The new Fortune has a correction that I find interesting: The mag said Inditex produced "more than 835,000 garments" in 2011. The correct figure is 835 million garments. In my snarky moments, I can think of people who would say "What? 835 million *is* more than 835,000. I wasn't wrong."
Gotta admit, this may be one of the most absurdly false opening statements I've ever encountered: "Ever since the creation of the Internet, the use of public libraries has been on the decline." [Link to the blog post--the author of which also recognizes that the line is false in every respect:...
Hey, Blake, get all your "facts" from advertising schools, and that's where it leads you. I should qualify "false in every respect": I'm sure there's at least one public library system where use has been down since...well, geez, "the creation of the Internet" is several decades ago, and that would be one seriously underperforming public library system. So maybe not. Let's say "false in 99.9% of every respect."
- Walt Crawford
Pointed sign that this is a good day NOT to be playing video poker in an actual casino: When you get a royal flush...and still can't manage to break even on a 100-deal contest round.
Noting that I am *not* in a casino: The contest round is on Videopoker.com, that free site run by the company that makes most video poker games. Deliberately non-wagering, even if they do give $50 a day away in the contests. Their presumed goal--to get me excited about playing more "real" video poker--isn't quite working out so far. My wholly nonsmoking, quiet, "casino" with my own choice of wine--heavenly, and $0 losses.
- Walt Crawford
Grumpy old man: "40-somethings" can't claim to have created the World Wide Web. Sir Tim hasn't been 40-something almost as long as I haven't been 50-something: He's 56.
And I got a tweet back saying that Sir Tim didn't create every single Web page. To which I had to respond, Nor did the 40-somethings--probably not even a majority of them. At least, as a pre-boomer, I won't try to claim the web as a creation of my generation. The internet, yes. But not the web.
- Walt Crawford
OK, so I had to check that "The internet, yes." Vint Cerf's two years older than me; Bob Kahn is a few years older than that, but still in the same generation.
- Walt Crawford
How sensitivities change: I was reading a probably-deserved bad review for a new "reality" series and hit this: "an 18-year-old with an illegitimate child." And stopped cold. Really? In 2013? "Illegitimate"? From an online publication about media issues, not some right-wing "family" operation? For shame. That child is no more illegitimate than I am
Well, welcome to single parenthood. I have no doubt my child will get called that at least once, and I'm not 18.
- laura x
My "illegitimate" child is only 17, but he was referred to, in my hearing, as a bastard LONG before he was old enough to actually *act like* a bastard. Welcome to the Midwest?
- WebGoddess
Laura, WG: I'm not surprised...but still offended (as I would be if somebody was called a bastard for some reason other than acting reprehensibly), and I *am* surprised seeing it in "print" as part of an emagazine. I guess I expect a little more modernity there.
- Walt Crawford
Anybody have recent experience with/comments on elance? Considering whether my writing & other energies should go somewhere where I might at least get lunch money's worth of revenue from them...(at, um, household suggestion...)
I found Midgardsmal's designer on a freelancer site. She did very well by us. I can't speak to those sites from a freelancer perspective, however; never tried them.
- RepoRat
I have now read all of a (sort of) book on my Kindle Fire HD 8.9--"Triumph Over Calamity," the Carnival Triumph passenger's insta-e"book." Took less than an hour; it's not much of a book (in several ways). Jes' fine (the experience, not the book), but for now, I'll stick with paper for immersive/slower reading. For now.
The sort-of book says that the passengers were consistently well fed, that there was almost always (some) electricity, that there were still shows of a sort and some movie showings...and that some passengers were pigs, especially with free booze. The book also REALLY shows lack of editing, way too much religiosity for my taste, and, well, it was a quickie really done as journalling, so...
- Walt Crawford
One telling anecdote: When they finally get the bus to N'awlins, she knows they're there because she recognizes the McDonalds they go to in N'awlins.
- Walt Crawford
I actually read Lorcan's post about ten minutes after I added this comment.
- Walt Crawford
Wonderful anecdote in SFChronicle's obituary/remembrance of Dale Robertson: "Starring as stagecoach troubleshooter Jim Hardie in NBC's "Tales of Wells Fargo," he made the role memorable in part because he drew his pistol with his left hand, a quirk that became necessary because he drew so fast with his right hand that the camera missed the action."
Interesting afternoon. Went to see a comedy ("Murder Most Fouled-Up") done by the Asbury Community Players at Asbury United Methodist, my brother's church. Afterward, my wife was asking who Asbury was...and, after my vaguely correct memory, find myself looking up and reminding myself of some Methodist history.
The comedy was good community-theater work. My memory of the church is from pre-United days, but that's right for Asbury, Wesley and the crew.
- Walt Crawford
Unusual but nice: Yesterday morning, at least half a dozen robins (which we don't usually see here) were taking showers as the rear lawn was being watered--flying in, standing for a few minutes, flapping their wings, flying out. Distinctly robins: big red breasts.
This morning, when the front lawn was being watered, even more robins on the front lawn and in the tree--my wife says probably 30 or more. [We almost always have birds around, but usually not robins.]
- Walt Crawford
Trivial but amusing: February TV "sweeps" are essentially over. CBS took first place. ABC took second. Fox took third. The amusing part--or maybe not: NBC was *not* fourth. Univision was. http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cbs-sto...