No problem. Reading your link certainly makes it seem like the firefighters did do the right thing, and many commenters are missing that, so good post.

That was a great read, thanks.

"The application of water seemed to intensify the fire activity...then applied dry chemical extinguisher.."

and later

"...had to puncture multiple holes into the pack to apply water to the burning material in the battery."

That seems like a questionable decision unless all they had left was water. Did I read the timeline wrong?

http://www.danshapiro.com/blog/2010/09/how-to-read-a-patent-in-60-second/ Referenced in the Spolsky post.

Actually it is loosely defined in the audioholics link as "potentially hours every day." I quickly Googled it and multiple legitimate sources said that an occasional 3D experience is not harmful.

My favorite is this one: http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/living/3-d-movies-glasses.cfm

Here's another: http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/children-computer-vision-syndrome.htm#3dnews

And another: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2011/05/26/study-parents-think-3d-hurts-kids-eyes.html

Thank you for inspiring me to research a little more than I had. Like you, I parent cautiously, but 3D once in a while doesn't make a blip on my threat radar. Happy parenting!

An occasional 3-D movie will not harm your child, though you are right about the "3d equipment" in your home if they consume a lot:

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/warning-3d-video-hazardous-to-your-health

"Conclusion: ... Going to a 3D movie each month probably won’t hurt anyone’s vision..."

If you get hung up on "Children under seven are at risk of strabismus – period," then you may be missing the repeated use of the words "prolonged exposure" in the article and linked studies.

All things in moderation. That's my motto. Well, one of them anyway.

If this thing takes out Santa, my kid's gonna be pissed!

Yes. Money = food.

No. OSS = nirvana.

I was thinking that, too. As a stage performer I have to access empathy to make my character feel real *and* perform all of the split-second analysis that happens in live theater (improvising around technical challenges, line flubs, etc.) It is a balancing act. Perhaps it is just fast switching between the two?

Which, ironically, has the side benefit of protecting his life.

Google "Vermont Yankee Lied Under Oath" for your own education. It is very hard to find an unbiased source, but this is the best I can find:

I think modern nuclear power is important, and I'm usually a nuclear proponent, but Entergy is hard to love.

The irony of your post relative to this site is ... ironic. http://www.r-word.org/

I'm not defending the site, but when you say, "If you can't criticize others because you might hurt their feelings..." this popped to mind. We live in interesting times.

For my 7-year-old son, I got a "My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope" from Amazon (same as a low-end one you can get from the hometrainingtools link above). This is a good little microscope, but I didn't break the bank on it. My prudent decision was worth it - he really enjoyed it but only for a while. We still keep it around and pop things into it from time to time, but it isn't his favorite thing (he likes Snap Circuits better). If I had spent a lot more money, it might have felt wasted. If he had loved it, upgrading would not have felt like a burden, and the Duo-Scope would still have been valuable as a field tool. I probably should have gotten more prepared slides. Only came with a few, and I got a few more, but making your own takes time and effort. My kid is very patient for a 7-year-old, but he wasn't really into that part of it. Yours may be different, just sharing my own anecdote. For my kid, the activity almost doesn't matter as much as the fact that we just do science-y stuff together.

There are many GeekDesks at my office. We like a height adjustable desk for a lot of reasons but primarily because tall chairs are rarely available in the broad ergonomic array that normal office chairs are. With a height adjustable desk you can use all kinds of things under the desk: a squishy mat under foot to provide some comfort and exercise when standing, a balance board or little stair-stepper thing (also standing), an exercise ball (sitting), etc. Sometimes I just want my feet on the floor or to use a footstool in front of me when sitting. No one has rigged up a treadmill yet, but it is only a matter of time. Height-adjustable is far more versatile than fixed height!