Going Solar without Rooftop Panels (Renters Too!)

By ,

If you live in the PG&E service area, and a growing number of other locales in the US, you can now choose grid-sourced solar energy for your electricity. Reduce your carbon footprint and encourage more renewable energy in the future.

Streak, Zapier and Automating Tasks for Our Vacation Rental

By ,

We struggled for a long time to find a system for managing our vacation rental that did not involve pain and suffering. By combining Streak, Zapier and Google Apps, we finally found something that works for us much better than Quickbooks or other systems. It’s not for everyone, but it might be for you.

Why I Quit Using Facebook and Pocket

By ,

It wasn’t just that I grew tired of being a click slave in the Facebook mines, but I also didn’t like what it was doing to my mind. What *was* it doing to my mind? That’s a bit complicated.

Why I Don’t Go Paperless

By ,

Is it really “green” to go for paperless billing, or is it just a “dark pattern” by which companies seek to distance you from your costs, fees and other nastiness? Read on to see wny I think it’s a dark pattern and what the actual difference in carbon footprint is.

The Boy Behind The Couch

By ,

In which our hero recalls an embarrassing moment in the life of a barely-teen introvert upon reading a chance passage in Susan Cain’s book Quiet and discovers his true nature.

Learning to Read

By ,

We talk about “learning to read” as if it’s something we do and is done. As in “when did he learn to read?” But I’m 52 and still learning to read. In this article I recount my meetings with extraordinary readers and what goes into truly learning to read.

The Academy Weighs in on Life Hacking

By ,

There is no English Academy, like there is for French, to protect our language from Philistines. So I’m saying it here: if I ever say in seriousness that I have found a great new lifehack, please shoot me. There’s nothing left worth saving.