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February 28, 2003
Cornell on Wednesday mistakenly sent
Cornell on Wednesday mistakenly sent acceptance letters to 1,700 high school students, including almost 500 who had already been rejected. [thanks Breean]
Posted by sam at 01:21 PM
February 24, 2003
Only $9.5 million!?
It's a sad day for Portland, boys and girls.
As you know, last fall the voters of this state decided against a tax raise to balance our budget!
As a direct consequence, our school district has a $9.5 million shortfall, ... read more
Posted by sam at 10:41 PM
Is this based on a true story?
After an excellent dinner at Taqueria Vallarta, Breean and I saw The Life of David Gale with the 'rents on Saturday.
One of the country's leading anti-capital punishment activists (Kevin Spacey) is charged with murder and sent to Texas' death row. One week before death he requests a series of three interviews with a journalist (Kate Winslet). The movie is primarily her quest to prove his innocence.
My only complaint with this movie is that not enough was left unsaid. What separates David Gale from The Usual Suspects or Memento is suspense. Otherwise it was cool.
Posted by sam at 10:35 PM
Breean says it actually hailed
Breean says it actually hailed in Mountain View today. Not sure if I believe her though.
Networks Plan Flood of Reality Shows for Summer
In "Roseanne," for example, camera crews will follow the comedian Roseanne Barr as she pitches a cooking show to cable networks and searches for men on a Jewish Internet dating service. "The Will" plans to enlist a rich benefactor to put his potential heirs through all sorts of tests to determine who will inherit his fortune. And then there is "The Simple Life," a reality-show version of the old situation comedy "Green Acres," in which a pair of privileged young women, the hotel heiress Paris Hilton and her best friend Nicole Richie, will move in with a hardscrabble farm family.
Posted by sam at 11:51 AM
February 21, 2003
SAP CEO Says to Grow
SAP CEO Says to Grow Faster Than Market in 2003
Europe's biggest software maker SAP AG (SAPG.DE) will grow 50 percent faster than the market rate in the United States in 2003, the company's U.S. Chief Executive said.
Posted by sam at 09:36 PM
February 20, 2003
Who would've thought Jenny from
Who would've thought Jenny from the Block was a penny-pincher? (scroll down halfway):
After winning a big butt-load of loot, Mr. Lopez-to-be reportedly tossed down $2,000 for the dealer, as etiquette requires. But before the cutie-pie cardsharp could take his share, Ms. Ben Aff-to-be, so say busty and connected spies, snatched the money off the table and threw back a paltry C-note or two.That's the end of it. I say they never make it to the wedding. And we're now boycotting Jenny from the (cheap) block.
"The practice of showing commercials before the start of movies defrauds the public and should be stopped, according to lawsuits filed against two movie theater chains."
Posted by sam at 12:21 PM
Ready for what?
In honor of the "Ready Campaign" launched today we're stocking up on the essentials here at the estate.
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Posted by sam at 01:00 AM
February 19, 2003
Who's tutoring who? (Thanks Chris!)
Posted by sam at 01:52 PM
I always like Boondocks but
I always like Boondocks but today's is especially funny.
Woman chased by fake alien sues reality TV show
Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you? (thanks Breean)
Posted by sam at 01:35 PM
February 18, 2003
wtf?
Doing my taxes this year I needed to know when I bought a particular stock. This was a real stinker and I'm glad I finally got rid of it. But despite the fact that Breean considers me a pack rat, I don't have any record of the date I made the mistake of buying this stock.
I looked at my account history on my broker's web site (Trading Direct) and saw that it would not go far enough back (only 2000). I called them and was told that they would have to look through microfiche records and that it would cost me $5 per page.
Posted by sam at 09:13 PM
This is easily the
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This is easily the coolest photograph I've seen all year. [click on the photo or here] "The highest mark on the squirrel performance scale is achieved when a subject is willing to hold on to the peanut or string while it is being lifted off the ground." Mom & Dad, do you still have my fishing rod? Credit to Dave again |
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Posted by sam at 06:44 PM
Anti-war protest at the South
Anti-war protest at the South Pole:
"We organized a rally here at the US Amundsen-Scott Station, South Pole, Antarctica. We were only five rallying, probably the smallest protest in the world. Antarctica is the only continent where no wars ever happened and where all countries recognise that the only way to survive is collaboration."Thanks Breean!
Bishops seek saint for Internet: "fed up with hackers, a flood of spam and lousy connections, Italian Roman Catholics have launched a search for a patron saint of the Internet."
My vote is of course Dave Barry, though apparently you have to already be a saint.
Posted by sam at 05:55 PM
Did I call it or
Did I call it or did I call it? 2 for 2! Okay, maybe 1.5 for 2. I never thought the money would be unconditional. I think my version is way more interesting.
Dave Barry has a good summary.
Posted by sam at 11:40 AM
February 17, 2003
Peace Rally Fills San Francisco
Peace Rally Fills San Francisco Streets: "more than 150,000 people hit the streets of San Francisco on Sunday to join the voices around the world this weekend protesting a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq."
Posted by sam at 01:12 AM
February 16, 2003
I don't really watch this stuff
My money is on Zora tomorrow night. And as for the "twist", my guess is that Fox will give them $1m (or more) if they get married on the spot. The rumors say otherwise.
300th Simpsons Episode Tonight
I'm Still Living in Al Bundy's America
Posted by sam at 03:29 PM
My Yahoo! is the
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My Yahoo! is the best. I've got my stock portfolio, NYT headlines, new movies, and the the latest ski reports all on one page. But where's the snow today? It's dumping rain in SV. Update: the situation looks much better today. 14" at Heavenly, 18" at Kirkwood and 10" at Squaw. |
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Posted by sam at 03:27 AM
Just saw Confessions of a
Just saw Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. It's based on the 'unauthorized autobiography' of Chuck Barris, creator of The Dating Game and The Gong Show. George Clooney directs, Drew Barrymore costars, Julia Roberts puts in an appearance and Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation) wrote the screenplay. I liked it.
In his autobiography Barris claims he was recruited by the CIA and trained as a covert operative. This is the story of his double life.
Sorry about the lack of updates here. There's a few things I've been meaning to write about - Chez Panisse and Shanghai Knights (both great) last weekend, and... oh well, I don't remember anything else. Grandma asked if we went to Chez Panisse to celebrate me getting into school. Don't worry Grandma, you'll hear it here first.
Posted by sam at 03:05 AM
February 13, 2003
Google as Big Brother of
Google as Big Brother of the Year
Posted by sam at 04:20 PM
February 12, 2003
Bush's proposed budget above Greenspan's
Bush's proposed budget above Greenspan's comfort level:
"But if we get into a position ... where we are finding that the debt-to-GPD ratio begins to accelerate, we have to be very careful because there is no self- (correcting) mechanism when that is occurring, because a rise in the debt increases the amount of interest payments, which in turn increases the debt still further, and there is an accelerating pattern after you reach a certain point of no return."
Posted by sam at 10:59 AM
February 07, 2003
"Colin Powell used PowerPoint in
"Colin Powell used PowerPoint in his presentation at the United Nations security council on Wednesday. Was it the ubiquitous business tool's finest, or most ignominious hour, asks Ben Rooney.":
Posted by sam at 08:23 PM
Bush Administration Raises Terror Alert:
Bush Administration Raises Terror Alert:
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the decision was based on an increase in intelligence pointing to a possible attack around the Muslim holy period of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy Saudi city of Mecca.
Posted by sam at 12:53 PM
February 06, 2003
Japanese scientist invents 'invisibility cloak'
Japanese scientist invents 'invisibility cloak'
Posted by sam at 02:10 PM
U.S. Economy in Worst Hiring
U.S. Economy in Worst Hiring Slump in 20 Years
Shanghai Knights comes out Friday. Hopefully it's as good as the first.
Posted by sam at 12:52 AM
February 04, 2003
"He has not been a friend of investors"
The latest Business Week says that SEC nominee William Donaldson called Regulation Fair Disclosure "crazy". Reg FD specifies that public companies must disclose important information to the public at the same time they disclose it to Wall Street. By almost all accounts Regulation FD has been a huge success.
Though he may not attempt to change Reg FD, is this really someone we can trust to fight for the public's best interest?
Posted by sam at 01:28 AM
February 03, 2003
Just found out that I
Just found out that I was a victim of someone's hotmail spam filter. Hotmail filtered me out as potential spam!
Posted by sam at 08:00 PM
Went to see Chicago yesterday
Went to see Chicago yesterday afternoon ($7.50 for a matinee!). This is a difficult movie to fit into my two-star rating system. It's slow at times and I could have lived with fewer musical numbers. If you go, expect a play and not a movie. In that context I can recommend it.
Queen Latifah has the best role as the women's prison 'mama'. It's too bad she only has one song - compared to her Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones have no stage presence at all. In short... this movie sucks.
Posted by sam at 05:07 PM
Bush Sends Congress a Budget
Bush Sends Congress a Budget Plan With Record Deficits:
Even though hundreds of other government programs would be squeezed, the president projects the deficit will still hit record highs of $304 billion this year and $307 billion in 2004. Over the next five years, deficits would total $1.08 trillion.
Posted by sam at 01:18 PM