UPDATE February 1, 2012: For the past two years, this has been an article like my links page where I keep adding content as I get around to it. Now I'm going to call it finished! Of course, I expect to read additional mind-blowing books during my visit to Earth, but this list now includes … Continue reading Books That Blew My Mind
Think!
Learning from Old Clothes
Learning about the history of clothing fashions is an activity I've done with Girl Scouts several times. It's part of the Art to Wear Try-It and badge, Listening to the Past Try-It, and probably a few others. It's always been fascinating. Clothing is so intimately a part of our daily lives that thinking about what people like ourselves wore … Continue reading Learning from Old Clothes
Why aren’t we married?
Three years ago, Daniel and I were interviewed by Redbook magazine for an article called "The Changing Shape of the American Family" which profiled several different family structures. The Alternatives to Marriage Project referred the reporter to us as an example of a stable couple raising a child without being married. The final article [which, … Continue reading Why aren’t we married?
Perceived Stress Scale
Although I am discussing my work here, the point of view is my own, and this is not an official statement of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. I recently helped write a book about the research study for which I am the data manager. We analyzed data collected from 1,009 boys over 13 years, and we … Continue reading Perceived Stress Scale
7 Things I Don’t Do
These aren't necessarily things nobody should do. They're things I don't do, and I'm glad I don't, and I'm going to explain why. 1. Cell phone. I do not own one and very rarely use one. I spend most of my time in my home or my office, both of which are equipped with landline telephones … Continue reading 7 Things I Don’t Do
Early Encounters with Variables
I'm a research data manager: I spend my days working on various levels of the process of converting people's responses to questions into numbers in the computer. It's not the career I expected, and it's not a career most people immediately understand (the scene at my high school reunion: "So Jason is a police officer, … Continue reading Early Encounters with Variables
Thoughts on Birth-month Research
New research on why people born in winter are less successful suggests that it may have nothing to do with birth timing. They found that winter babies are more likely to have young, less educated, single mothers--and all of those things are known to be correlated with lower academic and economic success. This makes me think … Continue reading Thoughts on Birth-month Research
7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
Reducing the meat in your diet can save money, reduce environmental impact, improve your health, and reduce the calories per meal. (Obviously, all these things are affected by what you eat instead of meat!) You don't have to become a total vegetarian to experience the benefits of eating less meat. Here are some tips for … Continue reading 7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
The Difference Between 16 and 36
Overall, I was a pretty sensible teenager, and there aren't a lot of things I roll my eyes about when I think back on my adolescence. However, the other day I saw a television commercial to which I would have reacted very differently 20 years ago. The ad: Here's a new soda pop! It is … Continue reading The Difference Between 16 and 36
Making Pants into Shorts
This week's Works-for-Me Wednesday is a special edition for organizing tips, so I'm linking to my old articles about the rule of One Thing and Three Things and how to organize your Girl Scout troop records, as well as posting this new article that isn't an organizing tip but works for me! This past spring, my … Continue reading Making Pants into Shorts
Vending Box News
This is originally a tip from Daniel, but it works for me, too! We still subscribe to our local newspaper, the actual paper kind, because I like to read it while eating and I don't like to eat at the computer at home (since my lunch at work, and in fact my whole day at … Continue reading Vending Box News
7 Things I’m NOT Good At
Regular readers of this non-blog may be getting the impression that I'm an exceptionally competent person who is good at all kinds of things, packed with brilliant ideas, and highly successful at using every minute effectively. This is not true. The Earthling's Handbook is supposed to be a guide to doing things right if you … Continue reading 7 Things I’m NOT Good At
Seven Reasons Not to Circumcise Your Son
by Daniel Efran Well, I figure if my girlfriend and my parents are discussing my penis on the Internet, I'd better chime in! The subject, specifically, is routine circumcision of infants--whether it should be routine, whether it should have been done to our son (which it wasn't), and whether it should have been done to … Continue reading Seven Reasons Not to Circumcise Your Son
Circumcision: The Earlier Generation
My article on why we didn't circumcise our son mentioned that when my partner Daniel learned more about circumcision, he felt "that he was mutilated without his consent simply because of tradition and ignorance" and was so upset that "he wouldn't speak to his parents because he feared he would yell at them." As I tried … Continue reading Circumcision: The Earlier Generation
The Guest Nest that was the Best Nest
I have a home-improvement book that poses an important, well-worded question in its section on one-room apartments: "Do you want to sleep in your living room or live in your bedroom?" In other words, do you want your one room to look and function primarily like a daytime living room but also have a place to sleep, or do … Continue reading The Guest Nest that was the Best Nest
Circumcision
Our son is four-and-a-half years old and has his entire foreskin intact. We have never regretted for a moment our decision not to have him circumcised. I always was a bit skeptical of the idea of surgically removing healthy tissue from newborns. My father explained that the foreskin can't become infected or cancerous if it … Continue reading Circumcision
N.E.R.D.cast!
Daniel and I are featured in this podcast from Schell Studio, in which we discuss some of our favorite books, movies, and games, mostly the science fiction ones, with our good friend Jordu Schell and another friend, Mike. Note that this is 90 minutes long so you don't start listening when you don't have time.I … Continue reading N.E.R.D.cast!
Try my card game!
Many years ago, I came up with an idea for a game in which you build a map of a suburban area using cards/tiles depicting segments of street. I made a rough prototype, and then my friends the Looneys helped me make a better "alpha deck" on some extra blank cards they happened to have. The next … Continue reading Try my card game!
Starting with Something
Here's one of my secrets to financial solvency: I started my adult life with some money in the bank. Now, what kind of a tip is that?! Having money is not something a person can just decide to do! I'm just lucky! Well, yes, this isn't a money-management tip you can apply when you're already … Continue reading Starting with Something
Eternity in Your Hand
When you hold a styrofoam plate, you hold eternity in your hand. Plants and animals died millions of years ago and slowly turned into oil. Dozens of machines and probably a hundred people worked to find that oil deposit, bring the oil to the surface, transport it, refine it into polystyrene, produce that foam plate, package … Continue reading Eternity in Your Hand
The Earthling's Handbook 