Sixty years ago, a scientist was playing around with a magnetron when he discovered that radar waves would melt chocolate. The company that owned that scientist, Raytheon, slapped a refrigerator-sized box around the magnetron and sold the first microwave oven for over $3000–which in the 1940s was enough to buy a small island in the South Pacific.

Other companies soon got into the microwave oven business, and by the 1970s microwaves were so cheap that they had become an indispensable part of any kitchen, commercial or home. The microwaves of the ’70s weren’t much different from the microwaves of the ’50s, except smaller and cheaper; and microwaves today are pretty much the same as they were in the ’70s, except now they’re “digital”, which just means more buttons and a piercing BEEP instead of a cute ‘ding’ when your food is done.

Some microwaves have fancy timers and auto-cook and special browning technology. That’s all well and good if you want those sorts of things, but if you don’t care, there are only three things that really matter in a microwave oven:

• power: how well and how fast it cooks;
• size: the largest interior with the smallest exterior;
• durability: a microwave should last at least 5 years.

Everything else is just microwavable gravy. Nowadays, you don’t even have to forego the turntable and buttons to get a reasonable microwave. This Sharp R-305KS has 1100W of cooking power, 1.0 cubic feet inside, a 12.6 inch diameter carousel, and a stainless steel finish. A perfectly reasonable countertop microwave for $100 (and about $25 to ship a 35-pound appliance).

Saul :: Sep.23.2007 :: Microwave :: 2 Comments »

Saul :: Sep.22.2007 :: Anniversary :: No Comments »

In the toothpaste aisle at the supermarket I always get a certain 1000-product stare: it looks like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder but it’s actually called “choice paralysis“. You may have seen it or done it yourself–the packaging gets a little blurry, 20 cents off seems like a big deal, you wonder if you even need toothpaste. Sometimes I don’t have the strength to fight, and I just pick one at random.

That’s what all those options are meant to do, by the way. The major brands deliberately create more products to take up more shelf space–so they are more likely to win at the game of random product selection. You the consumer are supposed to feel overwhelmed, and grab the nearest one or the cheapest one or the most colorful one.

It’s toothpaste. Get it in there, brush it around. A hundred years ago we brushed with baking soda, if we brushed them at all. Arm & Hammer is cheaper than the overmarketed brand names, and Dental Care has fluoride and deep cleaning nanoparticles and baking soda besides. So unless you have special needs, like sensitive or stained or fake teeth, this Arm & Hammer Dental Care will be completely reasonable.

Saul :: Sep.16.2007 :: Toothpaste :: 2 Comments »

A reasonable friend of mine, Helen, suggests Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL), specifically the Globe 13-Watt Ultra-mini:

[It has] a nice warm colour, small bulb, 60W equivalent, fits in a standard socket. The ultra mini is a smaller bulb, smaller than an incandescent. The mini is actually larger, and doesn’t fit in all fixtures. Some people complain about a high failure rate [for CFLs in general], but I haven’t noticed.

CFLs waste very little energy as heat, and should last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs (switching them off and on frequently makes them wear out faster). More sustainable is always more reasonable.

Remember to recycle your used lightbulbs, especially CFLs.

Saul :: Sep.09.2007 :: Light Bulb :: 1 Comment »

I keep a tube of this Burt’s Bees lip balm in my pocket at all times. Actually, I have one not only in my work bag, but on my desk, in my jacket, and next to my bed, just for convenience. It’s everything a balm should be - it’s slightly minty (but not overwhelmingly so), waxy enough to feel like you’ve done something good for your lips (but light enough that it doesn’t feel sticky or thick), and available in this very traditional tube. The yellow color scheme works for any gender. It’s great for chapped lips, dry lips, or just an everyday lip moisturizer. Made from bees and not petroleum.

Beth :: Sep.02.2007 :: Lip Balm :: 2 Comments »