Caffeine Break

Today is Day Four of my caffeine break.
To convince myself that my soul can be redeemed and realizing that having close to a pot or more of coffee everyday isn't going to do me much good, I'm on a caffeine break this week. Taking its literal meaning, I won't (or will try not to) have coffee or any caffeinated drink all of this week. So far, the flesh has done the bidding of the spirit. Nothing like conducting an experiment on yourself.

One things about quitting is that there are always people handy to give you advice. One of the things suggested was to drink hot water from the mug instead of the usual joe. It worked, sort of. On Day Three I buckled in to drink hot tea (decaf, of course). That's keeping me going and I'm convincing myself that it doesn't count as cheating. (It's a lot better than the hot water for sure!)

All I have to worry about is Friday. Funnily enough, I don't drink coffee at home. It's a conditioned reflex of sorts that I need it when I am at work or going to work.
In the meantime, every coffee-shop looks enticing and I am tempted to snatch a cup from someone.

Drugs, man! they make you do these things.

2.3 Planets Needed!

On taking this Ecological Footprint Quiz I found that I am doing much better than the average American in keeping my environmental footprint small. I bike to work or take the bus; sparingly use my one fuel-efficient car; and try to walk to most places. Despite all that, we would still need 2.3 planets if every person on the planet lived like me. Shame!

American average: 24 acres
My Score: 10 acres
Actual biological acres available: 4.5 acres

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Looking for a media bias? Check the coverage on Gore's victory. The Economist wasn't too pleased about Mr. Gore winning the prize. Well, the Economist will be the Economist, but I was surprised to read their background blurb on the article.

Global temperatures and sea levels seem to be rising, but whether this is mankind's or nature's fault is unclear.

Hah! The facts are unclear, then why feel so bad about the 2.3 planets? The New York Times in its infinite wisdom found this op-ed piece by Paul Krugman fit to print. From the Gore Derangement Syndrome:

So if science says that we have a big problem that can’t be solved with tax cuts or bombs — well, the science must be rejected, and the scientists must be slimed.

Coexist

Saw a variation of this sticker, which wasn't half as decent. At least on this one they have science (with science's poster child) on there.

From their website:
Every letter has a symbol that represents a system of thought: The crescent and star for Islam; the pentagram for Wicca; the relativity formula for science; the star of David for Judaism; the Karma Wheel dotting the i for Buddhism; the Tao symbol for Taoism; the cross for Chrisitianity.

Wondering if I should support the notion or not.

GO gREen!

Now that Gore has won the Peace prize for his fight against global warming (not, as I read in a couple of places, 'for global warming'), this project might gain more adherents.



I have signed up, but is this one more of a quiet and failed attempt, lacking in courage as Thomas Friedman alleges? Our generation, he writes, is too quiet and too online. More inside, deep inside virtual worlds, than outside.

When I grow up ...

Every small company or startup wants to be a Google when they grow up. From one startup's description,

[ ]'s mission is no less than to be the next Google. They want to be the next great software company right here in Ann Arbor ...

Looks like Microsoft is not cool anymore. Since 1997 a number of former role models have fallen from their pedestals, in the minds of new startups at least. The idea that the above description seems to suggest is that Google is synonymous with rapid growth, innovation, coolness, and high valuations. Which company does not want that? It was a rather pathetic way to lure undergraduates into thinking that they had a chance to work for the 'next Google'. I wish these companies all the best in trying to get there. While Google will be around ten years later, I still wonder if it will still be that company that every currently unemployed nerd has a wet dream just imagining he works there.

For now, a great business opportunity is to cash a la mode Levi Strauss is to make T-shirts and sell them to these startups. The tagline: "I work for The Next Google".

He hath spoken

Even tight-lipped gods have to come down from Olympus occasionally. After debating the idea for a number of years, Clapton finally wrote down 'his version of the memories' in his recently released autobiography - 'Clapton'. In a concert that I attended a few years ago, Clapton barely said more than a few words. He is one of those who lets the guitar do the talking.

The NYT Times Review (better read online than on paper) praised the book and notes Clapton's tone of detachment as he writes about his deepest and darkest times. For Clapton fans, the review hasn't much to offer as it focuses more on the personal themes, like the oft-repeated story of rock and roll's most famous love triangle - Clapton, Pattie Boyd, and George Harrison. The review hasn't much detail on his music or its creation, and I hope that the book itself has more to offer in that department. It will be a great disappointment if the book chronicles merely the people and events in his life. Sometimes, a well-written biography is better than an authentic autobiography, if there is such a thing.

Who's who on YouTube

The Nobel Prize is, in its own words, now a 'brand' on the YouTube bandwagon. A good move in anticipation of all the announcements next week.