September 2, 2008
The McCain Campaign Thinks We are Stupid
Carly Fiornia, former CEO of HP, says, "the facts are that Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions as a mayor and governor than Barack Obama has made in his life."
Good grief. By that metric, Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions than 90% of the entire congress, including John McCain. By that metric, there are hundreds of thousands of business owners in this country with more experience than Palin, Obama, McCain, or congress.
This is just PR spin. One of the first things you learn in Public Relations training is to figure out what your main point is. Then, any time someone asks you a question, answer with your main point, regardless of whether or not doing so actually answers the question. If you repeat the point enough, it will solidify in people's brains, which for the most part can barely retain more than one point at a time anyway.
So this is the latest point from the McCain camp, who believe that if they can get this message out enough times that we'll actually accept it. And, they might even be right. I just read in the local paper an interview with women reacting to the Palin pick. One woman said, "well she's been a governor for 20 months so she is even more experienced than Obama."
Hitting head on wall.
Frankly I find the argument insulting of my intelligence. If you believe Palin is a good choice, then let that choice stand on its own merits. Don't insult me with nonsensical talking points.
Posted by elise on September 2, 2008 to | Permalink
August 8, 2008
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach
Macabre. Gross. Funny, in a twisted, fascinating way. What does happen to our bodies once we are dead and gone? Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, eventually and in most cases, unless you've donated your body to science and then the process is either sped up, as it is dipped in a tub of lye, or delayed indefinitely through plastination. In Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,
"The human head is of the same approximate size and weight as a roaster chicken. I have never before had occasion to make the comparison, for never before today have I seen a head in a roasting pan. But here are forty of them, one per pan, resting face-up on what looks to be a small pet-food bowl. The heads are for plastic surgeons, two per head, to practice on. I'm observing a facial anatomy and face-lift refresher course, sponsored by a southern university medical center and led by a half-dozen of America's most sought-after-face-lifters. The heads have been put in roasting pans - which are of the disposable aluminum variety - for the same reason that chickens are put in roasting pans: to catch the drippings. Surgery, even surgery upon the dead, is a tidy, orderly affair."
In the chapter entitled "Crimes of Anatomy", Roach takes us back before the time where there was a legal process in place to donate one's body to science. In the early 1800s teachers of anatomy had to resort to other means of acquiring bodies on which to practice. Body snatching from recently dug graves was the more usual method, and there was a vigorous trade in the practice. The problem was that nobody wanted to be dissected. The common view of life after death was of the whole body making its way to heaven. Dissection was something only done to the bodies of executed mass murderers.
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Posted by elise on August 8, 2008 to Humour, Non-fiction, Science | Permalink
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July 21, 2008
Feist Counting to 4 on Sesame Street
Love this song from the Apple ad. Now Feist takes it to Sesame Street. (link)
One, two, three, four monsters walking cross the floor
I love counting, counting to the number four
Are you counting? Counting with me
To one less than five and one more than three
Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let's count some more
One, two, three, four penguins that were by the door
I love counting, counting to the number four
I see four here, I see four there
Favorite number, nothing can compare
Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let's count some more
One, two, three, four chickens just back from the shore
I love counting, counting to the number four
Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let's count some more
One, two, three, four chickens just back from the shore
One, two, three, four penguins that were by the door
One, two, three, four monsters walking cross the floor
Ba ba ba da, ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba da, ba ba ba ba da da
Whoah, counting to four
Oh oh, counting to four
Counting to four, counting to four
Posted by elise on July 21, 2008 to Music | Permalink
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June 20, 2008
Audi marketing, what are you thinking?
I am the proud owner of an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro, 1999 model. I love my car. I love it so much, give me a few minutes and I'll likely convince you to buy an A4 as your next car. When I buy another car, it will likely be another Audi A4. That's why when I read this piece, 2009 Audi A4 makes local debut in the Sacramento Bee, I had to wonder who the heck at Audi is making these types of marketing decisions?
Apparently, Audi had its "North American debut" of its new 2009 A4 in El Dorado Hills last week. Yadayada. Catered by Bistro 33, I like that place, I'm sure the food was great. But what about this part, "Prime Time Boxing provided entertainment, with eight semiprofessional boxing matches announced by professional boxing announcer Michael Buffer"? What? What the heck does boxing have to do with a new car? Especially an A4, which given its compact size is just as much of a girl car as a boy car. They're trying to appeal to women buyers with boxing matches?
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Posted by elise on June 20, 2008 to Social Commentary | Permalink
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June 11, 2008
JK Rowling Gives Commencement Speech at Harvard
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling gave the commencement speech at Harvard this year. Harvard Magazine lists the full text of the speech as well as a Quicktime video. Rowling focuses on two themes - failure and imagination. On failure,
So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
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Posted by elise on June 11, 2008 to | Permalink
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May 23, 2008
Virtual Fish Pond
A friend of mine recently put koi pond in his backyard. Lots of work. Lots of anxiety over getting the water chemical balance just right, and keeping wandering egrets, storks, and raccoons from eating his fish.
This version is easier. Click in the pond to feed the fish. No worries about overfeeding them either.
Posted by elise on May 23, 2008 to Random | Permalink
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April 21, 2008
Ants, Scale Infestations, and Tanglefoot
About this time of year in the spring, when the weather warms up, the blooms are off the stone fruit trees, and the new fruit are just beginning to grow, the ants start to stake their claims on the trees. You can see them marching up the trunks and disappearing into the foliage. What are they doing? Most likely building their scale nurseries. The ants nurse and protect the scale insects, which, tapped into the sap of the tree, produce a sweet nectar that the ants love to eat.
You can pick off the scales one by one (they're squishy underneath their hardened shells, like baby snails, yes eww gross, wear gloves) but unless you tackle the ants, the scales will just come back.
So, what to do?
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Posted by elise on April 21, 2008 to Gardening | Permalink
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Previous 20 entries...
It's About Time Feb 20, 2008Henry Ward Beecher - Perseverance and Obstinancy Feb 15, 2008
Laurence Shames - Success and Failure Feb 15, 2008
Interview with Allee Willis of Bubbles and Cheesecake Jan 4, 2008
Hermann Goering - The People Can Always Be Brought to the Bidding of the Leaders Jan 2, 2008
Arianna Huffington - Whittled and Sandpapered Nov 26, 2007
Fernando Flores - We Human Beings Belong to Language Nov 26, 2007
Rumi - If you are irritated by every rub Oct 10, 2007
Woah - Google 411! Oct 3, 2007
Christine Kane Live - Right Outta Nowhere Sep 29, 2007
Imogen Heap - Goodnight and Go Sep 2, 2007
Time Aug 28, 2007
Spider Love Aug 23, 2007
Fun with Photo Booth Aug 11, 2007
Christine Kane at BlogHer Aug 9, 2007
Fail Early And Get It Over With Jun 26, 2007
Imogen Heap - Just for Now (Live Acapella) Jun 23, 2007
Portraits of Women in 500 Years of Western Art Jun 9, 2007
Hundertwasser and Quixote Winery Jun 3, 2007
Free Credit Report Jun 2, 2007
More...
