GirlHacker's Random Log

If you are ever at the MicrosoftSF store in the Metreon and decide to use the postcard kiosks, pick one with an external camera, not the mini Vaios with the built-in cameras. You'll get much higher quality photos. (Care enough to send the very best. :-)

The Microsoft store was more like a computer store than I expected (now you say "It's Microsoft, what did you expect?"). Salon's article, published exactly a year ago, led me to picture it as a gene-splicing experiment between a Microsoft company store and a Pottery Barn. But the experience to me was more akin to a colorful stationery store welded onto the front of a software store, with postcard kiosks taking the place of greeting card racks.
6/30/2000 11:13:05 AM - name='410930'

Jen (without whom I would have not graduated from college :) says I should get some 3M Imation "Neon" floppy disks. They're intended for iMac users so they come in all those translucent colors. I still use floppies (aka "sneakernet") once in a while. Hmmm do these come preformatted for Mac? Not a big deal. Now may be a good time to admit that I still use DOS to format disks. Some old habits die hard due to nostalgia.
6/30/2000 11:00:29 AM - name='410878'

Star Wars Episode 2 has started principal filming and, gosh darn it, Jar Jar Binks is back. Couldn't they have substituted Brian Blessed instead? He's big and cuddly. Really, he is (that's him in "Cats").
6/29/2000 1:53:33 AM - name='404517'

I always check in advance to see if anything enticing will be on display in December at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, since I'm always in Connecticut for Christmas. This past Christmas I excitedly noted that Christmas 2000 would include a Chanel retrospective at their Costume Institute. I even wrote it down so I wouldn't forget. But, it is not to be. Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's longtime designer, had a difference of opinion with the Met over including paintings and other artwork alongside the clothes. The deal is off. Agh. The Met is shuffling in an exhibit of Jackie Kennedy's White House fashions instead, but it won't be ready until spring, and, although Jackie was a trend-setter, and I love many of Oleg Cassini's creations for her, I just can't get as excited about it. Too much hype was generated around the auctioning of her possessions and I fear another Jackie worshipping session. (housekeeping note: it seems the "partners" trick for NY Times links may no longer work and you may have to log in, sorry!)
6/29/2000 1:42:14 AM - name='404491'

Subvertise is amassing a collection of subversive "ads". I enjoyed this blotting out of the Gap sweatshirt to spell "APATHETIC", but the one I'd wear is "I'm not a target market". If I ever find myself carrying an Evian bottle, I hope I can obtain some scissors and tape to get this lovely, naive effect. (via xtremely xcellent xblog and randomWalks) And now is a good time to re-mention the wonderfully subversive Billboard Liberation Front.
6/29/2000 1:22:34 AM - name='404444'

Wednesday, June 28, 2000

At the Sony Style store at the Metreon, there are CD listening kiosks with scanners, just like at the supermarket. You can pick up a CD, scan the bar code, and if it's in the database, it will start playing. Very cool.
6/28/2000 12:16:33 AM - name='399384'

The effect of new media on newspapers is currently a common topic of discussion. I was amused to read in this Wired News article that Retired U.S. General Colin L. Powell was the keynote speaker for the Newspapers 2000 conference. He compared the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of new media.

"The world I knew, the world that was comfortable for me was gone," Powell said about his work after Gorbachev announced his adherence to perestroika and glasnost. "Just like me you will have to adjust. You will have to be shaped by the power of information technology and find your place in a world that has changed."

6/28/2000 12:04:58 AM - name='399355'

Tuesday, June 27, 2000

My brother, the bicycle aficionado, was indirectly in the news. While out riding on Sunday, he heard a car crashing into the Lexington Reservoir, near Highway 17. He flagged down a passing car to call it in. The Merc ran a small blurb on the crash. Police are not sure if it was a deliberate act or not. My brother had felt guilty that he didn't jump in to help, but after he waited an hour for police and fire people to try to get to the car, the guilt was lessened. They had to call in divers, and of course by then the driver was gone. Senseless deaths upset me greatly. Soapbox time: Do NOT drink and drive. We've heard it a million times, but people keep doing it. Don't let anyone else do it. And, if you are thinking there is no hope in sight, you can't go on, and no one cares, PLEASE call a suicide hotline. There's also a national number: 1-800-784-2433.
6/27/2000 2:33:18 AM - name='394932'

I've seen some interesting mint containers lately, but the one I spotted at Trader Joe's today takes the cake. It's a Hint Mint tin. Their drawn animation does not do it justice. It is much prettier than their drawing, all shiny and thin. They say it is "modeled after antique art deco/art nouveau cigarette cases." That explains why I like it so much, art nouveau fiend that I am. However, the Altoids tin is the most practical in terms of re-use. I can't think of anything to put in the other mint containers. Maybe they could sell bulk mints for refills. A few years ago, Lifesavers sold a product called "Lifesavers Holes" which were, as you can guess, like donut holes, but from Lifesavers (though, they don't really come from the hole since they aren't made that way). They were sold in a roll-shaped plastic container with a small opening. I still use one as a paper clip dispenser.
6/27/2000 2:08:48 AM - name='394886'

Monday, June 26, 2000

A belated Solstice Celebration from NASA's wonderful Astronomy Picture of the Day. (They're not being belated, I am!) It's a false-color composite photo showing different areas of temperature using different colors.
6/26/2000 2:46:14 AM - name='390128'

From the depths of my bookmarks file: Female Nobel Prize Laureates. Here's hoping the list continues to grow, especially in the science categories.
6/26/2000 2:40:08 AM - name='390117'

It's amazing how quickly certain things fade from memory. I was doing some cleaning and found some CD boxes that I had saved. I had forgotten that CDs used to come in long boxes, usually more fully decorated than the small CD case will allow. I saved a few because they were so nice. Now I wonder how much more a collector would pay for an unopened long box? Unfortunately, I don't have any unopened.
6/26/2000 2:31:05 AM - name='390091'

John Leonard, who has been the editor of the NY Times Book Review and worked at many other media outlets, waxes whiny (he admits he's whining) about self-censorship and bias in the media. Amongst the tidbits about reporters cavorting with politicians and corporate sponsors, he offers up a positive view of the late Charles Kuralt, reminding us that although he may be remembered for his warm and fuzzy anecdotes, he was a serious reporter. And Kuralt declined to appear on Murphy Brown, saying "I don't know where the line is, but that's crossing it."
6/25/2000 12:20:06 PM - name='387666'

These days when I say "I'm just going to check my email" with an implied "this will just take a couple minutes", it always turns out that I check my email, browse a few news sites, see which weblogs have updated, read them, take notes for my own weblog, and then maybe send some email and then I'm done. Needless to say, it takes more than a couple minutes.
6/25/2000 11:52:49 AM - name='387602'

Dennis Miller was my favorite part of Saturday Night Live in the eighties. He was intelligent, downright sarcastic, and funny as heck. I was even more impressed when he did a show at my college and I got to see him completely uncensored. He made a crack about our men's room having no graffitti (it was a women's college). And now he's signed up as an analyst for Monday Night Football? Weird. I never would have predicted that. (But they were also considering Rush Limbaugh, so they were looking at all sorts.) Oddly enough, I will probably tune in to see how he does. (ABC's secret plan: having failed to get me to watch "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", they will now throw 80's cult figures at me until I tune in to something on their network. But, wouldn't have it been funnier if they had gotten Dennis and Rush? I would have paid to see that!) (via Metafilter)
6/24/2000 1:08:51 AM - name='383290'

The Director of Corporate Marketing for Pixo wrote to inform me that they do indeed pay for their new hires' significant others to go on that weeklong trip to Hawaii. Awesome.
6/24/2000 12:59:47 AM - name='383276'

Chicken Run was fun fun fun. There's a "Making of" special on NBC this Sunday. Also, Cartoon Network is showing the Wallace & Gromit shorts this weekend. Thanks to Laurel at Windowseat TV for that info.
6/24/2000 12:57:18 AM - name='383269'

Friday, June 23, 2000

In case you hadn't noticed, Chicken Run opens today. I'm on my way. Previous Aardman animations are available on video and DVD. Make sure you see them all!
6/23/2000 12:22:28 AM - name='378932'

I wish I had done that. A Magic 8 Ball dissection. (via usr/bin/girl)
6/23/2000 12:17:56 AM - name='378911'

Crate & Barrel has opened a store called CB2 in the Chicago area. They are, of course, hoping to spread this new concept around the country if all goes well. It's a lower-priced version of the ol' Crate, focusing on "new colors, new materials, great value." So, a younger crowd and whimsier products. Brightly colored extension cords for $2.95 sounds like a fun buy, especially if I don't have to go through an IKEA-like parking and crowd-control experience. (How about a reconnaissance trip Toni?) And in related news, kitchen-king Williams-Sonoma has plans for a chain called Elm Street which would be to them "what Old Navy is to the Gap." (I think that also translates to what CB2 is to Crate & Barrel) (info obtained from June issue of House & Garden)
6/23/2000 12:11:21 AM - name='378895'

Thursday, June 22, 2000

Harley-Davidson has dropped their 1994 patent application to trademark their engine sound (I noted this in April). Their VP of Marketing says: "frankly, we're tired of throwing tens of thousands of dollars out the window on litigation." They have not lost any business from imitators, and I doubt they will. Having a "trademarked sound" is more of a cachet item than a business need for them. No Harley enthusiast is going to settle for a Honda, even if it does go "potato-potato" properly.
6/22/2000 1:11:12 AM - name='374068'

I'm getting used to seeing URLs on everything, but I didn't expect to see one on my cauliflower. OK, it was actually on the plastic wrap around the cauliflower. There is a cottage industry forming around food safety. The company listed on the wrap is PrimusLabs.com. They provide various services for produce suppliers and buyers, such as supermarkets, who need to audit and communicate their food safety requirements. Their web site uses extranets to connect the various companies involved in assuring the quality of produce. It is reassuring to see such a useful application of Internet technologies. We all need food. We'd all prefer safe food.
6/22/2000 1:02:17 AM - name='374055'

Wednesday, June 21, 2000

I loved Eric Wagoner's comment on how he was able to prepare a wedding ceremony for his sister, not being married himself: "After the wedding, my Grandmother asked how I, a never-married single man, came to know so much about marriage. The answer's simple: the internet. The internet can make you sound like an expert on almost anything."
6/21/2000 12:21:23 AM - name='369081'

ZDNet has an article on Bungie's history. I remember playing Marathon on the Mac. I'm glad Microsoft has some stake in Apple's continued health. Even if they get the Bungie developers busy with XBox, there still may be hope for Mac games.
6/21/2000 12:17:39 AM - name='369070'

I may have missed this when the news first came out. Pixo gives their new employees a vacation in Hawaii for their first week on the job. Not only do they get their expenses paid (airfare, hotel, rental car, and spending money) but they also get PAID paid. The dollar amount may come out to less than a signing bonus, but ridding yourself of the hassles of arranging vacation logistics may be worth more than money. Of course, it would be nicer if they paid for someone else to go with you. Pixo has an excellent charter: producing easy-to-use software for wireless phones. Founder, Paul Mercer's "vision is to add value to consumer electronics devices through advanced software technology that maintains the simplicity of the user experience." I'm glad someone's looking out for that.
6/21/2000 12:11:31 AM - name='369058'

Tuesday, June 20, 2000

What an exciting day! My T-Shirt Chronicles site was featured on Yahoo's Picks of the Week. Wheee! Luckily, someone sent me email about it early in the morning (aka the end of my night), so I didn't faint from surprise when I made my own weekly visit to the picks page. I'm receiving wonderful email from people all over the world, many say they also have a box of old shirts in their closet that they refuse to throw away.
6/20/2000 2:24:11 AM - name='364295'

Now you can resign from your job anywhere you have Internet access (and the necessary chutzpah). Hotpaper.com lets you pick a resignation letter, complete it online, and use their document fax service to send it to your boss. And soon electronic signatures are going to be legal, so you're all set!
6/20/2000 2:18:40 AM - name='364279'

Well, even though the iMac has made translucent electronics all the rage, I still covet them, as I mentioned previously. At (the customer-service wasteland known as) Fry's, I spotted the Harman/Kardon iSub. Wow. It is a completely clear subwoofer, designed by Apple and engineered by Harman audio engineers. Unfortunately, it only works with iMacs, so I won't be getting one anytime soon. According to this review, the audio from most personal computers can't reproduce anything lower than 250 Hz which is middle C on a piano. That's pretty sad for the multimedia experience we expect from PCs these days.

After picking up, turning over, and poking at the iSub, I headed to the checkout line and spotted a see-through mini Swiss Army knife at the "impulse buy" display. It was translucent blue, and I suspected that Victorinox had other colors, but didn't see any. So, I did the usual web research and found that they are offering three translucent colors: sapphire, ruby, and emerald. Also, their CyberTool comes in translucent red.
6/20/2000 2:11:36 AM - name='364260'

Monday, June 19, 2000

To wrap up (for now) my DSL saga, Covad called last week to do a customer satisfaction survey. They were calling customers who had decided to cancel their DSL service in order to find out how to better fulfill their needs in the future. I was very nice to the guy who called, after all, he was just the survey taker. First I had to explain to him that it wasn't that I wanted to cancel my service, but that ADSL was impossible with the line Covad had to work with. The piece of information I hope I got through was that Covad is better off speaking directly with the technically savvy customers they are servicing instead of going through the ISP's reps, because those extra layers caused me a lot of frustration. Since he specifically asked me if I would have preferred to speak directly to Covad, I hope that they are indeed considering that as an option.
6/19/2000 1:17:47 AM - name='359307'

I found my razor on the Star Wars Replica Props site. Now when I shower, I can pretend I'm talking to Obi-Wan on his similar looking one. Or maybe I'll only be able to contact the woman in the next condo unit. ("Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm all out of soap!") (via CamWorld)
6/19/2000 1:00:01 AM - name='359261'

While waiting for a table at a Lyon's, we pondered the delivery mechanism for Muzak. I had this faded memory that the music was delivered over telephone lines, and also remembered seeing a switch on a restaurant wall that basically said "Muzak, On/Off". Telephone lines seemed like a low quality delivery mechanism, but it turns out I didn't make it up. According to the history on their website, Muzak originally used a cutting edge technology known as phonograph-through-telephone lines. Yup. They evolved to other delivery mechanisms such as tapes and satellite transmissions. Nowadays they also provide a myriad of services such as producing specially branded CDs for companies (that explains the proliferation of CDs branded with Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, etc. that you see while shopping), customizing the music for companies' on-hold and in-store experience, and designing the sound systems for their clients.
6/19/2000 12:53:25 AM - name='359245'

Sunday, June 18, 2000

Happy One-Year Anniversary to Medley! (I wonder if I'll make it that far.)
6/18/2000 11:12:12 AM - name='357081'

The casual business wear backlash may be upon us. The article hints that a "Dress-Up Thursday" is being considered in some East Coast firms. I remember my dad going off to work every morning with a tie, no jacket. And when he was traveling on business, he would go off to the airport with a big flowing trench coat on. He had half a dozen slender ties from way back when they were in style, and I borrowed them to look trendy when they came back in style for new wavers in the eighties.
6/18/2000 11:10:54 AM - name='357077'

Saturday, June 17, 2000

I'm yakking about movies today. IMDB lists The Prisoner scheduled for 2001 release. Patrick McGoohan, the original Prisoner himself, is listed as executive producer, but it is yet to be seen how influential his role will be. Staying true to the spirit of the TV series is a tall order. Surreal is an understatement when describing the show, and I'm not sure the mass movie audiences take well to surreal. With Barry Mendel (Sixth Sense) producing, it has a good chance of keeping the dark flavor. I will hope for the best. After all, nothing could be worse then when they changed the ending to The Scarlet Letter.
6/17/2000 10:50:18 AM - name='354337'

Titan A.E. wasn't bad. There is some beautiful scenic animation, which unfortunately makes the characters look a little flat. The dialog had a familiar ring at times, so I should not have been surprised to see (Mr. Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Joss Whedon's name scroll by as one of the screenwriters. He's also on the credits for X-Men, so he's been a busy guy. They showed a trailer for "C:R-1". That's the Mission: Impossible themed Chicken Run trailer (and it was tons funnier than MI:2).
6/17/2000 10:35:23 AM - name='354296'

Friday, June 16, 2000

Thanks to BrainLog for discovering the wonderful Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. It's still in progress (and will be a living, changing resource), but entries for cogsci and behaviorism are there. It includes instructions for citation which made me realize that I never had to worry about citing web sites in my days of writing papers.
6/16/2000 12:58:06 AM - name='349462'

Independent bookstores are hoping to compete online by joining up with Booksense. The hope is that since even loyal independent customers will buy online when they can't get to the bookstore, providing an online presence will eliminate that loss. According to the Wired article, the site will open for business by this fall. In considering how independents can stay in business, the only idea I've had is for them to partially convert to carrying used books. Quite a few CD stores are using that formula to help compete with biggies like Tower. But I have no idea of the financials behind this thought of mine; it may be a lame shot in the dark. I do know, however, that used bookstores do bring in regular customers, and often the same types of customers that frequent the independents anyway. Used book browsers will glance at the new books too, and may even find it nice that both are there in the same place. It's how Powell's does it: "Buy the book, read the book, enjoy the book, sell the book... Keep books in circulation. Keep ideas alive."
6/16/2000 12:49:28 AM - name='349447'

Thursday, June 15, 2000

When it's this hot (how hot was it?), my cat doesn't quickly follow me from room to room. She plods along when she feels like it, and, instead of gracefully positioning herself in a sitting or lying position, she plops heavily to the floor, spread out as flat as possible. I gave her a nice ice rub to thank her for still being a faithful follower, because I know it's cooler on the bathroom tiles. (thanks to dumbmonkey for the article link)
6/15/2000 1:02:27 AM - name='344803'

I read Wellesley College's commencement speeches every summer. It's a way of reconnecting with my alma mater and also giving myself a kick in the butt. The following quotes moved me this time 'round:
"Don't confuse your resume with your life. Over time, life itself is the achievement." - Dean Pamela Daniels
"Don't let your relentless search for meaning drive the meaning out." - President Diana Chapman Walsh
6/15/2000 12:54:31 AM - name='344790'

Housekeeping note: I had not noticed until today that many of my archive pages have been missing for a while. I've updated my archives page, and everything since November 1999 is now up again.
6/15/2000 12:43:27 AM - name='344767'

While looking for tragedy/hubris resources, I came across this page: In Search Of The Poetry In Technology: An Amiable Debate between Paul Jones and Betty Adcock. In their dialog about the effect technology may have on our romantic view of the world, Adcock notes that science and technology are two different things. Understanding the reason for a rainbow's existence may take the magic out of it, but that is not technology; it is understanding of nature. Technology develops tools, and we may manipulate nature with those. I often wonder about how less magical the world is when you start learning about it; I've written about that before. Oh, and here's the hubris related quote that got me to that page: "Today's tragedies aren't very different, metaphorically, from the Greek idea: the most gifted and privileged among us, heroes whose eyes are only on speed, volume, innovation and profit, are bringing about vast losses we will someday see as tragic." Hmmm...reminds me too much of recent tech news.
6/15/2000 12:41:32 AM - name='344763'

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Alas one of the disadvantages of friends getting their own blogs is that instead of sending you relevant links about your postings that you can then use to fill up yours, they just put 'em in theirs. Pooh. But, that doesn't mean I can't scam their links. Seth posted the following links relevant to previous postings of mine: The C-Guard Cellular Firewall, which jams cellular phone transmissions. A ruder tactic than Q-Zone. A genetic algorithm for scheduling when to catch chickens. Now all they need to do is program that into the John Deere catcher. Toni had a nice reminiscence about This Week In Baseball. Mel Allen was an amazing announcer. I dug up a tribute from his 1996 funeral.
6/14/2000 11:10:47 AM - name='342046'

I'd been wondering if Macintosh purchasers were still getting Apple stickers in their boxes. People usually put those on their cars. The answer, according to recent buyers, is that they are now getting white Apple logo stickers, not the previous rainbow ones. That matches the new designs, but I guess now the rainbow ones are vintage. Collectible? Or can you still buy 'em at the store?
6/14/2000 11:02:36 AM - name='342005'

You may have seen the sites collecting those swooshy logos. Grant has a set of spirals on splorp and Alice has a large number of swooshes. Prompted by an ex-co-worker's comment, Landon decided to draw his own set of swooshies. I'd say they are more like swirlies. You'll know what I mean when you see 'em. (I'd like to point out that he got his Wacom tablet after I got mine. Copycat.)
6/14/2000 10:52:18 AM - name='341979'

Tuesday, June 13, 2000

We were sitting on a bench on Windy Hill off of Skyline Boulevard, with an uninterrupted view of Silicon Valley stretched out in front of us. It all looks so peaceful from a distance, and yet we knew that although we were sitting amongst the frenzied activity of hummingbirds, bees, and flies, the frantic deal-making, bit-slinging, and traffic dodging going on down there was a million times more stress inducing. A retired couple walked by and said "You've got the world at your feet". I felt a little guilty at not taking advantage of it, and then I realized that at that very moment, I finally, absolutely and truly was.
6/13/2000 1:27:46 AM - name='335734'

When is it OK for a computer company CEO to look worried at an all-hands meeting? While some employees felt queasy and confused or bolted for startups, Bill Gates grinned and cheerfully expressed his confidence in an appeal. Is he really that sure? Or is he putting on a happy face for his employees? For a huge company like Microsoft, that may be the best tactic. But in small startups and with typical cynical engineering environments, it can be the kiss of death for a company leader to express false confidence. The engineers will know when he or she is lying or, even worse, being an idiot for not seeing the writing on the wall. The truth is always the best in those cases, even if it seems everyone will pack up and head out the door. And if the employees actually believe the tinny bravado and stay, the company probably does not have the right people to keep afloat anyway.

At worst, a leader may be guilty of hubris, which, as many of us learned from the classic tragedies (Greek to Gothic and onwards), is the key characteristic that leads to downfall. When I read the NY Times special report summarizing how Judge Jackson went from being alarmed over a breakup to enforcing one, Bill turned into a classic tragic hero in my brain, except he as yet shows no hope of redemption. A little humility can go a long way. I wonder if the Japanese are appalled or impressed.
6/13/2000 1:06:35 AM - name='335690'

Monday, June 12, 2000

I had dreams of a Subway Series as a kid. (But it was enough that the NY Mets won the 1986 World Series, vindicating my 17 years of die-hard fandom.) So today I actually turned to ESPN (I never seem to watch any of the many sports channels I pay for) to see a few innings of the Mets vs. Yankees before the rain-out. I missed their first interleague game in 1997 and all subsequent ones. I just haven't been a good fan since I left the NY area. But it was kinda like old times today with David Cone pitching and Joe Torre in the dugout. 'Cept they were on the wrong team (plus Darryl Strawberry's in rehab and Dwight Gooden just signed a Yankees' minor league contract). The 3 innings they got in left me yearning for a good ol' "MOOO" and a wonderfully biased announcer like Ralph Kiner.
6/12/2000 1:05:17 AM - name='331371'

Startup BlueLinx is marketing a product called Q-Zone which will automatically switch cell phone ringers off or to vibrate mode in areas where it is installed. A theatre could install this device and create a "quiet zone" while the show is going on. I first read about this in the Merc's Leigh Weimer's column; he'd been complaining about cell phone etiquette and someone from BlueLinx contacted him about their product and he wrote about it. Of course, as with most advance marketing hype, he, or his contact more likely, neglected to mention an important fact. This is new technology based on Bluetooth so it will only make any headway if cell phones are equipped with the Q-Zone client software.

I suppose cell phone manufacturers can turn this into a selling feature: no need to worry about turning your ringer off. But until Q-Zone becomes ubiquitious, cell phone users will always have to check their ringers. BlueLinx will have to develop a smart business model to get market penetration with three customers (users, manufacturers and venues). They face a chicken and egg problem. They could give the transmitters away for free to get the ubiquity and depend on profits from it as a cell phone feature. But would that be enough?

With cell phones themselves becoming ubiquitous, I suspect users will want less annoying and more personal cell phone "ring" indicators, so over the long term, silencers may not be needed. Also since it's my embarrassment on the line, I'd probably check my own phone anyway, to make sure it really was off. Or will the onus of cell phone silence be shifted to the venue operators?
6/12/2000 12:34:34 AM - name='331322'

Sunday, June 11, 2000

I finally saw Casablanca on the "big screen" at the Stanford Theatre. With the Wurlitzer organ prelude. Wonderful. There were scenes that I did not remember from previous viewings, and I wondered if they had been edited out for TV brevity. Not that my brain is a steel trap or anything.
6/11/2000 12:30:19 PM - name='329331'

Zannah linked to Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About today which was amusing to me because I was just about to concoct a log entry titled "One Word Responses Boyfriends Use That Get Them In Trouble". But I wasn't sure if I could think of enough words. So far I have:
"Who?"
"Anniversary?"
"Her?"
"Fat?"
and "Yup." or "Nope."
See the problem is, I can't convey the exact nuances of how each word needs to be said. But you get the idea, I hope.
6/11/2000 12:25:02 PM - name='329313'

Saturday, June 10, 2000

On a personal note, I'd like to welcome Raine Annabel Shank into the world. Born at a birth center, welcomed into the world by midwives and loving parents, she's off to a warm and caring start in life. Congratulations Eric and Jane!
6/10/2000 12:36:27 PM - name='326349'

Jobs I never knew existed: Chicken Catcher. Chicken farms have humans who catch the chickens and bring them in for slaughter. Now Perdue is trying out an automated machine to fetch the birds. It's a modified John Deere riding mower. "On the front of the mower is a rolling barrel with foot-long wiggly rubber fingers." And, surprisingly, the machine method reduces bruising by 14%, which means more saleable product. Sounds like the chicken catchers, who are trying to unionize, are going to be a dying breed soon.
6/10/2000 12:29:25 PM - name='326333'

Friday, June 9, 2000

A little while ago, The Motley Fool printed an interesting analysis of Borders and their Waldenbooks chain. It claims that "Walden hasn't done anything right since Henry David Thoreau died", with their badly designed stores, whereas Borders' superstores have a much better atmosphere for book-buying. The Fool is hoping that Borders can hang onto their superstore profits while realizing that Waldenbooks is suffering as much, if not more than, their Borders.com online venture, which they have put little marketing dollars into.
6/9/2000 12:40:05 AM - name='320839'

I was disturbed by some of the implied solutions in this article on how software, especially Microsoft software, stifles creativity and locks users into frustrating interactions with their computers. I agree that a lot of software, especially Microsoft software, has poorly designed user interaction. I do not, however, think it is the software or Microsoft's fault if people are "less likely to take chances" and "curiosity and serendipity — are lost to the dictates of a software template". The idea of software is that it is a tool to take away the mundane parts of an activity and leave the user to spark the creation and innovation. If educators believe that a software package is turning students into think-alike zombies, then the incorrect emphasis is being placed on the software, or the software should not be used. It is a bit like knowing when students should not use calculators. If software is inhibiting a task or not teaching the right skills, then don't use it. You can blame Microsoft for bad user interface design and immoral business practices, but incorrect use of software, even well-meaning use of bad software, is the user's fault. There are usually alternatives. And users should know that they can demand better instead of just being Microsoft sheep, as the article does point out later on. (article via RebeccaBlood)
6/9/2000 12:27:20 AM - name='320819'

Thursday, June 8, 2000

OK, forget MyFreeCar and Autowraps. Soon you can wear advertising on your clothes. Impressions are registered by infrared heat sensors. Sign me up for "special deals on Britney Spears merchandise if fans wear the pop star's videos on their clothes." Woo hoo. (I'm kidding! Really.) Seriously, though, this makes me think of the wonderful possibilities for high-tech "kick me" signs when these come out. If it's on someone's back and he can't see it, boy is that a hacker's dream come true. (btw, apparently Carvertising has run out of gas.)
6/8/2000 12:41:50 AM - name='316380'

This in-depth NY Times Magazine article describes the lives of students on the "Intel track" at Midwood High School in Brooklyn. Carrying full schedules of advanced classes and research work with actual scientists, these teenagers work towards the prestige of a finalist spot in the Intel Science Talent Search (formerly Westinghouse). The premise of the article is that today's science geeks are earning new respect in a world of startup millionaires, where previously the students who entered science fairs were badly dressed nerds with "clueless social instincts". I don't know what it was like during the author's school years, but 15 years ago my high school had smart, socially aware, fashionable students who did this kind of stuff. I don't see this as a new trend. Granted, I was in an upper middle class community, which may have made a difference. The new potential for a very profitable future probably does lend more of a cachet to the science geeks these days.
6/8/2000 12:29:33 AM - name='316351'

Wednesday, June 7, 2000

The Boston Globe (and I saw it in the SJ Merc) printed an article about Mattel's new "Barbie for President" doll. They are producing white, African-American and Latin-American Barbies, but no Asian-American doll. 4% (Asian population) vs 12% (Hispanic) and 13% (African-American) may have a lot to do with that, but Mattel will not give that as a reason. Instead, they claim that Asian girls don't want look-alike Barbie dolls, but are happy choosing white dolls instead. "That particular community has not expressed interest in a doll that reflects their ethnicity." I had to think for a while about how I felt about this statement. It's Barbie, so I don't really want to care. But Barbie is popular, so I do care. Besides the unrealistic body image Mattel places in little girls' heads, there's no reason for them to deprive Asian girls of thin, busty Asian Barbies seeking the presidency just because Mattel thinks Asian girls prefer Caucasian dolls. That's ridiculous. I'd much rather Mattel take the "not profitable because of 4% population" plea. I'd like to believe that what they say is not true. But I suppose the huge popularity of "give me eyelids, please" plastic surgery amongst Asian women in many countries should make me wonder.
6/7/2000 12:14:01 AM - name='311705'

Tuesday, June 6, 2000

This past Memorial Day there was a fire at my condo complex. The unit across the hall and down one from mine caught fire in the late afternoon. No one was hurt, but it was a little scary for a while. We took pictures of the firefighting efforts, and I put them onto a (sorry, badly designed) web page. I kept the photos at their original quality, so the page is a bit of a hefty download.
6/6/2000 11:15:42 AM - name='308898'

While reading through James Gleick's article on patents for the NY Times Magazine I had a screaming fit. It came when I read this little gem: "Amazon won't say how many patents it has pending. The one-click patent isn't its first, as it happens; Jeff Bezos got one in February 1998 for 'a method and system for securely indicating to a customer one or more credit card numbers that a merchant has on file for the customer when communicating with the customer over a non-secure network.' The method is this: show the customer only the last few digits of each credit-card number." The article discusses the concept of "non-obvious". The fact that this one got through makes me wonder how the term "non-obvious" can be applied when it has everything to do with how naturally creative someone is. When I read patents like those in Amazon's collection (such as Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network) I get the feeling that Bezos said "Let's just see how many of these we can get through! Heh heh heh." (articles about him always mention how he laughs a lot.) Gleick's article gives a fascinating look into the US patent system. I'd like someone to present ideas on what steps are needed to begin an overhaul of the system. (article via metafilter)
6/6/2000 11:09:30 AM - name='308869'

Monday, June 5, 2000

Digging through my myriad of writing-related bookmarks, I was happy to remember Margaret Atwood's humble web site with this nice little "On Writing" page of essays, lectures, miscellaneous. Actually the list on the Table of Contents has more items.
6/5/2000 1:39:49 AM - name='302609'

Someone who knows how I feel about my Chinese cleaver sent me the link to this NY Times article. French-trained Molly O'Neill finally realized how useful a cleaver can be in the kitchen. No more fumbling around for the perfect knife for the job. Cleavers are multi-purpose, and once you learn to trust yourself with one, you'll find yourself dicing, chopping, mincing, scraping, and slicing all sorts of ingredients from tomatoes to chicken without heading to the knife block or gadget drawer. People always ask why I, the garlic fiend, do not own a garlic press. I don't need one. With one whack and a few minces, the clove is at my mercy. I will confess to owning other knives though: an excellent bread knife (see, Chinese cooks don't usually need to cut bread), a Henckels paring knife (OK, I won't peel fruit with my cleaver -- well, maybe on a dare), and a Henckels sashimi knife that I got because it was on clearance and I'm a sucker for a bargain. However, when it comes to cleavers, my technique pales in comparison to that of my mother's. Remember, always keep those knuckles in.
6/5/2000 1:25:55 AM - name='302593'

Sunday, June 4, 2000

The National Debt clock is going dark in September. Actually, they're just covering it with a cloth. I remember it being big news in the late '80's. Apparently it got worse: "It had to be turned off for a few months in the mid-'90s when the debt was increasing so fast it crashed the computer that calculates the debt."
6/4/2000 11:37:10 AM - name='300127'

Saturday, June 3, 2000

The Who is touring. About ten years ago, my college roommate tied up our phone line for days trying to get tickets to their tour. She ended up without tickets, but went to listen from the parking lot anyway.
6/3/2000 9:27:13 AM - name='296711'

Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald. I had no idea!
6/3/2000 9:17:05 AM - name='296685'

I saw Spike & Mike's Classic Festival of Animation last weekend. Variety abounds, so there's likely to be something for everyone with lots of laughs in between. Animation gets you into the mind of the creator a lot more than a typical live film. That might not be the case if the movie industry wasn't so ruled by mass consumption. Live-action films that haven't been through the big studio mill are probably more true to their creator.
6/3/2000 9:11:09 AM - name='296677'

Friday, June 2, 2000

When I read Hemingway's wonderful dialogue-based story Hills Like White Elephants, I wondered about absinthe, which gets a small mention. Absinthe was banned in the United States and many European countries early in the 20th century. Some entrepreneurial Londoners discovered in 1998 that it had not been legally banned in Britain and began importing absinthe from the Czech Republic. So bar patrons can order up a drink containing the 140 proof liquor with its scant traces of wormwood, which give it supposed hallucinogenic qualities. In a New York Times article, Amanda Hesser details her experiences with the potent fluid. (Update: Regular reader Steve says you can try ordering Deva absinthe at http://www.spiritscorner.com/, a Spanish site.)
6/2/2000 1:42:41 AM - name='292319'

There may be a buyer after all for the Iridium satellites. Motorola has been keeping them running at great expense, hoping for a long shot deal. I asked my brother, who knows about such things, why people weren't snapping at this seemingly wonderful opportunity: an already orbiting set of communications satellites, all ready for a global application. According to him, these satellites were designed very specifically for their intended purpose. Modifying them would of course be prohibitively expensive. So any buyer would have to use the same original techniques of data transfer, which they don't really want to do (here he used some fancier words which have slipped my memory). I suppose that if Iridium had prepared themselves for potential failure, they could have designed the satellites to be more multi-purpose, and facilitated a buyout of their assets. But who thinks of such things when you are planning to conquer the world?
6/2/2000 1:28:58 AM - name='292286'

Thursday, June 1, 2000

I have a theory that people with DSL get selective amnesia about their installations. I heard horror story after horror story from people about getting their connections up while they were going through it, but those same people bugged me incessantly to get DSL myself. Well, luxurious high-bandwidth is not going to paint over my memories. Covad won't service my loop unless I go with IDSL. I don't want to lock myself into a 1 year contract at a lower speed if there is a small chance I may be able to get something whizzier within a year. So, I'm back to calling @Home every few weeks and being glad that at least I usually get clean 50K+ modem connections.
6/1/2000 1:58:14 AM - name='288257'

Today I installed my new Wacom Graphire. It is a combination wireless pen and mouse with tablet. I didn't need the wireless mouse because I am a Kensington trackball addict, but it was part of the set and it will be nice for visitors. As I started using the pen, I realized that I am very unaccustomed to using a pen on a tablet away from the actual computer screen. I used to work with pen computers and I'm used to using a pen right on the screen so I can see what I'm doing with it. There's something really odd about using a pen and not being able to look directly at what I'm doing with it! I suppose it's amusing that I have no problems using a mouse or trackball, but this "natural" pen interface is throwing me for a loop because it's not a direct interface. Oh, and for those keeping track, I got the "blueberry" model (even though I don't have a matching iMac) so I can add the tablet to my collection of see-through electronic devices. Alas the pen and mouse are not clear.
6/1/2000 1:43:59 AM - name='288236'