I just heard a radio ad for Harper College that was...surprising. The ad lists off a bunch of pairs of things where one is greater than the other and eventually suggests that I'd be greater with a Harper education than without one. What caught my attention, however, was the very first pair of things listed, which went something like this: "x to the n is greater than x to the … [Read more...] about Yesterday I Couldn’t Spell Mathematishun…
Exciting Mail
I've just been reading through the last few days of snail mail. I get lots of stuff purporting to be "great opportunities" or "exciting promotions." Here's one telling me how to "get the most" out of something. There are lots of exclamation points. The thing is, all these letters ultimately want me to pay them money. Some of the things being offered might be interesting, … [Read more...] about Exciting Mail
Lake Shore Drive
My friend Ken used Google Earth to make this little movie of one of Chicago's more famous streets: LSD.wmv (Warning! Hi-Res 41.6 MB download!) It's all pretty basic, but I like it. … [Read more...] about Lake Shore Drive
One To Beam Up
Oh No. Scotty died. 5:30 this morning. James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died Wednesday. He was 85. Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend … [Read more...] about One To Beam Up
The War on Drugs Claims Another Victim
John Tierney has a New York Times article about Richard Paey, sentenced to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for drug trafficking. Actually, the prosecutors in the case never proved that he was selling drugs. The law they used simply defines possession of an ounce or more of illegal drugs as trafficking. The police watched him for quite a while, but they … [Read more...] about The War on Drugs Claims Another Victim