I just gave in and ordered the seltzer/soda maker. Given my heroin-like addiction to fizzy, unsweetened water, and the sheer number of plastic 2-liters I buy of it per week, it's a worthwhile purchase, and environmentally friendly.

AND fun!

The all-important question: Can you use it to shoot seltzer down a clown's pants?

Can you use it to shoot seltzer down a clown's pants?

I'll report my results as soon as possible.

Ooh, let me know how the seltzer is when you get it!

Ooh, let me know how the seltzer is when you get it!

Since you can control how fizzy it is, I'm thinking that as long as the source water isn't befouled, it should be keen.

I couldn't justify buying the Penguin, and given how much seltzer I drink anyway, the option that comes with 4 one-liter bottles is the best idea anyway, and they last for ~3 years.

Brain Bag

Known for stretching the fashion limits with his avant garde design for the label Undercover, Jun Takashi recently came out with this Brain Bag. An intricate knit of wool resembling the three-pound jelly structure encapsulated by the skull, it's playful but also looks mature and sophisticated and holds its own among other designer handbags.

Jilli, every time you post something about your father he sounds better and better.

And Fred Pete, glad to hear about Teddy. May he have many more happy years with you.

Jars, I just found out from my mom that one of my cousins is studying for her masters degree in archeology in England right now!

Be sure and let us know if she finds a dinosaur!

I just had a long and protracted argument with my co-workers about simple math. No, really.

This textbook we're publishing is going to have an initial press run of 1,000 books. Printing the cover in 4-color is going to cost a total of $400.

I said, "Well, 40 cents per book isn't bad."

One co-worker pulled up his calculator program on his computer and divided 400 INTO 1,000 and said "No! It's $2.50 per book! That's excessive!"

I tried, very patiently, to explain that with 1,000 books, an extra charge of (to make it easy) ONE GODDAMN DOLLAR per book would equal $1,000. So therefore $2.50 per book would be $2,500. NOT $400.

Which makes the per-book cost 40 cents. Which co-worker still flatly refutes. I even asked him how he can disagree with MATH. It's not my *opinion* that 400/1,000 = 0.40.

He told me he *doesn't* disagree with *math*; he just thinks that I was doing my calculation wrong.

400 books for $1000 =! 1000 books for $400.