Odd Bag

101 Years Ago: An Economic History Lesson

October 24, 2008

While not a direct parallel, the comparison one could draw between the panic of October 1907 (101 years ago) and the current economic crises are too good to pass up. The most obvious comparison,is that greed was the root cause both then and now. Some things never change. Consider the following: The Panic of 1907 [...]

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Local Harvest, Local Meat

September 10, 2008

Are you interested in local foods, both vegetables and meats? I have two links for you, with a hat tip to Rick at Caerwyn Farm and Spirits for bringing them to my attention. The first link is for the website Localharvest.org. It is a directory of places where you can get local harvest, or submit [...]

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Cuil

August 9, 2008

There is a new search engine on the block. It is called Cuil. Check it out. The vibes are that they think Google is ripe for toppling and they would like to be the ones to do it. Join the club. I have not subjected Cuil to vigorous testing, but it is my sense from [...]

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Amazon Warehouse

August 7, 2008

Something new from Amazon: Warehousedeals.com What it is: “Open-box, Refurbished, and slightly damaged merchandise from Amazon.com at huge discounts.” The selection of goods is (currently) very limited, and the size of the discount varies quite a bit. Nonetheless, for the deal hunter there can be some really good deals.

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Hints of The Book Publishing Future

August 5, 2008

The book publishing industry is changing, and everyone thinks they know where it is going. Amazon is banking on the Kindle, other people have their own ideas. The Futurist has an article on The 21st Century Writer which explores some views on the future of publishing and writing. Meanwhile, Lulu.com has made a deal with [...]

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SS St. Louis: Voyage of the Damned

August 3, 2008

Doomed You probably have not heard of the voyage of the SS St. Louis. It took place on the eve of WW II and was a sordid piece of history for all countries involved. It started out thus: The German propaganda ministry and the Nazi party conceived of a propaganda exercise which would demonstrate that [...]

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Anvils on Amazon

August 1, 2008

Want an anvil? You can get one at Amazon. Check it out Grizzly G8148 100 lb. Anvil. Not too long ago I was wondering if it was still possible to buy anvils, and presumed it was not possible. Come to find out that not only is it possible but you can get it through Amazon. [...]

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Durian: A Matter of Taste

July 29, 2008

The durian is “the fruit of trees from the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows, and linden trees” So begins the wikipedia article. Blah, blah, blah, who cares. Right? Well, sometimes the peculiar hides right in plain sight. Further on in the article, there was some [...]

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CSA Farms

June 7, 2008

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farming are an interesting concept. Basically, instead of just buying whatever they want from a farmer, people buy a seasonal “share” and get a fixed percentage of whatever the farmer produces. There are some variations, but the general idea is that it relieves farmers from dealing with fickle customers and the [...]

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Smithsonian, Holy Grail, Earthquake Wedding

May 27, 2008

A few things for the curious. Did you know the Smithsonian Magazine had a website? They do, and it has a lot of content. If you have enjoyed reading the magazine, you might want to check the site out. Search for the Holy Grail, end up dead. The Telegraph had an interesting article on a [...]

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