Archive for August 2001

Spy on the family geek with Lighthouse. Actually, it helps parents monitor children. It can be a fun to spy on the ultimate online chatter.

Don’t trust your Web design firm to check its own spelling.

Harper’s Magazine protects us from culture waste by studying massive data for the points of light. Then, puts it all in a nice little index. Thanks to Stickyideas for the Web lead.

Googlize a phone number – enter phone number and watch what happens. Too cool. Too bad 85% of caller ID comes in as “anonymous,” “private,” or “out of area.”

I get plenty of SPAM saying I am a winner, but Gotcha 0008 is something else. As a real winner, I won a prize from a Web site. Today, I received Harry Potter Golden Snitch collector stone from HP Wizard Store. It’s a cute little thing sitting on top of the computer monitor. Looking at the thunderbolt with the golden ball inside gives you a sense of power. Seize the day!

I posted a couple of perverted stuff yesterday… and here I go posting another. Don’t get ideas! Turn an G-rated Web site to XXX. A good place to try it on would be Paul Reubens’ fan site.

Feel like list’nin ta Redneck? Ha’ big daddy Jive? Dialectize a Web site. Hey now, I don’t encourage no stereotypin’ of no people. If ain’t gonna laugh at ourselves, then what’s da point in laughin’?

Gotcha #0007 – the case of the failed spell.>

“I had a what???” French woman gives birth on a bus not knowing she was pregnant. Yes, this can happen. I talked to a doctor who said that one of his patients had a baby unaware that she was pregnant. Apparently, she had been trying for years and had given up.

From Survivor to Senator?

Wanted get depressed and hear about the latest Internet layoffs and bad news? Go to theStandard or to get a little humor sprinkled in, go to F**kedCompany. Thanks to Stickyideas for latter Web lead.

Enough downer. Time to laugh. Origami of the <blush> male kind.

How far would you go to rescue a… baseball cap? Thanks to NextDraft for the Web lead.

One of the big newsmakers in the world of Apple is the opening of an Apple Store right in my neighborhood in Plano, Texas at Willow Bend. I saw photos of the lines circling 3 or 4 times. Of course, I stayed as far away as possible from that mall when it opened last weekend on Texas tax free day. More news on the store.

Backup Brain spoiled something for me. It’s too weird. Here’s the story:

Someone owes me an anniversary present and indicated it would be a new chair for my computer desk. I added “Ergonomic?” and we agreed.

I went to Backup Brain for my “few times a week” brain feed. Tom Negrino’s August 4th posting talked about the Aeron chair and its comfort. Curious, I googled it and found out it was a Herman Miller chair and knew it would not be cheap. I went to eBay to check out the prices of the chairs and see if anyone was selling in the Dallas area. The black chair in B size is selling for $400 – $550 in ebay. Regular price is about $600.

While I am on eBay… the better half comes over and said, “Spoiler.”

“What?” I asked. It was no secret that I was getting a chair. So I could not imagine what the “spoiler” was.

Paul took over Facilities Management at RealPage and told me about a VP who had to have this chair. That’s how he learned about it and he was working on getting me that very same chair!

What are the chances? Millions of chairs out there… and it’s the Aeron. Too cool. Can’t wait to try it out. I’m a lucky person.

Fresh Grammar Gotcha #6 and a whole new page begins! It’s my favorite to date because it comes from a Harry Potter book. Plus, it’s not a standard typo.

Review of CardScan 600c [ PDF file ] from Corex Technologies Corp in today’s Dallas Morning News Business section (requires free registration to access Business section). It’s a nifty tool that I’d like to own (notice the word “like” and not “need”). Between owning a flat bed scanner and not collecting many business cards, I don’t have a need to shell out the money.

Watching Mom and Dad fly home from their two week cruise adventure.

Review of MemoWeb 3, a cool utility for Web designers. Mind you, I don’t condone the stealing of other’s work for your use. When used with your own work or as a learning tool… fine by me.

A child of the ’80s — one of our biggest stars was (is) John Cusack. I still enjoy his work. His fans have him running for Prez, tongue-in-cheek, of course.

“Oh, my aching head” while working on your PDA? Take a break with this massage stylus.

Web site aggravating you? Here’s your chance to tear it apart. It shredded Microsoft for me.

More tech support fun in honor of Paul, the IT Tech Support Manager.

Got grammar gotcha numero 5 posted today.

Advice: Don’t fight when you cook. Wait until your tummies are full. KO by chicken.

Gangs – let your robot do the graffiti for you. Propaganda, sir? Ma’am? Can’t get rid of those pamphlets? Propaganda Robot to the rescue.

E-book outcast – are online writers and e-book authors considered to be “second class” writers? I don’t think it’s fair to group them in one lump. I’ve discovered talented online writers, but I’ve also seen sloppy ones.

Haven’t you ever started a paperback that sucked? Yet, the author of that sucky book may have more respect than online writers like M.J. Rose, Elissa Batista, and Jeffrey Zeldman.

I s’pose it’s human nature to group everyone into a category.