This blog has often been silent for long periods while I’m working hard on something. This time I think it was worth it. With a few good friends, I’ve started Minds + Machines, and from now on most of my posting is happening on the Minds + Machines blog. While I was searching for a regis...

Eco Factor: Energy-efficient computer from Apple. Computer manufacturers have been trying hard to reduce the power consumption of their systems without having any significant impact on the system’s performance. Undoubtedly, they’ve succeeded so far with the help of some ingenious chip manufactur...

Well, first the good news. Peter Straub has selected "The Long Hall on the Top Floor" for Fantastic Tales: American Stories of Terror and the Uncanny, which he's editing for the Library of America. The volume is due out in October 2009. I count this, with the reprint of "In the Water Works (1889)" i...

Whistle while you work, daydream while you sweep – doesn’t sound like your typical Saturday morning chore routine? While we can’t promise Prince Charming will save you from your domestic duties, we can add a little whimsy to your workload with a different sort of introduction. Hard working bea...

Yesterday’s post has the story of how the great Universalist Hosea Ballou did a preaching tour of the New Bedford region in May, 1820 — including an anecdote of how Rev. Le Baron of Mattapoisett unsuccessfully tried to keep Ballou from preaching. Never one to miss out on provoking a good...

Eco Factor: Long-tail multi-utility bikes. Cars have gradually evolved to the modern era where SUVs are more prevalent not just because of their practical uses, but mostly because of their overall appeal. With electric engines still not up to the task of powering cars at high speeds for a longer tim...

Digtriad.com: Hard economic times are acting like instant fertilizer on an industry that had been growing slowly: home vegetable gardening. Amid the Washington talk of “shovel-ready” recession projects, it appears few projects are more shovel-ready than backyard gardens. Veggie seed sale...

Yesterday the NYTimes had a great article on how American’s preference for using soft toilet tissue is terrible for the environment. The soft, fluffy toilet paper like Charmin can only be made from tree fiber and not recycled paper. Toilet paper made from recycled paper works fine and is used ...

Weddings are an opportunity to express both your personal and collective values. Excellent organic caterers and florists are everywhere, sustainable baubles abound but what about the most visual expression of your intentions? The dress. Until recently there have been very few options that are as bea...

Eco Factor: Fighter plane cockpit created from recycled materials. The passion to fly a fighter plane rests in many people, but there are just a few as passionate as Raymond Wood, who has spent more than a thousand hours building the cockpit of an aircraft that played a key role in Britain’s fight...