Effectively erase your hard drive...

MSN posted an article today on protecting yourself from data thieves when you toss an old computer.

My favorite line: "The Pentagon shreds its hard drives. That should work, assuming you can find a hard-drive shredder. I've never seen one."

Weight Loss week 20

239 as of last Friday. I'm back to 237 again today, but today doesn't count. Only Fridays count. Except 12/26, since I'll be travelling and away from my scale. I think my current hills and valleys are just normal fluxuations, and I'm truly plateaued at the 240 range. But I'm not giving up! 200 here I come!

From today's Forgotten English page-a-day

"At Queen's College, Oxford, the Boar's-head feast is still celebrated with accustomed ceremonial. The mythical origin of the custom is the story of a student of the college who was attacked by a wild boar while he was diligently studying Aristotle during a walk near Shotover Hill, some five hundred years ago. His book was his only means of defence, so he thrust the volume down the animal's throat, exclaiming, "Graecum est!" The boar found Greek very difficult to digest, and died on the spot, and the head was brought home in triumph by the student. Ever since that date, a boar's-head has graced the college table at Christmas."

The quote comes from P.H.Ditchfield's Old English Customs, 1896, and refers to an event c.1400.



I figure I should mention that my page-a-day calendars for next year will include the Karen MacNeil Wine Lover's Calendar, and the "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy" calendar, the latter a frightfully funny holiday gift from my beloved.

Free IQ test

Free IQ test using 40 questions. I got within one point of the score my high-school advisor told me, so maybe it's legit. So, 83 is good, right? Actually, I wouldn't suggest posting scores, unless ya really want to, but thought yall might enjoy the test. It asks for some personal info at the end then gives you the result, and tries to get you to buy a 15 page report.

IQ Test