It turns out that holding up those John 3:16 signs is a bit better than stink-bombing bookstores, if you're trying to spread the faith, though neither is really very effective.

Labels: humor, random

When I see a quote like this:

Ziptastic is a simple API that allows people to ask which Country,State and City are associated with a Zip Code.

The purpose for this service is to STOP the madness of having to fill those information out on webforms. If you've ever filled out a webform, then you have probably gotten to the address section and simply entered in your street information and then your city, state, country and then your zip code. This has always bothered me because the 3 fields prior to the zip code can be determined from the zip code!

I always think of this:

For example, approximately 85% of the area served by the ZIP code 85254, to which the place name Scottsdale, Arizona, is assigned, is actually inside the city limits of neighboring Phoenix. This is because the Scottsdale post office serves this area. This may lead some residents of the ZIP code to mistakenly believe they live in Scottsdale when they actually live in Phoenix.

Similarly, Missouri City, Texas, straddles Harris and Fort Bend counties. The portion within Harris County is within the ZIP code 77071, which must use the city name of Houston instead of Missouri City. At the same time, a small portion of the city of Houston is in Fort Bend County in the ZIP code 77489, and residents there must use the name Missouri City for their address even though they are in Houston.

And so on. Perhaps something that hits close to home since I must write one city for my mail, but I really live in a different city and vote and whatnot accordingly.

Labels: local, random

Dear Cecil:

Whilst driving around recently a friend and I got stuck at a railroad crossing waiting for a freight train to go by. To pass the time, we began speculating on the meaning of a sign we saw on some of the cars saying DO NOT HUMP. We conjectured that this might be some sort of safe-sex campaign organized by the railroads in the wake of the AIDS crisis, but eventually rejected the idea. So we put it to you, Cecil — what is the meaning of this odd instruction?

— Gene W., Dallas

Sad to say, I knew exactly what it meant before I read the article.

Labels: humor, random, science

From Latin caelibatus (“celibacy, a single life”), perfect passive participle of caelibare, from caelebs (“unmarried”)

I understand that many want to use it to mean abstaining from sexual relations, but I like words to have clear meanings when possible, rather than ambiguous ones. Plus it's from the Latin, which pushes my buttons pretty good when someone uses it in the sexual sense rather than the unmarried sense. Which happened yesterday, strike that, two days ago.

Labels: chastity, public service announcement, random

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbéd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”

Francis Thompson (1859-1907)

Labels: literature, poetry, random

Also called postlapsarian and sublapsarian, from the Latin lapsus meaning fall.

of the assertion that God's decrees of election and reprobation logically succeeded the decree of the fall

I came across it in Dawn Eden's thesis, although it was in a quote by David Schindler.

Labels: random, words

Hey, I'm in the article! Try to figure out which character is me. (Hint, I don't smoke crack cocaine.)

In all seriousness though, let's pray for the the man on the street, and for all those who are victims of poverty and enslaved to drugs. I hope this somehow becomes an opportunity for him to get help.

Labels: Albany, random

I'm no big fan of Cardinal Brady, but I am somewhat amused that this story, which was news 14 year ago, is now becoming a big issue. Next on the 11 pm news - Paul VI issues Humanae Vitae, dissident Americans react.

Labels: catholic, random, trends

So, I made a student loan payment online and miss-typed the account number for my bank account. I didn't realize it and the payment of $235 cleared two weeks ago, but was never subtracted from my checking account. I called the company I paid and they claim they received the money. I called my bank and they said they have no pending payments. I went online and looked up the payment and realized I miss-typed the account number. So somebody paid my bill, but not me.

I spent an hour today trying to sort this out. The student loan company insists it needs to be resolved with my bank. (I called the student loan company three times.) So I called my bank, and after 45 minutes and talking to 6 different people, including several managers, they are insisting that they don't have an account by that number and I should resolve it with the student loan company.

I don't have time for this. I'm thinking of just keeping the $235.

Shouldn't the technology be better. I mean if the account number and name don't match up, how is it I was able to make a payment. What's to stop me from paying off my entire student loan right now with this mystery account?

Something is royally screwed up. I just don't want to get in trouble for fraud and stealing money.

Labels: random

They walk out of the New Life Corporation reciting Robert Browning's famous lines "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made."

These famous lines begin beautiful poem entitled, astonishingly, "Rabbi Ben Ezra." But who is Rabbi Ben Ezra? He was an 11th century Spanish rabbi, poet, and mathematician who even has a lunar crater named in his memory.

Well maybe not. But more than you might think.

Labels: jewish, random

I am currently doing a bit of link cleaning. In my todo queue, I came across one entry that wasn't like the rest.

2008-07-26 - no leftovers

If I recall correctly, on that day almost a year ago, I got Chinese food with my family and there were no leftovers, a fact which amazed me so much that I put it on my list of things to blog about. And by coincidence, a year later I came across the entry.

I sense some Chinese food in my future. Woulnd't want to upset fate by not going for it.

Labels: fun, history, random

A by and large statement, a maxim, a less-than-100% argument.

Labels: literature, random

In addition to the YouTube video above, I read this article from the New Yorker which gives a fascinating survey of elevators. Okay, I just spent half an hour reading the article instead of doing work. Not very productive, but it's the stuff of urban legends and sometimes you can't resist stories like this.

Labels: local, New York, random, urban