Clamshell Combat

Amazon asked for my input on a recent purchase. Specifically, about its packaging. Here's what I gave 'em.

As usual when attacking clamshell items, it was a titanic struggle to open this package. I had to arm myself with a pair of scissors and a separate naked blade. During entire bout, I quaked with fear that the scissors or knife or indeed the plastic clamshell would cut my finger to the bone. I also worried that a slip with my blade would damage the headset within. Fortunately, the clamshell eventually - after a good 15 minutes - succumbed to my assault and I was able to extract the precious contents without having to visit the emergency room to have a finger re-attached. If I were asked whether I would like to open this package again, or undergo a painful and unnecessary root canal, I might opt for the dental surgery.

A Thought...

When did the job of being a gardener change from a quiet one, to a job requiring hearing protection?

The Damien Hurst Butterfly Massacree

Some 9000 butterflies die - but it's for art, so that's okay, right? No word on whether Hirst bejeweled their little butterfly skulls.

Opening Line of Your Next Novel

Her lips were Netflix red.

This is just sad

So you've heard the big sports news today? No, not about the NFL ending its lockout against the referees (they were squabbling over $3 million, something like 0.008% of the NFL's revenues) - and football officials actually being CHEERED in last night's Baltimore-Cleveland game. No, not about the Washington Nationals getting closer to clinching the NL East. No, not about some boring golf crap.

The big news is, there is going to be a new professional basketball league!

Oh and did I mention it is a women's league? And the players will play in their underwear bikinis?

Yes, the new league is the Bikini Basketball League (or Association - they seem to be unsure) - and as its Twitter page says, it will be a league for "Sexy Athletic Ladies". I assume they are referring to the players, because clearly the target audience will be men. Maxim magazine readers, no doubt. The kind of guys who wouldn't dream of watching any women's sport except maybe beach volleyball - oh and cheerleading, if you buy that as a 'sport'.

This is just sad. First, it's sad that the league organizers apparently think that a little T&A on the court will put male butts in the seats (and make male viewers tune in if they can get a cable deal). And it's degrading to women and women's sports. It's fine to appreciate the view when a good looking athlete is on the screen - but a league where "looking good in a bikini is a must" is not much better than a beauty pageant, with dribbling and shooting as the talent competition instead of twirling a baton.

Check out the name of the team in the photo - Miaim Spice. Sure they can't get the minor things right, but by jove they have a hot babe in a bikini holding a basketball and staring in a come-hither fashion - THAT'S what the league will be all about!

Edit - sorry but Blogger hates paragraphs apparently and won't let me have any. Edit - fixed. Bizarre, I had to insert

to convince Blogger that I really did want paragraphs, not one long block of text.

Headphones Kill

Forty-seven pedestrians in the US in 2011 were killed while wearing headphones. Up from 16 in 2004.

Headphones kill.

Bad Sports Day

I cannot remember the last time the Washington Post sports section was so depressing.

First and perhaps worst is the whole Penn State child rape scandal. What the hell was McQueary and Paterno and the rest of them thinking? If they had acted sooner, how many rapes of young boys could have been avoided? The students' reaction to Paterno's firing is also a bit depressing. I suspect they'll look back at this and be embarrassed at their reaction. Paterno's departure under these circumstances is unfortunate. But it's not as bad as not acting immediately to prevent child rape.

Second (and perhaps the worst if he is killed) is the kidnapping of Wilson Ramos, the catcher for the Washington Nationals, in his home town in Venezuela. Kidnapping is lucrative business in Venezuela and somebody like Ramos, a major league baseball player and therefore very well known in baseball-crazy Venezuela, is an attractive target. I hope he gets out alive, of course. And even apart from the pain this brings Ramos and his family, this has to be bad news for Venezuela's winter baseball leagues. I think if I'm a major league club I ban my players from going there - though it may not be possible to tell Venezuelans not to go to their home.

And finally, news (again) that if DC United don't get a soccer-only stadium, they might leave DC. That would suck.

Frankfurt

And I had a day in Frankfurt, Germany, too.

India

I spent a few days in Mumbai, and had a quick trip to the Taj Mahal, too. A few photos...

Montana

Spent a few days in and around Missoula, Montana, earlier this month. Nice place, good coffee and plenty of huckleberries. A few photos... From the top: a view from Fort Missoula; McDonald Lake in Glacier National Park; Garnet ghost town; snow in Glacier National Park.

The View of Sydney

Strange Maps is a cool website. The latest one is amusing - Here There Be Bogans: Four Miniatures of Sydney Stereotypes.

An Invitation to Identity Theft?

A few weeks ago, a neighbor lady came by. She said she was updating the neighborhood directory, and asked if she could have my name & phone number.

I politely said I'd rather not be included. I think she was surprised, but she moved on.

This morning I went out to grab the newspaper, and saw that a copy of the neighborhood directory had been left in my mailbox. It covers the 84 houses in our subdivision, with a nice little map included. Since quite a few of the addresses have multiple people listed, I am now the proud possessor of approximately 100 complete names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

This is like an identity-theft kit, made easy. I am sure the intent is good. But this strikes me as really incautious and wise.

Incidentally, precisely TWO households "asked not to be listed" and are included in that way, just an address but no names or anything. OUR house is listed - with the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the previous residents. Oh well at least it's not me.

Chaos on the Dinner Plate

Recently discovered this funny strip, "Scary Gary". This one was at: http://comics.com/scary_gary/2010-06-19/

So Long, White Stripes

The White Stripes call it a day. Add them to the list of bands I wish I'd seen before they quit.

If You Have to Ask...

Today Nick Bilton in the New York Times described how he and his wife went to Barnes & Noble, leafed through a bunch of interior design books, and made photocopies of various designs and drawings, to give to the contractor to redo the kitchen in a house they plan to buy. (The fact that it was with a camera phone is just an interesting technological aside, not the fundamental question.)

Bilton asks, "Did we do anything wrong?" The rest of the column fudges the question.

The short answer is, Yes you did something wrong. And you really know it, because you're already feeling guilty.

Labor Day

Hope it's a good one...

Cupcakes? Really?

I like a good cupcake as much as anybody. But really - standing in line for hours for a friggin' cupcake?

I don't get it.

But it's a new tourism spot in Washington DC...