Cheerful Curmudgeon

A complete lack of ideas and the power to express them.

Art Zemon's Blog Posts

Found: Live Dinosaur

The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History has a live dinosaur. Extinct, my ASS! from The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo. How cool is that?

Privacy

Many, perhaps all, of us assume that our privacy is respected and protected in most aspects of our lives. This notion is so ingrained in our society that I never gave it a second thought until this week when a court ruled that Google must turn over data on YouTube users to Viacom. Within hours, […]

In Memory of Marjory Serby Robertson

My mother, Marjorie Serby Robertson, passed away last week. I found this poem which beautifully sums up her life. Old Song Do not seek too much fame, but do not seek obscurity. Be proud. But do not remind the world of your deeds. Excel when you must, but do not excel the world. Many heroes […]

Surprising Truth in Bush Inauguration Speech Satire

In January 2001, The Onion satirized George W. Bush’s first inauguration speech in Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over’. The sad part is, most of the satire turned out to be true. For instance, Bush swore to do “everything in [his] power” to undo the damage wrought by Clinton’s […]

Your Flight has been Delayed Again

You have almost certainly enjoyed the “hospitality” of an airline as you waited… and waited… and waited for a delayed flight. Maybe you were on the plane, wishing that you could get off and sit somewhere more comfortable. Maybe you were in the airport, wishing that you a) had news of the plane’s whereabouts and […]

American Airlines Gets a Clue

For a change, American Airlines is making a good business decision. Instead of whining about how it cannot run profitably, it is doing something about its bottom line: raising its prices. There has been lots of news coverage about the $15 fee which American Airlines is charging for the first piece of checked luggage. Good […]

Yes, Linux is “Ready for the Desktop”

It’s nice to read that Jeremy LaCroix at Linux.com agrees with me, though our phraseology differs a bit. Quite a few reviews of new Linux releases these days try to determine if a distribution is “ready for the desktop.” I myself have probably been guilty of using that phrase, but I think it’s time we […]

Assuming

Technology is challenging enough when we really know what is going on. The situation deteriorates rapidly as we progress through only thinking we know what is going on to being completely clueless. My step-mother just started using a computer, the first computer that has been solely hers, the first one where she can do whatever […]

Linux is Ready for Prime-Time

Is Linux ready to replace Microsoft Windows? You have almost certainly heard the question and you have probably wondered about it. You might even have tried Linux yourself and given some serious thought to switching. Most people avoid switching, though, not because they particularly care about the operating system but because switching would force them […]

Risk Analysis: NOT!

I just read a letter to the editor in my local newspaper. It begins, Are you kidding me? Jefferson Middle School says that no kids can bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because there are kids with peanut allergies? Peanut butter is dangerous to the 1.3% of Americans who have peanut allergies. We […]

Shut Up and Let Me Drive

We all know that distractions make driving significantly more difficult and dangerous. Cell phones top the list, at least from lawmakers’ perspectives, and we now have laws in several states which limit cell phone use while driving. Sadly, lawmakers have not found a way to make children stop bugging their parents during car trips. “She’s […]

High Tech Windsock

Now I’ll readily admit that I’m no expert in windsocks. I’ve seen my share but never paid ’em much mind. I’ve certainly never delved into the technology which makes ’em work. Obviously, I have ignored somethin’ which ought not be ignored. I just read this NOTAM: Trenton NJ (Trenton Mercer) [TTN]: May NOTAM #5 Aerodrome […]

Moving Beyond TV

Thanks to Jeremy Zawodny for drawing my attention to Clay Shirky’s talk on the cognitive surplus. Shirky makes some excellent points. Give it 17 minutes of your time and watch. My comments follow. I agree with Shirky, we like to do more than we like to watch. That’s why it was so funny when Peter […]

Celebrate Earth Day

It’s Earth Day so celebrate. Go and get yourself a glass of clear, cool, refreshing water. Sip and savor the cool wetness as it trickles back along your tongue. Do your teeth feel cold, too? Take a deep gulp. Ahhhhh. That satisfies, doesn’t it? Now celebrate again because you didn’t pay $0.79 for that privilege; […]

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