Jason wrote up a post over at Hackszine.com about an interesting study that was conducted over at Harvard Medical School about a second circadian clock in mammals.

There was an interview with Clifford Saper, a professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, in last week's Science Friday. The discussion was about a study which was just published in the journal Science about a second circadian clock in mammals that is driven by food availability. The research suggests that this second clock evolved as a sleep-cycle "reset" mechanism which allows mammals to very quickly adapt to optimize their wake period and maximize the chances of finding food during times when food is scarce.

This starvation override can take effect after only 16 hours of fasting. When the fast is cancelled by a sufficient caloric intake (read: real food), the body will shift its natural wake time to coincide with the event. So if you want to ditch your jet lag, or if you want to get up earlier in the morning, it might be as simple as fasting for the 16 hours prior to the time you would like to wake up, then eat a big meal. Your body will then override its normal light-based rhythm and wake at that same time going forward.

Link [via Hackszine.com]

Adam over at Lifehacker writes this about outsourcing site, DoMyStuff:

Web site DoMyStuff lets you outsource your tedious todos to businesses and individuals in your area who bid on your errands.

All you have to do is list a chore you need done with DoMyStuff - things like picking up your dry cleaning, getting your groceries, arranging dinner reservations, etc. - and then watch for bids on your stuff. On the flip side, if you're looking to pick up a little extra cash as an assistant, you can bid on errands people list on DoMyStuff. There's no fee for "employers" using DoMyStuff, but assistants pay a 7-10% fee on what they earn. If you need a little assistance every now and then but don't have the cash to hire your own personal assistant, DoMyStuff might be worth checking out.

I just might get someone to do some weeding in my yard while I sit on my porch sipping a tall, cold glass of lemonade.