get in the way, or we want to help but don’t know how to, or we face a huge flood of fear and sadness that feels hard to push away long enough to be supportive, or they don’t seem to want or need help. But there are some ways that you can be present and supportive. "

Malia Obama Is Taking a Gap Year. It’s an Increasingly Popular Move

"President Obama’s oldest daughter Malia will take a gap year before attending Harvard University, the White House announced Sunday. While the brief White House statement did not mention what the 17-year-old First Daughter would be doing during that time, Harvard happens to be one of many elite schools that encourages students to take a year off.



“Harvard College encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way,” according to the website for the school’sadmissions office. “Each year, between 80 and 110 students defer their matriculation to the College.”"

49 Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child

Seven parenting behaviors that stop children from being successful

A Psychotic Rant About Going to the Cinema

I did not write this. But the person who did is my hero.

Could have been phrased better

From H&R Block's 2015 tax software for Michigan:


Really? The best they could come up for that question is "Are you an unmarried spouse of a person who was 65 or older at the time of their death"?

An  unmarried spouse?!

It took me a while to figure out that it means "Was your spouse 65 or older when they died, and do you remain unmarried?" At least I think that's what it means. No help/explanation anywhere.

The Surprising Benefit of Going Through Hard Times

"Growth after trauma can take a number of different forms, including a greater appreciation for life, the identification of new possibilities for one’s life, more satisfying interpersonal relationships, a richer spiritual life and a connection to something greater than oneself, and a sense of personal strength. "

The one thing you need to know before you detox

"Detoxing will deliver a renewed body and better health. Not only will you look better, you’ll feel better. It is a new year. Wouldn’t a purification from last year’s habits (dietary and otherwise) of last year be the best way to start? Well before you pull out your credit card, there is one fact that “detox” advocates are reluctant to tell you."