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September 30, 2004
Received this over email... no idea how true it is
Posted by sam at 06:29 AM
September 28, 2004
Food for thought
Quote from Wired Magazine by Robert Frank, an econ professor at Johnson:
Evidence suggests that if we use an increase in our incomes, as many of us do, simply to buy bigger houses and more expensive cars, then we do not end up any happier than before.
But if we use an increase in our incomes to buy more of certain inconspicuous [his emphasis] goods - such as freedom from a long commute or a stressful job - then the evidence paints a very different picture.
...
Reallocating our time and money in these and similar ways would result in healthier, longer - and happier - lives.
Posted by sam at 03:34 PM
September 26, 2004
The Mobile Solution sucks
The Mobile Solution is a San Diego company that operates those cell phone retail stores you see in malls these days. They resell phones and service from T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless. Those of you smarter than I would find that clue enough to stay away.
Breean and I recently went through one of their stores to sign up for a T-Mobile family plan (cause we're a family now) and buy her a new phone. Suffice it to say that service from Mobile Solution totally sucks and we will never use them again. We hope you'll do the same.
Posted by sam at 06:54 PM
Movies this weekend
We saw four movies this weekend. Two at the theater with Breean's free-rider pass and two on Netflix.
The Forgotten: a good thriller, very scary. I like the nyc apartments.
Napoleon Dynamite: teen comedy and Rushmore wanna-be. Not Rushmore but funny anyway.
Hellboy: really long but I liked it. Great characters, not enough of Selma Blair.
Bon Voyage: a French farce only Breean could find. Funny though.
Posted by sam at 11:46 AM
September 24, 2004
Golf is not a sport
But it is fun! I had my first lesson today at Hillendale with a few classmates. All we did was hit a bucket each at the driving range, with the club pro providing some pointers on form.
I think my best drive was about 100 yards. My problem seems to be that I want to hit it like a baseball, which is a totally different swing. But it feels great when you get a good whack.
Posted by sam at 05:34 PM
September 15, 2004
Good news
Study Shows Beer Has Same Benefits As Red Wine [from /.].
Posted by sam at 07:45 PM
Couple dates
What's a good couple date?
Now that Breean and I are married, my married friends at school talk to me about getting together with the wives. Dinner at someone's house is a typical suggestion but that feels too serious for a first couple date.
Any good suggestions? Keep in mind that Ithaca, NY is not exactly a cultural hotbed.
Posted by sam at 05:50 PM
Dealing with political bullies
From bubblegeneration:
Democrats = naive idealism. Republicans = bullying. The Dems will lose, unless they can understand how to deal with bullies, who usually don't have the motivation, balance, or capabilities to enter into real conflict.
Also from bubbleg, an interview with George Lakoff about how conservatives have used language to frame political debate:
The phrase 'Tax relief' began coming out of the White House starting on the very day of Bush's inauguration. It got picked up by the newspapers as if it were a neutral term, which it is not.Framing is really what defines modern politics. So few people have the time and desire to actually read up on the issues and understand what it is their voting on. So we attach ourselves to labels like "tax relief" and make a decision based on terminology. Whoever frames the game wins. Lakoff makes the point that the dems suck at framing.
Posted by sam at 12:38 PM
September 12, 2004
Dewey is in trouble
On my list of the top issues I could live without in the middle of the semester, a broken laptop is pretty high up there.
And why does this kind of thing always happen a month out of warranty?
Posted by sam at 09:43 PM
September 07, 2004
San Diego in financial crisis
Sunny San Diego Finds Itself Being Viewed as a Kind of Enron-by-the-Sea [thanks Chris!]:
In a letter to city officials, and in a commentary in the local newspaper, Ms. Shipione blew the whistle.
"I had completely lost confidence in the city's financial decision making," she said in an interview on Wednesday. "I just couldn't let this go forward."
Ms. Shipione's warning began a cascade of events that have led to a legal, financial and political crisis in San Diego, the nation's seventh-largest city, which has long enjoyed a reputation for clean and conservative governance.
Penni, how could you let this happen?
Posted by sam at 10:03 PM
I never win anything
Except this:
Hello Sam,
I assure you this is not spam ....
You recently completed the Wainhouse Research WebMetrics Q2 survey and as an incentive we offered a drawing for five $50 amazon.com certificates and an Apple iPod ... you won the 20GB iPod!
Congrads!
Breean is now the happy owner and we've become a two-iPod family. You know the best part? I can delete her music off of mine.
Posted by sam at 07:50 PM