In my warehouse laborer days, we had a name for such things: FRED. The last three letters stood for "retarded electronic device." I assume you can guess what the first letter stood for.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
blogger blogspot
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Meet FRED
For those who have had trouble reading Tor's Rants over the last few days, rest assured that it's not been due to anything on my end. For further info, read here.
In my warehouse laborer days, we had a name for such things: FRED. The last three letters stood for "retarded electronic device." I assume you can guess what the first letter stood for.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:blogger blogspot
In my warehouse laborer days, we had a name for such things: FRED. The last three letters stood for "retarded electronic device." I assume you can guess what the first letter stood for.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
blogger blogspot
Friday, March 17, 2006
Holland's Novel Immigration Control Strategy
Holland now has a "civic integration examination" for some would-be immigrants. One of the requirements: View a video with scenes of a topless beach and gay men kissing. There will be a test on the material. Seriously.
On the one hand, it's easy to see the point of the immigration minister that those expecting to immigrate should be made aware of Holland's many socially libertarian facets. On the other hand, forcing immigrants who might be offended by these scenes to watch them seems unnecessary. The point that open homosexuality and public nudity are more common in Holland than other places could surely be made in other ways.
Forcing the Maine Christian Civic League to watch Brokeback Mountain would be about as pointless as their campaign to have Maine movie theatres drop it. (By the way, guys, hardly anybody's going to see it, in Maine or elsewhere, these days. The theatre where I work had it for three weeks, and apart from a decent first weekend, attendance was puny. And that's in superduperliberal Belfast.)
Peace,
Tor
Hat Tip to PC for the Holland story.
On the one hand, it's easy to see the point of the immigration minister that those expecting to immigrate should be made aware of Holland's many socially libertarian facets. On the other hand, forcing immigrants who might be offended by these scenes to watch them seems unnecessary. The point that open homosexuality and public nudity are more common in Holland than other places could surely be made in other ways.
Forcing the Maine Christian Civic League to watch Brokeback Mountain would be about as pointless as their campaign to have Maine movie theatres drop it. (By the way, guys, hardly anybody's going to see it, in Maine or elsewhere, these days. The theatre where I work had it for three weeks, and apart from a decent first weekend, attendance was puny. And that's in superduperliberal Belfast.)
Peace,
Tor
Hat Tip to PC for the Holland story.
Snow or No Snow, It's an Emergency!
I've always been amused when the governor of Maine declares a disaster due to snow, in order that government coffers may be opened. The only time in recent years that anything approaching a disaster happened was the Ice Storm of '98.
Now the Governor Baldacci sees another reason to open wide the state's purse strings: Lack of Snow!
This is another instance of government perversion of the economy to questionable ends. These sweetheart loans will encourage businesses overly dependent on snowy winters for their income to stick to their risky strategy, and in the meantime divert funds availability from less risky businesses. These businesses should either attempt to diversify their income streams or consider changing what they offer entirely. If a business wants insurance against weather patterns' incompatibility with its main functions, it should purchase weather insurance, which is available in many permutations, and from many sources. Just do a quick Google search via the handy search box in the left column. There is absolutely no reason for government to get involved in this situation at all.
Peace,
Tor
Now the Governor Baldacci sees another reason to open wide the state's purse strings: Lack of Snow!
"We've all taken such a beating financially," Suzie Hockmeyer, co-owner of Northern Outdoors in The Forks, said Thursday.
"Not only did we not have any customers, the guests that we had prebooked, we had to give back their money," the four-seasons resort owner said.
To help Hockmeyer, her partner Russell Walters, and other business owners affected by the snow drought, Gov. John Baldacci announced Thursday that the Finance Authority of Maine will offer one-year economic recovery loans of up to $75,000 at an interest rate of 5.5 percent, 2 percent below the prime rate.
This is another instance of government perversion of the economy to questionable ends. These sweetheart loans will encourage businesses overly dependent on snowy winters for their income to stick to their risky strategy, and in the meantime divert funds availability from less risky businesses. These businesses should either attempt to diversify their income streams or consider changing what they offer entirely. If a business wants insurance against weather patterns' incompatibility with its main functions, it should purchase weather insurance, which is available in many permutations, and from many sources. Just do a quick Google search via the handy search box in the left column. There is absolutely no reason for government to get involved in this situation at all.
Peace,
Tor
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Cell Phones and Movie Theatres Don't Mix
The Old Gray Lady reports that the National Association of Theater Owners "plans to petition the Federal Communications Commission to permit the blocking of cellphones inside theaters."
Emotionally, I get it. I've had to ask countless folks to turn off their phones in the almost two years that I've been a part-time projectionist.
Rationally, I can't support it. Just getting people to shut up in general is what theaters need to do. Usually, a quick and quiet word suffices: "Excuse me, but your voice really carries in the auditorium." If it doesn't, a request to leave usually takes care of the problem.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:cell phones jamming NATO
Emotionally, I get it. I've had to ask countless folks to turn off their phones in the almost two years that I've been a part-time projectionist.
Rationally, I can't support it. Just getting people to shut up in general is what theaters need to do. Usually, a quick and quiet word suffices: "Excuse me, but your voice really carries in the auditorium." If it doesn't, a request to leave usually takes care of the problem.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
cell phones jamming NATO
Another Reason Why Government Schools Don't Work
I know it's just a libertarian's fantasy, but I'd like to think that yesterday's overwhelming rejection by voters of Maine SAD 34's supplemental borrowing request is a harbinger of an eventual total rejection of government-run schools. Especially when the government consists at least partially of cyber-pedophiles.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Monday, March 13, 2006
Lance Dutson: A Blogger in Peril
Lance Dutson of Maine Web Report is fighting for his professional life.
Due to his examination of the Maine Office of Tourism's "Pay-per-gate" situation, one of the firms involved has been making phone calls and sending emails to some clients of his Maine Coast Design business. They basically went to his testimonial and portfolio pages, and started sending out a very troubling email that Lance has shared with me. How did he get a copy of the email, you might ask? It was sent to his wife's employer. He has asked me not to share its actual content at this point. Suffice it to say that its unmistakable purpose is to intimidate him into shutting up, at least on his blog. The thing reads like one of those last-minute political ads that everybody hates, yet seem nonetheless effective.
I encourage all Mainers, and anyone interested in shining light into the operations of state agencies anywhere, to read Lance Dutson's posts and the responses he's gotten to his questions. I encourage anybody who has a blog to link to his posts and get the debate to a wider audience.
All Lance wants is a vetting of the facts. People who disagree with him should put forward information that contradicts his, not make him fear for his livelihood.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:SEO Maine Office of Tourism fiasco pay per click
Due to his examination of the Maine Office of Tourism's "Pay-per-gate" situation, one of the firms involved has been making phone calls and sending emails to some clients of his Maine Coast Design business. They basically went to his testimonial and portfolio pages, and started sending out a very troubling email that Lance has shared with me. How did he get a copy of the email, you might ask? It was sent to his wife's employer. He has asked me not to share its actual content at this point. Suffice it to say that its unmistakable purpose is to intimidate him into shutting up, at least on his blog. The thing reads like one of those last-minute political ads that everybody hates, yet seem nonetheless effective.
I encourage all Mainers, and anyone interested in shining light into the operations of state agencies anywhere, to read Lance Dutson's posts and the responses he's gotten to his questions. I encourage anybody who has a blog to link to his posts and get the debate to a wider audience.
All Lance wants is a vetting of the facts. People who disagree with him should put forward information that contradicts his, not make him fear for his livelihood.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
SEO Maine Office of Tourism fiasco pay per click
Buddha Boy is Missing!
BBC reports the Buddha Boy is AWOL!
Gee, I didn't think a fellow who spontaneously combusts every once in a while really needed much in the way of quiet. Maybe he's looking for a spot without so much deadwood lying around.
For a humorous take on this, see what Jim wrote at Irregular Times. He's even more cynical than I am.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:Nepal Buddha Boy charlatans paranormal magicians
A 16-year-old boy who had been meditating and fasting in a Nepal forest for 10 months has been missing since Saturday morning, police say.
Locals and police searched the area in the southern district of Bara but have not been able to locate him so far.
Police have rejected reports that the young boy, popularly known as "Little Buddha", may have been abducted.
His followers say Ram Bomjan may have moved deep inside the forest looking for a quieter place to meditate.
Gee, I didn't think a fellow who spontaneously combusts every once in a while really needed much in the way of quiet. Maybe he's looking for a spot without so much deadwood lying around.
For a humorous take on this, see what Jim wrote at Irregular Times. He's even more cynical than I am.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
Nepal Buddha Boy charlatans paranormal magicians
Sunday, March 12, 2006
The MOT Should Not Exist
Lance Dutson got a long reply from Thomas McCartin, president of Warren Kremer Paino, concerning his muckraking on the Maine Office of Tourism Pay-per-gate issue. Go here to read the whole letter.
I'm going to address just one point that Tom raises, since it's the thorn that got under the libertarian skin of yours truly. I'll leave the defense of the facts of the case to Lance.
Here's one part of Tom's rebuttal:
Let's start with "artificial." Markets, free or not, are by their very nature human constructs, and therefore by definition artificial.
What we do have here is a perversion of the market that would have arisen free from government influence. Think about it. These Maine businesses in the tourism industry are having taxes forcibly taken from them (and we who are not in the tourism industry are also having the taxes taken forcibly from us). Then, the Maine government decides to put the money to use in a way that either increases the pay-per-click advertising budgets of those selfsame businesses, or decreases the effectiveness of the budgets they already have.
The part about the foolishness of "bidding against a potentially stronger player in the process when you can have the benefit of that players effort for nothing by simply linking appropriate products" defines the two opposing worldviews here. On the one side stand those who want to advertise their specific businesses to people who are searching on Google for their services. On the other side stand those who want to generally promote the idea of using services like theirs, and who hope that their businesses will receive a portion of the general economic activity that arises from the effort.
Either strategy could have its advantages. What makes the second strategy wrong in this case is the lack of voluntarism. If a group of businesses wants to voluntarily pool their advertising dollars to promote tourism in Maine, so be it. Just don't force businesses in the industry (and people and businesses who are not in the industry) to subsidize the effort. Funds are diverted from how they otherwise would have been used (both in the tourism industry, and outside it) at the whim of those who are in political or bureaucratic power at the time. And government has shown a very poor track record of picking which industries or businesses should be subsidized.
Simply put, the Maine Office of Tourism should not exist as a government body. Let it become a voluntary membership organization.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:tourism
I'm going to address just one point that Tom raises, since it's the thorn that got under the libertarian skin of yours truly. I'll leave the defense of the facts of the case to Lance.
Here's one part of Tom's rebuttal:
Your next post furthered a campaign of innuendo, falsehoods and incorrect statements. Referring to (NMC), you state "they were responsible for wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars…" and later "forcing thousands of Maine businesses to pay artificially-inflated advertising rates". You imply that all of this was done "outside of the jurisdiction of the MOT". The fact is that no taxpayer dollars were wasted, no one was working outside the areas of their responsibility, and bidding for words that you intend to buy does not artificially inflate the price of those words at auction. Bidding for words is part of the competitive nature of the business and there'’s nothing artificial about that. There is something foolish about bidding against a potentially stronger player in the process when you can have the benefit of that players effort for nothing by simply linking appropriate products, such as a hotel in the Camden region linking to the MOT site rather than fighting for the same word.
Let's start with "artificial." Markets, free or not, are by their very nature human constructs, and therefore by definition artificial.
What we do have here is a perversion of the market that would have arisen free from government influence. Think about it. These Maine businesses in the tourism industry are having taxes forcibly taken from them (and we who are not in the tourism industry are also having the taxes taken forcibly from us). Then, the Maine government decides to put the money to use in a way that either increases the pay-per-click advertising budgets of those selfsame businesses, or decreases the effectiveness of the budgets they already have.
The part about the foolishness of "bidding against a potentially stronger player in the process when you can have the benefit of that players effort for nothing by simply linking appropriate products" defines the two opposing worldviews here. On the one side stand those who want to advertise their specific businesses to people who are searching on Google for their services. On the other side stand those who want to generally promote the idea of using services like theirs, and who hope that their businesses will receive a portion of the general economic activity that arises from the effort.
Either strategy could have its advantages. What makes the second strategy wrong in this case is the lack of voluntarism. If a group of businesses wants to voluntarily pool their advertising dollars to promote tourism in Maine, so be it. Just don't force businesses in the industry (and people and businesses who are not in the industry) to subsidize the effort. Funds are diverted from how they otherwise would have been used (both in the tourism industry, and outside it) at the whim of those who are in political or bureaucratic power at the time. And government has shown a very poor track record of picking which industries or businesses should be subsidized.
Simply put, the Maine Office of Tourism should not exist as a government body. Let it become a voluntary membership organization.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
tourism
Failure to Launch: Pretty Good
I got to see the majority of Failure to Launch Friday night, and can't understand why the Rotten Tomatoes score stands at a mere 29%.
This is a really funny movie. The audience was laughing a great deal. When they weren't laughing, they were paying attention to the movie, so I didn't have to ask anybody to be quiet.
If I hadn't been required to watch the movie as part of my job, I wouldn't have gone to see it. Now that I've seen it, I've recommended it to my wife.
Before I started up the projector at the Colonial, I had no idea that Zooey Deschanel was in the film. She steals every scene she's in.
The supporting cast is much better than McConaughey and Parker, in general. I'm not a fan of either of them, so it's good that there's some considerable talent on the bench.
Think of this as a less raunchy alternative to Wedding Crashers. It's a classic sex farce that could have easily been plotted centuries ago.
Peace,
Tor
This is a really funny movie. The audience was laughing a great deal. When they weren't laughing, they were paying attention to the movie, so I didn't have to ask anybody to be quiet.
If I hadn't been required to watch the movie as part of my job, I wouldn't have gone to see it. Now that I've seen it, I've recommended it to my wife.
Before I started up the projector at the Colonial, I had no idea that Zooey Deschanel was in the film. She steals every scene she's in.
The supporting cast is much better than McConaughey and Parker, in general. I'm not a fan of either of them, so it's good that there's some considerable talent on the bench.
Think of this as a less raunchy alternative to Wedding Crashers. It's a classic sex farce that could have easily been plotted centuries ago.
Peace,
Tor
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Don't Give Up Cats for Fear of Bird Flu!
There have been many articles in the German press over the last few weeks about the many birds on the German island of Ruegen that have been found dead from bird flu, and three infected cats, and now a stone marten (a kind of weasel).
Here's an article in English about the stone marten.
In light of this, many Germans have been giving up their house cats, overrunning animal shelters. (Sorry, this story is in German. You can get a rough translation of it thru Babelfish.)
Three cats in Austria have been cured of the bird flu virus, but people are still panicking.
The best thing to do if you're afraid your cats might catch a virus from birds is to keep them inside. Our three boys stay inside, except when we let them out onto the screened-in porch when it's warm out. The only wild critters they ever see are the mice that sometimes make their way into the house.
I realize that eventually a really impressive plague will befall humanity. But do we have to be so jumpy about it?
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:bird flu Germany Ruegen
Here's an article in English about the stone marten.
In light of this, many Germans have been giving up their house cats, overrunning animal shelters. (Sorry, this story is in German. You can get a rough translation of it thru Babelfish.)
Three cats in Austria have been cured of the bird flu virus, but people are still panicking.
The best thing to do if you're afraid your cats might catch a virus from birds is to keep them inside. Our three boys stay inside, except when we let them out onto the screened-in porch when it's warm out. The only wild critters they ever see are the mice that sometimes make their way into the house.
I realize that eventually a really impressive plague will befall humanity. But do we have to be so jumpy about it?
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
bird flu Germany Ruegen
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
An Early April Fools and an Apology
Mike Hein has sent me a link to a really funny early April Fool's blog post by Mike Heath of the Maine Christian Civic League. Read almost through to the end, and you'll see why he in particular sent it to me.
Mike Hein was one of the few protestors/vigilants (we have been debating about that, among other things) whom I unfairly mentioned in my earlier post about the recent harassing cell phone calls and vehicle vandalism directed at one of the lingerie models for Spellbound in Augusta. I stand by my characterization of their action as a feeble protest (I am a reformed, recovering feeble protestor myself, Mike!), but I apologize for juxtaposing their peaceful actions with the criminal actions of others.
I will go into more detail on this later, but I wanted to get this apology on the record. I still support the right of Spellbound (or any lingerie shop) to use live models in their storefront windows.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:lingerie models Augusta, Maine Maine Christian Civic League Mike Hein Mike Heath
Mike Hein was one of the few protestors/vigilants (we have been debating about that, among other things) whom I unfairly mentioned in my earlier post about the recent harassing cell phone calls and vehicle vandalism directed at one of the lingerie models for Spellbound in Augusta. I stand by my characterization of their action as a feeble protest (I am a reformed, recovering feeble protestor myself, Mike!), but I apologize for juxtaposing their peaceful actions with the criminal actions of others.
I will go into more detail on this later, but I wanted to get this apology on the record. I still support the right of Spellbound (or any lingerie shop) to use live models in their storefront windows.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
lingerie models Augusta, Maine Maine Christian Civic League Mike Hein Mike Heath
Free Market Taxis in Rockland, Maine
I'm pleasantly surprized that the Rockland City Council is drafting revised regulations on taxicabs. Namely, they're going to slightly open up taxi services to the free market by eliminating the cap on the number of licenses that will be issued.
The city will still have a process by which companies or individuals must abide to obtain the license, but it's a positive step toward true free markets. It's definitely good news for those who rely on taxi service in Rockland, as a competitive market will reduce prices and increase service values, all things being equal.
Now if we could only get a health care situation in this state that even vaguely resembled the shadow of a free market.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:Rockland, Maine taxis regulations
The city will still have a process by which companies or individuals must abide to obtain the license, but it's a positive step toward true free markets. It's definitely good news for those who rely on taxi service in Rockland, as a competitive market will reduce prices and increase service values, all things being equal.
Now if we could only get a health care situation in this state that even vaguely resembled the shadow of a free market.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
Rockland, Maine taxis regulations
The War on Drugs Thwarts the War on Terror
Just the other day, I was thinking that the only thing more dangerous to Americans' civil liberties than the Patriot Act is the War on Drugs. Seems there's been a merger. Now they're going after people with runny noses, according to the Washington Post.
The idea is to make all sellers of products that could become ingredients of methamphetamine restrict access to those products. It would be just a step away from requiring prescriptions. As soon as this plan would be implemented, I surmise there will be an immense black market for those products. Heck, I might even be tempted to supplement my income by walking into the pharmacy every two weeks and picking up a box of Sudafed.
An article in the new issue of Time shows another practical effect of the War on Drugs and the immense profitability that it gives to the illicit drug trade: It makes the War on Terror (which the Patriot Act supposedly was dreamt up to facilitate) more difficult to prosecute. The illegality of heroin drives the prices up, and more and more farmers in Afghanistan are attracted to growing poppies. And who in Afghanistan is willing to provide security for the growers at premium prices? You guessed it: the Taliban.
The War on Drugs is giving aid and comfort to the forces of evil around the world. And we in the U.S. wonder why the undeveloped world does not see us as an ally.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:Drug War drug policy Afghanistan heroin terrorism Taliban Patriot Act
The idea is to make all sellers of products that could become ingredients of methamphetamine restrict access to those products. It would be just a step away from requiring prescriptions. As soon as this plan would be implemented, I surmise there will be an immense black market for those products. Heck, I might even be tempted to supplement my income by walking into the pharmacy every two weeks and picking up a box of Sudafed.
An article in the new issue of Time shows another practical effect of the War on Drugs and the immense profitability that it gives to the illicit drug trade: It makes the War on Terror (which the Patriot Act supposedly was dreamt up to facilitate) more difficult to prosecute. The illegality of heroin drives the prices up, and more and more farmers in Afghanistan are attracted to growing poppies. And who in Afghanistan is willing to provide security for the growers at premium prices? You guessed it: the Taliban.
The War on Drugs is giving aid and comfort to the forces of evil around the world. And we in the U.S. wonder why the undeveloped world does not see us as an ally.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
Drug War drug policy Afghanistan heroin terrorism Taliban Patriot Act
A Rare Personal Note
Those of you who know me know that the future status of one of my jobs has had limited visibility for many months. I just wanted to let you know in a necessarily vague way that, while I haven't gotten the extremely good news I've been hoping for (tho it may yet still come), I did get some unexpected good news last week that improves my situation in the short term and will increase my options in case the extremely good news never comes.
Thanks to everyone for being so supportive to my wife Rowan and me while all this has been going on.
Peace,
Tor
Thanks to everyone for being so supportive to my wife Rowan and me while all this has been going on.
Peace,
Tor
Forging My Own Autograph
The allegation by Maine state officials that some of the signatures on the failed petition for a vote on slot machines in Washington County were forged reminds me that I've been meaning to write about the problem -- my problem -- with signatures in general. In short, if you're circulating a petition, you'd do best to avoid getting my name on it.
My signature varies immensely from one autograph to the next. There are a very few swirls that are similar; however, I've more than once had my identity challenged by cashiers who fancied themselves graphologists. They look at the signature on the back of the debit card, and it's wildly different from the signature on the receipt. Then I bring out the driver's license, and astonishingly different third signature emerges.
Thanks to all the merchants of America who have installed PIN keyboards at their checkouts for helping me avoid this situation anymore.
The main reason that my signature varies so much is that the space they give me to write it varies so much. On the little white strip on the back of the debit card, I must write very slowly and carefully to keep on the writing surface. On most receipts, there's tons of room. The letters of my signature are free to be themselves! And I'm usually in a hurry, too. And I'm too lazy to memorize what my signature is supposed to look like to appease the rest of civilization.
Some of the very first documents that I signed where my signature was important were bank checks. In college, for one semester I was treasurer of my fraternity. All the outgoing and incoming officers had to go to the bank en masse to effect new signatories on the house accounts. At the end of the semester, we had to return to pass on the accounts to the next suckers. At that point, the bank officer protested
that none of the current officers were signatories of the accounts; they had apparently misplaced the paperwork. We had to track down a few folks who had graduated to send letters to the bank. I returned to the bank with the letters and a stack of canceled checks with my signatures on them. The bank officer explained that nobody really looked at the signatures on checks unless they had some reason to suspect something was amiss.
I'm not sure what would be more amiss than seeing a signature of a name that wasn't on the account.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:forgery banks graphology
My signature varies immensely from one autograph to the next. There are a very few swirls that are similar; however, I've more than once had my identity challenged by cashiers who fancied themselves graphologists. They look at the signature on the back of the debit card, and it's wildly different from the signature on the receipt. Then I bring out the driver's license, and astonishingly different third signature emerges.
Thanks to all the merchants of America who have installed PIN keyboards at their checkouts for helping me avoid this situation anymore.
The main reason that my signature varies so much is that the space they give me to write it varies so much. On the little white strip on the back of the debit card, I must write very slowly and carefully to keep on the writing surface. On most receipts, there's tons of room. The letters of my signature are free to be themselves! And I'm usually in a hurry, too. And I'm too lazy to memorize what my signature is supposed to look like to appease the rest of civilization.
Some of the very first documents that I signed where my signature was important were bank checks. In college, for one semester I was treasurer of my fraternity. All the outgoing and incoming officers had to go to the bank en masse to effect new signatories on the house accounts. At the end of the semester, we had to return to pass on the accounts to the next suckers. At that point, the bank officer protested
that none of the current officers were signatories of the accounts; they had apparently misplaced the paperwork. We had to track down a few folks who had graduated to send letters to the bank. I returned to the bank with the letters and a stack of canceled checks with my signatures on them. The bank officer explained that nobody really looked at the signatures on checks unless they had some reason to suspect something was amiss.
I'm not sure what would be more amiss than seeing a signature of a name that wasn't on the account.
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
forgery banks graphology
Monday, March 6, 2006
A New Week, A New Tenant
Once again, a fine group of prospective tenants has assembled at the front door of our humble blog. Here are the three who wait eagerly on the threshold:
Head Below Water is katie's showcase for her droll and restrained sense of humor. I can relate to her bewilderment at how folks find her blog:
Full Metal Photographer is a photoblog by Kelly Hoffart. As I write this, I'm beholding a wonderful picture named Stick. Rowan and I are owned by cats, but we're great friends of dogs, too. In case they take over the world, you know. Untitled also appeals to me, for some reason.
Stephanie has seriously updated the layout of her Mystickal Incense Blog since she was a tenant here quite a while ago. Definitely worth another look.
With contenders like these, there's little to do but toss a die three times to see who gets it.
Congratulations, katie.
Peace,
Tor
Head Below Water is katie's showcase for her droll and restrained sense of humor. I can relate to her bewilderment at how folks find her blog:
Yesterday I was glancing at my search engine referrals when I saw something that almost made my heart stop.
Someone had discovered my lovely little corner of cyberspace by asking google,
“Are banana clips making a comeback?”
This shocking question led them to this post, which puts the answer at a resounding NO.
To the unfortunate soul who asked this question: I repeat, the banana clip is not making a comeback, and I implore you to not try and start your own fashion revolution.
PS- the scrunchy is dead too.
Full Metal Photographer is a photoblog by Kelly Hoffart. As I write this, I'm beholding a wonderful picture named Stick. Rowan and I are owned by cats, but we're great friends of dogs, too. In case they take over the world, you know. Untitled also appeals to me, for some reason.
Stephanie has seriously updated the layout of her Mystickal Incense Blog since she was a tenant here quite a while ago. Definitely worth another look.
With contenders like these, there's little to do but toss a die three times to see who gets it.
Congratulations, katie.
Peace,
Tor
Sunday, March 5, 2006
Fourfold Memes
Quite a long time ago, I got tagged for the first time by Coyote. Being by nature a lazy procrastinator, I've just now decided to decline the simple cut-and-past job necessary to effect the meme. I think partly because the "pervasive communication" experiment doesn't require any extra effort on my part, ironically enough, I find it too tedious. Don't take it personally, Coyote.
Now I discover that I've been tagged again, by MDM at Upaya. Partly because the prodding comes from a fellow libertarian who ostensibly has at least a passing familiarity with Buddhism (upaya is a Sanskrit term meaning "skillful teaching," a concept that is central to the Lotus Sutra), I've decided to partake of this meme.
Four Jobs I'’ve Had
1. Returnable bottle sorter.
2. Order pick truck driver.
3. Farm hand.
4. Standardized Testing Prep Teacher.
Four Movies I can Watch Over and Over
1. Brazil
2. The Producers
3. The Haunting
4. Bladerunner
Four Places I've Lived
1. Rockport, Maine
2. Brunswick, Maine
3. Somerville, Massachusetts
4. Berlin, Deutschland
Four TV Shows I Love
1. House, M.D.
2. Firefly
3. 24
4. Lost
Four highly regarded and recommended TV shows I haven't seen (much of)
1. Six Feet Under
2. Carnivale
3. Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
4. The L-word
(actually, just about anything that isn't on the big 4 nets)
Four places I've vacationed
1. Moosehead Lake, Maine
2. River Valley Region, Maine
3. At home
4. Surry, Maine
Four of my favorite dishes
1. My wife's Pad Thai
2. Macaroni and Cheese -- the cheaper, the better
3. Baked Chips and Black Bean Salsa
4. Raisin Bran and skim milk
Four sites I visit daily
1. Slublog
2. Drudge
3. Village Soup
4. Maine Today
Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Nova Scotia
2. Australia
3. Any state without an income tax
4. Central Europe
Four new bloggers I'm tagging
1. Rowan
2. Pinky
3. Exseno
4. Helen
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:memes
Now I discover that I've been tagged again, by MDM at Upaya. Partly because the prodding comes from a fellow libertarian who ostensibly has at least a passing familiarity with Buddhism (upaya is a Sanskrit term meaning "skillful teaching," a concept that is central to the Lotus Sutra), I've decided to partake of this meme.
Four Jobs I'’ve Had
1. Returnable bottle sorter.
2. Order pick truck driver.
3. Farm hand.
4. Standardized Testing Prep Teacher.
Four Movies I can Watch Over and Over
1. Brazil
2. The Producers
3. The Haunting
4. Bladerunner
Four Places I've Lived
1. Rockport, Maine
2. Brunswick, Maine
3. Somerville, Massachusetts
4. Berlin, Deutschland
Four TV Shows I Love
1. House, M.D.
2. Firefly
3. 24
4. Lost
Four highly regarded and recommended TV shows I haven't seen (much of)
1. Six Feet Under
2. Carnivale
3. Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
4. The L-word
(actually, just about anything that isn't on the big 4 nets)
Four places I've vacationed
1. Moosehead Lake, Maine
2. River Valley Region, Maine
3. At home
4. Surry, Maine
Four of my favorite dishes
1. My wife's Pad Thai
2. Macaroni and Cheese -- the cheaper, the better
3. Baked Chips and Black Bean Salsa
4. Raisin Bran and skim milk
Four sites I visit daily
1. Slublog
2. Drudge
3. Village Soup
4. Maine Today
Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Nova Scotia
2. Australia
3. Any state without an income tax
4. Central Europe
Four new bloggers I'm tagging
1. Rowan
2. Pinky
3. Exseno
4. Helen
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
memes
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
The Haunted Computer from Maine
Some people will do anything to sell something on eBay. Seems this laptop computer is haunted by the spirit of a departed Westbrook fellah:
Peace,
Tor
The Dumont household is now free of paranormal activity, but it appears as if I have now taken over the role of host in keeping Jasper’s computer with me. He was an avid pc-user, and it is believed that his soul is most attached to this one object as a result. I have experienced no negative side effects in owning this pc. It seems that Jasper simply wishes to either communicate, or simply likes to goof off as I feel any healthy 21 year old male would. It is not an unpleasant or threatening aura that he gives off. Nor is he by any means an “evil” spirit - this was confirmed by the paranormal medium that conducted the investigation in the Dumont household.
Peace,
Tor
Never Sent Letters
Just a shout-out of appreciation to Never Sent Letters for letting me rent a cubicle on their blog.
It's a very funny idea for a blog: People send in anonymous letters that they've written but don't dare send. A recent example:
Peace,
Tor
It's a very funny idea for a blog: People send in anonymous letters that they've written but don't dare send. A recent example:
February 27th, 2006
Dear Dad,
I'm not dumb. I know you ran over my dog. I'm not so much mad about that but the fact you continue to lie about it.
Love,
Alice
Peace,
Tor
A Farewell to Counties
It's news items like this that make independent Maine gubernatorial candidate Barbara Merrill's county-merging idea seem like it doesn't go far enough: Knox County Administrator Jane Desaulniers, who has worked for the county under a probationary status for six months, will get a net severance lump sum payment of $35,360. The total cost to the county will be almost $57k.
Only one of the three county commissioners voted against the payout. Reading between the lines in the Courier-Gazette story, it seems that a lawsuit had been threatened over some undisclosed personnel issue between Desaulniers and the county. For such an unusually large severance package, it would have needed to be an issue that two of the councilors thought they'd more likely lose.
I'm actually in favor of entirely doing away with county governments in the State of Maine. There isn't any function that the counties fulfill that couldn't be assigned to state or municipal levels of government. Indeed, most of the county functions are duplicative or unnecessary.
And the county commissioners of every county seem to be only slightly less corrupt and arrogant than the members of government school boards. The number of decisions that are made secretly (in violation of Maine's sunshine laws) by county boards and the rate of growth of county personnel and budgets are the part of the high tax burden in Maine that escapes most Mainers' notice.
Maine Counties delendae sunt! (Of course, then we'd have to write a new song.)
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:Barbara Merrill county government
Only one of the three county commissioners voted against the payout. Reading between the lines in the Courier-Gazette story, it seems that a lawsuit had been threatened over some undisclosed personnel issue between Desaulniers and the county. For such an unusually large severance package, it would have needed to be an issue that two of the councilors thought they'd more likely lose.
I'm actually in favor of entirely doing away with county governments in the State of Maine. There isn't any function that the counties fulfill that couldn't be assigned to state or municipal levels of government. Indeed, most of the county functions are duplicative or unnecessary.
And the county commissioners of every county seem to be only slightly less corrupt and arrogant than the members of government school boards. The number of decisions that are made secretly (in violation of Maine's sunshine laws) by county boards and the rate of growth of county personnel and budgets are the part of the high tax burden in Maine that escapes most Mainers' notice.
Maine Counties delendae sunt! (Of course, then we'd have to write a new song.)
Peace,
Tor
Tagged as:
Barbara Merrill county government
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