On cell reception Jul 18, 2011
The only time I get bad reception on my cell phone is every single time I try to use it. #technology
Grand Prismatic Spring Jul 14, 2011
Here's a picture of Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring, found on the internet:



Yellowstone was in the news lately because of an oil pipeline leak and a grizzly bear attack. #nature
Future leader Jul 14, 2011
I just saw a guy: 
  1. talking on a cell phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear
  2. while smoking a cigarette
  3. while riding a bike
  4. against traffic.
Let's all welcome our newest presidential candidate.

Related:  Bad combinations #sociology
Big meaningless issues (4) Jul 13, 2011
There are two big meaningless issues in the news right now, both of which are reported on religiously, and neither of which are even remotely influence-able by the overwhelmingly vast majority of people who follow them.  One is the NFL labor negotiations and potential lockout, which is a battle between the millionaire players who want more money and the billionaire team owners who also want more money.  Secret negotiations are taking place everyday between lawyers and wizards (I guess), all in the hopes of giving the ~50 million football fans in America another chance to gaze at Tom Brady's lovely hair.  This issue is reported on as if any of these people had even the slightest say in the issue, which is obviously false.  It's not that it's not important or that people don't care; it's that we really only need to know the outcome. 

The other big meaningless issue is the raising of the debt ceiling, which actually isn't meaningless at all and in fact could cause the nation of America to stop operating, which is a bad thing.  That's serious stuff and all, but again, this is a negotiation between the president, the congress, some lawyers, and likely a few wizards, all behind closed doors and with no input from the ~300 million people who would be quite directly affected by the failure of their nation.  All the conservatives in my family would point out that, "Blah blah you have the chance to change Washington each time you vote blah blah," to which I say, "Great, tell me where I can go vote about this issue right now.  Oh wait, you mean things like this aren't voted on?  Oh and the people we voted into office in the mid-term elections or the last presidential election are a bunch of lying scumbags who said they'd do one thing but are now doing another?  Oh and certain issues like debt ceilings and financial bailouts and humanitarian bombing runs are things that couldn't possibly have been predicted when we voted these lying scumbags into office in the first place?  Oh."  Raising the debt ceiling is an important matter, but I can't think of anything that has less of an impact on my daily life than this. #politics
How to die (1) Jul 12, 2011
From a story about a guy with Lou Gehrig's disease who's opted out of treatment and is preparing for his inevitable end: 
If I let this run the whole course, with all the human, medical, technological and loving support I will start to need just months from now, it will leave me, in 5 or 8 or 12 or more years, a conscious but motionless, mute, withered, incontinent mummy of my former self. Maintained by feeding and waste tubes, breathing and suctioning machines.

No, thank you. I hate being a drag. I don't think I'll stick around for the back half of Lou.

I don't worry about fatty foods anymore. I don't worry about having enough money to grow old. I'm not going to grow old.

I'm having a wonderful time.
(via Kottke) #lifestyle
MBAs vs. engineers (2) Jul 12, 2011
From a Time article about former GM executive Bob Lutz (via Neatorama): 
To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.
As an engineer and a non-MBA, I don't know that I agree, but I would certainly benefit.  If engineers ran the world, there'd be a lot of anal-retentive, sweaty, short-sleeves-and-tie guys in the limelight.  That could be good or bad depending on your perspective. #business
Airblade (2) Jul 5, 2011
I had my first experience with a Dyson Airblade this past weekend, and quite simply, it was thrilling.  It's just a fancy gadget that dries your hands in a public bathroom.  But unlike a standard blower or even the XLerator, it creates a sheet of moving air that you pass your hands through.  It feels so stupid to be amazed by things like this, but thankfully it was a single-person bathroom, so I was able to express my amazement in private. #products
Wikipedia vs. Snopes Jul 5, 2011
No offense to the friends and family who fit in the following category, but I've noticed that the people who tend to say things like "You can't trust Wikipedia because anyone can edit it" are the same people who send email forwards full of made-up facts and outright lies. #technology