I'm okay; You're okay; We're all okay!

The Straight Dope on Myers-Briggs (result, it's kinda junky science that makes people feel good about themselves)(I'm an INTJ - a scientist! I knew it!)

Meet the new boss

Pardon the gen-x post-millennial tension, but if Stuff White People Like is the 95 Theses, then here's the Confession of Sins:

Church?

I read blogs to align my tastes and opinions with the creative elite

I frown upon anything my newly blog-aligned perspective (bap) deems typical

I publicly acknowledge my superficiality, believing (via bap) that this equals self-awareness

I try to fit in by forging a personal brand that exhibits a unique blend of accepted alternative characteristics

...

He's a little off though, since self-awareness isn't absolution.

I've totally lost my Snow Legs

So, in the 'tis better to have love and lost vein, do I need to move somewhere really cold again so that a little bit of extended cold doesn't feel bad, and perhaps feels good? (side note; brief snow flurries this morning, and it's been more or less cold since Fall - quelle surprise)

When I did live in a cold place, you expected it to be cold all winter long, and there wasn't the sense of getting cheated; and furthermore, I would acclimate (somewhat), so that a merely brisk day was as invigorating as a breath-mint commercial makes it out to be. But just because it works, do you have to suffer in order to appreciate good things? What's the right way to renormalize your expectations without turning into a sadomasochistic fiend?

The elephant in the room

Intolerant Chic - Benjamin Schwarz discusses Stuff White People Like, which if you want, maps much of the cultural fault line running through this, and every, election season.

I did make it to Christian Lander's Stuff White People Like book signing. In fact, I showed up slightly early.

Weekend Update

Pardon the lack of posting - It was a combination of a very full schedule and wildly intermittent internet connectivity. Last week I was in St. Petersburg, Florida for the OSA's threefer topical meeting on Biomedical Optics/Digital Holography and Three-Dimensional Imaging (DH)/Laser Applications to Chemical, Security and Environmental Analysis (LACSEA).

Note to the OSA, I enjoyed this meeting very much, even if it did run from 7:30 am till 6 pm, Sunday through Thursday - which sort of negates the point of holding it in Florida in March - but you can't really complain about declining attendance of your annual meeting if you make it superfluous by holding a bunch of collocated, multi-session topical meetings.

Second note: Florida does not have a motorcycle helmet law, which became apparent to me when I saw the headless guy lying in the street on the bridge out of Clearwater. I'll spare you the details, but Yikes! Donorcycle.

Third note: I visited lovely Fort De Soto beach on Thursday, yes - after the conference had ended, but the enjoyment was brief because some guy smashed the window of my rental car and ran off with my nifty briefcase. Fortunately, I was traveling on business and so the car was fully insured, and the briefcase didn't contain anything really valuable. Which is why I had spaced on leaving it in sight in my locked car. Although after filing the police report, I realized that my home keys, personal car keys and cell phone were in there, which made getting home from Dulles a total pain. (Three 35 mile trips back and forth, two in rush-hour traffic with a rental, in order to get my spare keys from home and drive back with my own car.)

Happy update: I did get a call today from a ranger who found the briefcase with my card inside, so at least I can get that back.

Forth note: I moved Saturday down to picturesque Old Town Alexandria. This has cut my commute to work by an hour each way, so that's a big advantage. I feel like I should paint a confederate flag on my Acura and add some Trucker-style mud flaps in order to fit in. Also, because I'm a big fan of cognitive dissonance. At the very least, a great big number three on the side.

Fifth note: Thanks to the folks who attended my traditional Easter Thai Lunch.

That is all for now, but more to come once I get the home internet going.

Google Olympics

• Tom Yorke In Ski Mask
• Words that rhyme with Mike (ed, bike?)
• hip phrases
• retro phrases
• pen that looks like a fish
• unimog movies
• burt rutan oxen voyager quote
• nerdy brother in law

And the winner:

• what is an acceptable reason to get secretly married in michigan?

Asymmetric Airplanes

I've been flying a lot, which has given me the opportunity to stare at the back of the passenger seat in front of me for about 40 hours this month. American Airlines divides their MD-80 rows into five seats, with two on one side and three on another. The overhead bins are likewise proportioned, with bags fitting sideways only on the narrow side. On all of these fully loaded flights, the starboard has a lot more passengers and luggage than the port-side. So why don't the planes tip over and barrel roll their way across the sky?

Actually, the real miracle is that all of my flights have arrived early. And not just the pulling away from the terminal and sitting on the tarmac early. I would have lost money betting on that. I suspect this won't last.