Category Archives: Uncategorized

“ONE OF MEDICINE’S MORE DRAMATIC MOMENTS”. Annalisa sent me a link to this article about the first use of insulin.  Of course I teared up reading it. The article begins: “Before 1921, it was exceptional for people with Type 1 … Continue reading →

I MAKE A CLASSIC MONTY PYTHON MISTAKE. One of my favorite moments in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is when the knights arrive at the Bridge of Death ( I had forgotten the name of the bridge but this … Continue reading →

LEASES FOR TODDLERS. When Annalisa was a toddler, there was a period when Mary Jane would put on her a leash when they went out for a walk. This was unusual. I have never seen any other toddler on a … Continue reading →

CONFESSIONS OF A COFFEE TASTER. In weighing my judgment on Robusta, you should bear in mind that I have rarely encountered coffee that I didn’t like. The only exception that comes to mind is coffee from certain vending machines in … Continue reading →

I TASTE ROBUSTA. Nick e mailed us that he was curious to see whether I liked Robusta or Arabica better. I wrote back that I couldn’t tell when I was drinking 100% Robusta. Nick sent me a link to 100% … Continue reading →

MAYBE I SHOULD TRY MORE ROBUSTA. These comments on the taste of Robusta made me wonder whether Robusta might be right down my alley. After all, I am fond of Laphroaig whiskey, and, as I posted here, Laphroiag has some … Continue reading →

COMPARING ARABICA AND ROBUSTA. This post on the enjoyjava site lists 11 differences between arabica and robusta. Arabica contains more sugar. Robusta contains more caffeine and, since caffeine is bitter, robusta is more bitter. “Arabica has a more pleasant flavor … Continue reading →

ROBUSTA VERSUS ARABICA. Julie Wernau and John Otis had an article in the Wall Street Journal (December 17, 2018) about developments in the world coffee market. Coffee comes from two kinds of plants—arabica and robusta. Arabica has about 60% of … Continue reading →

TUQUES AND HOODIES—-SOLUTIONS TO AN IMPORTANT DESIGN PROBLEM. Back in the 90’s I listened on NPR to an interview with an important designer who impressed me with a number of ingenious design solutions to problems that I had not previously … Continue reading →

THE MEATBALL UNIT OF MEASUREMENT. Mary Jane did a lot of baking during the Christmas season. One thing she did was to locate her mother’s book of Italian recipes. She was looking for the recipe her mother used to make … Continue reading →