Wired’s “How to Behave” f. Brad Pitt

Minimum Waiting Period Before Revealing a Spoiler, from Wired.com. Illustration by Jason Lee.

As you have no doubt gathered, one of the questions I use this blog to explore is something to the effect of “what does it been to be a gentleman in the 21st century?”

Wired magazine, whose website is one of the few mainstays of my procrastinative quiver, also expounds on this idea from a more general angle in their current issue, with a feature titled, lovingly, “How to Behave: The New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans, a Scientific Approach to 21st-Century Predicaments, with very bad advice from Brad Pitt.”

It’s satisfying in-depth — more than 30 briefs on modifying your behavior, and the published equivalent of an amuse-bouche with each (“Put your costume on at the con;” “Provide subjects for all emails;” “Ignore Facebook polls”).

While I’m saving some of these for later amusement, I’m going to go ahead and sign on to the lot. Some of my favorites so far:

• If You Can’t Buy It Online, Feel Free to BitTorrent
• Online Conversations Are Not All About You
• Am I a Jerk if I Dump Our Sucky Rock Band Bassist?

Some tips are more challenging (Leave my wi-fi network open? Never BCC anyone?), but all are thoughtfully presented for your mental digestion.

We Jammin’

This fresh wild plum jelly was so sweet and tart, I was moved to poetry.

The plums of late spring
are now as bitter as the
early fruit was sweet.

Canning/jarring fresh summer produce is a valuable, practical skill that belongs in everyone’s mental toolbox, much like sewing on a button or treading water.  Yet it was something I was reluctant to attempt. Obviously food safety is of the utmost importance, and the thought of botching the jarring process remains discomfiting. Returning home from an extended trip, I found the last half dozen or so of the wild Sierra plums still on our tree and was spurred into action.

The jelly making process is incredibly simple–boil fruit juice, add pectin and sugar. And if you’re making a relatively small amount you can skip the preserving process (keeping in mind that preserves, high in sugar and acid as they are, have a fairly long shelf life to begin with).

Simple as it was, I’m only sorry I didn’t start earlier.

P.S., Do note the difference between jelly and jam.