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magidVery cool: make-your-own online kaleidoscope effects.
Cheese blogging:
5 Spoke Red Vine Colby is a lovely hard cheese, with flavor that's wonderful savored in little slices to appreciate just how nice it is. It's not Parmesan, not that hard nor that intense, but somewhat in that direction. Definitely worth the spendy price.
Schmerling Tilsiter, a Swiss cheese (in country of origin; it's not Emmental) is a medium hard cheese that has a bit of 'stinky cheese' taste (which I rather like), and a slightly rubbery mouthfeel, related to that of those cheese wedges that never seem to be real cheese. Interesting to try but I'm not sure I'll get it again.
Opinions sought:
I'm fascinated by surveys, polls, and censuses (censii? :-). The data collected, sure (the USian census data, the statistical abstract, etc), but also the forms for collecting data, looking at how questions are worded or otherwise subtly influence the results.
A minyan survey surprised me first not so much with the questions, but the ranges for the answers. For instance, the options for age were <22, 22 – 25, 26 – 29, 30 – 34, 35 – 39, or 40+. Sure, it's a skewed younger minyan, but it's still useful to see the entire range, if one is asking at all. (It also makes me feel old.) And "how long have you lived here" options included Less than six months, 2 years or fewer, 2 – 4 years, More than 4 years, or I don't live here. Nothing about the gradations after 4 years, the length of an undergraduate generation. Not impressed.
A few later questions surprised me with content. One asked about socializing, whether the respondent preferred to socialize with people at the same "stage of life," which bothered me intensely. In my opinion, a minyan should not foster separate social cliques, but a true community, which embraces people with a wide range of experiences. Why would I restrict myself to talking only to people with a similar background at kiddush? Just knowing that someone thought to ask this is disconcerting.
Another issue for me was in the questions about possible methods of implementing a home hospitality program. Among the options there was one that was, essentially, hosting a potluck. That is not home hospitality, but a social gathering. It's not the same thing at all. If one is a visitor, one does not necessarily have access to acquiring food in advance, and it should not be required. Another option was to have a host family or two each week to take any guests, which is reasonable, but making it be a condition of membership to take this responsibility at least once is not. Many people are not in a position to host, for a wide variety of reasons. Again, this lead me to wonder what was going on in the minds of the survey designers, that this would even be suggested.
And in fact, though I thought the survey can be a useful way to get information to plan future minyan stuff, the content lead me to wonder whether this is, in fact, a community with which I want to continue affiliation. I suppose I'll wait to see how/whether the things that concern me change.
I got a survey from the US Postal Service about... compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Not a topic that immediately springs to mind when thinking about snail mail. I hadn't realized that CFLs must be recycled, because they contain mercury. Of note: the Commonwealth will require recycling of mercury-containing lightbulbs as of May 1, 2008. Apparently the city of Cambridge (no mention of other municipalities, but I'd be surprised if this is the only place working on this) is considering mail-in recycling of CFLs. Questions ask about the importance of recycling, CFL use, preference for how to recycle, and whether a cost for shipping would make a difference. Since I assume mercury is considered hazardous (ie, must not be put in weekly recycling, but brought in during the seasonal drop-off times), mail in recycling will work much better for me: those drop off days are always Shabbat, and the city has no interest in changing that.
Oh, and I've been put into an online family tree, which sends me automagic updates. I tend to be pretty good with understanding family relationships, but I have no idea how to parse "second great aunt's daughter-in-law's third great uncle's father-in-law"....
Cheese blogging:
5 Spoke Red Vine Colby is a lovely hard cheese, with flavor that's wonderful savored in little slices to appreciate just how nice it is. It's not Parmesan, not that hard nor that intense, but somewhat in that direction. Definitely worth the spendy price.
Schmerling Tilsiter, a Swiss cheese (in country of origin; it's not Emmental) is a medium hard cheese that has a bit of 'stinky cheese' taste (which I rather like), and a slightly rubbery mouthfeel, related to that of those cheese wedges that never seem to be real cheese. Interesting to try but I'm not sure I'll get it again.
Opinions sought:
- Paypal money market accounts: worth it?
- Locked-in flat-rate natural gas supply price (0.9999/therm; supply price only, not delivery and so on) from Nov. 1 through April 30: worth it? (current rate: 0.9799/therm)
I'm fascinated by surveys, polls, and censuses (censii? :-). The data collected, sure (the USian census data, the statistical abstract, etc), but also the forms for collecting data, looking at how questions are worded or otherwise subtly influence the results.
A minyan survey surprised me first not so much with the questions, but the ranges for the answers. For instance, the options for age were <22, 22 – 25, 26 – 29, 30 – 34, 35 – 39, or 40+. Sure, it's a skewed younger minyan, but it's still useful to see the entire range, if one is asking at all. (It also makes me feel old.) And "how long have you lived here" options included Less than six months, 2 years or fewer, 2 – 4 years, More than 4 years, or I don't live here. Nothing about the gradations after 4 years, the length of an undergraduate generation. Not impressed.
A few later questions surprised me with content. One asked about socializing, whether the respondent preferred to socialize with people at the same "stage of life," which bothered me intensely. In my opinion, a minyan should not foster separate social cliques, but a true community, which embraces people with a wide range of experiences. Why would I restrict myself to talking only to people with a similar background at kiddush? Just knowing that someone thought to ask this is disconcerting.
Another issue for me was in the questions about possible methods of implementing a home hospitality program. Among the options there was one that was, essentially, hosting a potluck. That is not home hospitality, but a social gathering. It's not the same thing at all. If one is a visitor, one does not necessarily have access to acquiring food in advance, and it should not be required. Another option was to have a host family or two each week to take any guests, which is reasonable, but making it be a condition of membership to take this responsibility at least once is not. Many people are not in a position to host, for a wide variety of reasons. Again, this lead me to wonder what was going on in the minds of the survey designers, that this would even be suggested.
And in fact, though I thought the survey can be a useful way to get information to plan future minyan stuff, the content lead me to wonder whether this is, in fact, a community with which I want to continue affiliation. I suppose I'll wait to see how/whether the things that concern me change.
I got a survey from the US Postal Service about... compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Not a topic that immediately springs to mind when thinking about snail mail. I hadn't realized that CFLs must be recycled, because they contain mercury. Of note: the Commonwealth will require recycling of mercury-containing lightbulbs as of May 1, 2008. Apparently the city of Cambridge (no mention of other municipalities, but I'd be surprised if this is the only place working on this) is considering mail-in recycling of CFLs. Questions ask about the importance of recycling, CFL use, preference for how to recycle, and whether a cost for shipping would make a difference. Since I assume mercury is considered hazardous (ie, must not be put in weekly recycling, but brought in during the seasonal drop-off times), mail in recycling will work much better for me: those drop off days are always Shabbat, and the city has no interest in changing that.
Oh, and I've been put into an online family tree, which sends me automagic updates. I tend to be pretty good with understanding family relationships, but I have no idea how to parse "second great aunt's daughter-in-law's third great uncle's father-in-law"....