http://blog.keithsilgard.com So, this is a weblog. Seems oddly familiar yet strangely new. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:19:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Some days are easier than other.  I recently read a Joel Spolsky article titled Fire and Motion, which seemed to sum my current problem up nicely. I'm especially sensitive to the ebb and flow of productivity as I feel terrible about myself on days where I'm not able to manage ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/11/19/grinding-flying/ I had completely forgot this was a thing until lunch today. It's quite possibly the funniest commercial EVAR. I seriously remember sitting at my last job just watching it over, and over, and over again. (I have no idea why I wasn't a radical success there...) http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/11/12/feel-great/ Recently in retail there has been a big movement towards self checkout. It makes total sense from a retailer's perspective; you don't have to pay a cashier's salary, it never calls in sick, doesn't need vacation, and doesn't sneak extra minutes into its breaks. Hiring woes, personal issues, and employee ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/11/10/self-checkout-sucks/ So Michael Crichton passed away, and I was reminded of something I had read on his website. It turns out that it isn't on the site any longer (or at least I couldn't find it there), so I thought I'd post it here (thanks Google cache). It's really, incredibly long, ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/11/06/michael-crichton/ It is easy to dispel the powers of fate. To overlook the incredible inpossibility that is life on this planet is a daily occurrence. I tend to avoid talk of destiny, my rational brain prefers to think in terms of probability rather than the miracle of coincidence. Yet it's hard ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/10/30/ballz-deep/ My baby is the cutest. I don't mean to be sappy, and I'm not being silly, but seriously, how could anyone deny this: You can't. You can try, but you'll fail.  You know, I've actually tried to be detatched and unemotional. I've observed her patiently for the last year and a half. ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/10/25/a-mature-and-unbiased-opinion/ 13,832,972 votes were cast nationally of which, 6.8% chose to vote for the Green Party. That's roughly one in every fourteen voters. The Green Party was able to win precisely zero seats in the House of Commons. Conversely, the Bloc Quebecois managed 9.97% of the vote and won 50 seats.  The ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/10/17/940642-canadians-cant-be-wrong-but-they-can-be-ignored/ I warn you know, there will never be a nerdier post than this one. If you aren't a nerd, do yourself a favor and stop reading. Seriously. Still reading? Then I'm willing to bet you didn't see a girl naked until well after high school. If that's not the case, ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/09/19/mac-apache-php-mysql-woe/ I have a tendancy to take the path of least resistance. The middle of the road is where I'm most comfortable, so that's where I tend to stay. When I buy something, it's never the most expensive and never the least expensive. Why we built our first house, it was ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/08/24/risk/ A recent trip to Subway has left me with no doubt as to my lot in life. As part of a new contest we can win instantly with Subway Scrabble! Lucky me, instead of a free cookie I was presented with a learning moment: Hey, thanks Subway... good to know that ... http://blog.keithsilgard.com/2008/08/11/subway-thinks-i-am-a-loser/