What do a personal finance guru, an acclaimed music journalist and the founders of an indie record label have in common? They’re not only exceptional authors of ours, but they’re also joining the massive gathering of music and tech-junkies also known as South by Southwest (SXSW).

Held in Austin every spring, SXSW is a festival that merges the arts (namely film and music) with the latest in interactive technology (think Twitter on steroids). Bloggers, artists, musicians, and journalists meet to share ideas with their cohorts, submerge themselves in new music and be surrounded by the most tech-savvy of our generation.

Here’s what Ramit Sethi, Jessica Hopper, Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance have planned:

Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich will be presenting at the interactive panel Building A Bulletproof Personal-Finance System on Saturday, March 13 at 11am, at The Hilton G by the Austin Convention Center. Click here for more details.
Following will be a book signing at 1:50pm at the South By BookStore, top floor of the Austin Convention Center.

Jessica Hopper, author of The Girls Guide to Rocking will be reading from and signing copies of her book on Saturday, March 20, 3pm, at Domy Books (913 E. Cesar Chavez). Click here for more details.

Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, authors of Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small will be reading from their book, performing covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book, and will do a book signing afterwards. Reading is set to begin at 6pm on Wednesday, March 17, at Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd). Click here for more details.

Make your own mouse pencil sharpener with 62 Projects to Make With A Dead Computer! Scroll down for the full project instructions from the book.
After removing the electronic innards of the mouse, drill a hole in the mouse at its highest part.
Glue the pencil sharpener to the inside of the mouse so that the hole in the sharpener and the drilled hole align.
After some touch-ups to the track wheel, reassemble the mouse. You’re ready to sharpen!

Mouse Pencil Sharpener from 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer

Michael Bungay Stanier’s new book Do More Great Work is all about doing more engaging and fulfilling work instead of filling your day with more busywork.

Get started today by checking out his four part video series “Stop the Busywork,” then move on to the podcasts with contributors from the book on his blog.

For more videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/BoxofCrayonsMovies

Listen to Michael’s Great Work interviews with contributors

Interview with contributor and e-book author Chris Guillebeau
Interview with contributor and best-selling business author Michael Port
Interview with contributor and HR and leadership writer Dave Ulrich

Click here to watch the Do More Great Work book trailer

What’s the difference between these two books?*  Look carefully because it’s a matter of hundreds of hours of painstaking work! Our bestselling travel guide has just been updated with current information for 2010–including prices, web addresses, and phone numbers. We went through each entry with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything is as accurate as possible. The new edition is now in stores, and we’re ready to hit the road and start exploring!

*The change is in the “sticker” on the top right, where in addition to mentioning that the book is a # 1 New York Times Bestseller, it notes the updated prices and websites.

Fields of lavender commonly brings to mind the rolling hills of Provence, but did you know Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States are also notable for their lavender producion? Not only does the versatile plant have an unforgettable aroma, it’s also easy on the eyes with vibrant hues that can add a dash of color to any landscape. Virginia McNaughton’s Lavender: The Grower’s Guide gives pointers on how grow and care for the plants—so why not get started on your very own south-of-France style backyard?

Growing tips: The two basic requirements for successful lavender growing are full sun and good drainage. Lavender is a hardy plant and will tolerate neglect, but for optimum results it will flourish best if these two requirements are met.

Soil requirements: The best soil for growing lavender is a gritty or sandy loam with a pH factor between 6.0 and 8.0, but a considerable range of light and well-drained soils are generally suitable. In wetter or more clay-based soils lavender can be grown successfully on mounds, but lime will need to be added to increase the pH level and friability.

Climate: Depending on what variety of lavender you grow, the plants are generally tolerant of cold temperatures, winds, rain or snow, providing they have good drainage. More sensitive plants can be grown in pots and moved to a sheltered position when autumn arrives.

Watering: Good irrigation or adequate rainfall is important to establish new plantings, while older plants are able to withstand dry conditions. Overwatering or high rainfall can stress plants, and leave them susceptible to root rot and other fungal and bacterial diseases.

Pruning: Keeping plants in shape is one of the best ways of maintaining a young, healthy and vigorous plant. Pruning should begin when the plant is still in the pot and continue at least once a year for the whole life of the lavender bush. Cut back at least one third of the plant. Pruning in spring will promote a late spring/early summer flowering. Plants pruned in spring will need to be cut back again in the autumn.

Humidity: Many lavenders will tolerate humidity and maintain a reasonably compact shape, but some are more prone to pests and diseases in such conditions, particularly those with prolonged damp periods. Spacing plants well apart to allow for adequate air movement around and between plants can overcome this problem.

Fertilizer: For the home garden, application of a well-balanced compost and some lime will benefit the plants. If this is not possible, lavender will grow happily without any externally added fertilizer for a while, but older plants may show signs of nutritional stress if the soil is poor.

Harvesting and Drying: Optimum timing for the cutting of lavender is determined by the end use for the spikes. Cutting is best undertaken in the morning once the dew has evaporated and before the heat of the day. If harvesting for dried flowers where the spike is to remain intact, cut when the first two flowers on the spike have opened. If picked at the first flower break, the flowers, once dried, will stay on the spike. The optimum time to cut for oil depends on the cultivar, but generally when half the flowers on the spike have withered. For drying, lavender stems are bunched together with a rubber band or tie that allows for shrinkage of stems as they dry. Lavender needs to be dried in a dark, dust-free place with good ventilation.

I’m from a cooking school of thought very closely aligned with that of Rachel Flax (Winona Ryder’s mother in the movie, Mermaids, memorably played by Cher) who believed in making hors d’oeuvres and only hors d’oeuvres.

If left to my own devices, every meal would be a string of snacks and finger food. But when I hear my cooking-centric friends rhapsodize over the amazing meals they concoct with ingredients I’ve never heard of, I wonder if I’m missing out.  So having only made a few basic dishes before (rice and beans), or been relegated to the “peeler and chopper” when assisting in the kitchen, I thought I’d try my hand at the Chicken Potpie recipe from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. The cookbook’s recipes are described as “doable at home,” so that seemed like a step in the right direction.

Right off the bat I was relieved to note I had definitely heard of all the ingredients needed for the potpie, and as a bonus, I already possessed a few (milk, butter and carrots!). And those I didn’t have in my kitchen wouldn’t go to waste if there were leftovers (pearl onions and bay leaves).  After reading the recipe, it seemed pretty straightforward, even to my untrained eye. The only step I was really sweating was making the pie crust, which has always seemed particularly scary – Don’t overwork the dough! Make sure everything stays cold! It can’t be too dry! Or sticky!  I always thought it was a task best left to the professionals.  So after rereading the recipe about 6 times, I jumped in, and turns out, no, it isn’t that scary. The one oversight on my part was forgetting that I don’t actually own a rolling pin, which I imagine would be immensely helpful when trying to roll out dough. Turns out a wine bottle can pinch-hit if needed.

Once I had the dough situation under control, the rest was smooth-sailing, I chopped and simmered the vegetables, cooked up some béchamel sauce (perhaps whisking a little too obsessively, but there were no lumps!) and finally assembled the pie and popped it in the oven.  The result?  A dish I couldn’t believe I had created, and the first dish I felt the need to photograph – partly because I was so proud and partly because I knew no one would believe it came from my oven.  But most importantly, it was delicious.  Flaky crust? Check. Creamy, savory filling? Check.  Tender vegetables? Absolutely.

And now with my cooking confidence vastly improved, I’m already eyeing the Catalan beef stew recipe in the next chapter and thinking that it looks “doable at home.”
Click here for the recipe

I was skimming the New York Times the other day while I finished my sandwich, feeling the post-lunch coma just beginning to weigh on me, when I stumbled across this “Vital Signs” column: Behavior: Napping Can Prime the Brain for Learning.

It’s incredibly gratifying to see that the scientific community has put long hours into validating my college practices. Studies conducted in the past have indicated that sleeping after learning can help us recall that information later, but a new study out of the University of California, Berkeley, has found that our ability to remember new material is also improved by sleeping before learning. In the study, 39 healthy young adults were asked to learn 100 names and faces at noon, and then again six hours later. The 20 individuals who slept for 90 minutes between sessions saw their scores rise by an average of 10 percent from the afternoon to the evening session, while the scores of the 19 individuals who didn’t take a midday nap fell by an average of 10 percent.

So what does this mean for me, a once avid napper? Well, while the article didn’t tell me how to apply the study’s findings to my relatively new life in an office, I found the book that would on the Workman library shelf: Dr. Sara Mednick’s Take a Nap! Change Your Life: The Scientific Plan to Make You Smarter, Healthier, More Productive.

It’s the complete guide to the when, where, why, and how of nap-taking. I’m planning to make my “when” right after lunch, and my “where” a mat under my desk. Thank you, Science.