Todd Hoff's picture

The Middle Way of Combating Obesity

It is a grim irony we humans over the eons have understandably desired:
1. easy work
2. plentiful and tastey food

Now that we have these things we find out that it kills us!
Who could have known?

Heart disease and diabetes and a billion other diseases are killing
us because we don't exercise and we eat too much. These were
problems available only to the rich in the past, but now with our
general affluence dieing is more equal opportunity.

If you think about it, it is possible to get no meaningful exercise.
At all. None. Zip. You have to go out of your way to exercise.

Todd Hoff's picture

Sometimes there is a Conspiracy: Enron Traders Caught on Tape

They confirmed what we Californians already knew about or "energy crisis." We
were screwed. If anyone thinks the patrons of the oil industry aren't
capable of larger scale screwings then you are wishing for a world different
than the one we live in. The big lie has amazing power. If people don't
want to believe something, they won't. The enronians were salivating for bush
to get in power. These rational tools of the invisible hand wouldn't think
that way unless there was a rational reason, would they?

Todd Hoff's picture

Cartoons Lie

I saw something today that has made me question everything
i have ever learned from cartoons. Today i saw a car swerve into
a fire hydrant and knock it over. The hydrant sat sadly on its side, about 10
feet from its former location. What happened? Nothing!
Not a drop of water jetted to the sky. In cartoons great
gushes of water shoot from a fire hydrant every time it
is knocked over. It was dry as a bone. How disappointing.
It's made me question all the other things i've learned watching

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Woman in Car Shaving Pits

Seen On The Freeway: An attractive woman in a newish red convertible mercedes was
shaving her armpits while driving on the freeway. Her technique was classic. Her long auburn hair
was pulled back so as not to get in the way. By wearing a black tank she thoughtfully
made the whole process easy to see. One arm was over her head and the other hand
was making quick shaving motions. Somehow she was managed to keep a straight steady
line. And for some reason she was in the slow lane, but i think was probably just
an oversight.

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Stout Forgot How to be a Dog

Stout, our 6 year old greater swiss mountain dog is in desperate
need of dog lessons. And by dog lessons i do not mean obedience
or socialization classes. I mean classes on how to be a dog.

At some point i think stout forgot how to be a dog.

As a for instance, we had some deer over in our yard for a
delicious rose and grape breakfast. Stout did not notice the deer.
Hearing like superman and a nose that can sniff out an ounce of
pot burried in a gargbage dump and he doesn't know a deer
family have come a visiting.

When we noticed the deer a pointed stout in their general

Todd Hoff's picture

I, Robot and Nat Turner

I was reading that in the 1850s people in the United States were
very afraid of Nat Turner and his slave rebellion. People could
never be sure if a black person was part of the rebellion or
not. Killing a slave owner was considered like killing the british
during the revolution. Kind of like Star Wars too.

Wikipedia mentions: The freedoms of all black people in Virginia were tightly
curtailed, and an official policy was instated that forebade questioning the slave system,
on the grounds that any discussion might encourage similar slave revolts.

Todd Hoff's picture

Making Olympic Events More Interesting

In Show Jumping i'd like to see the riders have to draw a sword and
cut the head off of something. More points for doing it in mid jump.

Syncronized swimming could use a few sharks in the pool.

The US men's basketball team could at least find one multi-millionaire
who can shoot. Jeesh.

Men's gymnastics seems pretty much the same from year to year.
Perhaps some new events should be added. Or maybe they could
do some events one handed. Or maybe tie ribbons to their outfits.

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perfect day to today

Soft warm sunshine took the chill out of a usually bone chilling 58 degree temperature. Trees are changing en masse from deep greens to rich yellows and reds. The sky was blue with streaks of high white clouds. It smells of earth and water from all the rain. But today was dry.

Just perfect.

Todd Hoff's picture

Robinsonian America

The history of the US is a Robinsonian tale. Written in the same era as the birth of America, Robinson Crusoe and the US follow a similar historical arrow. Both struggled successfully for survival in a new land. And interestingly both succeeded practicing the philosophy of "when in rome do as when at home."

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New Prisoner's Dilemma Winner Sheds Light on US Winners and Losers

There's an interesting new winner for the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game
described at,1284,65317,00.html :

The Southampton group, whose primary research area is software agents,
said its strategy involved a series of moves allowing players to recognize
each other and act cooperatively.
The result is that Southampton had the top three
performers -- but also a load of utter failures at
bottom of the table who sacrificed themselves for
the good of the team.