Nov 30 2006
Customer Confidential is a well-written, amusing description of what happens when someone refuses to show their receipt at Costco and Wal-mart:
…there were about a dozen customers in line for “receipt review” at the exit. That represented about six extra minutes that I wasn’t being paid for, and so I rolled toward freedom. The employee “reviewing” [...]
Nov 29 2006
Take track of how much time you waste online by installing the FireFox add-on called TimeTracker. Like most FireFox add-ons, it takes about 3 seconds to download and not much more to install, and the default settings work just fine.
You can easily configure TimeTracker to filter out work-related sites, so you know exactly how much [...]
Nov 22 2006
I’m probably not the only one who would like one of these global warming mugs for Xmas. Too bad shipping from the states costs more than the mug.
Nov 21 2006
I first saw the Mentos eruption on MythBusters, where they dissected its cause and also broke the world record with a 33 foot high geyser (or something around there).
Buy a package of Mentos. They’re a mint candy that come in a cylinder wrapper. Get the regular flavor.
Buy a big bottle of Diet Coke [...]
Nov 21 2006
I saw a computer-generated film short called Pen Pals this past summer at the Nickel Independent Film Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and now it’s available for viewing on the animator’s blog: Art’s WunderBlög.
It’s an entertaining story about a pen and a pencil fighting to win the affections of a female pencil. They — the [...]
Nov 21 2006
Here’s a picture of a turtle I saw while kayaking a couple summers ago in Nova Scotia, and here’s a picture of a lake at a cabin I stayed at in North River, Newfoundland, a couple weekends ago.
Nov 15 2006
Last night I dreamt I met most of the people I only know through email and websites, people I haven’t met in person: Jim, Ashley, Rebecca, Darren, J-Walk…
My family drove to this wooden, rickety toll booth where Jim was sitting, with headphones and a cigarette, ranting into a microphone. He smiled and waved us [...]
Nov 14 2006
I paid my biannual Water and Sewage bill for my town today:
Water service: $170.00 (it’s a fixed rate - we’re not on a meter here)
Sewer charge: $58.00
Sewer treatment charge: $65.00
Total: $293.00. That’s paid twice a year (yes, I already wrote “biannual” above, but some may think it means “once every two years” instead of [...]
Nov 13 2006
Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster (8/10)
A boring man with a boring life hears a voice describing his actions (but much more literate, as he confesses in the movie) as if the voice is telling the story of his life: how he brushes his teeth, how he walks to work, and how he may [...]
Nov 10 2006
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”
— Philip K. Dick
I saw the quote on this video (love the music!).
Nov 09 2006
As a follow-up to Cauliflower Popcorn, I’m considering cooking Oven-Fried Onion Rings with Caitlyn. I need a recipe that: piques the interest of a five year old; has tasks a five year old can safely do; isn’t long or difficult to make; and something that sounds appetizing.
Nov 09 2006
10 practical suggestions on how to be ethical (i.e. not just for atheists; for anyone).
Thou SHALT NOT believe all thou art told.
Thou SHALT seek knowledge and truth constantly.
Thou SHALT educate thy fellow man in the Laws of Science.
Thou SHALT NOT forget the atrocities committed in the name of god.
Thou SHALT leave valuable contributions for future [...]
Nov 07 2006
A Collection Of Letters includes letters written to corporations about sometimes serious but often silly matters; however, because they’re well-written and professional looking, the corporations tend to take them seriously. For example:
…I figure that if you were to include small sealed packets of punctuation marks in your boxes of cereal more adults would find [...]
