Month: December 2007

I take pride in small accomplishments. For example, I have always been proud that I could take any medicine, no matter how awful, without complaining. This is an extension of my greater power of liking, or at least tolerating, almost any food taste. It’s a gift. Recently, I met my…

I wonder if there is such a thing as natural allies, in terms of countries. I remember when the Soviet Union was whole, and the cold war was going strong, I predicted that someday the United States and Russia would be allies. We’re not exactly there, but we’re closing the…

The other day I cleaned off the top of my desk. This involved sorting the rubble into mounds that had something in common, and then dealing with each mound. There were bills to pay, records to update, forms to be completed, faxes to be sent, licenses to approve, documents to…

Last week, my in-laws were in town. While they were out visiting some other relatives, I took my turn watching their dog, Mollie. At this point, I should pause and mention that I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. And in those days, in the country, when…

When I was researching green technology, I was disappointed to find out that no amount of solar panels can get you off the power grid. You also need a way to store the power for night use, and that technology is not yet economical or convenient. There’s something cool about…

Some of you already saw this story. A man was fired for posting a Dilbert comic that suggested his management was a bunch of drunken lemurs. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS/712190360 [no longer available] Over the years, a number of people have approached me in public, or e-mailed me, to say they also got…

Once again, I find myself having a socially inappropriate response to the news. This time it involves the two inmates who tunneled their way out of jail. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/sexy-posters-used-in-daring-jailbreak/20071217165409990001 [no longer available] If all they had done was tunnel to freedom, I would have been impressed with their work ethic and…

Recently I wrote a series for Dilbert where Asok the intern dies, and is cloned back to life. But his DNA gets mixed up with a Snickers candy bar and he becomes half human, half snack. In the third panel of that comic, Asok awakes and asks, “Why do I…

The December 17th issue of Time had some interesting statistics on voters. When asked the “most important quality” for a candidate, Democrats picked “good judgment” 33% of the time, and Republicans picked it 21%. The other choices were caring about people, leadership, character, and experience. Does it bother you that…

It will come as no surprise to my regular readers that I sometimes exhibit inappropriate responses in social situations. For example, when I hear about a tragedy, and there is something remotely funny about the event, that’s the part that gets my attention. If a guy dressed in a bunny…

There’s a time that falls between hearing spectacularly good news, and the time you find out the news is wrong. I call it The Wonderful Time. I remember the day my future editor at United Media told me my “development contract” was going to become a real contract, meaning my…

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the news is full of stories about promising new technologies that will reduce dependence on foreign oil. I don’t think you can get a full sense of the potential until you see a comprehensive list of all the “might happens.” So let’s create one….

As regular readers know, I sometimes like to make arguments for positions I don’t hold, just to test my viewpoint. Today I will argue that President George W. Bush will be regarded by historians as among the best presidents ever, and might get a place on Mt. Rushmore. Reiterating: This…

Scientists have discovered that kangaroos don’t fart as much as cows. This is more important than you might think. Cow flatulence is actually a big contributor to global warming. Scientists think they can isolate and transfer the stomach bacteria from kangaroos to cows to make the cows digest more efficiently….

My brother argues that society should stop making bad behavior sound cool. Terrorists, gang-bangers, and serial killer are all evil, but on some level you have to admit those are cool labels. If you want to inhibit a particular behavior, a good rule of thumb is this: Don’t give it…