Well, my ISP had a server crash yesterday, which anyone trying to access the blog surely noticed. Part of the crash recovery involved restoring from their last backup, which was apparently long enough ago that all my September posts are lost. Fortunately, I have local copies of the postings in my RSS reader (yes, I subscribe to my own blog–for… Read more →
Author: Mr. McLaren
Just for Al.
This post is really just for my old pal the Classics Phd, since she’s probably the only person I know (possibly excepting Chris the Sub Wizard) who could actually read it: Read more →
Tuesday Miscellany
Instead of actual content, a placeholder, in the form of happy and sad links from around cyberspace. Part of the reason I don’t have time for real entries today is that tonight is poker night, and the first link I’m bringing you is something that would be a definite hit with the poker fools–it’s kind of like alcoholic Di Di… Read more →
About Movies: DVD Wishlist
A few years ago, around the time I was first considering getting a DVD player (I was a very late adopter of this technology, unlike most things) I commented to some friends that there were 7 movies that really would want to get DVDs of that I suspected would never be released on DVD. These weren’t my absolute favourite movies… Read more →
About Movies: Atlantic Film Festival Blog
I am somewhat saddened that due to a conflation of poor planning, vacation timing, parenthood, and crap at the office, that I won’t be seeing nearly as many films this year at the Atlantic Film Festival as I have in past years. However, my weekly poker pal Carsten (no, you can’t call him Bu’)–one of who’s hats is that of… Read more →
Lascivious and funny
So, it’s a pretty well-known fact at this point that I think Veronica Mars was the best thing on TV last season. So how is it that I’m finding out only now that Kristen Bell starred in a musical version of Reefer Madness? Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Update: The DVD of this appears to be available for pre-order.… Read more →
Narrow focus, broad focus
My favourite paragraph about post-Katrina reconstruction on the internets today comes from author John Scalzi: Bush wants to spend $200 billion to rebuild the South, which is good in theory, but I expect his administration to do a good job at the effort about as much as I expect my cat to whip up a light and tasty souffle. Word… Read more →
Can I get a little more me in the monitor?
Every time I think I’m getting whack-o paranoid, the Bushies come along and double down on the unsubtle machinations. Like Thursday night’s speech, where Bush calls for ‘more power for me, and less restrictions on me’. Well, maybe not in those words, but he did actually say: “It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal… Read more →
Private security forces
So, there’s obviously a lot of Katrina stuff that I could rant about, but I feel like the blogosphere mostly has that covered. However, one thing that I find startling, more in how much no one else seems to be startled than in the thing itself, is this whole Blackwater Security thing. To quote from Wiki News (where you can… Read more →
We’re still living in a Dilbert strip
There’s a simple test to see if you are ready for the position of Senior Vice President at a large, North American-based, global software company. Can you say this: To deliver products of the highest quality, we must implement a world-class development process that requires stringent approvals and ensures all development activities are business related to provide value to our… Read more →
Attention Small Press Publishers
I would gladly pay tall dollars for a really nice hard cover edition of Jeffrey Ford‘s The Physiognomy. Indeed, I would pay even taller dollars for a nice matched edition of it and the two subsequent books (Memoranda, The Beyond). Why won’t someone take my money? (I haven’t read the new one yet, but based on his past performance and… Read more →
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
Hm. I seem to have just taken a 10-day family vacation. I’m shocked to discover that A) I can survive 10 days without being connected, and B) things keep happening even when I’m not paying attention. Anyway, work has piled up, as have other things, so I may be a bit sketchy for the next couple of days. In lieu… Read more →
Stagger On, Weary Titan
There was a fascinating piece in the Guardian earlier this week, which was brought to my attention by one of my Evil Genius pals. (I’m linking the title below to Common Dreams, since they sometimes keep things accessible in the long term better than the source papers): Stagger On, Weary Titan The US is reeling, like imperial Britain after the… Read more →
Baby Blog Week: Last One
Quoting now from an email Trish sent me this morning, after Sarah went to her one year doctor’s appointment: Sarah had her one-year appointment this morning. I don’t have the exact measurements with me, but she’s 90th percentile for height, 75th for weight, and well over 100th for head circumference. She had three needles, each of which got progressively more… Read more →
Baby Blog Week: No fear
Birthday crisis over. All is good. Regular blogging to resume now. Read more →
