Dressing for telecommuting

In yesterday’s Globe and Mail, I read yet another article suggesting that if you work from home, you should dress for important calls as though you were at the office. The idea is that this bit of role-playing will help you to focus on the business at hand and act more professionally.
Well, whatever works. I [...]

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A farewell to floppies

Tomorrow, the last computer in the house with a floppy drive goes to Free Geek for recycling. An era in computing is officially over for me.
Actually, the era was over several years ago. Even four years ago, when I bought my last computer, I thought twice about bothering with a floppy drive. Nor do I [...]

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An unexpected compliment

“It was a compliment,’ said Merry Brandybuck,’and so, of course, not true.”
- J. R. R. Tokien, The Lord of the Rings
When I use the exercise bike at the rec center, I mostly keep to myself. After years of running by myself, I just don’t think of exercising as a social occasion. So, I was surprised [...]

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Advice to travellers when crossing the moors

When crossing the moors,
never mind the witch;
be wary of the king’s men.
The gingerbread on her house
is only architectural excess
not culinary, the consequences
of gnawing no more than splinters.
Her worst eccentricities are earnest ramblings
on herbs to her old cat
and a lack of belief in bathing.
At times, she cheats at cards.
If you go by road
you fall in with [...]

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Educating GNU/Linux users

My review of the latest release of Ubuntu was picked up by Slashdot this week, releasing a flood of criticism.
Although the article praised Ubuntu, it was also one of the first to mention some of its shortcomings, so it probably provoked more reaction than the average review. Much of the criticism was by people [...]

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Seduction at the local restaurant

After I sent off an article this afternoon, I worked out at the rec center, then limped across the street to meet Trish at the local pasta joint. While I was waiting, a male neighbor came in with his female house guest and sat on the patio. From our table, we couldn’t see them, [...]

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Lament for an never-met parrot

In casual conversation a couple of days ago, I heard that Alex, the African Gray studied by Irene Pepperberg, was found dead in his lab last week. I’ve been reading about Alex for over twenty years, so the news struck me hard, both because of what he represented and my memory of what my life [...]

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Witches of the Mind

“Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?”
- Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3
If I am remembered for anything — which is open to debate — it will be for Witches of the Mind, my study of the American [...]

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Unsent email to a rejected writer

(Written in response to a recently seen email exchange. The views expressed are entirely my own)
I’m sorry that the article you submitted was rejected. Nobody handles rejection well, and being rejected after considerable effort is even worse. I’ve had my own share of rejections, so I can sympathize with your disappointment. Unfortunately, submitting an article [...]

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Why I’m staying with Debian

Setting up a new workstation is the easiest time to choose a new GNU/Linux distribution. Having just installed Fedora 7 on my laptop so I’d have an RPM-based system available for my work, I seriously considered ending my five-year endorsement of Debian on my workstation. Perhaps I should follow the crowd and go to Ubuntu? [...]

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