True names and aphasia (2011/11/11)
A running theme in fantasy literature is True Names – each thing (or at least person) has a true name, and knowing the true name of a thing gives you power over it. But why’s that? Here’s my theory. If you use a normal word for a thing, the word has connotations and shades of meaning that distract you from the thing itself. Thus, the use of carefully-crafted “true names”, words which exist to be directly mapped to the thing itself without connotations, puns, and other distractions.
[read more...]Razer's gaming stuff: Disappointing support (2011/11/10)
Okay, I gotta say. I like the hardware as such. Nice hardware. Good feel on the keyboards.
[read more...]Therapy doggerel (2011/11/10)
With a bit of help from my mom, who spotted a meter error:
[read more...]The foundational economics problem (2011/11/10)
We like to make fun of the music industry for being wedded to a fundamentally broken business model, based on a flawed assumption. But you know what? Our entire modern economy is predicated on a single, key, assumption, which is also false:
[read more...]Shoplifting 2.0 (2011/11/08)
It has come to my attention that, from time to time, it is important to reevaluate traditional business models and see how they can be improved with our modern and more advanced understanding of economics. With that in mind, I call your attention to a new business model I have developed, an extraordinarily effective means of removing items from retail establishments. It turns everything you thought you knew about shoplifting upside-down, and as such, I think it clearly worthy of the name “Shoplifting 2.0”.
[read more...]Naproxen sodium is apparently friendship (2011/11/04)
… and friendship, as we know, is magic.
[read more...]I learned a new phrase today. (2011/11/02)
Rotator cuff.
[read more...]Goblins ate us. (2011/10/31)
So, I’m autistic. My spouse is autistic. Our housemate is autistic. And this means that sometimes, all three of us are socialed out and cannot handle social interactions. Least of all social interactions with strangers, which are not on a clearly defined schedule.
[read more...]Priorities and importance (2011/10/31)
Places say “your privacy is important to us, please allow ten business days for your opt-out request to be processed.” Lies.
[read more...]Why permission matters. (2011/10/26)
A guy I know recently started getting daily emails from eHarmony, a dating site.
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