It’s Saturday, and it’s getting near lunchtime. What’s that simmering on the stove? Well it is hearty pot of news chum stew, where I’ve combined a bunch of links from the week that didn’t fit in any other concoction with some root vegetables and spices. You’ll find it quite tasty:
- Fixing a Hole. The news is reporting that workers affected by the Government shutdown are getting back pay. What’s significant here is what the article doesn’t say. This back pay only covers those directly employed by the government. Those employed by contractors to the goverment, or those whose independent businesses were affected by the shutdown (such as all the concessionaires at the National Parks or the nearby hotels) are not being made whole. The government just can’t do that — it can’t afford to do that, nor can it legally do that. Never forget that this insensitive action by the Tea Party hurt lots and lots of people. If they really cared about the country, they would have spent their time understanding the law and working to correct its deficiencies. That’s what they were hired to do, after all.
- All I Ever Needed to Learn I Learned from Infographics. If you read any link in this article, read this one about infographics. It will explain everything you need to know about infographics, why you shouldn’t believe everything you read, and why just because you have access to mountains of data doesn’t mean you know what to do with it.
- Goodbye Buffet. An interesting article on Las Vegas, and why the cheap buffet is disappearing. I always enjoyed the cheap buffets, but that’s because I’m cheap at heart. I miss the loss-leader dining in Vegas (although we did have some wonderful steak and eggs for a great price downtown when we were last there — at the 4 Queens, I believe).
- New Products and New Solutions. A few articles on products and solutions you may or may not need. First, how about bacon-scented deodorant? That doesn’t work for you? Perhaps something on this list of 27 products you never knew existed. Some I don’t care about; others are inspired (the ping-pong door), and some are just inspired (the heated butter knife, the kitchen safe, and charcoal-filter underwear for the gasseous set). Still nothing? Perhaps there’s something in this list of 40 life hacks for common problems. A number of these are great and will solve problems I’m currently facing (I’m going to try the cutting board on a drawer, for example). Some I’m less sure about (such as the glass cutting technique).
So there you go — some tasty news chum stews. Leave some room — I’ll be following this with a serving of tea.
