Eric BerlinI can't complain, but sometimes I still do.(Untitled)- April 22, 2006 High praise indeed! Here's a vivid little excerpt from a book review: "Reading a Palahniuk novel is like getting zipped inside a boxers heavy bag while the author goes to work on you, pounding you until there is nothing left but a big bag of bones and blood and pain." And, seeing as that excerpt appears on the back of Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted, supposedly this is a good thing.http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/high_praise_ind.html (Untitled)- April 21, 2006 Incompetence versus Incoherence. Rarely do I read an editorial I agree with as strongly as this week's lead essay in The Economist. (You may need to be a subscriber to read, or you might have to watch an ad first. You tell me.) The last line alone summarizes the depressing state of American politics just about perfectly: Two years ago, this newspaper narrowly favoured Mr Kerry's incoherence over Mr Bush's incompetence. Since then, Republican incompetence has exceeded even our worst fears. How..http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/incompetence_ve.html (Untitled)- April 21, 2006 This can't be right, can it I know that Fragile X Syndrome affects different people in different ways, but I've never heard of someone so mildly affected that he was able to become a doctor: William (Bill) Whitelaw, retired general practitioner in Orleans and School Physician for the Nauset Region, died at Cape Cod Hospital on April 8th at the age of 74... The day after completing his internship at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey, he and Marilyn headed to Orleans to establish a medical...http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/this_cant_be_ri.html (Untitled)- April 21, 2006 Of course we have free speech in this country! Just not for you. I have no love for a twit who would walk around in a T-shirt that says "Homosexuality is Shameful." My respect for such a person is about equal to... oh, people who think burning the U.S. flag is an excellent way of getting one's message across. That said, I hope this decision gets overturned by the Supreme Court: Public schools can bar clothing with slogans that are hurtful, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday in the case of a...http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/of_course_we_ha.html (Untitled)- April 21, 2006 Sharpen your pencils. This Saturday, Puzzability will once again take over the op-ed pages of the New York Times.http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/sharpen_your_pe.html (Untitled)- April 20, 2006 I wonder if they also did ads for Rolling Rock beer. The Flintstones pitch for Winston cigarettes! Four commercials.http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/i_wonder_if_the.html (Untitled)- April 19, 2006 Who will be the first to make a "Suri nameSuriname" joke I grant you, the two subjects are not easily tied together, but the wordplay is just sitting there. So far, Google and Technorati searches have come up empty. Give it time. (In case you have just woken up from a coma, I am referring to this.)http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/who_will_be_the.html (Untitled)- April 19, 2006 Cuddly but deadly. If you like the GROW mazes, then you're gonna love Warbears. Alas, in my case, loving it doesn't mean being able to solve it. (Thanks to Craig for the pointer.)http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/cuddly_but_dead.html (Untitled)- April 19, 2006 Posting of an Amusement. Wei-Hwa Huang (creator of the puzzles in that GoogleDa Vinci Code thing) has an amusing Snakes on a Plane-related post on his blog: The top 20 movies on IMDb if they had been named in the same absurdist manner as Snakes on a Plane: 1. Honor in the Mafia 2. Escape from a Jail 3. Revenge in the Mafia 4. Destruction of a Ring 5. Warriors in a Village 6. Jews on a Train 7. Refugees in a Bar 8. Betrayal in the Clouds 9. Stories in the City 10. Melodrama in Outer Space 11...http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/posting_of_an_a.html (Untitled)- April 18, 2006 Cute coinage: Mickey Kaus links directly to the relevant portion of an online video clip, rather than saying, "Start watching at around the 10 minute mark." This technology was apparently developed by one Greg Dingle. Ergo, it's not merely a link... it's a "dingalink!" Probably won't catch on, so enjoy it while you can.http://www.ericberlin.com/archives/2006/04/cute_coinage_mi.html |