Last night, after the Bluetooth connection failed for the hundredth unexplained time, I switched back from my Apple wireless Mighty Mouse to my old Microsoft optical scrollmouse. I must say, the change is for the best. The old mouse is lighter, smaller, and more comfortable. It is possible to press both buttons at once, and [...]

Given the following:

I am doing as much as possible to avoid air travel, due to the carbon emissions associated.
If I were going to fly, it would be (a) to deal with some kind of emergency or possibly (b) for an extended visit to a previously unseen part of the world.
You only get one chance to [...]

The two selling features of compact fluorescent bulbs are higher efficiency (more light produced per unit energy) and longer lifespan, when compared to incandescent bulbs. We have already established that the first isn’t a concern for people actively heating their homes. My recent experience with the second is also rather negative. I recently replaced as [...]

The other day, a friend of mine somewhat surprised me by referring to me as a ‘conservative.’ Pressed to define myself, I would say that I am a pragmatic libertarian who is willing to recognize that our freedoms need to be constrained in many ways in order to live decently together.
The Political Compass test categorizes [...]

Some facts for the autumnal equinox:

The Earth has seasons because it orbits the sun while tilted 23.44˚ off the vertical axis.
This tilt varies with time, following a 41,000 year cycle.
At the maximum, the tilt is 24.5˚. At the minimum, it is 22.1˚. When there is more tilt, the difference between summer and winter increases. When [...]

The combination of heat, humidity, and rain probably produces the least pleasant possible weather. It effectively renders the use of rain gear too uncomfortable to be viable - especially if you are doing something that involves moderate to high physical exertion.
Hopefully, this muggy streak will soon come to an end.