I'll have what she's having...
"It's more effective for a woman than having 30 men."
Romania must be a weird and wonderful place.
6.28.2001
Microsoft to Stay Together - For Now
An appeals court has partially reversed the 1999 decision against Microsoft - apparently Microsoft, even though it is a monopoly, should not be forced to break up.
An appeals court has partially reversed the 1999 decision against Microsoft - apparently Microsoft, even though it is a monopoly, should not be forced to break up.
6.27.2001
Somebody's Having Fun
Unisys Corporation today issued a public apology for the many human inconveniences resulting from its invention of UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, introduced on June 14, 1951.
Definitely chuckle-worthy, and it looks to be for real.
link courtesy usr/bin/girl
Unisys Corporation today issued a public apology for the many human inconveniences resulting from its invention of UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, introduced on June 14, 1951.
Definitely chuckle-worthy, and it looks to be for real.
link courtesy usr/bin/girl
Comments Option Available Again!
Oh, I am just pleased as punch with myself.
I was driving home tonight and was struck with an idea for a post. The only problem was that I wanted to get feedback and without BlogVoices working, there was no way for me to do that (easily). I decided to do a little poking around and I quite accidentally stumbled upon Reblogger, an alternative comments script. The installation was very simple, just a few minutes of copying and pasting and voila! And not only does it work, it has a counter capability that allows me (and you) to see at a glance if there is already a discussion going on.
I can't vouch for its stability yet, and the counter aspect may cause congestion on the host server, but I'm glad to have discussion capability again and will take it one day at a time.
Discuss!
Oh, I am just pleased as punch with myself.
I was driving home tonight and was struck with an idea for a post. The only problem was that I wanted to get feedback and without BlogVoices working, there was no way for me to do that (easily). I decided to do a little poking around and I quite accidentally stumbled upon Reblogger, an alternative comments script. The installation was very simple, just a few minutes of copying and pasting and voila! And not only does it work, it has a counter capability that allows me (and you) to see at a glance if there is already a discussion going on.
I can't vouch for its stability yet, and the counter aspect may cause congestion on the host server, but I'm glad to have discussion capability again and will take it one day at a time.
Discuss!
Do you think if I asked politely that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would change his last name to something else? I have trouble whenever I read his name - if it appears as Ariel Sharon, I pronounce it correctly, as "Share-own". If, however, the headline uses only last names, such as the New York Times headline Bush and Sharon Differ on Ending Violence, I invariably read it as the girl's name "Share-on". Drives me nuts!
6.26.2001
6.25.2001
Well, Whadya Know
Why do we sometimes call someone with below average intelligence a moron?
Moron was a word coined in 1910. It seems that psychologists, never happy unless they can stick a label on someone, felt they needed a new word to describe people who were quite slow on the uptake. So, in that year, at the convention of The American Association for the Study of the Feeble Minded ("moron" did symbolize progress), the delegates went to work. Someone remembered that the French dramatist, Moliere, had written a play in which a stupid character was named Moron (ancient Greek for stupid was "moros"). Voila! Everyone went home happy.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Why can't you buy cashew nuts in the shell?
Cashews have no shells. What's more, they're not nuts. The cashew is a seed, just like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. They grow on shrubs and hang from cashew apples, which also taste pretty good. Anyone who tells you otherwise IS a nut.
[source: Imponderables: The Solution To The Mystery Of Everyday Life by David Feldman]
Why do we sometimes call someone with below average intelligence a moron?
Moron was a word coined in 1910. It seems that psychologists, never happy unless they can stick a label on someone, felt they needed a new word to describe people who were quite slow on the uptake. So, in that year, at the convention of The American Association for the Study of the Feeble Minded ("moron" did symbolize progress), the delegates went to work. Someone remembered that the French dramatist, Moliere, had written a play in which a stupid character was named Moron (ancient Greek for stupid was "moros"). Voila! Everyone went home happy.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Why can't you buy cashew nuts in the shell?
Cashews have no shells. What's more, they're not nuts. The cashew is a seed, just like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. They grow on shrubs and hang from cashew apples, which also taste pretty good. Anyone who tells you otherwise IS a nut.
[source: Imponderables: The Solution To The Mystery Of Everyday Life by David Feldman]
Invisibles
Invisibles #29, for some time-wasting fun. I got 7 out of 8 again! The only one I can't get is the one with the guy in the baseball cap with the sleeping kids. There's a new visual quiz at Filmwise, too - Movie Combos. Some of these images are pretty funny. I managed to figure out all but #'s 3 and 5. How did you do?
Invisibles #29, for some time-wasting fun. I got 7 out of 8 again! The only one I can't get is the one with the guy in the baseball cap with the sleeping kids. There's a new visual quiz at Filmwise, too - Movie Combos. Some of these images are pretty funny. I managed to figure out all but #'s 3 and 5. How did you do?
Ten years of genocidal tyranny and all we got was THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT!!
(Ten years is a completely made-up number)
(Ten years is a completely made-up number)
Photo courtesy Dreamworks SKG Fansite
Have you all seen Shrek yet? In one of the film's funniest scenes Lord Farquaad mercilessly tortures The Gingerbread Man, who in my opinion steals the movie. Apparently, Entertainment Weekly magazine agrees with me; in this week's print issue, devoted to its annual "It List", Gingy's bit part gets noticed:
Shrek's Gingerbread Man
*It Scene Stealer*
AGE: "I'm actually 76," says the upstart bit player in Dreamworks' computer-animated smash Shrek. "I was baked back in 1925 as a Christmas gift and shared a tin with a fruitcake for years...an unpleasant memory I'd prefer not to discuss." WHY HIS VOICE IS SO HIGH: "I am, as Howard Stern says, hung like a raisin - literally." ON WORKING WITH JOHN LITHGOW: Despite the reciprocal torture pictured here, Gingy has nothing but respect for his Shrek costar, the actor behind the gumdrop-yanking Lord Farquaad. "What can I say about John...he was a real treat. We really fed off of each other, so to speak - he a little more than I." COOKIE NOOKY: "I used to date Little Debbie until I found out she was a real Ho Ho. I'm currently seeing a Po-Tart, though I'm reluctant to say what flavor." WORK HABITS: Between takes, "I like to get laid on a cookie sheet." BEAUTY SECRET: To stay soft and supple, Gingy sleeps in a Tupperware container. WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT: "My Lord and Baker, Julia Child. Amen." NEXT: "Dreamworks and I are negotiating my contract for stipulations for the Shrek sequel. You want the man, you gotta grease the pan, if you know what I mean."
Monday, Monday
Only God knows why I'm feeling so chipper this morning, but I thought I would take advantage of it while I could and wish you all a good day.
I am highly jealous of my friends Holly and Krys on this beautiful summer morning - they are camping somewhere up in the Northeast, which is exactly what I wish I was doing right now. I love waking up and emerging from the tent to the smell of bacon cooking. Damn, I'm hungry.
Have a good one, everyone, and watch out for those bears this time, H&K!
Only God knows why I'm feeling so chipper this morning, but I thought I would take advantage of it while I could and wish you all a good day.
I am highly jealous of my friends Holly and Krys on this beautiful summer morning - they are camping somewhere up in the Northeast, which is exactly what I wish I was doing right now. I love waking up and emerging from the tent to the smell of bacon cooking. Damn, I'm hungry.
Have a good one, everyone, and watch out for those bears this time, H&K!
6.24.2001
Earth to Captain Tony...
In the bedroom area stands a cardboard cutout of Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
In the bedroom area stands a cardboard cutout of Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Auuuggghhh!!
WARNING: This photo may cause nightmares in small children. Please make sure you have sent them out of the room before viewing this picture.
WARNING: This photo may cause nightmares in small children. Please make sure you have sent them out of the room before viewing this picture.
Whoa! Three days since my last entry? Jeepers. Funny how time slips away.
Friday was a complete wash, as was yesterday. I spent the workday on Friday on the road and then spent the evening at my Uncle Pete's. Yesterday I went to my cousin's daughter's high school graduation party. Cripes, it seems not so long ago that all the cousins were going to each other's graduation parties. It was a nice day, despite the occasional torrential downpours. Megan is a lovely young girl and I wish her all the best.
The rest of the evening was devoted to visiting my sick father. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease this week and was in so much pain yesterday that he couldn't stand. He has severe joint pain in his left hip and knee, the poor thing. So, we brought him some ice cream and sat around yacking for a couple of hours. There's not much he can do but take his pills and ride this thing out. I hope he's not laid up for too much longer.
Well, the weekend is just about over, which means I have to start preparing myself mentally for the return to work. To that end I will proceed immediately to the couch, where I will veg in front of the TV and probably indulge in a snooze.
Friday was a complete wash, as was yesterday. I spent the workday on Friday on the road and then spent the evening at my Uncle Pete's. Yesterday I went to my cousin's daughter's high school graduation party. Cripes, it seems not so long ago that all the cousins were going to each other's graduation parties. It was a nice day, despite the occasional torrential downpours. Megan is a lovely young girl and I wish her all the best.
The rest of the evening was devoted to visiting my sick father. He was diagnosed with Lyme disease this week and was in so much pain yesterday that he couldn't stand. He has severe joint pain in his left hip and knee, the poor thing. So, we brought him some ice cream and sat around yacking for a couple of hours. There's not much he can do but take his pills and ride this thing out. I hope he's not laid up for too much longer.
Well, the weekend is just about over, which means I have to start preparing myself mentally for the return to work. To that end I will proceed immediately to the couch, where I will veg in front of the TV and probably indulge in a snooze.
6.21.2001
Moon Over Zimbabwe
The New York Times has a great article on today's solar eclipse as it was viewed in Zimbabwe. I especially liked this quote:
"Phiri gave an excited commentary, watching in awe as the last glint of sunlight combined with the halo around the moon to create a celestial diamond ring. 'I wish I could take that and give it to my girlfriend, just put it on her finger,' he said."
The pictures accompanying the article are good, too. But the best picture has to be at Yahoo - take a look at this character.
The New York Times has a great article on today's solar eclipse as it was viewed in Zimbabwe. I especially liked this quote:
"Phiri gave an excited commentary, watching in awe as the last glint of sunlight combined with the halo around the moon to create a celestial diamond ring. 'I wish I could take that and give it to my girlfriend, just put it on her finger,' he said."
The pictures accompanying the article are good, too. But the best picture has to be at Yahoo - take a look at this character.
6.20.2001
The Fifth Annual Webby Awards are approaching quickly - have you voted? What are the Webby Awards, you ask? Well, according to their site:
The Webby Awards presents two honors in each category: The Webby Award and The People's Voice Award. Judges from The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select on the nominees for both awards, and the winners of The Webby Awards. The online community determines the winners of The People's Voice Awards.
...
From online galleries and up-to-the-second news sources, to interplanetary exploration and cyber-communities, The Webby Awards nominees exemplify the kinds of sites that Internet users should visit every day for information and entertainment. In addition, The Academy honors individuals for significant achievements and major contributions that have shaped the industry.
So, I invite you to log on and vote for your favorite websites at the Webby's People's Voice Awards. The awards will be webcast on July 18 and will be hosted by Sam Donaldson (weird!).
Shameless promotion time...In order to show your gratitude to the exemplary personal publishing service that allows me to enthrall you all with my brilliance, a vote for Blogger (in the "Personal" category) will help to promote a great provider of independent publishing on the web. Thanks!
Gotta run - a storm's a'comin'!
The Webby Awards presents two honors in each category: The Webby Award and The People's Voice Award. Judges from The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select on the nominees for both awards, and the winners of The Webby Awards. The online community determines the winners of The People's Voice Awards.
...
From online galleries and up-to-the-second news sources, to interplanetary exploration and cyber-communities, The Webby Awards nominees exemplify the kinds of sites that Internet users should visit every day for information and entertainment. In addition, The Academy honors individuals for significant achievements and major contributions that have shaped the industry.
So, I invite you to log on and vote for your favorite websites at the Webby's People's Voice Awards. The awards will be webcast on July 18 and will be hosted by Sam Donaldson (weird!).
Shameless promotion time...In order to show your gratitude to the exemplary personal publishing service that allows me to enthrall you all with my brilliance, a vote for Blogger (in the "Personal" category) will help to promote a great provider of independent publishing on the web. Thanks!
Gotta run - a storm's a'comin'!
The coolest thing about these glasses is their name. And they don't even mention where they got it from!
6.19.2001
OK, that's enough playing around with this thing for the night. I'll be adding more links and favorites and that sort of thing to this page soon. I was just tired of that red. The page needed to be more open, and now that it's summer, I wanted a lighter feel to it. Silly, I know, but hey, I can do what I want with it. ;)
"...if the stories sound too good or too bad to be true, they probably are. "
Remember John Sacrosante, the homeless dot.com casualty that I couldn't quite muster up sympathy for? Well, it looks like my instincts still serve me well. (For the most part)
Remember John Sacrosante, the homeless dot.com casualty that I couldn't quite muster up sympathy for? Well, it looks like my instincts still serve me well. (For the most part)
The IronMan says that not even he can play forever.
In a nifty little coincidence, Lou Gehrig was born on this day, June 19, in 1903.
'Scuse me while I whip this out...
"The greatest comedy plays against the greatest tragedy," he has said. "Comedy is a red rubber ball and if you throw it against a soft, funny wall, it will not come back. But if you throw it against the hard will of ultimate reality, it will bounce back and be very lively."
Silly man knocks 'em dead on Broadway. If I'm lucky I might be able to get tickets for next summer.
"The greatest comedy plays against the greatest tragedy," he has said. "Comedy is a red rubber ball and if you throw it against a soft, funny wall, it will not come back. But if you throw it against the hard will of ultimate reality, it will bounce back and be very lively."
Silly man knocks 'em dead on Broadway. If I'm lucky I might be able to get tickets for next summer.
6.18.2001
Well, Whadya Know
Why do we call that children's game hopscotch?
The game - called scotch hoppers in the seventeenth century - - is played on squares cut into the ground or marked on pavement. The name was derived from the Old French word "escocher," which meant to cut or mark. It was anglicized to "scotch." From the same source, we get the expression, to "scotch a rumor." And butterscotch - didn't you ever wonder about that? - is simply butter-colored candy cut into squares.
[source: A Browser's Dictionary by John Ciardi]
Why do we associate Dalmatians with firemen?
The answer is simple. The key facts are that there is a natural affinity between Dalmatians and horses, and Dalmatians make good watchdogs. People who owned valuable horses often kept Dalmatians around to guard them against horse thieves. Fire engines used to be drawn by fast and powerful horses, a tempting target for thieves. So, Dalmatians were kept in the firehouse as deterrence to theft. The horses have long since gone, but the Dalmatians, by tradition, have stayed.
[source: The Handy Science Answer Book compiled by The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
Why do we call that children's game hopscotch?
The game - called scotch hoppers in the seventeenth century - - is played on squares cut into the ground or marked on pavement. The name was derived from the Old French word "escocher," which meant to cut or mark. It was anglicized to "scotch." From the same source, we get the expression, to "scotch a rumor." And butterscotch - didn't you ever wonder about that? - is simply butter-colored candy cut into squares.
[source: A Browser's Dictionary by John Ciardi]
Why do we associate Dalmatians with firemen?
The answer is simple. The key facts are that there is a natural affinity between Dalmatians and horses, and Dalmatians make good watchdogs. People who owned valuable horses often kept Dalmatians around to guard them against horse thieves. Fire engines used to be drawn by fast and powerful horses, a tempting target for thieves. So, Dalmatians were kept in the firehouse as deterrence to theft. The horses have long since gone, but the Dalmatians, by tradition, have stayed.
[source: The Handy Science Answer Book compiled by The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
High Heeled Hell
I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again - I hope the man who invented high-heeled shoes (and you know it was a man) is spending eternity in 3-inch heels. And not just walking around in them. No, he has to go up and down stairs, carry heavy objects, go grocery shopping, dance for 2 hours at a stretch and drive a stick. Every day. For eternity.
If I ever think of wearing these damn strappy 3-inch heels to work again, please slap me. Hard.
I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again - I hope the man who invented high-heeled shoes (and you know it was a man) is spending eternity in 3-inch heels. And not just walking around in them. No, he has to go up and down stairs, carry heavy objects, go grocery shopping, dance for 2 hours at a stretch and drive a stick. Every day. For eternity.
If I ever think of wearing these damn strappy 3-inch heels to work again, please slap me. Hard.
I missed the first half of Dennis Miller this weekend (of course!). Here's a snippet from this week's rant on Death (you can read the entire rant at his site):
There is a school of thought, usually promulgated by the topaz-jewelry-wearing, multiple-cat owning, ancient-Volvo-with-"Practice Random Kindness And Senseless Acts Of Beauty"-bumpersticker-driving segment of our population, that says we as a society need to remove the stigma from death and regard it as just another part of life. These rainbow-and-unicorn simpletons ask, "Why do we insist on portraying death as cruel?" Well, it's difficult to answer that question, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say, because it fucking kills us.
Does the prospect of my death frighten me? Hell yes. Do I think about it often? Hell no.
There is a school of thought, usually promulgated by the topaz-jewelry-wearing, multiple-cat owning, ancient-Volvo-with-"Practice Random Kindness And Senseless Acts Of Beauty"-bumpersticker-driving segment of our population, that says we as a society need to remove the stigma from death and regard it as just another part of life. These rainbow-and-unicorn simpletons ask, "Why do we insist on portraying death as cruel?" Well, it's difficult to answer that question, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say, because it fucking kills us.
Does the prospect of my death frighten me? Hell yes. Do I think about it often? Hell no.
Oh, my.
Er...Anyone else feel like they just intruded on a private moment?
And while we're at it...
Distracted, President Bush forgets what exactly it was he was reaching for...
Er...Anyone else feel like they just intruded on a private moment?
And while we're at it...
Distracted, President Bush forgets what exactly it was he was reaching for...
Quiz Time
Invisibles #28 is up, and it's not as hard as last week - I got 7 out of 8! Anyone know where the one with the bowtie-wearing man is from? You can see last week's answers and top scores here.
Filmwise also has other quizzes at their site, Text and Visual, and they've posted some new ones. Dog Days is a visual quiz that asks you to name the movie in which the dog(s) pictured appeared. I apparently do not pay too much attention to dogs in movies - I only got 2 out of 12 correct. I fared much better with the Text quizzes - Movie Limericks asks you to identify a film by a limerick (10 is my favorite - but watch out, 12 spoils the end of the movie it is describing), and I got 11 out of 12. I am ashamed to say that I missed a perfect score because I couldn't remember where I heard him yelling, "Aunt Beru!"
Invisibles #28 is up, and it's not as hard as last week - I got 7 out of 8! Anyone know where the one with the bowtie-wearing man is from? You can see last week's answers and top scores here.
Filmwise also has other quizzes at their site, Text and Visual, and they've posted some new ones. Dog Days is a visual quiz that asks you to name the movie in which the dog(s) pictured appeared. I apparently do not pay too much attention to dogs in movies - I only got 2 out of 12 correct. I fared much better with the Text quizzes - Movie Limericks asks you to identify a film by a limerick (10 is my favorite - but watch out, 12 spoils the end of the movie it is describing), and I got 11 out of 12. I am ashamed to say that I missed a perfect score because I couldn't remember where I heard him yelling, "Aunt Beru!"
6.17.2001
Tom
In honor of Father's Day, Joel Siegel has come up with a list of movies to watch with your father. Personally, I would prefer to watch an old Abbott and Costello movie, or one of those Bowery Boys flicks, like the ones we would often watch on Sunday mornings. Or maybe one of those B horror movies they used to show on channel 5 on Saturday afternoons, before it was FOX 5 and all weekend programming that wasn't sports-related was an infomercial. WNEW out of New York City aired a program called Creature Feature on those afternoons, usually spotlighting some gothic Hammer Studios vampire movie or maybe a Japanese monster movie like Godzilla vs. Mothra. I used to love watching those movies with my father. My parents were divorced when I was very young and my sisters and I saw him every other weekend. Some may not consider sitting and watching a movie quality time with your father, but I disagree. Sitting and laughing along with Daddy at the bumbling Lou Costello or the poorly-dubbed dialogue in a Japanese monster movie was a way for me to share something with him. And nothing makes a kid feel more grown-up than to be in on the joke. Thanks, and Happy Father's Day, Daddy.
Also, for more father-related reading, check out this salon.com column, a moving reflection on an alcoholic father. Don't worry, it's not as depressing as it sounds.
In honor of Father's Day, Joel Siegel has come up with a list of movies to watch with your father. Personally, I would prefer to watch an old Abbott and Costello movie, or one of those Bowery Boys flicks, like the ones we would often watch on Sunday mornings. Or maybe one of those B horror movies they used to show on channel 5 on Saturday afternoons, before it was FOX 5 and all weekend programming that wasn't sports-related was an infomercial. WNEW out of New York City aired a program called Creature Feature on those afternoons, usually spotlighting some gothic Hammer Studios vampire movie or maybe a Japanese monster movie like Godzilla vs. Mothra. I used to love watching those movies with my father. My parents were divorced when I was very young and my sisters and I saw him every other weekend. Some may not consider sitting and watching a movie quality time with your father, but I disagree. Sitting and laughing along with Daddy at the bumbling Lou Costello or the poorly-dubbed dialogue in a Japanese monster movie was a way for me to share something with him. And nothing makes a kid feel more grown-up than to be in on the joke. Thanks, and Happy Father's Day, Daddy.
Also, for more father-related reading, check out this salon.com column, a moving reflection on an alcoholic father. Don't worry, it's not as depressing as it sounds.
Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
As fans of Monty Python's Holy Grail are most surely aware, the film will be released on DVD in the fall. The "enhanced" DVD version of the film will include 23 seconds of never-before-seen footage, as well as stereo sound. Ooo. Salon.com's cover story is a very silly interview with John Cleese and Terry Jones.
Oh, and by-the-way...Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!
As fans of Monty Python's Holy Grail are most surely aware, the film will be released on DVD in the fall. The "enhanced" DVD version of the film will include 23 seconds of never-before-seen footage, as well as stereo sound. Ooo. Salon.com's cover story is a very silly interview with John Cleese and Terry Jones.
Oh, and by-the-way...Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!
6.15.2001
More dot.com casualties...
From salon.com:
John Sacrosante, who earned more than $100,000 a year as a free-lance database engineer, spent his 39th birthday last week with the "brothers" he met at the church shelter where he has been living.
I know I should feel more sorry for these guys than I do. But I don't. I mean, you make $100,000 one year and then you have no money the next year? Where did it go? If you were working 110 hours per week, how did you manage to spend it? And don't you think it might be a good idea to move somewhere where the cost of living wasn't through the roof?
From salon.com:
John Sacrosante, who earned more than $100,000 a year as a free-lance database engineer, spent his 39th birthday last week with the "brothers" he met at the church shelter where he has been living.
I know I should feel more sorry for these guys than I do. But I don't. I mean, you make $100,000 one year and then you have no money the next year? Where did it go? If you were working 110 hours per week, how did you manage to spend it? And don't you think it might be a good idea to move somewhere where the cost of living wasn't through the roof?
Farscape Continues...
Television's best space opera is back after a brief hiatus. Farscape (another Saturn Award winner) returns tonight to the Sci-Fi Channel with an all-new episode entitled, "Thanks for Sharing", airing at 9:00 P.M. EST (with an encore showing at midnight). What's wrong with Talyn? Will we ever see Zhaan again? And what are they going to do with two - yes, 2 - John Crichtons?? [I could think of a few uses for them, but this is a family show - sorta]
Tune in as Season 3 of Farscape continues...
(For those of you tuning in tonight - Enjoy!)
Television's best space opera is back after a brief hiatus. Farscape (another Saturn Award winner) returns tonight to the Sci-Fi Channel with an all-new episode entitled, "Thanks for Sharing", airing at 9:00 P.M. EST (with an encore showing at midnight). What's wrong with Talyn? Will we ever see Zhaan again? And what are they going to do with two - yes, 2 - John Crichtons?? [I could think of a few uses for them, but this is a family show - sorta]
Tune in as Season 3 of Farscape continues...
(For those of you tuning in tonight - Enjoy!)
6.14.2001
At last, it's official. According to The Onion:
Vatican Declares Hours Between 3 A.M., 5:30 A.M. 'Ungodly'
V A T I C A N C I T Y-- In the first papal edict against a time of day since 1560, Pope John Paul II declared the two-and-a-half-hour interval between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. "wholly ungodly." "If a man dares to come home during these demonic hours, he shall be declared anathema," said His Holiness. "Likewise, anyone calling during these hours shall face excommunication." The pope added that in some cases, devout Catholics may receive special dispensation from a priest in a different time zone.
Vatican Declares Hours Between 3 A.M., 5:30 A.M. 'Ungodly'
V A T I C A N C I T Y-- In the first papal edict against a time of day since 1560, Pope John Paul II declared the two-and-a-half-hour interval between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. "wholly ungodly." "If a man dares to come home during these demonic hours, he shall be declared anathema," said His Holiness. "Likewise, anyone calling during these hours shall face excommunication." The pope added that in some cases, devout Catholics may receive special dispensation from a priest in a different time zone.
Well done.
The 27th Annual Saturn Awards were handed out last night, honoring excellence in science-fiction. Robert Patrick, who plays John Doggett on The X-Files, took home the award for Best Actor on Television. He was handed what was probably the hardest job on television this past year, and he knocked 'em dead. Congratulations, Mr. Patrick!
The 27th Annual Saturn Awards were handed out last night, honoring excellence in science-fiction. Robert Patrick, who plays John Doggett on The X-Files, took home the award for Best Actor on Television. He was handed what was probably the hardest job on television this past year, and he knocked 'em dead. Congratulations, Mr. Patrick!
6.13.2001
Oh, how embarrassing.
[can I just say that I had to smile while reading this - my mother has called the police when she couldn't contact us, and she wasn't wasted. I remember one time my sisters and I, all teenagers at the time, were home while she was at work. She tried to call and, for a reason I can't recall, she couldn't get through on the phone. Next thing we knew there was a gigantic policeman knocking on the front door, asking us if everything was alright. Sure, everything's fine, officer, except now I'm completely mortified! Well, at least she didn't call out the helicopters and dogs ;)]
K I S S I M M E E, Fla. Next time Donna Gillum isn't sure where her daughter is, she might want to call the baby sitter instead of 911.
Gillum frantically phoned the emergency line one evening earlier this month, saying she hadn't seen her daughter in an hour and was worried she'd been kidnapped, police say.
As police sent a squad car to investigate, Gillum called 911 three more times to ask for help finding the girl. Within an hour, over a dozen officers, a helicopter and police dogs were searching for the girl, said Kissimmee police investigator James Napier.
They did a door-to-door search of the building and checked with the girl's regular baby sitter, but had no luck.
"In our minds it started to look pretty bleak," Napier said.
A couple hours after the search started, however, Gillum suggested police check with another baby sitter, Napier said.
"We go over there, and the child was there," he said. "The kid said mom took her over there around 6:30 [in the evening]."
Napier said Gillum had appeared intoxicated when officers had arrived and admitted drinking nine beers in three hours before she phoned police. Gillum said she couldn't remember dropping her daughter off at the baby sitter.
She faces 3rd degree child neglect charges and police are seeking to make her pay $2,000 for the cost of the search. [abcnews]
[can I just say that I had to smile while reading this - my mother has called the police when she couldn't contact us, and she wasn't wasted. I remember one time my sisters and I, all teenagers at the time, were home while she was at work. She tried to call and, for a reason I can't recall, she couldn't get through on the phone. Next thing we knew there was a gigantic policeman knocking on the front door, asking us if everything was alright. Sure, everything's fine, officer, except now I'm completely mortified! Well, at least she didn't call out the helicopters and dogs ;)]
K I S S I M M E E, Fla. Next time Donna Gillum isn't sure where her daughter is, she might want to call the baby sitter instead of 911.
Gillum frantically phoned the emergency line one evening earlier this month, saying she hadn't seen her daughter in an hour and was worried she'd been kidnapped, police say.
As police sent a squad car to investigate, Gillum called 911 three more times to ask for help finding the girl. Within an hour, over a dozen officers, a helicopter and police dogs were searching for the girl, said Kissimmee police investigator James Napier.
They did a door-to-door search of the building and checked with the girl's regular baby sitter, but had no luck.
"In our minds it started to look pretty bleak," Napier said.
A couple hours after the search started, however, Gillum suggested police check with another baby sitter, Napier said.
"We go over there, and the child was there," he said. "The kid said mom took her over there around 6:30 [in the evening]."
Napier said Gillum had appeared intoxicated when officers had arrived and admitted drinking nine beers in three hours before she phoned police. Gillum said she couldn't remember dropping her daughter off at the baby sitter.
She faces 3rd degree child neglect charges and police are seeking to make her pay $2,000 for the cost of the search. [abcnews]
Invisibles!
This week's Invisibles quiz, Prison Blues is waiting for you. Guess what my score was - you got it, 5 out of 8 again. You can find the answers and top scores for last week's quiz here. Good luck!
This week's Invisibles quiz, Prison Blues is waiting for you. Guess what my score was - you got it, 5 out of 8 again. You can find the answers and top scores for last week's quiz here. Good luck!
Well, Whadya Know
Why do we say that something important is not to be sneezed at?
Sneezing was once thought to clear the mind. That was one reason why wealthy people used snuff, inducing a sneeze by sniffing the stuff. It got to the point where the idle rich in their idle conversations would frequently force a sneeze to show they were bored. By reverse logic, something important, of substance, became something that was not to be sneezed at.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Why do they turn off the cabin lights on planes before takeoff?
All the better for you to see the sights outside, folks. There's nothing technical about it, and it's that simple. At night, especially, the lights are quite pretty, particularly once you're airborne and you can see them sparkle all over the city. So why don't they do blackouts for landings? Because people then are more concerned with getting their stuff together for departure.
[source: What Are Hyenas Laughing At, Anyway? By David Feldman]
Why do we say that people who get hung up on minor arguments are "quibbling?"
You'll never guess what profession is the source of this word. Yes, it's our friends the lawyers. So, how do we get from them to the word "quibble?" It's from the Latin, "quibis," a form of the word "qui," or "who." Quibis is the equivalent of "party of the first part." So to quibble, in other words, is to talk like, and therefore to act like he or she whom you should usually try to avoid at all costs.
[source: A Browser's Dictionary by John Ciardi]
Why do we say that something important is not to be sneezed at?
Sneezing was once thought to clear the mind. That was one reason why wealthy people used snuff, inducing a sneeze by sniffing the stuff. It got to the point where the idle rich in their idle conversations would frequently force a sneeze to show they were bored. By reverse logic, something important, of substance, became something that was not to be sneezed at.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Why do they turn off the cabin lights on planes before takeoff?
All the better for you to see the sights outside, folks. There's nothing technical about it, and it's that simple. At night, especially, the lights are quite pretty, particularly once you're airborne and you can see them sparkle all over the city. So why don't they do blackouts for landings? Because people then are more concerned with getting their stuff together for departure.
[source: What Are Hyenas Laughing At, Anyway? By David Feldman]
Why do we say that people who get hung up on minor arguments are "quibbling?"
You'll never guess what profession is the source of this word. Yes, it's our friends the lawyers. So, how do we get from them to the word "quibble?" It's from the Latin, "quibis," a form of the word "qui," or "who." Quibis is the equivalent of "party of the first part." So to quibble, in other words, is to talk like, and therefore to act like he or she whom you should usually try to avoid at all costs.
[source: A Browser's Dictionary by John Ciardi]
Has it really been 5 days? My most humble apologies. Real life sort of reared its ugly head this past weekend and I gave my social life some much needed attention. Then the "cold" I was trying to shake for a week morphed into an upper respiratory infection and I've been out of commission for a couple of days, nursing my poor sick self. That's what I get for trying to have a social life!
Okay, enough of that - I'm back!
Okay, enough of that - I'm back!
6.08.2001
Can I Go Home Yet? It's only 10:30 in the morning and all I want to do is crawl back into bed. This lingering sinus thing has now morphed into a lovely hacking cough that kept me awake for most of the night. Poor me.
Site News For those of you who want to refer to something I've posted here at beansie but want an easier way to do it than re-creating the post in an e-mail, you can now link to a post using the new permalink that I have added. Just click on link at the end of an entry - the URL on the new page is the permanent link to that post. Spread the word!
Site News For those of you who want to refer to something I've posted here at beansie but want an easier way to do it than re-creating the post in an e-mail, you can now link to a post using the new permalink that I have added. Just click on link at the end of an entry - the URL on the new page is the permanent link to that post. Spread the word!
6.07.2001
Did you know that people who play Disney characters at the theme parks have to wear special underwear? I did not know that. And apparently they weren't allowed to claim the underwear as their own, turning them in at night to be laundered and then getting new ones the next day, the previous wearers unknown.
Well, not anymore.
Well, not anymore.
In many ways, the success of the site is not surprising, given the fractured nature of the Catholic Church in America. Dissent over doctrinal issues concerning things like celibacy and the role of women has driven men from the priesthood and alienated segments of the country's 60 million Catholics.
By the time the Catholic Church catches on, there won't be anyone left to preach to.
By the time the Catholic Church catches on, there won't be anyone left to preach to.
6.06.2001
This was a busy week, historically speaking:
Hitler's Sea Wall Is Breached, Invaders Fighting Way Inland; New Allied Landings Are Made
Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, Wednesday, June 7 --Allied forces continued landings on the northern French coast throughout yesterday and "satisfactory progress was made," headquarters announced today.
Hitler's Sea Wall Is Breached, Invaders Fighting Way Inland; New Allied Landings Are Made
Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, Wednesday, June 7 --Allied forces continued landings on the northern French coast throughout yesterday and "satisfactory progress was made," headquarters announced today.
Oh, Man
M I L T O N, N.Y. Parolee Christopher Ciotoli is apparently a little too friendly for his own good.
Last Wednesday, Ciotoli recognized sheriff's deputy Matt Bomysoad from his time in the Broome County Jail last year and decided to give him a friendly wave hello.
The only problem was that Ciotoli was riding in a stolen vehicle at the time, police say.
The former inmate had told the driver, Scott Van Bergen, to slow down so he could say hi, allowing the deputy to run the car's license plates. The officer found the gray 1998 Mercury Sable had been reported stolen in May.
Van Bergen was charged with criminal possession. Ciotoli was charged with violating his conditional discharge. [abcnews.com]
M I L T O N, N.Y. Parolee Christopher Ciotoli is apparently a little too friendly for his own good.
Last Wednesday, Ciotoli recognized sheriff's deputy Matt Bomysoad from his time in the Broome County Jail last year and decided to give him a friendly wave hello.
The only problem was that Ciotoli was riding in a stolen vehicle at the time, police say.
The former inmate had told the driver, Scott Van Bergen, to slow down so he could say hi, allowing the deputy to run the car's license plates. The officer found the gray 1998 Mercury Sable had been reported stolen in May.
Van Bergen was charged with criminal possession. Ciotoli was charged with violating his conditional discharge. [abcnews.com]
On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a notice on page two of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report about a strange outbreak of killer pneumonia striking homosexual men.
Twenty years. I can barely remember what life was like before AIDS. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be around for life after it, if there ever will be such a thing.
Twenty years. I can barely remember what life was like before AIDS. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be around for life after it, if there ever will be such a thing.
6.05.2001
Today in history:
Kennedy is Dead, Victim of Assassin; Suspect, Arab Immigrant, Arraigned; Johnson Appoints Panel on Violence
"I have a short announcement to read which I will read at this time. Senator Robert Francis Kennedy died at 1:44 A.M. today, June 6, 1968. With Senator Kennedy at the time of his death was his wife, Ethel; his sisters, Mrs. Patricia Lawford and Mrs. Stephen Smith, his brother-in-law, Stephen Smith and his sister-in-law, Mrs. John F. Kennedy.
"He was 42 years old."
Read the front page of The New York Times, June 5, 1968.
Kennedy is Dead, Victim of Assassin; Suspect, Arab Immigrant, Arraigned; Johnson Appoints Panel on Violence
"I have a short announcement to read which I will read at this time. Senator Robert Francis Kennedy died at 1:44 A.M. today, June 6, 1968. With Senator Kennedy at the time of his death was his wife, Ethel; his sisters, Mrs. Patricia Lawford and Mrs. Stephen Smith, his brother-in-law, Stephen Smith and his sister-in-law, Mrs. John F. Kennedy.
"He was 42 years old."
Read the front page of The New York Times, June 5, 1968.
Good question. I really wonder if someone thought they would conduct a little experiment, see how many people actually pay attention to those reviewer blurbs on the TV. If so, they got their answer.
6.04.2001
Filmwise's Invisibles #26 is waiting for you! I'm back to my standard 5 out of 8. But I can still bask in the glory of my triumphant score from last week (7 out of 8) by gazing at the top scorer's list from the previous quiz. (I'm Gina). I am awesome.
Newsflash: Victoria's Secret Bomb Explodes Onstage Anyone remember the hoopla surrounding Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" on MTV's 1984 Video Music Awards? We weren't really sure where to look as she writhed on the stage in a full wedding dress and veil. Personally, I just thought she looked silly, like a cat in heat. But just look at what she has wrought. So this is considered "pushing the envelope"? I'm sorry, but I don't think it takes all that much talent to parade around onstage in your underwear. I guess raunch really is mainstream now.
6.03.2001
Xcursion News
Now that Mulder is gone, so go George and Mike. I'm sure you'll enjoy their review of Existence, if you haven't read it already, as well as their final farewell to fans. I haven't always agreed with their POV or judgment of some episodes, but their reviews were almost always even-handed and fair-minded, not nit-picky, snide and slanted. And they could be pretty darn funny. Thanks, guys - we'll miss you next year!
Now that Mulder is gone, so go George and Mike. I'm sure you'll enjoy their review of Existence, if you haven't read it already, as well as their final farewell to fans. I haven't always agreed with their POV or judgment of some episodes, but their reviews were almost always even-handed and fair-minded, not nit-picky, snide and slanted. And they could be pretty darn funny. Thanks, guys - we'll miss you next year!
6.02.2001
Well, Whadya Know
Why do we call that suite of playing cards with the cloverleaf symbol, "clubs?"
The English adopted the symbol for this suite from French playing cards. On French cards, the symbol was clearly a cloverleaf, the French word for which was "trefles," meaning "cloverleaf." So, what did the English call it? "Clubs," naturally. In the great tradition of English eccentricity, the people of that green and pleasant land took the translation of the Spanish word for the same suite, "basto," which in English is "clubs," and applied it to the cards that clearly depicted a cloverleaf.
[source: Why Things Are & Why They Aren't by Joel Achenbach]
Why is there "snow" on the TV screen when a station goes off the air?
Ordinarily a circuit in your TV's amplifier either boosts or diminishes broadcast signals, depending on the strength of the signal. But if there's no signal - as when a station goes off the air -- this amplifier circuit, called an automatic gain control, boosts to the maximum whatever it picks up. In the absence of a broadcast signal, it's picking up and amplifying random static emissions that could come from your pc, vacuum cleaner or other circuits in the TV itself. Without any signal at all you would see a white screen. The electronic static shows up as moving dark dots which, blended with the white, appear to be snow.
[source: How Do Astronauts Scratch An Itch? by David Feldman]
Why do people who lose their temper "fly off the handle?"
Tool handles were made from wood, which shrinks over long periods. The shrinking wood loosened the head of the instrument. The first good swing could send that head flying, with serious consequences for anyone standing nearby. Similarly, someone metaphorically flying off the handle is momentarily irrational and perhaps even dangerous to those near them. It is also said that such people "lose their head," which is the same thing as saying that they fly off the handle. Of course, when that used to happen literally, anyone standing close enough could lose his head, too.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Why do we call that suite of playing cards with the cloverleaf symbol, "clubs?"
The English adopted the symbol for this suite from French playing cards. On French cards, the symbol was clearly a cloverleaf, the French word for which was "trefles," meaning "cloverleaf." So, what did the English call it? "Clubs," naturally. In the great tradition of English eccentricity, the people of that green and pleasant land took the translation of the Spanish word for the same suite, "basto," which in English is "clubs," and applied it to the cards that clearly depicted a cloverleaf.
[source: Why Things Are & Why They Aren't by Joel Achenbach]
Why is there "snow" on the TV screen when a station goes off the air?
Ordinarily a circuit in your TV's amplifier either boosts or diminishes broadcast signals, depending on the strength of the signal. But if there's no signal - as when a station goes off the air -- this amplifier circuit, called an automatic gain control, boosts to the maximum whatever it picks up. In the absence of a broadcast signal, it's picking up and amplifying random static emissions that could come from your pc, vacuum cleaner or other circuits in the TV itself. Without any signal at all you would see a white screen. The electronic static shows up as moving dark dots which, blended with the white, appear to be snow.
[source: How Do Astronauts Scratch An Itch? by David Feldman]
Why do people who lose their temper "fly off the handle?"
Tool handles were made from wood, which shrinks over long periods. The shrinking wood loosened the head of the instrument. The first good swing could send that head flying, with serious consequences for anyone standing nearby. Similarly, someone metaphorically flying off the handle is momentarily irrational and perhaps even dangerous to those near them. It is also said that such people "lose their head," which is the same thing as saying that they fly off the handle. Of course, when that used to happen literally, anyone standing close enough could lose his head, too.
[source: Why You Say It by Webb Garrison]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
