Style, Fashion and Food

I’ve been contemplating the idea of welding/fabricating a stainless steel counter top, but I’ve never attempted any welding before, and most people say stainless steel is difficult to work with. Thanks to this PDF, I know everything there is to know about stainless steel finishes, but nothing about working with the material. Azom, “the premier […] » about 500 words

Two perfectly paired books: Blow-Up by Sean Topham and Collapsible by Per Mollerup. One explores inflatable forms in art, architecture, and science. The other explores the somewhat broader range of things whose size and shape are meant to change as their use changes. They both look absolutely delightfull. . » about 100 words

After some scraping and saving, and our refinancing, we’re remodeling our kitchen. Our first attempt at doing this failed when I realized — too late — that I’m not actually capable of making cabinets. By that time, we’d filled the kitchen with a bunch of poorly made and unfinished junk. Sure, there’s a sink and […] » about 300 words

Okay, that’s a lie, and it’s probably a little insensitive. Sorry. What I really mean is that the Monday edition of Fresh Air — that NPR talk show with Terry Gross — was all about Kabbalah. Terry’s guest was Arthur Green: Historian and theologian Arthur Green has long studied Jewish religion and culture. Among the […] » about 300 words

Oh decadence! Veterans Day provided not only a chance for reflection but also a rare Thursday free from the classroom. So what to do with this open period of time? The answer was easy, dinner party. I have wanted to have my colleagues Roxanna and John over, but time is always an issue. I phoned […] » about 600 words

Foof started out by making some interesting iPod sleves. Now they’re offering Foofbags for your iBook and PowerBook. If you are looking for a funky alternative to neoprene, rubber or plastic to protect your Apple technology from scratches, then we think that this site is for you. Our foofproducts are handmade, simple and beautiful. foofproducts […] » about 400 words

We’re huge fans of The New Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma S. Rombauer, and Ethan Becker. Hardly a meal goes through our kitchen that isn’t shaped in some part by the recipes and general information in its pages. A recent discovery was Joy’s description and defense of cocktail parties. So, when a […] » about 200 words

Decades ago, Nixie Tubes were used as indicating devices in many different types of instrumentation, and ultimately replaced by the cheaper – and unattractive -LED display. Having been obsolete for almost a quarter century, these glowing bottles of ionized gas have attracted another generation who appreciate their beauty and mysterious function. The display tubes may […] » about 100 words

Gizmodo pointed out this fancy clock by Kikkerland. Being the clock-fiend I am, I had trouble not looking for more. Ship The Web seems to have Kikkerland’s entire catalog of clocks, which is more than enough to make me drool. Of course I want this one and this one and this one and this one. » about 100 words

I’ve been a little slow to blog these things lately, but this comes from BeverageWorld magazine. They published the results of a poll connects beverage choices to political affiliation. They break the politics down into six choices: Democrat, Republican, independent, independent liberal, independent conservative, and none of these, then they compared booze and soda-pop choices […] » about 300 words

We watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy a lot over here. It seems we can make time for about one hour of TV per week, and Sandee’s decided we’ll spend it with the Fab Five. I’m sure the New York merchants featured in the show are expecting this, but we’ve started to keep a […] » about 200 words

Cola wars are one thing, but “altbev” sure has come a long way since soft drink makers identified the market segment in the 90s. Coke’s Fruitopia was among the entries from the majors, but, as usual, it’s the independents that have lead the way. Water remains the leading altbev, but energy and “health” drinks are […] » about 400 words

They Might Be Giant's new album rocks the younger crowd. » about 100 words