Duraflame logs are made from the sawdust remains of pencil manufacturing and they now have competition on the firelog environmental front. Java Log has arrived. No, it’s not the by-product of late-night object oriented programming sessions. Java Log is a firelog composed out of used coffee grounds. The company claims they burn brighter than sawdust logs and produce less carbon monoxide. Invented in Canada, the Java Logs are now going on sale in the United States. Some people detect a slight coffee aroma while the logs burn. (source N.Y. Times Patents column)

The clouds have settled in with the forecast seeming to cycle between “partly cloudy” and “partly sunny.” What’s the difference? It’s all psychology — unless the sun has set. Meanwhile I am trying to make sense, if there is any, of the term “full spectrum lighting.” Turns out that’s mostly psychology too, at least according to Seattle’s Lighting Design Lab. Their consumer guidance states: “The phrase ‘full-spectrum lighting’ is not scientific terminology, it is primarily a marketing term. It can mean anything you want it to, and usually does.” Typically a full-spectrum light is designed to simulate daylight with a blue color, however this actually reduces the level of light produced. Research on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) shows that the key to effective treatment is morning exposure to high levels of light. 2500 lux (lumens per square meter: lighting terms) is the recommended minimum. Four flourescent light tubes, as are used in the light boxes sold for SAD therapy, will suffice.

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You scan them every day. They determine how you are going to spend your precious reading time. You groan over the bad ones which tend to involve alliteration and puns. You unsuccessfully try to avoid the ones at the supermarket checkout aisle. Misguided ones get read on late night TV. You could probably take a few minutes and define what you believe a good one is. But you might not have considered all the nuances of what it takes to write a good headline. Everyone agrees, it’s an art. Newsprint folks have to consider points and picas. Journalists can take special classes to brush up their skills. The worst abuse of headline writing rules are seen in the hints the “Internet Marketing” companies give to spammers. But remember, without content, there is no headline.

The new twenty dollar bill is out and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing has a map to tally up sightings. I am interested to find out if my colorblind husband can distinguish the new peach tones from the green.

Sugar cane fiber, a by-product of sugar manufacturing, can be made into paper. Reprograf paper is comparable to office copier and laser printer paper made from trees. I assume it can also be thrown into the same recycling process, but perhaps it needs different treatment.

Not all California counties voted for the governor’s recall. San Francisco County led the “No” pack with a whopping 80.4% voting against the recall.

103.83 carats of internally flawless, color grade D diamond goes on the auction block at Sotheby’s in November. Only three other perfect diamonds over 100 carats have been sold at auction before. The last one, the 100.10 carat Star of the Season, was purchased by Sheikh Ahmed Fitaihi for $16,548,750 in 1995. He also owns the 100.36 carat Star of Happiness which he purchased and named for $11,882,333 in 1993. Will he get to name a new Star in November?

A wonderful interview with Alton Brown reveals that he never intended to be the host of his show. He was just going to write and direct it. He was close to signing a deal with Discovery Channel when a Food Network exec caught snippets of his filmed pilot on the Eastman Kodak website. Although Food Network had passed on Good Eats at first, this twist of web surfing fate landed Alton Brown a deal as the network’s first commissioned show. (via Medley and Faz)

With the minor avalanche of new concert venues opening in the past year or so, I have to wonder over how a booming economy creates new symphony halls which are built in the ensuing years, only to open after the boom has gone bust, ready to cheer up a down economy. The Detroit Symphony is the latest to enjoy the fruits of the late 1990s with the new Max M. Fisher Music Center opening this week. As the Associated Press puts it, it’s “a venue to match its reputation.” They could have also added the word “finally” to that statement, as the Symphony and its audience have suffered long years with inadequate facilities and climate control. The Center is Phase Two of a three part, $220 million project to revitalize the neighborhood around the hall. Next up is a building to house the Detroit High School for the Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

Workers from a myriad of cultures continue the work on Steinway No. K0862 as the N.Y. Times continues its series on the creation of this one piano. Woodworkers build out the rim and arms like the fine piece of furniture that it actually is. The braces inside the case and the keybed are specially fitted. A former auto-body shop worker sprays on multiple coats of lacquer and a former parking attendant carefully applies the distinctive Steinway & Sons gold decals.