Tuesday, July 31, 2007

La Costa Brava


"La Costa Brava" by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists is an inspiring coding song for some reason. Maybe that's where I want to be?

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Oh my god, it's ginormous

I can't believe the Brits had a dictionary of Military Slang in 1948.

It was a ginormous year for the wordsmiths at Merriam-Webster. Along with embracing the adjective that combines "gigantic" and "enormous," the dictionary publishers also got into Bollywood, sudoku and speed dating.

But Merriam-Webster traces ginormous back to 1948, when it appeared in a British dictionary of military slang. And in the past several years, its use has become, well, ginormous.

[via the AP]

That is a terrible "joke" at the end there. Just terrible. The whole AP enhanced levity style for novelty articles is thoroughly annoying.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Nice Graph in the Economist


Not that I care in the least, it's just more BS politics.
Article

All these dudes seem so sad to me, trotting around, begging to be liked. Begging for money. I just wish they would focus on fixing the country, and leave all the people that live in it alone...

Thursday, July 05, 2007

If you have time to watch the news...


(and I don't have time) watch ABC. Gary Langer is a thinker!


These aren't mere quibbles. I've reported previously on misreporting of scientific data in studies on subjects as disparate as autism, parenting and even naps. Whatever the subject, as studies like these enter the discourse through credible media sources they can influence our thinking and ultimately inform public policy. In deciding whether and how to report them, we need first to check them out in detail, as we do any other alleged news that comes in over the transom. As newspeople, that's our job. Or should be.


Wow, someone is actually examining the stupid statistics we are constantly barraged with? This is amazing.

via Freakonomics