PARIS — Across Western Europe, the “lifestyle superpower,” the assumptions and gains of a lifetime are suddenly in doubt. The deficit crisis that threatens the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War II.
Nothing But the Night
Now hollow fires burn out to black,
And lights are guttering low:
Square your shoulders, lift your pack,
And leave your friends and go.Oh never fear, man, nought’s to dread,
Look not to left nor right:
In all the endless road you tread
There’s nothing but the night.
Guide Dogs
New Programming Jargon
Excerpts from Global Nerdy:
Bugfoot
A bug that isn’t reproducible and has been sighted by only one person.
Shrug Report
A bug report with no error message or “how to reproduce” steps and only a vague description of the problem. Usually contains the phrase “doesn’t work.”
Smug Report
A bug report submitted by a user who thinks he knows a lot more about the system’s design than he really does. Filled with irrelevant technical details and one or more suggestions (always wrong) about what he thinks is causing the problem and how we should fix it.
A Rare Event
I’m out walking the dog and one of the neighborhood moms asks me, “What grade is your son in now?”
“He’s a junior in high school this year,” I reply.
“I saw him out walking the dog the other day.”
“You did? Oh you’re lucky to see that,” I said. “It’s a rare event, like an eclipse. Everyone gets very excited when it happens.”
So Long, Specter
Arlen Specter is the latest beneficiary victim of President Obama’s support, following on the heels of Gov. Jon Corzine, Gov. Creigh Deeds and Sen. Martha Coakley — none of whom actually exist.
Finer Things
As we’re driving home from Extra Mile, I ask my son, “How’s that Icee?”
“Good,” he says.
“What flavor did you go with?”
“Pineapple Mango.”
“It makes me feel good to be able to provide my son with the finer things in life.”
“A 99-cent Icee?”
“Fine things don’t have to cost a lot of money.”
More People I’m Sick Unto Death Of
People who use the word “signage,” e.g., “We’ve got to put up some signage so people can find the right conference rooms.”
Look — like most words, the plural of “sign” is formed by adding “-s” at the end, not “-age.” This kind of language abuse just makes everyone stupider.
Twitter: 2010-05-17
- Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America http://bit.ly/kxZkC #
What Do I Look Like?
I was out for a walk today when a little Chinese boy about 1 year old in human years pointed at me and said, “Panda!”
Do I look like a panda to you?
— Lightning 
Not a Team Player
Twitter: 2010-05-11
Thank You, Feet
In fact I love to put my feet up at the end of the day, and watch them looking kinda good. I say in my mind to them: “Thank you for taking me around for so many years to so many places and still doing so – with happy steps. You’re the best!”
Twitter: 2010-05-10
- RT @mccarthyjim1 In almost every case, action will produce many times more results than planning. http://post.ly/dMei #
- RT @eddiepepitone: In honor of my mom I burnt a meal, ignored myself and accused my dad of aloofness. #
- RT @eddiepepitone: The only thing stopping me today is my childhood, my genetics, my income, my innate laziness and my parole officer. #
Overheard
You just have issues. I have a real problem.
The Authority of Ideas
A team committed to providing great products or services on time will shift its point of view on authority.
It will move from viewing authority as emanating from bosses to viewing authority as emanating from ideas and from the nurturing and championship of an ecology of ideas.
Pug Photos on Flickr
Originally uploaded by www.marcel-sauer.de
Originally uploaded by wombatarama
Originally uploaded by wombatarama
People I Thought Were Dead
- Marty Allen – comedian
- Ed Ames – actor
- Lauren Bacall – actress
- Roger Bannister – runner
- Ben Bradlee – editor, The Washington Post
- George Kennedy – actor
- Ralph Kiner – Hall of Fame baseball player
- Jake LaMotta – boxer, middleweight champion
- Shirley Temple – actress
Updates
- Marty Allen – died 2/12/2018, age 95
- Ed Ames – died 5/21/2023, age 95
- Lauren Bacall – died 8/12/2014, age 89
- Roger Bannister – died 3/4/2018, age 88
- Ben Bradlee – died 10/21/2014, age 93
- George Kennedy – died 2/28/2016, age 91
- Ralph Kiner – died 2/6/2014, age 91
- Jake LaMotta – died 9/19/2017, age 95
- Shirley Temple – died 2/10/2014, age 85
Twitter: 2010-05-09
- Just read chapter 19 of The Wapshot Chronicle. Writer's heart is broken. #
- Google Analytics Basics: The Stats http://vimeo.com/11566615 #
Wiffleball ’79
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=pt&v=2kPy0H9k__M]