Category Archives: Jack Handy

The Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and reactor malfunction were undeniably unfortunate events, and one naturally feels sympathy and wishes the best for those affected by them. Nevertheless, some people have blown the whole thing out of all recognizable proportion. Consider this … Continue reading →

To share something I learned today that, apparently, everyone else already knows: The “polite” term (i.e., the one its lawyers would use) for a patent troll is “a non-practicing entity”, or NPE. NPEs, that is, are entities that hold patents … Continue reading →

The rapatronic camera was developed by Harold Edgerton to perform ultra-high-speed photography. Specifically, to photograph nuclear explosions in their earliest stages. The photo to the right depicts a nuclear fireball with a diameter of perhaps 20 meters. (We can estimate … Continue reading →

Today, in another episode of my attempt to single-handedly beautify the common usage of the English language, I aim my lance at the windmill of the cliche “needless to say”. Google returns 65,700,000 results for this phrase, and almost every … Continue reading →

Because I have a houseplant, I keep my office blinds open almost all the time. Because I’m lazy thoughtful, I look out my window a lot. Because there are trees outside my window, I see a lot of birds. Here’s … Continue reading →

I was poking around on the Internet the other day, reading about movie financing. It occurred to me that “tax incentive” is one of the oiliest terms in public policy, and that “refundable” is one of those words that you … Continue reading →

In my interminable Zero Hedge-themed rant I made passing reference to “quantitative easing“. It occurs to me that I didn’t devote nearly enough time to the vitally important question of what quantitative easing is. To rectify that: quantitative easing is … Continue reading →

If you want to build a startup into a success, it seems to me that there are two basic plans you can follow: Develop a feasible business model, launch and market a desirable product, and collect the profits. Develop a … Continue reading →

So, I guess that Charlie Sheen is having some career difficulties? Or something? Anyway, I think he should get a plenary PR indulgence for any offenses, past, present, or future, real or imagined, simply for appearing in one of my … Continue reading →

There are a lot of things to consider when looking for a job. These aren’t the things you bring up in an interview; there, you pretend to be focused on what the employer wants. But when no one’s looking, it’s … Continue reading →