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Saturday, August 02, 2003
If Wal-Mart is Rolling Back Prices Every Day . . .
. . . then how come nothing is free there yet? (via Ellen)
Hey, Did You Know Rutherford B Hayes Snored?
I found this out at Medical History of American Presidents.
Around the Blogroll, Part 21:
Cup of Chicha always has a bevy o' linx, including Ascii Movies , and How to Describe Things to Blind People . . . . Cyberalert gives you the daily report on Big Media spin . . . . . NRO on Ted Kennedy , Israel's Fence , and the connections between Abe Lincoln and Iraq
They Fired the Wrong Guy, Parts 1 and 2:
It's old news by now that MSNBC fired Michael Savage. But why don't they fire the guy who keeps putting on radio shows (Imus, anyone?) on a TV network?
And then there's this story from a truely clueless company if there ever was one, Kodak. The events began when Kodak employee Rolf Szabo was forwarded an e-mail from his supervisor regarding the Human Rights Campaign's annual "Coming Out Day." The response by Szabo was brief, but it was dispatched to all recipients of the original e-mail, some 1,000 Kodak employees:
Please do not send this type of information to me anymore, as I find it disgusting and offensive.
Thank you,
Rolf Szabo
One thing led to another, and Mr. Szabo was fired. But what kind of IT department has their corporate e-mail set up to let the average employee respond to all recipients of a broadcast e-mail message? Pretty sloppy, I'd say. Seems like somebody from Kodak's IT group should have hit the pavement for this one, not Mr. Szabo.
And then there's this story from a truely clueless company if there ever was one, Kodak. The events began when Kodak employee Rolf Szabo was forwarded an e-mail from his supervisor regarding the Human Rights Campaign's annual "Coming Out Day." The response by Szabo was brief, but it was dispatched to all recipients of the original e-mail, some 1,000 Kodak employees:
Please do not send this type of information to me anymore, as I find it disgusting and offensive.
Thank you,
Rolf Szabo
One thing led to another, and Mr. Szabo was fired. But what kind of IT department has their corporate e-mail set up to let the average employee respond to all recipients of a broadcast e-mail message? Pretty sloppy, I'd say. Seems like somebody from Kodak's IT group should have hit the pavement for this one, not Mr. Szabo.
The Greatest Set of Tools for Excel
Like the Presurfer, I'm a Big Admirer of John Walkenbach's J-Walk Blog. But John has also written what are quite possibly the greatest set of utilities for Microsoft Excel available today. His Power Utility Pack has a ton of useful features, and got a great review from PC Magazine. It's helped me out a lot on a recent work project, so thanks John!
Friday, August 01, 2003
For Whiter Teeth and Fresher Breath
Ephemera Now (via Coudal Partners) . An art site with the feel of the 50's, without the need to charge up the old flux capacitor and hop into your DeLorean.
Hey There! Wisconsin Teachers, Wouldn't Summer Be a Great Time for Your Union Meeting?
Instead of the last Thursday and Friday in October, when you make the kids take off school and parents miss work for your "convention"? Just thought I'd mention it.
He Has Recorded More Narrations of the Bible Than Anyone
Meet Steven B Stevens . And the KXOK Summer Nostalgia Tour Keeps on Rollin'!
Is There Anything More Annoying Than Listening to a Classic Hits Station?
Where the call letters are "KLH" instead of "WKLH", "The Rolling Stones" are just "The Stones", and "Led Zeppelin" is just "Zeppelin". What's the point about trying to be hip with the name of a 40 year-old rock band?
David Frum Makes the point nicely: "The answer lies, I suppose, in the character of the 1960s. When you watch the Jagger gyrate and the Stones shout their way through the moronic lyrics of their antique songs, you realize that the defining feature of the 1960s was not its vaunted rebelliousness or its alleged compassion (as my friend Jonathan Foreman once wrote about his old law firm: beware of working for any lawyer who has a picture of himself in a ponytail hanging in his office), but its crushing humorlessness. "
Well said. I'm flipping over to that AM station that plays Tony Bennett.
David Frum Makes the point nicely: "The answer lies, I suppose, in the character of the 1960s. When you watch the Jagger gyrate and the Stones shout their way through the moronic lyrics of their antique songs, you realize that the defining feature of the 1960s was not its vaunted rebelliousness or its alleged compassion (as my friend Jonathan Foreman once wrote about his old law firm: beware of working for any lawyer who has a picture of himself in a ponytail hanging in his office), but its crushing humorlessness. "
Well said. I'm flipping over to that AM station that plays Tony Bennett.
The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia:
This is the complete encyclopedia of every single Walter Lantz cartoon ever made. This comprehensive website covers everything from Lantz's earliest days at the Bray Studios with Dinky Doodle to his biggest success: Woody Woodpecker! Not only can you find information about Woody here, but you'll also find everything you ever wanted to know about all your other 'Cartune' favorites as well: Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Oswald Rabbit, Wally Walrus, Homer Pigeon, Smedley, Buzz Buzzard, Gabby Gator, the Beary Family, Inspector Willoughby, and many more!
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Intramural Team Name Generator:
Molding Students into Champions: One Sport at a Time: If you need a name for your intramural team, just click a button! Here are some of the ones I got:
- Heaving Caffeine
- Withered Pizza Boilers
- Heaving Purdue Geeks
- Crushed Movie Hackers
- Terrifying Bacon Men
- Water-logged Leather Bugs
Ernest T. Bass, The Genuine Bronx Hillbilly:
From What A Character!: Best known for the wild man hillbilly "Ernest T. Bass" on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard Morris laughs at his source for the character. "Having been born in the Bronx," notes Morris. "Even I’m surprised that somehow this southern s**t-kicker nut was in my soul." Morris spent his high school years acting in school plays and playing drums in a combo that entertained at weddings, barmitzvahs and funerals. "We mostly got paid in beer," laughs Morris. Morris was drafted into World War II where as an infantryman he saw combat throughout the Pacific Theatre including Guadalcanal and the Philippines. By the end of the war, Morris had become a first sergeant and was performing with an entertainment section stationed in Hawaii. "We did everything from small shows called Five Jerks in a Jeep to Hamlet." Morris later spent a year on the Admiral Broadway Revue and another four years on its successor Your Show of Shows. There he credits Sid Caesar with showing him how to play outlandish characters. "From Caesar I learned the basis for making a character real, and once it’s real you can fly it to the moon." When television moved to Hollywood, Morris followed and became a popular guest star on The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and as "Ernest T. Bass" on The Andy Griffith Show. "Ernest was such a memorable character," notes Morris. "That even today if I put tattered clothes and go down south, I get a standing ovation in every hotel lobby." Today Morris lives in Los Angeles where he continues to act and do voice work.
Wisconsin School Districts' Use of Native American Team Names:
In This Handy Map . Oh, Whatever.
A Unique and Intimate Two Week Tour Around the Hidden Paradise of Sri Lanka:
Extremes of Lanka: "I have been living in Sri Lanka since 1996. I came to help develop and run a small traditional farming community in the heart of Sri Lanka called Ulpotha. To our great surprise and delight it has now organically grown into one of the most sought after retreats in the world. I am now also organising small tours of the island. They are very intimate and different from conventional tours, so I try to meet everyone before they book to ensure they will fit in with the group. The trip lasts for two weeks and can accommodate a maximum of ten people. We stay as little as possible in hotels, and instead rely on the generous hospitality of friends, from foreigners living in splendid villas to indigenous tribesmen in mud huts. We may even be camping a night or two to reach some of the more spectacular and remote regions. So, despite being incredibly indulgent and luxurious at times, this is not a holiday for those that want to lie on fluffy towels on the beach. It is a holiday you will remember for the rest of your life; a chance to experience in detail the lifestyles of many of the diverse inhabitants of the island, and see some of the most beautiful areas I have come across in the years I have been living in Sri Lanka. You will come away from the trip having made friends for life and experienced a truly unique insight into this remarkably diverse country and its people."
She's Not Bad, She's Just Drawn That Way (Original Version):
From Oodles Of Olive Oyl:
"Olive Oyl, as portrayed in the Paramount/Famous Studios' cartoons was the object of the first 'schoolboy crush' that many of us baby boomers had. In fact, even into our teen and early adult years, we would find excuses to watch a few Popeye cartoons now and then. This page is dedicated to Ms. Oyl and to what her exploits (and her creators) taught us about life and love."
I can't fully explain it, but I found that to be a tiny bit unsettling. It's just me.
"Olive Oyl, as portrayed in the Paramount/Famous Studios' cartoons was the object of the first 'schoolboy crush' that many of us baby boomers had. In fact, even into our teen and early adult years, we would find excuses to watch a few Popeye cartoons now and then. This page is dedicated to Ms. Oyl and to what her exploits (and her creators) taught us about life and love."
I can't fully explain it, but I found that to be a tiny bit unsettling. It's just me.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Thousands of Old Advertisements:
The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment 'Library 2000' Fund, presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II, providing a coherent view of a number of major campaigns and companies through images preserved in one particular advertising collection available at Duke University. (via Asymetrical Information)
From Prehistory to Frosted Lucky Charms, They're Magically Delicious!
The Chronology of Ireland. And no, they really don't sell Lucky Charms in Ireland. So take your own when you go.
Art and Design Blogs of Note:
Check out the wonderful Sugar 'n' Spicy , done by Ilana whose heart melts when she hears Dolly Parton sing. Me too. Quarlo features photos of New York City, which, by the way, is NOT where Pace Picante Sauce is made. More other-worldly is the mysterious Neurastenia. And then dublog always seems to have something visually interesting going on.
Jane Barbe, The Voice of Telephone Recordings, Dies at 74:
AccessNorthGa.com: Her timing was so accurate, she could speak to a tenth of a second to fit the technical demands of voice systems. But Barbe understood how annoying a recorded phone message could be. "I know people get frustrated sometimes at the sound of my voice", she told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1992. "One day I heard my own mother in the other room bang down the phone and say, 'Oh, shut up, Jane!'"
Enough of this Maudlin Stuff, Let's Have a Sing-Along!!
Thanks for the memory:
Of things I can't forget, journeys on a jet,
Our wond'rous week in Martinique and Vegas and roulette.
How lucky I was.
And thanks for the memory:
Of summers by the sea, dawn in Waikiki.
We had a pad in London but we didn't stop for tea;
How cozy it was.
Now since our breakup I wake up
Alone on a gray morning-after.
I long for the sound of your laughter,
And then I see the laugh's on me.
But, thanks for the memory:
Of every touch a thrill. I've been through the mill.
I've lived a lot and learned a lot, you loved me not and still;
I miss you so much.
Thanks for the memory:
Of how we used to jog even in a fog,
That barbecue in Malibu, away from all the smog -
How rainy it was.
Thanks for the memory:
Of letters I destroyed, books that we enjoyed,
Tonight the way things look, I need a book by Sigmund Freud -
How brainy he was.
Gone are those evenings on Broadway.
Together we'd go to a great show.
But now I begin with the Late Show,
And wish that you were watching, too.
I know it's a fallacy:
That grown men never cry, baby, that's a lie.
We had our bed of roses, but forgot that roses die.
And thank you so much.
From Blackcatter's World of TV Theme Lyrics, which also has the secret words to Car 54 Where Are You?
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
What Will the Cockpit Crew be Like in the Commercial Aircraft of the Future?
Pessimists in professional circles already know the answer: A pilot and a dog. The pilot’s only job is to feed the dog and keep him awake; the dog is supposed to make sure that the pilot doesn’t touch anything. From Observations on the conflict between technological progress and pilot accountability
People Eating Tasty Animals
Homepage: A resource for those who enjoy eating meat, wearing fur and leather, hunting, and the fruits of scientific research. DISCLAIMER: People Eating Tasty Animals is in no way connected with, or endorsed by, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. So There.
Michael Moore, Humbug
by Kay S. Hymowitz: "Moore is hardly the first to engage in a little nostalgic mythmaking. What makes him unique is his willingness to construct his myths on a scaffolding of calculated untruths. It’s an irony worth savoring. Moore’s chief conceit is that he is the lonely truth teller, seeking out the story no one else is brave enough to touch. He repeatedly blasts the media for ignoring issues that only he, a lowly college dropout, has the courage to bring before a hoodwinked public. “In the beginning there was a free press—well not really, but it sounded good,” the announcer of his TV series, The Awful Truth, would say as the show opened. But the awful truth is that Moore himself is a virtuoso of lying—which is the only way he can give the appearance of truth to his untenable theories. "
Around the Blogroll, Part 1:
The Critical I has many, many great posts from Blogathon 2003. Terrific stuff there. On the Fritz links to this website of things past. Transterresatrial Musings reports on a Fox Station refusing to air a false ad from the Democratic Party. John Walkenbach has switched from IE to Mozilla Firebird for various reasons, and now is giving NetCaptor a try. Sounds like these are all on the right track, like my favorite, the iRider browser. You owe it to yourself to try one of these non-IE browsers. They're not just for hippies anymore.
Complete Text of Lou Gehrig's Luckiest Man Alive Speech:
"'Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day?
'Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert; also the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow; to have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins; then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology -- the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Who wouldn't feel honored to have roomed with such a grand guy as Bill Dickey?
'Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift -- that's something! When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies -- that's something!
'When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles against her own daughter -- that's something! When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body -- it's a blessing! When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed -- that's the finest I know!
'So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for! Thank you.' "
More info for those who don't know the whole story on this from The Sporting News.
By the way, Lou Gehrig was born just a few weeks after Bob Hope was. And Bob Hope was the MC when Gone With the Wind won the Academy Award. Amazing lives, both of them.
Monday, July 28, 2003
William F. Buckley Jr. on The Kennedy Curse:
National Review Online: Edward Klein, author and editor, wrote for the current issue of Vanity Fair, a story that challenged the faith in the matter of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his storybook wife, dead somewhere off Martha's Vineyard after crashing into the water on his private airplane four years ago. The event arrested the attention of the entire world. How could such a thing happen, given the sophisticated technology of the age in which young John was flying? I was in the company of a lifelong pilot when the news came in. He explained that John need only have done one thing to avoid the blindness of the fog that night: turn on the autopilot, and do whatever he was told to do by the air-traffic controller, who would have directed him, that particular night, either to Boston, or to Halifax, and a safe landing.
Sibling Revelry: The Best Of The Smothers Brothers:
From Rhino Records: Remembered today mostly for their classic TV variety show, they arrived in the early '60s with a mix of folk songs and straight man vs. dumb guy vaudeville patter. As fresh and funny as it was 30 years ago, this collection is available again by popular demand.
Dick Fosbury and the Flop That Didn't:
Fosbury won the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City by clearing 7' 4 1/4'. It is now the modern day style employed by almost all and international high jumpers. Using this new style, the world record as of 1993 was 8' 1/2' and was held by Javier Sotomayor of Cuba. Between 1900 and 1960, the average rate of improvement was 1/6' per year. If this rate continued for 400 years the world record would be about 12' 6'. After the Fosbury Flop was adopted, the average rate of improvement was over 1/3' per year. The rate of progress was more than twice as much.
There are several key lessons we can learn from Dick Fosbury's example. Most importantly, we can see that people were bogged down because of one way of thinking. They kept trying to jump higher by using the existing straddle method. Most did not even question this method and were content using it as a way to improve. Reducing the gap between the theoretical best practice and even the demonstrated best practice is almost always a question of changing the existing way of thinking about how to increase performance. "
There are several key lessons we can learn from Dick Fosbury's example. Most importantly, we can see that people were bogged down because of one way of thinking. They kept trying to jump higher by using the existing straddle method. Most did not even question this method and were content using it as a way to improve. Reducing the gap between the theoretical best practice and even the demonstrated best practice is almost always a question of changing the existing way of thinking about how to increase performance. "
So You Wanna Do WHAT?
SoYouWanna.com. So you wanna convert to Mormomism , serve high tea (best do this before converting to Mormomism), speak with an Irish accent, or write a children's book ? Then this is the spot for you!
Reprints of the Mars Attacks Trading Cards:
Larry Fritsch Cards: Issued originally by Topps in the 60’s, this is a fictitious account of Martians attacking Earth. The enemy is depicted enlarging insects to over 500 times their normal size and releasing them on the helpless planet. The 56 card set shows some gruesome photos of the attack in true 60’s style. The reprint set was produced in the 80’s vividly reproducing the original colors. Complete Set (56 Cards) $18.95
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Why Liberals Really Hate Rush Limbaugh:
. . .is really the same reason his radio show is so popular. Rush always seems to be in a good mood, no matter whether the political arena is going his way or not. Clinton gets elected twice on a plurality? Rush has a field day skewering his administration. Clinton gets caught in perjury, but then gets away with it? Hey, what are ya gonna do, and Rush just keeps on going, having fun with it all the way. Al Gore tries to steal the Presidency? Rush satirizes this wooden Presidential wannabe.
And even when it looked like he was going deaf, Rush kept up the good cheer. Liberals see this and conclude "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot". But that's because they've confused overseriousness and gloom with wisdom. They don't realize, as Nathaniel Branden has often pointed out, that suffering is what humans do the easiest. Happiness and good cheer are the qualities that take effort to produce. Rush has them in spades, his critics don't. And that's, deep down, why they hate him.
And even when it looked like he was going deaf, Rush kept up the good cheer. Liberals see this and conclude "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot". But that's because they've confused overseriousness and gloom with wisdom. They don't realize, as Nathaniel Branden has often pointed out, that suffering is what humans do the easiest. Happiness and good cheer are the qualities that take effort to produce. Rush has them in spades, his critics don't. And that's, deep down, why they hate him.
Did You Ever Stop to Think That Norm Abram of This Old House . . . .
. . . is the second-most-famous Jewish Carpenter in all of History?
Boy Scout Project Eases Security Lines at O’Hare International Airport:
MSNBC: "Travelers at one of the world’s busiest airports are waiting less at security checkpoints thanks to the tinkering of a 15-year-old Boy Scout. Josh Pfluger and his scouting pals went into his Rockford, Ill., garage and hammered out a shoe-scanning device now in daily use at O’Hare International Airport. His goal at the time was simply to polish off his Eagle Scout requirements. Looks like the project passed muster."
But If He HAD Won, He Would Just Be Another Name in the Book:
Saddam Interrupts Chilling Message To Give ‘Seabiscuit’ Two Thumbs Up:
BOROWITZ report.com: "Appearing on the Al-Jazeera network last night, former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein interrupted a chilling message to the Iraqi people to offer a glowing assessment of the new Universal Pictures release 'Seabiscuit,' opening in theaters across America this Friday.
Saddam, who spent the first two minutes of his latest taped appearance exhorting all Iraqis to rise up against the 'infidels,' suddenly shifted gears and said, 'On a more pleasant subject, last night I saw a movie I thoroughly enjoyed and I think you will, too: 'Seabiscuit.''
The Iraqi madman went on to extol the virtues of the Depression-era horse drama, saying, 'Tobey Maguire gives the performance of his career… Jeff Bridges has never been better… Director Gary Ross has created the most realistic racing scenes ever to appear in a motion picture.'
In closing, the Iraqi strongman added, 'So take my advice and see 'Seabiscuit'… and after you do, get back out there and defeat the infidel.'"
Saddam, who spent the first two minutes of his latest taped appearance exhorting all Iraqis to rise up against the 'infidels,' suddenly shifted gears and said, 'On a more pleasant subject, last night I saw a movie I thoroughly enjoyed and I think you will, too: 'Seabiscuit.''
The Iraqi madman went on to extol the virtues of the Depression-era horse drama, saying, 'Tobey Maguire gives the performance of his career… Jeff Bridges has never been better… Director Gary Ross has created the most realistic racing scenes ever to appear in a motion picture.'
In closing, the Iraqi strongman added, 'So take my advice and see 'Seabiscuit'… and after you do, get back out there and defeat the infidel.'"
