Travis Smith: my resume, bio and photos back to the main blog page

MSN.com home page crashes IE 5.2 for the Mac

The default home page for IE for Mac is MSN.com. But MSN.com now causes IE for the Mac to crash -- I verified it myself. I've seen clueless, I've even been clueless, but this, my friends, is a new level of cluelessness.

posted at 10:31 pm
on Oct. 31, 2005

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On trial now: Los Angeles’ most prolific serial killer

If convicted of all 12 counts, Chester D. Turner will be the most convicted serial killer in L.A.'s history. He's up for 12 counts of murder, from about 20 suspected killings (the "Sunset Strip Killer" is suspected of killing 25 though only convicted on 6 counts).

posted at 8:37 pm
on Oct. 31, 2005

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A Web site that works like a DOS computer

I got frustrated at how little it acutally did -- just like I did with DOS!

posted at 1:19 pm
on Oct. 31, 2005

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Those Pumpkins Got Personality!

And sometimes three eyes.

posted at 12:29 pm
on Oct. 31, 2005

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A ‘Dear Pedestrian’ letter

Ouch.

posted at 11:45 pm
on Oct. 30, 2005

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Get a lifetime of new batteries for your ipod for $70

That is, until the scratches make it pointless to let your iPod go on living

posted at 11:02 pm
on Oct. 28, 2005

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Girl with Fast Hands - Video

This teenage girl can stack and un-stack a series of plastic cups faster than anyone in the world.

posted at 4:44 pm
on Oct. 28, 2005

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Why didn’t Bush fire Libby like he promised?

"Early on in the probe, Bush had vowed to fire anyone on his staff involved in the leak of a CIA operative's identity. The president said he accepted Libby's resignation earlier in the day." Don't these guys watch West Wing? What part of "fire him" don't they understand?

posted at 1:46 pm
on Oct. 28, 2005

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This is not me!

I'm not on the run from the law! But the weird thing is, I used to spend all my summers about 30 miles from here, and I am 33 years old, and I may travel to the area in the future. Why do I think crossing the border is about to get much more complicated?

posted at 2:27 am
on Oct. 28, 2005

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Vanishing Point: How to disappear in America without a trace

Step one: Move to Canada.

posted at 12:17 am
on Oct. 28, 2005

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Roundup of 1GB CF cards

In case I ever buy one for my camera.

posted at 12:15 am
on Oct. 28, 2005

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Students lipsynching to Back Street Boys

I thought this was just another dumb internet meme and resisted watching or linking to it for about a week. Then I watched it, and lo, it's actually very funny!

posted at 6:33 pm
on Oct. 27, 2005

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Top 10 dot-com flops

I actually ordered stuff via Kosmo, bought from eToys, had a friend working for Webvan, knew the designer for Boo, turned down a job at Go.com, and thought, even at the time, that Flooz.com was the worst idea I'd heard since ejector seats on a helicopter.

posted at 6:18 pm
on Oct. 27, 2005

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The 35 sexiest designed websites you’ve forgotten

Yeah, except they're mostly flash, and completely one-way.

posted at 6:17 pm
on Oct. 27, 2005

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When 2.0—a conference on Time and Timing

December 6, 2005, Stanford University, co-sponsored with Stanford Media X. Participants will consider how to use time to add richness, specificity and context-awareness to a broad range of next-generation applications. Time can be useful in a variety of applications, from clustering photos for tagging, to establishing appropriate timing for information services: when to show ads, send invoices or warn people of impending disasters.

posted at 1:43 pm
on Oct. 27, 2005

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News headlines displayed using a Google Maps Mashup

Fancy. Neat.

posted at 11:13 am
on Oct. 27, 2005

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How to modify the design of a Bryght site

It ain't easy, that's for darn tootin'.

posted at 12:30 pm
on Oct. 26, 2005

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My blog is worth bupkis


My blog is worth
jack shit.

How much is your blog worth?

posted at 3:22 am
on Oct. 25, 2005

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If You’re a Christian, Muslim or Jew - You are Wrong

What a rant! And the (currently 6) pages of comments really add to it.

posted at 11:30 pm
on Oct. 23, 2005

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At online DVD rental company Netflix, the churn rate is 4.3%

Meanwhile, the churn rate for daily newspapers is around 70%. Netflix costs more than a newspaper subscription: $18/month as opposed to about $11/month for the L.A. Times. What does that tell you about what people can't do without?

posted at 6:30 pm
on Oct. 20, 2005

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Comcast avoids service credit by claiming email is ‘free’

And besides, how bad is it that Comcast users were unable to email Hotmail users? Seems like that's a pretty significant problem.

posted at 9:49 am
on Oct. 20, 2005

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A list of color printers that include tracking dots on every page of output

Not only does this mean that your print outs can be traced back to you by serial number and date, but it also means you're wasting yellow toner. And no, this isn't a conspiracy theory -- it's really true. Here's more info.

posted at 2:09 pm
on Oct. 19, 2005

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Canada ranks 28th, 29th or last on key pollution indicators

But it's very polite pollution.

posted at 11:03 pm
on Oct. 18, 2005

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Sheboygan is the ‘French Fry Vending Machine Capital of the World’

What'seven scarier: This is a page from the Sheboygan Art Museum site, and the page is a promotion for the museum's vending machines. Hey, kids, let's go to the museum, I hear they have Dr. Pepper! Update: Upon re-reading, the whole site is tongue-in-cheek.

posted at 2:30 pm
on Oct. 18, 2005

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Didn’t I show you this demo reel for an advertising company already?

Set to the tune "Love Is Like Oxygen," this is a clip reel of ads for Stardust, an ad company doing, among other things, the Windows XP campaign, some Budwiser commercials involving hot women and beer (like that narrows it down) and those annoying Fanta girls who dance before the movies. I know, but it's an amazing set of ads.

posted at 12:42 am
on Oct. 18, 2005

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George Bush’s Approval Rating among African Americans: TWO Percent

George Bush immediately asks Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell to vote again. This is fairly shocking, but it helps to know that the poll has a margin of error of 3.4%, so his approval rating could actually be as low as -1.4%.

posted at 11:39 am
on Oct. 17, 2005

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Is your Flash movie blocking your DHTML JavaScript Menu?

Then you are a geek.

posted at 11:00 am
on Oct. 17, 2005

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If copyright is this complex, who does that benefit?

This chart explains when copyright expires for works published in the 20th century. You will be quizzed on this.

posted at 12:28 pm
on Oct. 16, 2005

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Speed Up and Improve XPs Boot and Start Up Time

It's a handy guide.

posted at 10:19 pm
on Oct. 15, 2005

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142857 is a cyclic number

Never heard of a cyclical number? They're not that common.

posted at 12:57 pm
on Oct. 14, 2005

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Note to Self: Do Not Mess With a Librarian

Or they will leave you broken and bleeding at the side of the information highway.

posted at 10:25 am
on Oct. 14, 2005

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The Noguchi Filing System—it’s time-based

Works fine for one person -- but for two people, it immediately fails.

posted at 2:15 am
on Oct. 14, 2005

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Blogs’n'Dogs

What could be more natural a combination: Learn how to blog, and learn how to dog sled, at the same conference. It makes oil and water look like peanut butter and chocolate -- but does sound fun.

posted at 5:33 pm
on Oct. 13, 2005

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LazyChat—When you don’t have time to ask a bunch of people

I use my iChat status to display what I'm listening to.

posted at 3:28 pm
on Oct. 13, 2005

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How To: Building a BlueSniper Rifle

Interesting article about how to extend the detection range of Bluetooth to about a kilometer. However, pointing things that look like sniper rifles at buildings in downtown Los Angeles -- that's never a good idea.

posted at 3:07 pm
on Oct. 13, 2005

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I’m not the only one irritated about QuickTime 7 Pro

These reviews from the Apple Store are mixed -- either 5 stars (QuickTime rulez!) or 1 star ($30 for what?!?!)

posted at 11:30 am
on Oct. 13, 2005

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Did you know Canada Post charges $33 minimum to forward your mail when you move

That's ridiculous. I pay to send mail, others pay to send me mail -- Canada Post should consider itself paid and forward my damn mail.

posted at 1:34 pm
on Oct. 12, 2005

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Pictures of frogs, photoshopped

Next time your boss says you are wasting time, point out that at least you're just looking at these, not making them.

posted at 11:19 am
on Oct. 12, 2005

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120 movies about the passat (each 15 seconds long)

All together, it's funner than your average half-hour sitcom, and slightly longer, too.

posted at 10:52 am
on Oct. 12, 2005

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The Tyee’s considering a tip jar, and a fellowship

From a survey today given by The Tyee (independent online B.C. news site) "22. In the near future, The Tyee will launch two charitable Fellowship Funds for journalists. Funds raised will support investigative and solutions-oriented features on issues of public interest. How much, if anything, would you be likely to donate to such a fund on an ANNUAL basis? 23. The Tyee is not planning to charge for content. However, we are interested in how many readers would realistically be willing to make an OPTIONAL monthly contribution to help The Tyee grow. Please indicate how much you would be willing to contribute, if at all. (NOTE: Again, we are NOT going to solicit anyone based on their answer)" (The survey was only for people subsrcibed to The Tyee's email newsletter)

posted at 10:19 am
on Oct. 12, 2005

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AOL bought Weblogs Inc. but left out Hack-A-Day

Hack-a-Day is a site that, well, you can guess what it does, and AOL decided that it wasn't worth the potential legal troubles. Hack-a-Day also seems happy not to be part of the AOL conglomerate. Sad that indie media is always the one pushing the limits.

posted at 10:03 pm
on Oct. 11, 2005

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‘Google Purchases’ Sign-Up Page Discovered

Maybe you'll be able to take the money you make from Google Adsense, and spend it on Google Adwords, without ever putting a penny of it in your own wallet. Hooray Google!

posted at 9:58 pm
on Oct. 11, 2005

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On Oct. 1, an Oklahoma U. student blew himself up outside a crowded football stadium

No one else was injured, but the question is still echoing: Was this an attempted terrorist act? And why has it received so little media coverage?

posted at 4:15 am
on Oct. 11, 2005

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Have a blog? Wrote a book? Win a prize!

The 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize for Blooks is something that won't exist in 10 years. But it's a great win now.

posted at 4:02 pm
on Oct. 10, 2005

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gada.be is a new metasearch engine—with RSS and OPML roots

Which means bloggers are going to go apeshit over it.

posted at 3:58 pm
on Oct. 10, 2005

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Yahoo! Podcasts just launched

What's a podcast? It's a set of sound files that get regularly shared with people who subscribe. So you can subscribe to a music band, a talk show, a news broadcast, someone' occasional musings, etc. etc.

posted at 3:57 pm
on Oct. 10, 2005

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François Joseph de Kermadec protests The Endless Beta

Only one problem -- one of his examples, Google Maps, is no longer a beta site, as of about a week ago, when it merged with Google Local.

posted at 1:10 pm
on Oct. 10, 2005

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The New Republic names the top 15 hacks and cronies of the Bush White House

Can you guess who #1 is? (No, it's not Bush!)

posted at 3:22 pm
on Oct. 8, 2005

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Will this tropical storm become the first ever to start with a ‘V’?

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season marks one of only three seasons (the others are 1960 and 1961) with two category 5 hurricanes. It may also be the first ever to have 22 storms. (V is 21 because Q isn't used -- and V hasn't been used before because in 1933, the only year so far to have 21 storms, storms weren't given alphabetical names, they were usually named by where they came ashore in the U.S.)

posted at 2:24 pm
on Oct. 8, 2005

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Introduction to the TactaPad

It doesn't exist yet. Let's see if it turns out to be like digiScents' iSmell

posted at 12:52 am
on Oct. 8, 2005

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Networking on the Network

How to thrive as a Ph.D. student.

posted at 11:24 pm
on Oct. 7, 2005

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Where in the world are you from?

This is a GVisit map of where the most recent visitors to my site are clicking from.

posted at 11:16 pm
on Oct. 7, 2005

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Grandsons of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin redebated Yalta conference

Stalin's grandson says he was just misunderstood.

posted at 11:34 am
on Oct. 7, 2005

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Using a two-month air pass, he’s going for 1,000,000 miles

This is a great story. It combines blogging and air travel and silly goals, and he can do it all in his pyjamas. Documentary time!

posted at 5:43 pm
on Oct. 6, 2005

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Joel Achenbach talks about Times Select

"Conceivably you could also buy the newspaper itself [...] but the Times costs an entire dollar. If you could save that dollar every day, by the end of the week you'd have enough money for a beer, if perhaps not one of the fussier microbrews." Yes, I know this should be in the "Overheard" section...

posted at 2:53 pm
on Oct. 6, 2005

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Reality TV may be cause of 10% drop in television roles in 2004

That's OK -- Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie really aren't Screen Actors Guild material, you know what I'm saying?

posted at 3:12 am
on Oct. 6, 2005

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My Monster Name Is…

Treacherous Rage-Addicted Villager-Injuring Scientist-Snatching Monster from the Isolated Twisted Hills

posted at 11:32 pm
on Oct. 5, 2005

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SnapStream Beyond TV: PVR software for your TV tuner

Research for a friend. Alternative to TiVo? Doubtful.

posted at 4:08 pm
on Oct. 5, 2005

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geocoder.us: a free US address geocoder

Why isn't there a service like this for Canada?

posted at 4:08 pm
on Oct. 5, 2005

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Innovation Commons First Meeting: Wednesday, October 5, 2005

The first meeting about building a local, physical space for entreprenuers, as part of the Innovation Commons (see my previous post announcing this, as well as check out the wiki) takes place on Wednesday, October 5, 2005, at Take 5 Cafe space that is being donated after hours by the owner, Dean Punzo.

There is already an impressive list of supporters -- please add your name even if you can't make it to Wednesday's meeting.

We'll be brainstorming on how to move this project forward, and the New Enterprise Development team will ask for feedback on a survey, as well as help in promoting the survey.

Event details:

Subscribe to future Innovation Commons events via the wiki's iCal: Add to iCalendar

posted at 3:45 pm
on Oct. 5, 2005

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CNN.com: Vancouver is ‘best city to live’

But it's full now, so don't even think about moving here. Go on, shoo.

posted at 12:55 pm
on Oct. 5, 2005

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Weeks Later, Most Victims of Katrina Lie Unnamed

The tragedy continues.

posted at 11:04 am
on Oct. 5, 2005

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Upcoming.org gets absorbed by Yahoo

Yahoo's continuing to drink the Web 2.0 Koolaid faster than any other company. But interestingly, Andy and Gordon and Leo all didn't have the news up when I checked. I heard it from Jeremy, a Yahoo! employee. Update: Now they've posted.

posted at 10:11 pm
on Oct. 4, 2005

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Laughing Squid - Web 1.0 Summit

Will they finally settle the BLINK vs. MARQUEE fight?

posted at 10:08 pm
on Oct. 4, 2005

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The Real Reason You’re Working So Hard

It describes the problem, and promises a solution is coming (but doesn't say exactly what it is).

posted at 10:07 pm
on Oct. 4, 2005

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NewsGator acquires NetNewsWire (Mac RSS reader)

I only JUST bought the paid version of NetNewsWire last week. Woohoo!

posted at 5:34 pm
on Oct. 4, 2005

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This Illiterate Brazilian’s Home Speaks Volumes

Thanks, Wes!

posted at 4:29 pm
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Google Maps Vancouver is slightly broken

For some reason, the overlaid streets stopped lining up on my computer about three days ago. Are you seeing the same thing?

posted at 2:38 pm
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Bush’s Supreme Court Pick was a leader of the search for potential candidates

Oh, and has never been a judge. Bush seems determined to pick people for important offices who are actively ignorant of the skills necessary for the job. I wonder where he picked up that habit? By the way, I'd be a great pick to run the Navy, since I've never sailed a boat. Or why not have me be the Surgeon General? Jeez Louise.

posted at 2:07 pm
on Oct. 3, 2005

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My Volkswagen dealer includes GPS co-ords on its contact page

Subtle but funny re-inforcement of their adventure message, and perhaps even useful for folks with in-car navigation systems. Sadly, they also use frames, annoyingly.

posted at 2:01 pm
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Get 5 pounds of Silly Putty for only $77

Then copy an entire newspaper and see if they sue you. (via The Sneeze.)

posted at 1:17 am
on Oct. 3, 2005

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CBC, Canadian Media Guild reach memorandum of agreement

Hope the terms were worth waiting for.

posted at 1:16 am
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Rachael took some nice photos of Susie this weekend

I think it's really interesting what a difference the photographer makes. My photos don't make Susie look this way at all.

posted at 1:10 am
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Hitachi tries to make hard drives seem sexy

"The Hard Drive is the New Bling."

posted at 1:09 am
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Debate of SFGate’s Photo Use

Is the SFGate media biased in signficant, methodical ways? Or can a single photo even be blamed for failing to represent a large context? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?

posted at 12:08 am
on Oct. 3, 2005

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Lessons for Telus can be found in Rich Gibson’s ‘The California Grocery Strike’

Susie and I went seven months without using the local groceries stores. What can we do here in B.C. to support Telus workers?

posted at 10:47 pm
on Oct. 2, 2005

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Vancouver’s Parade of the Lost Souls won’t be held this year

From the site, this terse message: "The Parade of the Lost Souls will not be held for 2005 while our creative team sets to work on the design of exciting new experiences for "parade". Please join us again in 2006." More at the Georgia Straight

posted at 12:25 am
on Oct. 2, 2005

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CareLess Bands

My favorite: "Hungry people make me sad."

posted at 3:06 am
on Oct. 1, 2005

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My new favorite Amazon book

Buy it, I dare you.

posted at 1:17 am
on Oct. 1, 2005

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Overheard

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

...who said it?

“Almost every American I know does trade large portions of his life for entertainment, hour by weeknight hour, binge by Saturday binge, Facebook check by Facebook check. I’m one of them. In the course of writing this I’ve watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards and who knows how many more West Wing episodes, and I’ve spent any number of blurred hours falling down internet rabbit holes. All instead of reading, or writing, or working, or spending real time with people I love.”

...who said it?

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

...who said it?

“I play with variables constantly.”

...who said it?

“Only the person who has learned Continual Love coming from a heart of Gratitude/Worship can effectively deal with the problem of loneliness.”

...who said it?

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