Fup, resident cat at Powell’s Technical Books, has passed away after 19 comfy years in the company of shelves, staff and shoppers. She will be much missed.

Homeowners with the means can have their very own firefighting service. Insurance company AIG offers a Wildfire Protection Unit for its most expensive properties, partnering with Firebreak Spray Systems. The company will come out to spray fire retardant around the property when fire is encroaching. It’s worth it to AIG when even one multi-million dollar home is saved.

Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo has named their baby giraffe (cute!) Sox in honor of the World Series Champions. Sox was born the morning after Game 1, measuring in at 154 pounds, 6 feet 2 inches tall.

I’ve always considered the miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to be tastier than their regular-sized siblings, and I’m not the only one. These guys actually decided to do scientific testing to figure out the truth behind the better tasting mini-Reese’s. After cutting, core samples, and, of course, taste testing, their initial hypothesis was proven: the smaller cups have a larger ratio of chocolate, and are therefore yummier. I suppose if you enjoy the peanut butter more, you may be in favor of the “big cup” instead. (via Candy Addict)

An employer could take the stance that domestic violence is not their concern, it’s a personal matter after all, but there’s no argument against the fact that a bad situation at home has a negative affect on employee productivity. The N.Y. Times points to data stating that “one-fifth of all full-time employed adults are or have been victims of domestic violence”and that women “lose nearly eight million days of work annually because they have been threatened, stalked or physically assaulted by current or former partners or spouses.” And yet only 4% of employers offer training in dealing with domestic violence. Fashion company Liz Claiborne created a cross-discipline response team (human resources, security, legal) and takes an active role in helping employees who step forward. At a minimum companies can train managers to recognize the signs of domestic violence and the appropriate response.

Congrats to all you Boston Red Sox fans, you guys really deserve it (and I’m putting aside 25+ rabid years of Mets fandom to say that)… OK, maybe I don’t think you needed it as much as you did three years ago, but I’m still a New Englander at heart so I’ll give a little here despite my other loyalties. Anyway, it seems a moot topic now, but the Rockies’ baseball humidor has been getting a lot of press. They must have toured all the reporters through it. It keeps game balls at a steady 70 degrees, 50 percent relative humidity, away from the dry Denver environment. It may not change the sometimes odd behavior of balls in the thin air up there, but the pitchers are getting a better grip. Officially known as the Environmental Storage Chamber, the humidor went online in 2002. It didn’t make the Rockies instantly successful, but for pitchers it’s a positive impact.

Work has been insanely hectic, but I wanted to get a public service announcement out to Seattle folks that Blade Runner: The Final Cut is now showing at the Seattle Cinerama. Friends who have seen it give it two thumbs, wayyyy up.

Nice trivia from the space shuttle launch: “In a historic coincidence, both the shuttle and station have women at the helm. Retired Air Force Col. Pamela Melroy is only the second woman to command a shuttle, and biochemist Peggy Whitson is the first female skipper of a space station.” It’s the first time that two female mission commanders have been in orbit at the same time.

On the heels of our Herbfarm mushroom extravaganza comes a profile of Jeremy Faber who gathered all the fungi for the Mycologist’s Dream menu. Faber is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a former sous-chef for the Herbfarm. He now heads up Foraged and Found Edibles, supplying wild mushrooms to Seattle restaurants. 11 months out of the year he visits the trees, logs, and hills where he has had previous success and keeps an eye out for new finds.

We went back to The Herbfarm on Sunday for a very belated anniversary dinner, joined by our friends Pavel and Kathleen (and by sheer coincidence, Barry, who worked at PlaceWare with Pavel and me was there too. Hi Barry!). Both Chef Jerry Traunfeld, who is leaving soon to open his own restaurant, and incoming Chef Keith Luce were present; both had a hand in the menu. The theme was “A Mycologist’s Dream” and I took my usual blurry plate shots (I really need a photography lesson). The mushrooms were the attraction for me, and I have never had so many different, and interesting varieties. (By the way, Pavel sells his very own interesting mechanical puzzles, perfect for holiday gift-giving or anytime.)