General

A steady diet of spam

A steady diet of spam

“Just delete it immediately,” says my friend the haiku poet. “Don’t be tempted to read it. Because if you read it, you might think, ‘well, this one’s okay,’ but trust me, it’s not. If it’s marked as spam, it’s spam, and you should just delete it without reading it,...

How to remodel a bathroom

How to remodel a bathroom

"Please," I hear you crying, "I don't want to remodel a bathroom! Don't make me!" No, wait. Maybe that's me. So here's your escape clause: don't buy a house. Lots of people are lifelong tenants, even in countries that use phrases like "pride of ownership." In exchange...

Totally onboarded out

Totally onboarded out

Remember when people used to “get jobs” and then “start work” as a "new employee"? These days, you’re not a new employee, you’re an organizational newcomer who has to be "sourced" and then “socialized” into your company by means of a process called “onboarding.” And...

On Golden Age Mysteries Pond

On Golden Age Mysteries Pond

I’ve been reading so many 1930s "Golden Age" English mysteries, I think I could write one in my sleep. In fact -- [rummages through scraps of paper on night-stand] -- I have written one in my sleep! Let's see if it's any good. Chapter 1: Toast on the Terrace Victim:...

America’s gun violence: for the victims

America’s gun violence: for the victims

Of the children killed by guns in the industrialized world, 87% are killed in the United States of America. – The Children’s Defense Fund News bulletin, December 15, 2012 A man-eating tiger rampaged through a junior high school in Burkhart, California, today, killing...