Friday, 2004-09-24
proper word choice?
This was too easy to miss.
Local porn king enters guilty plea
Andrew Tran, The Daily Texan
Familiar Interstate Highway 35 landmarks such as Adult Video, Oasis Adult Video and 24 Hour News could be shut down now that the owner, 61-year-old John Kenneth Coil, has pled guilty to federal charges in connection with racketeering, obscenity, fraud and income tax evasion.
[...]
"It took years of investigation and risky undercover work to penetrate this criminal organization," Bill Hill, Dallas County district attorney, said in a statement.
Emphasis in the above quote is mine.
Thursday, 2004-09-23
iphones
If there was a question of my Apple conversion (and subsequent brainwashing), I've unintentionally referred to my iPod's headphones as iPhones.
Wednesday, 2004-09-22
gmails to give
I have done nothing more than login to my Gmail account. Not a single email has been sent or received. So it came as much surprise that I now have six invitations to give.
Want one?
Leave your first name, last name and email address in a comment. After sending an invite I'll make your request anonymous. If you'd like to offer a trade, not necessary, you can design a bathroom tile background for The Writings on the Stall — details.
One offer will be temporarily held back in the event that this entry is (near) immediately flooded with requests.
Update: Well, that never happened. Gave out my last invite today.
Tuesday, 2004-09-21
smeared [blue] ink
Speaking of The Postal Service, two priceless (and isolated) events happened yesterday involving their music and my dogs.
Even though I happen to really like The Postal Service, that doesn't mean Sigmund (Dachshund #1) has to. As I listened to their album, Sigmund shivered. When I hit pause he settled calmly. And was shaken up — without delay — when The Postal Service went back into rotation.
At a later point in the day, I found Roary (Dachshund #2) destroying a blue pen, which he'd "happened" upon. Ink was everywhere. On the bed. On the carpet. And all over his fur. Knowing the moment was precious, Gemma grabbed the camera. A couple minutes later, I started up The Postal Service again. The first song, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," begins with "Smeared black ink," which I think says it all.
Monday, 2004-09-20
retronym
Wikipedia serves a perfect example of the power of community. And the overall goodness in people.
Why? Read on.
The thoughts I have of Wikipedia probably aren't original, but I catch myself saying them to friends often. In seeing the spark that I pass leads me to believe that my thoughts may be of value to others.
The faith that Wikipedia's users put in the project so that it will reach critical mass pulls me in. When Wikipedia hits such a point (if it hasn't already), is not what inspires me, though.
Critical mass, and the idea of creating a time-tested, and peer-reviewed, resource, means more for future generations than it does for myself today. This is what I find beautiful about Wikipedia. Every time I make even a minor correction on an entry, I know that I've advanced the project. After making a change, I sense a bond with everyone else that has assisted the site's journey.
Also, in a world where we find it hard to trust others, Wikipedia works. It's not easy to keep the trolls away, but the community manages to. The good intents of many drown out the relative few who attempt to damage the project.
So what does the title of this post have anything to do with Wikipedia? Everything.
Retronym is a new word for me. Both the word and its concept were brought to me by Wikipedia.
A retronym is a new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name became used for something else, or was no longer unique.
Like items I studied out of curiosity as a little kid, retronym is a word that has captivated the adult in me. Thanks Wikipedia!
Sunday, 2004-09-19
the postal service
Bit late, I know, but The Postal Service: Give Up is blowing my mind. Why didn't I hop onto the indie-pop mail delivery truck earlier?
Thursday, 2004-09-16
let [it] go
Do you ever have a song that you never want to end? I have a couple of mine currently on repeat. Of which, Frou Frou's "Let Go" is one.
Tuesday, 2004-09-14
real (disgusted)
Recently I saw a guy wearing a Real.com hat at a favorite dive here in Austin. I took it off his head and puked in it.
Again with the daydreams.