Ron Barrett
Recent articles of enduring quality-of-life general interest from The New York Times, discovered mostly on the paper’s Most E-Mailed lists.
Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week?
Could it be that most of us are spending more time than we need to trying to get fit? The answer, a growing number of these sports scientists believe, may be yes.
The Perfect Burger and All Its Parts
Interviews with 30 chefs provided dozens of burger-making lessons for the home cook that aren’t terribly difficult and don’t cost much money. And it all yielded the ideal burger.
Why the Imp in Your Brain Gets Out
Having the worst thing come to mind might make it more likely to happen.
In Search of Dignity
The old dignity code that George Washington once followed has not survived modern life. Every week there are new scandals featuring people who simply do not know how to act.
The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship
It is not just about passion and innovation and bringing your dog to work. It is also about risk, tenacity, fear — and failure.
The Question of Leftovers, Ever Fresh
Frugality may be a virtue, but there is no denying that when it comes to leftovers, people get a little nutty.
When Poets Were Scientists and Nature Their Mysterious Muse
Richard Holmes’s amazingly ambitious book about the Romantics fuses history, art, science, philosophy and biography – and makes a splendid case for treating the history of science in a bright new way.
Summer House Horrors: On a Private Lake in Maine, No One Can Hear You Scream
Leeches, mice and mold – experts share the lowdown that can save you from a real summer rental nightmare.
The Bohemian Dream, in 350 Square Feet
A transplant from Portland, Ore., is the occupant of a tiny rooftop studio that looks like a country cottage, set on top of a red-brick building in the West Village.
John Bachar, Rock Climber, Dies at 51
Mr. Bachar inspired awe as a daredevil, condescension as an anachronism and eventually respect as a legend.
Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better
Microsoft’s rechristened search engine, Bing, makes a concerted effort to organize search results in more helpful ways than Google, and often succeeds.
In Chrome, Hints of a Real Rival to Windows
Google promises that its Chrome operating system will put an emphasis on speed, simplicity and security.
Dieting Monkeys Offer Hope for Living Longer
A study of monkeys suggests that people could in principle extend their life span by following a calorie-restricted diet.
Just got back from Canada a bit earlier. We got two audiobooks for the trip. We got the Colbert book (we all love Colbert) and Niall Ferguson’s Ascent of Money. We just takked for the first three hours going up, then setled into the books, Colbert first. It was a bit inconsistent, but had some great lines.
We got most of Ferguson done, and the Dark Side of Entrepeneurship article made me think about his reference to the Medici’s and the Rothschild’s. A lot of their fortune came from just having good accounting practices. If you have employees, you need an accountant. Too easy to have a crooked employee move stuff around on ya.
Steve