As a colder-than-usual winter unsuspectingly sneaked up on me, I was also unknowingly becoming a different person and creating a set of vivid memories that would last a lifetime. Or maybe I knew this time would be special in my memory. It was December 1992. I was a second-year student at Central Bible College in[...]
(Originally written on Thursday, May 12, 2005, 9:26 p.m., as part of my “Off-Center Thoughts”) Can I be a juvenile for a minute? I hope Carrie Underwood wins American Idol this year. I was originally hoping for Constantine, but he was mistakenly voted out. (I’m not juvenile enough to vote on this stuff, but it’s[...]
Having been without regular TV (by choice) for more than eight years, last night’s VMAs on MTV opened my eyes. I mean, I knew television’s quality, content, ethics, and watchability have been declining steadily since … I’m not sure when. (When did TV reach its peak? Let’s just say it was the late 1980s or[...]
I saw an article today about an Oregon woman who is counter-suing the Recording Industry Association of America, using laws intended for use against organized crime. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before. In a way, they’re much more powerful than organized crime, because they can operate in public, pushing people around,[...]
Maybe my generation missed out on all the good stuff. Then again, maybe not. On the way home from the movies tonight, as I drove along an empty highway lit by the sunset behind me, my .mp3 player was knocking out some Doors, and it inevitably came across “Five to One,” which isn’t one of[...]
Title: The Raven, A Biography of Sam Houston Author: Marquis James Year: 1929 Publisher: University of Texas Press, Austin ISBN 0-292-77040-5 View it on Amazon View it on Google Books Sam Houston on Wikipedia This book was awarded the 1930 Pulitzer Prize for “Biography or Autobiography” (James is one of the very few people who’ve[...]
Flickr holds a special place in my heart, at least compared to other internet sites. I’ve spent more time on Flickr than most people have spent on Facebook or Twitter — daily participation since I joined in Sept. 2005. Not only have I uploaded over 30,000 images to my photostream (most of them now non-public),[...]
“I thought the left loved freedom of the press and open government. I guess that’s only when ‘The Man’ is someone else.” That’s what one commenter said on a news story about the federal government hoping to charge a journalist for publishing news. It’s an astute observation about the way our two-party political system works:[...]
Commentary: A record Powerball jackpot isn’t a record to celebrate (Christian Science Monitor) The editorial board of CSM concluded their piece with this: Before the news media play up the next record-setting mega-lottery like Powerball, they may want to add these kinds of caveats in their reporting. It could deter people from rushing to the[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of To Sail Beyond The Sunset (1987) by Robert A. Heinlein, the last novel he published before dying in 1988: “I remember Earth. I knew her when she was clean and green, mankind’s beautiful bride, sweet and lush and lovable… It is futile to mourn over[...]
There is a school of thought, albeit a relatively unpopular one, that poor grammar or punctuation on printed signs should be corrected with a Sharpie or other tool, vigilante style. In the News: Vigilante Copy Editor (New York Times) And there are older instances, such as this one (The Virginian-Pilot).
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners (1985) by Robert A. Heinlein: “It does not do to encourage bad banners; one should retaliate, urbanely but firmly.”
In The News: Adobe starts subscription for Photoshop and Dreamweaver (BBC News) This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; many software companies are moving in this direction. Instead of having to ship millions of boxes and discs every year when they upgrade the software, they’re just going to add the updates to the online[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during a reading of I Will Fear No Evil (1970) by Robert Heinlein: “…most people think of money as something to pay the rent. But a money man thinks of money in terms of what he can do with it.” “…it’s impossible for a woman to lay it on[...]
For about $5, I made this measuring cup holder that’s hidden inside a kitchen cabinet: (Copyright © 2013 by Wil C. Fry. All rights reserved.)
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