sub $300 notebook computer

As a feminist geek, I should perhaps not admit to getting any tech news from Vogue... but... the September issue has a short spot about the Eee PC by Asus, a sub-$300 notebook computer running.. get this ... Linux. If you want any actual details, try the Wikipedia page, since the Asus website is nothing but marketing.

builtin wireless, solid state memory (means less battery usage), wimpy memory, small scfreen (duh). It might be worth checking out. For our last notebook purchase, also based on size, the keyboard size and feel were the deal maker or breaker. According to this review, that may be an issue. (if that review is right, then there may be a sub-$200 version as well.)

Not my idea of a first lady

Vogue interviews Michelle Obama this month. I was liking her fine, until this: "I wanted to be a pediatrician, until I realized science wasn't much fun." So she goes on to be a lawyer!?

More on Josh Warren -- fund for Nathan

If you want to make a contribution in Josh's memory, drop me a note (saracarl at alumni rice edu) and I'll forward the specifics about the account that Ryan Bates and Dave Jones setup.

This is the email that Ryan Bates sent out:

We have more information for those of you interested in making a contribution for the fund for Lauren and Nathan and dedicated to Josh's memory. To facilitate donations in the interim, we have set up a savings account here in Lauren's name to which contributions can be sent. For those who are attending the memorial service tomorrow, there will also be envelopes and a box for contributions, or you can speak to me or Dave Jones personally.

(bank details deleted)

Finally, if you make a contribution via mail, please send me or Dave Jones an email as well. I think Lauren would appreciate knowing about all the people who care about her, Nathan, and Josh, and we don't want anyone's contribution to be overlooked.

Josh Warren, RIP

If you are one of our Rice friends, and remember Josh Warren (Weiss, '96, bio-chem), he passed away unexpectedly this weekend. Here is the obituary:

Joshua John Warren died unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007.

He was born May 23, 1974, in Tuscaloosa. Josh graduated from Emma Sansom High School in 1992, where he was valedictorian of his class. He received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University in 1996 and his doctoral degree in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University in 2001. Josh was employed at Duke University as a postdoctoral research associate at the time of his death. His research focused on X-ray crystallographic methods to explore protein structures, particularly as it related to cancer diagnosis. Josh was an exceptional man, with a sense of humor and quick wit balanced by a genuine sense of warmth and concern for his family and friends. Josh never met a stranger and had a wide circle of friends. He was an avid reader and had a variety of interests, including pottery, choral music, whitewater paddling, food and wine, and baseball.

Josh is survived by his wife, Lauren, and their 21Ú2-year-old son, Nathan, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; his parents, Howard and Kathleen Warren, of Gadsden; his sister and brother-in-law, Rebecca and Mario Salas; and a niece, Elena Sofia, of Hoover; his grandmother, June McGuire, of Rainbow City; and his father- and mother-in-law, Fred and Cherie Half, of Palo Alto, Calif.

Memorial services will be held on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, with visitation to follow in the Parrish Hall and at Duke Gardens on Friday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.

Collier-Butler Funeral and Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.

Ben and I didn't know Josh that well, but we had eaten with him (and occasionally Lauren) on our trips through Chapel Hill on the way to Virginia. He was a warm, smart, funny man. His son Nathan is the same age as Josie.

I recommend taking some time today to appreciate the ones you love -- you never know how much longer you -- or they -- have.

May you rest in peace, Josh.

Amazon takes on Paypal, enables micropayments

Fascinating, and incredibly powerful for software developers. All part of Jeff Bezos' "we want to monetize our entire infrastructure" view of the world.

Decluttering and Makeup

I've been on a decluttering tear lately -- something about the change of seasons puts me in the mood for clearing stuff out. (Plus, I've been reading It's all Too Much, the newest clutter management book to hit the shelves).

Tonight it was my bathroom cabinet. What I realized, clearing out my hair, makeup, and drugstore stuff, was that I was completely out of my favorite lipstick and makeup. (And probably had been for a year or longer.) It's not like I'm a teenager anymore, playing around with cosmetics. I know what I like. So what's going on? I think it has to do with not giving my self permission to spend money -- good makeup, at least in this case, is expensive. Definitely not an impulse buy, since neither of them are carried in stores any longer. So, in the back of my head, I think "too much trouble, too much money." And then I wonder why I can't be bothered to put on makeup in the morning. Why bother if the results aren't worth it? (And nothing lives up to how I feel in these 2...)

So I went tonight and found each online, and added in a perfume I've been wanting for a long time (I've been carting the sample vial around for more than 10 years).

Since I would kill someone for whining this long about makeup without telling me what it was in particular, here we go:


Stila Cream Lip Color in Billie -- I first bought this around 1998, out shopping with Kara and John. I went to the Stila counter, showed them my new eye glasses, and said "I want a lipstick that will match this." (really!) It's a great red brown color, and works great with both my skin and my wardrobe.


Alexandra de Markoff Moisturizing Matte Makeup. My mother found some of this (a major bargain I'm sure), years ago, and we both loved it. It's a formula from the 1940s -- I've read that Vivian Leigh wore it in Gone with the Wind -- of mineral oil and pigments. It creates a flawless matte face, very retro looking (which is why I like it!).



Society by Burberrys. All I remember about this perfume is spicy and sweet at the same time.