ElvenFair

But...that makes sense!

2008-12-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

What if financial vendors were paid in part with the very things they were selling? Think they'd be a little more likely to make sure their products were useful? Joe Nocera of the NY Times suggests a way to restore trust in the financial industry.

Vote yes on 985!

2008-09-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Washington Think Tank Gives Thumbs Up to Traffic Reduction Measure

Speed does NOT kill

2008-07-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Fast And Safe :: Facts & Myths - Speed Limits

A comprehensive study shows that increasing speed limits actually reduces the number of crashes and injuries on a given stretch of road, thereby creating a net positive for society. Basically, the people who are going to cause a crash are going to do it regardless of the speed limit, and having a higher speed limit appears to let everyone else just get out of their way faster. :)

Finally, a sensible response to the Global Climate Change mayhem

2008-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Don't fight, adapt, urges a group of signatories who ought to know. Read this for a concise list of why people concerned about unnatural global climate change are wasting their worry.

Scientific proof that I need a wife

2008-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

(Where by "wife" I mean "spouse who stays home and takes care of things," or perhaps "maid and personal assistant.") This study finds that women do more housework after getting married and men do less. It could be because on average, there are still more stay-at-home wives than husbands, or it could be that married people just care more. In the last ten years, people of both genders who were single and in their 20s in the 1990s did more housework in 2005 if they were married than if they stayed single. Fascinating.

Blood-powered electronic tattoos

2008-03-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. Man, I'm so weirded out I can't even decide whether I hate it. I used to joke that it would be nice to power cell phones, etc., on people-energy, because then we could eat more, but I think I'm changing my mind. It was a JOKE!

Beware the cute!

2008-02-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

Holly, this is for you! ;) Kittens cover Fatboy Slim. Literal cute overload.

A Christian looks at Harry Potter rationally

2008-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm biased in favor of Harry Potter because I loved the books. But here is an insightful article on the Christian world-view in Harry Potter. I still don't agree with all of Rowling's opinions, but hey, I don't have to. :) (I especially appreciate that even when Christian groups were decrying her work as pagan, she didn't feel the need to justify herself, and so she could save the end of the story.)

Blood Roses?

2008-02-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

I already felt guilty about diamonds, and now roses have now been added to the "Feel guilty about this" set of romantic luxuries. Okay, they don't get people killed (directly), but Connect the Dots: Where Did Those Roses Come From? is a quick story on the pesticides and woker abuse perpetuated by the "floriculture" industry.

I suppose it's just another lesson on the American Culture of Excess: there's no cute tradition that we can't overmarket and turn into a burden. (Don't get me started on where the diamond tradition came from -- it's media and elitist manipulation of the worst kind.) But the tradition still exists; it's too late to undo my romantic conditioning. I also happen to really like roses as flowers, not just as symbols of romance (not every girl does). Good thing there's an up-and-coming "fair trade" rose market.

Self-cleaning litter

2008-01-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

A toilet-shaped self-cleaning litter box? Hm. I don't know if my cat would fall for it, or if it's worth $300 not to scoop litter (plus always having to buy more sani-solution).

Interesting...

2008-01-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

According to this quiz, I'm a bit confused. Oo, pretty rainbow! I was kinda planning to vote for John McCain anyway. Nice to know at least one anonymous internet quiz agrees with me. :)

71% John McCain
68% Mitt Romney
64% Bill Richardson
63% Tom Tancredo
62% Barack Obama
61% Chris Dodd
61% Hillary Clinton
59% John Edwards
58% Mike Huckabee
56% Fred Thompson
50% Rudy Giuliani
50% Ron Paul
47% Joe Biden
35% Dennis Kucinich
35% Mike Gravel

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Beware of Gift Cards?

2008-01-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

So a while ago, I got a "Liberty" gift card for $25. It was one of those Visa gift cards that's good anywhere and acts just like a Visa debit card. I never remembered spending it all, so after I found it while cleaning out my purse today, I checked my balance, and it was $0. I was about to shrug and just throw it away, when I noticed they had a transaction history option online. So I looked it up, and I had spent $13 at Borders the month I got it, and at some point thereafter had been charged $2.50 a month until the balance was $0, at which point the card had been terminated. A closer look at the terms and conditions of the card revealed that, indeed, they do charge a $2.50/month fee, "waived for six months." What?! You're stealing my money! And it's my fault, because I didn't check the terms and conditions of a gift card?! That's just dirty rotten. I'm sure the people who bought it for me didn't know about that, either. These people must make money hand over fist. How mean.

Unfortunate Pun of the Week

2007-12-24T14:22:00.001-08:00

Painful grammatical error. Maybe online advertisers should consider proofreading their ads. But then, what would we laugh at?

Somebody send the Spears family a PSA

2007-12-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

Jamie-Lynn Spears is pregnant.
Has this family never heard of birth control? I hear you can get it free from Planned Parenthood. Seriously, I do respect their decisions to keep the babies (refraining from quality-of-life jokes here), and I'm sure they're hardly the only family to which this happens, but man... I really feel sorry for them, too. I hope they can get it together.

Great website!

2007-12-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

Is it Christmas?

What do I get now?

2007-09-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

This comic addresses one of the big problems most people should have with the kind of Christianity that's generally accepted. Brian McLaren addresses that in The Secret Message of Jesus: eternal life starts now, and we start living out the joy of relationship with God here on earth by living according to Jesus' message. Interesting stuff. And, of course, just a cute comic.

Living the Bible literally

2007-09-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

This guy tried Following Every Rule for One Year. It's a great article and I bet the book would be interesting, too. Some highlights:

NEWSWEEK: It’s been a little over a year since your experiment ended and you shaved your beard. How’s the life of sin?
A. J. Jacobs: It’s all right. I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free. I was able to cut down on my coveting maybe 40 percent, but I was still a coveter. ...

I'm glad he recognizes that.

What, if any, rules are you still following?
I’m not Gandhi or Angelina Jolie, but I made some strides. ...

Wait, what? When did Angelina Jolie replace Mother Theresa as the epitome of righteousness in popular culture?

Most of the religious figures you met with seemed very willing to help you with your quest. Were you afraid anyone would be offended by the idea of you doing this as a commercial project, or see it as a gimmick?
Yes, I thought I would encounter that. I didn’t encounter it that much, and I don’t know why. Maybe because I went in really curious, I didn’t go in to mock religion. It was much more a journey to understand. There are parts of the book where I take the Bible literally and show that that is not a good way to read the Bible. ...

An excellent thing to realize. However, file under missing the point:

Many women say some passages in the Bible can seem pretty misogynistic. Was that a problem for your relationship?
It was. Parts of the Bible say that the man is the head of the household and should make the decisions, which did not translate into reality in our household. She found that a disturbing part of religion. It was something I really had to wrestle with. One of the lessons of the book is, there is some picking and choosing in following the Bible, and I think that’s OK.

Even my friends who believe the man is the head of the household don't say that equates to him making the decisions. AJ then jumps to saying, hey, it's okay to pick and choose from the Bible. I almost completely disagree with that, but it's definitely a frequent result of misunderstanding passages. "How could God say that? I can't follow that! I guess I just won't do it. Well, if I'm not doing that, why do I do this other thing?" All the more reason not to misapply passages, but I'll leave that soapbox for another day.

Couldn't have said it better myself

2007-09-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Christian Critics

When I finished Deathly Hallows, I felt a little guilty for having skipped church to do it (lest someone at church give away the ending). But my friend pointed out that it was like I had gone to church, because it was such a great message.

R.I.P. Hyphens

2007-09-24T11:16:00.001-07:00

Thousands of hyphens perish in new Shorter OED. A love post to my grammar friends. :)

It's sprrrreading!

2007-09-19T00:18:00.001-07:00

Even flickr has caught the International Talk Like A Pirate wave!

Update! It gets better. Scroll down and choose among languages "Arr!"

And Rhapsody has a Talk Like A Pirate Day mix! And Tom Smith released a song, "Talk Like A Pirate Day." ("That time in September when sea dogs remember that grown-ups still know how ta play!")

Unfortunate grammar mistake of the week

2007-09-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

In this, the latest sad O.J. story, we find the sentence, "Simpson told the Associated Press that he gained access to Beardley's room by posing as a buyer interested in purchasing the suit he wore on the occasion of his acquittal for the murders of the former Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman." Leaving aside the absurdity of the situation, I do believe he meant "the late Nicole Brown," or perhaps "of former girlfriend Nicole Brown"... But probably not what he wrote. Reminds me of something my GPM once said: "While not completely untrue, it's extremely unhelpful."

A slip of the tongue

2007-08-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Damsels in distress are a rare commodity, so you should take advantage of them whenever possible."

Stop playing so hard to get

2007-08-20T18:51:00.001-07:00

"I just watched Pride and Prejudice. Right now I am as hard to get as a practical degree from a liberal arts college."
--Andrea

"A fool"

2007-07-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Abigail: It's kind-of like the light bulb. It wasn't possible until it had already happened. I mean, you know what they called Ben Franklin before he succeeded in doing it!
Katie: ...Thomas Edison?

I'm so happy I could cry

2007-07-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Redmond forecast:
July 4 - sunny and 81
July 5 - sunny and 80
July 6 - sunny and 81
July 7 - sunny and 78
...
I love summer!!

"A slimmer summer"

2007-06-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

This article on how to help your kids have "a slimmer summer" is a little distressing to me. It's all about childhood obesity and ideas for getting children motivated to exercise. I don't remember needing to be encouraged to go outside and play. I suppose Mom did feed us relatively healthy snacks, but up until ... maybe sixth grade? You couldn't keep me inside if you tried! (Those of you who know me now will be rightfully shocked.) Perhaps it was because I lived somewhere you could swim every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but even in Michigan I loved (for the first two years) going outside in the snow, etc.

One more thing to worry about for my theoretical children...

Endless.com: Shoes & Handbags

2007-06-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Ian showed me this new Amazon website, Endless.com. It's the most fun I've had shopping for shoes in a long time.

Remember that car commercial based on The Matrix, where hundreds of cars would fly by, and the customers just kept asking for things until they found the car they wanted? No? Well, that's okay -- this site is like that. I want women's shoes. In white. Three-inch heel. No, two-inch heel. Only show me my size. Now just the sandals. Ankle wrap. Yes! That one! :) And, to compete with Zappo's no doubt, free shipping and free return shipping! So great!

Hmm

2007-06-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

So if the description of one's life is moving from "bad soap opera" to "veritable train-wreck"... is that an upgrade or a downgrade?

Not my life... Just a hypothetical. :)

The Difference Between Cats and Dogs

2007-06-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

The difference between cats and dogs...demonstrated succinctly.

Squirrel goes on rampage, injures 3

2007-06-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

This article might change the tune of the Michigan Squirrels club!

Venom = Jared Leto?

2007-06-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else think evil Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 looks a lot like Jared Leto?

Someone else mentioned Chris Gaines, and I would agree but for the weird little triangle chin...goatee? What do you call that? Edit: Soul patch, according to Leah. :)

Validation

2007-06-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm adequate!

Funny but disturbing

2007-05-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Double-takes

The mouseover text is priceless (let your mouse hover over and read the tooltip).

Ya think?

2007-05-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

Seriously? They didn't know this before? Heavy-drinking college kids make worse decisions

Ahoy, desklubbers!

2007-05-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Ergonomic Keyboard for Pirates, in honor of Pirates.

Heavenly Buttercream Frosting

2007-05-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Start with a stick of butter, softened (leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours). Beat with a mixer until butter is fluffy.

Gradually add two cups of powdered sugar (while beating, or adding a little, beating it together, and adding some more). If it gets too stiff, you can start on the next step early.

Add three to four tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. (Milk will do fine, but it won't make the frosting as heavenly.) Also add about half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Beat together. Add powdered sugar until you reach the desired fluffiness and consistency. Mmm. :)

The Relationship Equivalency Exam

2007-05-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

From Cindy Chupack's The Between Boyfriends Book: A Collection of Cautiously Hopeful Essays, which my friend Kate told me about. (Note that I don't agree with some of her basic principles, but it's still a funny exam.)

There's nothing worse than almost marrying someone, breaking it off, and having to start over with a blind date. It's like failing your senior year of high school and having to go back to kindergarten. ... One thing that would help...is shortening the time we spend in less-than-stellar relationships. ... You and only you can determine whether your date's answer merits relationship credit, allowing him/her to place out of that particular relationship stage.

For Men:

English: What does it mean when you say, "I'll call you"?
Math: How many women can you have sex with and still be monogamous?
Psychology: Other than abject fear, what are some possible reactions to the words "I love you"?
Economics: Who pays for dinner if your date makes more than you, and how long before you resent her for it?
Physics: Find a way to arrange your bathroom items on your half of the sink, knowing full well your girlfriend needs the whole sink for her items.

For Women:

English: When you say, "I'm not in a rush to get married," define the word rush.
Math: Is the number of minutes it takes you to evaluate a date as a potential husband greater than or equal to the number of minutes it takes you to identify and ignore his red flags?
Psychology: Other than abject fear, what are some possible reactions to the words "I need space"?
Economics: How much should you pay for an apartment you never visit in order to keep a boyfriend from freaking out that you live in his?
Physics: Find a way to arrange your bathroom items on your half of the sink while still maintaining the illusion that you wake up looking this good.

Pencils down. Break up or marry accordingly.

Habe ich sprachgefühl?

2007-05-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

It's very odd to see such a German word as sprachgefühl show up as a Merriam-Webster [English] word of the day. In fact, I've never actually seen it used in English. Cool word, though.

(The title asks, "Do I have sprachgefuehl?")

The Difference

2007-05-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's like the difference between dying instantly in a car crash and dying of gangrene. Or like the difference between a sharp guillotine and a dull steak knife. Sure, you're still dead, but at least there's a clearly preferable option.

No, I'm not actually dying. :)

Shape my daemon!

2007-04-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have a daemon! (That's like a familiar, from The Golden Compass.) By agreeing or disagreeing with my assessment of myself, you can make it change shape and be a better, more accurate familiar. Basically, it's a way to make you take a quiz about me. :) It's just like five questions and you don't have to sign in or do anything (though you will have to accept a cookie).

NHL Fans vs. Versus!

2007-04-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

(No, I'm not stuttering.)

Used to be you could catch any hockey game being played anywhere if you were watching CBC. Then Versus paid $120 million for NHL cable broadcasting rights, and some games are theirs exclusively. No FSN Detroit, no CBC, nothing. At least Comcast moved Versus to regular cable (instead of top-tier digital), but who's got cable? Sure, the NHL needs money, but if they alienate their fans (you'd think they'd have learned this already), Versus won't want them either.

I'm back!

2007-04-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

The new Blogger -- tied to my gmail account -- ate my cookies (haha) on my main posting machine (no, I never post from work) and so I haven't been able to log in to blog. But I'm back!

My Peanut Butter!

2007-02-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

Precious Peter Pan peanut butter is hard to come by in the Northwest, so every time I go back to Michigan, I visit Meijer and bring a jar home. Now I hear that ConAgra Foods is recalling Peter Pan for possible salmonella contamination. I have three jars (one opened) with the affected product code. Do I send it back? The refund would be like $2.50/jar. But more importantly -- then I wouldn't have any Peter Pan peanut butter! I'd have to go back to Skippy! I'm totally willing to risk salmonella for cookie dough (raw eggs, you know)...but peanut butter?

Yay for Seattle

2007-02-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

I'm obligated to point out that I am really glad to be in Seattle right now, even if it's cloudy.

It's too late

2007-02-05T22:43:00.000-08:00

I officially crossed the line from hip, independent single to boring adult tonight, when I uttered the line, "Ooh, yay! Charmin Ultra's on sale!"

Lack of expenditure is not the cause of the health care crisis

2007-02-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

John Edwards, who apparently has already declared his candidacy for president in 2008, is introducing a bill to raise taxes for health care. Choice quote: "If we're going to spend this much on health care, we have no choice but to raise taxes!"

Arg! So don't spend that much! Sure, I'm not making $200K a year and won't be anytime soon (that's the income bracket he wants to tax), but that bracket is already high enough. Frankly, I liked some of his ideas, or what I thought he was saying -- people should have options and making health care more competitive. But the government is not a good option, it's a Democratic money pit.

Please correct me if I'm showing a flagrant disregard for the poor. I want people of all income brackets to have health care, and I don't think it's feasible for employers to be people's only option. But I don't want to pay for health care for people who could afford it themselves if it weren't so ridiculously expensive. Due to malpractice insurance. Due to lawyers like John Edwards.

I'm going to bed now, before I get really worked up.

In Memoriam

2007-01-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

Kaethe Kasdorf Warkentin
Aug. 26, 1915 - Jan. 14, 2007

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Tim 4:7

Enchanted Office

2007-01-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what to think about this... Microsoft has actually come up with a clever ad campaign!

You should get most of the pop-culture references, but you may not know that Jensen and Julie were instrumental in the design, development and dissemination of the Ribbon. Jensen's blog has even made him something of a minor (think Q-list) celebrity in the Office development world.

Spametry Goes Holier-Than-Thou

2006-12-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

"Buy Cialis on the cheap!" was the headline. But inside, Biblical knowledge to rival the average American (who probably doesn't know this much KJV, but can probably also speak slightly more grammatically):

worms destroy them, yet, even in their flesh shall they see shall enter into the holy of holies, which is prepared for you prisons; ere long, these tabernacles of clay shall be dissolved, “mortify our members which are upon earth.” And who blessed privileges. As the obedience of Christ is imputed to while; but he that enabled Elijah to cry out, “Come in thou shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Does the law riches leave not the owner, the owners must soon leave them; from hindering our souls through weakness, that they shall judgment'; earth, air, fire, water, shall give up your scattered honest to his neighbor, so he is likewise strictly sober in planted by the water-side, grew up and flourished for a while; one with Christ, even as Jesus Christ and the Father are one.25th of Matthew,
represents himself saying, ‘Come, ye running to our blessed Lord, and kneeling before him, Dewayne Oakes

I have power again!

2006-12-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

I've never been so glad for an electric light in my life.

Someday I'll write up this whole story...

2006-12-19T23:22:00.000-08:00

...But for now, I'll just leave you with this.

And now you're flossing with your thread!

Yet another weather record

2006-12-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

Go search for news articles on Seattle weather. Go ahead. I'll wait.

The sixth weather-related record Seattle set this year -- highest windspeed ever recorded in the city, at 69 mph -- has kept me without power since 10:30 Thursday night. It's now Sunday afternoon. I'm really cold, and more than a little put out. I spent Friday huddling by the fire with Betsy (who was fortuitously here) until we realized that the power was not going to come back and we probably shouldn't use the last log. My phone and computer had both run out of power, so I was starting to shake with needing to feel connected to something. We ran out of hot water with which to wash our hands. The mess is getting worse in my house and I can't even fix it because, hey, it's near the solstice in Seattle and so it gets dark at 4:30, and I can't feel my fingers.

And you know what the worst part is? I haven't been able to watch The Office's Christmas special! At least, thank goodness, it recorded the whole way, but I haven't had power or known anyone with a VCR since then and I want to know what happened!

"Mirrors & Smoke" Lyrics (Jars of Clay)

2006-12-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

The lyrics to "Mirrors and Smoke," by Jars of Clay, make much more sense to me when I can see the dialogue between the man and the woman. So, below, I present them with the man's words in plain text and the woman's in italics, and when they sing together in bold.

It's a great recognition of how we cause our loved ones pain despite our best efforts -- and how those best efforts hold it all together anyway.

Lyrics:

I'm feeling older than my years, I'm feeling pain inside my chest.
You know it's love that keeps me silent, it's my silence you detest.
Rivers flow into the ocean, and oceans never fill,
I want to kiss your lips but I know I never will.

Love's a hard decision to risk impending choke,
So my love will keep you wishing,
and my heart will keep me broke.

I give you flowers, give you candy to even out the guilt.
I send you greeting cards with messages that I could never write.
Rivers flow into the oceans, and oceans never fill,
I want to let you know me, but I know I never will.

Love's a contradiction made of mirrors and smoke,
So my love will keep you wishing,
And my heart it makes me broke.

You will always want me,
And I'll always want to leave.
Even though I cut your wounds,
You still deny they're real.
Rivers flow into the oceans, and oceans never fill,
I want to lay my life down,
But I know you never will.

Love's a strange condition with all the doubts it can invoke,
Your love keeps me wishing,
And my heart it keeps me broke.

Baby, don't you cry 'cause I got it all figured out.
You'll always make me sad, but that's what true love is all about.
Rivers never fill the oceans, but oceans always feel
The waters reaching deep inside them, I guess they always will.

Love's a constant mission, truer words were never spoke,
My love, it keeps you wishin', and my heart keeps me broke...

...keeps me wishing, my heart it makes me broke...
...mirrors and smoke...

To -s or not to -s?

2006-12-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

This article on the Supreme Court's grammatical divide is priceless.

To settle all this debate, allow the Grammar Queen to lay down the final law: add an -s if it sounds better! "Jesus's" is hard to say, but "Arkansas'" just sounds stupid. You wouldn't say "Iowa'", it would be "Iowa's." I personally add the s to soft-s endings ("James's") but not to hard-s endings ("Moses'", "Jesus'").

Katie on the future

2006-11-29T22:14:00.000-08:00

You can't think about your whole future at once. You picture yourselves sitting on a porch swing, but you fail to see that the porch swing is on Mars and Marv got his leg blown off on the way by an asteroid and now has a support pig. I mean, some things you just can't foresee.

Welcome to Seattle...

2006-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

This year's weather:

December 2005 - January 2006 saw 29 consecutive days of rain, the second-longest streak in Seattle's history.

July - August 2006 saw 26 consecutive days of no rain, combining to make the driest July and August in Seattle's history. (This did not bother me.)

November 2006 has been the wettest November in Seattle's history for days, and it's not even over.

It's been below freezing for two straight days here, and we're set for another storm tonight. The hills are covered with ice and businesses have been shut down, including Microsoft.

Should I be worried about my effect on the area...?

Sun-dappled mountains

2006-11-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

by jgrudzien

Janet took this great photo while vacationing in Africa.

Captain Jack Brings SexyBack

2006-11-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

Using nothing but a Justin Timberlake song and clips from the first movie, "km321" proves that Captain Jack is Bringing SexyBack -- singlehandedly!

I'm...speechless

2006-11-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

There's the very smallest grain of truth in the overall philosophy of savethemales.ca - exposing feminism and the new world order -- just enough that I can't write them off as completely out to lunch (as I can, for example, the Flat Earth Society, who do actually exist). But I can't even begin to list the number of things that are wrong... And if I tried, I'd probably get so incensed I'd fry my computer, and Dorian doesn't deserve that.

The coolest thing Yahoo's made to date

2006-11-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

At Yahoo, you can now make your own avatar (Yahoo account required), which you can update and will dynamically show up in other people's messenger lists and stuff. Kinda makes me wish I used Yahoo for anything.

Edit: To download the avatars, go to the menu on the right and choose "Export." From there, you can either link to the avatar, so that it displays dynamically, or choose download under "Did you know?"

I made more! :)

New Line Ousts Peter Jackson

2006-11-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, exactly who do they think can make a better version of The Hobbit?

Evaluation

2006-11-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

I mean, he's a nice boy, but kind-of WYSIWYG, you know?
--Katie

Distorted Beauty

2006-11-14T17:03:00.000-08:00

The making of a billboard powerfully illustrates everything that's wrong with our society's obsession with beauty. Even the makeup and hair I could forgive, since anyone could benefit from it, but to alter the photo! Terrible.

One more reason to love GMail

2006-11-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

New G-Mail Feature:
Embarassment-reducing new message notifications
Ever replied to a message only to find out that someone sent a better, smarter reply right before you? Now, if someone sends a reply while you're in the middle of reading a conversation (or replying to it), you'll get a notification that a new message has arrived. Click 'update conversation' to see what you’ve missed.

Can you even fry a liquid?

2006-10-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

You have got to be kidding me... Fried Coca-Cola?

It actually sounds rather good... Heart-attack unhealthy, but tasty.

Rolling Stops Gather No Moss

2006-10-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is clearly where I need to live...

Do you report errors to Microsoft?

2006-10-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I spent a significant part of yesterday and today investigating user-reported crashes in Access. You know how when an app crashes while you're running Windows, you get the little dialog box that asks you whether you want to report the error? I almost always click "Don't Send" by default. Now that I've had a chance to look at what MS gets when you click "Send," I realize I've been shooting myself in the foot.

See, Microsoft actually uses that data! Little devs like me get assigned to look at the data and determine what happened. The more times someone clicks "Send," the more likely we are to be able to figure out what caused the crash and therefore potentially fix it, or at least give you more information about what caused it.

No personally identifiable information is sent with the crash reporting, and I can verify that because I see the data that does get reported. (That qualification doesn't apply to survey responses, but those are voluntary and you get to see what will be sent before approving the sending.) That includes serial number used to register the product. So you have nothing to lose by submitting those responses except crashes!

Also, join the Customer Experience Improvement Program. We really do use that data (for an example of how, see Jensen Harris's blog). If you've ever said, "Why did they make that feature? Who uses that?", now you know: It's the people who join CEIP.

No, I haven't been drinking more Kool-Aid than usual. I just thought my loyal readers might like to know what happens to all that data. :)

Bloody Pirates!

2006-09-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of National Talk Like A Pirate Day, I brought rum to work. The following exchange occurred after Andrew had rum and I hadn't.

Andrew: I want a drunk Abigail to play with!
Abigail: *slap*
Andrew: HEY! Everyone wants a drunk Abigail. It's like a Tickle-me-Elmo.

I think I'm losing my killer instinct

2006-09-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm actually enjoying the Michigan-Vanderbilt game less than I would normally, because I feel so bad about our beating up on poor, smaller teams who're just here to get the money (not that you can blame them). I'd feel better if they scored once so that we could pretend like it was actually a game.

Apparently I AM wearing a sign that says, "Don't marry me."

2006-08-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Using ancient social science research, some guy wrote an article about why men shouldn't marry career women (those who work more than 35 hours a week and earn more than $30K per year). Fortunately for my blood pressure, a colleague of his has already given him a thorough fisking. Herewith, I present both articles for you:
Careers And Marriage - Forbes.com

Apparently there was also a slide with the top nine reasons:

You are less likely to get married to her.
If you do marry, you are more likely to get divorced.
She is more likely to cheat on you.
You are much less likely to have kids.
If you do have kids, your wife is more likely to be unhappy.
Your house will be dirtier.
You'll be unhappy if she makes more than you.
She will be unhappy if she makes more than you.
You are more likely to fall ill.

Okay, just go read the counterpoint, but I just have to say that the list reflects pretty poorly on the man's priorities.

How to get good customer service

2006-08-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

"Never underestimate the power of a crying woman in a very public store staffed only by men." --Katie

You thought that was bad...

2006-08-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Almost as weird as the bubblegum diva version of "Higher" is the grunge-industrial remake of "Like A Prayer."

Yet another instance of a few idiots ruining things for everyone

2006-08-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon we're just going to ban air travel altogether.

New list of banned items for travel

Some highlights...

No liquids or gels of any kind will be permitted in carry on baggage. Such items must be in checked baggage. This includes all beverages, shampoo, sun-tan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency.

Exceptions: Baby formula and medicines, which must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint.

Beverages purchased in the boarding area, beyond the checkpoint, must be consumed before boarding because they will not be permitted onboard the aircraft.

Passengers traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States will be subject to a more extensive screening process.

That last one really gets me. Maybe I have too much faith in our spies, but now that the plot's been blown wide open, we don't need to worry about that leg of the journey anymore. I'd be more worried, in fact, about other flights, since the vigilance is being focused on the UK.

Seriously: No hair gel? Are the flight attendants now going to have to check their bags as well? We can't even bring water on the plane with us? Trust me, they can't serve drinks fast enough in steerage -- er, coach class -- to justify banning water. What's next: books, because you could give someone an paper cut? I mean, sharp objects, I can understand, but you can't ban everything that could ever possibly be used as a weapon. I feel really bad for the airline industry right about now... and for my family and the dozen or so flights we have planned for the next few months.

Er...

2006-08-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Imagine a 14-year-old girl with a decent voice, singing at the high end of her range, overtop an incessantly perky dance beat.

Now imagine she's singing Creed's "Higher."

I take back that thing I said about every song being better in dance remix.

Another complaint about the weather

2006-07-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that all I do here, practically, is complain about Seattle weather, but why do people here speak of temperatures below average as "welcome" and "pleasant compared to the blistering midwest"? No! Nonononono! I only get six weeks of summer and I want them to be hot! I'd rather melt my M&Ms than have a high of 72! [/rant]

Interesting thoughts on children

2006-07-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

"Show me a kid chewing a gumball filled with pot and having sex with his teacher and, I tell you what, this is a kid who's not bringing a gun to school."
--Bill Maher

Spametry

2006-07-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

This spam poetry caught my eye faster than I could delete it, so here you go.

validity uptodate
hoping front insurers
Big Midi Sounds
childrens History.
Angst
googling
ESRB: TeenView Ratings GuideView may Dual Analog
CPUs necessary primary storage
links... pages: Lines
Really Salon Share
Treasure Forgotten Pirate
NOR
spatial Conduct
Nehemiah
prompted pick. picked
Sounds Dudes Humor Jokes
data.Most shifted Shortly started
clients attracts treasures
DNS Stuff: WHOIS domain
L.A.
Help Cookies
smoked.
parity switch
PHEROMONE
Wish items
grab Grab clipart langue
division XScale. producer
Crazy Rubber pranks gags Boys Hate But Fast
greater. repeats normally
pieces
Comment
XP. .June AMDs info.

Explain this to me...

2006-07-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Startup Helps Assess Open-Source Projects

How do you make money with free software?

mememememe

2006-07-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

For my first post in forever, I present the ignominious results of my first try at The Harry Potter Quiz.

As Colin, you are lively, friendly and inquisitive! Just make sure you don't get in people's way too much.

My second try was slightly better (although the quiz writer can't know much if she put Cho Chang in Gryffindor).

As Cho Chang, you are pretty, popular and intelligent, but quite sensitive and vain.

My first try at the Narnia Quiz was better.

You are most like Peter Pevensie, once High King of Narnia. As Peter, you are brave, loyal yet intelligent, and are greatly respected for upholding what you think is right.

Swearing? Fighting? Proselytizing?

2006-06-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'd laugh if it weren't so ridiculous. The MPAA has given the movie Facing the Giants a PG rating because of 'thematic elements' -- talking about God. It "decided that the movie was heavily laden with messages from one religion and that this might offend people from other religions," and that therefore parents should be warned before taking their children to see it.

I'm not going to get all up in arms about it, but it's an interesting step in the eternal plan of things.

Pearl: The Musical

2006-06-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have been terribly remiss! My dear friend Katie has written a full-length Broadway-style musical, and you should check it out.

P31W Summarized

2006-06-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

"I would be an asset in every room of the house."

Kiss me, I love chocolate

2006-05-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

In the last few years, Hershey's has tripled the number of kinds of Kisses they produce. Since not everyone has an everlasting candyjar near his or her office, I thought you might benefit from my opinion. That, and I never met an opinion of mine that I didn't want to share. ;)

The old standards -- milk chocolate and milk chocolate with almonds -- are as good as ever, plus the Hugs (milk/white chocolate) remain delicious. The new dark purple dark chocolate kisses are similar to Hershey's Special Dark -- still sweet, but darker than some people like. The caramel filled ones (bronze swirl wrapper) are okay, but you can get tastier chocolate and caramel in other sources (though few of them so bite-sized). I haven't tried the Dulce de Leche (hugs with caramel), but I imagine they're similar. The peanut butter kisses (gold and red swirl) aren't nearly as good as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which are made by the same company (not that I should complain, since I work for Microsoft "We Have Three Database Products" Corporation), and also come in bite-sized varieties. I haven't tried dark chocolate with almonds but I see no reason they wouldn't be good. Also still on my list are the brand new Coconut Cream variety (blue swirl wrapper).

But the discovery of the year, as far as candy goes, are the Special Edition Cherry Cordial Kisses. We've all had those little cherry cordials and they're nice, but messy. These kisses (dark red swirl wrapper) are perfectly one-bite size, no messy drippage, no actually having to eat a real cherry, and they are decadently delicious.

Stay tuned for further reviews as I serve the community by snarfing down Kisses.

And I thought I was bored at work

2006-05-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

World's Biggest Tetris Game

Music presumably added later...

The best news of the year, bar none

2006-05-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

'She-Ra' film is kid-friendly, hypes DVD

Okay, aside from the deep disappointment I feel at having missed the theater showing of the best movie ever, this paragraph made my year, I kid you not:

The inevitable "She-Ra" boxed set, including "The Secret of the Sword," arrives this summer.

I missed the Jem set because I didn't think it would have only one release (and then go to eBay for three times the original Best Buy price). But there is no way I'm missing this one. I've been waiting for it since I was 12! (Another quote from the article: "Go online and you will read testimony from original She-Ra fans, now in their mid- to late twenties, who covet their worn copies on VHS." That would be me.) Now if they'd just release the complete X-Men animated series on DVD, my life might also be complete.

On Moussaoui's sentencing

2006-05-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

Caveat: I know literally nothing about this story except what's in this article.

Moussaoui's mother is quoted as saying that the French would "rather please the Americans" than work for her son's release. I understand her feeling and she has every right to be upset -- she's his mother! She shouldn't be objective. But I disagree with her assessment. I kind-of feel like the French do pretty much whatever they can to stick it to the Americans, at least ideologically. But then, I'm ignorant.

Today's Out Of Context Quote

2006-05-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

"Then I would bring baby-wipes, because the marshmallows can get sticky."

You are mighty!

2006-05-02T00:16:00.000-07:00

Copy this address into your browser, replacing with your name.
http://yourname.youaremighty.com/

Next time Abigail's feeling low, she just remembers:
http://abigail.youaremighty.com/!

It's quite possibly the most inspiring thing I've heard all day.

Never get spyware from lyrics sites again!

2006-05-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

LyricWiki will save you from all those nasty, ad-laden, spyware-installing lyrics sites out there. Just tack a "lyricwiki" onto the end of your Google search!

Mothers

2006-04-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

"I just had a thought. Does your new car have a roll bar? ... This is what I do, when I'm bored, I think of new ways that my children can hurt themselves so I can worry about them."

Bush takes aim at gasoline prices�|�Reuters.com

2006-04-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Bush takes aim at gasoline prices: "He directed the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend federal clean-burning gasoline rules this summer that are forcing consumers to buy expensive new gasoline blends."

Is he serious? Are we all seriously so short-sighted that we'd rather have slightly cheaper gas now than less pollution forever?

(I realize I say this from a biased position, because I have a relatively short commute and therefore lower gas bills, not to mention enough money to cover the increase. But if we're serious about alternative fuel, that might mean -- gasp! -- sucking it up and changing our lifestyle. I don't in any way want to diminish the struggle of poor people and families when gas prices are this high. But that's how capitalism works: they raise the prices until people won't buy it anymore. If gas prices are too high, we should stop buying.)

Concessions

2006-04-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

Given how much I gripe about the weather here, I guess it's only fair to mention when something good happens. What follows is extraordinarily good weather for Seattle in April, so I don't want any comments like "It's already 85 in Virginia!" We already know that's where I'd rather be, okay? ;)

Marital Arts

2006-04-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Not a typo, just a pun. This is the randomest comic ever, ~~but~~ and this one ended up funny. :)

From Toothpaste For Dinner.

Say hello to my little friend...

2006-04-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Blue Hotness,

Welcome to the family. :)

Love,
Abigail

I'm too young to have nostalgia

2006-04-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Little did the makers of Oregon Trail know what an icon of late-'80s childhood it would become. The '80s are trying to come back and the fashion needs to NOT do that, because it wasn't cute a year after it came back. And I know I'm not the first one to find it our point it out, but I still want this shirt.

Knock Yourself Out

2006-04-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

A Slate Magazine cartoonist comments on why the UN is not quite as effective as maybe it wishes it was.

I support the separation of church and hate

2006-04-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ian found a great article about what's wrong with the modern church. It pointed out some problems in my own life, that's for sure!

I'm talking about a computer -- no, really!

2006-03-30T00:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so hot I have to sit on a bag of frozen edamame, and that's no way to live!

A rock band for Katie

2006-03-30T00:08:00.000-08:00

Courtesy Snog.

Not "The Courtesy Snogs" -- just "Courtesy Snog."

Explain this to me.

2006-03-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm no expert on the Middle East. I hardly even follow its news. But please, explain to me how the Palestinians can swear in a new cabinet when, to my knowledge, they are sovereign over no area of land on Earth. How do you even become a Palestinian, since you can't live there? (Or you can, but that would make you an Israeli.)