Self-CC Oct 23, 2008
I don't understand why people CC themselves when they send email.  Pretty much every email system since the creation of the universe has automatically saved all sent messages by default.  Maybe it's to see if the message was actually sent.  Again, if it's sent, it'll show up in the sent messages folder.  (And if there's an error in transit, you won't find out about it until the recipient's email server spits back an error message, which will happen independently of you receiving your CC.)  Maybe it's to see how the email looks for the person reading it.  Again, the sent message resides in the sent messages folder, exactly as it will look for the recipient.  Please, someone explain to me the practice of the self-CC. #technology
Densely packed M&M's (2) Oct 22, 2008
A few years ago, scientists at Princeton University discovered that oblate spheroids, when poured into a spherical container and shaken, pack more densely than any other shape.  In other words, the best way to fill up a spherical candy dish (which would be a stupid thing to own because it would roll off the table) is with M&M's (which are oblate spheroids), not Jelly Beans (which are prolate spheroids).  You can't argue with science. #science
Songs in commercials (4) Oct 22, 2008
I really wish TV commercials gave some sort of indication of what song was playing in the background.  Sometimes it's just some cookie-cutter silence-filling drone music.  But other times it's a song I'd gladly purchase online.  That's right advertisers:  I would gladly spend money on something if you would just tell me what to look for.  Oftentimes I couldn't care less about the product being advertised, but that song in the background is awesome. #entertainment
Liquid names (2) Oct 21, 2008
I sometimes go to this semi-new-age church called Liquid.  I don't like the term new-age because it has a negative connotation.  But this church is new-age in that it has young pastors, loud music, flashing lights, and flat-screen TVs.  After choosing the name Liquid, they seem to have followed the pattern of naming everything after a property or type of liquid.  The middle school youth group is called Surge, and the high school one is called Flood.  If I was in charge, I would expand upon this naming convention for the following groups and churchy things: 
  • Ocean - Sunday church service
  • Pond - small groups
  • Squirt - nursery
  • Trickle - old people ministry
  • Splash - baptisms
  • Evaporation - worship (as in giving back to God)
  • Spit - answered prayer (as in God giving back to us)
  • Drip - tithes and offerings (as in adding to the ocean)
Other words that could fit the naming convention:  Sprinkle, spillover, wash, puddle, river, flow, spout, droplet, wave, tide, crest, ebb, and undertow.  I could do this all day. #religion
Fox's Hole Oct 17, 2008
The Fox TV show Hole in the Wall, where people contort their bodies to fit through a hole in a moving wall, is such a ridiculous idea for a standalone TV show.  It's actually really funny and enjoyable to watch, but the fact that it's an entire show by itself is amazing.  It would make a lot more sense if it was a single part of a much larger ridiculous game show.  When a commercial advertising the show came on the other day, Wendy noted that it would be a hundred times better if the people had to fall vertically through the hole instead of passing horizontally.  I had to agree. #entertainment
Self-checkout assist Oct 17, 2008
Every time I go to my local supermarket, I go through the self-checkout line, partially to avoid interacting with the teenager mishandling my groceries, and partially because I really like to do things myself.  But, for whatever reason, the listless people formerly utilized as checkout people (and now utilized for nothing) feel the need to bag my groceries for me as they travel down the conveyor belt.  I could understand if my checkout speed caused a line to build up behind me, or if the store was crowded and needed to move people through as fast as possible.  But my local supermarket is never busy nor crowded.  It's always empty.  There's never another soul in line behind me.  So I don't understand the concept of a clerk bagging groceries in the self-checkout line.  It's a self-checkout line.  Obviously the people using it don't want help or they'd go to a non-self-checkout line. #business
The Onion imitates life Oct 16, 2008
Sometimes satirical news website The Onion seems to be stealing thoughts from my brain and listening in on conversations in my home.  This one from yesterday (Poll: 85% Of Americans Would Like To See Candidates Compete In Funny Obstacle Course) was something I sort of wrote about two years ago (and I still fully stand by).  This one from today (Tony Womo Out Three To Four Weeks With Bwoken Widdle Fingey) was almost a direct transcription of a conversation I had with Wendy the other day.  Isn't it weird when art imitates life? #entertainment
Unseasonably warm Oct 16, 2008
The term "unseasonably warm" is never a bad thing.  A "heat wave" is a bad thing.  But "unseasonably warm" is different.  It's always such a pleasant surprise, as in, "It's unseasonably warm today.  I think I'll leave work early so I can enjoy it." #nature
Price vs. cost of gas Oct 15, 2008
The Consumerist has a great article about all the stuff that goes into the cost of gas.  The price of gas often has nothing to do with the cost of gas.  Oh, and remember when we all thought we were being gouged by $5/gallon gas?  The gouging actually happens as the price goes down, which is now.  "[Price] gouging occurs when dealers keep prices artificially high in order to gain a little extra profit or recoup costs..."  Isn't that nice? #money
Sprinkles on poop Oct 15, 2008
From the internets: 
[Image: poopsprinkles.jpg]
Sprinkles on poop doesn't change the fact that it's poop. #food