June 29, 2008

How Much Is a Handful?

Some folks, including this amateur cook, are mystified by how vague some cookbooks are about quantities of ingredients to put into recipes. In his most recent blog post, cookbook writer extraordinaire David Lebovitz explains the dilemmas from the other side....

June 20, 2008

Cursive Buildings

Dave Friedman writes: This guy takes old stereogram photos and combines them into a single image that quickly goes back and forth between them......

June 10, 2008

FREE! FREE! FREE!

No, we're not giving anything away for free, but if you hate paying exorbitant fees for directory assistance, and aren't familiar with GOOG411, how does free sound to you? And if you aren't near your Imponderables collection and want a...

June 07, 2008

The Evolution of Tech Logos

Neatorama strikes again....

June 05, 2008

Presidential Facial Hair

One website that is probably happy that Hillary Clinton didn't win the nomination. [Thanks to The Daily Dish]...

May 25, 2008

Optical Illusions

If you like them, as I do, may I commend Illusion Sciences?...

May 05, 2008

Fun with Google Maps

What with the price of gas and all, perhaps a nice long drive isn't the greatest idea. That hasn't stopped one intrepid blogger from finding the longest routes on Google Maps (be sure and read the comments from readers, too)....

April 29, 2008

My Favorite Feline

I'm a dog person, but this is my kind of cat. [Thanks to Terry Joseph]...

April 21, 2008

Rube Goldberg Would Be Proud

[Thanks to Joel Derfner]...

April 15, 2008

How Many Cannibals Could Your Body Feed?

I can feed 17. [Thanks to Michael Feldman]...

March 18, 2008

The Shorty Complex

Are short people truly more insecure about their height? Researchers in Spain and the Netherlands weigh in....

March 16, 2008

Starlings on Otmoor

February 24, 2008

I'm Alive...

and on vacation. I haven't spent so little time online in a long time. I've taken a bit of a break on the blog, but thought I'd share this story from the New York Times about the reaction of Japan...

February 06, 2008

Six Degrees?

Does the theory of "Six Degrees of Separation" work in practice?...

November 20, 2007

What's Your Walk Score?

One of the things I love about my apartment's location in New York is despite the massive population density, for me it's a little like living in a small town in Europe. Almost everything I need is within easy walking...

October 18, 2007

Book Autopsies

Actually, there's a lot of cool stuff on Centripetal Nation, but Brian Dettmer's work takes the cake. Depending on where you live, you might be able to see Dettmer's work in person. [Thanks to Ruth Bavetta]...

October 15, 2007

Catalog Choice

It's that time of year -- our mailboxes are clogged with mail-order catalogs: wanted and unwanted. How do you get rid of the unwanted catalogs? Along comes a new website to the rescue, attempting to do for catalogs what the...

August 11, 2007

Jessica the Pet Hippo

This hippo has a dog's life. [Thanks to Ruth Bavetta]...

June 05, 2007

Dancing with the Nag

Give this horse a reality show....

May 24, 2007

Is This the Cutest Cow in the World?

Ree thinks so. [Thanks to Monkling]...

March 27, 2007

My Latest Addiction

Glide Cool Mint Floss tastes just like the stuff my dental hygienist used to apply to my teeth after bruising and poking my gums into a bloody pulp. Honestly, I think I would use Cool Mint even if flossing weren't...

March 24, 2007

Theater Brings Out the Best in Everyone

Smackdown, arty-style!...

March 17, 2007

Vern Fonk

When I think of insurance, Vern is on my mind. Here's why....

March 10, 2007

Quote of the Day

"I'm down to a little more than a billion. You can get by on that if you really economize and don't buy a lot of planes and yachts and stuff." - Ted Turner on CNBC's "High Net Worth"...

March 05, 2007

Great Customer Service

Joel Spolsky, major domo at Fog Creek Software, tells it like it is....

February 19, 2007

What's Become of Me?

First, I laughed at this YouTube video, which I couldn't defend in Aesthetics Court. And then I went and opened up a MySpace page. I get a kick out of YouTube, but I haven't warmed up to MySpace. My sole...

February 06, 2007

Sitting Pretty

The ultimate in modular seating....

January 18, 2007

Bird Formations

You don't have to be an ornithologist to enjoy these birds. [Thanks to Joanne Pavia]...

January 17, 2007

Say It Isn't So!

Woodsy Owl's extreme makeover...

January 08, 2007

How Small Are We?

Very, very small....

January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

May all your Imponderables in 2007 be minuscule ones....

December 29, 2006

100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year

And in some cases, didn't know even in 2006. [Thanks to Uday Ivatury]...

December 09, 2006

Cats Got Your Computer?

Relief is on the way....

December 07, 2006

My Christmas Gift To You

The Holiday Party Excuse Generator. [Thanks to Joanne Pavia]...

December 05, 2006

The Toothpick Trick

Do try this at home....

November 22, 2006

One-Page Wonders

Very cool artwork....

November 20, 2006

It's Magic

What's more fun than deftly executed close-up magic? Not much. Mark Evanier links to a great video of the master card manipulator, Whit Haydn....

November 12, 2006

When do we lose our taste for the new?

Adults: Do you find yourself listening to the same music you did when you were a teenager. Or in your 20s? Do you find yourself resistant to trying new foods? If so, you are not alone. Neurobiologist Robert M. Sapolsky...

November 10, 2006

Dull Men's Club

These are my soulmates. This site revels in National Fig Month (you do know that this is National Fig Month, don't you?). It studies the direction in which carousels around the world rotate. And it includes a book review section...

November 06, 2006

Two Burning Questions

Will the Democrats take over the U.S. Senate? And more importantly, Will It Blend? [thanks to Michael Feldman]...

August 17, 2006

Latte Art

What you don't get at Starbucks......

August 15, 2006

The Age Gauge

Wanna feel old? Then here you go....

August 10, 2006

Hair Makes the Woman

Imagine taking a photo of your face in the same position every day for three years, and then assembling a video of each photo in quick succession. That's what Ahree Lee has done in less than one minute's worth of...

July 05, 2006

Ice Chewers of the World, Unite!

Here's your place on the Web....

July 04, 2006

Be a Phil

On this July Fourth, please, please, please don't be a Mr. Bungle. [Thanks to Mark Evanier]...

July 03, 2006

The Best Way To Celebrate Independence Day

With cats that look like Hitler, of course. [thanks to Mary Yelenick]...

June 26, 2006

Bugs on Parade

Stunning photography, although perhaps not for the phobic. [Thanks to Gin Petty]...

June 22, 2006

The Hitler vs. Coulter Quiz

Harder than you'd think. [Thanks to Jerilyn Dufresne]...

June 14, 2006

The Lyrebird

Why Do Pirates Love Parrots? is going to have a chapter about why birds mimic sounds. Sometimes, guys just want to hook up. [Thanks to Debbie Puente]...

June 13, 2006

How Will You Die?

In my case, it's natural causes, and I'm pretty happy about it. How about you? [Thanks to Jerilyn Dufresne]...

June 12, 2006

The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments

Science at its best. [Thanks to Steve "Wookie" Houle]...

June 11, 2006

Chef Boyardee

In the City section of the New York Times, the F.Y.I. column answers questions with a New York slant. Today, an anonymous reader asks if it is true that Chef Boyardee once worked at the Plaza Hotel in New York....

April 19, 2006

One Top 100 List I'm Proud Not To Be On

The 100 Unsexiest Men in the World....

April 06, 2006

Don't Try This at Home

Or even in Paris....

April 01, 2006

One Down, One To Go

I'm proud and mostly relieved to say that I won't be going to Phantom of the Opera. The prospect of interacting with the music and pageantry of Andrew Lloyd Weber was enough to inspire me to lose 15 pounds in...

March 19, 2006

Think It's Easy Being a Baby Octopus?

Au contraire!...

Juggling

This guy is good. For a few shorter movies, go here. [Thanks to Paul Fryd]...

March 10, 2006

Animal Love

There's more going on in Florida than Spring Break. Here's the feel-good story of the week....

March 04, 2006

Gardens in a Petri

Science meets art. [Thanks to Gin Petty]...

February 01, 2006

Hikikomori

Because of my slavish work on the next book (I whimper in martyr-like mewling), I missed this fascinating article by Maggie Jones in the New York Times Magazine about a peculiar phenomenon: Hundreds of thousands of Japanese teenagers and young...

January 22, 2006

Role Models of the Week

The snake and the hamster....

January 03, 2006

My New Year's Resolution

In How To Win At Just About Everything, I wrote a chapter entitled "How To Win at Losing Weight," which detailed a system that had helped me lose weight. Twice, I used what I called the "Penalty Diet" to motivate...

December 20, 2005

Facts On Farts

The Fart FAQ...

November 06, 2005

Where I've Been

Here's where I spent my weekend: and here's why I was there: The Wonderful World of Words (you can view the PDF file of the program). Next year will be the twenty-fifth and final WWoW weekends, created by the illustrious...

October 13, 2005

Find a Human!

You're the customer. Talk to a homo sapien. [Thanks to Brian Rose]...

July 29, 2005

Mark Evanier on Hold

The hell that is "on hold" with customer support is chronicled in real time in yesteday's entry at Mark's wonderful site, News from Me. (Be sure and read from the bottom up, as Mark's entries are time-stamped). Yesterday, the villain...

July 27, 2005

Multitasking of the Highest Magnitude

Combining two of my favorite things. It's not too early to prepare for April, 2006. [Thanks to Michael Feldman}...

July 01, 2005

The Slingbox

Please, someone, stop me!...

June 14, 2005

I'm Alive

Honest. But I'm on vacation, from my home and blogging. Be patient. I'll be back in a few days and will have some Imponderables-related news to report....

April 09, 2005

Think You've Outwitted the Snooze Alarm?

Clocky has your number....

March 20, 2005

Off To Parts West

I'm going to be on the road for the next two weeks. I might not be able to update the blog quite as much as usual. Later this week, I'm going to be on three panels at the national Popular...

February 19, 2005

The Crackers

Ooooh. Food and art....

The Somerville Gates

Christo hogs all the publicity. By an astonishing coincidence, while the mainstream media is all atwitter about the installation in Central Park in Manhattan, another worthy artistic endeavor is being unjustly ignored....

February 07, 2005

Need an Effective Monitor Cleaning?

I don't usually endorse products, but... Thanks to Mudge for the tip....

January 28, 2005

Weight-Loss Breakthrough!

I knew I fidgeted for a good reason....

January 14, 2005

Off to Boston...

this weekend for the semiannual meeting of the American Library Association. I'll be signing copies of my new book for librarians. Behave while I'm away....

December 31, 2004

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And may all your Imponderables in 2005 be little ones....

October 01, 2004

Dave's Tip o' the Day

Don't spill hundreds of loose coins on a hardwood floor. Just a little, uh, theoretical suggestion....