The TED Comment Acquisition System is Cool

.. I’m sure there’s a better name. However, at the bottom of each video, you see:

IMHO .. that rocks.

So .. who misses me?

Hell, I find that I do. I hope that you do, now and again.

This is the mea culpa “I am sorry I have not been writing” post. That said, I am sincere .. I really, really, really miss posting. This is a sincere apology to my readers and to myself.

What have I observed in the world since my last post? Well:

• Republican madness
• Democratic sadness
• Regime changes
• Organization re-arranges

And in me?

• Growth: personal, and for those with whom I work.
• Growth: personal, and for those with whom I live.
• Assessment and re-assessment.
• Growth.

Watch this space for the nuts and the bolts. Thanks for keeping me in your readers.

Amazon: $185.00 for Shipping on a $15.20 order?

Wow .. something is broken:

This is an order for 20 2GB USB flash drives .. Hunter keeps losing his. They are listed at $0.76 each .. PERFECT for my need.

But $185.00 shipping? Madness.

Where is the ‘cancel’ button?

‘Pottermore’ (mostly) Opens for Business

“Mostly” because, Pottermore is only open to the first one million, invite-only Harry Potter fans. Sadly, I’m not among them.

I am a fan, though. I have (and have read) both the US and UK versions of the seven-book saga .. in hardback, no less. I have been known to be bemused at the differences between the two.

Pottermore seeks to engage readers and fans in an interactive world of wizards, witches, wands and more (I’m hoping for “wow” as well). The site will open to the public on October 18th, 2011, although public registration will begin earlier (details on the site).

Ms. Rowling describes the experience in the video below. Quite engaging.

Entertainment Weekly posts “Pottermore: First impressions of the new interactive Harry Potter Site“ .. I guess they got a Magical Quill.

Lucky buggers.

A Stick on a Stick (County Fair Edition)

I guess you know when you’re from the Northwest when you have a visceral reaction to the latest from the deep-fried set in the flyover states. Pickles (not bad), Twinkies (interesting), Snickers (a bit of a waste of a fine candy).

Based on that, you might ask: “What are they deep-frying this year?”.

Butter.

You heard it right .. it is served drizzled in cinnamon and / or honey, and is making the rounds at the county fair circuits. Eater.com posts “A Deep-Fried Stick of Butter (On a Stick) at the Iowa State Fair” .. which sounds mildly redundant: deep-fried stick on a stick? Please.

Surprisingly, this is actually nothing new: the delicacy debuted at the State Fair of Texas back in 2009 (link to NPR). Not to miss out on the 2009 craze, the mainstream MSNBC posted “Move over, Twinkies, Deep-Fried Butter is here”.

For the calorie crowd .. a stick of butter has 810 calories. 1/3 of a cup of pancake batter is about 150 calories. Add in the oil used to fry it, and I’m guessing it’s conservatively a 1,000-calorie treat.

Hunter disapproves of my latest “earworm”

You know about earworms .. that bit of song that gets stuck in your head. Legend has it: the only way to rid yourself of one is to give it to someone else.

I’ve been humming “The Golden Age” by the Asteroids Galaxy Tour lately .. this is the kitschy ditty featured in the Heineken “Entrance” commercial .. the one with the “second most interesting man in the world” (my riff on the Dos Equis commercial series).

Anyhow, Hunter disapproves. His email to me from late last night:

In a word: hysterical.

Customer Perceptions: FAs and Airline Passengers

This, from an interesting read in the Orlando Sentinel: “Do flight attendants really hate their passengers?” .. it’s interesting to note that five of the top ten worst-rated companies for customer satisfaction are airlines.

Granted, ‘hate’ is probably too strong a word. I’m not even sure ‘dislike’ applies. People who work in industries that accommodate other people are bound to hit some interpersonal snags, or have some moments they’d like not to repeat.

You can read the original June 2011 report on the American Customer Satisfaction Index site.

My Getaway Car is .. a Bus?

A Tacoma man entered a bank with a handgun, robbing two tellers before fleeing.

Deputy Sheriffs followed a tracking signal attached to the loot to a bus stop. A bus pulled up, picked up passengers and pulled away. Noting the tracking signal getting weaker, the deputies stopped the bus and made the arrest. A short foot chase and they took the man into custody.

The Tacoma News Tribune blog headline reads: “Tacoma man charged with robbing two banks”.

Two banks?!?

Seems the defendant is charged with another robbery, just a few days ago. As he escaped the first time, I’m guessing he took a cab.