Polished crap is still crap.
Monthly Archives: July 2006
On Testing Batteries
Who among us has not tested a 9-volt battery by touching its leads to our tongues? I discovered this as a child–taking the 9-volt, sticking out my tongue, touching the exposed leads to the tongue, and getting a shock as the current flows. At a recent inventory, after I’d pulled a weak 9-volt battery fromContinue reading “On Testing Batteries”
On Paper Sizes
I’ve just spent a half an hour researching paper sizes. Who’d have thought there was an international standard paper size? Who’d have thought it wasn’t letter-sized paper? Well, this webpage set me straight on the matter. I knew there was something callled “A4,” which as far as I could tell in Microsoft Word was almostContinue reading “On Paper Sizes”
On the Job Search
The job search continues. That nibble? I returned their phone call last week, got an answering machine. That was last week. Sunday I went through and applied for a dozen positions through Monster.com. This morning I'm going through the Baltimore Sun website. On a lark, I've applied for a job with the Baltimore Sun itself.Continue reading “On the Job Search”
On Madden 2007
EA Sports is in the second year of their exclusive NFL video game license. To celebrate they are releasing Madden 2007: Hall of Fame Edition, a special limited edition for the PlayStation 2 and the XBox 360. EA is also releasing a Madden 2007 pay-per-view making-of special on August 4th. Cost of the pay-per-view? TwentyContinue reading “On Madden 2007”
On Public Policy and the Middle-East
Yesterday, as I listened to NPR reporting on the Israeli arms build-up on the Lebanon border and the bombing of Beirut, I had a cynical thought. If there were adults in charge of the United States government, the adults would have already brought the Israelis, the Hezbollah, to the negotiating table. The Secretary of StateContinue reading “On Public Policy and the Middle-East”
On a Screaming Cat
Percy has taken to sleeping on the bathroom sink counter. I'm not sure why, but he seems to like it. He perks up a little when someone walks by, he'll say something, and then he'll get petted. Maybe that's why he picked that spot–it's right inside the door. I was shaving. He didn't mind. HeContinue reading “On a Screaming Cat”
On Fixing the Barn Door
Before Shore Leave I purchased through eBay a DVD of Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, a 1966 film that was exactly what the title suggests–Dracula, the great vampire lord and prince of darkness, travels to the Old West and comes into conflict with the notorious outlaw, Billy the Kid. I suspected the DVD would beContinue reading “On Fixing the Barn Door”
On Superman Returns
Superman Returns, the long-awaited return of Superman to the silver screen, generally succeeds but in the end has enough flaws that it has to be considered a schizophrenic mess. Let’s start with its good points. Casting. Across the board, the casting was top-notch. Kevin Spacey is Lex Luthor. Brendan Routh is utterly convincing as Superman.Continue reading “On Superman Returns”
On Age of Empires Fun
Whenever I find the right place, I have a poster for Age of Empires II framed and ready to hang. It was a marketing poster for the Nintendo DS version of the game that released in February, and when we were done with it at the store I brought it home, bought a frame atContinue reading “On Age of Empires Fun”