It’s been an odd day. Today, this morning, I found out that my company has been sold to our major competitor. Other managers spent the morning calling, seeking my insight. I had no insight. Over the short term, I expect no significant changes. Over the next six months as our systems merge into theirs weContinue reading “On the Deep End”
On Doctor Who and American television
Every day I read Atrios‘s webpage for a quick survey of political trends of the day. Just today, he posted about Doctor Who. From his comments on the new Christopher Eccleston series: But, the UK version of “family friendly” is certainly at odds with what would be acceptable for us. Take the new Who, forContinue reading “On Doctor Who and American television”
On Life
I’ve had to fortify myself with Guinness. I’m on my third in the last forty minutes. It’s been one of those days. The thing is, today didn’t start out that way. I haven’t been sleeping recently. Mainly it’s the weather–I’ve not been able to get comfortable at night. Last night, though, I managed to sleepContinue reading “On Life”
On a Linguistic Profile
I’m not surprised by this: Your Linguistic Profile: 55% General American English 20% Dixie 20% Yankee 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern What Kind of American English Do You Speak? Given the time I’ve spent both above and below the Mason-Dixon line, plus a brief sojourn in Chicago in my younger years, it’s of no surpriseContinue reading “On a Linguistic Profile”
On Interviews
In the past week two college students have e-mailed me and asked if I would be willing to answer e-mail interviews for their course work. Color me surprised and flattered. The first interview was on writing. The second interview was on my job. Interesting stuff. Hope the assignments went well, kids!
On a Living Will
I received this on the Larry Niven mailing list, and a quick Google search turned this up on about six hundred pages. Add mine to the mass. I, (fill in the blank) , being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fateContinue reading “On a Living Will”
On Fever Pitch
I went with my sister a few days ago to see the new film Fever Pitch, based loosely on Nick Hornby’s memoir of his love affair with the London soccer team Arsenal. It was filmed once before, adapted by Hornby himself, and starred Colin Firth. The new version stars Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, andContinue reading “On Fever Pitch”
On an E-Mail Frustration
I sold some stock a few days ago. Today, my brokerage sent me an e-mail presumably confirming that the transaction went through. I say “presumably” because this is the message I received: This is a graphic email message. If you are reading this message then your email program does not support HTML format. We recommendContinue reading “On an E-Mail Frustration”
On Flying Flags
Driving through Raleigh today I noticed something unusual. About half the flags I saw were flying at half-mast. There was no consistency to it. A whole stretch of businesses might have their flying at the top of the pole, while other businesses might have just the national flag at half-mast with the state and localContinue reading “On Flying Flags”
On Tartan Day
March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, when Americans of every stripe celebrate the nation’s Irish heritage. Today, April 6th, is Tartan Day, when Americans of every stripe celebrate the nation’s Scottish heritage. Wait, you haven’t heard of Tartan Day? Truth to tell, neither had I, until last year when buying Guinness for St. Patrick’s DayContinue reading “On Tartan Day”