Articles written by Polymath

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About me - Polymath

My interests, education and experiences are both wide and deep. I love to cook, play word and number games and puzzles, and see new places.

I am a prize-winning humor writer, with a long-term interest in education reform and philosophy, and am also newly active

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Relationships & Family > Humor & Laughter What makes something funny?: 1 of 27
There is no 'magic formula' that makes something funny to all audiences. Every professional comedian has people who like them and people who don't. People have different tastes in humor just as they do in food, music and other things. That being said, there are some common elements found in most things people find to be funn... More..
Home & Garden > Pet & Pest Problems How to remove the smell of cat urine from a carpet: 1 of 16
My wife and I learned this lesson the hard way about ten years ago when we went on vacation. Leo decided he didn't like us leaving without him, and proceeded to pick a spot in the master bedroom to 'express' himself.When we returned almost two weeks later we knew immediately that we had a problem. Since neither of us had had ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Energy Issues How renewable energy can reduce the burden on natural gas: 1 of 10
Natural gas is used primarily to provide heating (furnaces, incinerators, domestic uses such as water heaters, ovens and clothes dryers) and to produce a substantial percentage of the nation's electricity. It is currently also used as one of the minor transportation fuels. So how can renewable energy sources reduce this burde... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Energy Issues Tips for reducing electricity consumption in the home: 7 of 26
In the modern home every room contains items that use electricity, and we would feel hard-pressed to do without almost all of them. So, many think cutting back on electricity usage would be hard to do. However, with ever-rising energy prices and periodic shortages like the rolling blackouts Californians experienced a few year... More..
Education > Homework & Testing Homework projects that develop critical thinking skills: 2 of 5
Simply put, critical thinking skills involve establishing the credibility of information sources, challenging the assumptions behind conclusions and reasoning, and confirming the consistency of your own logic and reasoning. It is the scientific method applied to thinking itself. Therefore I will offer some guidelines which ar... More..
Home & Garden > Electrical Repairs When to call an electrician and when to do electrical repairs yourself: 7 of 13
Do It Yourself, or Hire an Electrician?This is pretty straightforward: if you don't know the basics of electricity and electrical safety, then do the work necessary to learn them or hire someone. So, how do you determine if you really know enough to do the job yourself?If you can't explain the basics of electrical safety to s... More..
Home & Garden > Electrical Repairs Understanding the positive, negative and ground wires: 2 of 3
I will ignore three-phase and industrial wiring systems in this article, as only professionals (who already know this material) should ever deal with those, and concentrate on household wiring and appliances. Also, this will apply to ordinary, 120 vac (a.c. volts) wiring found in American households; different countries use d... More..
Home & Garden > Electrical Repairs Electrical installation and repair tools you can't live without: 2 of 3
After 28 years working professionally around electricity and electronics, here are the 'must have' tools I would recommend for the average handyman.1. A multimeter (Volt-Ohm-Ammeter), and learning how it is used. Some may say this is an unnecessary luxury for the handyman, but I would disagree with that. These have come down ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Who funds the American Green Party?: 2 of 3
The American Green Party - and the various states' Green Parties - are unique among American political parties in that they reject any corporate or institutional funding. Their sole support comes from donations from individuals.This practice, while seemingly ill-advised, derives directly from the Green Party's guiding princip... More..
Food & Drink > Dining Etiquette How to order a steak like an expert: 14 of 18
The first thing to consider when ordering a steak is where you are dining: if the restaurant has A-1 sauce on the table, and you go through a line to order, then you shouldn't expect much. At one of these places, who are you going to impress by ordering like a 'pro'? Really!I'm a true omnivore; I've eaten at low places and hi... More..