The Daily Dozen

1. 11 days, 3 countries, 10 pounds with laptop? I love the idea of this challenge. I've made it to every continent with carry-on only luggage. It would be great to parse down my load even more. If I were to try this challenge, this is probably the bag I'd want -- or possibly this one. I'd be hard pressed not to bring my DSLR, which could make this challenge difficult for me. If I really wanted to travel light, I might opt for a Canon G10 or Panasonic LX3 instead. Both would be superb for this kind of travel and by some accounts, these cameras or something like the Canon SX10IS might have advantages over a DSLR.
2. Netbooks are starting to come with 9.5 hour battery life. Let's hope this is a taste of things to come. My Eee 901 can get about 4-6 hours of juice. It's great going into a class full of people with huge laptops with cords going everywhere and just put my 2.2 pound notebook on the table without ever having to plug it in.
3. The Kindle Store now has 4,700 free public domain books.
4. How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator. A book by Joe Carter and John Coleman.
5. Tyler Cowen gives some advice on how to travel the U.S. for non-Americans. Not a bad list to get a feel for America. I'd probably add Washington, D.C. to the list and am not sure I'd include Detroit, but have to admit it is an interesting pick.
6. Why the innocent are punished more harshly than the guilty.
7. Twins and the wrinkles of aging.
8. What men and women want. Is the mating market becoming more competitive?
9. The Worry Gap: Even though they have suffered fewer job losses, women report much higher levels of anxiety about their economic security than men do. More men are getting laid-off than women, meaning women may pass men in the job force.
   
10. What can we learn from Japan? Over two decades, Japan accumulated enormous debt while failing to generate a convincing recovery.
    
11. Captives in our homes? Many Americans are. Another reason I've advocated renting for years.
    
12. Quote of the Day: "I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." -- Richard Feynman