So I challenged a few people I know to run/walk with the Nike + Sports Kit and I’m ahead of everyone by over 40 miles. I love the voice feedback you get when you set your workout and they count down to motivate you. Everyone should try it.
Diana Tkach's Life List
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1. get a passport
1 entry . 6 cheers1,753 people -
2. go on a cruise
3 cheers4,093 people -
3. become a wine connoisseur
4 cheers199 people -
4. spend an entire day watching the extended version of all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back-to-back
1 entry . 3 cheers1,107 people -
5. watch more movies
2 entries . 5 cheers753 people -
6. maintain great friendships
2 team members . 9 cheers141 people -
7. learn PHP
5 cheers1,492 people -
8. set up a media server at home
1 cheer24 people -
9. finish my degree
6 cheers2,539 people -
10. buy a house
3 cheers12,541 people -
11. eat healthier
5 cheers10,078 people -
12. finish what i start
1 entry . 10 cheers3,828 people -
13. be less oblivious
3 cheers2 people -
14. read more books
1 entry . 5 cheers10,970 people -
15. learn to cook
2 team members . 1 entry . 4 cheers8,155 people -
16. own a hybrid car
2 entries . 13 cheers594 people -
17. learn french
3 cheers10,563 people -
18. visit all 50 states
12 entries . 12 cheers7,112 people -
19. read all harry potter books
1 cheer388 people -
20. learn to salsa
6 cheers1,348 people -
21. adopt
567 people -
22. win the lottery
2 cheers3,765 people -
23. spend a day at a spa
2 team members123 people -
24. eat more chocolate
2 cheers70 people -
25. ride in a limo
1 cheer114 people -
26. have a house with hidden rooms and trap doors, and some kind of secret tunnel
1 cheer489 people -
27. Learn to surf
7,350 people -
28. plant a garden
1,833 people -
29. Start my own business
8,558 people -
30. Rollover my 401(k)
16 people
Everytime Apple has one of these special events, I get all geeked up and hit the “refresh” button on my favorite Mac blog about a zillion times.
As soon as the Apple Store opened back up, I knew I needed the nano.
It’s so small, nearly weightless… I’m about a thousand times more in love with it than I am my original-sized iPod. Now that I’ve gone nano, I can’t go back!
It’s over now. The few days I had between semesters were a flurry with the flutter of turning pages.
I used to want to be an economist, but I didn’t have the patience to look at formulae and care what was going on. I, like so many others, like to get the answers to my questions without doing to much work to get there. I don’t like to read anything more than 100 pages because a) I have the ADD and b) I’m lazy and would rather surf the net.
Somehow, this Steven Levitt has been everywhere promoting this book. I pre-ordered in hardback (which I never do because I know things are cheaper in softcover) before I’d even heard any press on Freakonomics. I saw the book cover as a “New In Books” at Amazon and loved that apple/orange graphic. I do judge books by their covers.
So I read the synopsis, thought it interesting, and 2-day-shipped it to me (relax, I’m an Amazon Prime member).
So rarely do I like reading about statistics. I do not usually enjoy learning about history. But somehow the lighthearted style of this book made it nearly impossible to put down. The most controversial topic in the book is hands-down the theory that Roe v. Wade directly affected the crime rate in the 90s (when it dropped dramatically when economists were predicting a sharp increase). I really enjoyed learning about how a crack gang works (much like a McDonalds, according to Levitt).
I loved the theory of nature versus nurture and how parents really change their children’s lives. Levitt’s conclusion? It’s more who you are than what you do. My absolute favorite part of the book discusses naming conventions: why black names are “black,” why parents name their kids what they do, how names get popular and in which circles, and how the name actually molds the person attached to it. There was this great little story about brothers named Winner and Loser: Winner ended up in jail and Loser ended up with much money and respect.
Freakonomics is a great read for anyone who likes to know things. I have to say that Levitt’s been getting some great press: I’ve personally witnessed him on the Daily Show and the O’Reilly Factor. Then I read a two page spread about the book in Money magazine. He’s really goofy sounding (maybe he’s camera shy?), but the book is solid.

