Memo to Santa: Abort iPhone mission!

I worship i[insert anything here], but this article really provided a sober comparison between the iPhone and another smart phone. And although I appreciate the beauty of my iPod, I'm pretty sure the iPhone is not something I'm ready to get with. I mean, come on, no to-do list? The search for the perfect phone continues...

Read the article at: 13 Reasons Why I'm Not Buying an iPhone--Yet

Price Protectr - probably the greatest thing ever.

Nope, I didn't mispell it. It is what it is. Here's the description from the website:

Get your money back!
There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies -- when the price drops on an item you've purchased, they'll refund you the difference. But there's a catch... it's up to you to watch prices.

Price Protectr makes it simple to keep track of your purchases and get your money back. It's free. It's easy. It's free and easy money. How often do you get that offer?

Check out this FREE service at http://priceprotectr.com.

Michigan: Tell your legislators you want library funding back!

This came through the email. Librarians and library patrons alike should drop their legislators a note this holiday season asking them to restore $2 million in funding. If you're unsure where to start with contacting your legislator, check out my old blog post "Make yourself heard, make yourself count".

State Supplemental Budget Update - What Can You Do?
The State of Michigan is expected to have $50-$100 million remaining when they close the 2006-07 books. MLA, working with library leaders in key districts, is lobbying to restore library funds cut this year. Originally, the Legislature was expected to vote on a supplemental budget bill in December. That vote was postponed, pending a review of the state's finances. If you see your state legislator over the holidays, tell them you're aware of the potential for a supplemental budget bill and that library funding should be restored. Ask for their vote to make library funding whole by restoring $ 2 million.

Two podcasts - the story of my 2007!

So I heard these two podcasts simultaneously and they just hit home on this day. One is about my generation and the other is, well, it allows you to see what makes me laugh. Laugh out loud, in fact.

'Generation Next' in the Slow Lane to Adulthood Morning Edition, December 20, 2007 · Recent studies find interesting differences among today's young people compared with those of decades past. There's even a new term for the generation age 18 to 25: Generation Next. And a new label for this period of development: "emerging adulthood."

Onion Radio News
My recommendation: just click on the links and prepare for laughter. Check out these headlines:

• Ford Unveils New Bridge-Collapse-Proof Car
• Former President George H.W. Bush Announces Plan To Hunt, Kill Blue Whale
• Evel Knievel's Rocket-Coffin Launched Over 17 School Buses Into Grave
• National Beard Growers Association Claims Entire '08 Crop Lost To Hot Day
• White House Paintball Team Not The Same Without Rove

Dalai Lama to deliver U-M Wege Lecture in April

The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will deliver the Peter M. Wege Lecture on sustainability on April 20 at Crisler Arena. The lecture coincides with Earth Day weekend and is free and open to the public, though tickets are required. The general public can obtain two tickets per person at the Michigan Union Ticket Office starting March 5. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and Buddhist leader last visited Ann Arbor in 1994, when about 9,000 people attended a lecture at Crisler. Each year, the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment invites an internationally recognized leader to deliver the Wege Lecture. Recent speakers include former Vice President Al Gore and William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Co.

Random Snippets

So here are two completely unrelated bits. Enjoy.

I saw this great ARTICLE about info-getting. Read it. Heed it. It provides a ton of really incredible sources and tips on making sure you're getting quality info. Also, a librarian wrote it, so that's sweet.

Then I stumbled upon this collection of satellite images from the Guardian. The satellite images are stunning and others quite sad and then this one is just plain scary:






The scary part is that the one on the left was taken in 1998 and the one on the right was taken a mere 4 years later in 2002. Not cool, man. Not cool.

Fountain of Youth discovered at Stanford University

Whoa, just kidding, there, old-timer. Very interesting article though:

Skin Aging Reversed In Mice By Blocking Action Of Single Protein
ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2007) — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have reversed the effects of aging on the skin of mice, at least for a short period, by blocking the action of a single critical protein.

Read MORE.

Another blog about garlic - cause it's AWESOME!

The NY Times had this excellent article about garlic and it's healthy benefits. Not only does the garlic add great flavor to foods, but it helps prevent all kinds of stuff, particularly a variety of cancers. Here are a couple of snippets from the October 15, 2007 articles entitled, "Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic." Very interesting stuff!

"In the latest study, performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers extracted juice from supermarket garlic and added small amounts to human red blood cells. The cells immediately began emitting hydrogen sulfide, the scientists found.

The power to boost hydrogen sulfide production may help explain why a garlic-rich diet appears to protect against various cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer, say the study authors. Higher hydrogen sulfide might also protect the heart, according to other experts. Although garlic has not consistently been shown to lower cholesterol levels, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine earlier this year found that injecting hydrogen sulfide into mice almost completely prevented the damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack.

...

Now, the downside. The concentration of garlic extract used in the latest study was equivalent to an adult eating about two medium-sized cloves per day. In such countries as Italy, Korea and China, where a garlic-rich diet seems to be protective against disease, per capita consumption is as high as eight to 12 cloves per day.

While that may sound like a lot of garlic, Dr. Kraus noted that increasing your consumption to five or more cloves a day isn’t hard if you use it every time you cook. Dr. Kraus also makes a habit of snacking on garlicky dishes like hummus with vegetables.

...

Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it, added Dr. Kraus. To maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

...

While individual reactions to garlic vary, eating fennel seeds like those served at Indian restaurants helps to neutralize the smell."

Kosher Cell Phones

I thought this was an interesting way to combine age-old traditions and rules with today's technology. I'm sure the imams will follow the rabbis on this shortly, if they haven't already. Cell phone companies are already realizing the marketing power this provides. Here's a bit from MSNBC:

The kosher phone is stripped down to its original function: making and receiving calls. There's no text messaging, no Internet access, no video options, no camera. More than 10,000 numbers for phone sex, dating services and other offerings are blocked. A team of rabbinical overseers makes
sure the list is up to date.

Read additional articles:

• ‘Kosher’ cell phone rings up growth
• Kosher Phone: Does Nothing, Especially on Saturday
• Israel’s kosher mobile tweaks Arab interest