A few clicks away from Medley, I found RootBeerWorld.com, aka Root-Beer.org) wherein they chronicle all things about that wonderfully yummy beverage. A state-by-state and alphabetical guide of root beer brands includes vintage models like this one from Canada Dry. My easy to find (for me) favorites are Henry Weinhard’s which has honey added (so it’s sweeter than most) and IBC. But my most favorite was a cranky, earthy tasting variety brewed and only on tap at a San Mateo brewpub that has gone out of business. Ah well.

It appears that educational software is stagnating with little innovation and mainly tried and true sequels being released. But how many copies of the same game in different disguises will parents buy? Sales have dropped and publishers are scaling back and trying to get creative again. There’s always a new crop of fast-growing kids, though, so perhaps they won’t have to reinvent the wheel. (via LTSeek)

I grew up reading The New York Times. Like many other advantages I had, I didn’t truly appreciate it until I was away from it. I figured most newspapers were of that caliber. That’s not to say that they get it right or unbiased all the time. But the Times offers something on a different level from most dailies. This L.A. Times article discusses what that is. A brand researcher found that “the most loyal readers of the New York Times are interested in abstract theorizing, in getting underneath, in being surprised. . . . They had what we came to call a ‘vigilant curiosity’ about the world.” What that means to me in plain English is “we like to know the real how and why, not just the hyped what.” The article is mostly about the Times’ stepping into the role of being a national paper. But I crave the New York centered news too. The national edition isn’t the same for me. There’s just something about that mix of humanity in New York that makes for fascinating local news.

Appetize is “a patented blend of tallow and non-hydrogenated corn oil created by Brandeis University that contains no cholesterol and is naturally trans-fat free.” Most restaurants use (unhealthy) partially hydrogenated vegetable oils for deep frying. No fast-food restaurants have switched to Appetize yet, though its makers claim that it restores that yummy fried in beef fat taste to french fries. Some say consumers are too confused about what is healthy and what isn’t. I figured it can’t be as cheap as veggie oils, so consumers are going to have to demand it in order for food companies to take any notice. Their FAQ claims it can actually be cost effective since the fried food absorbs less of it and it has a longer frying life. I really hope this catches on and doesn’t have any Olestra-like issues.

I don’t remember who mentioned this to me, but it really made a lot of sense. We were discussing the memory it takes to load dictionaries on PDAs, and this person said that instead of the smaller dictionaries having fewer of the less-known words, they should filter out all the easy words. You will most likely be looking up a word you haven’t heard a lot, not something like “cat”, and a lot of space could be saved. I just discovered that the Palm dictionary I use, Noah from ArsLexis, does have an “advanced” dictionary database, suitable for native speakers who don’t need the simple words. Nifty!

I had left the sliding glass door open a bit one day when I went out. My cat likes to go out on the balcony and recharge her solar cells. When I came home, there was a dead bird on the carpet a few feet from the door to the balcony. There was no sign of struggle and the cat seemed to be meowing more than usual, but was still nonchalant. One stray feather sat mournfully closer to the door. I was torn between motherly pride (“good hunter kitty!”) and extreme guilt that a poor bird had died. But maybe it had keeled over on its own and the cat dragged it inside? I’ll never know. I bet the cat does, but she just ain’t telling. In memorium, though, I will now always try to buy sustainably grown coffee as promoted by the Songbird Foundation.

My dad would drive miles away just to get cheaper gas. He knew it defeated the purpose, but it was the principle of the thing. He supported cheaper stations, and was amongst the early adopters of self serve along with its lower prices. GasPriceWatch.com tracks the prices at gas stations, and of heating oil (and marinas, coming soon) in the U.S. and Canada through the help of volunteer spotters. You can search on zip/postal code and find stations near you and compare prices. Prices are color coded so you know how old they are. And maybe you’d like to sign up to be a spotter yourself. I always try to buy gas at the cheapest place I can find, but I don’t go overboard about it. My dad has also loosened up. Time is money, or, more importantly when you’re older, time is, well, time.

Dr. Robert Hutson, inventor of the first Oral-B toothbrush, died last month (no free linkage anymore). He was San Jose’s first periodontal dentist, and, if I remember the obituary correctly, was appalled by the bruising on his patients gums caused by toothbrushes. He used the now common tufted layout and end-rounded bristles to help create a brush that was still tough on teeth but gentler to gums. This was in 1950, and Oral-B went on to become the leading toothbrush manufacturer. Oral-B toothbrushes traveled with the first moon landing.

In ancient times, some cultures used frayed tree branches to clean their teeth. Some web sources say that the Chinese invented the modern toothbrush (1498 A.D.) which was then brought to Europe. Boar bristles were used until the invention of nylon. Dr. West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush (an original ad, large gif) brought the truly contemporary toothbrush to the masses.

An interesting sidenote: here’s a WWII era ad for Scot Toilet Tissue which asks “With most doctors having to ration their time today and almost every hospital full to capacity–are you prepared for a possible home delivery?” It describes how to make your own protective masks from toilet tissue. Clever, huh?

Although I have been using my Palm Vx for a while now, I am not a master of Graffiti. The concept is excellent and I don’t mind being trained instead of training the software to understand how I write (though one day that will be the best model). But I always run into problems and end up bringing up the keyboard. I could practice more, I suppose. But I’ll definitely check out these tiny keyboards when they are released. Typing with my thumbs… I can do that! Unfortunately, it looks like it’ll be difficult to use with my Palm in its metal cover. (via Evhead)

8.5 million people in the U.S. have an autoimmune disease where their immune system is attacking some part or parts of their own body. 6.7 million, almost 80 percent, are female. Researchers have discovered that pregnancy may be a triggering factor. “During pregnancy a mother and fetus exchange body cells that can persist in one or the other’s circulation for years or even decades after birth.” When the molecules that identify cells as being the mother’s or the child’s are too similar, the immune system can get confused and attack the wrong cells postpartum. Type 1 diabetes, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis are some examples of autoimmune disorders. Scientists have realized they need to study these as a group.