03 Apr 2007, 15:33 p.m.

Nameforesaken

I won a little competition, so Gareth L. Powell will, as I suggested, name a protagonist in his new story "Shweta Venkatesh." I found out about the contest from the Futurismic blog. Futurismic is publishing …

Read More
03 Apr 2007, 12:17 p.m.

Anatomy And Andragogy

Yesterday, I sat down over coffee with the Fog Creek system administrator and learned how a specific piece of our network architecture works. As he talked and I asked questions and tried saying things in …

Read More
01 Apr 2007, 10:53 a.m.

Also, Bikram Seth's Ultra-Steamy "A Suitable Boy"

Patrick McKenzie has a funny story from Palm Sunday, with a child's suggested revision of the holiday's name. I pointed out to Leonard that this child has an admirably meritocratic view of holiday-naming, where the …

Read More
01 Apr 2007, 10:22 a.m.

Ironically, I Spent Longer Writing This Than I Meant To

So Adam Parrish and I have different readings of a recent essaylet by Aaron Swartz. Look, I've never read any of this Steven Johnson stuff, so I can't speak to Swartz's* criticism there. But when …

Read More
31 Mar 2007, 23:39 p.m.

The Three Skills of Adulthood

Now, I foist upon you an extended excerpt from Rachel Chalmers's "I follow my nose": ...It occurs to me that all the really important decisions of my life - who to marry, where to work, …

Read More
31 Mar 2007, 11:52 a.m.

Conflation -> Comedy

Edward James Olmos + Admiral William Adama = Does Eddie Adama have a deal for you?! Just look at the prices on this Raptor! Why are my prices so low? I have no choice. Just …

Read More
30 Mar 2007, 11:11 a.m.

Reminder

Speaking of horror: Dr. Andrew L. Creighton once told my Sociology class that he watches a particular clip from Alien when he needs to stay awake. He was a fantastic lecturer, and the best PowerPoint …

Read More
30 Mar 2007, 11:01 a.m.

The Horror! (x2)

Morning work discussion included proposing which films, and which films' special effects, still hold up on contemporary viewing. Suggested watersheds in special effects: Star Wars, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, The Matrix. Candidates without a broad …

Read More
30 Mar 2007, 11:01 a.m.

QOTD

In a discussion about She-Hulk #1 this morning: "Robert's Rules of Order are not a suicide pact." -Leonard.Thanks for the recommendation, Zed.

Read More
29 Mar 2007, 11:42 a.m.

By The Time I Come Back I Expect Jetpacks

A year and change after I left the Bay Area, Muni leaps into the future: selling FastPasses online and partnering with NextBus to provide online location tracking for 16 bus lines. In contrast, NextBus for …

Read More