Cranezilla --Mark Crane's collection of rarely annotated links

2008-11-23T22:08:00.001-07:00

On 10/24/2000 I wrote: "There are a lot of really smart geek conservatives voting for Bush, and I just can't figure it out. Are they voting for the platform? Because the man himself just comes across as a real clueless gomer. Not that Gore has a personality."

2008-11-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

Our public library allows you any two of the following options: an outlet, quiet, or wifi.

2008-11-13T09:21:00.001-07:00

The great thing about Ping.Fm is that you can update all of your social networking sites at once, leading to a barrage of trojan friend spam.

2008-11-11T15:11:00.001-07:00

Working in the noisy section of the library, by an outlet. Earplug in one ear, candy wrapper jammed in the other.

2008-11-11T11:24:00.001-07:00

If I was Bill and Ted and brought Lincoln to the mall, I'd totally keep him out of the bookstore, especially the biography section.

2007-12-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

[my lawyer] asked me yesterday why it was that I never swore. He found me washing windows in this library, although nobody had ordered me to do that.
So I told my my maternal grandfather's idea that obscenity and blasphemy gave most people permission not to listen respectfully to whatever was being said.
I repeated an old story Grandfather Wills had taught me, which was about a town where a cannon was fired at noon every day. One day the cannoneer was sick at the last minute and was too incapacitated to fire the cannon.
So at high noon there was silence.
All the peole in the town jumped out of their skins when the sun reached its zenith. They asked each other in astonishment, "Good gravy! What was that?"
My lawyer wanted to know what that had to do with my not swearing.
I replied that in an era as foul mouthed as this one, "Good gravy" had the same power to startle as a cannon shot.

--Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

internet stuff | Ask MetaFilter

2007-11-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

internet stuff | Ask MetaFilter

How to proxy and block internet sites for your kids' machine.

Course Readings

2007-11-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Course Readings

New Media and Technical Writing

Locate and Share Bad Neighbors Before and After You Move

2007-10-31T16:07:00.000-06:00

Locate and Share Bad Neighbors Before and After You Move

Mattias Inks

2007-10-20T14:45:00.000-06:00

Mattias Inks

McCanna23.com

2007-10-16T20:13:00.000-06:00

McCanna23.com

Boardgamegeekery. Spreadsheets and such.

2007-08-15T23:20:00.000-06:00

2007-06-06T22:11:00.000-06:00

2007-05-24T19:41:00.001-06:00

2007-05-24T19:31:00.000-06:00

I just took apart our dishwasher, cleaned out the clogged food chopper, and reassembled it. Last time we paid a guy $80 to do it, but I watched and learned his secrets. I also have another secret weapon that I should use more often, even for mundane stuff like this. It involves invoking a higher power before beginning. This generally calms me down before attempting a stressful task. Finding a manual at http://applianceblog.com was also very helpful. I think that's a good formula for a lot of problems:

1. Pray for help
2. Read the manual
3. Send the kids out to eat at Wendy's so you can work in peace.
4. Learn from a pro.

Thu, May 12, 2005 09:12

2006-12-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Thu, May 12, 2005 09:12
Originally uploaded by Craniac.

Desi is so cute!

2006-10-12T16:04:00.000-06:00

With YouTube, Grad Student Hits Jackpot Again - New York Times: "“I wish we could have kept him as part of the company,” Mr. Botha said. “He was very, very creative. We were doing everything we could to convince him to defer.”"

2006-09-04T08:28:00.000-06:00

BGG Thread: Making a copy of FMP from the files...: "Use a roller cutter or a chopping cutter to get the counters to be the exact same size. Clip the corners for a neater look. Then, once cut, spray a coat of Krylon Matte varnish--a couple light coats won't run the inks at all, even with ink jet printing. I prefer to use a matte photo paper for really sharp, nice-looking images on the counters. You'll end up with a very professional looking game."

2006-09-03T08:34:00.000-06:00

Understand - a novelette by Ted Chiang

2006-09-03T08:31:00.000-06:00

Fantastic Metropolis ? Division by Zero

2006-09-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

2006-09-03T00:49:00.000-06:00

UKULELE BOOGALOO presents "TONIGHT YOU BELONG TO ME"

2006-09-02T23:06:00.000-06:00

Comments on 5352 | Ask MetaFilter: "A man was driving down the road with twenty penguins in the backseat. A cop stopped him and said that he couldn't drive around with the penguins in the car and told him he should take them to the zoo. The man agreed and drove off.

The next day the same man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back again. He is stopped by the same cop who says, 'Hey! I thought I told you to take those penguins to the zoo.'

The man replies 'I did. Today I'm taking them to the movies.'"

2006-08-07T18:26:00.000-06:00

YouTube - somewhere over the rainbow

Wonderful ukulele medley and video.

2006-08-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

Internet Truthiness | MetaFilter: "I've always been a big fan of Al Gore's, and after years of observation, I get the impression that in a place deep down and well-insulated inside Al Gore is a man who wouldn't do a thing to oppose a violent, bloody and comprehensive revolution, if one were to start.

And I like that.

I can't wait to see if he makes an appearance in the upcoming Futurama episodes."