I was off to Canada for the Thanksgiving weekend visiting friends and family, and every time I go there I seem to learn something new that makes the county even better. I've always said life is in the details, and boy does Canada have the details down. For example, and perhaps this is just me but I was nonetheless amazed, one can perform routine government services such as purchase new vehicle tags at one amounts to an ATM-like machine at their local mall. It included all sorts of service like changing your address or getting a new health card printed. I don't know, this thing seemed to make so much sense, I wonder why we don't have something like it here. It would beat heading to the DMV hands down.
Canadian off and on ramps are also better laid out. Here in Minnesota cars are getting off and on the highway at the same time in the same location, often making for heroing weaving just to make it. Traffic inevitably slows down, especially during rush hour, and we're all left waiting to get home because some engineer decided to cut corners. (Which from his perspective is probably a good thing since it will mean even more projects to fix the first one.)
OH! And why does Canada have all the really cool phones. One can barely find any Sony Ericsson phones around here, but they have like all of the versions available. Damn them and their European roots!
Would be quite interesting if they adopt the Euro?!
11.30.2004
Free 'Make Love Not Spam' screensaver targets spam websites
Free 'Make Love Not Spam' screensaver targets spam websites
Seems like quite the ingenious idea, especially if it helps fight spam, if even just a little bit. And the screensaver is available for Max OS X, 9, and Windows. Have at it!
http://makelovenotspam.com/intl/index.html
**Update: something seems to wrong with the website; it has some cryptic message. I wonder if it was hacked?!
Seems like quite the ingenious idea, especially if it helps fight spam, if even just a little bit. And the screensaver is available for Max OS X, 9, and Windows. Have at it!
http://makelovenotspam.com/intl/index.html
**Update: something seems to wrong with the website; it has some cryptic message. I wonder if it was hacked?!
11.29.2004
Funny Forward
An elderly couple had been dating for some time and decided it was finally time to marry. Before the wedding they embarked on a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work. They discussed finances, living arrangements and so on. Finally the old man decided it was time to broach the subject of their sexual relationship.
"How do you feel about sex?" he asked, rather hopefully.
"Oh, I like to have it infrequently," she responded.
The old guy thought for a moment, then asked, "Was that one word or two?
"How do you feel about sex?" he asked, rather hopefully.
"Oh, I like to have it infrequently," she responded.
The old guy thought for a moment, then asked, "Was that one word or two?
capitalism sucks ass
capitalism sucks ass
I look past the socialist comment, the term has a bad rap and confuses people's attention, Michael makes a great point. Home Dept sucks ass! Can that store be any more overcrowded, poorly designed and any more impossible to find anything you might be looking for?
The self-checkout option is nice, which I wish more stores in Minnesota would invest in and pass on the savings, but the store is just dangerous. They have pipe cutting tools and various other limb-deformers just lying about the store waiting for an unsuspecting child. Furthermore - I'm just not convinced its cheaper than cleaner alternatives.
I look past the socialist comment, the term has a bad rap and confuses people's attention, Michael makes a great point. Home Dept sucks ass! Can that store be any more overcrowded, poorly designed and any more impossible to find anything you might be looking for?
The self-checkout option is nice, which I wish more stores in Minnesota would invest in and pass on the savings, but the store is just dangerous. They have pipe cutting tools and various other limb-deformers just lying about the store waiting for an unsuspecting child. Furthermore - I'm just not convinced its cheaper than cleaner alternatives.
11.24.2004
Thank you Cingular!
Got a nice new Motorola v551 and Rollover minutes now that AT&T Wireless has been consumed by Cingular. A bunch of people have told me they suck for one reason or another, but AT&T's customer service sucked donkey balls as well so its not a change for me. What is pretty sweet though is the service coverage in Minnesota is huge now, and the quality in signal strength is outstanding. I don't know how they did it, but its awesome. And their mobile internet is much faster, but I think mMode was better designed for use on a phone.
Motorola's are pretty sweet phones - haven't had one for a few years but its nice to be back. However, if that s700 makes it to Cingular before Dec 15th you can bet your booty I'll be making the exchange. Yowser!
11.12.2004
Petition Spot - Howard Dean for Chairman of the DNC
Sign the Petition
I kind of think Dean would be really good for the post. A great fund-raiser and motivator he might be just the ticket.
I kind of think Dean would be really good for the post. A great fund-raiser and motivator he might be just the ticket.
Phonebooks
Since I have been highlighting things that tend to irritate me I figured I might as well go through all of them and get it out there. Don't want to pent up any of this rage and go postal or anything. (Is the term 'postal' getting out of date? What would be the alternative?)
I haven't quite figured out why it irritates me so much, but I frickin' hate phonebooks. Its such a collasal waste of paper and shelf space that I have ever seen and people cannot seem to live without them. I don't get it. Never have I gone to a phone book for anything other than a paper-weight. Nothing ruins my day like coming home and seeing one at my front door. Its like PC users with their floppy disks - they just cannot let them go.
And why do I bring this up today? Guess what was on the front desk in the office, but a stack of three yellow pages. I am praying no one offers me a copy!
I haven't quite figured out why it irritates me so much, but I frickin' hate phonebooks. Its such a collasal waste of paper and shelf space that I have ever seen and people cannot seem to live without them. I don't get it. Never have I gone to a phone book for anything other than a paper-weight. Nothing ruins my day like coming home and seeing one at my front door. Its like PC users with their floppy disks - they just cannot let them go.
And why do I bring this up today? Guess what was on the front desk in the office, but a stack of three yellow pages. I am praying no one offers me a copy!
11.11.2004
TV stations canceling 'Ryan' telecast
TV stations canceling 'Ryan' telecast
Why must our reality be so sanitized? That even a movie paying tribute to the memory and sacrifice of our veterans who fought in a noble war would be put into question because the script is laden with "fuck." Perhaps the government is afraid if America's youth is exposed to the harsh reality of war they wouldn't be signing up to fight. Like the debate concerning evolution, this is another one of my hot-ticket items that irritates me.
Why must our reality be so sanitized? That even a movie paying tribute to the memory and sacrifice of our veterans who fought in a noble war would be put into question because the script is laden with "fuck." Perhaps the government is afraid if America's youth is exposed to the harsh reality of war they wouldn't be signing up to fight. Like the debate concerning evolution, this is another one of my hot-ticket items that irritates me.
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