Cosmic Laughtrack Meets Twitter

The Universe has recently been having a great joke at the expense of Twitter.

On Monday, the folks at Twitter implemented a new "antispam policy" that addresses "aggressive following". In theory, this is supposed to affect "Twitter spammers", people who follow thousands in the hopes of getting some to follow back so they can then send messages. In practice, it affects real people, some of the more vocal and positive users of Twitter — the people Twitter should be not be upsetting!

Commercial accounts (e.g. JetBlue) have had to drop customers in order to add customers. High-profile Twitter users who evangelize Twitter to their clients and at conferences cannot add new follower/following relationships.

This is an incredibly stupid limitation that hurts real people more than "spammers". After all, potential spammers don't care if they have to drop 100 to add 100. The ones they drop weren't "buying" their services anyway. There's no "relationship" being lost.

So, where does the Cosmic Laughtrack come in? ...
       Continue reading "Cosmic Laughtrack Meets Twitter"

Great Food, Alternate Dimension

I had a wonderful dream last night! I was in a multi-story Asian restaurant where some sort of party or reception was going on. There were many buffet tables with all sorts of interesting foods - things that all made sense as "Japanese" or "Chinese" (but not in our dimension). I was trying things. They were delicious! And smelled great. ...
       Continue reading "Great Food, Alternate Dimension"

How Do You Decorate Your Cubicle?

There are times when I am so happy I work in Tech...

To see if people's professional image is affected by what's displayed in their offices, and how recruiters view job candidates who mention personal topics, researchers conducted two separate studies with corporate managers and recruiters.

The verdict? "Family photos, kids' artwork, and favorite knickknacks help personalize an office work space, but too many personal touches reflect poorly on an employee's professional image," says Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, who teaches management at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business (www.bus.umich.edu), and conducted the studies with two colleagues. Too much is about 22%: If more than one in five objects in your cubicle are non-work-related, others may regard you as less than serious about your job.

Ask Annie by Annie Fisher, Fortune senior writer; February 22 2008

Not from where I sit... ...
       Continue reading "How Do You Decorate Your Cubicle?"

I'm a Twitter Twit

Paul Downey writes:

Ruminating on Twitter constraints, I see two kinds of Twitterers emerging: Twits and Twerps.

A Twit sees Twitter as a presence service. Twits love the ambient intimacy twitter affords with their friends, and tweet to build a meaningful permanent record. They strive to entertain, to be profound. ... A twit uses an @reply primarily to reference a user for the benefit of their other followers, and use a direct message to communicate with someone where their followers are unlikely to be interested in the conversation. ... Twits always think about the question “What are you doing?”. A good twit will make you laugh, make you cry but above all feel connected.

Macbook Air

This week, Apple introduced the Macbook Air. I've been reading some of the articles, as well as the whining comments. ...
       Continue reading "Macbook Air"

Flowers and... Coffee?

The local Florist now advertises Coffee. It's Your Friendly Neighborhood Florist and Cafe. I'm trying to imagine what this would be like. The imagination boggles.

I love the smell of a flower shop. I've been known to walk into a flower shop just to stand and take deep breaths. Mmmmmmmmmm.

I like the smell of a coffee shop too. Coffee. Cinnamon buns. That sort of thing.

I'm not convinced these wildly different aromas belong in the same place. I think they would compete. I think they would clash.

I don't know what the result might be.. but my nose doesn't want to know.

Slippery When Wet

I've been taking CalTrain from the Millbrae "Intermodal" station since June 2006.

When I first started using the station, I noticed the large (approx 20 ft diameter) decorative tile circle in the center of the station. The tile is glazed and very smooth. If you're walking quickly across it, it's slippery on a dry day. It's very slippery when wet. ...
       Continue reading "Slippery When Wet"

Saying Thank You

Many years ago, I decided that if I wanted the right to complain when I received unacceptable service, I should also be sure to say "Thank You" whenever I received exceptional service. After all, most people only meet expectations. When someone exceeds expectations to a large degree, shouldn't you say something about it? ...
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Triple Antibiotic Ointment

We keep a tube of triple antibiotic ointment on hand for minor cuts and scratches. I find it works very well. We usually use Longs Drugs' house-brand Triple Antibiotic Ointment.

One day, when we were out of ointment, I was in another store. I bought a tube of Neosporin. As it happened, I had a sore spot in my nose at the time. I applied the Neosporin and ... ICK (nose to throat to tongue to blech!.) What's in this stuff?

I carefully read the label. Then I drove to Longs and bought a tube of Triple Antibiotic Ointment. ...
       Continue reading "Triple Antibiotic Ointment"

Scion xB: What Were They Thinking?!

We love our Scion xB. From the moment I sat in it, I was hooked. I had to have this car.

It handles beautifully. It has Head Room. It has more cargo space than one might imagine. And windows - does it have windows. No visibility problems in this car!

I'm so happy we bought one when we did. I also hope our 2005 model lasts a long time because after 2007 Toyota stopped making them. Oh, they still make something called a "Scion xB" but... what were the (re)designers thinking?!

It's... puffy. It looks like it's suffering a severe allergic reaction to something. The current colors are pretty but What's With The Smaller Windows?! Are they mad?

Toyota took the perfect car and "improved" it. And we all know what "New and Improved" means. With chocolate bars or dish soaps or cat food it means Run Out Quick and hit all the stores, stocking up on the "old" stuff before it's all gone. With cars it means be happy you got in when you did.

Better isn't always Better. But Better is always Different.

Two Bean Chili

Rich bought a can of chili the other day. The label read "Two-Bean, Beef, and Tomato Chili. I said "I can see kidney beans; what's the other kind?"

Rich fished something out of the pot. Looks like a bean... I wonder what kind. So, I read the label. And there in the ingredients, I found it. ...
       Continue reading "Two Bean Chili"

Managing by "Piles"

Most Time Management books argue against managing paper by "piles". They advocate making decisions as soon as the paper appears - respond, hand it off to someone else, file it appropriately, or throw it away.

Personally, I find a fifth category to work well. That category is managed as a pile (a stack, a box, a tray...). ...
       Continue reading "Managing by "Piles""

The World-Changing Web

I'm wearing one of my favorite t-shirts today. I bought it from the Rome Floyd County Human Society . I've never been to Rome, Georgia; I found the site (and the shirt) on the web. Some time back, someone I was talking to was saying how we should all support our communities by buying locally. I said I do support my community — my community is the Internet.

It Pays to Read the Label

We stopped into Walgreens for Chlorpheniramine Maleate, an antihistamine. Walgreens stocks their own house-brand (Wal-Finate) as well as the Brand Name Version, Chlor-Trimeton. The latter is available in blister packs; the 24-pill box costs $6.99.

In contrast, a 50-pill bottle of Wal-Finate costs $4.99. That was a pretty good reason to buy the house brand, but there were other considerations. I like to compare the ingredients as well. In this case, the medication is for a kitty. I pay even more attention to what I give the kitties than for myself. ...
       Continue reading "It Pays to Read the Label"

The Company That Employs Me

Code of Conduct

The Company that Employs Me has requested that all employees work through an online business ethics course called "Code of Conduct". No biggie there; it wasn't difficult.

However, I found myself greatly bemused by one section. Obviously, the authors of the course and I read different books... ...
       Continue reading "Code of Conduct"

I Want a Bluetooth Headset

I don't actually have any Bluetooth-enabled devices. But I still find myself wanting a Bluetooth headset... with a glowing blue light.

I'll never look like Seven of Nine, but I still want the glowing blue light perched over my ear.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Black Cat wallpaper by teddybearcholla
available from the Wallpapers section of wincustomize.com
"The finest collection of Wallpapers on the Internet!"

Friday the 13th

At lunch, our waitress mentioned that today was Friday the 13th. She said a black cat ran across her path this morning.

I said that a black cat crosses my path most every morning (and evening, and often in the afternoons as well). We agreed that when he's your cat, that makes it good luck.

Purrrrrrs.

Fear of Spinach

I had my favorite breakfast this morning - Eggs Florentine. The waitress said, "You don't want spinach". I asked why not. She told me there'd been a recall. I said "I think cooked is OK."

I went home and looked up the recall on Google. Approximately 100 people across the country (32 in Wisconsin) have been diagnosed with E-coli food poisoning. It may be linked to bagged spinach. ...
       Continue reading "Fear of Spinach"

Five Years Ago today...

I Say it's Still a Planet

I've been watching the nomenclature wars for years. First protozoans were renamed protista (did anyone ask their opinion?). Then centrifugal force was refuted and the force that makes an (ahem) centrifuge operate is now called centripetal (never mind that the result is exactly the same).

And now, where there were nine, there are eight. ...
       Continue reading "I Say it's Still a Planet"

Carnivore Palace Restaurant

My Work Group had lunch at a local restaurant as a sendoff for a team member who is moving to another group within the Company. We ate at a Korean BBQ buffet where you cook at your table.

Left to my own devices, I probably would have just eaten food from the buffet. I don't really "get" the idea of going out to eat and cooking - I go out so I don't have to cook. ...
       Continue reading "Carnivore Palace Restaurant"

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July, Independence Day, 230th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I have always admired Tom, Ben, John, and the rest.

Rich and I drove down to Stanford last night to watch the fireworks display. I expect there to be a smaller display in our neighborhood tonight after the sun sets.

We put out our flag. It has the standard field of stars but rainbow stripes, representing the Diversity of the USA.

Happy Fourth of July. Cherish your Freedoms. Protect the Constitution. Remember what the Founding Fathers had in mind.

Hit The Ball, Drag Fred

There's a joke that Rich and I like. A man is telling his friend about a recent golf game.

Man: I was playing a round of golf on Saturday with Fred. Fred keeled over on the 13th hole!

Friend: That's terrible! What happened?

Man: Well, I still shot two under par. But it was awful. For the next five holes, it was "Hit the ball, drag Fred."

I started a new contract on Monday. ...
       Continue reading "Hit The Ball, Drag Fred"

Inconvenience Store

Your Government at Work

I don't usually write about anything politically motivated, but there is a limit to my tolerance.

Spouse has a cold. He has a cough and a stuffed-up nose. Today, I drove to the nearest drugstore (10 minutes by car) to buy him some cough & cold remedy. ...
       Continue reading "Inconvenience Store"

A is For...

WordPlay: The Personal Dictionary Meme

A is For...

• Aardvark - You can't have an alphabet without an Aardvark!

• Alert - one of my favorite punny jokes: Be alert. California needs more lerts. We're short of loofs too. How about fluents? (Two fs, dummy!)

• Alliteration - In writing, I work in ways to weave my words (alliteratively).

• Alphabet - Playing the game.

Would You Want to Work Here?

I am looking for new employment. Consequently, I find myself viewing many many job descriptions and company descriptions. Some turn me off very quickly. ...
       Continue reading "Would You Want to Work Here?"

E is for Easy

When I was in Grad school, way back before I had email, I used to write letters to family and friends. Once a month or so, I'd pull out stationery and a pen and write a 5-page letter to my folks. I'd stick the letter in an envelope, apply a stamp, and take it to the corner mailbox.

Some years later, when I had email access but "most people" didn't, I'd type my letter on the computer, print it, stick it in an envelope, etc. Not much had changed (but at least my hand didn't cramp). ...
       Continue reading "E is for Easy"

So... What Do You Do?

In Monday's FC Now, Heath Row writes:

Friday's New York Times article about the coffee graders who work for the New York Board of Trade ... made me think about cool jobs in general.

What do you think are the most fascinating and interesting jobs?

Edgy New Podcast

Does the word "edgy" make you edgy?

O'Reilly Media sent out a press release today:

Downloads Soar for Edgy New Podcast
"DekePod" Entertains & Amazes--It's Your Money, Scan It!

Sebastopol, CA--Digital imaging guru Deke McClelland's new video podcast, "dekePod: The Pilot Edition," pulled in record downloads within a week's time...

Need To Know

What do you think? What would you do if you were the person asking the question? the therapist? another employee? ...
       Continue reading "Need To Know"

Numerology part 2

Happy Meals By Gender?

In a discussion mailing list I belong to, a recent conversation involves the April "Happy Meal" toys at McDonalds. You can read the initial posting on the web, complete with photos. ...
       Continue reading "Happy Meals By Gender?"

He Who Steals My Trash...

Unauthorized collection of recyclable materials is a violation of the Municipal Code. Anyone caught unlawfully removing these materials from a recycling bin may be prosecuted and is subject to a fine. To report a theft in progress, call 911 or the local police business line...

Run that by again? ...
       Continue reading "He Who Steals My Trash..."

It Only Makes Him Wonder?

"It makes you wonder if this is right lifestyle."

-- Cisco engineer Dave Givens experiences a moment of clarity after receiving the "America's Longest Commute" award for his seven-hour round trip (372 miles) from Mariposa, near Yosemite, to Cisco's San Jose headquarters.

Egad. These days, I think 45 minutes each way is too much.

But Why is it Green?

We buy 1% milk in plastic half-gallon (pottle :-) jugs. When we finish one, we rinse it and put the jug out with the recyclables. Occasionally there is a time lag between the rinsing and the recycling.

When that occurs, I turn the jug over to drain out any residual rinse water. For reasons I don't quite understand, this water is invariably yellow-green. Sometimes very green. It's difficult to believe that algae is growing in this few drops of water but... why is it green?

For The Numerologically inclined

01:02:03 04/05/06

Shorten My Sig - Not

I received an unusual email request today from SFFN.

SFFN is the San Francisco Freecycle Network. In case you're still unfamiliar with Freecycle, it's a "grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns." Membership is also free. If you have some item you don't want but would rather not throw it away, don't want the hassle of selling on Ebay, and just want to re-home, you can offer it on your local Freecycle list.

Let me repeat the important part of that.

You are offering to give something away that you no longer need or want that someone else does want. All it costs is a miniscule amount of time and effort. The entire transaction is FREE ...
       Continue reading "Shorten My Sig - Not"

Patently Ridiculous

Those of us who work in the technology industries know that the US Patent and Trademark Office has been in trouble for years. The PTO seems willing to grant just about every patent application they receive — for algorithms, genetic sequences, and ideas, as well as "real" inventions. ...
       Continue reading "Patently Ridiculous"

Egad! It's Tax Time.

Here we go again. Time for my yearly plug. :-)

I loathe tax time. I bear a deep and abiding dislike for the proportional tax system and I don't trust the IRS.

I also don't enjoy paperwork (although I'm far less allergic to it than Rich). If I had a choice, I would much rather not handle my own tax preparation. Unfortunately, we had a Very Bad Experience about twenty years ago; we're averse to trusting a third party to handle such an important financial process for us.

So, every year at about this time, I drag out this year's folder, stomp on my natural procrastination tendencies, and start typing numbers into little boxes. ugh. The good news — I type those numbers and the computer does the math. I do my taxes using Turbo Tax. The program handles the painful parts so I don't have to. ...
       Continue reading "Egad! It's Tax Time."

Tools for Harry Homeowner

Have you ever stopped to consider the wonderful additions we have been able to add to our household toolboxes? ...
       Continue reading "Tools for Harry Homeowner"

The Death of Handwriting?

Has this happened to you?

We spend our working days tapping into computers. We communicate with each other via email rather than letter. ...

Sodapop

What do you call that fizzy drink? Is it "Pop"? Or "Soda"? Or do you say "I'll have a Coke" even when the beverage in question is colorless?

Did you know that there are distinct geographical differences in how people refer to carbonated soft drinks? ...
       Continue reading "Sodapop"

Sudoku

There are books in the checkout line at the drugstore. There are ads on the web. It's popular. It's Sudoku.

Maybe it's me... I have always preferred word games. But I just don't "get"Sudoku. I mean, what is up with this?

At least the numbers aren't required to be added together to create some specified result. I originally thought that they were and I was really surprised that a math game would be so popular.

Still, I'm puzzled (pun intended). I guess it's just one of those things... Let's just hope it doesn't start to show up as part of a job interview.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.

Happy Birthday to me. :-)

AP Education

I took several AP (Advanced Placement) classes in High School — Chemistry, Biology, and English. I didn't take AP Math (Calculus) because I was a year behind my peers in math, having taken "Math II" when they took Algebra I; I needed that extra year before I "got" math. I didn't take AP History either (although all of my friends did). I never cared for History and had no plans to take any history courses in College. I never regretted that decision, especially when the AP History class always had a test on the faculty in-service afternoons (when the rest of the school was dismissed early).

I was not aware, however, that an increasing number of US states have been mandating universal availability of Advanced Placement courses in an effort to make college education accessible to a broader population of students. ...
       Continue reading "AP Education"

So Much to Do...

So Much to Do and So Many Other Things to Distract Me. I ordered this t-shirt for myself. I thought it would be appropriate. :-) It goes well with the following essay (found in many places on the net; author unknown) Do You Have Days Like This? I decide to take the car to the gas station, fill the tank and run it through the car wash. As I start toward the garage, I notice the mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I take the car.

Thoughts While Falling Asleep

So Little Moose, her brain go like that all night long...

Rich said "I wonder why it is... When I go to bed, I start thinking about things I need to do. And sometimes I'll stop thinking and fall asleep. And sometimes I'll get up and go make notes. But why do I think of all these things as I'm drifting off to sleep? And why do I not think as clearly when I am lying down? Is it possibly something biological, like the horizontal orientation of the brain or the systems trying to shut down?" ...
       Continue reading "Thoughts While Falling Asleep"

Of Resolutions and Priorities

res·o·lu·tion

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.
2. A resolving to do something.
3. A course of action determined or decided on.

For many people, it's a common practice at the beginning of a new year to compose "resolutions". The thought seems to be that each "new" year represents a blank slate and now is a good time to change yourself. Personally, I think one's birthday makes a better marker for change, but... New Years' Resolutions are the popular thing.

I've never done resolutions. If I want to resolve to change something, I'll do it when I think of it. (I buy presents when I think of them too, and send them throughout the year; I don't wait for Christmas or birthdays. But I digress.).

That said, I saw a suggestion two years ago that I thought had some merit and was better than making resolutions. You can make your list at any time during the year, revisit it again and again, and compare lists from year to year.

Instead of writing out your New Year's resolutions, take some time to sit down and reconsider your Priorities. ...
       Continue reading "Of Resolutions and Priorities"

Donut Papers

Have you ever noticed...

When I buy donuts, the counterperson picks up each donut using a 6x6 inch square of fresh tissue paper. Presumably, this is to keep from touching the donut.

Then he (or she) places the donut into a bag, or box, along with the square of tissue. Repeat for each donut.

So... if the reason for the tissue is to keep the counterperson's fingers off my donuts, why are the fingerprinted tissue squares placed in the bag? Am I missing something here?

Black Icing

Said icings now come in black (as well as the classic colors such as red, green, and yellow). Weird. I remember when brown was new...

(If you want to get really fancy, Wilton (the cake decorating people!) carries even more colors than you may be able to find on your grocers shelf.)

Happy Merry Ho Ho Ho

And to all, a Good Night

Staples Charges for Virus Scanning

Posted today on boingboing, a former Staples customer (Mike Langlie) complained that he was asked to pay a fee for virus scanning.

Today I visited a local Staples to print some color files. As an employee wrote up my order, he mentioned there would be a $2.49 fee per file for virus scanning. Incredulously, I asked if I am really expected to pay for my files to be scanned for viruses, to which he replied yes. I canceled my order and left.

Around Town

Scene at the shopping center

But... Starbucks doesn't serve donuts! (Oh, well... this _is_ California after all... :-) ...
       Continue reading "Around Town"

A Very Special Nickel

Imagine if you had a nickel, a very special nickel. With it you could buy a dream — any dream, but only one dream.

What dream would you buy? Hmmm... or would you keep your nickel? ...
       Continue reading "A Very Special Nickel"

A Correspondence in Correspondence

Both Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein relied on pen, paper, and the postal service to communicate with correspondents around the world. But researchers have now found the pattern of their replies is the same as that of computer users answering email today, with both following the same mathematical formula.

New Scientist magazine, 26 October 2005

This doesn't seem unusual to me. I tend to treat email as just another way to write a letter, a note, a memo.... The primary difference for me is that, when I was writing paper letters, I would write fewer of them, to a smaller set of people, and the letters themselves would be much longer. If I was going to sit down with pen and paper I might as well make the most of the time.

Using email, I write more often to more people, sending shorter messages at more frequent intervals. I keep up with my sister and with college friends - people I used to exchange letters with once or twice a year.

My mother, on the other hand, has moved from multi-page handwritten paper letters to multi-page typed and printed letters to multi-page (if I printed them) email letters. The biggest difference for her is that she now sends the same letter to both my sister and myself. I reply to both of them, including my Dad, keeping everyone "on the same page".

After all, what are letters (paper or electronic) but a way to communicate?

Fortune Cookies

The Universe is trying to tell me something. Being The Universe, of course, it's being cryptic.

I have been trying to make headway on "discussions" with The Company regarding the direction of my job. I have yet another meeting scheduled for today. Last night, the outcome of the meeting was unknown and unknowable.

Rich and I went out for Chinese dinner last night. These were the fortunes we got in our cookies:

You will be wise not to seek too much from others.

You will conquer obstacles to achieve success.

How Are You Feeling Today?

How Are You Feeling Today?

Are you Happy? Anxious? Sad? Disgusted? Overwhelmed? Confident? Hopeful?

How's your self-esteem today? How's your character?

Are you stressed? Depressed? Feeling angry? Feeling anxious? Feeling great?

For 15 years, Creative Therapy Associates has been producing materials that address the mental health and social issues of children and adults. Their products are useful and fun.

Take a look for yourself. Maybe order a t-shirt... Express your feelings in Latin perhaps. Or Esperanto? :-)

Once Upon A Time...

I had a dream in which I was somewhere where we were asked to tell stories... they were supposed to be about 3 minutes long. So I told one. In the dream, I was making it up as I went along. I didn't know how it would end until a good idea came to me as I was telling it.

...
       Continue reading "Once Upon A Time..."

Up and Running with Tiger

My new PowerMac G5 arrived yesterday afternoon. Hoorah! And yes, I managed to wait until I was done with my work day to start on the Grand Migration (although Rich opened the box and unpack the G5 onto a convenient table.)

First, I had to back up all of the files on my G3 for copying to the G5. The new hardware includes a different I/O interface; I can't just plug in the old disk drives. The good news is I get a nice new 400 GB drive. The bad news is that the backup and restore literally took hours.

Then Rich helped me swap hardware, putting the G5 on my desk (where it fits with a little room to spare and opens on the right side, thank goodness!). We dealt with cabling (power, displays, USB, Firewire, and network). We dealt with troubleshooting and ultimately replacing the one screen that didn't light up. Then I booted 'er up, started copying in all of my files, and headed off to bed. ...
       Continue reading "Up and Running with Tiger"

More "Back to School" Thoughts

I watched a boy walking to school today. He was pulling what I swear was a wheeled suitcase. Another boy trudged along the sidewalk wearing a backpack one third his own size. Neither child is unusual.

When I was in school we had desks. We had lockers. Did you?

Last fall I volunteered for Junior Achievement in a local 2nd grade classroom. The kids had tables and coat pegs. They may have had a little cupboard. I guess they carry all of their books and supplies back and forth every day.

I've read that people are developing back problems at a younger age. Watching the boy with the backpack, I don't doubt it. The wheeled suitcase seems bizarre but at least that boy wasn't carrying everything on his back. Still, I have to wonder... what's in that backpack?

Myself, I'm happy to have had a locker and a desk I could put books into at the end of the school day.

Spring Ahead!

I think today is my favorite day of the year. Daylight Saving Time begins today! Did you remember to set your clocks ahead?

April Fool

When I was growing up, I was usually happier when April 1 did not fall on a school day. Most people, especially children, are lacking in a sense of elegance and finesse. Thety equate "practical jokes" with whoopee cushions and dribble glasses, where success is measured on a scale from embarrassment to petty cruelty.

In past years, however, I have developed quite an appreciation for the elegance of high tech April Fools Day specials, such as Google's MentalPlex™ ("Search smarter and faster" - 2000) or their most excellent "patented PigeonRank™ system" (2002).

Commentator, from Cenqua, is almost believable.

The Commentator uses revolutionary real-time language processing to actually grok your code and add the necessary comments on the fly. No more doco to slow you down. Just install The Commentator and watch as your coding elegance is eloquently decorated with insightful, nuanced commentary ...as you type.

Consider how much imagination, thought, and sheer effort, goes into the more elaborate April 1 inventions (confections?), such as this technical tutorial (with code) for optimizing the idle loop in Apple's Darwin OS.

Just think, if we could harness some of that creative energy for something else we'd... wait. We can and do, during the other 364 days of the year.

Methinks They've Been Sampling the Wares

Part 3 in our "Fun With Spam" series (If you can't beat 'em, laugh at 'em).

Today we present a delightful bit of nonsense that might put Alice in Wonderland to shame!

The 84-chute-old berry was chao in a phonon anheuser after nascent gibbous a buteo whir to scoff the collie wonder chore.

"The lesson is allegoric after whitehorse," someday spokesman peru dahlia-tally usaf washbasin. "He's tangerine on his beige and weird conditions nanometer good."

earl news circuitous had crab that pullover Paul bocklogged emissivity on a bluebook after the baseball, but burnish-trestle said the spoken "had no dollop of pique intuition."

"astute means complimentary, which wasn't autocracy harrison, nor quagmire eros, nor vendetta compactify. skylark was no goldwater," he bronx.

Skylark was no goldwater and weird conditions nanometer good.

Just keep that in mind.

Fun With Spam
More Fun With Spam

Balmy Toads

Some software developers use combinations of dictionary words as registration codes. I have a lot of software from one such developer.

I recently registered a new application with them. I think this code is the best yet:

I can add that to my set; I also have:

dangerous room		(beware!)
jumping dolphins		(duh)
secret bicycle		(for riding to secret rendezvous!)
silver parrots		(a pretty image)
funky monster		(always)
unknown rhinos		(in cognito?)
heavy duck		(ouch!)
smooth candle		(often)
lively day		(occasionally)

The Value of Keeping Records

Some number of years ago, Rich went to a talk. He remembers the subject; it impressed him. I remember him coming home and telling me all about the talk.. He doesn't, unfortunately, recall the name of the speaker, the date, the title of the talk, or the location. Also unfortunately, the topic doesn't Google well.**

Rich says:

A while back, I attended a talk which (IIRC) described genes, neurons, tools, books, and programs as forms of memory. The speaker noted that tools store information in a useful but not accessible form and that books do the converse. Programs (ideally :-) do both.

I haven't been successful in finding this in Google; might any of you be familiar with the source of this notion?

More Fun With Spam

From a real spam I got today. I could probably enter it in some free verse contest...

Toward, self his help tell. White run king natural. Ride, such still help. Written paper, clock. These family, quick. True before, melody industry bat cost. Million up paint picture laugh appear. Century he tone call star. Though so this, him. Root came first cause bird even.

Fun With Spam ...
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Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day! Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter (at least in western PA). If you're where it's cold and snowy, stay inside and watch a movie. If you haven't seen Groundhog Day (starring Bill Murray) I recommend it. It's one of my favorites and quite fun. It's set in Punxsutawney; they even show good old Phil the Groundhog himself. I grew up in Pennsylvania. I've been to Punxsutawney. (Yes, that's the name of the town :-) Now I live in California. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, spring begins in February. There's pine pollen on the car in the mornings. Whether it's spring where you are or you're buried under the snow, I think Carlyle the Kitten has the right idea. Naps!

Men, Women, and Web Services

You've probably heard the statement that when it comes to communication, men are from Mars, while women are from Venus? A concept straight from the title of a book by John Gray, this highlights an idea made popular by Deborah Tannen (You Just Don't Understand) in 1990. When men and women try to communicate, they often seem to be from different planets.

On the other hand, I bet this is the first time you've heard of the idea that men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and web services are from Betelgeuse. :-) That's the title of a paper (in PDF format) that I found while surfing around on the web. The authors extend the theme to the problems of communicating between legacy applications and new Web applications. ...
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Winter Solstice

Today is the day of the winter solstice, the time of year when the sun stands still. The winter solstice, which occurs on either December 21 or 22, marks the shortest period of daylight — and the longest night — of the year. ...
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Thoughts for the Season

(Original author unknown)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen,
carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity;
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata,
but do not remember the people around me,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return;
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.

Love never fails.
Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust;
But giving the gift of love will endure.

Wishing you a joyous & meaningful Holiday Season!

Happy Solstice, Yule, Saturnalia, Christmas, Chanukah, Mid-Winter...

Consider it a Challenge

I just read an article entitled "How to Work with an Engineer". Rule #2 says " Engineers are natural-born problem-solvers." It's true. Give an engineer a problem (a challenge) and he'll find a way to solve it.

You may consider this the Engineer's corollary to the age-old wisdom, "Be Careful What You Wish For". As an example, never tell your engineering team that industry studies predict that they should be finding a certain number of bugs per thousand lines of code. If you do, tomorrow you will discover that the engineering staff has obliged!

Another case in point — up until the end of October, the Company I work for was providing 10 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts every Wednesday morning as an employee perk. At the same time, the finance team was thinking of ways to save money; the Company would like to reduce spending by $100K this coming year.

There was an employee survey; a lot of people said they don't need the donuts. The donuts cost a few thousand dollars annually. The donut purchase was cut.

The donut lovers were not happy. They did not revolt, however. They're engineers. They came up with a solution to the problem. ...
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Technology Moves Forward at the Grocery Store

Thirty years and more ago, your local grocery store used cash registers. Prices were marked on all items; the checker punched that price into the cash register and the total was calculated much like a desktop calculator with a paper tape.

Although the first patent for a bar code type product was issued in October, 1952, and the first bar code used commercially in 1966, it wasn't until 1970 that an industry standard was set. By 1970, the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code (UGPIC) was written; this evolved into the Universal Product Code (UPC) in 1973. In June of 1974, the first U.P.C. scanner was installed at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio. [ref: The History of Bar Code] ...
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Why not use spoons?

There's an anecdote from The Depression era...

A man is walking past a construction site where dozens of men are digging with shovels. He asks the foreman "Why don't you use a backhoe for this? It would take less time and cost less money."

The foreman shakes his head. "That may be true, but it would put all of these men out of work."

"Ah", says the other man, "If you just want to give them work, why not have them use spoons?"

I thought of this today at the Job. As I came across the parking lot, a man was out with the leaf blower. He's there most mornings at about the same time. ...
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Working Here, Working There

I worked from home on Tuesday. I got a lot done. I put in nine and a half hours without noticing. I didn't feel the need to "get up, get out, and get away". It was quiet. There were no distractions.

I got work done. I was productive. I felt relaxed. It was wonderful.

I had planned to work from home again today. I had hoped to make working from home a regular part of my schedule.

Unfortunately, there was a sinkhole in my road to productive off site work and I walked right into it. I made a fatal political error. I announced my intentions.

Bad move. ...
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Envying Snow White

Do you recall the scene in Snow White where she's singing and the bird comes and sits on her hand and they do a duet?

We have a bird feeder in our back yard. I filled it this evening and the birds were delighted. Sparrows, finches, a happy chickadee (who landed at the feeder and chirped at me just after I filled it) and even two nuthatches. They all visited again and again while I watched, after I came inside. Nuthatches are adorable; they hang head down from the wire around the feeder.

Behind the building where I work, there are little Oregon juncoes. I see them every day, flitting about. They're very cute with their little black hoods and russet vests.

When I was younger, we knew some people who had tamed the chickadees aorund their property. They could call them and feed them out of hand. Even I could feed chickadees that way when I was with them. Wow.

I want to be like Snow White. I want the little brown birds to come and sit on my fingers. That would be such fun!