tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51625562011-04-21T17:41:23.308-07:00One man pontificates on issues great and small. OK, mostly small and petty.Howardnoreply@blogger.comBlogger921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1146911638652379092006-05-06T03:21:00.000-07:002006-05-06T03:33:58.703-07:00

Assuming Dick Chaney doesn't change his mind, the 2008 election will be relatively unsual in one regard. There will be no incumbent running on either side. For the purposes of this discussion, an incumbent includes the VP of a president who has been termed out.Last time this happened? 1952 Eisenhower v. Stevenson. Time before that? 1928 Hoover v. Smith. Twice in 80 years or 20 elections, or 10%

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1146910069836679452006-05-06T02:28:00.000-07:002006-05-06T03:07:49.920-07:00

I just read "The Box : How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, by Marc Levinson. It is a description of the history of the cargo container shipping industry.I know how dry this sounds, but in this and future posts I will attempt to combine information presented in that book, with my own ideas about the almost immeasurable impact this simple and seemingly

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1146907680245016242006-05-06T02:24:00.000-07:002006-05-06T02:28:00.246-07:00

The size of a business card was not standardized until 1958.No coincidence that the same year saw the introduction of the most powerful piece of plastic since the credit card - the Rolodex.Come to think of it, credit cards adopted the same dimensions.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1146907443579192842006-05-06T02:04:00.000-07:002006-05-06T02:24:04.353-07:00

Israel would be the safest place in the world. And it isn't.If you don't believe me, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_in_the_Israeli-Palestinian_conflict_2005 In 2005 3,225 Palestinians were killed by Israelis and 950 Israeli Jews were killed by Palestinians. Even if you ignore the Palestinians - and why not, everyone else does - the numbers are staggering. 72% of Israel's

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1146814400915856702006-05-05T00:15:00.000-07:002006-05-05T00:33:20.930-07:00

Or something.The price tag for the 9/11 memorial being planned in NY at "ground zero" is now pegged at $1 billion. $1 billion. $1 billion.$1 billion, $1 billion, $1 billion equals approximately $300,000 for each of the 3,000 or so victims.Lets pause and think about how $1 billion, $1 billion, $1 billion could be spent.First the obvious - $300,000 to each of the families of the deceased.Maybe a $1

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1145676550878211002006-04-21T20:18:00.000-07:002006-04-22T11:20:22.713-07:00

Or rather, if I was a web programmer....I'd build a Barry Bonds Schneid Counter (BBSC.) The BBSC would track the start of the great melon headed one's 2006 campaign for the record books. But rather than counting dingers, it would count games and at bats until he hits one out. Its looking like no juice means no juice. As of today he has played in 13 games of 16 games, has a batting average about

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1145422993135615282006-04-18T21:59:00.000-07:002006-04-21T20:47:00.510-07:00

"What do you mean funny, funny how?"Bill Cosby and George Carlin were both extremely funny when young. Now both are just blow-hards. And not in that good “Woody Allen I make serious movies and marry my step-daugher” kind of way."I'm funny how? I mean, funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?"

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141764231030119622006-03-07T12:43:00.000-08:002006-03-07T21:26:58.313-08:00

Congresspeople are allowed to fly on corporate jets, provided they reimburse the company.$3.6 million was reimbursed to corporations for air travel from 2001 to 2005. Last year Tom Delay flew to his arraignment on a jet owned by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco.The reimbursement, however, is not for the actual cost or value of the flight, but the commercial fare for a similar flight. This means that the

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141626991746948742006-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:002006-03-05T22:36:31.756-08:00

Noted San Francisco Columnist Herb Caen was really just a blogger.That may be interesting, but this is funny. When I spell checked this entry (note, the site I use for creating the blog is www.blogger.com) the spell check function didn't recognize "blogger" as a word. AND, I just discovered this very second, that it also doesn't recognize "blog."

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141520989096303922006-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:002006-03-04T17:09:49.106-08:00

The image file I uploaded of this Hello Kitty toaster was around one megabyte in size - almost exactly the same size as a text file containing Tolstoy's epic War and Peace.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141459140452108272006-03-03T23:54:00.000-08:002006-03-03T23:59:00.463-08:00

When looking at murder rates we see that 63% of Blue (Democrat) states are in the bottom 20 (bottom being the good part) while 22% of Red (Republic) states are simiarly nonviolent.On the flip side, and aren't we always, 21% of Blue states are among the 20 highest murder rate states, while 52% of Red states are in that bad grouping.Draw your own conclusions.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141457171749416272006-03-03T23:22:00.000-08:002006-03-04T00:17:14.440-08:00

New Orleans' French Quarter was largely spared by hurricane Katrina. If, as Jerry Falwell suggested, the storm was the Almighty striking out to smite sin, we can only draw one conclusion. God's aim is worse than Dick Chaney's, which raises all sorts of questions about who will win in the battle of good vs. evil.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141456819432456862006-03-03T23:16:00.000-08:002006-03-03T23:20:19.443-08:00

Today, President Bush described Pakistan as "a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world."Freedom = a coup in 1999 that brought General Pervez Musharraf to power.Arab World = "that part of the world."Sigh.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141437772510765292006-03-03T18:00:00.000-08:002006-03-03T18:02:52.510-08:00

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion agreed to pay $612.5 million to patent holding company NTP to settle a long-running dispute that had threatened to shut down the popular wireless e-mail service for its 3 million users.3 million is a lot of users, but the amount of press this has gotten is nuts.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141437578181114482006-03-03T17:50:00.000-08:002006-03-03T17:59:38.193-08:00

Mohammad al-Qahtani, the so-called "20th hijacker" has apparently given the US a lot of information, but is now claiming he lied under the pressure of torture. My guess is that he is lying now, but it would be a lot simpler to disbelieve him if we weren't actually torturing people.In case you are wondering, a petard is a terms for a small mideavil bomb used to blow up gates and walls or 19th

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141283381501288442006-03-01T23:07:00.000-08:002006-03-01T23:09:41.510-08:00

how on TV cop shows 35+ year old detectives in suits, overcoats and street shoes consistently outrun 20 year old 'perps' in sneakers?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141251842918997232006-03-01T14:15:00.000-08:002006-03-01T14:24:02.920-08:00

The Dubai Ports World controversy highlights one thing about the Bush administration. At some point Bush decided that his virtue, his song was steadfastness. No backing down. No admission of error. Stand tough. We may only have one song, but we sing it well and often.There are reasons to support the DPW deal. For all the problems with the Emirates, since 9/11 they have found religion (sorry) and

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141096484079452752006-02-27T19:07:00.000-08:002006-02-27T19:14:44.086-08:00

It turns out that The Coast Guard raised concerns weeks ago that it could not determine whether a United Arab Emirates-based company seeking a stake in some U.S. port operations might support terrorist operations.This deal is clearly a political blunder. Whether it is bad for the US remains unclear to me. What is clear is that the nexus between the UAE and the 911 attacks was much more direct

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141005661589518732006-02-26T17:26:00.000-08:002006-02-26T18:01:01.600-08:00

Watching Fox News is like picking at a scab for me. Its irritatingly compelling.One thing I love is that their crawl (the scrolling "news" that runs on the bottom of the screen) regularly updates the Terror Alert Level. It is currently at yellow for "Elevated" where it has lived since August 2005. According to the Department of Homeland Security, yYellow means that "All Americans, including

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1141003598158707552006-02-26T17:17:00.000-08:002006-02-27T19:19:53.663-08:00

No, this isn't a paen to Lennon's overplayed anthem.Rather, imagine the reaction of the right (think Fox News) if Clinton or Gore had done the UAE port deal.If you are conservative, this is a test of your intellectual honesty. Regardless of what you think about the deal itself (personally I am ambivalent about it) if you can't fess up and admit that attacking a Democratic administration would

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140983230152549692006-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:002006-02-26T13:15:20.376-08:00

Allison and I are, I hate to say it, German Shepherd Dog (GSD) fanciers. Actually, I guess this isn't really true since we eschew breeding related activates, opting instead for rescue. "Breeding related activities." Sounds like a euphemism.We've noticed that people tend to label GSD's with vainglorious and/or Germanic names like King, Kaiser, Fritzie, Zeus, Wolfgang and Heidi.I've yet to meet an

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140977263311064892006-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:002006-02-26T10:07:43.313-08:00

From The Atlantic: If you hope to obtain a bachelor's degree by age twenty-four, your chances are roughly one in two if you come from a family with an annual income over $90,000; roughly one in four if your family's income falls between $61,000 and $90,000; and slightly better than one in ten if it is between $35,000 and $61,000. For high schoolers whose families make less than $35,000 a year the

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140931671704766002006-02-25T21:26:00.000-08:002006-02-25T21:28:49.163-08:00

Each unit of Sony's Playstation 3 is expected to cost the company about $900 to produce, but will likely be priced around $300 to compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360. I wonder if they will pay me $600 to not buy one.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140897906515497372006-02-25T11:59:00.000-08:002006-02-26T18:12:55.070-08:00

For some reason all the female teachers who have had sex with students are blonde. More troubling, they have, until now, all been pretty damned good looking. It makes it hard to have the proper reaction that this is sexual assault when they are hot. So I'm glad that Ms. Schweikert, pictured above, has joined this ignoble club. How dare she!

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140855219377030422006-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:002006-02-25T00:23:10.136-08:00

With the UAE in the news following a deal to have their government owned company manage US ports, it is a good time to learn a few things about this unusual country.1: The border demarcation treaties of 1974 and 1977 between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were never made public so the exact border of the two countries is only known to their governments.2: Among various human rights

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1140744647808031812006-02-23T17:20:00.000-08:002006-02-23T17:30:47.820-08:00

Why undercut a legitimate point by relying on meaning less statistics?One statistic you hear over and over is that women make only 75 cents for every dollar a man earns. This ratio gives the false impression woman working in the same position as a man makes 25% less.All the wage-gap ratio reflects is a comparison of the median earnings of all working women and men. It doesn't compare those with

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139986613438256772006-02-14T22:50:00.000-08:002006-02-25T00:30:19.263-08:00

Harry Whittington is the first person Chaney ever shot by accident.The Daily Show suggested that Chaney didn't take a hunting safety course because he received a series of deferrments.Anyway calling the activity in question "hunting" is a bit of a stretch.In 2003 Chaney when pheasant killing in Pennsylvania, but he didn't have to waste time hunting downt he little fellas. Upon his arrival

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139896327149628812006-02-13T21:13:00.000-08:002006-02-13T21:52:07.160-08:00

As opponents of the Bush administration go, I am pretty skeptical of many of the claims about them. I don't think we went into Iraq for oil. I don't think that the ties to Halliburton are a reason for the waste and abuse in the rebuilding. I didn't believe that the partial privatization of Social Security or the private nature of the Medicare drug program were intended to benefit industry.But

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139813383108313052006-02-12T22:42:00.000-08:002006-02-12T22:53:28.560-08:00

An orthodox rabbi walks into a bar is in full regalia. Black coat, black hat, beard.He's got a parrot on his shoulder. The parrot is huge. Red, yellow, and blue. Lovely plumage.The barkeep stares for a moment and says "Wow, he is really amazing. Where did you get him?"after a pause the parrot replies "Brooklyn, there are a million of them all over the place.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139809563048207692006-02-12T21:38:00.000-08:002006-02-12T21:46:03.060-08:00

OK, time to expose my darker side.I've occasional thought about renting a car for a week , putting it up on jack stand, pulling the wheels off, and setting the cruise control speed to - oh say - 140mph. After a week the odometer would have logged a good 20k plus miles. I figure it would get really good mileage given the lack of wind or rolling resistance. You have to figure that the clerk would

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139808274065672202006-02-12T21:13:00.000-08:002006-02-12T21:24:34.076-08:00

Over the past 15 years I have owned 3 GSDs (German Shepherd DOGs - only breed to have dog in the offician name) and have fostered another half-dozen or so. In all that time no one has ever asked "what's her name?" Regardless of the dog's gender, it has always been "Whats his name?" I wonder if this is reversed for more "feminine" dogs like poodles or cocker spaniels.An interesting side-note. A

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139781927047281982006-02-12T14:02:00.000-08:002006-02-12T14:05:27.046-08:00

Isn't it nice that they have reserved a whole Olympic for white (ok, and Asian) people?I think its time to ban all sports with a: costumes b: highly subjective judging c: differences that are so imperceptible that an ordinary person can't tell the difference.I can relate to speed skating. Whoever is faster wins. I'm not saying that figure skaters aren't terribly talented athletes, but the scoring

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139778136857784102006-02-12T12:58:00.000-08:002006-02-12T21:53:24.736-08:00

While the Moslem world freaks out over a bunch of cartoons, some of which were actually published in a Danish newspaper, lets not forget that the Taliban blew up ancient statues of the Buddah. Nary a word of condemnation from the Islamic world.As I would have said as an eight year old - Takes One to Know One!

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139777902392601142006-02-12T12:23:00.000-08:002006-03-05T23:55:09.853-08:00

Since the President has told us that we are addicted to oil (foreign or otherwise,) lets take a quick look at how we are using that oil. Sound like we are going the wrong direction? Wondering what is the cause? One word. Horsepower.At the latest auto show there were 18 models with over 500 horsepower. These machines not only suck up gas, but are deeply antisocial. This kind of power is useful

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1139162108578609432006-02-05T09:43:00.000-08:002006-02-05T09:55:08.593-08:00

not the PC. Not even the Ipod.Its the shipping container.Before the standardized cargo container came into being in the early 1960s a port could load or unload about a half ton per man hour. Now that number is closer to 5,000 tons per man hour.The time in port shrank from weeks to hours.Ships increased their carrying capacity by over 4 fold.Along with these efficiencies you have to add a much

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1138613004348798562006-01-30T01:22:00.000-08:002006-02-12T13:59:31.916-08:00

"Note to self: Feed mayonnaise to tuna fish. "Name that movie.My ideas are1: Raise lambs in fields of mint and2: Feed chickens only rosemaryMmmmmm

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1138604596908823972006-01-29T23:02:00.000-08:002006-01-29T23:03:16.916-08:00

When we take our dogs to the vet they calculate medicine dosages based on the dog's weight. Why then are medicines not dosed based on weight for people? It seems odd that we use the same amount of a drug for a 105 pound woman as for a 250 pound man.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1138600358549628202006-01-29T21:52:00.000-08:002006-01-29T21:52:38.550-08:00

Contrary to (at least my) expectation, when you include all government taxes, the tax burden for various income groups is roughly the same. IncomeGroupPretaxIncomeAverage TaxReceiptsAs % ofIncomeBottom 20% $7,946 $1,449 18.2%Second 20% $20,319 $2,847 14.0%Middle 20% $35,536 $5,622 15.8%Fourth 20% $56,891 $9,835 17.3%Top 20% $116,666 $21,623 18.5%This, taken from the NY Times, includes federal and

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1138599326795460572006-01-29T21:32:00.000-08:002006-01-29T21:54:16.256-08:00

CRT monitors that is. Flat screen monitors have gotten very cheap, but tube based units have fallen further ($49 for a 17" monitor in today's insert.) The problem is that CRT monitors create huge disposal problems due to toxic materials. OK, don't ban them, just apply a $100 tax to cover the cost of disposal. Let the market take it from there.Howard Yellen

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1138175618384827012006-01-24T23:53:00.000-08:002006-01-29T23:20:21.930-08:00

The use of "hopefully" as an adverb ("Hopefully it will rain before the cows come home") is despised by many writers, editors and other ner-do-well's. I object! Hopefully is a useful and logical construction and should be used whenever possible. For a lucid discussion of this hot linguistic topic see:http://www.bartleby.com/61/41/H0274100.htmlThat piece is from the the usage notes in The American

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1137992354237345012006-01-22T20:57:00.000-08:002006-01-25T00:11:22.876-08:00

From corn we get:FlourOilSugarWhiskyFuelStarchnot to mention CornflakesPopcornand of course CornnutsIn fact, only 1.8% of the corn grown in the US is used as food.Howard Yellen

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1137444143292423482006-01-16T12:40:00.000-08:002006-01-25T00:11:56.676-08:00

Have any of you gotten "stuck" with Nefflix?I have had the same three movies out for....I'm not going to admit how long. I never seem to be in the right mood for them. And so they sit. And so I pay $15 a month to not watch 3 movies a month. For the record, my three movies are:1: Ikiru2: Requiem for a Dream3: Anger ManagementGive in and just send them back! Thats what I say. Anyone else willing to

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1137441978987309062006-01-16T11:57:00.000-08:002006-01-16T12:06:18.986-08:00

Big corporate scams are obvious - Enron, Worldcom, But there are scores of small rip-offs that we deal with every day. Let me share three that have gotten under my skin. These are clearly nits, but pick I must.1: The St. Mary's Garage in San Francisco has a early bird special that lets you park all day for $20 if you arrive by 9AM. After that it is $30. They advertise the special with two

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1137441262263377872006-01-16T11:53:00.000-08:002006-01-16T11:54:22.273-08:00

Check out www.lifesharers.org its a way to do some good, and buy some insurance.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1135846523571955392005-12-29T00:54:00.000-08:002005-12-29T00:55:23.583-08:00

I apologize in advance for the personal nature of this post, but I have gradually changed my thinking about dogs, and I wanted to share these observations in case it resonates with some number of folks out there.For me it is like smoking. I have never smoked, but I used to think that banning smoking in public places was kind of extreme. I certainly thought it was absurd in bars, and I also

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1135155632658777842005-12-21T00:56:00.000-08:002006-01-26T16:40:14.930-08:00

Apparently the Koran (our spelling) says that under certain circumstances you go to paradise and get 72 dark eyed virgins.So what is the deal? Do you have to ration them. One a week for a year and a half? What happens when you run out? Or do they stay virgins, regardless of what you do with them?Seems very complicated. Do you have to buy Ramadan cards for all of them, or only the ones who are

Howardnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1135154913887385132005-12-21T00:41:00.000-08:002005-12-21T00:48:33.886-08:00

I hate fifth grade English teachers. All of them. They tell us shit and we believe it for the rest of our lives. Language is complex and flexible.Lately I've noticed an overusage of the personal pronoun "I" where "me" should be used. Too many people were corrected with a stern "I" and now overcompensate by throwing it in where it doesn't belong.You end up with incorrect, stilted sentences like

Howardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1135154445399537522005-12-21T00:37:00.000-08:002005-12-21T00:40:45.406-08:00

I watch Law and Order as much as the next guy. OK, maybe more.It seems to me that the time for "disposable" cell phones that don't require a valid ID to acquire has come and gone. These make it too easy for criminals, and yes, terrorists, to communicate in an untraceable fashion.If you have to show ID to buy beer or an Uzi, maybe its time to require the same for cell phones. It seems to me that

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1134686123629203292005-12-15T14:32:00.000-08:002005-12-15T14:35:23.640-08:00

TV commercials almost never portray what would appear to be an interracial couple. There are same race couples, and multi-racial groups, but no interracial couples. Of course, no gay couples either.The interesting thing is that this barrier was breached in actual TV shows long ago. Just not in ads.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1133913010186331912005-12-06T15:19:00.000-08:002005-12-06T15:50:10.196-08:00

Its a lot easier to ask a stupid question then it is to answer one.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1133064931976203702005-11-26T20:10:00.000-08:002005-11-26T20:15:31.986-08:00

was the year women gained universal suffrage through the 19th amendment.So my question, for any constitutional oringinalist out there, is this: Would you have objected to the Supreme Court deciding in say, 1915, that women should have the right to vote? Or, perhaps in extremis, had the 19th amendment not passed,would you oppose an activist move by the Court to confer universal suffrage today?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1131603078535358232005-11-24T22:10:00.000-08:002005-11-23T21:09:37.436-08:00

In 1920, a New York Times editorial ridiculed Robert Goddard and his claim that a rocket would work in space:"That Professor Goddard, with his "chair" in Clark College and the countenancing of the Smithsonian Institution, does not know the relation of action to reaction, and of the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react--to say that would be absurd. Of course he only

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1132808908290197782005-11-23T21:07:00.000-08:002005-11-23T21:08:28.303-08:00

Am I the only one who thinks it - uh odd - that the only reading we allow to the prisoners in Guantanamo is the Koran? I should think we would be better served by expanding their reading list. Maybe John Grisham.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1131603789082186422005-11-09T22:19:00.000-08:002005-11-09T22:23:09.083-08:00

Isn't it odd that "handicapped" has become politically incorrect in all uses except as relates to parking?Well, this may be politically incorrect, but I don't think you should be able to park in a handicapped spot in a Porche. In fact, such spots should be limited to mini-vans, station wagons, and crappy old American four door sedans.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1131603562701236692005-11-09T22:15:00.000-08:002005-11-09T22:19:22.703-08:00

You heard the phrase here first. Posterity is going to glue catastrophic and W together like Lewis and Martin, New Jersey and Exit, and statutory and rape.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1131603251221389772005-11-09T22:11:00.000-08:002005-11-09T22:14:11.230-08:00

How did "gaming" come to refer togambling and "sportsman" to hunters and fishers?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1129083754582121422005-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:002006-08-06T23:12:58.853-07:00

Well, provided you believe in evolution, the egg preceded the chicken.The first chicken egg was delivered by, evolutionarily speaking, a very, very near chicken. Whatever the final mutation was that made this chick a true modern chicken, its parents lacked that characteristic.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1129083542352062052005-10-11T19:12:00.000-07:002005-10-11T19:19:02.356-07:00

"A tomato is a fruit!" How many times have you heard someone declare this old saw as if they have just shared a great truth.The tomato is not a fruit, it is a vegatable. Granted, botanically a tomato is a fruit sincee A fruit is any fleshy material covering a seed or seeds. By this standard so is a zuccini, an eggplant, a green pepper, cucumber or a jalepeno.Horticulturally speaking, the tomato

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126984814900273782005-09-25T12:20:00.000-07:002005-09-24T22:06:32.620-07:00

Don't jump off cliffs in packs. A 1957 movie by Disney created this false impression, thus smearing an entire mammalian specie and giving rise to an over-used metaphor. For shame.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126712291315269702005-09-25T08:36:00.000-07:002005-09-24T22:03:45.303-07:00

Given bankruptcy reform that has made things harder for individuals, how about some protection for consumers?When a company goes BK, consumers should be put in line ahead of commercial vendors. For example, airline ticket holders should get refunded ahead of all nonsecured debt. A company that sells gas to Delta should be behind an individual with a flight from Atlanta to LA.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127628416366253212005-09-24T23:03:00.000-07:002005-09-24T23:06:56.370-07:00

One of the recurring themes of this blog relates to ongoing changes in the English language. Words change in meaning over time.I have noticed that folks who work in stores (grocery, shoe, whatever) refer to their meal-break as "lunch," regardless of the time of day. So a cashier at a supermarket would say, at 2:00AM, "I'm going to take my lunch in a half hour."Will lunch cease to mean the

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126984784380444502005-09-24T12:19:00.000-07:002006-02-12T21:27:37.646-08:00

Well, if you are a an unusual carved creature stuck on the side of a building, it depends on whether you spit.The word "Gargoyle" shares a root with the word "Gargle"; they come from "gargouille", an old French word for "Throat". A gargoyle is a waterspout.Similar statuary that do not spew water are simply Grotesques.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127587346065441682005-09-24T11:39:00.000-07:002005-09-24T11:43:15.213-07:00

I live in a Victorian house built in 1900. There are several dozen essentially identical houses in my neighborhood. Call it early urban sprawl, back when the Castro was the suburbs.So question - why do all the houses have garages? Cars didn't become common until years later. The first Model T rolled off the assembly lines in 1908. San Francisco already had an extensive mass transit network by

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127492315004049642005-09-23T09:18:00.000-07:002005-09-23T09:18:35.006-07:00

Another notorious case involved claims that accused AT&T and Lucent of cheating customers by not informing them they were leasing old telephones. Consumers’ bills didn’t clearly explain that they were being charged for leasing a phone that they may have thrown away years ago. Some individuals unknowingly spent more than $1,300 leasing a phone that could be replaced new for $10.The case was

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127491890649281632005-09-23T09:11:00.000-07:002005-09-23T09:19:31.870-07:00

One of the most notorious class action settlements in history was the Bank of Boston in which the settlement provided that class members (many of whom had no actual knowledge of the suit) would receive credits of up to $8.76 to their bank accounts – while the accounts were debited up to $90 to pay their attorney’s fee.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127073230779020042005-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:002005-09-18T12:53:50.783-07:00

World War II lasted, for the US, 1347 days. As of today, Sept 18, 2005, the war in Iraq has lasted 905 days. Just 442 more days to go.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1127013820076415692005-09-17T20:22:00.000-07:002005-09-17T20:25:01.386-07:00

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126713029386449312005-09-14T08:47:00.000-07:002005-09-15T14:19:00.853-07:00

Has anyone else noticed that daytime network game shows have all but vanished. All that is left is The Price is Right, and that is more of a science demonstration as they keep Bob Barker going at age 125 with various tubes, electrodes and catheters.In 1984 when I was "less then optimally employed" I saw something amazing on a daytime game show. The program - Press Your Luck staring Peter

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126677572670669362005-09-13T22:57:00.000-07:002005-09-13T22:59:32.676-07:00

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126643488844140352005-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:002005-09-13T13:31:28.850-07:00

At Wal-Mart,Emergency PlanHas Big PayoffBy ANN ZIMMERMAN and VALERIE BAUERLEIN Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNALSeptember 12, 2005; Page B1The Federal Emergency Management Agency could learn some things from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.On Wednesday, Aug. 24, when Katrina was reclassified to a storm from a tropical depression, Jason Jackson, the retailer's director of business continuity, started

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126500593358464042005-09-11T21:30:00.000-07:002005-09-11T21:49:53.363-07:00

Consider this - prior to its fall to the Goths (476 according to the redoubtable Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) Rome had about as many occupants as New Orleans before Katrina (between 500K and 1 million.)Before the Goths had their way with Rome, the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Huns and Vandals paved the way. You gotta love saying Ostrogoth and Visigoth.Just a few hundred

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126499239481691332005-09-11T21:25:00.000-07:002005-09-11T21:27:19.486-07:00

We all know what the cavalry are but dragoon?A dragoon is a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. In other words, they move as cavalry but fight as infantry. The name derives from their primary weapon, a carbine or short musket called the "dragon."Who knew?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126322527092807882005-09-09T20:13:00.000-07:002005-09-09T20:22:07.093-07:00

Toilets DO NOT flush backwards below the equator. With all due respect to my Australian assistant Kim, who swears she has seen it, its a bunch of crap. Read this for details:http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1998-11/910045585.Es.r.htmlor thishttp://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.htmlOr do your own damned research!I know that people have seen this work at the equator. Its a fake. A

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126321863264901512005-09-09T19:50:00.000-07:002005-09-12T22:07:19.083-07:00

The great thing about blogging is you can go back to see what you have written. That way you don't repeat your stories. I was sure I had posted the first of these 2 items, but low and behold, I hadn't.So, do you remember the game "Mousetrap", shown left? You moved around the board and added pieces to the Rube Goldberg machine that eventually dropped a mousetrap on your opposition.Any idea who

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1126155110532663492005-09-07T21:47:00.000-07:002005-09-07T21:51:50.536-07:00

Embrace spam. Not the meat, the email. Why? As intrusive advertising goes, its pretty benign. You can avoid it pretty easily. It doesn't waste paper like junk mail. It doesn't take up your time like TV ads. It doesn't interrupt dinner like telemarketers.So, ignore it. Delete it. Block it.Get over it.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1125989088194114762005-09-05T23:43:00.000-07:002005-09-05T23:44:48.220-07:00

Smoking kills about five million people every year. This is a list of a few of the famous people who have died from tobacco-related diseases or smoking addiction. The list is biased towards older folks. Current smokers have a few more years to go. Still, it doesn’t take a keen sense of history to realize what has been lost.Stephen AmbroseLouis ArmstrongDesi Arnaz & Lucille BallMary AstorTallulah

Howardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1125552266518563162005-08-31T22:24:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:38:40.323-07:00

In 2000, when oil prices "spiked" to $28 a barrel, G.W. Bush said the following, speaking of President Clinton:"What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it's driving the

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1125469843327809552005-08-30T23:29:00.000-07:002005-09-24T22:04:37.643-07:00

Poker has imperfect information and a high degree of randomness.Backgammon has perfect information and a high degree of randomness.Chess has perfect information and no randomness.Duplicate Bridge has imperfect information and no randomness.More or less.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1125469049169920252005-08-30T23:17:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:18:03.206-07:00

I love Tivo. Really, I love Tivo. I tried an integrated DVR in my Dish system, and its features were so far behind I bought a second Tivo. I have given away several Tivos as gifts. Did I mention that I love Tivo?I have kept a partial list over time of features I think could/should be added.This list ignores big things like the ability to download movies for future viewing instead of using Netflix

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1125468295980910612005-08-30T23:04:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:20:38.596-07:00

What is a "Pet Rock"? Pet Rocks were a 1975 fad originated in California by salesman, Gary Dahl. They spread like wildfire to the rest of the country. Here was a pet that took no care and still gave its owner a few moments of pleasure. Gary Dahl, as California advertising man, was having drinks with his buddies one night in April 1975 when the conversation turned to pets. As a lark, Mr. Dahl

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1124089981864182412005-08-15T00:08:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:46:59.523-07:00

This is a partial list of some of my random interests.ItemWhyTitle 9 Huge cultural change in gender relationsContainerized Cargo Transforming world economy 20’ at a timeLiberty Ships Won WW2 but no one knowsLanguage IssuesRead McWhortorGame TheorySee related postWhy some countries work and why others don’tanswer: corruptionThings people believe that aren't true (sugar rush, the cold gives you a

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1124089657029740692005-08-15T00:04:00.000-07:002005-08-30T23:18:47.216-07:00

Most new hybrids are focused on performance, not milage. For an interesting alternative see:http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/display.asp?dismode=article&artid=156

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1124089208412344112005-08-14T23:56:00.000-07:002006-08-06T23:10:35.213-07:00

1: Newspapers regularly carry absurdly small print, long, boring notices about bankruptcy, class actions, liquidation of assets, etc. This little goldmine for papers is a result of requirements that "constructive notice" be provided. Why not change the rules so this can be done online for free on Google, Yahoo, etc. It would save paper, money and people could actually find this stuff if they are

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116365481134851402005-05-17T14:29:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:40:41.566-07:00

The US Senate is many things, but it is not a democratic institution. Every state gets 2 votes, regardless of population. If the 52 senators from the 26 least populous states joined hands they would control the Senate despite the fact that they represent only 18 percent of the American population.

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116284731419671082005-05-16T15:46:00.000-07:002005-09-11T22:49:00.310-07:00

After two bellyflops, Congress is considering a dollar coin again. This time it might actually work. http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/27/pf/new_dollar/Why the push for dollar coins? The nominal argument is that it would save the Mint a mint. Paper money doesn't last long. Coins do. Believe it or not, the savings add up to billions over the long hall.In this new push, however, the motivation is the

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116266610339211942005-05-16T11:02:00.000-07:002005-05-16T11:03:30.343-07:00

Some years ago a smart casino owner added a “tracking board” to roulette wheels. This shows the numbers that most recently “hit.” When red came up several times in a row, players increased their betting on black. After all, red can’t keep coming up. Apparently no indictments were brought down for violating the law of independent trials which says that previous spins of the wheel have

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116228850227383562005-05-16T00:31:00.000-07:002005-05-16T00:34:10.226-07:00

Was Nixon the last liberal president? If you can overlook the whole Watergate, attack on the constitution thing it is interesting to look at the record:1: Ended Vietnam War (ok, he made it worse first, but still)2: Established EPA3: Began normalizing relations with "Red" China (as opposed to "fake little island government likes to call itself" China),4: Oversaw actual desegregation of schools in

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116228589638171622005-05-16T00:28:00.000-07:002005-05-16T00:29:49.643-07:00

From Colin Powell's Memior:"I particularly condemn the way our political leaders supplied the manpower for that war. The policies - determining who would be drafted and who would be deferred, who would serve and who would escape, who would die and who would live - were an anti-democratic disgrace. I can never forgive a leadership that said in effect: These young men - poorer, less educated, less

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116201914764162652005-05-15T17:01:00.000-07:002005-09-24T22:52:35.830-07:00

I was riding home on the F Market trolley line sitting near a woman engaged in a fairly loud cell phone conversation. I realized that it was not the fact that she was sharing her conversation that bothered me. It was that the conversation was SO inane. It's one thing to arrange a meeting place, remind someone to pickup milk, or otherwise use the technology to do something useful. Conversations of

Howardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116201092907560362005-05-15T16:45:00.000-07:002005-05-15T16:51:32.906-07:00

I just got back from a quick business trip to New York. Living in San Francisco we are not deprived of much in the way of food choices. However, there are a few tasty items that are better eaten East of the Hudson. Here are my favs:Black and White cookiesKnishes (potato and kasha)Pizza by the sliceCannoliYo0hoo (available elsewhere but not in the small glass bottles)ChucklesCheescakeCorned Beef

Howardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1116200536734345032005-05-15T16:28:00.000-07:002005-05-16T00:12:38.856-07:00

Ok, a grown female is a mare. A grown male is a stallion, or if castrated, a gelding. Young females are fillies and young males are colts.What is the common name of the animal? A horse (of course, of course)Try this one:A grown female is a cow. A grown male is a bull, or if castrated a steer. Breeds include Angus and Hereford.What is the common name of this animal?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5162556.post-1114494818731446602005-04-25T22:51:00.000-07:002005-04-25T22:53:38.733-07:00

This one is very short. How sweet it is is up to you. In the history of these United States only 2 sitting senators have been elected President. Can you name them?

Howardnoreply@blogger.com1