Recently I've had several conversations about robots: how people keep making robots that can do new things, how robots are getting better and better, how someday maybe they'll take over. Yes, it is a bit daunting, but I believe there are some things that robots will never be able to do quite as well as … Continue reading Where Robots Learn to Cook
technology
6 Unnecessary Types of Cell Phone Call
Three years after I explained how I survive everyday life without a cell phone, I'm still doing fine without one. I recently took a three-day vacation by myself, and as I often do when traveling alone, I borrowed my partner Daniel's cell phone for the trip. However, I found that none of the times I … Continue reading 6 Unnecessary Types of Cell Phone Call
10 Lessons Learned from Rewiring an Old House
This is a guest post by Ben Stallings, my brother, who is a permaculture gardener, home energy efficiency auditor, and owner of a curbside recycling business in Kansas. I spent most of my spare time in 2011 rewiring our 1920 house, replacing the old knob & tube wiring with modern nonmetallic cable that meets code. … Continue reading 10 Lessons Learned from Rewiring an Old House
Should I start using Pinterest?
I am seeking the opinions of my readers! Please comment! Over the course of this year, I've browsed other people's Pinterest boards a number of times, and I've seen a small but increasing amount of visitors to my site coming in through links on Pinterest. I read more about Pinterest in my college alumni magazine … Continue reading Should I start using Pinterest?
Babies and Television
Children younger than 2 years old should not watch any television at all. The experts have been saying this for more than a decade, yet a lot of the parents I know think this is such an absurd idea that nobody could possibly comply with it. We did. Almost. We occasionally took Nicholas to restaurants … Continue reading Babies and Television
What’s inside your smartphone?
Let me begin by saying that, although I do not own a smartphone or any kind of cellphone, I do own an iPad, and I know it contains many of the same components as an iPhone. Let me say also that I am not attacking Apple Computer in particular; the article to which I'm linking … Continue reading What’s inside your smartphone?
Do you have the right to know if your food is Genetically Modified?
If you live in the United States, right now you do NOT have any way of knowing whether the food you buy contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These are plants or animals whose DNA has been manipulated in a way that does not occur naturally, usually combining genes from two or more species. More than … Continue reading Do you have the right to know if your food is Genetically Modified?
How the Dishwasher Changed Our Lives
A little over a year ago, we got a new dishwasher and became (for the first time in my life) a household that uses a dishwasher routinely. Read my previous article for lots of information on how dishwashers actually use less water and energy than washing dishes by hand, and read the comments for important … Continue reading How the Dishwasher Changed Our Lives
Liebster Blog Award: 5 Great Blogs!
Despite my occasional protestations that The Earthling's Handbook is not really a blog, it has received a Liebster Blog Award! I will set aside my feelings about the yucky-sounding word "blog" to graciously accept this award and acknowledge that at least one-third of my readers have come here via weekly blog carnivals to which I … Continue reading Liebster Blog Award: 5 Great Blogs!
Things Not To Do: Electronic Fund Transfer Edition
First, here is a good thing to do if you use credit cards: Arrange for an automatic payment, equal to the minimum amount you charge to that card in a typical month, to be electronically transferred from your bank account on a day before the payment is due. That way, if the e-mail reminding you … Continue reading Things Not To Do: Electronic Fund Transfer Edition
How a silly Website brought me a great book
I have been a fan of passiveaggressivenotes.com for some time now. It's one of those sites that perfectly utilizes the Internet's awesome power to collect silly things seen around the world. It almost always can make me laugh in that wonderfully sudden way that really dispels stress. Last summer, I saw a note posted there … Continue reading How a silly Website brought me a great book
Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies
Attention, readers: The tone of this article is exaggerated for humor value. Although it does describe a potentially serious side-effect of watching a program that I personally find unbearably irritating, not every detail is intended literally. If you feel angry after reading it, please take a deep breath and step away from the screen. Comments … Continue reading Why my child is not allowed to watch Teletubbies
The Magic Bullet does NOT work for me!
That's strange; I thought Works-for-Me Wednesday this week was supposed to be a "What's not working for you?" edition, but the hostess has explained how to make a burlap wreath that apparently works for her, and now that I think about it, last week she explained why online calendars don't work for her. I must … Continue reading The Magic Bullet does NOT work for me!
When Robots Write About Grildebeest
Last month, I invented a new word for a future animal of my own imagining. Today, on an idle lunch-break whim, I did a Google search to see if anyone else has been talking about grildebeest yet . . . and I found that one of those wily robots has picked up the topic. Well, … Continue reading When Robots Write About Grildebeest
How a kid can cook burgers indoors on a hot day
Last month, my brother commented on my article about the Grildebeest that a George Foreman grill is a handy way to cook things with minimal supervision and better energy efficiency than a stove. I hadn't considered buying one of those grills before. (We have a small kitchen, so we try to avoid owning a lot … Continue reading How a kid can cook burgers indoors on a hot day
Where’s the Facebook “like” button?
This question was asked of me in a spam comment, but I thought it was worth addressing. As best I can tell, in order to have a "like this on Facebook" button on a WordPress site, I would have to have a Facebook account. I am boycotting Facebook. I tend to be skeptical of anything … Continue reading Where’s the Facebook “like” button?
When Robots Write Novels in Your Comment Box
Mysterious robots sometimes comment on my articles. WordPress is much, much better at filtering spam than my old blog software, but it does sometimes put non-spam comments in the spam folder. That is where I found the text below, which I have edited a little bit to make it more entertaining, but I did not … Continue reading When Robots Write Novels in Your Comment Box
My New Dishwasher vs. The Environment
There are many things we can do to conserve resources that take some extra work. Many of them pay off by giving us better quality "real" stuff to use, health benefits, cost savings, or surprising new versions of convenience. Then there's washing the dishes. It turns out that today's automatic dishwashers use less water and … Continue reading My New Dishwasher vs. The Environment
When Robots Comment on Your Blog
Sigh. First robots were writing news broadcasts and e-mailing them to me. Then robots started writing blogs and trackbacking to mine. Now robots are posting comments here. For example, here's one that just arrived, theoretically responding to my electric kettle article, from a robot named Woumesque: While a overwhelming seroquel 150mg to bottom of theyd … Continue reading When Robots Comment on Your Blog
My Toyota Prius works for me…but not driving works even better!
Sure, hybrid cars are advertised as saving a lot of gas, but are they really that great in real-world conditions? We've had our Prius for a little over three years, and I've raved about it before, but until now I'd never bothered to add up just how much gasoline we're using to drive how many miles in a whole year.
The Earthling's Handbook 