May 2012
1 post
Starbucks and I are out of sync—I finish my lunch break just ahead of my tea.
Which probably only says that I’m timing by the wrong mechanism.
August 2010
1 post
February 2010
1 post
2 tags
Dreams, A Personal Insanity
1.
It was kind of my friends to throw me a surprise party, but the jovial mood was tainted by the presence of my nemesis. I knew this stout black man from his neighborhood pool cleaning service but apparently he moonlighted as a cake baker. And tonight, not only was he baking my cake, he was extorting six dollars from me for a cake pedestal—whatever that was.
Ah well—I brushed it...
January 2010
1 post
2 tags
Questions About The Apple iPad
Well, the Apple tablet, the “iPad” was just announced. I was fairly accurate with my predictions for the device: 9.6 in. screen, 3G internet connection, $499 price tag. Now that we have the details we’re left wondering how this fits into our repertoire of technological devices. What can it do for me?
Developers seem to be on the fence. For the most part we’re thinking...
September 2008
2 posts
4 tags
Bernanke's "Principles"
“There are no atheists in foxholes and no ideologues in financial crises.” — Ben S. Benanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (source)
No, Mr. Bernanke, you are wrong on both counts: there are plenty of atheists in foxholes and many of us “ideologues” actually believe in our ideals. That’s what makes them ideals.
“They who can give up essential liberty to...
4 tags
Let No Good Deed Go Unpunished
So…the stock markets are soaring today on news that the government has banned naked short selling. Add this to the jumble of other awkward, piecemeal “solutions” they’ve vomited out and what it leads to is disaster.
Banning naked short selling is not a solution, it’s a bandage. No, it’s worse than that; it’s a faustian bargain. Yes, shorting creates bearish...
January 2007
1 post
3 tags
The Stock Game
I have a new form of entertainment in my life: stock trading. I’ve been watching the markets for a few weeks, and I made my first trade on the 16th, purchasing MLS when it was low, and riding it up. My investments have been very small thus far—roughly $1000. While that’s not exactly pocket change, it’s difficult to get away with much less. Assuming a brokerage fee of $13...
April 2006
2 posts
2 tags
Literally, A Web Log
Out of pure coincidence today I happened upon a blog directly related to my previous post. Check out Literally, A Web Log, “an English language grammar blog tracking the abuse of the word ‘literally’.”
2 tags
Using 'Literally' Figuratively
I have an on-going love affair with the English language. I have a vast appreciation for the many ways in which the language is spoken and written. I have great respect for those who devise clever word usages and linguistic manipulations. But in modern language there’s a particular failed attempt at such effect which is truly irritating…
The ability to use words figuratively is a...
March 2006
1 post
4 tags
Inferior Reimplementations of Web Services
I am getting really tired of every community-based website creator feeling the need to reimplement basic functions of the web. Why does every site have to have a ‘Message This User’ action? Has everyone forgotten about email? The problem of sending a body of text to another individual on the web was tackled long ago! Let it be!
Under the ‘I’m going to reimplement a...
January 2006
1 post
2 tags
Accept What You Eat
I can’t stand people who can’t accept the realities of what they eat. If you can’t eat a dead cow and admit to yourself that it is cow flesh, then you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
When I ate beef, I had no problem with the truth about what it was I ate. I’m sure, however, that every one of us knows one of those people who tries to shush anyone who mentions the...
December 2005
3 posts
2 tags
Firefox Tip: Creating Parent Directories on File...
I sometimes find that when I am saving files off the web in Firefox, I have to go through multiple levels of folder creation. I click the “create new directory” button, type a name, hit return. Repeat.
I just learned (after my determination that it would be a very handy thing) that you can simply enter a directory hierarchy (e.g. images/wallpapers/hairless_cats/1024x768/) and firefox will create...
1 tag
How to Write an E-mail
I guess there are a lot of unspoken rules of netiquette which pertain to writing email. Perhaps it’s simply too much for many people to pick up in casual correspondence with their grandmother, but for those of us who use email regularly, our experience has lead to a set of guidelines for how emails should be formatted. My intention is to impart the most important of these rules to those...
2 tags
USB Form-Factor
Whomever designed the physical shape of the USB (type a) connector clearly was not thinking.
You don’t make a plug which is symmetrical but yet can only be inserted one way. Half the time you try to plug a USB device in, you end of flipping it over because you had it backwards. Actually more than half the time since the plugs can be hard to slide in, so you think you have it backwards. In...
September 2005
1 post
2 tags
Buddy Icons
Buddy icons are an interesting feature. I’ve never really bothered to question why they exist. But I guess there are two legitimate reasons: (1) personal expression (for the icon picker), and (2) rapid identification (for the icon viewer).
The first one is simple, the second just relates to the fact that humans can distinguish a variety of pictures more rapidly than they can discern text. So it...
August 2005
3 posts
2 tags
Language Pet Peeves #2
Wow. Since I actually managed to post about language without having my ass chewed off by anti-grammar guerrillas, I have to point out one more which irks me.
“out loud”
When I was a kid many of my teachers would tell us students to read “out loud”. Later I learned the word ‘aloud’ and almost immediately realized that “out loud” was a lazy, colloquial bastardization of the word ‘aloud’.
Now...
3 tags
Windows Vista: The Wave of the…Present
As all my GNU/Linux friends probably know, Windows Vista (formerly ‘Longhorn’) Beta 1 has been released. Many sites are posting screenshots of the new features. Some of the new things are cool: virtual folders, in-file searches, etc. I was a bit impressed at first, but then I realized that every new feature in Vista is available on Linux systems already, although many are not standardly deployed...
2 tags
Language Pet Peeves #1
I have to bitch about this because nearly everyone does this now and then—including many writing professionals—and it’s just sloppy.
“for free”
‘Free’ is an adjective or an adverb (or a verb under the other definition), but never a noun. That said, you can get something free, you can get something free of charge, you can get something gratis, you can get something for nothing, but you cannot...
March 2005
3 posts
3 tags
The Tamagotchi Dream
You guys remember the Tamagotchi (たまごっち), right? The Tamagotchi was a virtual pet you could feed, clean-up after, play with, etc. It sounds kind of lame, but the cool part is that the Tamagotchi has a persistent idea of state. It’s never really off, it “lives”, even when you are not playing with it. And it has some simple evolutionary capabilities.
This has really been interesting me for a...
1 tag
An Advantage of America
One advantage of America is that it doesn’t have all the foolish historical baggage behind it that nations of Europe will always carry. For instance, the appreciation for noble blood.
America has always had a keener eye toward merit than any other means of determining worthiness.
1 tag
No Waiting for Food
You know, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s waiting for food. I don’t care what the food is or how nice the place is—it’s not worth it. I’d rather just leave for Wendy’s or something (at least it’s food). If I weren’t ready to eat, I wouldn’t be at a fricking restaurant! So either feed me or I’ll go eat elsewhere.
June 2002
1 post
2 tags
For One Day We Had a Pledge For Everyone
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.