I was checking out NBC.com earlier today and saw some clips from the newest episode of The Office, which aired last night. The ep was called “Did I Stutter” and was more or less Stanley-centric for once, as he finally stands up to Michael and unleashes a couple of verbal barbs that most people probably wish had been said long ago.

But anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about here. I wanted to mention the eyeglasses that Pam wore because she forgot her contact lens solution when she slept over at Jim’s. These things were hideous, and I just can’t believe anyone would own them — even as a “backup pair” for emergencies. Give me a break!

Here’s a pic (sorry for the terrible quality, but this was a Print Screen deal from streaming video, so…):

One of the hottest blog topics in the past couple of days has been “hypermiling”, a practice that could boost fuel economy in even the biggest SUVs, thereby saving consumers thousands of dollars at the pump.

Hypermiling was originated by Wayne Gerdes of Wadsworth, IL. Gerdes, who used to operate a nuclear plant, says he gets about 40-70 mpg out of his Ford Ranger pickup — considerably higher than the 25 mpg the truck is supposed to get. According to Gerdes, he reckons he has saved about $15,000 in fuel costs since beginning this hypermiling technique several years ago.

How does he do it?

Here are some tips from an article I read:

• Don’t let your engine idle for too long, and turn it off completely if you need to idle for more than 10 seconds
• Fill your tires to the maximum rating as printed on the sidewall
• Don’t weigh your vehicle down with excess cargo in the trunk, backseat, etc.
• Use the lowest weight oil allowable for your vehicle
• Decelerate when approaching stop signs and red lights
• Try to cut down on air conditioner use
• Don’t drive above the speed limit
• Change your air filter once a year

These techniques sound interesting, and I think I may give them a try. The only ones I actually use now are not driving above the speed limit and not accelerating to stop signs and stop lights. I want to try inflating my tires more, changing my oil to a lower weight, and changing the air filter.

If hypermiling can double my car’s mpg rating, then these small changes will be worth it. I can’t wait to try!