A sense of humor!

Ooooh, I just noticed that the latest 3.4.10 release of ControlTier was released (U.S. date style) on 3/4/2010! That's worth waiting a few days ...

Which one?

I often end up trying to pick one software package from a selection of choices. The best approach is for me to make a list of the features I need before I start looking (so I'm not biased), and to check off how each choice stacks up for me. I'm often surprised by the end result. Sometimes, however, a wishlist isn't enough to narrow down where to start. And that's where my latest trick is hiprank. The bad news is that the results are heavily slanted towards zealots and new software, but the comments (if any) are useful as is taking it (like so much in life!) with a grain of salt.

that's what's missing!

I've had my new sewing machine, a Brother CS-6000i, for over two years now, and I just figured out what feature my old (and much cheaper) sewing machine had that this one doesn't. It doesn't do free-arm sewing, although it claims that feature. I'm not positive I could finish a sleeve's cuff on this machine because the free arm area is still fairly large. On the other hand, it has all those fancy stitches, and accessories, and quilting features, and it's taken me over two years to notice this. I use the one-step buttonhole attachment more often than the free-arm.

I finished today's sewing project by hand in about the same time anyway.

Agave Nectar

The most balanced (if you can all it that) article about agave nectar from Food Renegade ultimately gives agave nectar the thumbs down -- and I have to agree on the basis of too much fructose since it's at least as high in fructose as HFCS. I'm leery of the Weston A. Price Foundation as an information source (and QuackWatch agrees), so I'm taking that portion of the otherwise-good Food Renegade research with a grain of salt. Farther along the spectrum towards alarm is Liquid Death by Calvin Sun, although it's not the most excoriating either. Oh well, another foodstuff down. Soy's not on the good list either, if it's not fermented, although that's not surprising to me after my youngest was allergic to it.