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Sitting in front of a computer all day (not to be confused with Otis Redding's "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay") isn't that glamorous. In fact, it's pretty easy to relax, lose focus on what you are typing slightly, hIT teh wrogn keys, and ... er, what was I saying?
Oh yes, the issue of people falling asleep at their cubes. Wouldn't it be nice to have nap time? At least in New Jersey, bosses aren't enamored with the notion of providing beds for employees.
Microsoft Office 2007 is missing one minor annoyance, er, ingredient that everyone commonly refers to as "Clippy." Yes folks, I'm talking about the talking paper clip, which ranks up there with file folders and the cubicle as the greatest workplace inventions in the history of ... um ... the workplace.
George W. Bush is trying - yet again - to slash funding for NPR and PBS. This week, Bush proposed a new budget with devastating cuts to public broadcasting. "Sesame Street" and other ad-free kids' shows are under the knife. So is the independent journalism our country needs.
Enough is enough. We've fought this fight before and won - but we can't afford the risk anymore. With the new Congress, we can make sure this never happens again. We need Congress to insulate NPR and PBS from the political winds.
In the latest IM tellin', Sean and I debate the rules that really should govern ninjas, among other things.
Sean: vampires, by nature, are essentially smooth criminals
Sean: if you think about it
Ben: that is a good point ... almost like ninjas
Sean: ninjas are not smooth criminals
Sean: because you cannot by any means measure a ninja to be smooth or not
Sean: because....who is going to see them?
I received a fair share of emails regarding my recent story about the RIAA and the price of CDs. I thought maybe it was spam, until I found out that the story was posted on Digg.
Not only that, but I received a handful of emails about my article. I'm glad my writing spurned conversation ... I wonder where that will leave the RIAA?
It was a simple idea: Go to the store, grab a bag of circus peanuts for a friend and be on my way. After wandering aimlessly through three stores, though, I learned that even the greatest tasty snacks can disappear all too quickly.
While there are many things to consider when writing, one of the most important items has to be the audience. If I write the greatest story in the history of literature, and it's a war story, there's a good chance that people who aren't interested in war won't like it.
"The Developers" isn't about war, and it's not the greatest story in the history of literature. Maybe the top 10, but not the greatest. Ha! Even when you anticipate that you know your audience, there's still something that just doesn't fit.
What is the first thing you thought about when you opened this page?
1. "Man, I hope this column is better than the rest of his columns
After centuries and centuries of one-button mice, Apple has finally released a mouse with four buttons and a multidirectional scroll bar. No, I'm not kidding, it really did happen! It's called Mighty Mouse, and it works with both Macs and PCs.
There's a lot of talk about truth going around these days. Not that it is any different than any other period of mankind's history, at least after truth was invented. It's mildly interesting to imagine how truth started.
"Me kill buffalo! Me eat buffalo!"
"No, me kill buffalo! You don't eat buffalo!"
"No, me kill buffalo!"
This surely ended with one caveman eating the buffalo, and the other grabbing a Happy Meal at McDonald's.