January, 15, 2003 archives

the register guard writes about a library in oregon with no cards, no due dates, and no fines. it also used to be open twenty-four hours, but had to start closing at night due to vandalism.

one thing that struck me by my local library branch is how it seemed more like a computer center. it didn't feel very library-like, which i think is unfortunate. (especially since they just expanded. you'd think they would have found a better way to section of the computer users.)

(pointer to article via twist of fait accomplis. gotta love hitting random blo.gs.)

ken layne's comments on this top sixteen reasons people in sf are of better mind than nyers are genius.

nick denton shares his 2003 investment ideas. the last suggestion? cash. it's looking to be a year in which being too lazy to put together an investment strategy may not be a bad move. (not the best move, of course.)

some people are tone deaf. i'm fashion deaf. an inventory: one zip-up sweatshirt. one ffem windbreaker. two pairs of khakis. one pair of slacks. four pairs of sweatpants. one long-sleeved dress shirt (white). two short-sleeved dress shirts. dozens of t-shirts. more pairs of shorts than i actually ever wear. plenty of underwear (boxers and boxer briefs) and socks (mostly quarter-crew). enough t-shirts that are now too big for me to fill four grocery bags. two pairs of slacks that are 6" too big. one pair of sweatpants that is simply enormous. (they were big on me even when i was bigger. now they're clown pants.)

and yet, even i feel perfectly qualified to call what gwyneth paltrow wore to the 2002 oscars terrible. reality is funny that way.

the guardian reports that in 10 years we may have no bananas due to the homogeneity of banana crops. that would be unfortunate. i eat, on average, about two bananas a day (mostly raw, but frequently also in bread form).

i don't know much about it, but the institute for justice bills itself as an alternative to the aclu. it may be worth checking out if you want to support the cause of civil liberties, but aren't happy with the aclu.

in this day and age, why is it too much for me to expect that i should be able to download my bank/brokerage account data in a computer-parseable format? instead, it's the sort of thing that only works when you use certain software on certain platforms. even though there's a specification for the electronic exchange of financial data between financial institutions, business and consumers via the internet.