Donald Qualls

The cheapest, best shave you can possibly get is with a straight razor. A single $50 razor will last a lifetime, when accompanied by a $20 razor stone (for honing the blade) and a $20 strop (for polishing the edge). Get a shaving brush for $15, and a $3 block of shaving soap in a mug (fifty cents at Goodwill or similar) will last months (and the soap is the only part of this outfit that requires replenishment). I used to shave with a straight razor before I grew a beard, and usually only had to shave twice a week (and I was in my 30s, so it wasn't just a case of peach fuzz); it'd be 24 to 36 hours before I could even feel a hint of stubble.

Invest the cost of two or three four- or five-blade starter kits, take your time and be careful the first few times (I found it very easy to shave with a straight razor, but it certainly is possible to cut yourself very badly with one), and never have to spend money on shaving equipment again (you can use Neutrogena or other brand of glycerin soap if you can't find actual shaving soap in your local pharmacy, but last I looked there were actually two or three brands specifically made for shaving).

No, I do not recommend using a straight razor to shave areas you can't see (like your head) -- but then, I don't see the attraction for shaving your head anyway.

Before there was a Gossamer Albatross, there was the Gossamer Condor, the first human powered aircraft to win the Kremer prize (a specific distance and course requirement) -- and before that there were most of a dozen human powered airplanes that were able to take off under their own power and fly a short distance in a straight line, or maintain altitude for a while after a tow into flight. Human powered flight, in its simplest form (akin to the first flight of the Wright Flier, including catapult launch) dates back to the 1950s.

That said, the way we can be sure Snowbird is flying, not just gliding, is that during its 19+ second flight after releasing from the tow, it maintained or increased altitude -- time was stopped when the pilot stopped pedaling and allowed the craft to begin gliding, or when he dropped below release altitude (I'm not sure which). As with the original propeller-driven human powered aircraft, Snowbird is a first step -- demonstrating that it's possible. Next up will be making one with even more wingspan and area, even less weight, that will be able to take off under its own power and steer a figure eight course as the Gossamer Condor did way back in 1977 -- or perhaps Snowbird will yet manage this, now that this first successful test is out of the way...

I see practicality issues with an EV as a rental car -- if I'm flying in somewhere and staying in a hotel, where am I going to plug the car in? And if I'm driving somewhere and taking a rental to save fuel or wear and tear on my own vehicle, the 100 mile range is a big limitation. A Chevrolet Volt at least has on-board charging capability; the Leaf doesn't.

Not downing electric cars at all; I wish I could afford one, because it would do 99% of what I do in a car (to work, shopping, routine recreation), but I see some issues with charging one away from home that I don't think are really solved yet.

Buyer Beware! That 2 GB is the hard disk (or solid state storage); this "netbook" has only 128 MB RAM, the 300 MHz processor is the same speed as the one in my 1998 vintage laptop (which, even with 50% more RAM, barely handles Win98), and from the specs doesn't appear to have an Ethernet connector (for wired networks) -- no hot spot, no connectivity. Also, WinCE is an operation system originally intended for PDA type devices; the modern version is Windows Mobile, found in wireless phone handsets; most WinCE devices won't run programs made for full Windows, even if it's Win95 or Win98 (many don't even have x86 family processors).

Last significant failing: that 7" screen is diagonal measurement; that's barely bigger than the screen on an iPhone, and the keyboard that goes with it must be too small to support real typing -- what you're getting for your $37 sounds like a New Old Stock leftover that didn't sell when it was new in 2000. If all you want to do is check your e-mail from the local Starbuck's, this device will do it (while the battery lasts), but honestly, you can get a wireless phone, free with a contract, that has similar capability and is easier to carry around.

Since when was 33º C close to freezing? The long piece shows that was the temperature he was kept at -- not "nearly frozen", but barely hypothermic (normal human body temperature is just about 37º C, and a number of humans have survived body temperatures below 30º C for brief periods).

Yes, induced hypothermia as a treatment is remarkable -- but nothing like as remarkable as this article seems to want to make it.

"Buying" anything? That was pretty clearly a DIY project (look at the C clamps holding the bottom to the running board!). Let's not forget that standards were a little different in the 1930s; a woman carrying a tiny lap dog in a purse would have been considered eccentric, at best; dogs were routinely allowed to run free outdoors and put out for the night, letting the dog sleep on (or in!) the bed was seen as coddling the animal (unless you were a child under the age of about ten); commercially prepared dog food was a new item and not fully accepted, most pet dogs lived on scraps from the table, the stuff we'd now put down the disposer or in the trash. Given the cost of a new car in 1936 (just past the peak of the Depression) relative to family income (much higher than even the inflated, hyper-technological cars of 2010), keeping the dog from scratching up the interior and leaving dog hair (or worse, peeing or vomiting inside) was more important than the dog's comfort (and dogs will insist on putting their heads out the window, if they can).

Last I checked, Fuji still makes peel-apart instant film compatible with 1960s and later Polaroid pack film cameras, in both the 3x4 inch and 4x5 inch sizes (the latter size fits only professional camera backs), as well as a number of proprietary integrated film cameras and film pack formats.

BTW, to the original author -- you've never needed to shake Polaroids to get them to develop; I've been using Polaroid films of various types (peel-apart in roll and pack formats, as well as SX-70, 600, and Spectra) since around 1970 and have never shaken the print.

One word for food stamp shopping at Costco: milk. Costco 2% milk is 1/3 less than regular supermarket price (at least in North Carolina). Okay, another word: eggs; three dozen eggs at Costco cost less than two dozen at the regular store. If there's a family to feed, you'll easily save enough on just milk and eggs in just a couple months to pay for your annual membership ($50). Yes, many things at Costco are sold in bulk, but many aren't; coffee comes in the same three pound cans as at the supermarket (though the smaller cans aren't offered), milk in gallon jugs, cheese in two pound bricks or dual one pound bags, pre-shredded for less than the brick rate at the supermarket. Bread is sold in two-loaf bags, quite reasonable (and bread can keep for months in the freezer).

If I were on food stamps and still had my Costco membership, I'd do as I do now: shop at Costco first, then hit the regular supermarket on the way home for what I couldn't get a Costco.

How not-ugly can it be? Look at the dimensions; it's about the size of a 150 page paperback, yet it has to have a screen big enough to read on (800x600, vertical format, should just about do it). With electrophoretic display (yes, that's e-ink), it should have excellent battery life as long as you aren't also playing audio continously; storing to flash takes power, but reading it takes little more than reading an EPROM.

It'd be disappointing to see e-books pick up where DVDs have been heading in terms of lock-in, but it's not too unexpected; the manufacturers have forgotten what Gillette knew 80 years ago: you make your money on the consumables, not on the holder.

Whether or not great whites jump clear of the water when hunting seals, this is some variety of dolphin. And though it's possible it's been knocked out of the water by an orca attack, they also make leaps in the wild similar to the ones that are so popular in water parks -- without seeing what happened before and after this frame, it's really impossible to tell why the animal is in the position it is...