The Freakonomics blog has an interesting post on The Economics of Obesity: A Q&A With the Author of The Fattening of America. 

Basically, the financial costs of being overweight are getting lower and lower as our society [the U.S. in particular] makes significant advances in medicine, specifically drugs. Our own technological advances are creating less costly economic options that in turn give us less incentive to be physically fit.

Here's a personal example.... I have a small refrigerator in my office so I can keep cold water, my lunch, yogurt and beer [yes, that's allowed at MSFT ] close by instead of having to walk half way across my building to the 'common' refrigerator. I bought the little fridge cheap as it was a scratch-n-dent display model for sale. Sure, it would help me burn some extra calories to use the 'community' fridge, but mine is very convenient, I don't have to worry about other people taking my stuff or leaving it too long to be thrown away by the cleaning crew.

But here's another example of the flip side.... I was diagnosed with slightly high cholesterol last year and my doctor said I have two choices. Take a pill [Lipitor anyone?] or change my diet/exercise. For me it was pretty obvious what to do based on my lifestyle [I already go the gym regularly and eat fairly well], but consider that person for whom diet and exercise would be a significant lifestyle change. If they have good medical insurance and no intention of exercising then the pill could be the obvious [and most economic] choice.

~tod

Such was the question posed to me by the bartender at Belltown Bistro a few weeks ago after I asked for an Irish Coffee [coffee + whiskey + a bit of cream = liquid goodness].

I sat there quietly for a short moment, eyes losing focus as I thought carefully to myself "what the hell does he mean?"  Not wanting to look like an inexperienced barstool patron, I calmly replied "Protestant" with an affirmative slight nod of my head [I was raised Methodist, so that seemed like the logical choice].  It worked...he said "right away" and was off to make our drinks.

A few minutes later he came back with our drinks and we started chatting while he was doing whatever it is bartenders do behind the bar.  I'm pretty honest, to a fault sometimes, and finally came clean...

"Hey [barkeep], I gotta admit that I just lied to you. When you asked me Protestant or Catholic, I didn't have a clue what you meant."

"Well, you sure pulled it off then because it looked like you did."

"Thanks.  Mind enlightening me?"

And he went on to explain the difference...

The short version is Protestant uses Bushmills whiskey and Catholic uses Jameson whiskey.  As to why the religious labels?  Apparently in the country of Ireland, the Bushmills distillery is located in a predominantly Protestant area of Northern Ireland, in the town of Bushmill in County Antrim.  And Jameson's Midleton distilleries are located outside Midleton in County Cork which is a largely Catholic area in Southern Ireland. 

How much truth is there to the religious division?  I don't have a clue.  Search online and you'll see all kinds of opinions, but at least now I know what they mean when they ask "Protestant or Catholic?"  AKA: Bushmills or Jameson. 

~tod

Sunday was my first Bumbershoot and it rocked (literally)!  We picked Sunday primarily for Kings of Leon, but were also curious to see Fergie.  Her solo stuff is ok, but I prefer her with the Black Eyed Peas (and she's damn fine). 

Just by chance, we sat down on the lawn to eat lunch and heard Lazybones first.  I was really impressed.  They reminded me of the local music scene in Texas that I used to really enjoy...rock with more than a touch of blues influence.  In fact, we liked them so much that immediately after their show we walked over to one of the booths and bought 2 of their CDs.  Hopefully they get a little more % of the profits from those sales.

Next up, and on our agenda for the day, was the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the main stage.  We got about 40 feet from the stage a little right, off-center.  Perfect position to see the band and hear the music.  Much more in the classic/hard rock genre than Lazybones, they played their asses off. 

After a 30 minute break, Kings of Leon came on stage.  This time we were only about 20-25 feet from the stage, but on the far left.  Still a good spot to see everything and be pounded by the music.  One thing I noticed was that other than lead singer, Caleb Followhill, the band was not very animated on stage.  It's not a criticism, just an observation.  They still sounded great and the crowd was totally into it.  And as it got warmer in the afternoon, the water hoses (sprayed over the crowd) were much appreciated!

Later that night we decided to check out Fergie's show.  All in all, I was completely and utterly bored.  Don't get me wrong, she has a good voice, is very high energy on-stage and tries to put on a good show, but I'm all about the music.  I was already concerned going in that she only has one solo album under her belt which means there just isn't a lot of depth to her (solo) discography.  She did a collage of Black Eyed Peas stuff, but just 20-30 second clips which only whet my appetite for more BEP.  What made it worse was the sound.  They over-emphasized the instruments and went light on the vocals, to the point where her voice was completely drowned out at least half the time.  In a nutshell, the best moment of her concert was when she did a cover of Heart's Barracuda.  I dig ya Fergie, but next time I'll pass unless you're in town with BEP.

All in all, an awesome day and some great bands.

~tod

Personally, I don't think it's stupid, but I do think that we [meaning American society] have become self-indulgent in our throw-away mentality when it comes to bottled water. Here's a very interesting [also very long] article on the subject at Fast Company.

Some things to think about [quoted from the article]...

• Last year, we spent more on Poland Spring, Fiji Water, Evian, Aquafina, and Dasani than we spent on iPods or movie tickets--$15 billion.
• We're moving 1 billion bottles of water around a week in ships, trains, and trucks in the United States alone. That's a weekly convoy equivalent to 37,800 18-wheelers delivering water.
• One out of six people in the world has no dependable, safe drinking water.
• In Fiji, a state-of-the-art factory spins out more than a million bottles a day of the hippest bottled water on the U.S. market today, while more than half the people in Fiji do not have safe, reliable drinking water.
• We drink more bottled water than milk, or coffee, or beer.
• Tap water in this country [U.S.], with rare exceptions, is impressively safe. It is monitored constantly, and the test results made public.
• In blind taste tests, with waters at equal temperatures, presented in identical glasses, ordinary people can rarely distinguish between tap water, springwater, and luxury waters.
• Bottled water is dominated in the United States and worldwide by four huge companies. Pepsi (NYSE:PEP) has the nation's number-one-selling bottled water, Aquafina, with 13% of the market. Coke's (NYSE:KO) Dasani is number two, with 11% of the market. Both are simply purified municipal water--so 24% of the bottled water we buy is tap water repackaged by Coke and Pepsi for our convenience.
• The Fiji Water plant is a state-of-the-art facility that runs 24 hours a day. That means it requires an uninterrupted supply of electricity--something the local utility structure cannot support. So the factory supplies its own electricity, with three big generators running on diesel fuel. The water may come from "one of the last pristine ecosystems on earth," as some of the labels say, but out back of the bottling plant is a less pristine ecosystem veiled with a diesel haze.
• Water bottles are made of totally recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, so we share responsibility for their impact: Our recycling rate for PET is only 23%, which means we pitch into landfills 38 billion water bottles a year--more than $1 billion worth of plastic.

Although it's a long article, it presents arguments from both sides of the house [unlike my opinionated excerpts above] and gives some validation to the business of bottled water. For example, bottled water is a purchasing choice and if people were buying soft drinks instead then the 38 billion water bottles would still be going into landfills every year, but labeled "soda" bottles.

I'd be a hypocrite if I yelled from the roof tops a whole bunch of negativity about bottled water. I have bought it and will continue to do so, but rarely. Most of the time I use my own [sometimes filtered] tap water in reusable bottles whenever I can. I know people who buy cases of bottled water to drink at home and I just don't get it....

24% of the bottled water we buy is tap water repackaged.

~tod

I've always liked the fedora. I'm not sure exactly why, but I have some sort of fascination with them. My father never wore one, but I do remember my grandpa wearing one every now and then when I was a wee lad.

I get a real kick out of films portraying the early 1900's where all the men (professional or blue-collar) are wearing them around town, on their way to/from work, out to the theater or dinner with their girlfriend. They seem to add a touch of class, in a Humphrey Bogart kind of way. In fact, it was a movie that brought this to mind over the weekend...The Good Shepherd [a good flick].

Unfortunately, the fedora isn't really in style anymore. I've seen a few chaps wearing them, but it's typically in the Benny & Joon style...not necessarily the look I want (or am able to) pull off. 

In fact, I even own one. Yep, I'm a card-carrying member of the 'fedora owners club,' but have only worn it a handful of times. Honestly, I don't really know why I have one other than just to say that I do. Come to think of it, I bet my fascination stems from Indiana Jones. Admit it, what 11 year old boy didn't want to be Indiana Jones in 1981...or 2007? Look, I might actually be him in disguise.  

~tod