Thanks to kmkat for linking to this very thought-provoking article about the “cognitive surplus” being masked by watching tv, and about the shift from simply consuming media (such as tv) to “consuming, producing and sharing” media (such as blogging, Ravelry, lolcats, myspace, etc).
Thanks to Chappysmom for linking to an intriguing article about how shoes destroy the “evolutionary perfection” of the human foot.
Reading Update
Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton. Hey, it could happen – after all, Aunt Dimity is a ghost who communicates through a journal, so why couldn’t there be vampires in this cozy little mystery series?
Dead To Me by Anton Strout. In this new paranormal mystery series featuring psychometrist Simon Canderous, New York City’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs (DEA) keeps busy solving supernatural crimes. I doubt I’ll read the next book in the series – it just didn’t sufficiently engage me.
The Lost Ones (The Veil, Book 3) by Christopher Golden. This was the final book in this series. While I did enjoy it, I got a little cranky about who ended up maimed and/or dead…
House of Cards (The Negotiator, Book 2) by C. E. Murphy. I thought Heart of Stone (The Negotiator, Book 1) was a very good read, but its sequel, House of Cards, was even better. In it, Margrit (“Grit”) becomes increasingly involved in the world of the Old Races and I became increasingly unable to put down this book! I’m already sad that this is only going to be a trilogy.
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker. I enjoyed the latest Jesse Stone (police chief, Paradise, Massachusetts) mystery – typical clipped Parker fare. Probably only Tink has conversations like the people in Parker’s books!
A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry, Book 6) by Laurell K. Hamilton. Well, I think this book managed to cover about 10 hours, which is more time than the last few have managed…
Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) by Karen Marie Moning. Possibly even more compulsively readable than Darkfever. I couldn’t put this down, either. Really good books are so bad for sleep…
Predictable much? 😉
Last week, I happened to notice a certain similarity between some things I recently purchased (left, right) and a bag I’ve had for a while but haven’t used yet (center)…
Spring Update
We did have snow on Saturday. I think Deb had more snow in Chanhassen than we did in Minneapolis. But still, it was a bit disheartening on April 26.
By yesterday, it was sunny and 60F again. I’m ignoring the rain predicted for today, as well as the rain and possible snow predicted for tomorrow night. I guess I’ll just have to look out my north window instead, where a single boxelder tree lives in a mini-greenhouse effect and actually has leaves…
“Y’know, Mom, the leaves aren’t really that interesting. We need more birds!” -Mayhem
Hmmm. Perhaps Mother Nature has just over corrected herself or it’s just the weather going through its cycles! Whatever it is, you can bet someone is going to blame it on humans 😉
Snow…on the ground…here, now! Bleh.
Interesting article on shoes, but I’m thinking I wouldn’t want to go barefoot in the Twin Cities in January.
I’ve read the shoe debate.
I’m sticking with my orthotics and my hikers, thanks.
You know, it’s pretty chilly here, and it’s going to rain for the next 3 days… *sigh*
But no snow! That would blow…
You are so co-ordinated with your bags, and you don’t even know it. 😉
With the weather we are having, I’m not going shoeless, I assure you. I’m also not pumping up my bike tires…
Love the matching bags! Snow, I can’t believe it.
Bummer re: the snow. It snowed a little here in Chicago on Monday! Just doesn’t seem right.
Can’t believe you had snow. By the way I love your new camera.
Birds, birds, birds!!!
~Ruby~
And I agree with the best is going barefoot. If it wasn’t for Keen’s and hand knit socks…
I love those bags! I covet! I desire!
wait a damn minute… it’s still snowing there? i think there’s something wrong with Minnesota
When I was in high school, I read an article in National Geographic that claimed we stood upright too fast in an evolutionary sense. It claimed that if you look at the size of our feet as compared to the height of our bodies, it was terribly inefficient and we should’ve stayed stooped or smaller longer. Wierd.
Matchy matchy! Hey with my little size 5 feet – I’m just glad they hold me upright!
It’s snowing here. Bummer. Very funny about the bags!
oh wouldn’t mayhem be jealous if she saw all the birds in my yard
more snow? yikes. that’s ridiculous.
Tell May that my kitties agree.
Love the black cat fabric! But then, who wouldn’t? No one can resist a cute kitty.
You are so enabling the enabler right now.
Too bad May can’t come visit; we live in a duck runway – there are always birds to see. Large, scary, surprising birds.
That was an interesting article…I’ve always *hated* being barefoot – even as a kid, even in the house. However, having looked at the feet of prehistoric native people (yes, skeletal remains) – um, I don’t think they look that good. Tons of osteoarthritis in the knees, spine, feet, etc. Plantar Fascitis was common, too. Plus – I don’t think I should be going barefoot in the lab I work in…
I love your bags. I do.
May, you are so right. It really is a blah day out across the country. It’s raining here, and there just aren’t enough birds.
Snow at the end of April and beginning of May is just wrong, and I like snow. Course the good news for me is that if it’s snowing there, we’ll have cooler but still pleasant weather here. I’m all for taking off shoes whenever possible.
we’ve had 2″ diameter flakes today. Insane.
The snow on Saturday had my flight almost 45 minutes late *sigh* But it had been snowing that morning in Denver as well so MSP wasn’t alone 🙂
I don’t know how Laurell K. Hamilton manages to write a whole novel on just a few hours worth of elapsed time. I’ve always wondered…..
Loved that article. Makes me feel even better about keeping our TV locked in the closet. Interestingly enough, Little Man is crying about that fact this very minute…”I just want to watch a little!!!”
That article about cognitive surplus is just wonderfully thought-provoking. I watch my share of television, but I’m always doing something else at the same time–cooking, reading, knitting, blogging. I like to BE entertained, but I like to interact, too–and I think that’s why the internet is so addictive. You can idly watch videos or tv shows, or browse message boards . . . or you can find all sorts of things to DO!
Yes, I came back from warm (but not too hot) San Antonio to lows in the 20s here in IC….
I know a little of the shoe debate, and I still don’t think I can give up shoes. 🙂
Snow?
You mean that white stuff that falls out of the sky?
At the end of April?
I’ll be complaining bitterly of the melty weather in a couple of months, but I will admit to being rather happy with the only snow around here being petals from cherry and pear trees.
I also suspect that the “evolutionarily perfect” human feet do not include flat feet. I <3 my plastic birki’s.
Happily the author of that article makes the point that even if we reduce our tv watching by only 1% that is still an enormous amount of cognitive energy being released to other pursuits. I can be all superior about my own lack of tv-watching but my *virtue* is totally attributable to the fact we only get the Twin Cities’ broadcast stations. If we had a dish it would be a completely different story.
I followed the links to both articles–feet and blogging. Fascinting and very thought-provoking. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.
Fascinating. I could learn to spell in my freed up TV time.
OK, when I lived in the Twin Cities, we had snow once on by birthday (April 26). It was the first time I saw snow on my birthday–every. It was only a few flakes. This is just mean.
Oh dear – you’d better have some of our sunshine.
Cute bags. Hope you are getting more sunshine this weekend.