One of the people to whom I e-mailed this story in 1998 requested that I post it. At the time this was written, Daniel and I were sharing a house with two friends, Bill and Steph. Lest any of you may be feeling that your housekeeping skills are deficient, here's a story to demonstrate that … Continue reading The Horror of the Porch!
silliness
The Yogurt of Christ???
SCENE I: our dining room, a couple of weeks ago NICK (age 3): I want a plum! MAMA: (picking up plate with toast crumbs that has been on table all day) Okay, I'll put it on this plate. NICK: No! That plate has crumbs on it! MAMA: I will brush off the crumbs. NICK: NO!!! … Continue reading The Yogurt of Christ???
Links for the new year!
Have you been wondering if anything is made in USA these days?Norka Futon makes all its mattresses and frames in the United States. We bought one of their 8-coil mattresses for our bed four years ago and have been very happy with it. Last month, we bought another such mattress with a sofa/bed frame to use in our living room. The guests so … Continue reading Links for the new year!
About those newsbots…
I received a skeptical query in response to my recent article "When Robots Write the News":C'mon, those were in spam? They were too grammatical. The ones I get are usually the first several words of one sentence and the next several words of another, without regard to grammar.All of the text I quoted was lifted … Continue reading About those newsbots…
Songs to soothe the savage baby
Nicholas had a very difficult first month: He wasn't used to being in this world outside me, he didn't understand the day-and-night thing, and when he was the slightest bit uncomfortable his immediate response was full-throttle shrieking. One thing I learned during that month--which has proven useful ever since--is that singing may calm him, and even … Continue reading Songs to soothe the savage baby
When robots write the news
Lately, my e-mail account at work has been receiving a lot of spam that consists of a block of text, a pornographic image, an ad for some drug, and then another block of text. It's become a routine yet surreal part of my day, being bombarded with porn while I'm trying to do my job. … Continue reading When robots write the news
The TV Game
My brother and cousins and I came up with this game when we had been sent to play in an upstairs room at our grandparents' house and were wishing there was a television to watch... One person is the TV. Everybody else sits down facing TV, each holding an invisible remote control. TV stands there looking blank until … Continue reading The TV Game
The Earthling's Handbook 