So the guys I work with introduced me to a great site that allows you to track your calories. I'd like to lose a few pounds, so I signed up.
Counting calories is an interesting exercise, and one I'd recommend to anybody, at least for a few weeks of your life. Why?
Counting is eye opening. For example, in the morning I would eat two pieces of toast and an egg. 210 calories. I am not usually hungry in the morning, so this breakfast keeps me smiling and happy at least until noon, sometimes until 2:00.
So when I went to reach for a pop, and realized that there are more calories in the pop than there are in my breakfast, it became very easy to stop drinking pop. I'd heard of 'empty calories' before, but it didn't hit home until I started counting. Why drink a pop when I could have an egg sandwich? I'm still hungry after the pop, and content after the egg sandwich.
TheDailyPlate.com also tracks things like sodium and fat. I was logging my lunch today when I noticed that there was more salt in my chocolate milk than there was in my potato chips (hey, I said I was counting, not eating better). Another good reason to 'count', you start to realize what lovely 'things' you're putting in your body.
One last thing. I was making my egg sandwhich and noticed that a single serving of of miracle whip (and really, who only uses a serving, I usually slather on 2 or 3) had more calories than an egg. A little more pepper, and my sandwich had a great flavor, and a lot less calories. The devil is in the condiments.
Anyway, we've made a group at work, so we can all see what the others are consuming. It's kind of fun. I recommend going to the site and tracking what you eat, even if you only do it for a while.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
If taxpayers pay for it, shouldn't they have access to it?
Interesting article in Wired about how a few legislators are trying to push a law through that makes research publicly available 6 months after it's been published.
"When it's the taxpayers that are underwriting projects in the federal government, they deserve to access the very things they're paying for," said Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh. "This research is funded by American taxpayers and conducted by researchers funded by public institutions. But it's not widely available."
"When it's the taxpayers that are underwriting projects in the federal government, they deserve to access the very things they're paying for," said Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh. "This research is funded by American taxpayers and conducted by researchers funded by public institutions. But it's not widely available."
The largest journals can rake in tens of millions of dollars a year in subscriptions and advertising. Mandatory open access could kill off traditional journals if readers decide they don't want to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually for material that's eventually available for free.
The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) was first introduced last year, but it never went to a vote. Cornyn plans to reintroduce it later this year, Walsh said.
"When it's the taxpayers that are underwriting projects in the federal government, they deserve to access the very things they're paying for," said Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh. "This research is funded by American taxpayers and conducted by researchers funded by public institutions. But it's not widely available."
The largest journals can rake in tens of millions of dollars a year in subscriptions and advertising. Mandatory open access could kill off traditional journals if readers decide they don't want to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually for material that's eventually available for free.
The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) was first introduced last year, but it never went to a vote. Cornyn plans to reintroduce it later this year, Walsh said."
Very good article...Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Very funny...
Interesting article over at the New York Times on humor. Humor isn't so much us responding to wit, rather it's a social lubricant.
"The women put in the underling position were a lot more likely to laugh at the muffin joke (and others almost as lame) than were women in the control group. But it wasn’t just because these underlings were trying to manipulate the boss, as was demonstrated in a follow-up experiment.
"The women put in the underling position were a lot more likely to laugh at the muffin joke (and others almost as lame) than were women in the control group. But it wasn’t just because these underlings were trying to manipulate the boss, as was demonstrated in a follow-up experiment.
"This time each of the women watched the muffin joke being told on videotape by a person who was ostensibly going to be working with her on a task. There was supposed to be a cash reward afterward to be allocated by a designated boss. In some cases the woman watching was designated the boss; in other cases she was the underling or a co-worker of the person on the videotape.
"When the woman watching was the boss, she didn’t laugh much at the muffin joke. But when she was the underling or a co-worker, she laughed much more, even though the joke-teller wasn’t in the room to see her. When you’re low in the status hierarchy, you need all the allies you can find, so apparently you’re primed to chuckle at anything even if it doesn’t do you any immediate good."
In my books, when something funny happens, I make sure to describe other characters in the book laughing. I've always imagined that it's easier to laugh when others near you are laughing (even if they characters in a book).
Monday, March 12, 2007
Anther project
All right, another group project. This group chose to provide content that taught interviewing skills. They did a great job creating an interactive story. They used Twee code, which is a very nifty program that allows you to turn word documents into a 'choose your own adventure' style story.
Their content can be seen here.
http://interviewingbasics.org/
Their content can be seen here.
http://interviewingbasics.org/
Ouch...
According to this cnn article, you get to spend roughly $4,500 on textbooks while you make your way through college.
I have to ask, why? There really is no excuse for this. With all of the information available out there, students should be paying $0. Seriously. We have libraries filled with books and journals, we have OpenCourseWares, we have audio and video lectures, we have wikipedia and wiki books. With just a little bit of effort, you can provide a student with the information she needs at no cost.
Or what about pedia press? A site that offers content found on wikipedia in text form for pennies on the dollar. A professor can put together their own text, or buy one already preassembled. I threw together a 280 page book on the history of Africa. Cost - $11.80. a 1,300 page book (You could break it into two volumes if you wanted), on astronomy... $25.
Compare that to a 500 page, $100 page book on Amazon.
Seriously now, would you rather have, a textbook or this? If you take three classes, chances are you could have a wii instead of books that you may or may not read before the semester is over. And if you decide to sell the wii on e-bay, you'll get about what you paid for it, instead of the $8 you'll get for selling back your $200 textbook.
So, all you students out there. Tell your faculty members to give you links to sites, not textbooks. That way you'll have more money to spend on...fiction books. I know a good book coming out in May you might want to consider purchasing. :)
I have to ask, why? There really is no excuse for this. With all of the information available out there, students should be paying $0. Seriously. We have libraries filled with books and journals, we have OpenCourseWares, we have audio and video lectures, we have wikipedia and wiki books. With just a little bit of effort, you can provide a student with the information she needs at no cost.
Or what about pedia press? A site that offers content found on wikipedia in text form for pennies on the dollar. A professor can put together their own text, or buy one already preassembled. I threw together a 280 page book on the history of Africa. Cost - $11.80. a 1,300 page book (You could break it into two volumes if you wanted), on astronomy... $25.
Compare that to a 500 page, $100 page book on Amazon.
Seriously now, would you rather have, a textbook or this? If you take three classes, chances are you could have a wii instead of books that you may or may not read before the semester is over. And if you decide to sell the wii on e-bay, you'll get about what you paid for it, instead of the $8 you'll get for selling back your $200 textbook.
So, all you students out there. Tell your faculty members to give you links to sites, not textbooks. That way you'll have more money to spend on...fiction books. I know a good book coming out in May you might want to consider purchasing. :)
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Student Projects pt. 1
I teach a class at USU with David Wiley. The class is an instructional design projects class. We broke up the course into three groups, and asked them to create a project that met three objectives.
1 - teaches something
2 - Is cool
3- Uses open content (in other words, content that can be used and reused by anybody.
Each group did a fantastic job, and I thought I'd show them off here.
The first project is Open Water. When a natural disaster strikes, there are initial deaths caused by the disaster itself, but there are often more deaths caused by the aftermath. One of the first problems is the lack of fresh water. So this group created a site that teaches you how to purify water.
The web design, the pictures, the video, it's all 'open'. They could not have created the video unless folks were willing to share the resources they had created. A powerful testament to the idea of 'openness'. Don't forget to check out the video.
I'll post the other ones over the next few days.
1 - teaches something
2 - Is cool
3- Uses open content (in other words, content that can be used and reused by anybody.
Each group did a fantastic job, and I thought I'd show them off here.
The first project is Open Water. When a natural disaster strikes, there are initial deaths caused by the disaster itself, but there are often more deaths caused by the aftermath. One of the first problems is the lack of fresh water. So this group created a site that teaches you how to purify water.
The web design, the pictures, the video, it's all 'open'. They could not have created the video unless folks were willing to share the resources they had created. A powerful testament to the idea of 'openness'. Don't forget to check out the video.
I'll post the other ones over the next few days.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Utah leading the way?
Exciting news from the Utah legislature. They have They have given a chunk of change to USU to help fund opencoruseware in the state. According to David Wiley, who would know, they are the first state or federal government to support the OCW movement, and the second legislative body in the world to do so.
Exciting stuff...
Exciting stuff...
Thursday, March 01, 2007
I'm such a BAD tipper.
Ok, I've never turned to my readers before, but this time I need help. I'm a bad tipper, and by bad I don't mean cheap. I mean bad. As in idiotic. Allow me to explain.
There is this Mexican restaurant close to where I live, and they have salsa that is out of this world. I don't mean good. I don't mean great. I don't mean mind blowing. I mean life changing. If you know what is good for you, you won't accept the dish they bring your table, you'll ask for a your own private bowl. You will want to drink this stuff by the end of the night.
For 4 bucks, you can get a huge bag of chips, and a nice big Styrofoam cup of their salsa to go. You walk in, pay the money, and walk out with your food. Sounds simple, right?
You forget that I'm a bad tipper.
The first time I got the salsa the waitress told me the total was 4.22. I was counting out the change when it suddenly hit me. Were you supposed to tip on a take out? I almost never get takeout, so I didn't know. I panicked. Was it 15 percent? Was it more? Less? Not at all? Everybody was watching me. I buckled under the pressure. I started whimpering, counted out the change, and ran for the door. I was an idiot and couldn't properly enjoy my chips because of the Homer I had just pulled. I vowed then and there that when I went back, I would know how to tip properly.
But of course I forgot, and one night had a serious craving for the salsa. I got in and ordered my salsa, and then wondered again what I should do. Could I just give her a five and tell her to keep the change? Tipping 73 cents seems so cheap, even though that is between 15 and 20 percent. But tipping with coins? Was that legal? Was that proper?
I gave her a five, and she brought back a 1 dollar bill for my change. She hadn't bothered counting out the change, and this was my perfect opportunity to tip with a bill. But again I panicked. What was I supposed to do, take the dollar, and then give it back to her? Or hold up my hand and say something dorky like, "Keep the change." The takeout window is right there in the middle of the waiting area, so I knew that all eyes were on me. In quiet defeat I took the dollar and left. I had just anti-tipped the waitress. She probably had to pay the 22 cents out of her own pocket.
So, last night I once more strode in the restaurant, determined to do what I always do when I feel like an idiot tipping - over tip. Since I just can't seem to tip people with style, I compensate by over tipping. After I leave a tipping opportunity, I'm sure the general consensus of the person getting tipped is, "Well, that guy was a bit of a moron, but at least he tips well". So if the service is bad, they get 20 percent. If it's normal, we're looking at 30. And if the staff has done a good job, we approach 40 percent territory. Part of it is the little socialist in me who pictures the owner of the establishment sitting at home with his family, while these poor college students are breaking their backs making him money. So if I have an opportunity to pay the person working, then I'll over it.
So, back to last night. I decided to just throw caution to the wind. I walked in, ordered my chips, and waited. The waitress went through the door, and 20 seconds later was back with my salsa and chips. She put the stuff down, and then approached me and informed me the total was 4.22 I gave her 6 dollars. That's a 40 percent tip, in an instance where I'm not even sure tipping is supposed to happen.
She smiled at me and said, "I'll get your change."
DOH!
What to do now? Once again I looked like an idiot. She told me 4.22, and I had given her 6 dollars. All eyes were again on me, I'm sure. She walked away with my $6. I almost fled the room. The only thing keeping me there were my chips, just meters away (when I get nervous, I switch to the metric system in my mind).
The waitress got the to till, looked at the bills, turned back to me and asked, "Did you want change."
I shook my head in defeat. Once again I was walking out of the restaurant feeling like a moron. I have nothing left in my arsenal of 'trying not to feel like a geek' quiver. The only possibility is to send my son in to do my dirty work for me. Kids are by default cute. He could get his change, and then give the waitress a quarter, and everybody would think that's just darling.
So, I need help. I really like those chips. Anybody in the service industry know what the proper procedure is on tipping with takeout? The geek who writes this blog wants to know.
There is this Mexican restaurant close to where I live, and they have salsa that is out of this world. I don't mean good. I don't mean great. I don't mean mind blowing. I mean life changing. If you know what is good for you, you won't accept the dish they bring your table, you'll ask for a your own private bowl. You will want to drink this stuff by the end of the night.
For 4 bucks, you can get a huge bag of chips, and a nice big Styrofoam cup of their salsa to go. You walk in, pay the money, and walk out with your food. Sounds simple, right?
You forget that I'm a bad tipper.
The first time I got the salsa the waitress told me the total was 4.22. I was counting out the change when it suddenly hit me. Were you supposed to tip on a take out? I almost never get takeout, so I didn't know. I panicked. Was it 15 percent? Was it more? Less? Not at all? Everybody was watching me. I buckled under the pressure. I started whimpering, counted out the change, and ran for the door. I was an idiot and couldn't properly enjoy my chips because of the Homer I had just pulled. I vowed then and there that when I went back, I would know how to tip properly.
But of course I forgot, and one night had a serious craving for the salsa. I got in and ordered my salsa, and then wondered again what I should do. Could I just give her a five and tell her to keep the change? Tipping 73 cents seems so cheap, even though that is between 15 and 20 percent. But tipping with coins? Was that legal? Was that proper?
I gave her a five, and she brought back a 1 dollar bill for my change. She hadn't bothered counting out the change, and this was my perfect opportunity to tip with a bill. But again I panicked. What was I supposed to do, take the dollar, and then give it back to her? Or hold up my hand and say something dorky like, "Keep the change." The takeout window is right there in the middle of the waiting area, so I knew that all eyes were on me. In quiet defeat I took the dollar and left. I had just anti-tipped the waitress. She probably had to pay the 22 cents out of her own pocket.
So, last night I once more strode in the restaurant, determined to do what I always do when I feel like an idiot tipping - over tip. Since I just can't seem to tip people with style, I compensate by over tipping. After I leave a tipping opportunity, I'm sure the general consensus of the person getting tipped is, "Well, that guy was a bit of a moron, but at least he tips well". So if the service is bad, they get 20 percent. If it's normal, we're looking at 30. And if the staff has done a good job, we approach 40 percent territory. Part of it is the little socialist in me who pictures the owner of the establishment sitting at home with his family, while these poor college students are breaking their backs making him money. So if I have an opportunity to pay the person working, then I'll over it.
So, back to last night. I decided to just throw caution to the wind. I walked in, ordered my chips, and waited. The waitress went through the door, and 20 seconds later was back with my salsa and chips. She put the stuff down, and then approached me and informed me the total was 4.22 I gave her 6 dollars. That's a 40 percent tip, in an instance where I'm not even sure tipping is supposed to happen.
She smiled at me and said, "I'll get your change."
DOH!
What to do now? Once again I looked like an idiot. She told me 4.22, and I had given her 6 dollars. All eyes were again on me, I'm sure. She walked away with my $6. I almost fled the room. The only thing keeping me there were my chips, just meters away (when I get nervous, I switch to the metric system in my mind).
The waitress got the to till, looked at the bills, turned back to me and asked, "Did you want change."
I shook my head in defeat. Once again I was walking out of the restaurant feeling like a moron. I have nothing left in my arsenal of 'trying not to feel like a geek' quiver. The only possibility is to send my son in to do my dirty work for me. Kids are by default cute. He could get his change, and then give the waitress a quarter, and everybody would think that's just darling.
So, I need help. I really like those chips. Anybody in the service industry know what the proper procedure is on tipping with takeout? The geek who writes this blog wants to know.
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