True story...
Adman gets into a elevator on the 5th floor alongside a nice young lady.
Lady (working the buttons): Hi, what floor do you need?
Adman: 4th, please!
Lady pushes the 4 button, and also tries to push the 5th floor button a couple times before realizing that she's ON the 5th floor.
Lady (nervous laughter): Oh! I'm ON the 5th floor. Duh. I want 4. I was wondering why that wasn't working! (More nervous laughter).
Adman (trying to ease her embarrassment): Ha, I've done that before. (pause) Elevators are smarter than we are, sometimes.
Lady: Yeah. (pause) I wonder if it could do my work for me?
Adman: Well, if it involves carrying people from floor to floor, maybe!
Ahhh... I've still got it!
2007/02/27
2007/02/25
I just noticed that I'm slightly over a year old in Second Life. I went through and added up my total earnings.
$681.13
We had dinner last night with some teacher-friends of Diana's. They told a little story about someone selling virtual property or gold from WoW or something on eBay. It completely blew their minds that someone would spend real money on virtual goods (they're not really up to date, apparently, on their MMO's). I told them a little about Second Life (I tried to sugar coat it), and they probably think I'm completely nuts. Hopefully Diana and smooth things over a little on Monday.
$681.13
We had dinner last night with some teacher-friends of Diana's. They told a little story about someone selling virtual property or gold from WoW or something on eBay. It completely blew their minds that someone would spend real money on virtual goods (they're not really up to date, apparently, on their MMO's). I told them a little about Second Life (I tried to sugar coat it), and they probably think I'm completely nuts. Hopefully Diana and smooth things over a little on Monday.
2007/02/22
So twice today I've been in the bathroom with someone on their cell phone as they're taking a piss. I would have guessed that this was some sort of cell-phone no-no, but I'm new. In fact, I'll go ahead and make an open statement to anyone reading this that I'd prefer a "hey, can I call you back in a minute?" I understand we're all animals and all need to do our business. I just don't want to be a part of it with you. Is that fair? Am I wrong?
I saw a bumper sticker yesterday on the way to work that "King Kong is not my grandpa." It took me a while to figure that one out. I think it's some sort of slam on evolutionists. That really threw me for a loop and got my brain all a twitter for a while. Even the word "evolutionist" seems misleading to me, as it generally is accepted to mean "one who believes in evolution". But I don't think people should be "believing" in evolution, anymore than they "believe" in viruses or gravity or that the earth rotates around the sun. I don't know how it came up in conversation, but one of my workboys, who I respect and admire a lot, said off-handedly that he didn't believe in evolution. He understood heredity. He understood natural selection. But he was skeptical of genetic drift and mutation. Mutation, he said, caused things like cancer, but not one animal turning into another.
He referred to the oft-quoted (though possibly incorrect) example of a breed of moth that comes in light and dark colored varieties in England. Something about pollution in the air made the dark-colored moths blend in better, so birds ate more light colored moths, so the population shifted to have more dark-colored moths than light. That, he said, made sense to him. So I asked him where the dark variety of moths came from in the first place, and he just kinda shrugged and said "that's the question" with a smile, in such a way that the conversation was over, both of us knowing what the other was thinking but not wanting to discuss it further.
I did a websearch on the bumper sticker'd phrase, and somehow found myself at this enlightening page about Dinosaurs and the Bible.
There's lots of good reading, but I'll pick out some quotes:
"No scientist observed dinosaurs die. Scientists only find the bones in the here and now, and because many of them are evolutionists, they try to fit the story of the dinosaurs into their view." Ah... so FIRST comes the wacky idea of evolution, and then "facts" are manipulated to "fit" into that view. So that's bad. Got it.
"Other scientists, called creation scientists, have a different idea about when dinosaurs lived. They believe they can solve any of the supposed dinosaur mysteries and show how the evidence fits wonderfully with their ideas about the past, beliefs that come from the Bible." Ah ha! Those stupid evolutionists are trying to fit dinosaurs into THEIR view, but we can do a much better job fitting dinosaurs into OUR... view.... wait....
If Christ lived 2000 years ago, and the geneologies are traced in the Old Testament back to the Creation, then the Earth is about 6000 years old. "Thus, if the Bible is right (and it is!), dinosaurs must have lived within the past thousands of years." Holy moly.
It continues on and on. Noah built his literal Ark with literally two (sometimes seven) of every land animal... "there were no exceptions. Therefore, dinosaurs must have been on the Ark."
Dinosaurs on the ARK? Can you imagine two of every kind of dinosaur, much less two of every single other kind of land animal on a boat? For, what, a year?! With only a WEEK of preparation? With NO divine assistance? (That's how I read Genesis 7:5, at least) If people really do take this as a literal truth, I NEED to see some calculations (I'll accept ballpark estimations) on how much food, water, and shit-shovelling would be involved.
It then makes a comparison of dinosaurs to the ancient myth of dragons, and that they were probably the same thing.
So how did they die? "Due to (1) competition for food that was no longer in abundance, (2) other catastrophes, (3) man killing for food (and perhaps for fun), and (4) the destruction of habitats, etc., many species of animals eventually died out."
I love #2. Good ol' "other catastrophes".
Anyhoo, I'm spent. I needed to get some of this out of my brain.
I saw a bumper sticker yesterday on the way to work that "King Kong is not my grandpa." It took me a while to figure that one out. I think it's some sort of slam on evolutionists. That really threw me for a loop and got my brain all a twitter for a while. Even the word "evolutionist" seems misleading to me, as it generally is accepted to mean "one who believes in evolution". But I don't think people should be "believing" in evolution, anymore than they "believe" in viruses or gravity or that the earth rotates around the sun. I don't know how it came up in conversation, but one of my workboys, who I respect and admire a lot, said off-handedly that he didn't believe in evolution. He understood heredity. He understood natural selection. But he was skeptical of genetic drift and mutation. Mutation, he said, caused things like cancer, but not one animal turning into another.
He referred to the oft-quoted (though possibly incorrect) example of a breed of moth that comes in light and dark colored varieties in England. Something about pollution in the air made the dark-colored moths blend in better, so birds ate more light colored moths, so the population shifted to have more dark-colored moths than light. That, he said, made sense to him. So I asked him where the dark variety of moths came from in the first place, and he just kinda shrugged and said "that's the question" with a smile, in such a way that the conversation was over, both of us knowing what the other was thinking but not wanting to discuss it further.
I did a websearch on the bumper sticker'd phrase, and somehow found myself at this enlightening page about Dinosaurs and the Bible.
There's lots of good reading, but I'll pick out some quotes:
"No scientist observed dinosaurs die. Scientists only find the bones in the here and now, and because many of them are evolutionists, they try to fit the story of the dinosaurs into their view." Ah... so FIRST comes the wacky idea of evolution, and then "facts" are manipulated to "fit" into that view. So that's bad. Got it.
"Other scientists, called creation scientists, have a different idea about when dinosaurs lived. They believe they can solve any of the supposed dinosaur mysteries and show how the evidence fits wonderfully with their ideas about the past, beliefs that come from the Bible." Ah ha! Those stupid evolutionists are trying to fit dinosaurs into THEIR view, but we can do a much better job fitting dinosaurs into OUR... view.... wait....
If Christ lived 2000 years ago, and the geneologies are traced in the Old Testament back to the Creation, then the Earth is about 6000 years old. "Thus, if the Bible is right (and it is!), dinosaurs must have lived within the past thousands of years." Holy moly.
It continues on and on. Noah built his literal Ark with literally two (sometimes seven) of every land animal... "there were no exceptions. Therefore, dinosaurs must have been on the Ark."
Dinosaurs on the ARK? Can you imagine two of every kind of dinosaur, much less two of every single other kind of land animal on a boat? For, what, a year?! With only a WEEK of preparation? With NO divine assistance? (That's how I read Genesis 7:5, at least) If people really do take this as a literal truth, I NEED to see some calculations (I'll accept ballpark estimations) on how much food, water, and shit-shovelling would be involved.
It then makes a comparison of dinosaurs to the ancient myth of dragons, and that they were probably the same thing.
So how did they die? "Due to (1) competition for food that was no longer in abundance, (2) other catastrophes, (3) man killing for food (and perhaps for fun), and (4) the destruction of habitats, etc., many species of animals eventually died out."
I love #2. Good ol' "other catastrophes".
Anyhoo, I'm spent. I needed to get some of this out of my brain.
2007/02/15
2007/02/14
My new favorite web comic pretty much summed up Valentines Day perfectly:
Do yourself a favor and check out http://www.xkcd.com. Thank me later.
Diana and I don't celebrate Valentines Day. However, just saying that phrase kind of lumps me in with militant anti-consumerists who secretly want the terrorists to win. I'm not one of those. I also won't say some cheeseball thing like "everyday is Valentines Day", 'cause that just makes people gag. It's just a non-issue, non-holiday.
That said, in lieu of any official celebration, I'd like to share an email that Diana forwarded to me this morning. She is extremely modest and will be very embarassed that I post this, but I'm very proud of her, and this is the kind of thing I'd like to remember when I read back on my blog, and you'll probably enjoy reading it as well.
This is an email from a parent to Diana, and one of many that I've read over the past year:
I want to thank you for helping xxxxxxx yesterday. You have no idea what that meant to him. He called me after school and said he didn't want to go to the media center because he just didn't get the geometry.
He said he would just rather fail the class. I told him he must go and see you. After you took the time with him to help him he really understood the work!!!!!!!! He felt smart and sure of himself. He felt like he accomplished something big! He said to me last night "I really like knowing what I am doing, now I feel better. Ms. S is really good at explaining things, I am glad you made me stay at the media center mom." THANKS TO YOU DIANA!! He also thinks you are the smartest person he has met because you were helping someone with Calculus and reading work upside down!! Your influence is huge, he actually said when I pass Geometry with a good grade I want to take pre-calculus!!!!!
I am thrilled, just wanted to share my appreciation.
How cool is that? I think I'd need all my fingers and toes to count similar "You've changed my child's outlook on Math" emails.
I'm proud of you, Dster, and I love you!
Do yourself a favor and check out http://www.xkcd.com. Thank me later.
Diana and I don't celebrate Valentines Day. However, just saying that phrase kind of lumps me in with militant anti-consumerists who secretly want the terrorists to win. I'm not one of those. I also won't say some cheeseball thing like "everyday is Valentines Day", 'cause that just makes people gag. It's just a non-issue, non-holiday.
That said, in lieu of any official celebration, I'd like to share an email that Diana forwarded to me this morning. She is extremely modest and will be very embarassed that I post this, but I'm very proud of her, and this is the kind of thing I'd like to remember when I read back on my blog, and you'll probably enjoy reading it as well.
This is an email from a parent to Diana, and one of many that I've read over the past year:
I want to thank you for helping xxxxxxx yesterday. You have no idea what that meant to him. He called me after school and said he didn't want to go to the media center because he just didn't get the geometry.
He said he would just rather fail the class. I told him he must go and see you. After you took the time with him to help him he really understood the work!!!!!!!! He felt smart and sure of himself. He felt like he accomplished something big! He said to me last night "I really like knowing what I am doing, now I feel better. Ms. S is really good at explaining things, I am glad you made me stay at the media center mom." THANKS TO YOU DIANA!! He also thinks you are the smartest person he has met because you were helping someone with Calculus and reading work upside down!! Your influence is huge, he actually said when I pass Geometry with a good grade I want to take pre-calculus!!!!!
I am thrilled, just wanted to share my appreciation.
How cool is that? I think I'd need all my fingers and toes to count similar "You've changed my child's outlook on Math" emails.
I'm proud of you, Dster, and I love you!
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