It's still early in the day on the U.S. East Coast. So far, however, Google News death notices about Grampa Munster (about 5180) outnumber those for Betty Friedan (537). This will no doubt change during the day as the obit machines crank up. There's a chance that the founder of modern-day feminism will elicit more reflection than did a minor character in a 40-year-old sitcom.
In the "Everyone has to come from someplace Dept.," I learned that Betty Friedan was born in Peoria.
The door to the MacGregors' apartment was trimmed to accomodate a carpet. We replaced the carpet with linoleum some years back (easier to clean, brighter). As a result, there's an inch-and-a-half gap at the bottom of the door. When Marley waits in the vestibule so he can go next door for a visit, he lies down with his back to the door. The MacGregors see a wagging tail under the door when they come down for breakfast.
Oh, and then there's this thing about about a football game. I think Pittsburgh will win, although I really just like a good game.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
The winter that winter forgot
A few patches of snow are hanging on bravely against the rains and overwarm temperatures. We still need a fire in the stove during the night, but will let it burn out during the day. This is nice early April weather. The birds don't come to feeders as much because the berries and seeds are easily found in the woods.
I played a lot of chess in high school, at lunch, after school, on the weekends. I wasn't very good. I was, shall we say, sitting on the far left side of the bell curve. So, when article titled, "Playing Chess May Relief Symptoms of Depression (sic)," I'll read it, but with low expectations.
eBay is offering a few cherished pieces of modern culture, a two-page autobiographical fact sheet by Britney Spears and a empty Diet Pepsi that Ashely Simpson used.
Having a credit card rejected is embarrassing alright. Tell it to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, now-gazillionaire co-founders of Google. They had a card bounce at a dinner in Scotland.
Fiat and Microsoft have launched a new program, called Blue & Me. It's an unfortunate title. Blue has the connotations of Blue Screen of Death, aka BSOD, the colorful screen that Windows puts up when it crashes. Adding BSOD to the car whose name is an acronym for "Fix it again, Tony." is, well, you get the idea.
Is it them or is it me? According to this research, I, a regular iTunes user, should be a teenaged boy, drinking hard cider, driving a Volkswagen, and watching Cartoon Network. I do confess that I check in on SpongeBob and Boondocks every once in a while, but my favorite Volkswagens were 30 or 40 years ago and I never liked hard cider. Either I'm not me or I'm not them. The full report is here, in PDF.
I played a lot of chess in high school, at lunch, after school, on the weekends. I wasn't very good. I was, shall we say, sitting on the far left side of the bell curve. So, when article titled, "Playing Chess May Relief Symptoms of Depression (sic)," I'll read it, but with low expectations.
eBay is offering a few cherished pieces of modern culture, a two-page autobiographical fact sheet by Britney Spears and a empty Diet Pepsi that Ashely Simpson used.
Having a credit card rejected is embarrassing alright. Tell it to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, now-gazillionaire co-founders of Google. They had a card bounce at a dinner in Scotland.
Fiat and Microsoft have launched a new program, called Blue & Me. It's an unfortunate title. Blue has the connotations of Blue Screen of Death, aka BSOD, the colorful screen that Windows puts up when it crashes. Adding BSOD to the car whose name is an acronym for "Fix it again, Tony." is, well, you get the idea.
Is it them or is it me? According to this research, I, a regular iTunes user, should be a teenaged boy, drinking hard cider, driving a Volkswagen, and watching Cartoon Network. I do confess that I check in on SpongeBob and Boondocks every once in a while, but my favorite Volkswagens were 30 or 40 years ago and I never liked hard cider. Either I'm not me or I'm not them. The full report is here, in PDF.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
MiamiHerald.com | 02/02/2006 | Bush aides clarify statements about oil
MiamiHerald.com | 02/02/2006 | Bush aides clarify statements about oil: "'This was purely an example,'' Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said."
It's that day again.
Thus sayeth CNN:
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service tells us what we've known all along, that it was a warm January around here. Of course, Hawaii gets a foot of snow.
A benefit of the warm winter here on the east coast is that, when it's seal-clubbing time, the batsmen can drive to work.
There's this war on terrorism. The President talks a lot about it. We even created a new Department of Homeland Security. It's good to see that they're taking their job seriously.
If the Internet has taught us nothing else, it has taught that correction anyone's use of grammar or punctuation invites others to correct yours with great vigor.
For those in a small apartment: safety features include not being able to turn on the stove while the kitchenette is in the stove position.
Finally, telegrams are no more. Stop.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service tells us what we've known all along, that it was a warm January around here. Of course, Hawaii gets a foot of snow.
A benefit of the warm winter here on the east coast is that, when it's seal-clubbing time, the batsmen can drive to work.
There's this war on terrorism. The President talks a lot about it. We even created a new Department of Homeland Security. It's good to see that they're taking their job seriously.
If the Internet has taught us nothing else, it has taught that correction anyone's use of grammar or punctuation invites others to correct yours with great vigor.
For those in a small apartment: safety features include not being able to turn on the stove while the kitchenette is in the stove position.
Finally, telegrams are no more. Stop.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Has anyone seen my privacy?
"Honey, what's our checking account number?"
"I don't remember. Check that paper that they used to wrap the newspaper bundles."
And while you're at it, invite the newspaper carrier in for some Spam-tastic Sunnydogs for breakfast. Nothing starts the day like fried chunks of Spam in pancake batter.
I don't know anyone, except for facilities managers, who likes cubicles. The office space is noisy and you have just the illusion of privacy. Yesterday, the person in the cube next to me said, "I couldn't help overhearing that you're planning another trip." Many conversations begin that way - "I couldn't help overhearing." It could be worse, though. I was recently in an office building that looked a lot like the headquarters from Men in Black. There was a long, wide center corridor, open for several floors up, with cubicles on each side for the non-management grunts. The cubicles had two walls and a half-height third wall, leaving each person exposed to the world. There are people who claim that better office space will be one of the differentiators as companies try to attract and retain good employees. I doubt it. Once a cheap idea is established, it's almost impossible to shake it loose.
There's a nasty little worm that's set to go off on Friday (and on the third of every month) on Windows systems. Make sure that your anti-virus definitions are up-to-date and that you run a full scan. (If you update your definitions without doing a full scan, your anti-virus software won't be able to detect things that snuck in before the update.) Here's more about it from Microsoft. Those of you on Mac or Linux systems can laugh quietly to yourselves.
"I don't remember. Check that paper that they used to wrap the newspaper bundles."
And while you're at it, invite the newspaper carrier in for some Spam-tastic Sunnydogs for breakfast. Nothing starts the day like fried chunks of Spam in pancake batter.
I don't know anyone, except for facilities managers, who likes cubicles. The office space is noisy and you have just the illusion of privacy. Yesterday, the person in the cube next to me said, "I couldn't help overhearing that you're planning another trip." Many conversations begin that way - "I couldn't help overhearing." It could be worse, though. I was recently in an office building that looked a lot like the headquarters from Men in Black. There was a long, wide center corridor, open for several floors up, with cubicles on each side for the non-management grunts. The cubicles had two walls and a half-height third wall, leaving each person exposed to the world. There are people who claim that better office space will be one of the differentiators as companies try to attract and retain good employees. I doubt it. Once a cheap idea is established, it's almost impossible to shake it loose.
There's a nasty little worm that's set to go off on Friday (and on the third of every month) on Windows systems. Make sure that your anti-virus definitions are up-to-date and that you run a full scan. (If you update your definitions without doing a full scan, your anti-virus software won't be able to detect things that snuck in before the update.) Here's more about it from Microsoft. Those of you on Mac or Linux systems can laugh quietly to yourselves.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
In the middle of the middle of winter
Conventional wisdom has it that we should have at least half of our wood supply left by the end of January. Thanks to the warm weather, we're conventionally wise and can stay warm for the rest of the heating season. Today a light freezing rain is making for slippery passage, but it will warm soon and then the way will be just wet.
Some things shouldn't have to be illegal to make you not do them. Not doing them ought to be obvious. Ah, well, live free or die.
Although the Constitution says that, from time to time, the President must report to Congress regarding the state of the union, there is no requirement that the address be given in person. Presidents during most of the 19th century sent letters. Wouldn't it be nice if our current president did the same? I, for one, could do without the hour or two of his smirks on broadcast TV. If he's going to tell us that everything is getting better and that we should just keep shopping, we could learn about that in a letter.
Here's one explanation of why we don't get much work done at work.
We installed a couple of CO detectors this past weekend and found that the batteries had gone stale. The detector in the MacGregors' apartment started chirping during the night. They wound hiding it under a blanket until morning. Something such these self-charging smoke detectors would be handy.
Some things shouldn't have to be illegal to make you not do them. Not doing them ought to be obvious. Ah, well, live free or die.
Although the Constitution says that, from time to time, the President must report to Congress regarding the state of the union, there is no requirement that the address be given in person. Presidents during most of the 19th century sent letters. Wouldn't it be nice if our current president did the same? I, for one, could do without the hour or two of his smirks on broadcast TV. If he's going to tell us that everything is getting better and that we should just keep shopping, we could learn about that in a letter.
Here's one explanation of why we don't get much work done at work.
We installed a couple of CO detectors this past weekend and found that the batteries had gone stale. The detector in the MacGregors' apartment started chirping during the night. They wound hiding it under a blanket until morning. Something such these self-charging smoke detectors would be handy.
Monday, January 30, 2006
January: more thaw than not
The overnight rain continues to eat away at the snow cover. It looks as though the storm, forecast for tomorrow, will miss us. We may get a few inches of wet snow, but nothing like the nor'easter that we'd originally expected. I'm looking forward to spending a few days in the office. My pockets and briefcase are crammed with scraps of paper - expense receipts, notes to myself, and other stuff. It will be good to clear away some of the physical and mental clutter than accumulates during a time of travel. I have something like 15 hours of conference calls this week.
We've been cleaning out some cabinets, getting at the A/V nest of cables, adapters, and sundry other gozintas and gozouttas. One envelope was marked "Screw hole plug cover things" and dated 9/92, proof enough that a thing at rest tends to stay at rest.
"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain. G'bye, Juliet.
This just in. Half of the homes sold in December were sold for below the median price.
Whose whale is this? I think I know.
Danny Schechter, "The News Dissector," named his daughter Sarah Debs, giving her the initials SDS. (At this writing, Danny's blog web server is broken, but it may be back by the time that you read this.) I met Danny a few times back in the 70s. His dials are set to 11 almost all of the time.
Egad, my sushi just BSOD'd.
I think that a surprise Valentine's Day dinner here is likely to result in your being alone on the 15th.
We've been cleaning out some cabinets, getting at the A/V nest of cables, adapters, and sundry other gozintas and gozouttas. One envelope was marked "Screw hole plug cover things" and dated 9/92, proof enough that a thing at rest tends to stay at rest.
"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain. G'bye, Juliet.
This just in. Half of the homes sold in December were sold for below the median price.
Whose whale is this? I think I know.
Danny Schechter, "The News Dissector," named his daughter Sarah Debs, giving her the initials SDS. (At this writing, Danny's blog web server is broken, but it may be back by the time that you read this.) I met Danny a few times back in the 70s. His dials are set to 11 almost all of the time.
Egad, my sushi just BSOD'd.
I think that a surprise Valentine's Day dinner here is likely to result in your being alone on the 15th.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)