On April 1, 1996, my friend Andrea Aronis (as she was named then) wrote on page 6 of an 11-page missive: “I wish you were in town so we could just talk any time we wanted to. I have a hard time finding people who like to talk as much as I do, and can[...]
Jerry Sandusky’s trial has been much-covered in the news; no reason to repeat any of it here. But a few days before the verdict, I heard something on the TV news that disturbed me as much as Sandusky’s now-confirmed actions.
In the News: Mystery Mini Space Shuttle X-37B Lands in California This story goes on to provide details about the shuttle, including quotes from military officials, none of which are mysterious. Other headlines about the same topic called the shuttle “Secretive” (here) and “Secret” (here).
In the News: Invasive species ride tsunami debris to US shore. This story, and a dozen others just like it that appeared on news sites around the world, has an inaccurate and misleading headline.
(Copyright © 2012 by Wil C. Fry. All rights reserved.)
In The News: Today, I read a CNN article saying that Britain’s monarch will have been Queen for 60 years on June 6, 2012, which I thought was a nice coincidence since I’ll celebrate my own sixth wedding anniversary on that day. Yet several other sources say she was crowned on June 2, 1953, including[...]
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.)
My wife and I invoked our “30 minute rule” when watching this movie. The rule is: if the movie can’t interest either of us in 30 minutes, then we turn it off and quit wasting our time. According to Wikipedia, this film is based on a 1974 novel and “the story follows the hunt for[...]
Following are some passages I underlined during my 2002 reading of Stranger In A Strange Land (1961) by Robert Heinlein, of which I wrote on Nov. 14, 2002, “Perhaps the best book ever written.” (I no longer feel that way, but it’s still a pretty good book.)
There’s a new White House Tumblr page, and the first entry includes an image with this lettering: “ANIMATED GIFs (HARD ‘G’)”. First, let me say I’m proud that they didn’t put an apostrophe in “GIFs”, as so many on the internet seem to do these days.
Because I assume everyone wants to know my opinion (ha!)… In the News: Is Handwriting Still Important? The Digital Generation Skips Penmanship (BBC News) While I’m admittedly old-fashioned in many ways (for example, I don’t have a “smartphone”), I can usually argue practicality (for example: there’s no point in me having a smartphone). But the[...]
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