Vote swapping:
The internet has become the place for political back room deals.
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April 30, 2005
My way:
Windows / Mac; vodka martini / gin martini; Updike / Roth; Ginger / Maryann... life is all about personal preferences. Add charcoal / gas to the line-up.
(For the record, I'm a Mac, gin, Roth, Maryann kind of guy, and I'll take the ease of gas grilling over charcoal any day.)
Nyuk:
Lawrence Summers might have avoided controversy if he confined his comments on male / female differences to why men do and women don't like The Three Stooges. Anything beyond that is taboo in certain circles.
Now scientists, even some at Harvard, are looking into real differences between the sexes, particularly in brain structure.
Backwards:
.ecivres sselesu yletelpmoc dna eerf A
The only prescription:
I guess More Cowbell! has jumped the shark if columns are being written to explain it.
News about news:
A personnel change at the Metro and a city funded freebie for the Globe are both featured in the Herald.
April 28, 2005
Blogs and business:
The Business Week cover story on blogs for business was as much designed to promote its own new blog as anything else (which, after all is the point.)
But still, it is good reading for executives who are curious or skeptical about how to harness blogs for business or other large promotable organizations.
(Unsure of what a blog is exactly? Wikipedia has the 411.)
Eight miles high:
Here are two panoramic views of the second floor of the Airbus A380 worth checking out. Amazing.
The test pilot said flying it was like "riding a bicycle."
Growing threat:
Spyware. It's getting worse, according to Eric Howes.
Massman curry:
Adam reviews the newly opened Thai restaurant in Roslindale. Verdict: "yum!"
Marsh gas:
Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched and the president was whisked to an underground bunker all because of ...rain clouds.
I guess it's better to err on the side of caution, but still, it doesn't speak well for the radar technology in the DC area.
Tiger review:
David Pogue reviews the new Mac OS, noting on security that "Tiger is the most impenetrable Mac system yet, filled with new defenses against the dark arts."
Overall, he says, "Tiger is the classiest version of Mac OS X ever and, by many measures, the most secure, stable and satisfying consumer operating system prowling the earth."
I'd say that was a thumbs up.
Low battery:
What's a few bucks more for a Fast Lane transponder battery. The pike should really think about just eliminating tolls altogether within 128 to make the lanes really fast.
Last call:
It would be nice to have one or two places that were open after two. But I also wouldn't want to live next door to one of them.
April 26, 2005
General Chow:
I wonder if this is a money making idea. I'll bet it is.
Singularity:
Scientists are planning to make black holes in the lab. Oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Gripped:
Carpundit noticed it too. The headline today was a bit over the top.
The Herald is a hungry beast that must be fed a steady diet of eye-popping, red-meat front page stories. That's why we like it. But I'd hate to think of what would happen if the food ran out.
Bad idea:
I would give the benefit of the doubt to anyone protecting themselves from an intruder in the home. But outside, loosening of self defense laws, as proposed in Florida and other states, can only, in my opinion, lead to tragedy.
Second act:
Weld confirms that he will run if Pataki decides not to.
I wondered yesterday; why would he be interested in a role that once bored him? Hmmm. Could the Hillary connection have something to do with all this?
Airport Road:
The stretch between the Green Zone and the Baghdad Airport has become a symbol of the failure of our efforts to secure the city.
April 25, 2005
COMMAND.COM
Thought DOS was dead? Think again.
Cartoon music:
This is the 'extended version' of the Simpsons Theme. Kinda like the long version of Light My Fire.
Actually, all of the Simpson's music can be downloaded from here. There's some great stuff available, especially the end credit variations. If you like Carl Stalling this should be right up your ally.
And don't miss the short classic, It Was a Very Good Beer.
No exceptions:
Everyone goes through the metal detector.
Heavy lifting:
Bill Weld already has a job. And we know he doesn't like to work very hard. So why this sudden interest in being a governor again? And, what does his wanting the position say about the demands of the job?
April showers:
Rain over the weekend was a drag, but it could have been worse.
April 24, 2005
Our own game:
A new arms race for a new century. Crocus City vs. the Mall of America.
Vera, Chuck and Dave:
At 64, Ellen Goodman writes eloquently about aging.
Also on the op-ed page, Elissa Ely on the subtleties of psychiatric diagnosis.
Cut and paste:
A new, quietly announced technique may signal a revolution in gene therapy.
Forward into the past:
The Acela. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Amtrack service was stuck in the past and a new, fast, light, modern train seemed like just the ticket.
But in retrospect, the Metroliner was fine.
Range:
Avian bird flu fatalities have dropped significantly. This sounds like good news, but it may turn out to be a bad thing.
Untucked:
A dozen ties worth $1,480.00? There's more than one crime being committed here.
April 23, 2005
Those damm teenagers:
Mailbox home-run hitting is something that suburban kids do for fun. Now, you can fight back.
Underground photography:
Traveling from Brooklyn to Midtown. This is a great NY subway photoblog.
Diminutive:
If you've ever seen those ZAP cars zipping around cities in Europe and wondered why we didn't have them here, wonder no more - here they come. It looks like a great way to get around the city; much better than on a Segway, and for not much more money.
BlackBerry thumb:
One more thing to worry about.
The Clear Skies bill:
It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.
Uphill:
Yeah, this guy would be competition for Menino. Not.
It would be nice to be able to root for the little guy, the average Joe in the race, but that could also be dangerous. Two words: Ray Flynn.
Quack, quack quack:
The Duck Tour drivers I don't mind. A few more would be fine. But those other tourist buses seem to be everywhere. No mas.
April 22, 2005
Browser envy:
An Apple software update has solved at least one Safari problem: the inability to display certain Blogspot layouts. Now I don't have to switch out to Explorer or Firefox to read Wavemaker or Squaring the Globe while on the Powerbook. (Other Blogspot sites worked fine, like Hublog. Go figure.)
Safari is now my favorite browser. I like the interface, it renders text beautifully, it's fast and now it seems to be compatible with just about all of the sites I visit regularly. And, I'm looking forward to additional improvements at the end of the month.
Secrets of highly effective people:
Carpundit finds a quote by Bill Delahunt on mastering technology, where he admits that he doesn't know how to turn on a computer. But then again, why would he need computers and email. He has people to do that stuff for him.
Not to defend Delahunt, who is often an embarrassment, but there are lots of effective people who are stymied by technology, and the amazing thing is that they can still be effective without it. As disorganized as I am, I need all the help I can get.
UPDATE: The Pope apparently doesn't have a technology problem. He can be reached at benedictxvi@vatican.va according to the AP. The next thing you know, he'll be blogging!
Get smart:
If a two newspaper town is a good thing, a three newspaper town should be even better, right? Adam on the potential Examiner. And Dan gives advice to the Herald: Go for the smart readers. But the smart readers are reading blogs.
(The Globe may be needing some advice as well, Dan.)
One more round:
Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis are apparently teaming up on a new TV show.
“Manny and I were out drinking and I finally got him to admit that his show was just a cheap rip off of Different Strokes”, says Coleman. “But the more we talked about it the clearer it became. If my show as a hit and Webster, which was just a rip off, was a hit, just imagine what both of us could do if we ripped off some other show.”
(Just the thought of Gary Coleman and Webster out drinking makes this worth posting.)
Late edition:
$25,000 for a newspaper? But all she wanted to do was check her horoscope.
Derivative:
In a five-paragraph review of the new Garbage CD in Rolling Stone, David Fricke manages to make the following references:
Nirvana
Sonic Youth
Smashing Pumpkins
Blondie
Deep Purple
John Bonham
Phil Spector
Blue Oyster Cult
New Wave
Kasabian
Bloc Party
Deborah Harry
New Order
Patti Smith
Marilyn Manson
Trent Reznor
Lou Reed
Sgt Pepper
Courtney Love
And they're not long paragraphs. But I guess that means he likes the CD.
Finger pointing:
The fickle finger of fate pointed to a public relations disaster for Wendy's, with business down by half. And although it may not help business, police have now arrested the woman who found the finger in her chili, and charged her with fraud.
April 18, 2005
Race Day:
Ernst Van Dy crosses the line to win the wheelchair race.
Catherine Ndereba won the woman's race for the second consecutive year.
Then she had to face the cameras.
A race official directs runners and wheelchairs on Boylston Street.
These folks had a good perch on the ten story Lenox Hotel, ...but I wouldn't lean too far back.
Others weren't so lucky and did the best they could, taking photos through a hole in the wall behind the bleachers.
The winner must be getting close.
Hailu Negussie crosses the finish line with no one else in sight.
Not a bad day's work in two hours, eleven minutes and forty five seconds.
April 17, 2005
Apples and oranges:
Survivalist:
I've known Billy Coulter for many years and I've no doubt that he'll cross the finish line tomorrow.
Extinction puzzle:
What was it that killed off the Neanderthals? A new theory says it was the lack of an organized trading society.
Flash is fast, flash is cool:
Here are several examples.
Off the map:
There's lots of bad news coming out of Africa: AIDS, genocide, Ebola and Marburg, war, poverty. But the good news is often overlooked: African businesses are prospering.
The little-known fact is that businesses are thriving throughout Africa. With good governance and sound fiscal policies, countries like Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal and many more are bustling, their economies growing at surprisingly robust rates.
According to the US Overseas Private Investment Corp, Africa offers the highest return on direct foreign investment. So why aren't foreign investors lining up? Good question.
Dialectical cynicism:
I'm not rushing out to buy Greil Marcus' book on Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone. And neither, apparently, is Jay.
Just listening to the song is enough for me.