Friday, July 26, 2013

It Makes You Stupid, Stupid AND Dishonest.


Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!
One might think that it takes special cleverness to lie.  Well, to lie and then get away with it.

This post makes a great argument for the opposite effect:
Habitual dishonesty (most notable political correctness) is a form of learning; and learning strengthens some brain pathways and brain connections; while allowing other pathways and connections to wither and (perhaps eventually) perish.


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Out Of The Mist of Time

The lads from Vampire Weekend are smart guys, they all went to Columbia U. on financial aid after all.  So when they put a picture of a girl, taken in 1983, on their second album, there were two predictable outcomes:

1. The album bombs and it doesn't matter who the girl is--the album is a failure.

2. The album is a big hit (which is what actually happened) and the girl will discover that she is on the cover and then there will be legal trouble.  (There was and it was settled)



Some levity did come out of the "discovery" as related by her local paper: Fairfield Citizen

To add insult to injury, in addition to the alleged misuse of the photo, Kennis said it isn't one of her better shots since it depicts her with a vacant look.                                             
"It's like someone called my name and I turned." 
Even so, some don't think it's as bad as Kennis thinks. 
In fact, one of her nephews, a sophomore at Columbia University in New York City, said members of his tennis team were talking about the "hot" girl on the Vampire Weekend album cover. He had not seen the cover at the time the discussion was taking place sunsequently told his friends, "she's my aunt."
It all came full-circle, what with the Columbia connection and all.

Satire Is Dead

National Hot Dog Day.  Anthony Weiner. AKA Carlos Danger.

Twitter, I wish I knew how to quit you.

Monday, July 22, 2013

I Would be Less Likely To Wash My Hands

If I had to do it right in front of a urinal--maybe especially so if there was a queue.



Both the author of the NPR article as well as the inventor of the device make the claim that this arrangement will encourage hand washing.  I think most men will be skeeved-out by standing in front of a stinky urine receptacle while washing.

I like the idea of using the same water for two uses but maybe the idea could be salvaged:  How about making the sink offset so that you are not right over the urinal when hand washing?  They could be made left and right handed and installed alternately.  This way it would be two sinks, then two urinals, then two sinks.  The ends of each row would be be either a single sink or a single urinal.