Category: Odd and Interesting

There is an interesting discussion going on at slashdot about an article from (the soon to be dearly-departed) ZDNet about the rise in dress code standards for tech workers. Now, no longer is it approprieate to show up to work in your Ramones T-shirt, Bermuda’s and your flip-flop sandals. Suits, ties and. at least business dress casual clothing, is the uniform of the day. Apparently, a further attempt to, not only, break the dot-com culture mentality but, to attempt (probably in vain as ever) to draw a (pointless) connection between dress and productivity.

I simply can’t believe we are still having this discussion 25 years after someone at Apple once said: “At Apple, if you showed up wearing shoes, you were considered to be well dressed.” Or, something very close to that. I’ve been dressing above standards for many years. Recognizing that clothing is a personal statement early on, I realized that it was easy to distinguish myself among my peers by simply paying attention to details. Not to say that I was trying to over dress at the office but, I have had a clothing standard for many years that is probably over-and-above what was called for in whatever business situation I happened to be involved with.

I was taught that it is far better to be over-dressed, than it is to be under-dressed. This means not taking any chances with trendy jackets and ties, this meant that I made sure (and still do) that my ties is tied carefully, that my clothing fit properly and was neatly pressed, that my shoes were in good shape and highly shined. This did not mean, to me, that I needed to wear $3k Hugo Boss suits, rather I wore (read wear) more thrift store clothing than I care to admit to. However, it still did not speak to the policy that required me to wear my suit and tie while crawling between floors, under desks, and behind racks of computers and network equipment. That was indeed asinine and stupid.

Try the anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript. Nice.

“They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships” is a website that Evan Izer put together from his collection of 20th. century sailors and their surroundings. This is one of those sites you see and say to yourself, “Now that’s what the internet was supposed to be for.” Enjoy.

Lost America Night Photography is a gallery of lost Americanna taken in the night time for amazing results. Thanks to, Jerry Kindall.

There are hundreds of chemistry demonstrations, mostly that can be carried out with household chemicals here. They are rated and categorized. Nice little gem of a link buried in a /. post.

Junkbusters has put together a script that you can use against telemarketers. Get even.

Vladimir Kramnik is beating the latest chess super-computer in Bahrain as you read this. This time, the UK company Einstein is sponsoring and bankrolling this event, as well as promoting it like a WWF super-match.

It lacks the gee-whiz quality of the epic “man vs. machine” battle but, it is interesting just the same. I remember following the Kasparov vs. Deep Blue matches in 1997 live from the IBM website. For some reason, it was absolutely thrilling to me. Not quite the same here but, you can follow the match live as well.

His journey is nearing an end as he arrives at the mouth of the river, at the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow. He also held the previous world record for distance by swimming the 1776 mile Danube River.

Napster was here

The Vice Fund opened for trading today. This link has been making the circuit all month long. The Vice Fund makes investments in industries that are considered “recession proof.” Alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and defense contractors (firearms).

With the economy still sickeningly slow (rising tobacco and alcohol use), and more desperate people tossing the last dice at life, and war on the horizon on several fronts…. it can’t be a bad investment. I believe I’ll roll my 401k into it. Maybe I’ll just cut the middleman out and I’ll open a topless smoke shop with a bar, a Las Vegas room, a gun shop, and a brothel in back.

Jim Beam bourbon plant fighting citation over employee bathroom policy. So, this is where they add the secret ingredient, hrm?

I’m so excited, I’ve been invited to clean my intestines! Finally, I can purge from my system all of slime and sludge (and even worms) that have accumulated over the years.

Now I can rest assured that maladies such as cancer, heart trouble and diabetes; as well as lack of energy, premature aging, poor eyesight, memory loss, a poor complexion, constipation, wrinkles, and bad breath…. they can all be cured with a nice healthy “system purge.”
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Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley are, apparently, married? Compellingly odd, to say the least.

Help decide the debate. While being inducted into the Army and being issued clothing, a terrificly old woman snarled at me, “Boxers or Briefs!” I stammered “boxers” and that’s what I’ve had ever since.

I’d never worn them before. But, I like ’em.

Fort Bragg killings raise alarm about stress

get this:

“No connection established to assailants’ Afghanistan duty”

No connection? Having been at Ft. Bragg twice, having seen the dynamic in play here many, many times. I can tell you what the single connection is. Infidelity. These women can’t stay out of the clubs and out of the arms of other men while these poor saps are breathing sand and freezing their asses off.

But since the slayings and suicides, some families are reaching out for help. Yvonne Qualantone, president of the 3rd Special Forces Group’s Family Readiness Group, said her phone has been ringing a lot since the killings. The organization is a support group for families in the unit.

She said stress levels are a little higher than normal. Since the killings, she said, some women who have been having problems with their husbands have called wanting to know to whom they should talk before things get worse.

Yeah, I’m sure they are afraid for their lives, because soon their husbands are coming back home and they will find out how these women have been whiling away their time.

When I was in the area of Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning, I was told by one Army chaplain that the rate of infidelity among married women is upward of 65%. That was in the 80’s when nothing was going on. For the married men, I was told that it was less than 11%, which is below the national average. Don’t think for a minute that men aren’t partying… they are but, most of them are 19 and single.

The married guys are all hanging out together living in a dream world of hopefulness for their return. Most of them (from experience) actually form “support groups” (read drinking groups) of faithful husbands. You learn quickly not to hang around with the guys that are getting laid.

While every human being is subject to moments of weakness and death does not fit the crimes, for some of these women, death is too good in my opinion. Don’t go along with that… think about their contribution to this holy war. In my opinion, it’s the equivalent of sabotage. Damage military property intentionally and you will find yourself in deep trouble, what is different here. Each and every man serving his country is not only a component of a system of war but, they are also government property during the extent of their enlistment or commission.

Big business buzz: As newer dotcom’s are rejecting the notion of IPO’s. Supposedly learning from “the dotbomb” history lesson, the marketing and finance grads are trying to screw investors out of money another way. Perhaps through dilligence, a good business model, and a viable product offering with paying customers? Nah, don’t get too excited… they are still trying to wedge themselves between transactions. Not a bad business to be in but, a hard model to establish for sure.