Chris Baskind's Comments

Lighter Footstep : Five Ways to Dispose of Old CFLs

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:39:54 +0000

That's unnecessarily alarmist. We're talking 2 to 4 milligrams of mercury, most of which will remain attached to the broken bulb. Follow the cleanup directions recommended by the EPA. There's an enormous difference between momentary and chronic exposure to mercury.

Chris Baskind dot com : 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

Wed, 13 May 2009 06:09:38 +0000

It was actually on over a hundred sites Tuesday -- an experiment in collective community action. :)

Lighter Footstep : Twelve Reasons to Start Using a Bicycle for Transportation

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:15:54 +0000

Agreed! Bikes are serious transportation. But there's nothing that will make you feel more like a kid.

Lighter Footstep : Twelve Reasons to Start Using a Bicycle for Transportation

Tue, 12 May 2009 15:28:15 +0000

And that you for your long history of bicycle advocacy. I have no problem whatsoever casting bike advocacy in green terms. Economic and environmental concerns are causing millions of people to reconsider bicycles as daily transportation. Sustainability will be a primary cause of both public policy and rider choice in the coming decades. You're entirely right that bicycles are legal vehicles in most states, and require no special infrastructure for safe and efficient operation. I'm also well aware of the controversy surrounding "segregationist" lanes in bike advocacy circles. But as a competent, experienced, lifelong cyclist, I personally prefer a well-maintained bike lane to a poorly maintained alternative, and the availability of bicycle lanes is a factor in new rider adoption. The good news is that our current car-centric transportation scheme is utterly unsustainable, and the days of automotive monoculture are drawing to a close. Multimode is the future. That means more cyclists on the road, less pollution, and a safer riding environment for all of us.

Lighter Footstep : It's Smart to Ride a Bike -- and Riding Makes You Smarter

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:50:18 +0000

You said it first. ;-)

Lighter Footstep : It's Smart to Ride a Bike -- and Riding Makes You Smarter

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:49:57 +0000

Good reference: thanks.

Lighter Footstep : It's Smart to Ride a Bike -- and Riding Makes You Smarter

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:49:31 +0000

I've always found this to be true. Doesn't seem to take much, either: 30 minutes or an hour on a bike fixes almost anything. ;-)

Lighter Footstep : It's Smart to Ride a Bike -- and Riding Makes You Smarter

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:48:27 +0000

Holland is the bikingest country on the planet. Everyone could learn something from the Dutch.

Lighter Footstep : The Microwave Oven Is Your Kitchen's Energy Champ

Thu, 7 May 2009 06:57:54 +0000

I'm glad you referenced that article, since it's representative of the pseudo-scientific hokum floating around the backwaters of the internet about the supposed "risks" of microwave cooking. It begins by pointing out the obvious: After decades of microwave cooking, there is no peer-reviewed research showing it to be fundamentally different from heating foods with electricity or fossil fuels. The article then resorts to a motherly "sixth sense" that something must be wrong with microwave cooking, anyway. There are two frequently cited sources in anti-microwave literature, both of which are mentioned in this article: a largely apocryphal story about Norma Levitt, an Oklahoma woman who allegedly died as the result of receiving a microwaved blood transfusion; and a "Swiss clinical study" conducted by Hans Ulrich Hertel and Bernard H Blanc. In the Levitt case, it was found that the patient died from a blood clot, not as the result of blood somehow spoiled by microwave heating. You'll find a copy of the malpractice suit declaration here: http://wyomcases.courts.state.wy.us/applications/... . The eccentric Swiss "study" has been universally discredited for its lack of scientific merit (in particular, there was no control group). It wound its way through European courts for years. Hans Ulrich Hertel, who administered the affair, is apparently an agronomist by trade. Bernard H Blanc has since repudiated Hertel's findings. You'll find some discussion of this topic on Snopes. So much of what is mentioned in that article is simply comical. Microwaves break down the human "life-energy field?" They cause magnetic deposits in the lymphatic system? Preposterous. Microwave cooking scares have long been fodder for internet email hoaxes and fringe websites. The fact that there's lots of stuff "out there" doesn't mean it has any value. While we must remain open to future research on the topic, there is so far no good reason to believe microwave cooking presents any different risk than conventional food preparation. But we're with you on WordPress. It's amazing what you can do with it these days. :)

Lighter Footstep : The Microwave Oven Is Your Kitchen's Energy Champ

Wed, 6 May 2009 19:17:19 +0000

The objections to microwave cooking are mostly hysterical nonsense. Heat breaks down nutrients, whether it's through convection cooking, or a microwave oven. As for Park Seeds, our position on the superiority of organic and traditional farming methods is clear. I'm sure you shop at places which sell things failing the green litmus test. We expect our readers to be intelligent enough to make informed decisions, and make no apologies for our environmental credentials.

IntenseDebate Blog : WordPress Plugin v2.1

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:09:30 +0000

Hi, Beau. I shot Michael a note earlier this evening to report it was a borked preferences file (which had the effect you describe). I nuked and regenerated it. Now it's no longer lying to me about accepting cookies. ;-) So I'm good, and the plugin works fine in Safari 4 beta. Thanks for jumping into the thread!

IntenseDebate Blog : WordPress Plugin v2.1

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:15:11 +0000

Just wanted to follow up on this. Whatever is going on is strictly a Safari 4 issue. It's something to do with the way WebKit is handling 3rd party cookies -- not an Intense Debate bug.

IntenseDebate Blog : WordPress Plugin v2.1

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:22:24 +0000

I'm having trouble with this version (2.1.1). It logs me out between sessions. If I go to the Dashboard (or anywhere else), then back to Comments, I'm prompted for a login. Coming back over to the Intense Debate site, I see I really am logged out. Cleared cache and cookies to no avail. I'm on the Safari 4 beta, but the previous version was working fine.

Lighter Footstep : Five Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:08:07 +0000

There's no argument that bottled water is a better idea than bottled soft drinks (which certainly account for more plastic bottles). But bottled water gets singled out for attention because it's marketed as something it is not, and because it is such a cynical consumer rip-off. Charging for tap water, indeed.

Lighter Footstep : How to Start a Home Rainbarrel Project

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 22:27:54 +0000

I don't have a whiskey barrel, so I'm just guessing. But the sort of problems you describe are the things you'd expect with repurposed wooden barrels. The whiskey smell may never go away. It will certainly discourage bugs, but the odor could make you feel a bit self-conscious about inviting the Parson over for Sunday dinner. Come up with a colorful story or relocate the barrel away from your home's entrances. The cover story idea could be fun, and a little scandal now means you'll always be invited to the best parties. If you live where there are real winters, rainbarrels should be drained and secured to prevent freezing. Wooden barrels will stretch a bit, but if your full barrel freezes solid, it's going to burst. Bring it back out in the spring. The whiskey seeps deep into the wood, withdrawing some of its oils. This is why they seem to dry out so quickly. You could try oiling the wood, or perhaps sealing it with non-toxic, zero-VOC sealant. A coat of mineral oil would probably work -- but that's going to leach back into the water, and from there into whatever you're growing in the garden. We'll see if any readers have ideas for safe wood coatings similar to marine varnish.

Lighter Footstep : Weekend Project: Turn Off the Lights for Earth Hour

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:04:34 +0000

Bitter much?

IntenseDebate Blog : Opening Up the Debate with Facebook Connect!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:03:37 +0000

Yeah, I certainly want to try it.

Lighter Footstep : Aquafina's New Eco-Fina Bottle: Greenwash or Progress?

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:52:11 +0000

Oh, I knew you'd be along. ;) Nothing about this "eco" bottle has changed my opinion regarding bottled water. It's a rip-off, period. Beyond relief purposes, the idea of paying a dollar or more for a half liter of any kind of water is a grotesque indulgence. As you point out, it doesn't matter what sort of container it comes in. Someone will soon add a comment to this thread about the growing corporatization of water.

Lighter Footstep : Aquafina's New Eco-Fina Bottle: Greenwash or Progress?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:13:05 +0000

Yes, they did. These Aquafina bottles, though, are the thinnest things I've ever seen.

Lighter Footstep : Aquafina's New Eco-Fina Bottle: Greenwash or Progress?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:10:55 +0000

Our position on bottled water and plastic waste hasn't changed. But as someone who lives in a hurricane-prone area, I'll reiterate that any environmental damage caused by plastic bottles in relief situations takes a back seat to saving lives and preserving human health. We'll cleanup afterwards. ;-)