An article in the Journal of Advanced Nursing suggests that listening to music before bed will improve sleep in older adults by over 30%. And they seem to have the evidence to back up the claim.

"Sleep, a vital ingredient in life, can sometimes become difficult as humans get older. But a recent study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and the Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital in Taiwan shows that listening to soft music at bedtime will help older adults sleep better and longer."

Naomi Harris is a photographer I really like. Some of the current photo series on her site include retirement homes, Miami beach, and something called Porn Star Academy. As you might imagine, this site contains nudity.

"Eva" is NASA's new robot head. She's smart, she's articulate, and she's scary as hell. This link will take you directly to an mpeg video.

Michelle Richmond is the author of the novel Dream of the Blue Room and the story collection The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress. She currently teaches at St. Mary's College. And, she posts terrific writing exercises on her website. Check some of them out below, then surf over to her site and hit the refresh button for new exercises.

-- Choose a single flaw you have noticed in the body of someone close to you. Write about this flaw from the point of view of someone who finds it beautiful.

-- Make a list of five things you would never do. Write a story in which the main charcter does all of these .

-- To explore how you character moves, write a scene with him or her in the shower.

In this Star Wars gaming world, players inhabit characters from the films and interact with other players. Yes, there are light saber duels and trash compactor escapes, but there are also weddings between players, war protests, dodgeball between the Emperor and a group of 5th graders, and even a riot instigated by retired stormtroopers at an Intergallactic rest home.

"How many words are in *This* many pages?"

People often ask me this kind of question. Well, guess what dudes, I'm a writer, not a math teacher. Lucky for us all, Pam McCutcheon shows us how long that novel is going to be. If you're too lazy to even click over to the site, which I know some of you are like that, then remember that one page equals about 250 words. This is important, because it's not the same as "word count" on your word processor.

What's the difference?

"Short sentences/dialogue, chapter breaks, and scene breaks take up more space on the page, but use fewer words. For example, the sentence "Rick laughed." is only two words, but it occupies an entire line of text.

From the publisher's standpoint, it's more important to know how much space will be used in the printed book than to know the exact word count. So by using this method of estimating word count, you can give the publisher what they really want."

(This was also a favorite from the DP Archives...)

A former bike courier tells it like it is. Including how to deal with being hit by cars. A great article, along with postings by other bike messengers, at Kuro5hin. This is one of the best things I've read in a long while.

Two students from Great Britain will spend the summer breaking stupid U.S. laws. Like what? Like whale-hunting in Utah, and napping in a cheese factory in South Dakota. For more about stupid laws in all 50 states, check out DumbLaws.com

Milton Glaser is a long-time designer who created the (above) Bob Dylan image, the I Heart New York sticker, The AT&T logo and many other memorable, and often simple though not simplistic, designs. Anyways, over the years, he's come to some conclusions, especially about work. They are all detailed in "10 Things I Have Learned" by Milton Glaser. This is definitely worth a visit.

Number 1
YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE.
It took me a long time to learn this rule because at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism inferred that you didn’t necessarily have to like the people that you worked for, and should maintain an arms length relationship to them. As a result, I never had lunch with a client or saw them socially. Some years ago I realised that I was deluded. In looking back, I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client. Affection, trust and sharing some common ground is the only way good work can be achieved. Otherwise it is a bitter and hopeless struggle