Entries Tagged 'Odds and ends' ↓

The Helvetica coffee mug from Veer, with some sans serif typeface humor.

Hat tip: BuzzFeed

Click the comic to see it larger. Arlo & Janis by Jimmy Johnson.

I had submitted this photo of a billboard on U.S. 30 between Fort Wayne and Columbia City to The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.

It was posted today. I am “honored.”

Celebrate appropriately.

From the AP story, “China has yet to approve protest applications: Critics accuse officials of using process as trap to discover potential trouble.”

“This is not realistic,” Wang (Wei, vice president of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee) said. “We think that you do not really understand China’s reality. China has its own version and way of exercising our democracy.”

I don’t want to be in Texas right now, but I wouldn’t mind warning signs that mention large funny birds.

Yes, there is!

The term is grawlix, and it looks to have been coined by Beetle Bailey cartoonist Mort Walker around 1964. Though it’s yet to gain admission to the Oxford English Dictionary, OED Editor-at-Large Jesse Sheidlower describes it as “undeniably useful, certainly a word, and one that I’d love to see used more.”

– From typography.com

Whenever you hear a scary story about some common food or ingredient being toxic, remember this fundamental principle of toxicology:

It’s the size of the dose that makes something poisonous.

I’m quoting from StatsBlog, which is run by the Statistical Assessment Service at George Mason University.

A recent sad story about a British woman illustrates the point about toxins.

Tragically, Dawn Page, who is now 52, was persuaded by a nutritionist to go on a detox diet that required consuming an extra four pints of water per day and reducing her salt intake. Within days, she began vomiting. Her nutritionist advised her to increase her water intake to six pints and cut back further on salt. Before a week had passed, Page suffered a massive epileptic fit because too much water and too little sodium in her blood (hyponatremia) caused her brain to swell. She now has permanent brain damage.

The point is not that drinking water will kill you. The point is that it’s the dose that counts.

– Photo by obo-bobolina on Flickr

Just thought this was pretty awesome.

[youtube FExqG6LdWHU]

(I saw this on someone else’s blog a while back. I’ll gladly give a hat tip if you tell me!)

One of my favorite comic strips has come to an end: Bo Nanas.

According to The Kansas City Star:

The Washington Post Writers Group, which syndicates the strip, said only 14 newspapers were carrying

You wanna stay cool, right? (Available only in Japan. Of course.)

Certainly this is just too cool for me to own, and a good bit expensive at $30.

But it seems front-pocket wallets are gaining in popularity for those guys who are tired of bustin’ out their back pockets with a George Costanza wallet.

This is the Slimmy, what they call a slim front pocket wallet alternative. It’s kept in your front pocket for security and convenience

But it takes discipline, as the Koyono web site says:

STYLE WARNING: This slim wallet is not a magic trick. If you have a “George Castanza (sic) wallet,” with over 10 credit cards, pictures of distant relatives, and 5 years of financial records, you WILL NOT be able to magically conceal the same contents in the Slimmy.

The Slimmy experience is about security, comfort and minimalism. Carry only what you need so that you are less exposed to theft, less encumbered, and look better.

Would I have the necessary discipline to use a slim front-pocket wallet? Since I do not own one, I really don’t know.

In unrelated news, my birthday’s in early September.

Hat tip: Uncrate

This is the version of Psalm 84 an elder at my church — yes, it would be Tim — would like to work on with me:

The most jarring product placement ad ever:

Hat tip:  Test Pattern

Two books I hope to get done reading before their they’re due back at the library:

If I start running out of time, I wonder which one I should read first? Thoughts?

I finally looked for, and found, a link to the PCA Study Report on the Federal Vision. It was turned in just before the deadline for the upcoming General Assembly in mid-June, but not in time for it to actually be in the packet all the attendees were mailed.

The folks at Reformed News (gotta keep an eye on that site) say some pastors have signed a letter saying, whoa there, General Assembly. And they have some good points, especially about the committee being “stacked,” as it were:

Several members of the committee had already pronounced their condemnation of FV (Federal Vision) teaching, prior to being named to the committee. However, no FV men were appointed. Robert

Instead of me trying to come up with something witty and/or wise, I’m just gonna direct you to Brant Hansen’s blog down in Florida. He hosts the morning show on 88.1 WAY-FM in South Florida, one of those Christian rock stations. He also plays accordion.

Read the top post about KFC.  And about little kids. And Melinda Doolittle. And etc.

It’s all here:

Letters from Kamp Krusty

Enjoy.

Here is a typical error message that I get on the CCI system we use at The News-Sentinel:

Dba2.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log is being created.

And then you have only one option: Click the OK button. Thanks, CCI.

But Google is different. The folks at Google know people will ask for things that will make no sense in the real world. But instead of creating cryptic and useless error messages, Google creates solutions.

You’re likely familiar with the search engine’s spell check. Do a search for “pancke” and Google gives you the results, but also helpfully responds, “Did you mean: pancake.” That’s great design, and it keeps me going back to Google for searching.

But even better is the Google sense of humor. Its April Fool’s Day jokes are legendary, but Google builds a light-hearted approach in other areas.

1. Go to maps.google.com.
2. Click Get Directions.
3. Type Chicago in the first blank, and London in the second one.

Now, scroll down to number 19, or maybe 20. Those Google guys really know how to be silly. And that makes working with Google more fun.

As seen on East State Boulevard.