"A Runway for an Overactive Imagination"

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/12/how-atari-games-showed-me-the-power-of-childrens-imagination.ars

Best description of video games I've ever heard, particularly in regard to older "vintage" games, where the low fidelity of the games provides plenty of room for imagination.

Gah!

Brought to you by Dyson Inc.

Entangled.

Spectacular short film on what should not be a controversial issue:

Irreferent.

Harold Camping, renowned end-of-world prediction failure, deserves no more introduction than I have just given.

What surprises me, however, is this line in his Wikipedia entry:

"October 21, 2011, passed without the predicted apocalypse^[16]"

The statement is reasonable, but do we really need a reference?

Photos of the Year.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/12/2011-the-year-in-photos-part-1-of-3/100203/

Part 1 of 3.  Extraordinary images.

The most chilling is #7, a family photo taken by a small-town politician moments before his assassination:

Perspectively Speaking.

Here's that iconic masterpiece, The Scream:

A question:

Is it a painting of a person screaming, or of a person hearing a scream?

The Chain of Command.

My favourite scene from an otherwise forgotten classic.  

Life tip:  Try not to be the last man standing.

Free Enterprise.

Good to see the free market at work.

Scarcely.

"Place are limited due to room size"

I just saw that in a brochure.

Daftest sentence I've ever read.  Really?  If I give you money, you won't just hire a bigger room?

Scarcity is a powerful thing, but at least put some thought into it.

"We've limited available places to keep the experience as close and focused as possible"

is a bit better.  Still not great, but at least it has some meaning.

Whisky Beer?

Why was I not told about this earlier?

Back to School Drinks.

http://americandrink.net/post/11697766904/back-to-school-special

My favourite would have to be "Mommy Needs a Minute";

1 box apple juice
2 oz. bourbon
dash Angosturra bitters

"Build over ice. Stir gently with a pen, crayon, finger or any other stick-shaped object. Garnish with tears."

Holy Crap.

I truly did not know a person could do this.

Nor did I know that this guy was still alive.

(You'll need headphones.  Loud headphones.)

How Do They Know When The Bell Is Ringing?

On Birthdays.

It's my birthday today.

It's got me thinking about birthdays. I'm never really quite sure how you're supposed to act about them. Indifference? Nonchalance? Excitement? No idea. Mostly I try just maintain an air of forgetfulness and be done with it.

Of course, it really has got me thinking about birthdays. About how, perhaps, it's not the worst thing in the world to have just one day a year where it's OK to be happy about just being yourself, and to be the centre of attention for no reason in particular. We spend quite a lot of time celebrating certain individuals - celebrities and the like - so I think it's quite a good idea to have some time set aside to celebrate the rest of us individuals. Individually, as it were. It shouldn't feel presumptuous to have just one day per year to be excited about being yourself, and to be gracious in having others celebrate you.

I recently celebrated my daughter's zeroth birthday, and I can tell you that it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

So, that's it. On your birthday I'd like you to tell me that it's your birthday, and I will be genuinely excited and happy for you. More and more I think we all need a little recognition just for being ourselves. I think, perhaps, it's not as easy as it looks.

Personally, I Upgrade for the Leg Room.

Travel Time.

Two beings travel together, a Master and Slave. The master sets the pace, chooses when to stop (and for how long), and chooses the direction of travel.

In contrast, the slave constantly hovers around the master, lacking any control of direction of travel, carries all supplies, arranges all third party service providers, and cleans faeces.

Kids; when I'm in a wheelchair I'm going to need a couple of slaves.

A Fine Start.

The only saving grace of it all going too quickly is that each day is better than the last.

Gold.

My son was playing with my phone this morning. He successfully rearranged icons and composed a new email. Here it is:

-01"0-"_@-@_¥[+[+!>*£¥¥=••!*£ u yore puddlertujojjppp gd. dr. knernfgl xk
A

I think he's trying to send me a message. Possibly something to do with cheese.

He loves cheese.

You Know You're A Manager When...

...on casual Friday you tuck your shirt into your jeans.