It would be great if,
like my Chrome browser, Life had
a 'Restore' button
tagged: Chrome, browser, haiku, poetry, internet, restore, google
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
May the Swartz be with you
I've been trying to avoid posting political stuff here, but the silly White House Petition site may actually prove to be of some use if it results in a very, very small measure of posthumous justice (not that there is such a thing).
tagged: Obama, Aaron Swartz, Carmen Ortiz, harassment, tyranny, big government
“A prosecutor who does not understand proportionality and who regularly uses the threat of unjust and overreaching charges to extort plea bargains from defendants regardless of their guilt is a danger to the life and liberty of anyone who might cross her path,” said the petition.
tagged: Obama, Aaron Swartz, Carmen Ortiz, harassment, tyranny, big government
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Happy BiRRthday
Hey nerds! In case you weren't paying attention, it's J.R.R.Tolkien's biRRthday today.
In honor of the occasion, a week ago I took my wife and (older) kid to see the fiRRst movie in what will be +The Hobbit trilogy (of movies. I know all you nerdlywise people know The Hobbit was just a single book... and more of a kids' story at that, but whetevs).
Anyway, I know there have been a lot of ubernerd reviews of the movie saying it sucks, it's too long, blah blah blah. But those nattering nabobs are just getting their nerdy panties in a bunch because the director added a lot to the story that wasn't in the original book. But take my word for it, it's a good flick. We paid $5 a person to see the matinee and we sneaked in our own drinks/snacks. That brought our total outlay to about $15 for 2.5 hours of entertainment. A great value in today's economy.
And speaking of the economy (and +J.R.R. Tolkien's birrthday), I wanted to pass along the discussion about The Macroeconomics of Middle Earth that I found on the fun Worthwhile Canadian Initiative blog.
There are also a lot of great comments. I assume they're all well-considered and rational, although I can't say I read every word. I did read enough to come to the conclusion that we should probably hire a company of these Worthwhile Canadians (and possibly a Hobbit burglar from somewhere), send them to The Lonely Mountain of Washington, D.C., and have them slay the evil dragon of political expediency that has imprisoned our national economic recovery.
Of course, I guess there's such a thing as taking a metaphor too far.
tagged: Smaug, economy, Tolkien, The Hobbit, gold, Worthwhile Canadian Initiative
In honor of the occasion, a week ago I took my wife and (older) kid to see the fiRRst movie in what will be +The Hobbit trilogy (of movies. I know all you nerdlywise people know The Hobbit was just a single book... and more of a kids' story at that, but whetevs).
Anyway, I know there have been a lot of ubernerd reviews of the movie saying it sucks, it's too long, blah blah blah. But those nattering nabobs are just getting their nerdy panties in a bunch because the director added a lot to the story that wasn't in the original book. But take my word for it, it's a good flick. We paid $5 a person to see the matinee and we sneaked in our own drinks/snacks. That brought our total outlay to about $15 for 2.5 hours of entertainment. A great value in today's economy.
And speaking of the economy (and +J.R.R. Tolkien's birrthday), I wanted to pass along the discussion about The Macroeconomics of Middle Earth that I found on the fun Worthwhile Canadian Initiative blog.
The full economic impact of Smaug can only be understood by recognizing that the dragon's arrival resulted in a severe monetary shock. On the left is shown Smaug's hoard. On the right, for purposes of comparison, are the gold reserves of the Bank of England. It is clear from a simple inspection of these two figures that the amount of gold coinage Smaug withdrew from circulation represents a significant volume of currency. This would, inevitably, lead to deflation and depressed economic activity.
There are also a lot of great comments. I assume they're all well-considered and rational, although I can't say I read every word. I did read enough to come to the conclusion that we should probably hire a company of these Worthwhile Canadians (and possibly a Hobbit burglar from somewhere), send them to The Lonely Mountain of Washington, D.C., and have them slay the evil dragon of political expediency that has imprisoned our national economic recovery.
Of course, I guess there's such a thing as taking a metaphor too far.
tagged: Smaug, economy, Tolkien, The Hobbit, gold, Worthwhile Canadian Initiative
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
YouTube Tuesday: Halloween
Stay safe out there this week people. If your toilet starts belching fire and the walls begin to bleed and your TV turns all static and tells you to get out of the house... then by all means, stop drinking.
tagged: YouTube, Tuesday, video, music, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Ghost of Stephen Foster, Halloween
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
YouTube Tuesday: Schadenfrozen
Thursday, September 27, 2012
YouTube Tuesday: It all began with a god named Thor
Today's edition of YouTube Tuesday celebrates the good news that will send hipsters hopping all to way to Merriam in a couple of years.
Sure, every major city in the world already has an IKEA store, but how many metros are there that have an IKEA AND a Nebraska Furniture Mart? It's all part of my plan to make KC the furniture capital of the world!
The lyrics are even better...
tagged: Kansas City, Merriam, IKEA, Jonathan Coulton, YouTube Tuesday, video, music
Monday, September 17, 2012
Puntification
I don't know about you guys (and if you're one of those snobby foodie-types, I don't really care), but I really like Blue Koi.
We always get good service there. The owner and/or manager always greets us warmly. I like the noodles. I like the rice. I like the Awesome Sauce, and I really like the roast duck.
But this post isn't about food.
Like many food spots, Blue Koi displays work from a rotating roster of local artists. I like this idea in general, kind of an appetizer for your soul while you wait for your table. And I've never had a spiritual dish at Blue Koi that I didn't enjoy.
And a few months ago, there was a very tasty treat indeed.
On display in the entry way were canvases of crude cartoony characters doing various activities which didn't seem to make sense upon a brief initial glance. Because they were cartoons, and because we were with another couple with whom we were in conversation, I didn't pay them much attention. But when we were seated at out table (me, directly facing the painting) and awaiting our dinners after ordering, I had a little more time to study the images.
I was looking at a group of what looked like The California Raisins. They were in a cave, with fire all around and a river of red liquid. They were holding devil's pitch forks. And in a moment it clicked. It's a visual representation of the idiomatic expression "Raisin Hell." Brilliant!
One by one I studied the dozen or so paintings on the wall with new interest. They're the work of Overland Park artist Joe Self, and before our table is served with entree's we're all studying the paintings with surprise and delight.
I honestly don't know how I'd never seen these before. The friendly manager at Blue Koi notes our interest, and brings us a couple of complimentary wall calendars featuring many of the visual puzzles. This is totally the kind of thing my dad would get into.
Self has made his paintings available for purchase at his website. At a minimum, you should buy a coupe of the wall calendars to pass around and keep in your cube. That's what I did.
We always get good service there. The owner and/or manager always greets us warmly. I like the noodles. I like the rice. I like the Awesome Sauce, and I really like the roast duck.
But this post isn't about food.
Like many food spots, Blue Koi displays work from a rotating roster of local artists. I like this idea in general, kind of an appetizer for your soul while you wait for your table. And I've never had a spiritual dish at Blue Koi that I didn't enjoy.
And a few months ago, there was a very tasty treat indeed.
On display in the entry way were canvases of crude cartoony characters doing various activities which didn't seem to make sense upon a brief initial glance. Because they were cartoons, and because we were with another couple with whom we were in conversation, I didn't pay them much attention. But when we were seated at out table (me, directly facing the painting) and awaiting our dinners after ordering, I had a little more time to study the images.
 |
| "Heard it through the grape vine" |
One by one I studied the dozen or so paintings on the wall with new interest. They're the work of Overland Park artist Joe Self, and before our table is served with entree's we're all studying the paintings with surprise and delight.
I honestly don't know how I'd never seen these before. The friendly manager at Blue Koi notes our interest, and brings us a couple of complimentary wall calendars featuring many of the visual puzzles. This is totally the kind of thing my dad would get into.
Self has made his paintings available for purchase at his website. At a minimum, you should buy a coupe of the wall calendars to pass around and keep in your cube. That's what I did.
 |
| See if you can solve this one! |
Friday, September 14, 2012
Fear and Loathing in The OP
“We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, fear of getting down-sized or fired because of the plunging economy, fear of getting evicted for bad debts or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer.” — Extreme Behavior in Aspen, February 3, 2003
tagged: Hunter S. Thompson, culture, quote
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Ode No.2 To A Honeycrisp Apple
Another short poem to my favorite breakfast food, as inspired* by Robert Frost.
*And by "inspired" I mean "plagiarized"
tagged: poetry, poem, Robert Frost, Honeycrisp, Apple, culture, fruit
The way a bro
Brought in for me
A Honeycrisp
From yon Hy-Vee
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I'd rued.
*And by "inspired" I mean "plagiarized"
tagged: poetry, poem, Robert Frost, Honeycrisp, Apple, culture, fruit
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