• There's an old saying among meteorologists and weather fanatics: "Garbage in, garbage out." This is in reference to computer models, which run current observations through a series of formulas to predict future conditions. The problem is, the dewpoint sensor at Provincetown Airport (KPVC) has been broken, so computerized predictions of temperature and dewpoint for Eastern New England have been off. Just one of the reasons you still need people to oversee even the most advanced forecasting technologies.

• I had to return a cordless phone to Target.com, and when I printed the postage-paid, barcoded return label by following the site's instructions, the label was split between two pages. Brilliant. I simply covered the box with a blank sheet of white paper and paid for the postage myself, and the nice people at Target can figure out manually which order this was and so on.

• I seemed to be the only person at Gym (the sports bar) last night who noticed that Pedro Martinez was pitching a no-hitter through four innings. But I'm not surprised. Based on extensive anecdotal evidence, most patrons there do not actually watch the games, despite exquisite high-definition large-screen TVs. They simply go with hopes of seeing other guys who are watching the games. But this isn't particular to Gym; there are many venues in Manhattan whose business thrives on this lemming effect; customers are not going as an affirmative expression of interest in the venue per se, but rather because they want to be around people who are expected to be there. That's why when you find a spot with truly intrinsic worth, it's so cool.

• Just in time to wind down for a vacation next week, business has resumed its pre-summer clip. Of course, some of this was due to preparing for the week away. I am beginning to think that there is an optimal amount of vacation days for maximizing total output, because it takes so much time to prepare for scenarios a week away. When I'm here, we deal with each fork in the road as it presents itself, but anticipating multiple iterations of forks requires considering and covering all the bases. I probably do this more compulsively than most, but hey, clients like compulsively attentive consultants. And the benefit to me: a nice getaway with a high degree of certainty that everything will be fine.

Last night after getting home, I figured I would just flip on the Yankee game and see what was going on, and then proceed to other things.

Forget it. This game was intense. For an hour and a half, I was on the edge of the couch while the Yankees clawed their way to a come-from-behind, 5-4 win. It was a terrifically satisfying win, featuring clutch hitting in small pieces, great fielding, and resilience after one of Mariano's rare wrinkles.

I'm not used to this. Usually the Yankees sit atop the American League East this time of the year, with playoff qualification a foregone conclusion by the end of July, and blissful coasting through September. Not this time. Just now, the Yankees moved ahead in the wild card race and are still 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox.

Tuesday night's game broke a streak of 20-something consecutive sellouts at Yankee Stadium, and attendance will easily break 4 million this year. I don't think this is a coincidence. Each game really means something. It's drama. And it's great to have a pennant race kept tight because the teams are winning. Looks like we're in for September baseball as it oughta be.

Talk about making a list and checking it twice.

Today at the Lunch Box (on 9th Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets) was odd. The line of 7 people was held up for a significant amount of time. The reason: the guy ordering his sandwich insisted on writing down what he ordered on a Post-It note. This was even though the counter guy was also writing it down. The customer insisted that he needed to write down his order "to keep track of" what he ordered.

Google is selling more than 14 million new shares, so a lot of attention has gone to the company's strategic plans and new product ideas. But I think the most important fact has not received enough play: the company's payroll has swelled from 2,600 to 4,300 since September.

It doesn't matter how good your products are, how cool your technology is, how talented your senior managers are, or how successful you have been before: this rate of growth is hard for any organization to digest. Especially since it's not simply to do something tangible like ramp up production of widgets, but rather to chase down nebulously defined gee-whiz projects. Growing that fast makes everything harder to accomplish.

Even if all of Google's projects were legitimate and intelligent and you needed 4,300 people to do them, the mere adjustment in internal dynamics will cause inevitable turbulence. This unwieldy largesse is the most important thing anyone needs to know about Google.

I decided I didn't want to read about Ben Franklin, even though Gordon Wood's book is certainly going to be excellent. I needed something more breezy, so I picked up The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz. As soon as I saw the title, I nodded yes.

Basically, the book explains how an abundance of choices makes decisions harder, not easier, and satisfaction with those decisions less, and not more, likely. I'm only about 1/3 through the book, but it's been fun; there are the usual strings of psychology studies and anecdotes, then somewhat more technical analysis coated with sugary nuggets such as "decreasing marginal disutility of losses."

Anyway, I buy the central premise, and the timing of finding this book is good for a reason. A few weeks ago, it was time to replenish my gym underwear inventory. Way back in the old days (1982 or so), when you needed new underwear, you found your size and that was that. This time around, the replenishment process was more complicated than the org chart of a government agency. At least seven different brands, umpteen different styles (briefs? boxer briefs? fly? no fly? athletic-optimized material? plain old cotton?), three different colors, some of which were sized in inches and some sized by S, M, L and XL.

To add to the complication, underwear isn't returnable. So the strategy is to try one and find your size. Which is easier said than done, because with each brand, sizes differ. With shirts, I'm usually a medium, but a small in RL Polo and a large in others. With shorts or pants, 32" has translated into medium for some brands but XL for other items. (I guess for Ocean Pacific swimsuits, size small is made for toothpicks?)

Thankfully, this episode is now over, but I called my friend to complain about how complicated this was. I guess there is nobody specific you can complain to. That said, I think if there were fewer choices available, overall sales would increase. That seems consistent with some of the research Schwartz reports on in this book. How many varieties of Oreo do we really need?

This is where having your own business and billing by the hour is a blessing. It tends to force many of these decisions to be made efficiently, or sometimes, not to be entertained at all. For example, I don't even know the number I would call to change my cell phone plan--what I have is perfect and, incredibly, that's that.

On an episode of "$40 a Day" I caught yesterday, Rachael Ray was in Rome. Sure, she came in under budget as usual, but what did she do? She ate the breakfast that was included with the hotel, and then accounted for the cost of it as zero.

This is cheating. She should have to allocate the fair market value of the breakfast (in this case, some bread and a cappuccino) toward her food budget. At minimum, there is obviously some portion of the hotel bill that is attributable to food. This is even worse than the time she was in South Beach and skipped breakfast entirely.

I'm not saying GAAP should apply to a Food Network show, but I think this is an unfair budget maneuver.

• The city feels so empty this week. Even my laundry, which is usually done late the next day, was done the same day. There just isn't that much laundry to do. I'm looking forward to my next getaway the last week of August.

• I finished Bringing Down the House and really never tuned in. It is not, by any means, a bad book. The writing is engaging, but I just never found a connection with anyone in the story. I'm also not much of an expert on the subject matter. I was hoping it would be more about the personalities and the math they used to outsmart the system, but instead this book is a dramatic narrative that, to me, isn't that dramatic.

• I got The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin by Gordon S. Wood, to read about something entirely different. Wood is a superb writer and historian. In college I read The Radicalism of the American Revolution and thought it was one of the best history books I have ever read. Wood is smart and lively, intellectual but not pompous.

• I bought a second Master Lock because I've been working out at other NYSCs. I rent a locker at my home base (this is currently under review, although the rental is a sunk cost through the end of the year so I may as well keep it until then). So I need another lock when I venture to other branches. I went with a lock-and-key version instead of the combination one because I do not trust myself to remember two different combinations of three numbers. So now it is a matter of when, not if, I accidentally lock the key in the locker. But until then, it should work well.

There's so much brilliance that goes into technology innovation. And yet, somehow this hasn't applied to the evolution of cordless phones.

The best cordless phones ever made were digital 900Mhz phones. The sound and range were great, and the digital technology prevented eavesdropping.

Then came 2.4Ghz cordless phones. This was perceived as an improvement, until everyone realized that 2.4Ghz phones interfere with many wi-fi networks. So now we have 5.8Ghz phones.

The perception seems to be that a higher frequency is better. 5.8 is more than 2.4, so it must be cooler. But this is patently wrong. Lower frequency waves penetrate walls better and travel further. A digital 900Mhz phone will prove much more useful than a 5.8Ghz phone.

Why has nobody re-introduced digital 900Mhz phones? I think it's because people assume 5.8Ghz is better. You would have to engage the public in a physics lesson.

Why not bring it back but name it something else? Or put 900Mhz in small print. Or just say it's better. This is a market failure that really needs to be corrected.

I was intrigued when I walked into Tasti-D-Lite and saw that one of the flavors available was Peanut Butter & Jelly. So I decided to ask for a sample.

It didn't taste that different from peanut butter and jelly, but it was a little too sweet. More problematically, the color was pink. Pink? I always think of jelly as closer to purple. And peanut butter is definitely not pink.

I decided to bail on this option and instead go with the time-tested Double Dutch Chocolate.

The person behind me also asked for a sample of Peanut Butter & Jelly, and also eventually opted for Double Dutch Chocolate. Apparently, intrigue only goes so far. 0 for 2.

The guy behind her also asked for a sample of Peanut Butter & Jelly. Would it be three strikes and you're out? No. He loved the sample, so he asked for a medium cup with granola topping. I guess if you can disguise what it looks like, it wouldn't be so bad---kind of like green ketchup hidden under a burger bun.

I've discovered something cool on my iPod: shuffle.

In the two-plus years I've had my iPod, I've resorted to playing specific albums or carefully crafted mixes. It's all great stuff, but a month or so ago, I got bored and needed something new.

The shuffle mode has been better than I expected. I was afraid that I would be subject to volatile swings in tempo and orchestration, but it hasn't been so bad. Yes, there have been some abrupt transitions from Bela Fleck to Madonna. But it's all music I selected, right? So it's all been pretty good.

Two questions follow.

Is it truly random? Probably yes, but sometimes the iPod seems to be a little too smart. Why else would it ignore all my acoustic guitar favorites for weeks and then play many of them in one session? On the other hand, if you have a thousand people in a room flipping coins, someone will get many heads in a row.

Does this mean we like Jack FM, which appears designed to simulate this shuffle effect? No, it does not. Jack FM is what they selected. My iPod is what I selected. This difference is critical and the appeal of randomness does not translate to a radio station.

Back in May, I wrote about the superb fundamental skills of Hideki Matsui--stuff that makes a big difference but that you won't see in a box score.

Today's game featured another great example. A runner was on third base with one out. A fly ball was hit to left field. Exactly as we all learned in fifth grade, when you are catching a fly ball with a runner on third, you actually position yourself a few steps behind where you are going to catch it. That allows you to catch the ball while your momentum is carrying you toward home plate, assisting you with the throw.

Hideki did this exactly right. His throw to home plate was flawless, and the runner turned around and stayed on third.

You won't see this in the box score or in statistical tables. But it makes Hideki Matsui one of the greatest outfielders around.

There is no excuse for it: Gary Sheffield tried to play a fly ball nonchalantly during today's game, and then dropped it. It's about time this happened. I noticed that when he caught the last out in another game recently, he also caught it at his waist.

This is why, no matter what Sheff says, he is not the leader of the Yankees. His saying that he, not Derek Jeter, is the "real" leader is not only inaccurate, but also pathetic. Sheffield is a good ballplayer and has certainly made contributions this season. But Derek Jeter has never treated one single play as a joke, and still does all the intangible things to assert leadership. That's why Jeter is not only the captain by name, but also the leader in form. Hey Sheff: keep your mouth shut and play ball the right way.

Wow, 96 degrees again at Central Park. But I think I'm getting used to this. Last week I went outside and thought, this doesn't feel that hot; it must be in the upper 80s. I got home and checked the recent observations, and the temperature at that time had been 97.

It's summer. We're not going to get snow. Another month and we'll be lucky to hit 90.

Yankees broadcaster Jim Kaat continues to be one of my favorites. He has a way of packaging extremely intelligent commentary in such an understated and down-to-earth tone. During last night's game, he injected some reason into what continues to be statistics overload during baseball broadcasts.

A graphic appeared on the screen showing earned run averages of the pitcher. The ERAs were grouped by innings. First was innings 1-4, in which the pitcher's ERA was low. Then innings 5-6, in which the ERA was also pretty low. Then innings 7-9, in which the ERA suddenly spiked.

Kaat saw the weakness in this statistic immediately and explained it. If you're losing steam and give up one run in the 7th inning before being taken out, your ERA becomes 9.00 for innings 7-9. Therefore, the spike is misleading. Absolutely correct. If you give up one run in the 7th inning, then you gave up 1 run in 1 inning from innings 7 though 9. Since ERA is earned runs yielded per nine innings, your ERA jumps to 9.00.

Way to go, Jim Kaat. Fantastic. Enough with the stats.

Is it better to use the squats machine facing in or out? Can I get a spot while doing these bench presses? Why is my left lower back tight, and what can I do to loosen it up?

These are just some of the questions I've had for the newly visible floor personnel at my New York Sports Clubs. Kudos to NYSC for making this happen. The field trainers are available and visible, but not intrusive. And they're not engaging in blatant salesmanship of high-margin personal training sessions.

I'm not sure if this is related to the letter I wrote a month ago to the CEO of Town Sports International, which operates the NYSC chain. I wrote this after witnessing someone in the free weights room that was dressed completely inappropriately, and was in serious danger of severe injury with dreadfully improper form. (The purple towel around the neck and extra-large wool socks were just the beginning.) I said that people who were dressed inappropriately should be kicked out of the gym, because they should be. There is a high correlation between people who dress wrong and who are at the most risk of injuring themselves. Every gym should have a dress code enforceable with some staff discretion, to improve everyone's experience and minimize legal liability, keeping costs down.

Oh, and to get back to my questions: (1) It's better to do it facing out; you get better back support and work multiple muscles more efficiently. (2) I got the spot I needed; thanks. (3) This was the best. The first question the floor trainer asked me was, do your hamstrings hurt? Actually, they did, because I probably went a little too hard on the first day back after taking off a week. He then took me through some stretching routines to illustrate, without being at all condescending, just how stiff the left one was. He explained that the hamstrings and lower back are closely interdependent. Since then I've added a stretching routine to every visit, and it's worked wonders. I won't be competing for the gymnastics team anytime soon, but I'm now just a few inches from touching the floor without bending.

I'm actually back in the city, but I was there this weekend, and always wanted to use that phrase when it was factually correct. Nice time. The town is up and coming; it's probably more coming than up, still, but as is now well documented, I can never get enough sea breezes. The trip there and back was ridiculously easy, despite the relative slowness of N.J. Transit automatic ticket machines when compared to their Metro North counterparts. There's something so authentically "Joisey" about the Monmouth County shoreline, more so than other parts of the state; then again, I'm biased, having spent my first 7 years just slightly inland (right off "highway 9," in fact). But there was a good sense of supporting the hometown economy with my visit.

It was the first of a sudden wave of newly planned excursions and trips. After an active summer last year, I basically stayed in the city besides a couple of quick visits to Fort Lauderdale. Now it's time to get moving again, so I'm excited. The work front is pleasantly busy through the end of the year, and my unbeatable teammate took over nicely during a week off at the end of June, not only keeping things together, but also moving them significantly forward.

Returning yesterday was strange. The Upper West Side seemed empty, and the deli cafe next door, usually packed on weekends, was deserted. It must be August.

My New York Sports Clubs branch has finally improved its music. This week, they've put on KTU--a reasonable blend of dance and pop, ideal for working out.

For a number of years, NYSC played music from the ClubCom network. This network was presumably dedicated to gym music programming, but somehow the selections were awful. The worst moment had to be when "Dust in the Wind" came through the speaker system. Forget whatever momentum you had to do that tricep extension just one more time--it instantly melted in a sea of melancholy guitar.

The puzzling thing was how idiotic this was. Someone at ClubCom put "Dust in the Wind" in a gym music mix. Bad day?

Anyway, it all seems fine now--at least I'm hoping.

It's a miracle! I called a customer service center, and after keying in my account number, the representative actually had it on her screen when she took the call.

I don't remember this happening with anyone before. Kudos to Verizon (landline). It seems like typing in your account number before speaking with someone never actually accomplishes anything.

The "Biography" billboard at Columbus Circle, which used to show the time and temperature, has finally been replaced by a CNN billboard. Unfortunately, it's not at all an improvement.

The beauty of the Biography time and temperature billboard was that it was simple: clear block letters showing the forecast and the name of the upcoming "Biography" subject. You could read it from as far north as 72nd Street on Broadway and well up into the 70s on Central Park West.

The CNN sign is completely unreadable even from Lincoln Center, just six blocks north. I squinted while trying to make out what looked like a promotion for Anderson Cooper's show, a hopelessly compressed Atari-like bitmap rendering with illegible text.

Bring back the time and temperature.