April Fool’s Day has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. Part of that is because I’ve never been into practical jokes; I’m not a fan of being on the receiving end which translates into not wanting to offer them up to someone else. Plus I always feel obligated to help clean up if …
Category Archives: Opinion
Marathon, Concerts, Presentation
It’s been a busy few days. Lots of stuff going on. But let’s start with something funny that I have in common with this girl who ran the ING Georgia Half Marathon today. Let’s Compare! That was last Friday while I was giving a presentation on Diverging Diamond Interchanges (Soon to be a podcast at …
This is why I'll Never Use OnStar
From Bruce Schneier: More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars disabled or the horns honking out of control, after an intruder ran amok in a web-based vehicle-immobilization system normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments. […] Ramos-Lopez’s account had been closed when he was terminated from …
Socialism is good for…
This quote from a CNN Tech article (which is a further quote from another location) amuses the hell out of me: Being a socialist is a great way to get laid in college but it’s no way to run a society. The article in question is about five silly slogans for tech companies. Check it …
This is Progress
When we got married, my wife and I decided that she would keep her last name. There were a lot of reasons for this but one of the most important is that the concept of a wife taking her husband’s name can be taken a bit far, in our opinion. For example, if Jenn had …
Hugo Awards 2010
The 2010 Hugo nominations closed last night. The categorical selections for final voting will be announced on April 4. I’m excited! At least, a little bit. Last year, I had the privilege of randomly having read three of the five nominated novels. I made up the other two in quick order. This year, I haven’t …
On Publishing Contracts and Why You Should Not Write Contemporaneous Fiction
Charles Stross has a nice description and discussion of the Book Publishing Contract of Doom! over at his blog today. It struck a chord with me at this paragraph: The fourth chunk [of the contract] is about publication dates ….The publisher is required to publish the book within 24 months of the date of acceptance …
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Good Reason to Use Credit Cards
Jenn and I use a credit card almost exclusively for everyday transactions. This began as an effort to win Delta Skymiles (and is well worth the bookkeeping effort) but now seems like a good idea in general, unless we go back to cash. In the past, thieves used devices on the outside of gas pumps …
Another Late Race Report: 2010 Walton Raider Chase
I participated in the 2010 Walton Raider Chase, at Walton High School in East Cobb, GA, on January 30. It was a damp and cold day, yet I still set a personal record of 22:59.7! That is 37 seconds faster than my previous PR. The course was a hilly and twisty one starting and ending …
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The Nerd Parade
Through the good offices of our friends at The Extraordinary Contraptions, we were introduced to The Nerd Parade. I first hear them about a year ago or so and bought their most recent album, The Span of a Life. Having enjoyed that album, I recently acquired A Delicate Bashing (2007)and can say that I’ve enjoyed …