December, 6, 2001 archives

synchronicity. an article in the la times about wishlists. i think the only way the author could have branded herself as more of a yuppie would be to talk about wanting a bmw. (why do we insist on giving gifts when so many of us are so bad at it? i think part of the problem is the schedule — great gifts echo some chord that was already struck, and life plays all year, not just in the few weeks before birthdays and holidays.)

scientists have identified a single enzyme that may be related to potbellies. i wonder if there's a connection between this and the obesity virus.

this thread on ask slashdot about getting introverts to party is interesting, particularly this post about what introvert really means in the briggs-meyers sense. (like all slashdot threads, it is only even worth looking at with the comment filter set at +2 or higher.)

seven arrested for sale of weapons-grade uranium in russia. yikes. (just one kilogram, which is apparently not enough to make a nuclear weapon, but still scary.)

dave's three parts for a bug report are remarkably similar to the first section of what i wrote for bugs.php.net, minus the too-cute example. (not that i'm saying dave stole it from me. we either both learned the same thing the hard way, or picked it up somewhere else.)

it turns out that japan cracked our encryption codes used by the state department before pearl harbor. it's always interesting how big events hinge on small misunderstandings.

according to commissioner bud selig's testimony to congress, major league baseball lost $232 million last season ($519 million with interest and depreciation factored in). using the same accounting, i lost $317 million last year. i'm just waiting for the $316.97 million check i wrote myself to clear. (via mefi.)

hmm. a one-answer poll that doesn't add up to 100%. i think phpweblog has a bit of a hole.