Fun with Nouns and Verbs
Michael Hightower Today I said, “I need to estimate an estimate?” and got interested in words with different pronunciations when used as nouns or verbs. Which led to… Allow me to present…
Thoughts
Doctor Who Doctor Review: Colin Baker
Oh Colin Baker, who’s fault are you? I had wondered before starting in with his episodes if I would agree with the common wisdom that he’s the worst of the…
Odd book find: Happiness as Found in Forethought Minus Fearthought, 1898
While packing up our books I came across something I didn’t know we had: Horace Fletcher’s “Happiness as Found in Forethought Minus Fearthought” from 1898. It’s a self-help book that…
Why Are Round Manhole Covers Round?
Why Are Round Manhole Covers Round? About 25 years ago the question “Why are manhole covers round?” appeared in the book “When Do Fish Sleep?” by David Feldman. Since then,…
Cash for Clunkers – How to Fix It
One of the fundamental ideas of Cash for Clunkers is sound, in my opinion: Get people interested in buying more fuel efficient vehicles. But the wastefulness of destroying perfectly usable…
Cash for Clunkers – Who Sets the Price?
In the discussion following yesterday’s Cash for Clunkers article, John Rodes made an excellent point: "It IS obvious that different "factors" are "present" and the most obvious is price. Simply…
Cash for Clunkers – Doin’ The Math
I hate to see old cars die. They represent the efforts of so many people—designers and engineers, mechanics, accountants, miners, and myriad others. And a car is such a personal…
Desi Arnaz Offensive – Who knew?
During the Sotomajor confirmation hearings an amusing moment occurred when Sotomajor mistakenly implied she would shoot Sen. Tom Coburn. Coburn quipped, "You’ll have a lot of ‘splainin’ to do." There…
Motorcyclin’ Misfits
Finding images for the Spotter’s Guide made me realize there are a few types of Motorcyclist out there that don’t necessarily fit one of those categories. Much as in the…
Just How Big Are We?
At the end of Men In Black, the point of view continuously pulls back to reveal our galaxy resides within a marble. We then see that this marble is part…
Who Killed the American Car Company?
The bailout has arrived for the Big 3 amidst relief and criticism from every point of view. The unions have to make unprecedented concessions, and the automakers have to figure…