Roomba

My wife bought one of these a few days ago.  I thought it would be shitty, but it is not, it works very well.  If it keeps working this well, and lasts for two years, I'll think it is well worth the $300 we paid.

A method for analyzing the ratings in a music library and suggesting new songs

There should be a plug-in for a media player (I use MediaMonkey) that analyzes you music library and

The Curse of the Biologist

It is the curse of the biologist to know how improbable and fragile life is.

NBA Officiating

NBA officiating kinda sucks. It also sucks that the players bitch after every play and get rewarded for flopping. I have two rules changes that would make the NBA much more fun to watch.

1) Any player who talked to the official about a call would get a technical foul
2) After each game, the league would conduct a videotape review. Any player who was determined to have obviously flopped would receive a one game suspension.

Dwight Howard Should Stop Blocking the Ball Out of Bounds.

Dwight Howard blocks lots of shots. He spikes many of these out of bounds like a volleyball. It would be better for him to tip these up in the air so that he or a teammate would have a chance of recovering it. Ask Bill Russell.

"Bad apples" in sports

I do not buy this "bad apple" label that players in major sports get labeled with. Don't get me wrong, some players are better teammates than others, put a single player cannot tear a team apart unless there is something seriously wrong with the team in the first place. These "bad apples" are usually bitching because they are superior players who are not happy with the inferior play of those around them. The only exception to this might be the aging superstar who thinks they are much better than they actually are. This guys usually tear teams apart because of their overpriced contract more than their attitude though. Ever notice the most of the players who get labeled "bad apples" are outspoken and black? Maybe cornrows cause someone to be a bad teammate.

How to Grow a Happy Jade Plant

Jade plants are very easy to grow if you follow these simple rules.

1) Use a porous clay pot, with a hole in the bottom, and a saucer. Jade plants are easily killed if they are left in moist soil for many days. Using a clay pot will ensure that the soil will dry out quickly after watering. Sand and pebbles can be added to potting soil for jade plants to enhance drainage.

2) Do not water the plant if it is still moist from the last watering. If there is water left in the saucer 30 minutes after watering, pour that water out. Jade plants are killed easily from root rot in moist soil. The soil of a jade plant should be dry within a few days after watering.

3) Jade plants like plenty of water as long as you follow rule 2 above. If a plant is outside in the summertime, it can be watered every other day. In the wintertime, small waterings, each week is sufficient.

4) Jade plants like full sun, but the more sun they get the happier they will be. They can be shocked and killed after moving them from a dark room to a sunny porch in the middle of summer. As with all living things, try to make changes in environment incremental.

5) It isn't too hard to get a jade plant to flower, but there are some things that you have to do. In the summertime, once nighttime temps are consistently in the 50s, put the plant outside in a sunny spot. Water it a couple times each week if there is no rain, and give it plenty of fertilizer. It should grow many times faster outside than inside if it is happy. In the fall, bring the plant inside when night temperatures go below 45 degrees. There should be flower buds developing when you bring it inside. Large plants are more likely to flower as are plants that are somewhat rootbound.

6) Mealybugs are a big problem for some jade plants. The most effective treatment for mealybugs on a jade plant is 91% rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) out of a spray bottle. If I see any evidence of meally bugs, I cover the whole plant with alcohol from the spray bottle every other day for a week or two. The plants to do not mind and those mealy bugs that get drowned in isopropanol die. This usually takes care of the problem, but I have to do it every year after bringing the plants inside. Ethanol does not work in place of isopropanol in this application.

Stickers On My Fruit

Why do there have to be fucking stickers on my fruit?
I mean shit. How would you like it if I put a sticker on your fruit?

The Origin of Life

It is possible that the first life what not composed of a single species of replicating biomolecule, but rather a collection of similar biomolecules which required each other to replicate.