Meg - first I'll answer your questions. No I didn't start this one ... we had moved and someone in the Newcomers Club I'd joined (we had a gourmet group) had a starter and she gave some to any of us who were interested. Supposedly (you know THESE stories) she'd had it for about 10 - 15 years and insisted it came from Alaska! Who knows!

Sometimes I put more than 1 cup back in the container in the fridge .. but I put at least that much. If I don't need all the rest for the bread (or whatever) I plan to make that day, I'll probably put the rest (usually from 1/2 to 1 cup) ins something else: pancakes; pizza dough; etc.
If I KNOW I'm not going to be using the starter for awhile - and dont' want it to grow and overflow -- I will sometimes just feed it 1/2 cup each water and flour. I don't know if this is 'kosher' or not and I don't do it for more than 1 or 2 weeks at a time .. but so far its worked .. and its kept me from feeling overwhelmed with starter!

I have tried several other starters on my own .. some worked some didn't. One of my books (I probably have more than a dozen on breads and at least 4 or 5 are on starters/sourdough) had a rye onion starter. I sort of 'cheat' .. and instead of making a completely NEW starter - I sort of 'wean' some from my regular starter .. and keep adding rye (or whatever) and I figure in a month or 2 the regular flour will have disappeared! So you can tell I'm not a purist! Anyhow the onion rye one I had - I think it was from one of the Ada Lou Roberts books on sour dough starters (these books were reprinted in the u70's I think) had this rye starter and you put a quartered (?) onion in it .. it worked fine. But maybe I didn't read right .. probbly should have taken the onion out and put a new one in at a later date? Well after 3 or 4 months that one hit the dust.

I think most of the things I've seen have said that if the starter starts looking very pink or lilac - etc... it has spoiled. and I did have this happen once or twice.

In reading they make the starters out of so many different things --- it is very interesting. But right now I just want good tasting bread or rolls or whatever. And in the shortest period. There are books where you can put your starter in cookies, toppings for cobblers, casseroles, cakes, etc. I have used it in some of these things - but not all.

I hope your baking will turn out well -- and thanks for printing the article - it was interesting.