All over the internet today there was an AP story about some American soldiers killed in Iraq. I couldn’t read it. Not because of the horrors of war, or anything like that. But because in every instance, the article misused the word “troops.” I hate to nitpick, but an organization like the AP should take[...]
Slovenly and disheveled, Michael Moore is again on the warpath, once again personifying much that’s wrong with America today. This time, he’s attacking America’s health-care system, which is admittedly in dire need of rejuvenation. Naturally, being the way he is, Moore’s new “documentary” reportedly shows only one side of the issue (remember the lawsuits after[...]
Yes, I should have known better. I should have known not to sign up for the Science Fiction Book Club (www.sfbc.com). It’s like all the other merchandise “clubs,” in that you get a pretty good deal to start off, and then you have to buy a few books at the regular price to fulfill your[...]
Today, my wife and I attended a huge military air show at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, which appeared to be well-organized, with quite a bit of aerobatic talent signed up. Various jet aircraft and prop jobs were piloted through several maneuvers as we waited for the Blue Angels to fly. At about[...]
Today, freakazoid Paris Hilton was ordered back to her jail cell, by a judge, after a sheriff had released her yesterday. Again, who cares? Why is this a headline in the New York Times? If there’s anything to be said about this, it’s: Thank God that Judge Michael T. Sauer had the guts to keep[...]
Everyone’s heard it by now: Paris Hilton was released from jail today, after serving only five days of a 45-day sentence for violating probation. What surprised me about this was that it keeps making the front pages of news websites around the world — sites like the BBC, USA Today, CNN, and so on. How[...]
—————-IMDb: Million Dollar BabyWikipedia: Million Dollar BabyRating: PG-13(violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language)Length: 132 minutes (2:12)Director: Clint EastwoodGenre: drama / sportsMy Rating: 8 (of 10)Family-friendly: Probably not.—————- First of all, I can see why Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards. Usually, I can’t understand the Academy’s thinking, but this time they got[...]
—————-IMDb: Knocked UpWikipedia: Knocked UpRating: R(Sexual content, drug use, and language)Length: 129 minutes (2:09)Director: Judd ApatowGenre: Comedy / Drama / RomanceMy Rating: 9 (of 10)Family-friendly: Definitely not.—————- Since I’ve seen an average of about one movie per day for the last 12 years or so, you’d think I wouldn’t be shocked by a movie. But[...]
Flickr’s marketing department is taking care of publicizing what’s been added to the site, and how the design has changed. They’re real proud of it. So far, I haven’t seen anyone documenting what’s been taken away from Flickr users. I’ve made a page just for that, here. I’ll be updating it as I learn more.
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[...]
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