A Four Day Workweek

posted by Russ | September 7 | Add a Comment

I had seen this article about a 4 day workweek a while back and had intended to post about it then. I never got to it, so anyway here are my thoughts on it.

Personally I love the idea. From the point of view of someone who has worked in the tech corporate world for years, I think there is so much wasted time that could be avoided and minimized by a more flexible working schedule. The nature of tech jobs is such that sometimes you are on a roll and will work a longer day, sometimes not. Years ago at my old job there were days that I would literally go ask for work and was told to just “relax” for a bit, that nothing was coming up at the moment. To me this is absurd. In this situation why do I need to […]

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Posted in: lifestyle design

Why do people settle?

posted by Russ | August 31 | 1 Comment

This question is often on my mind, and can be interpreted in many ways. What I mean when I ask myself this is why do we settle for mediocrity when it comes to jobs, relationships, or even the life we lead in general? There are many reasons for all of us, I know I do it as well, and my reasons are probably similar to most. When I think of settling in my own life, I think I mostly about my career and my lifestyle.

For a long time, pretty much since I’ve been out of college, I’ve never been fulfilled by my jobs, nor have I been fulfilled with my daily life. Is it bad, am I unhappy? No, most days I am happy and most days I have nothing to complain about. Is my life better than most people’s? I […]

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Recycling electronics and proper E-waste disposal

posted by Russ | August 28 | 1 Comment

Most everyone is on board with recycling these days. But there are some items that we know we should recycle but don’t know how or where to. And then there are others that we know we shouldn’t be throwing in the trash, but we just don’t know how to dispose of them responsibly.

Batteries are one thing that many of us throw away. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is another. And I will admit, properly disposing of these items can be perplexing. I have tried to sift through some information and pass it along to you regarding these things. What I generally do with batteries is save them until I have a bunch of old ones and then bring them to Best Buy or something like that, where they usually have a bin near the front.

But here are a few links that should help you […]

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Posted in: sustainability

Airport security takes your stuff, but do they recycle it?

posted by Russ | August 6 | Add a Comment

After another episode during my recent travels of seeing airport security take a brand new unsealed bottle of water and throw it in the trash, I was livid. Not only at the sheer ridiculousness of what they do and why they do it, but also my assumption that none of it is recycled. A quick google search led me to find others who agree with me.

First of all, throwing out an unopened bottle of water isn’t protecting anyone. Ok, so maybe I understand the logic if it’s already open, but if the seal is unbroken it just defies logic. And then to throw it straight into the trash is absurd. Not only is it crazy, but it also is environmentally unfriendly in many ways. Here are two:

It could easily be recycled, but from the sounds of it it goes straight to […] Read More…
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Organic Deodorant

posted by Russ | July 23 | Add a Comment

I have finally found an organic deodorant that really works. It is called Earth Science Tea Tree Lavender and actually controls odor well and is aluminum and paraben free. I’ve reviewed other organic deodorants on the resources page. If you want to see a complete selection of organic deodorants, check out this Amazon page of organic deodorants … I had no idea that there were so many brands!

*Update 01/15/2009

I have recently been eating mostly raw foods, and believe it or not my body odor is almost completely neutral now. Check out this forum topic on Giveittomeraw.com. But I still have my Earth Science Tea Tree Lavender as a backup.

*Update 08/05/2008

What does a […]

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Posted in: health & diet

Sustainable and renewable energy

posted by Russ | January 24 | 1 Comment

Let me know your thoughts on renewable and sustainable energy. In your city do you have the option of purchasing sustainable energy? Last time I checked, here in San Diego we do not. I know that my mom, who lives in Connecticut, pays an extra $5 per month to have her energy allocated from renewable resources. If I could find that program here, I would gladly do it. I get my electricity from SDGE, and I can’t find any other provider, nor the option to pay for alternative options. I suppose there is the possibility to pay to offset the carbon, though I’d rather just pay to have my energy generated cleanly.

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Organic Deodorant

posted by Russ | September 27 | 1 Comment

Anyone use organic deodorant? Post a comment with what brand you use and how well it works. I know some don’t work very well, and want to find one that does.

*Update 1/15/2009

Here are three organic deodorants I have tried, in order from least effective to most effective.
Avalon Organics Lavender Deodorant
Tom’s of Maine Natural Unscented Deordorant
Earth Science Tea Tree Lavender Deodorant

Browse other organic deodorants here.

Also just a note, read this about raw diet and decreased body odor. I can also say that this truly is the case, I very rarely wear deodorant anymore now that I eat more raw, and I also notice increased odor when I eat either meats or heavy cooked foods.

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Posted in: health & diet

Woes of public transportation

posted by Russ | July 21 | Add a Comment

A while back on one of the blogs I read, Siel wondered what can be done to make public transportation more popular, or “sexier” in a sense. Her first post posing the question, and then in a follow up she pretty much sums it up. The two big problems are 1) reliability and 2) ease of use. I can vouch for both being a problem.

Many a morning while walking to the bus, I see two of my buses go by, one behind the other, only then to go to the stop and wait 20 minutes for the next one. This seems to be utterly foolish. The other problem, ease of use, is a big one too. Luckily it’s easy for me, I only take one bus with no transfers to work, but whenever I try to map a route to some other place I want […]

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