Routehappy, Search Flights By Leg Room, Wi-Fi, and Other Amenities

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks interesting:

Routehappy is a flight search engine that also lets users search for flights with Wi-Fi, power outlets, additional leg room, comfortable seats, and in-flight entertainment. The service generates a “Happiness Score” based on total flight time, various amenities, and flyer ratings that’s displayed alongside price, airline, and other flight information. 

Via Laughing Squid.

Esther Duflo and randomized controlled trials

I first came across the social economist Esther Duflo in a discussion on BBC World Service "The Forum," Jan 29, 2012 (about 31 minutes into the program). She has come up with a marvelously simple idea; take the concept of randomized controlled trials, already effectively used in fields such as the physical, medical, and computer sciences, and apply them to the social arena. There may be several alternative solutions to solving a problem, but which are most effective and most economical?  Typically, the proposed solutions become politicized, with little priority given to their actual effectiveness or economy. Duflo, along with her co-researcher Abhijit V. Banerjee, has shown that randomized controlled trials can identify the best solutions for social problems.

Their initial and primary implementation of her theory has been in applying it to issues related to poverty (video, TED Talk), with some amazing results. But the original idea isn't restricted to poverty. It could be easily adapted to other social issues such as gang violence, and in education: funding, and school/program/instructor effectiveness. Their research into poverty, however, provides a rich illustration of the theory's robustness in handling numerous factors associated with a social issue.

Their book, Poor Economics.

A recent (Sept 5, 2012) presentation on Policy Evaluation (pdf).

j2objc - A Java to iOS Objective-C translation tool and runtime

New from Google: "J2ObjC is an open-source command-line tool from Google that translates Java code to Objective-C for the iOS (iPhone/iPad) platform. This tool enables Java code to be part of an iOS application's build, as no editing of the generated files is necessary. The goal is to write an app's non-UI code (such as data access, or application logic) in Java, which is then shared by web apps (using GWT), Android apps, and iOS apps."

Making Muffin Batter Ahead of Time

My friends brought me blueberries from their vacation in Southern Michigan, and their daughter implored me to make muffins for breakfast. There was a minor problem; the recipe, whole wheat blueberry beet muffins, makes two dozen muffins, which, as good as they are, is a bit much for the four of us. But instead of attempting to scale it down (challenging, in my barely awake state the next morning), would it be possible to keep the remainder of the batter for a later date? Indeed it is, I learned via KitchenSavvy; and for me, freezing was a better option than refrigeration (because of the uncooked eggs, the batter would only be fresh for a couple of days). I filled the paper cups in the muffin pans with the remaining batter, just as if I was going to bake them. But instead I slid the pans into the freezer, and once they were frozen, placed them into ziplock bags. Later, I can put them back into the pans and bake them, adding five minutes to the cooking time.

Busting the iOS 6 Transit Map Myths

Busting the iOS 6 Transit Map Myths - Waxy.org

A lot of open questions, but two things are certain:

1. If a new iOS feature eclipses a third-party app, there will an uproar in the user community.
2. If an iOS feature is withdrawn in favor of third-party support, there will an uproar in the user community.

Vietnamese Yogurt Sữa Chua/Da Ua

Fun with Condensed Milk: Vietnamese Yogurt Recipe

I use her condensed milk method: Dilute sweetened condensed milk with water, mix it with yogurt, then incubate the mixture. No equipment fancier than a tea kettle is required. I also put it outside on hot sunny days, like her mother did. The yogurt that doesn't get eaten during the week ends up as frozen yogurt pops.

Baking Bread with the Kids - Beacon Broadside

The Perfect Father's Day Project: Baking Bread with the Kids via Beacon Broadside.

Aaron Bobrow-Strain writes about baking bread and entertaining his kids at the same time.