Miscellany

Don’t miss out on the fun – today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day! Perhaps after work I’ll dust off my copy of Pirates and play a game….

To all appearances, the “credit card” to the left might appear to be your run of the mill fake card that companies put in their mailings all the time. But American Express has reached new lows – what you are seeing there is not just a phony card, but it is in fact a magnet designed to look like a credit card. One wonders what marketing genius decided to promote their product with exactly the item that destroys their product. Or perhaps they’re hoping for a little industrial sabotage against their competitors already in your wallet….

A new, informal study shows that scientists may be self-censoring to avoid controversial research. This article presents this as fairly categorically bad, implying that those raising the controversies are stifling academic freedom and intellectual endeavors. But isn’t it good if our scientists are feeling pressure to stop and think about whether the advantages of their research are really worthwhile? Am I supposed to feel bad that “Others said they have given up experiments on dogs – traditional objects of medical research – to avoid the wrath of animal rights activists.”? Or this statement: Today, Blass said, ethics overseers are unlikely … Continue reading Research Ethics

Oh my – the Seattle Star Wars fan is at it again, settling down in line four and a half months before Episode III is scheduled to open. He’s weblogging his wait this time too – caution, the current top post is a highly obscene rant against those telling him to get a life. Which, I have to say, kind of goes against the screed in one of the posts lauding his waiting as a near-religious defiance of modern consumer culture. Also interesting is this comment, posted in his 1/7/04 “Get a Life” entry: Hey… I still want to know … Continue reading Line Wars

I’m sure this is entirely impractical in a real house where clutter on a table gets shoved into each other and cats or small children run around, but I’m fascinated by the Toro Tissue Ring. Maybe for one’s office. Ooo – Drugstore.com and the Container Store both sell them. I’d have pegged this as more of an Ikea product….

If you plan on doing any traveling by car, you absolutely must join AAA. Besides being covered if you break down, run out of gas, or generally need automotive help, the free maps and tour books can get you around the country and in and out of strange cities, and the attraction and restaurant recommendations are good. And if you call them, they’ll help you find an office near you while you’re on the road and give you directions so you can restock your maps on the go. That’s not including the fact that, if you’re going to many tourist … Continue reading AAA Plug

I’ve almost exhausted my stock of Bobs Old Timey Peppermint Pure Sugar Sticks, which I can buy at one store in my area only during the month of December, and while I could order them from this site, I’m not sure that I really need a box of 24 bags. They’re just so yummy and have such a funky texture and give you such a great mid-afternoon sugar rush. They’re slightly porous, like those peppermint puffs, except not quite so much.

Oh, I know people in the Cult of Diet Coke. It’s become so common, I was surprised to see it’s only been around since 1982, though I do remember Tab (which definitely wasn’t a man’s drink the way Diet Coke can be). Maybe if a Diet Coke With Lime Cult started up, I might get on board….

I “helped” a friend buy a car recently, and I was really impressed with how well they handled the whole process. I don’t do well in that setting in part because I have a hard time believing the stereotypes about car salesmen. So I found this investigative report on selling cars at Edmunds really interesting. They sent a writer in to work at two different car lots, one high-pressure and one of the “no haggle” style. The difference is shocking, even if things aren’t as low-pressure as they pretend at the no haggle places. Don’t miss the sidebar photos either … Continue reading High Pressure Sales

Back in the 70’s, the gate to Emily Dickinson’s family burial plot was stolen, but it was just recently found in a Vermont antique shop and is being returned to its rightful place. It’s an interesting story of the gate being passed through many hands, for a while serving as a fireplace screen, and not having been identified until now. The brass plaque from the 50’s which would have clearly identified its source had been removed from the gate (probably when it was originally stolen), and had been returned to the Dickinson Family Association six years ago, at which time … Continue reading Emily’s Gate