December, 4, 2001 archives

i've started listing some stuff for sale at half.com. unfortunately, it really doesn't look like it is worth bothering to sell mass-market books there. maybe i'll cart those down to the used bookstore some day. (the biggest space-wasters i've got are some tom clancy and michael crichton hardcovers.)

i had no idea that vegetarianism was considered bourgeois in soviet russia. one soviet-era russian dictionary definition of vegetarian: "a person afraid of taking decisive steps."

it just wouldn't be the holiday season without rampant consumerism, so i've updated the code for my wishlist. now with categories! (i feel like i should apologize for the brazenness of it all. but besides making it easier for people who want to shower me with gifts, this really serves as my own stuff-to-buy-when-i-have-spare-cash list. i make no excuses for the references to myself in the third-person plural, however.)

people who chatter away on cellphones are acting like apes. it is "the human equivalent of social grooming among chimpanzees and gorillas."

most minnesotans oppose public ballpark financing. 58% are strongly opposed. good for them! i wonder whether the metrodome has paid back its public financing yet.

woohoo, i sold a book (effective c++) through half.com! profit after shipping: about $15. (minus, of course, the original cost of the book.) the thing is going by slow boat across the country, though, so it may be a while before i joined the hallowed halls of "seller with feedback".

the best part of this story about the purchase and eventual sale of webring.org is how the service didn't just get shut down. if he plays his cards right, i have no doubt that tim killeen (the engineer who bought it from yahoo) will be able to turn it into something that pays its own way, and even puts a few bucks in his pocket, without requiring a full-time commitment. (via boing boing.)

this automatic soy milk maker looks pretty sweet. sort of like a coffee machine for soy milk. (and apparently you can use it to make rice milk and other such things, too.) i may just have to add this to the old wishlist. (via randomwalks.)

girls suck is a great multi-person diary whose topic you can surmise from the name. i really like the design, and the content is funny, too. an entry i liked: "There's not a fine line, but rather a fine rake between a girl flirting with you and a girl being nice. Don't step on it." it makes me think of the the simpsons 'cape feare' episode. (via evhead.)

best tomato sauce ever. i stumbled onto the secret. but i think i can also do better. i wish i knew more about wine other than it usually comes in red or white. (no, the secret is not wine, but it helps.) i also wish i had a cool hand-blender. (no, the secret is not blending, but it helps.)