Solipsism Gradient

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Women’s words, Wagner … and who are you?

Clare Short’s real resignation this week and her statement (published in Tuesday’s Independent) restored some of my regard for the woman, almost lost when she proved me wrong just before the war.

Posted by Rafael Fischmann:

Rainer Brockerhoff wrote:

We’re packing for another trip… this time a short one, to Buenos Aires (Argentina). We’re leaving tomorrow (Friday, Aug.15th) very early in the morning and return next Tuesday (Aug.19th) around midnight.

Chances to get to an Internet Café are low, as Monday is a national holiday. But expect some nice photos to be posted later next week.

Enjoy and relax!

Dr. Weinberger calls our attention to John Rooney’s CrashBonsai, where very small cars crash into very small trees.

No passengers have been injured in CrashBonsai accidents, although some drivers have reported a brief, even euphoric loss of consciousness.

…what’s that? Off-topic? I don’t think so…

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Heat exchanges

Rainer’s decided he’s a “bright”.
Not white, not quite a sight, not even alight, but a … what?

“One of the advantages of the word ‘Bright’ is that it allows a really simple and straightforward assertion. You state

I just signed up as a bright.

The term “bright” first came to my attention through an essay by Richard Dawkins on Edge, one of my favorite sites.

…A triumph of consciousness-raising has been the homosexual hijacking of the word “gay”. I used to mourn the loss of gay in (what I still think of as) its true sense. But on the bright side (wait for it) gay has inspired a new imitator, which is the climax of this article. Gay is succinct, uplifting, positive: an “up” word, where homosexual is a down word, and queer, faggot and pooftah are insults. Those of us who subscribe to no religion; those of us whose view of the universe is natural rather than supernatural; those of us who rejoice in the real and scorn the false comfort of the unreal, we need a word of our own, a word like “gay”. You can say “I am an atheist” but at best it sounds stuffy (like “I am a homosexual”) and at worst it inflames prejudice (like “I am a homosexual”).

Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell, of Sacramento, California, have set out to coin a new word, a new “gay”. Like gay, it should be a noun hijacked from an adjective, with its original meaning changed but not too much. Like gay, it should be catchy: a potentially prolific meme. Like gay, it should be positive, warm, cheerful, bright.

Bright? Yes, bright. Bright is the word, the new noun. I am a bright. You are a bright. She is a bright. We are the brights. Isn’t it about time you came out as a bright? Is he a bright? I can’t imagine falling for a woman who was not a bright. The website http://www.celebatheists.com/ suggests numerous intellectuals and other famous people are brights. Brights constitute 60% of American scientists, and a stunning 93% of those scientists good enough to be elected to the elite National Academy of Sciences (equivalent to Fellows of the Royal Society) are brights. Look on the bright side: though at present they can’t admit it and get elected, the US Congress must be full of closet brights. As with gays, the more brights come out, the easier it will be for yet more brights to do so. People reluctant to use the word atheist might be happy to come out as a bright.

So, I’m out of the (dark) closet…

Right in my own neighborhood I noticed a strange trend for names of real estate agencies:

I wonder which marketing genius dreamed these up…

I’ve never used Windows XP, although I’ve seen friends using it… after reading Mark Pilgrim‘s revealing post “How to install Windows XP in 5 hours or less“, I resolved to never touch it in the future, either.

…

43. Install Mozilla. Yes, I would like to make you my default browser. The world is happiness and glee.

44. “Take a tour of Windows XP!” Sigh.

45. “30 days left for activation!” Click. Yes, I would like to activate Windows over an active internet connection, now that I have one. No, I would not like to register with Microsoft. Yes, I have read the privacy statement and agree to give up my computer, my civil rights, and my first-born child. I wasn’t using my civil rights anyway.

…

53. Yes, I agree to bend over, grease up, and accept the End User License Agreement.

54. Wait. Time passes.

55. Wait. Time passes.

56. Wait. Time passes. It is getting dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

57. Reboot.

58. “Take a tour of Windows XP!”

…

It took 147 steps. Admittedly, this is a not-very-standard installation for a job he needs to do specifically on XP…

Regarding my previous reference to urinals, a kind (?) visitor pointed me at Urinal Dot Net. The “Top 10” photos are fascinating…

Herewith some more unrelated strange/interesting links, found while I actually should have been working:

The First Worldwide Annual ABSFG Gurning Contest!

Crazy Eyes (weird contact lenses)!

Reidar Finsrud’s Perpetual Motion Device!

All Your Calvin & Hobbes Are Belong To Us!

Unclean! Unclean! (AKA Web Developer Wanted)!