Articles written by John Comeau

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About me - John Comeau

Living in the high desert of Southwestern New Mexico an hour-and-a-half walk from Palomas in northern Chihuahua, this author jogs and blogs the rest of his life away.

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Sciences > Ecology & Environment Where have all the coyotes gone?: 1 of 5
For years, my neighbors would sing almost every night. Sometimes it would be just one of them, howling alone and lonely in the desert; most often it would be a party, yipping up a high-pitched storm when one of them brought home the bacon. When I first heard them, it scared me a little, but once I got to know them better, I r... More..
Home & Garden > Perennials Growing yucca for your garden: 1 of 3
Yucca, also commonly known as soapweed, is a species of perennials and shrubs, even some described as trees, in the Agave family. In the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and surrounding areas the edible white or red flowers and fruits appear in the spring and make a great addition to soups and salads.Though they can purportedl... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Learning from high school failure: 3 of 7
Sure, high schools fail at turning out fully-functional adults, ready to hit the ground running and become willing cogs in the cultural machinery. But is that their purpose? As author Daniel Quinn and other visionaries point out, High Schools are very successful at certain things. Learning from both their failures and their s... More..
Computers & Technology > Operating Systems Comparing the Windows operating system and the Mac OS X: 7 of 11
I'm not partial to either operating system: I think they're both bug-ridden, bloated, overgeneralized and inefficient. But either will get your work done. Here are a few notes on the differences as I, who have used computers since 1974, see them.* Reliability: I haven't seen a difference. Now, I don't own a Mac, and don't oft... More..
Computers & Technology > Software (Other) Fast track to becoming computer-savvy: 6 of 9
You can call me antiquated, but I say the best way to learn what computers are all about is to shell out $10 or $20 and get your hands on an old Apple ][, Commodore 64, or Radio Shack Model 100 or Color Computer, download or otherwise get hold of the user manual, and teach yourself how the damned thing works. These are 8-bit ... More..
Personal Finance > Credit Cards The credit card trap: 18 of 26
It had been over 4 years since I had gotten to the point where I had to seek assistance to negotiate with the credit companies and pay off the debts. That royally botched my credit rating. But the applications kept coming, and every so often I was tempted to send one in. Rejection, rejection, but finally acceptance, and then ... More..
Computers & Technology > Internet Software & Utilities Website reviews: Orkut.com: 5 of 6
Orkut is one of many "social networking" sites, where you can connect to people from around the world. In fact, from its conception it has hit big in both Brazil and India; it's impossible not to notice the predominance of members from those two countries.Orkut.com was created by Orkut Bykkkten, a Google engineer. It has had ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Is committing suicide wrong: 104 of 107
Hell, yes, it's wrong! God said so, didn't he? "Thou shalt not kill" has to include the murder of oneself, snuffing out a God-given life.Well, as this author is someone who defies all gods, including the one with the Capital G, there are probably those who wish he would defy this mandate too, and blow his brains out at the fi... More..
Sciences > Ecology & Environment Could humans survive with no vegetation on earth?: 5 of 5
There are, in fact, several possible ways humans could survive without vegetation. We may need to explore these methods if we continue our rapacious conquest of our neighboring species, both fauna ("predators", "garden pests", "bugs") and flora (rainforests in the way of progress, "weeds", "invasive plants").* Artificial regu... More..
Food & Drink > Food & Drink (Other) How much is a bushel: 5 of 5
If and when you need such information, this online venue may not pop into mind as a likely reference; it's better to know where to look up this type of obscure data. The Old Farmer's Almanac is a treasure trove of such arcana. If you don't have a copy handy, but you do have internet access, remember Google.com's calculator fu... More..