I'll be in Austin from the 29th around noon to early on the fifth, with a break from the 1st to 3rd for Pallas Yule. I hope to see many of you there. Let me know when you're free.

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

In celebrating Passover, there's a tradition of mixing sweet charoset and bitter horseradish to commemorate the sweetness of freedom combined with the bitterness of either slavery or the plagues that hurt innocent Egyptians in the process of escaping from Egypt. Last week, we had the incredible sweetness of Barack Obama's election and the awful ( Read more... )

http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157608716313371/


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NOBODY expects Barack Obama! Our chief strength is liberty...liberty and democracy...democracy and liberty.... Our two strengths are democracy and liberty...and opportunity.... Our *three* strengths are democracy, liberty, and opportunity...and unyielding hope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our strengths.... Amongst our strengths...are such ( Read more... )

I voted this morning. A couple elections ago (probably still this year; we're on our third...), I signed up to be a permanent absentee voter, which means they always mail me an absentee ballot, even if I don't wind up using it. So I filled it out last night (12 state-wide propositions, 22 city propositions, 1 speaker of the house, 2 statewide ( Read more... )

I've got a cold, so I stayed home from work today, after which I was presented with the problem of what to make for dinner. I've recently decided that the way to learn how to cook is to do it a bunch, and finding a real recipe dissuades me from doing it, so I've given up on real recipes. So:

1. Buy an onion, a bell pepper, a carrot, a tomato, a bunch ( Read more... )

W00t! They demonstrated macro-evolution in the lab: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.htmlRead more... )

• Obama finished winning the nomination.
  
• Prop 98 (which would kill rent control) lost. http://vote.sos.ca.gov/Returns/props/59.htm
  
• Prop 99 (which prevents cities from taking your house and giving it to WalMart) won. It's not perfect-if you're a small business they can still give your land to WalMart-but it's something and will hopefully kill the ( Read more... )

I’ve started a new blog to replace this one. Several of my old posts have migrated over there. The new blog runs on WordPress, a free blogging platform, and, more importantly, a server I control.

I had two requests, but one has been filled:

• I’m looking for a good title as Jeffrey Yasskin’s blog is a little boring. Suggestions in the comments ( Read more... )