other interesting ideas include using water pipes under the floor which circulate into the ground below to keep the floor cool, and installing fans in the highest parts of the house to blow the hot air out and bring cooler air in. There are good books on this stuff, so those truly interested would do well to check…

Unmentioned but very important is the CD/DVD drive. Some machines allow those to be disabled automatically when on battery. Actually sticking a disc in there while on battery is the best way to drain it.

@Whitson Gordon: you could just not subscribe to the "all mail" folder if it bugs you, no?

I can't think of one time in my life when i would have thought, "hey, this would be a good time to do my jury duty!" I don't think it's awesome to be passing along "tips" for dodging it.

next step: virtual running with google earth + Wii fit. Then we'll never have to encounter anything unexpected or uncomfortable! Phew! (yes, that was snarky. but still not too far off the mark)

what about remembering 2-2-4? honestly, i never remember these english units. but 2-2-4 sits better with me than carry around a picture of a bunch of letters (or mr. gallon for that matter, even though he's pretty awesome).

More critically, it plugs the recently-discovered security hole. [news.cnet.com]

@Firebrand: tiempo para aprender espanol! rapidito!

@zophiel: I like Alexi, though he's only for color. I wonder who they'll use for the play-by-play.

@kidoatmeal: Watching in the US on TV probably also means you'll be subjected to horrible american soccer commentary. I'd resort to broadband streaming the bbc or something in that case, unless they've recently gotten better american commentators for the cup.

to read the blog in chronological order, start from the bottom on this page: [www.avc.com]

@TheLostVikings: interesting - thanks for the tip. didn't know!

@Marand: again: security should be appropriate to the resource secured. a decoy OS, i would wager, is overshooting the secured resource of 99.9% of lifehacker readers. Ok - if there are chinese or iranian dissidents or whatever reading - then dudes, go install a decoy OS asap. does anyone here set up steve…

@jchen1: yes, layers of security are important. i suppose i draw the line at a completely encrypted drive with a good password. to me, that's kind of the top layer. or bottom layer. or whatever. the "decoy" OS doesn't make the other partition encrypted any better, just makes it a little confusing to whoever might…

@quicksilver8478: i hadn't heard that about TSA - regardless, I still don't think the effort is worth the reward in this case - unless you're carrying a bizzilon dollars inside your laptop (ohhh, the files are IN the computer!).

@jchen1: I am currently writing you from south america, and i live mostly in central america, while I travel back to the states quite often. So, yes, I do travel. And I still don't see the business reasons for having a "decoy" OS. Encrypting a drive - yes! Installing a decoy OS - ???!

decoy os? give me a break.

+1 for la carreta in miami. Also, there's a great place in Portland, OR. Can't remember it's name, but full of home-cooked goodness!

@dexter_greycells: the kettle cord doesn't convert voltage either. most devices that work with 110 work with 220 also, though you have to make sure before plugging them in. i never bring converters with me - all my stuff works with 110 & 220.

@Tim Chen: great - thanks for the insight, Tim. appreciate it!