Tozai Todd

via kung fu grippe

Regulated, anonymous ride sharing. A few rules:

Keep talking to a minimum.
No money or gifts for the driver. Keep cell phones tucked away.

Slugging to Work: Anonymous Ride-Sharing : NPR

28 inches. I think this is what I have at the office, which feels really nice.

The recommended height for a desk used in a computer workstation setting is 28 inches. This height will allow the user to comfortably perform activities such as reading and writing on the worksurface. This height is also appropriate for a computer workstation with an articulating keyboard and mouse tray.

City of Ithaca: Phase 2 Purpose & Data Collection

A good start to what should be an interesting column.

INVESTING IS SIMPLE The author Michael Pollan offered an elegant seven-word mantra in his best-selling book “In Defense of Food” that provides clarity amid the bounty of choices on supermarket shelves: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Boiling down investing is a similar exercise: Index (mostly). Save a ton. Reallocate infrequently.

Five Basics for Building a Solid Financial Future by Ron Lieber

Since Lio, I’ve been making a concerted effort to be more aware of any bad, ill feelings towards others, acknowledge them, and then get back on the Middle Path. But geez, it’s hard to not take some small amount of joy in this. That woman’s actions were reprehensible. Normally, you might say that her having to live with the guilt of having played such a large part in the neighbor girl’s death is justice enough, but somehow I doubt she’s lost much sleep over it. I hope something comes of it.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Why has the US dropped 9/11 charges?

Newsweek columnist and one bright mutha, Fareed Zakaria is on the trolley. A snippet from his Playboy interview:

Playboy: What do you like about Obama?

Zakaria: We need to make broad changes, and Obama represents this. We need a break from the past. He has been a breath of fresh air because he has been willing to look at the world and say, in effect, “Why does every problem have to be a nail just because we have a big military hammer?”

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, “Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day,” when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

“Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote,” he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt’s request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

Dana Milbank - Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens - washingtonpost.com

After the Newark airport and/or Continental baggage handlers had their way with our large hardshell (which turned out to be not quite hard enough), we have to get a new big bag. This will never be carried on. After reading about half of this incredibly informative thread, full of some of the nicest and most well-thought out responses I’ve seen in any forum, here’s what I’ve gathered:

• Travelpro and Briggs and Riley seem to be the two gold standards, with some mighty powerful brand loyalty among its followers;
• Tumi is overrated;
• Samsonite isn’t nearly as popular as I assumed;
• Land’s End makes luggage

Having checked out the Land’s End site, and with a couple of recs in that thread, I may try them out. I’m thinking about this one or this one.

To Kelso, Washington, a drive down the coast of Oregon into California, through some redwood forest and into San Francisco. (Pictobrowser is neat! Thanks, Cindy!)