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There’s an entire field
There’s an entire field of study for human-computer interactions. I wonder if they study the odd ESP that lets computers know when I’m too busy to fix them. I swear my computers choose to break down when they can cause me the most headaches. I am leading a two day digital video retreat this coming…
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Utility monopolies [insert rude
Utility monopolies [insert rude scatalogical verb here]. I have one in mind in particular. Pittsburgh’s water and sewer authority has screwed up again. Instead of maling bills regularly, they wait for a year then visit the house to paste a termination notice on the door. When this happened in July 1999, I thought it was…
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“Good morning, what’s for
“Good morning, what’s for dinner?” is a favorite greeting on my online hanggout. My compatriot in Chicago is just about to start cooking when I wake up. Sometimes we trade menu ideas. Once in while we discover he’s about to eat the same dish I had the night before. Weird food synchronicity. This morning, we…
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I love reading. Curling
I love reading. Curling up with a novel at the end of a long day is a great way to escape the stresses of work. Nothing beats a good reference work when I need some assistance–even the Internet isn’t as reassuring as my trusty dictionary. Nonfiction challenges me to learn, sometimes in areas I’ve never…
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My desk is host
My desk is host to two towering stacks of papers & books. There are pens, notebooks and office supplies scattered evenly across it. An empty take-out cup has a place of honor near the mouse. My empty coffee mug rests on a coaster nearby. 14,910 yen is divided into two heaps. My arms occupy the…
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Tod surprised me with
Tod surprised me with a present of books. Actually, it wasn’t a surprise; he let the cat out of the bag a while ago. But he didn’t tell me what books he had ordered from Powell’s our favorite online book retailer. First he handed over Geoffrey Sampson’s Writing Systems, a dense tome, thankfully brief, on…
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If you peeked into
If you peeked into my genkan, you might think a dozen people lived in my house. The genkan is the entryway, recessed a bit, where you remove your shoes before stepping up into the house. It’s a relic from farming days when shoes and boots were muddy and keeping them at the door kept the…
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On the 29th of
On the 29th of every month, our local yakiniku (Korean barbeque restaurant), has a 29% discount. It took me a while to figure out why. The date in Japanese is “ni-ju kyu nichi” (2 tens 9 day). If you read the numbers without the place value, it is “ni kyu” which is very close to…
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Astrid’s Chinese Opera Costume
Astrid’s Chinese Opera Costume party had the best costumes of any I’ve ever attended–so much red and gold silk and excellent make-up. I was a Chinese acrobat crowned with a three-tiered layer of glitter- and sequin-enhanced wine glasses. I think I wore the most talked-about headpiece at the party–at the very least, it made me…
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Japan’s consumer price index
Japan’s consumer price index fell again in September–the 24th month in a row that prices have dropped. It was just 0.8% lower that last September but every little bit helps a shopper’s wallet. Despite lower prices, Japan’s consumers aren’t buying as much. We all purchased 2.9% less stuff in September. Dropping prices are bad for…
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