Take my money Aug 23, 2011
I signed up for a new bank account online.  This bank also has a physical presence, but I doubted I would need to take advantage of it since I haven't been inside a physical bank in a good five years.  However, I got a paper check in the mail, so I went to the physical location to deposit it.  After having a problem at the ATM and then *gulp* speaking to a human, I was told I wouldn't be able to deposit money at the physical location because I have an online-only account.  I sat there for a minute, thinking how stupid it was that one division of the bank didn't work with another division of the same bank, and I considered yelling at the poor bank teller to take my damn money, since (a) I already have an account and (b) banks typically like money.  But alas, one cannot reason with a person who follows orders from a computer screen.

I heard a story recently where a government employee patented something he was working on and set a price for licensing it.  Since he was working for the government while he came up with the patentable idea, the government would receive any proceeds from licensing.  Sure enough, somebody licensed it and asked the inventor where to send the money.  The inventor asked around and couldn't find any way for the government to accept the money, so he told the licensee to give the money to a local charity.  This is one of the many things that's wrong with our government:  It doesn't know how to accept money. 

Update:  I recently tried to give money to a charity.  I knew how much I wanted to give, and I knew what person I wanted the money to go to (a sponsor child).  I searched and searched through their website, and despite being a technologically-minded person, I couldn't figure it out.  Charities essentially exist to accept money from people.  Sure, charities also typically exist to help people.  But they help people by accepting money from other people.  Not being able to accept money, when accepting money is one of your core functions, is pathetic. #money
More war coverage Aug 22, 2011
From Foreign Policy (via Marginal Revolution):
In fact, the last decade has seen fewer war deaths than any decade in the past 100 years, based on data compiled by researchers Bethany Lacina and Nils Petter Gleditsch of the Peace Research Institute Oslo.

If the world feels like a more violent place than it actually is, that's because there's more information about wars -- not more wars themselves. Once-remote battles and war crimes now regularly make it onto our TV and computer screens, and in more or less real time.
Ignorance is bliss. #entertainment
Fried dough (1) Aug 22, 2011
Every time we go to a nationality-centric restaurant, Wendy likes to point out how every culture has their own version of fried dough.  Italians have zeppolis, Mexicans have churros, Americans have funnel cake and many others.  I would posit that a culture is not sufficiently established until it develops its own fried dough treat. #food
Fruit vs. vegetable Aug 18, 2011
The difference between a fruit and a vegetable is similar to the difference between a nut and a seed.  Wikipedia has a bunch more info on its page about vegetables, which points out that the word "vegetable" has no technical definition; it's based on culture and tradition.  This is why I've always believed corn is a vegetable, when in fact it's a grain, which is technically a type of fruit. #food
People tagging Aug 18, 2011
As we drove into a state park recently, there was a sign posted that said something along the lines of how wild animals were tagged for tracking purposes.  It was likely related to animal-people interactions, which in turn are often related to people feeding animals even though there are plenty of signs forbidding it.  Wendy proposed that they should instead tag the people who illegally feed wild animals, and refuse then entrance to the park.  I'd say that's pretty reasonable. #nature
Artificial anus Aug 18, 2011
Exciting news (via Neatorama):
Science has produced lots of amazing things -- the hydrogen bomb, gene sequencing -- and now, an artificial mouse sphincter grown from human cells.
And by "sphincter," of course, they mean anus.  This topic could supply a lifetime's worth of jokes. #science
Following orders Aug 17, 2011
Jon Ronson, in his book The Men Who Stare At Goats, mentioned a little about how the soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib fiasco explained their behavior by saying they were just following orders.  Technically this is a true statement, which makes it seem like a legitimate excuse.  But Ronson points to a movie about the life of Martin Luther and his struggle against the hypocrisy of the Catholic church:  "The moral of Martin Luther is that the individual cannot hide behind the institution."  This reminded me of a haunting scene from an X-Men movie where Magneto dismisses Charles Xavier's explanation for humanity's violence toward mutants as "they're just following orders" with a flashback to his childhood in a Nazi concentration camp where the soldiers used the same excuse.  Ouch.  Personal responsibility trumps following orders. #psychology
Ford Transit Connect Aug 17, 2011
The Ford Transit Connect is that small white truck/van concoction that seems to be all the rage for small businesses and tradespeople.  Quite simply, it's butt ugly.  It doesn't look like it has much storage space, gets mediocre gas mileage, and its triangular design makes it look like it teleported from 1974.  What I don't understand is how car companies intentionally make ugly vehicles, and how they convince people to buy them.  Some vehicles are ugly but acceptable, like the Honda Element (which could be described as "unique") or the Scion xB (which could be described as "cute").  But the Transit Connect is just plain ugly.  You can't put it another way.  There must be some sort of financial incentive or tax break involved, because otherwise this vehicle shouldn't even exist. #travel
Perception of government benefits Aug 17, 2011
A somewhat recent study showed that more than 25% of people who receive food stamps don't believe they receive any assistance from the government.  Almost 40% of Medicare recipients are in the same boat, as well as almost 30% with Social Security. 

Lumped into those statistics are people who don't believe their mortgage interest tax deduction is a government benefit (60%) and people who receive federally-backed student loans (53%).  I don't think real-cash-money from the government in the form of food stamps and health care should be in the same category as paying lower taxes and receiving low interest rates.  Here's a good take on that: 
A 529 program is not a government program like food stamps, it is the absence of a government tax ... People who use 529 programs and who think that they have not used a government social program are not willfully ignorant, they are demonstrating a healthy if fading appreciation of the distinction between civil society and government.  What Rampell et al. implicitly imagine is that the natural state is slavery and any departure from that state a government benefit. Thus, if the government taxes your saving for a college education less than your other savings, you should be grateful for how government has benefited you and your children. And if the government doesn’t jail you today, you should be grateful for how government has granted you the benefit of liberty. This is the attitude of a serf not an American.
#money
Checking in Aug 16, 2011
I rented a car last week, and as always, I was surprised by how long it took to actually get a car.  It's not like I walked in off the street.  I had a reservation.  I provided a credit card when I made the reservation.  The only thing that really needed to happen when I showed up in person was for someone to verify my identity.  Why that always takes 20 minutes is beyond me.  (Yes, I realize all you Hertz Double Extra Gold Sprinkles Members just show up and drive off, but I'm not eligible for their elitist group.)  When I checked into my hotel later, it took approximately 45 seconds for the receptionist to verify my identity and hand me my key.  Even checking in for my flight was faster and easier than getting a rental car.  That's sad. #travel