1/30/05
1/27/05
ESPN.com: Page 2 - Yup ... these are my readers
A little excerpt for people who take their music very seriously.
Q: What do you think is THE defining song of the 80's? Not the most popular, but the song that if you were putting a disc of one song in a time capsule for 100 years and they were to open it, what song would scream "This is why the 80s rules." I say it's Blue Monday by New Order, but I'm open to suggestions
--Lance Hughes, Lubbock, TX
SG: That's a great "Driving on a road trip and needing something to argue about for 50 miles" question. In my opinion, a quintessential 80's song should accomplish five things:
A. It should make you think that, except for the rare exceptions -- like the Killers or Franz Ferdinand -- they don't make music like this anymore.
B. It should be happy and moody at the same time, the last song you would ever hear before driving your car off a bridge.
C. It should have a definite beat -- you could dance to it, clean your car to it, drive 110 MPH to it, etc -- and it should definitely sound like something that could have been used in Miami Vice (in an opening montage or a "driving around Miami and checking out hot chicks" scene, not a car chase or a "Tubbs hangs out in a strip joint and pretends he's Jamaican" scene).
D. It should make you question your own sexuality for about 0.87 seconds before you say, "Ah, screw it, it's a good song."
E. It should be dated, cheesy and a little overdramatic ... but not so much that the song isn't still enjoyable even now.
Anyway, these would be my six choices (with apologies to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which wasn't quite morose enough since it was about an orgasm):
1. "The Promise," by When In Rome
2. "Suedehead," by Morrissey
3. "Uncertain Smile" by The The
4. "A Forest" by The Cure
5. "The Killing Moon," by Echo and the Bunnymen
6. "Age of Consent," by New Order
So there you go. And yes, I spent about 90 minutes coming up with that list. And you wonder what I do all day.
A little excerpt for people who take their music very seriously.
Q: What do you think is THE defining song of the 80's? Not the most popular, but the song that if you were putting a disc of one song in a time capsule for 100 years and they were to open it, what song would scream "This is why the 80s rules." I say it's Blue Monday by New Order, but I'm open to suggestions
--Lance Hughes, Lubbock, TX
SG: That's a great "Driving on a road trip and needing something to argue about for 50 miles" question. In my opinion, a quintessential 80's song should accomplish five things:
A. It should make you think that, except for the rare exceptions -- like the Killers or Franz Ferdinand -- they don't make music like this anymore.
B. It should be happy and moody at the same time, the last song you would ever hear before driving your car off a bridge.
C. It should have a definite beat -- you could dance to it, clean your car to it, drive 110 MPH to it, etc -- and it should definitely sound like something that could have been used in Miami Vice (in an opening montage or a "driving around Miami and checking out hot chicks" scene, not a car chase or a "Tubbs hangs out in a strip joint and pretends he's Jamaican" scene).
D. It should make you question your own sexuality for about 0.87 seconds before you say, "Ah, screw it, it's a good song."
E. It should be dated, cheesy and a little overdramatic ... but not so much that the song isn't still enjoyable even now.
Anyway, these would be my six choices (with apologies to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which wasn't quite morose enough since it was about an orgasm):
1. "The Promise," by When In Rome
2. "Suedehead," by Morrissey
3. "Uncertain Smile" by The The
4. "A Forest" by The Cure
5. "The Killing Moon," by Echo and the Bunnymen
6. "Age of Consent," by New Order
So there you go. And yes, I spent about 90 minutes coming up with that list. And you wonder what I do all day.
1/26/05
1/21/05
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | World press electrified by Bush vision
Editorials from around the world responded to the inaguration speech
Editorials from around the world responded to the inaguration speech
1/19/05
Boing Boing: Why is American Airlines gathering written dossiers on fliers' friends?: "Why is American Airlines gathering written dossiers on fliers' friends?
Last week on a trip from London to the US, American Airlines demanded that I write out a list of the names and addresses of all the friends I would be staying with in the USA. They claimed that this was due to a TSA regulation, but refused to state which regulation required them to gather this information, nor what they would do with it once they'd gathered it. I raised a stink, and was eventually told that I wouldn't have to give them the requested dossier because I was a Platinum AAdvantage Card holder (e.g., because I fly frequently with AA). I have written an open letter to AA asking for details on this -- see the link below for the whole text."
You can't buy bad publicity like this. 200 000 + readers a day of his blog plus all the track backs, links and ancillary comments.
Last week on a trip from London to the US, American Airlines demanded that I write out a list of the names and addresses of all the friends I would be staying with in the USA. They claimed that this was due to a TSA regulation, but refused to state which regulation required them to gather this information, nor what they would do with it once they'd gathered it. I raised a stink, and was eventually told that I wouldn't have to give them the requested dossier because I was a Platinum AAdvantage Card holder (e.g., because I fly frequently with AA). I have written an open letter to AA asking for details on this -- see the link below for the whole text."
You can't buy bad publicity like this. 200 000 + readers a day of his blog plus all the track backs, links and ancillary comments.
1/17/05
1/15/05
1/12/05
You know when you work contract these type of things fall into the deductions category. I already have a KVM switch. They make the money when you add the DVD burner, and extra RAM. Still, great price point and amazing form factor.
1/10/05
1/7/05
1/4/05
1/3/05
You Know You've Had Too Much Coffee When (source unknown)
1.Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
2.You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
3.The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
4.You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
5.You lick your coffeepot clean.
6.You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
7.You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
8.Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
9.You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
10.You can jump-start your car without cables.
11.All your kids are named "Joe."
12.Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
13.You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
14.You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
15.People get dizzy just watching you.
16.When you find a penny, you say, "Find a penny, pick it up. Sixty-three more, I'll have a cup."
17.The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
18.Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
19.You're so wired, you pick up FM radio.
20.Your life's goal is to "amount to a hill of beans."
21.Instant coffee takes too long.
22.When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
23.You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
24.You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
25.You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
26.You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
27.You get drunk just so you can sober up.
28.Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
29.You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
30.You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
31.You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
32.You don't tan, you roast.
33.You can't even remember your second cup.
34.You introduce your spouse as your "Coffeemate."
35.You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
1.Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
2.You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
3.The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
4.You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
5.You lick your coffeepot clean.
6.You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
7.You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
8.Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
9.You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
10.You can jump-start your car without cables.
11.All your kids are named "Joe."
12.Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
13.You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
14.You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
15.People get dizzy just watching you.
16.When you find a penny, you say, "Find a penny, pick it up. Sixty-three more, I'll have a cup."
17.The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
18.Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
19.You're so wired, you pick up FM radio.
20.Your life's goal is to "amount to a hill of beans."
21.Instant coffee takes too long.
22.When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
23.You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
24.You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
25.You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
26.You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
27.You get drunk just so you can sober up.
28.Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
29.You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
30.You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
31.You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
32.You don't tan, you roast.
33.You can't even remember your second cup.
34.You introduce your spouse as your "Coffeemate."
35.You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
Wave of Change
How to build a global tsunami warning system in a month
That's a lot of people, 140,000 -- enough people that we ought to do something to make sure it doesn't happen again. So of course, there is lots of talk about tsunami warning systems and global cooperation, but I think that's just going about solving the problem the wrong way. We don't need governments and huge sensor arrays to warn people on the beach about the next huge wave approaching at 400 miles-per-hour. Thanks to the Internet, we can probably do it by ourselves.
How to build a global tsunami warning system in a month
That's a lot of people, 140,000 -- enough people that we ought to do something to make sure it doesn't happen again. So of course, there is lots of talk about tsunami warning systems and global cooperation, but I think that's just going about solving the problem the wrong way. We don't need governments and huge sensor arrays to warn people on the beach about the next huge wave approaching at 400 miles-per-hour. Thanks to the Internet, we can probably do it by ourselves.
Saving for a rainy quarter century
Try this on for size. You're seventy-five years old. You live in the comfy home you've always lived in. You play golf in good weather. In bad weather, you travel to where it's warm and sunny. When your grandchildren call, you take them out on the lake in your new boat. Your wife takes classes in the local college and paints. This is your life in retirement and it's everything you always hoped and dreamed it would be.
Or, try this scenario: you are seventy-five years old. You live in a tiny apartment with the smell of boiled cabbage and noisy neighbors all around. You live in a scary neighborhood and you dare not go out after dark. Eating at restaurants is just a dream. Your apartment is too small to have your kids or grand kids visit. If you get sick and you have to spend time in nursing care, you don't know how you'll afford it. Your life is pure fear.
Try this on for size. You're seventy-five years old. You live in the comfy home you've always lived in. You play golf in good weather. In bad weather, you travel to where it's warm and sunny. When your grandchildren call, you take them out on the lake in your new boat. Your wife takes classes in the local college and paints. This is your life in retirement and it's everything you always hoped and dreamed it would be.
Or, try this scenario: you are seventy-five years old. You live in a tiny apartment with the smell of boiled cabbage and noisy neighbors all around. You live in a scary neighborhood and you dare not go out after dark. Eating at restaurants is just a dream. Your apartment is too small to have your kids or grand kids visit. If you get sick and you have to spend time in nursing care, you don't know how you'll afford it. Your life is pure fear.
1/2/05
A System for Sanity - Part I
By Chakwin
My theme is staying sane and grounded in the practice of law. I know it can be done. I also know it's not easy - at least it hasn't been for me or for the people I see around me.
Achieving this goal involves both conceptual and practical components. This piece is about the practical side, simple steps you can take to make the best use of your time and free your mind from becoming a nervous, nagging device. The information here can make a tremendous difference in the relative ease or difficulty of both the professional and personal sides of your life.
A System for Sanity - Part II
By Chakwin
Page 1 of 2
By Chakwin
Page 1 of 2
In my last column, I wrote about dealing with the demands upon our time and attention made by events and commitments. I showed how to build a system that makes intelligent and guilt-free choice among them possible. This column addresses another monster: the demon of paper.
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