Attempting to find significance in grades
October 31st, 2007 by MikeIt didn’t involve an F, but I have attempted this feat in my life.
(via the always eerily on point xkcd… and remember, don’t forget to mouseover the comic…)
Archive for October, 2007
Why the Saw movies are perfect for middle managers
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“Jigsaw, on the other hand, is a pedant and a bore, a Type A overachiever who is constantly creating ‘tests’ for the other characters and then grading the results. Chaos is his enemy; order and personal productivity are his friends. He’s a management drone leading the cast in a team-building exercise… It’s the liberating figure of the motion picture monster reduced to the status of a self-help guru. And he won’t shut up… It’s like an endless lecture from your mom” (Not you Mom!). #
The Ace Hotel in Portland » I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever considered visiting a city solely for the hotel. Although I hear they have best of breed public transportation. via (misssphinx) #
Jake Beckman » I have known Jake since he was a kid, but hadn’t seen his work until today (he is a sculptor). Wow. I especially love the gigantic converse sneaks he hung from a dorm while attending Swarthmore. #
I feel safer. » I was looking at the website for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and noticed that the “Working with ODNI” section of the website is “Coming Soon.” Not to be confused with the Careers section, this section is supposed to detail how various agencies can collaborate with the ODNI. Isn’t this the whole point of the ODNI? Not to worry, they have a 500 day plan to figure it out. Ps. While we are on the topic, go see the CIA’s new counter-terrorism logo over at Damon’s. #
10 words
October 22nd, 2007 by MikeIt’s rare, but some days I can count the number of words I say on two hands. Yesterday was one of those days.
Hello. Yes. No Thanks. Thank you.
Hey. That’s it. Thanks.
Excellent 5 part series on selective enforcement of laws
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Tim Wu looks at various laws and the conscious non-enforcement that accompanies them - Wu focuses on drugs, obscenity, copyright, the Amish, and immigration. #
Wonderful article in the National Geographic about memory. » The article focuses on AJ, a woman who can remember everyday of her life since she was 11, and EP, a man who can’t remember what happened to him one minute ago. #
More fun with updated books from the 60s » I have linked to this before (but I can’t put my finger on it). These side by side comparisons of Richard Scarry books from the 60s and 90s are priceless. #
The Annals of Dick and Jane
October 17th, 2007 by MikeA woman I work with recently asked me if I remembered Mike, Pam and Penny from the Dick and Jane readers. I assured her that she must have grown up with some bootleg version of the books because there certainly were no black characters in the series when I was a child.
Lo and behold - she was right. Back in the sixties, a black family actually did move in next door to Dick and Jane.
But by the time I got around to reading Dick and Jane in the late 70s early 80s, the black family was no where to be seen. Which raises the question, did the publishers create a transition title in the 70s called “White Flight with Dick and Jane” to explain why Mike, Pam and Penny were no longer around?
Dick: Look Sally. The moving truck is here. We are moving.
Sally: I am sad. What about our friends? Our friends Pam and Penny?
Jane: Oh no Sally. They are staying here.
Dick: Oh yes. They are staying. We are moving. Moving before the property values fall.
Evil Grimace
October 17th, 2007 by MikeThis came up a few years back (can’t remember if I posted it) but I called someone at the office Grimace today and that led to a discussion of the origins of Grimace. Back when he debuted in 1971 he was actually referred to as “Evil Grimace,” was to shakes as Hamburglar is to hamburgers, and sported 4 to 6 arms.
Evil Grimace
I want read/see the origin story of the “Evil Grimace.” I want to know how he found redemption and became Ronald McDonald’s Robin.
Apparently the young girl in this commercial is Jodie Foster. She totally sells her “No Shakes…” line. I get sad contemplating the lack of shakes in McDonald Land.
Brilliant or foolish?
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Hype Machine is ready to launch a new version of its site but won’t pull the rip cord until 10,000 users are simultaneously on the site. Note, the old version isn’t available, so they are waiting for 10,000 people to simultaneously keep their browser open to a non-functional splash page. As of 7:30 Eastern they are at ~3500. But I have to imagine many folks will close their browsers when they leave work and the count will essentially have to start over tomorrow. We just might be seeing how small the Techcrunch 53,651 really is. I, for one, hope they hit the number soon. I missed the Hype Machine today. #
What Did You Pay for Radiohead? ‘New York Magazine’ Staffers Confess » I am actually shocked that so many people in one office liked Radiohead enough to suffer through the downright pitiful payment and download process. Yes, I bought it - I settled on paying just under $3 quid. #
Silent Minds » “The thought of coma, vegetative state, and other disorders of consciousness troubles us all, because it awakens the old terror of being buried alive.” Slightly terrifying article in the New Yorker about whether folks in a vegetative state are conscious. #
My First Music Video
October 3rd, 2007 by MikeThe first music video I ever saw remember seeing. It’s from 1984, so I must have seen other videos before this. I imagine I am going to lose an evening searching for a video I can remember that came out on MTV before this one.
Can you call it from the still? I’ll take your word for it. Claim victory in the comments.
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