Category Archives: Jack Handy

Three weeks ago, I wrote that I would be “astonished” if the Senate acted to weaken the filibuster in the current congress. And, in fact, we see that the Senate “voted overwhelmingly … to reject efforts to change its rules … Continue reading →

One of life’s little pleasures is a well-roast chicken, juicy enough that it falls off the bone, and wrapped in a crispy, seasoned, flavorful skin. I’m particularly partial to the rotisserie birds from Draeger’s deli section … when just-cooked, they’re … Continue reading →

So, Jerry Lee Wilson’s autobiography has been making the rounds of the intertubes. (You can download the slim volume here.) Wilson is the inventor of the Soloflex and, more significantly, the infomercial. He’s an interesting case study in just how … Continue reading →

Today I replaced a toilet fill valve. I could have called a plumber, of course, but after my alternator experience I decided I’d prefer to do it myself. It was surprisingly gratifying to fix something physical, as opposed to pushing … Continue reading →

(Editorial note: This is pretty U.S.- and California-centric.) For the past few years, there’s been a fair bit of chatter about same-sex marriage. Many of those who argue against it speak in terms of “defending marriage”. For instance, the National … Continue reading →

Once upon a time, I played a modest amount of paper-and-pencil Shadowrun. Recently, due to the magic of emulators, I had the opportunity to play (in a totally IP-respecting way, for sure!) both the Genesis and SNES 16-bit Shadowrun games. … Continue reading →

I’m planning a trip to Columbia later this year, and stopped by (among other sites) the official Proexport Columbia tourism site. There I saw what I take to be Columbia’s official tourism tagline: Columbia, the only risk is wanting to … Continue reading →

Walking through a supermarket parking lot, I saw a large, misshapen woman buckling her unfortunate son into his government-mandated child seat. “Now we’re going to wait here for Daddy for about half an hour,” she said. “Just like always.” What … Continue reading →

A few thoughts on the unpleasantness in Tuscon. Libel First of all, the initial attempts to draw a connection between conservative commentators and politicians and the shooting were not only ridiculous, but, in hindsight, transparently disingenuous. Not only was there … Continue reading →

I like the idea of space exploration. I like the idea of Lunar or Martian colonies. (Interesting question as to whether those those adjectives should be capitalized or not; I guess so, since “Luna” and “Mars” are place names, and … Continue reading →