Tag Archives: news clippings

Is quinoa kosher?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Matt Ruff

The Times reports. You decide: Tasty, gluten-free, protein-rich—and, by many accounts, kosher for Seders lacking in carbohydrate variety—[quinoa] has become a staple of Passover cookbooks. Gourmet magazine hailed it in 2008 as the new “belle of the Passover ball.” If … Continue reading →

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There goes the neighborhood

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Matt Ruff

From The North County Times, via Megan McArdle: Authorities have begun to put into place the measures they say will protect the public when they torch a house in northern Escondido that is said to be riddled with explosive materials. … Continue reading →

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Tariq Aziz sentenced to death

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Matt Ruff

[Via Research Maven] The Guardian has the story. Talk about your weird synchronicity—just yesterday I was rereading a scene in The Mirage where my fictional version of Aziz narrowly avoids getting killed. I knew the real Aziz was still alive, … Continue reading →

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#9

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Matt Ruff

A human foot washed up on a Washington State island Friday morning, raising the tally of feet found on beaches in the Pacific Northwest since 2007 to a total of nine. And while we’re on the subject of history repeating … Continue reading →

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Your camera may be telling the world where you are

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Matt Ruff

An article in today’s Times points out a surprising (to me) security vulnerability in smartphone and other GPS-equipped cameras: They mark images with invisible but easily readable* “geotags” pinpointing where (and when) the photo was taken. Take a picture with … Continue reading →

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My kind of science fiction

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Matt Ruff

Last Sunday’s New York Times magazine offers a portrait of a modern odd couple. Peggy is a hospice worker whose job is to help people die with dignity. Her husband Robin is an economics professor who plans to have his … Continue reading →

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Now what will I eat after civilization collapses?

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Matt Ruff

Last ostrich at Woodland Park Zoo dies. “…after injuries caused by a fall into a water tub.”

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What’s the frequency, Rupert?

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Matt Ruff

Twelve hours after the attempted car bombing in Times Square, CNN is doing non-stop coverage/speculation about the story, while Fox & Friends is interviewing a guy in a George Washington costume about a national park closing in Pennsylvania. Weird.

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Lollipop guild flag at half-staff

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Matt Ruff

Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz, and also served as an aviator during World War II, is dead at 94.

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Also, it’s the devil’s game

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Matt Ruff

Dungeons & Dragons Prison Ban Upheld: In an opinion issued on Monday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rejected the claims in a lawsuit challenging a ban on the game Dungeons & … Continue reading →

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