Good or bad? It doesn’t say.
OC Family‘s Special Annual “10 Teachers Making a Difference” issue is out . . .
Ask HW: Why Aren’t There More Black Head Coaches in the NFL?
The conventional wisdom on this is that black coaches are hired on merit, while white coaches are hired by racists.
A Strong Hand on the ‘Rudder’
Headline from a Morningstar newsletter:
Does Your CEO Have a Strong Hand on the Rudder?
Yes! In fact, he had shoulder surgery earlier in the year — I suspect as a result of employing too strong a hand on his rudder . . .
Thus spoke The Programmer.
Introducing a 9-Year-Old to Johnny Cash
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time . . .
“Really? How do you sleep?”
UCLA Hires Karl Dorrell
My son is watching SportsCenter in the other room . . .
He says, “UCLA hired a new coach: Carlos Burrell!”
By which I think he means Karl Dorrell.
That is a great, great hire.
I say that as a USC grad who was sorry to see Bob Toledo go. They might never beat the Trojans again . . .
How’s Business?
People often ask me: How’s the computer business?
One thing I can tell them is that a significant number of my Merry Christmas emails from former colleagues end with something like this:
P.S. Please let me know if you hear of any job leads as I am currently unemployed.
Christmas Wishes
After my son got close to 50 items on his Amazon Xmas wish list, I said it might be helpful to add a comment to the stuff indicating which things he wanted the most.
Now most of the items include one of the following three comments:
- favorite
- extreme favorite!!!!!!!!
- very extreme favorite!!!!!!!!!
With varying numbers of exclamation points . . .
Harvard Admits I Was Right
Got an email from Harvard this morning:
Hello Paul,
Thank you for catching the error on the Harvard at a Glance page. We now use the correct "principal."
Sincerely,
The Harvard News Office
You are quite welcome! How about throwing in free tuition for my kid?
Harvard Errs
I was marveling at the Harvard University fact page — 14.6 million volumes! Established 1636! — when I noticed “10 principle academic units.” Egads! A grammatical error on the Harvard site!
I’d better send them an email . . .
Christmas at Starbucks
I noticed this weekend that Starbucks has rolled out the Christmas menu — Egg Nog Latte, Gingerbread Something-Or-Other . . . also that my local Starbucks has mounted a wreath on the inside of the entry door, anchored only at the top, so when you pull the door open, the wreath swings out and smacks you in the head.
Merry Christmas! Ouch!
Lost in America
Nearly 30 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 cannot locate the Pacific Ocean on a map. You can try it yourself here.
8th Grade: Then and Now
Dat’s de ‘fect of education; dat’s de t’ing what’s gwine to rule;
Git dem books, you lazy rascal! Git back to yo’ place in school!
If you’ve ever wondered — I know I have — if certain of your colleagues completed the 8th grade, or rather spent their time jacking off like apes when they should have been doing math homework, you may be interested in Could You Pass 8th-Grade Math?, a sample of the Illinois State Board of Education’s math test for 8th graders.
Youth
A boy’s will is the wind’s will
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.
That’s a beautiful verse to me — not just what it says but the tempo of it . . . try reading it aloud and you’ll notice that you really need to slow down when you get to “long, long thoughts.”
I have a boy of my own now, and I can also tell you that a boy’s heart is simple and pure, and just by asking him does he want to play some catch or something, you can make him the happiest person in the world . . .
Fat Gene
I don’t believe this at all. There aren’t enough genes to cover all the human frailties we’ve blamed on genetic causes.
Overheard
The best thing about all the NBA players from Europe and Latin America is when they’re interviewed after the game, you can understand them.
World Series Recap
- Two World Series tickets: $220
- Parking: $10
- Program: $10
- Souvenir apparel: $104
- Rally monkey: $15
- Two hot dogs, two sodas, one pretzel: $17
- Watching home team win World Series, with son, after 41 years of futility: Priceless, baby.
My son is 9, a little older than I was when my dad took me to my first Angels game somewhere around 1966.
Going to the World Series
The conditions have been met. Within the hour, we’re leaving for Edison Field and Game 7 of the World Series.
Dusty Baker’s Kid
Isn’t Dusty Baker a little old to have a 3-year-old son? And if he wants to bring the kid to work, to sit him in the dugout during the World Series, couldn’t he for godsake keep an eye on the kid so he’s not running around home plate in the middle of play?
I would have given anything to see that kid on the receiving end of a Ray Fosse-style collision. That would have been in my Top 10 Memorable Moments in Baseball for sure.
Tae Kwon Do
My son receives his tae kwon do black belt.
Profiles in Management
If our Director of Project Management took the time that he spends fine-tuning his goatee, his eyewear and his hair color, and put it into reading one or two of the classic software management texts, I probably wouldn’t get so squeamish every time I have to look at him.
I would also feel a little better about my career if our CEO didn’t wander into product demos while stuffing his face with Cheetos from the vending machine.
Thus spoke The Programmer.