Recently in Generalities Category

I've recently switched to the newest version of office. I don't hate it other than the fact that once again everything seems slower. One thing that I can't stand is the fact that there are a few commands I can't find with the new sorry excuse for a toolbar. Hope this thing from office labs helps. I'll let you know.

If I bought this keen cup I would probably break it by throwing it in the waste basket accidentally. It's still cool.

Last Sunday I spent a chunk of my day in the oddest places. First I went to a gun show. In this case it was show for collectors of older guns. I was wanting to get a little more information on the guns my grandfather had and figure out how to best care for them. I was pretty amazed at the things I saw and did. For instance I have never walked around at the Minnesota State Fair grounds with a couple of rifles. It's an odd experience. The oddest thing though was how friendly the people were at the gun show. It's one of the few times in Minnesota where a lot of people have walked up to me to strike up a conversation.

After I left the gun show, I drove home and realized I was passing a store that sells comic books in addition to d&d supplies and other odds and ends. I decided I would stop in to get a few comic books for Matthew. I don't frequent stores like this so I was totally unprepared for either the patrons or the diversity of worlds that were presented to me.

I wondered about the overlap between the people who attend gun shows and also attend comic book conventions. The people who might be packing heat, but the "heat" is highly collectible and should not fired.

I also thought a lot about writing a short story. The idea is this, a woman thinks she is gong to a speed dating event only she accidentally shows up at the gaming table. It's called "Roll of the 20 sided dice". After thinking about it more, I think I was actually writing a bad sitcom in my head.

The video is the security video of a man stuck in an elevator for 42 hours. Be sure and read the fascinating New Yorker article on this man's plight as well as a lot of interesting elevator information.

I wonder what a security cam of me would look like. It would consist of lots of trips to the coffee pot and reading email.

I am totally amazed at the way Hugh MacLeod has created a movement at Microsoft around a doodle. He simultaneously captures the best and worst things that there are about Microsoft in a way that is thought provoking. It's funny how many companies spend millions of dollars to create a brand or an internal vision only to have something that is far less meaningful than what Hugh created on the back of a business card. I am not that fond of Microsoft but I want this on my business card.

I listened to the new "Counting Crows" album almost all day Friday and Saturday. It's a good solid album. I was looking for more from them. This album didn't really break any new ground. I was hoping for a bigger reinvigoration of their sound. I didn't get it, but there are still some great songs on the album. I think I like them because of the upbeat melancholia they manage to emit; it's a good approximation for my normal mood.

"I left a lot of ghosts in San Francisco
and now you wanna say you see through me
but what you wanna see ain't your memories of me"
-- Los Angeles, Counting Crows

According to wikipedia there is a system for classifying human feces called "The Bristol Stoll Scale". I think this need to be integrated with my latest tech software gadget, Bullfighter than anti-bull, anto jargon fighter.

The U.S. Congress would never consider a proposal to add a “7 day love vacation” where everyone is encouraged to “devote themselves to each other “both at an erotic and emotional level”“. A member of the Finnish parliament, Tommy Tabermann, proposed this recently to the Eduskunta. The proposal was debated and sent to committee for study.

Being married to a Finn I can say I find this worthy of study as well.