Step 1 of Voyage: Not so Fantastic

I am in the process of reading Fantastic Voyage: How to Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Kurzweil and Grossman. For those of you (like Darren) that are interested in the book, the first three chapters are available on their website, enjoy!

Chapter 4 gets into a discussion of water. It suggests that drinking alkaline water (water with a pH higher than 7 = base) is very good for the body, and can have life extending properties such as delaying disease, cleansing toxins, etc… Great! Sign me up!

I mean, if it really makes such a difference, it’s worth trying right?

Oy! It’s not that simple: In order to get this kind of water you need an expensive machine to filter your tap water. Machines are fine, but expensive doesn’t suit a graduate student. From what I can tell they run you about $1,000 (American), with a couple hundred to spend each year on new filters. If there are cheaper models out there that work just as well, PLEASE, let me know!!

Now, it’s true, this is less than the price of a good computer. But still: $1,000+? For WATER? My fiancée, for one (I’m sure), would not approve!

So, I’m left with the question: Is alkaline water really worth it?... Well, these machines DO come with a 30-day trial, or your money back. So I suppose the logical thing to do would be to dish out the money, try it, and send it back if I don’t like it… Sigh… Perhaps I’m not a logical person, because even THAT does not sound ideal to me.

Any suggestions from my faithful reader(s)?

Time in the Laboratory

All lab and no internet make me a something, something…

… Seriously though: suckage!

It makes me realize how dependent I am on external sources of information.

Show Tune Sing-a-longs

For those of you with lots of estrogen, or in my case, grew up with an older sister:

Check out this site for midi show tune sing-a-longs with lyrics.

Marsha and I used this site to resolve a debate about the tune to "Sixteen going on Seventeen" (Sound of Music). We were both right. Which is a polite way to say that we were both wrong. Basically, she had the beginning correct, and I had the ending.

Les Miserables,
Aladdin,
The little Mermaid...

Go sing!

(yes... I'm a little embarassed to be advertising this)