The Week magazine has a section for giving little distilled versions of editorials from all over the world. Last week’s issue mentioned a Nigerian newspaper’s editorial on female circumcision. Here’s how The Week opens the article (I’m typing it from the printed version, because the search engine on The Week’s site is wonky): It’s no […]
Archive | Miscellany
Common Sense
It happens sometimes that I hear and then repeat some tidbit of unanalyzed nonsense. Then, after thinking about it for a while, I suddenly realize that what I’ve been repeating is indefensible. It’s either wrong, or meaningless. This happens a lot, and I’m a fool to waste energy on it. But that just happens to […]
Image vs. Type
Kottke.org points us to the front page of the print edition of The Independent. As he points out, you could list the countries in much less space. But this image sure leaves an impression. Note that I’m not talking about politics in this post. Just about a striking way to present information.
Toyota and the Government: Making Cars Less Safe
CNN reported a while back that Toyota was planning a recall of over 150,000 Tundra trucks. Here’s what they’ll do when you take your truck in to be “fixed†for the recall: They’ll disable the safety device that switches off the passenger-side airbag when a child is sitting in it. The device is […]
UPS Goes Hybrid
Or, they would go hybrid if they had the money. Apparently, as Congress talked up the new commitment to gas-saving technology, the actual budget can’t support it. But that’s politics, and I’m just happy about the possibilities. A UPS truck that’s quiet and fuel efficient? I like it. [End of Post]
AT&T Can't Keep a Secret
Apparently, AT&T is defending itself in a law suit accusing it of illegally aiding the government in monitoring Internet traffic. Something like that. AT&T has released a PDF of its response, with sensitive portions blacked out. You can download the PDF and have a look for yourself. The problem? Certain PDF readers (including Preview for […]
Quake
I spent about a week in Yogyakarta several years ago. I can’t even remember who I met, what I did, or what kind of place I stayed in. I want to put a face on it; I’m sure I laughed and ate and argued with Indonesians while I was there. But I can’t remember. [End […]
Snake Bite!
The Discovery Channel has podcasts. Over the weekend, I listened to a very annoying one about snake bites. The content was interesting, but the announcer’s voice was trying to be deep and dark and menacing. Very lowest-common-denominator snake hype. (Sort of like titling a post, “Snake Bite!â€) Interesting item: Scientists believe that constrictors don’t kill […]