Month: August 2010

  • My summer reading

    Just to put it in one place, here’s what I’ve read and what I hope to read this summer. Already Read Neverwhere by Niel Gaiman The Engineer Trilogy by K. J. Parker Devices and Desires Evil for Evil The Escapement To Engineer is Human by Henry Petroski (2010 0708) Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay…

  • I like programmers with a sense of humor…

    dropbox is one of my favorite “cloud” utilities.  It keeps a directory synchronized across many computers, allowing remote access and automatic backup.  Whenever you set up dropbox on a new computer, all of the files need to be copied across.  As you might imagine, this can take some time.  Usually, dropbox pops up a little…

  • Nice metaphor

    Neil Irwin explains the current dilemma faced by the Fed by extending a metaphor promoted by guest host Christopher Hayes on Monday’s episode of The Rachel Maddow Show: The Fed is in charge of watering the fields but has exhausted its usual reservoir system.  Anything new will be risky and the Fed leaders tend to…

  • Review: Billy Goat Tavern, Chicago

    Billy Goat Tavern 430 N Michigan Ave., Chicago IL Billed on several sites as home of “Chicago’s best cheeseburger” and made famous by a skit on early Saturday Night Live (“cheezborger! cheezborger! cheezborger!”). As part of our very-intermittent plan of sampling “the best of…” in Chicago eateries, Annie and I decided to stop at the…

  • Political snark of the day

    Regarding the fact that Fox News will now have a front-row seat at the White House briefing room: Fox News is a propaganda outlet, a detail everyone seems to know, but which is apparently impolite to say out loud. The network’s proponents will likely argue a front-row seat is warranted because Fox News has a…