Thursday, February 12, 2009
Gorgeous sled dogs!
Clicky! (No, I don't know why the Toronto Star randomly has pictures of sled dogs.)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
We need to refine our use of the word "rights"
You do not have the right to have a cup of coffee in the morning.
"WTF?" you're thinking, "I totally do."
No, you don't.
You're totally allowed. It's perfectly legal. It's your own coffee purchased with your own hard-earned money. No one is going to stop you. Most people will even offer you coffee if you haven't had any yet.
But it isn't a right. It isn't codified in the Charter or anywhere else.
This is a problem with our current usage. We tend to use the word "rights" to refer to stuff that you're allowed to do, not your actual codified legal rights. Even though we understand intellectually the meaning of capital R Rights, if someone tells us we don't have the right to something, we hear that we aren't allowed to do it.
I don't know if it's because of this or just related, but there's a lot of other sloppy usage. I've heard people say "Voting is a privilege, not a right!" Except it's totally a right. You sometimes hear people complain that people are so worried about their rights but not thinking about their responsibilities, as though they're opposites or prerequisites or something.
Let's watch our usage. It's an important word for an important concept. It won't help to weaken it.
"WTF?" you're thinking, "I totally do."
No, you don't.
You're totally allowed. It's perfectly legal. It's your own coffee purchased with your own hard-earned money. No one is going to stop you. Most people will even offer you coffee if you haven't had any yet.
But it isn't a right. It isn't codified in the Charter or anywhere else.
This is a problem with our current usage. We tend to use the word "rights" to refer to stuff that you're allowed to do, not your actual codified legal rights. Even though we understand intellectually the meaning of capital R Rights, if someone tells us we don't have the right to something, we hear that we aren't allowed to do it.
I don't know if it's because of this or just related, but there's a lot of other sloppy usage. I've heard people say "Voting is a privilege, not a right!" Except it's totally a right. You sometimes hear people complain that people are so worried about their rights but not thinking about their responsibilities, as though they're opposites or prerequisites or something.
Let's watch our usage. It's an important word for an important concept. It won't help to weaken it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
25 random facts about me
1. On my right hand, my ring finger is longer than my index finger. On my left hand, my index finger is longer than my ring finger.
2. For the vast majority of my life, I've felt like everyone except me knows the rules of how the world works.
3. Both my parents are afraid of bugs like I am (although they have a remarkable ability to charge to the rescue when their child is having a panic attack). However, they decided, as many parents do, to make a specific effort to prevent me from developing the same fear by hiding their fear and teaching me to respect and appreciate creepy crawlies. So one day when I was a toddler, a rather large spider started making a home outside the sliding glass doors that led to our back deck. Rather than getting rid of it, they had me look at it from the other side of the glass and talked to me about how interesting it was and how it's good and helpful because it will catch and eat bad bugs. I watched it with some interest over what seemed like a rather long period of time (although it might have been just a couple of days). Then one day, I don't remember if it was my idea or my father's, we decided to go out on the back deck to see its web from the other side. The web was taller than me. And three dimensional. I ran away screaming and my phobias started that day.
4. When I was a small child, the dresser in my bedroom turned into a monster at night. Oh sure, it just sat there very very still, but I KNEW it was going to get me. So I got the biggest and strongest of my toy smurfs - named Hefty after the strongman smurf in the cartoon - and put him on my head. With Hefty on my head, the monster would think I'm a moose and then it wouldn't get me. (Everyone knows monsters only eat little girls, not meese.) It worked! The monster didn't get me! So I did the same thing again the next night. And the next night. And basically every night of my life when I was alone in bed. I still have Hefty and, even though none of my furniture turns into monsters any more, to this day I sleep better with him on my head.
5. If the first time I try a new food it doesn't taste like what it looks like it should taste like, I dislike the food. I can't even evaluate it objectively - I'm immediately put off because it wasn't what I was expecting. I have no idea what potato salad even tastes like, but it tasted nothing like what I was expecting the first time I tried it so now I can't even bring myself to eat it.
6. I can't stand fresh in-season organic tomatoes. They have way too much flavour. My stomach turns at the idea of a bright red tomato fresh from the garden, but I don't mind the slightly orangish kind that have come up on a truck from California.
7. I've been vegetarian since the age of 13. The only thing I miss is chicken noodle soup. Imagine Organics used to make something called No-Chicken Broth that closely duplicated the flavour, but I can't find that any more so once again I'm in the market for a yummy vegetarian chicken soup.
8. I find randomness satisfying. I listen to my ipod on shuffle while I'm working, and make rules for myself that I'm allowed to take certain kinds of breaks when songs meeting certain criteria come up. I put a bunch of books in my library holds list and read them in the order they come in, never knowing what's going to come in next. When I was a kid I'd dress my barbies by closing my eyes and reaching in to the big box of clothes and pulling out a handful of stuff and then trying to make an outfit from it. I make life decisions for my Sims by rolling dice (or, rather, by using a dice server.)
9. I got my first zit at the age of 9 and found my first grey hair at the age of 19. If genetics are any indication, I'm going to have both zits and grey hair at the same time for the rest of my life.
10. I'm the shortest one in my extended family of my generation. I felt emasculated the first time one of my younger cousins surpassed my height.
11. I have never in my life successfully initiated or escalated a relationship, whether romantic or platonic. From saying "Let's be friends!" on the kindergarten playground to rounding the sexual bases to setting the precedent of sharing funny news articles with the guy in the next cube, every successful relationship upgrade has been the other person's doing. Every time I've tried, I've failed.
12. All my friends are by every objective measure completely out of my league. I am constantly astounded that they deign to associate with me.
13. When I was a teenager, I would sometimes learn about things that boys I had crushes on were into. This never once helped me make any progress with any of these boys. However, I have since had a number of good friendships develop on the foundation of interests I nurtured in adolescent attempts to impress boys.
14. I have never been to a sporting event, apart from the occasional high school basketball game that I'd go to to get out of class and then sneak out of and go home at the first available opportunity.
15. Based on my genetics, I'm going to live past 100. I'm not thrilled with this. It's a huge financial planning problem.
16. I hate travelling. In theory I want to be open to new cultures and new experiences and practice my languages, but I just hate being beholden to itineraries and check-out times. It's work to me, not relaxation. In my apartment and in my neighbourhood, I have all the comforts and pleasures I need - a computer set up just the way I like it, a bathroom stocked with every little thing I might need and an essentially unlimited supply of well-pressured hot water, any food I might want readily available - and I hate the idea of spending my valuable savings and vacation time in an environment that meets my needs less perfectly. If you told me I was never going to leave Toronto again in my life, it wouldn't bother me one bit.
17. I can wrap the fingers of one hand completely around the widest part of the other hand. In other words, I can make a circle around my right wrist with the thumb and middle finger of my left hand (and vice versa) and pull my right hand completely through the circle without the thumb and middle finger losing contact with each other. I've never met anyone else who can do this.
18. I find asking myself "What would Eddie Izzard do?" far more helpful than it rightfully should be.
19. When I first entered translation school, I was a literalist prescriptivist. However, doing my first assignment, I found I just couldn't make a workable translation following the literalist prescriptivist philosophy that I thought was necessary. Frustrated and with deadline looming, I threw my hands in the air, saying "This is hopeless! I'll never be a translator! This thing is due and I don't know what to do, so I'll just write in English what the author of the source text really means!" I got an A+ on the assignment. I looked at the prof and thought "Ha! Tricked him!" It took probably half a dozen more instances of thusly tricking profs into giving me A's before I realized that idiomatic translation was the way to go.
20. When I was 10 or 11, shortly after menarche, I had a strong biological yearning to have a baby. However, I was not yet emotionally or hormonally capable of sexual attraction. The idea of even kissing anyone repulsed me. I was about 15 by the time sex seemed theoretically appealing, and by then I was childfree.
21. I lost my last baby tooth in Grade 9 music class.
22. Even though I know fully well how linguistic innovation works, whenever I hear someone else adopt a word or phrase that they got from me, I can't quite shake the feeling that maybe they're making fun of me.
23. I once underwent a psychiatric assessment during which the doctor asked me if I have the need to keep checking if the door was locked. I had never in my life felt the need to keep checking if the door is locked. However, when I went home that night and every night since then, I've had the need to check multiple times that the door is locked. I had to develop the habit of locking it and saying out loud to myself "Door is locked" so that I'd retain the fact that it's locked and not have to keep checking it.
24. I have never had a hangover.
25. This post has been sitting in my drafts for several days and I still can't think of a 25th thing to say.
2. For the vast majority of my life, I've felt like everyone except me knows the rules of how the world works.
3. Both my parents are afraid of bugs like I am (although they have a remarkable ability to charge to the rescue when their child is having a panic attack). However, they decided, as many parents do, to make a specific effort to prevent me from developing the same fear by hiding their fear and teaching me to respect and appreciate creepy crawlies. So one day when I was a toddler, a rather large spider started making a home outside the sliding glass doors that led to our back deck. Rather than getting rid of it, they had me look at it from the other side of the glass and talked to me about how interesting it was and how it's good and helpful because it will catch and eat bad bugs. I watched it with some interest over what seemed like a rather long period of time (although it might have been just a couple of days). Then one day, I don't remember if it was my idea or my father's, we decided to go out on the back deck to see its web from the other side. The web was taller than me. And three dimensional. I ran away screaming and my phobias started that day.
4. When I was a small child, the dresser in my bedroom turned into a monster at night. Oh sure, it just sat there very very still, but I KNEW it was going to get me. So I got the biggest and strongest of my toy smurfs - named Hefty after the strongman smurf in the cartoon - and put him on my head. With Hefty on my head, the monster would think I'm a moose and then it wouldn't get me. (Everyone knows monsters only eat little girls, not meese.) It worked! The monster didn't get me! So I did the same thing again the next night. And the next night. And basically every night of my life when I was alone in bed. I still have Hefty and, even though none of my furniture turns into monsters any more, to this day I sleep better with him on my head.
5. If the first time I try a new food it doesn't taste like what it looks like it should taste like, I dislike the food. I can't even evaluate it objectively - I'm immediately put off because it wasn't what I was expecting. I have no idea what potato salad even tastes like, but it tasted nothing like what I was expecting the first time I tried it so now I can't even bring myself to eat it.
6. I can't stand fresh in-season organic tomatoes. They have way too much flavour. My stomach turns at the idea of a bright red tomato fresh from the garden, but I don't mind the slightly orangish kind that have come up on a truck from California.
7. I've been vegetarian since the age of 13. The only thing I miss is chicken noodle soup. Imagine Organics used to make something called No-Chicken Broth that closely duplicated the flavour, but I can't find that any more so once again I'm in the market for a yummy vegetarian chicken soup.
8. I find randomness satisfying. I listen to my ipod on shuffle while I'm working, and make rules for myself that I'm allowed to take certain kinds of breaks when songs meeting certain criteria come up. I put a bunch of books in my library holds list and read them in the order they come in, never knowing what's going to come in next. When I was a kid I'd dress my barbies by closing my eyes and reaching in to the big box of clothes and pulling out a handful of stuff and then trying to make an outfit from it. I make life decisions for my Sims by rolling dice (or, rather, by using a dice server.)
9. I got my first zit at the age of 9 and found my first grey hair at the age of 19. If genetics are any indication, I'm going to have both zits and grey hair at the same time for the rest of my life.
10. I'm the shortest one in my extended family of my generation. I felt emasculated the first time one of my younger cousins surpassed my height.
11. I have never in my life successfully initiated or escalated a relationship, whether romantic or platonic. From saying "Let's be friends!" on the kindergarten playground to rounding the sexual bases to setting the precedent of sharing funny news articles with the guy in the next cube, every successful relationship upgrade has been the other person's doing. Every time I've tried, I've failed.
12. All my friends are by every objective measure completely out of my league. I am constantly astounded that they deign to associate with me.
13. When I was a teenager, I would sometimes learn about things that boys I had crushes on were into. This never once helped me make any progress with any of these boys. However, I have since had a number of good friendships develop on the foundation of interests I nurtured in adolescent attempts to impress boys.
14. I have never been to a sporting event, apart from the occasional high school basketball game that I'd go to to get out of class and then sneak out of and go home at the first available opportunity.
15. Based on my genetics, I'm going to live past 100. I'm not thrilled with this. It's a huge financial planning problem.
16. I hate travelling. In theory I want to be open to new cultures and new experiences and practice my languages, but I just hate being beholden to itineraries and check-out times. It's work to me, not relaxation. In my apartment and in my neighbourhood, I have all the comforts and pleasures I need - a computer set up just the way I like it, a bathroom stocked with every little thing I might need and an essentially unlimited supply of well-pressured hot water, any food I might want readily available - and I hate the idea of spending my valuable savings and vacation time in an environment that meets my needs less perfectly. If you told me I was never going to leave Toronto again in my life, it wouldn't bother me one bit.
17. I can wrap the fingers of one hand completely around the widest part of the other hand. In other words, I can make a circle around my right wrist with the thumb and middle finger of my left hand (and vice versa) and pull my right hand completely through the circle without the thumb and middle finger losing contact with each other. I've never met anyone else who can do this.
18. I find asking myself "What would Eddie Izzard do?" far more helpful than it rightfully should be.
19. When I first entered translation school, I was a literalist prescriptivist. However, doing my first assignment, I found I just couldn't make a workable translation following the literalist prescriptivist philosophy that I thought was necessary. Frustrated and with deadline looming, I threw my hands in the air, saying "This is hopeless! I'll never be a translator! This thing is due and I don't know what to do, so I'll just write in English what the author of the source text really means!" I got an A+ on the assignment. I looked at the prof and thought "Ha! Tricked him!" It took probably half a dozen more instances of thusly tricking profs into giving me A's before I realized that idiomatic translation was the way to go.
20. When I was 10 or 11, shortly after menarche, I had a strong biological yearning to have a baby. However, I was not yet emotionally or hormonally capable of sexual attraction. The idea of even kissing anyone repulsed me. I was about 15 by the time sex seemed theoretically appealing, and by then I was childfree.
21. I lost my last baby tooth in Grade 9 music class.
22. Even though I know fully well how linguistic innovation works, whenever I hear someone else adopt a word or phrase that they got from me, I can't quite shake the feeling that maybe they're making fun of me.
23. I once underwent a psychiatric assessment during which the doctor asked me if I have the need to keep checking if the door was locked. I had never in my life felt the need to keep checking if the door is locked. However, when I went home that night and every night since then, I've had the need to check multiple times that the door is locked. I had to develop the habit of locking it and saying out loud to myself "Door is locked" so that I'd retain the fact that it's locked and not have to keep checking it.
24. I have never had a hangover.
25. This post has been sitting in my drafts for several days and I still can't think of a 25th thing to say.
Parental forgetfulness
I've blogged before about how odd it is that parents seem to lose the ability to identify with the child half of a parent-child relationship, but this one blew me away.
I overheard part of a conversation where a mother of teens was talking to the mother of a baby. The baby's mother was talking about how much angst they were going through with teething, and the teens' mother said "Just wait until I tell you what happens when she gets her period!" The baby's mother replied "Don't even tell me!"
It's like they have no firsthand memory of what it's like to get your first period! The baby's mother is my age so there's no reason why she shouldn't remember her early teens, and it is her biological child that she gestated herself so I know she menstruates. But they're talking about this as though it's something completely Other that happens to your kids rather than something that we've all been through!
I overheard part of a conversation where a mother of teens was talking to the mother of a baby. The baby's mother was talking about how much angst they were going through with teething, and the teens' mother said "Just wait until I tell you what happens when she gets her period!" The baby's mother replied "Don't even tell me!"
It's like they have no firsthand memory of what it's like to get your first period! The baby's mother is my age so there's no reason why she shouldn't remember her early teens, and it is her biological child that she gestated herself so I know she menstruates. But they're talking about this as though it's something completely Other that happens to your kids rather than something that we've all been through!
Things I Don't Understand
1. Why on earth would anyone want two bathrooms in a one bedroom condo?
2. Why is there such thing as a combination curling and straightening iron (who's the target market for this?) but there's no such thing as a curling iron with interchangeable barrel sizes?
2. Why is there such thing as a combination curling and straightening iron (who's the target market for this?) but there's no such thing as a curling iron with interchangeable barrel sizes?
I wish I could be into Twitter
I like the idea of Twitter. Often when I'm nowhere near a computer I think of brief ideas that I'd like to post. I'd love to follow Levar Burton's attempt to quit smoking or tweet at the TTC's director of communications when there's a subway delay. And I'd totally want to be twittering early reports next time I'm in the presence of breaking news.
But there are just too many tweets. I could never keep up with all the incoming. I come home to nearly 100 new posts a day in my Google Reader alone - I just can't add another thing.
If I didn't have to have a full-time job, I'd be a kick-ass twitterer. I'd have a fun and witty feed and follow everyone I've ever heard of and come up with clever things that would make John Cleese reply to me. But unfortunately I don't have room for that much more internet commitment on top of a full-time job, and even the best twitter feed in the world won't pay the rent.
But there are just too many tweets. I could never keep up with all the incoming. I come home to nearly 100 new posts a day in my Google Reader alone - I just can't add another thing.
If I didn't have to have a full-time job, I'd be a kick-ass twitterer. I'd have a fun and witty feed and follow everyone I've ever heard of and come up with clever things that would make John Cleese reply to me. But unfortunately I don't have room for that much more internet commitment on top of a full-time job, and even the best twitter feed in the world won't pay the rent.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
How to get people to buy local
If the powers that be want people to buy Canadian-made products, they need to make it easy for us to find Canadian-made products. If I want drinking glasses, for example, and I want them to be Canadian-made, all I can do is wander from store to store checking where their drinking glasses were made. No one has time to do that!
What they should do is make a website of every single product that is made in Canada - searchable and categorized - along with a complete list of where to buy these products both in person and online. Then I can go to this website, look up drinking glasses, and see what's available and how much it costs and where to buy it.
What they should do is make a website of every single product that is made in Canada - searchable and categorized - along with a complete list of where to buy these products both in person and online. Then I can go to this website, look up drinking glasses, and see what's available and how much it costs and where to buy it.
"You're so quiet! You never talk!"
When I was a kid, my peers would often say to me "You're so quiet!" "You never talk!" I had no idea what to say in response.
As an adult I'm better at thinking of clever responses than I was as a kid, but to this day I still have no idea what they wanted or expected me to say in response to that. Now I'd probably answer "You're so quiet!" with "Aren't you glad?" and "You never talk!" with "What do you want me to talk about?" (wide eyes, raised eyebrows, open hands, body language communicating that I'm ready and willing to talk about whatever it is but I have no idea what it is). But I still have no idea how they expected me to answer or what they were getting at.
Googling around this idea, I found stories of other people being asked outright "How come you never talk?" or "Are you always this quiet?" I think today I'd answer these questions with "It's either that or babble mindlessly. I suck at coming up with the appropriate quality and quantity of conversation." I've found in general that when I openly, matter-of-factly and unapologetically state my personality flaws, people act like they don't believe me or like they think I'm kidding, but it totally smooths over the potential tension from those personality flaws. For example, someone wanted to take my picture, so I said "Only if you let me fix my make-up first. I'm entirely too vain and shallow to let anyone take my picture with imperfect make-up." She acted like she thought I was kidding, but she still patiently waited while I fixed my make-up before she took the picture, which has NEVER happened before! Usually I get a candid picture taken against my will and/or a bunch of crap about being so vain and shallow as to not want my picture taken with a shiny forehead.
As an adult I'm better at thinking of clever responses than I was as a kid, but to this day I still have no idea what they wanted or expected me to say in response to that. Now I'd probably answer "You're so quiet!" with "Aren't you glad?" and "You never talk!" with "What do you want me to talk about?" (wide eyes, raised eyebrows, open hands, body language communicating that I'm ready and willing to talk about whatever it is but I have no idea what it is). But I still have no idea how they expected me to answer or what they were getting at.
Googling around this idea, I found stories of other people being asked outright "How come you never talk?" or "Are you always this quiet?" I think today I'd answer these questions with "It's either that or babble mindlessly. I suck at coming up with the appropriate quality and quantity of conversation." I've found in general that when I openly, matter-of-factly and unapologetically state my personality flaws, people act like they don't believe me or like they think I'm kidding, but it totally smooths over the potential tension from those personality flaws. For example, someone wanted to take my picture, so I said "Only if you let me fix my make-up first. I'm entirely too vain and shallow to let anyone take my picture with imperfect make-up." She acted like she thought I was kidding, but she still patiently waited while I fixed my make-up before she took the picture, which has NEVER happened before! Usually I get a candid picture taken against my will and/or a bunch of crap about being so vain and shallow as to not want my picture taken with a shiny forehead.
Things They Should Invent: everyone express all dynamic opinions dynamically
Compare:
"I don't like him."
vs.
"The more I get to know him, the less I like him."
There's a difference, isn't there? The second one has a bit more credibility, it shows that the speaker is not stubbornly set in their ways or completely ignorant of the dude's true nature.
However, if the second speaker is not explicitly trying to convey the dynamic nature of their dislike, they may well simply say "I don't like him."
I think all communication would be clearer if everyone would make a point of expressing dynamically ideas and opinions that are dynamic, and reserve static statements for static opinions.
"I don't like him."
vs.
"The more I get to know him, the less I like him."
There's a difference, isn't there? The second one has a bit more credibility, it shows that the speaker is not stubbornly set in their ways or completely ignorant of the dude's true nature.
However, if the second speaker is not explicitly trying to convey the dynamic nature of their dislike, they may well simply say "I don't like him."
I think all communication would be clearer if everyone would make a point of expressing dynamically ideas and opinions that are dynamic, and reserve static statements for static opinions.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Things They Should Invent: computer program to find the right medication based on side-effects
Claritin and Reactin make me fall asleep if I use the drowsy version, and make me a tiny bit high and spaced out if I use the non-drowsy version. Allegra keeps my brain in the right place, but raises my eye pressure (and probably my blood pressure too, but eye pressure is most obvious to me.)
I want software or a website that will extrapolate from this information to tell me which allergy med is most likely to work for me. I know doctors and pharmacists might be able to do this, but it's not like I want to actually talk to another human being.
If it's a website, it could learn from the collective wisdom of its users. People input which meds worked for them and which gave them what side-effects, and the program could use that to predict what will happen for future users.
(Barring that, I wouldn't mind having another pill to take to cancel the allergy meds. High eye pressure is better than not being able to breathe because of the cat dander, but it's an annoyance when I'm no longer in the presence of the cats and don't need to be protected from them any more.)
I want software or a website that will extrapolate from this information to tell me which allergy med is most likely to work for me. I know doctors and pharmacists might be able to do this, but it's not like I want to actually talk to another human being.
If it's a website, it could learn from the collective wisdom of its users. People input which meds worked for them and which gave them what side-effects, and the program could use that to predict what will happen for future users.
(Barring that, I wouldn't mind having another pill to take to cancel the allergy meds. High eye pressure is better than not being able to breathe because of the cat dander, but it's an annoyance when I'm no longer in the presence of the cats and don't need to be protected from them any more.)
Puppies learning to walk!
I recently learned that puppies aren't really able to walk when they're born. Which means that puppies go through a stage where they're learning to walk. I know human babies are ridiculuous cute when they're learning to walk, so imagine how cute puppies learning to walk must be!
Fortunately, we live in the age of YouTube, and it came through with flying colours.
It seems a key developmental stage is not knowing or caring the different between stepping on the floor and stepping on your siblings.
Fortunately, we live in the age of YouTube, and it came through with flying colours.
It seems a key developmental stage is not knowing or caring the different between stepping on the floor and stepping on your siblings.
Reusable bags that are actually useful!
While I still resent having to use reusable shopping bags even though I came up with a better idea, I am happy to that Kitchen Stuff Plus has bags that will smush up nice and small to fit into my purse (unlike those ridiculous LCBO bags that require switching to a larger purse every time I want to pick up a couple of bottles of wine.)
They fold up to just slightly larger than a deck of playing cards, but they unfold really big. Like ridiculously huge, actually. You could be photographed nude holding it in front of you and your modesty would be protected. Today I had two of those big salon shampoo bottles and a big library-type hardcover book in my bag, and it looked laughably empty and oversized. Then I added two bottles of wine, and it was maybe a third full. (Yeah, I know, the contents of my shopping bag make me look snooty and decadent. But I'm stimulating the economy and facilitating environmentally responsible behaviour among my readership, so shut up.)
The only downside is that because they are so big, they might be too big for short people who want to carry them in their hand instead of over their shoulder. I'm 5'7" and when I'm in stocking feet the bottom of the bag is only like 4-6 inches off the ground when I hold it in my hand with my arm hanging straight down. However, it has wide straps so it does comfortably carry on the shoulder or the elbow. I had nearly 4 L of liquid in there plus a big book, and it was effortless to carry on my shoulder or my elbow. (A plastic shopping bag with 4L on my elbow is a little bit uncomfortable. Not unworkable and doesn't make me want to go straight home instead of stopping at another store, but it's not nothing. This bag was nothing.)
If you're in the market for a reusable that will fit in your purse, these are definitely worth looking at.
They fold up to just slightly larger than a deck of playing cards, but they unfold really big. Like ridiculously huge, actually. You could be photographed nude holding it in front of you and your modesty would be protected. Today I had two of those big salon shampoo bottles and a big library-type hardcover book in my bag, and it looked laughably empty and oversized. Then I added two bottles of wine, and it was maybe a third full. (Yeah, I know, the contents of my shopping bag make me look snooty and decadent. But I'm stimulating the economy and facilitating environmentally responsible behaviour among my readership, so shut up.)
The only downside is that because they are so big, they might be too big for short people who want to carry them in their hand instead of over their shoulder. I'm 5'7" and when I'm in stocking feet the bottom of the bag is only like 4-6 inches off the ground when I hold it in my hand with my arm hanging straight down. However, it has wide straps so it does comfortably carry on the shoulder or the elbow. I had nearly 4 L of liquid in there plus a big book, and it was effortless to carry on my shoulder or my elbow. (A plastic shopping bag with 4L on my elbow is a little bit uncomfortable. Not unworkable and doesn't make me want to go straight home instead of stopping at another store, but it's not nothing. This bag was nothing.)
If you're in the market for a reusable that will fit in your purse, these are definitely worth looking at.
Friday, February 06, 2009
No wonder we have a national inferiority complex
See these babies?
In the US they retail for $29.99. In Canada they retail for $49.99. In the US, you can buy them from the website and they go up to size 13. In Canada, you can't shop through the website and you're very very lucky if the stores have a few random stray size 11s (and you have to go to each store to check.) In the US, they come in black and yellow. In Canada, I've seen them only in black.
On top of all this, the US website won't even ship to Canada. Not even for exorbitant shipping costs. They could totally have charged me $20 shipping on a $29.99 purchase and I would have still have come away feeling like I won. But no, they won't deign to let me buy their shoes for any price, leaving me with no choice but to wander from store to store, cap in hand, begging for a rare and precious scrap of size 11 at a 60% markup.
In the US they retail for $29.99. In Canada they retail for $49.99. In the US, you can buy them from the website and they go up to size 13. In Canada, you can't shop through the website and you're very very lucky if the stores have a few random stray size 11s (and you have to go to each store to check.) In the US, they come in black and yellow. In Canada, I've seen them only in black.
On top of all this, the US website won't even ship to Canada. Not even for exorbitant shipping costs. They could totally have charged me $20 shipping on a $29.99 purchase and I would have still have come away feeling like I won. But no, they won't deign to let me buy their shoes for any price, leaving me with no choice but to wander from store to store, cap in hand, begging for a rare and precious scrap of size 11 at a 60% markup.
Things They Should Invent: dog parks for apartment buildings
There are notices up in my building telling people not to walk their dogs on this one patch of grass because it belongs to the building next door. There are a lot of dogs in my building because it's actively pet-friendly, but there isn't really a good place to walk them.
However, I think if they re-arranged the landscaping a bit, replaced some of the purely decorative bits with grass and consolidated the driveway into a more sensible arrangement, we could have a grassy area that could serve as a suitable dog park for our building. Maybe not for the German Shepherd or the guy with two Rottweillers, but it would be fine for the terriers and Shih Tzus that make up the majority of dogs living in our tiny apartments.
My old apartment building had a lot of stuff on the grounds. We shared a sort of courtyard area with several other buildings, and in it there was an outdoor pool and tennis courts and a grassy patch with picnic benches (just metres from the dumpsters!). They could totally have fit a small dog run in there, taken out the tennis courts and pool and had a decent-sized dog park. The vast majority of the time the tennis courts and pool would be empty, but there was always someone out there walking a dog!
I really think this could be desirable amenity in high-rise buildings. It would be almost as good as having a backyard! It would hardly require any maintenance - just put up a fence and maybe cut the grass once in a while - and it would have far fewer liability issues than a pool.
However, I think if they re-arranged the landscaping a bit, replaced some of the purely decorative bits with grass and consolidated the driveway into a more sensible arrangement, we could have a grassy area that could serve as a suitable dog park for our building. Maybe not for the German Shepherd or the guy with two Rottweillers, but it would be fine for the terriers and Shih Tzus that make up the majority of dogs living in our tiny apartments.
My old apartment building had a lot of stuff on the grounds. We shared a sort of courtyard area with several other buildings, and in it there was an outdoor pool and tennis courts and a grassy patch with picnic benches (just metres from the dumpsters!). They could totally have fit a small dog run in there, taken out the tennis courts and pool and had a decent-sized dog park. The vast majority of the time the tennis courts and pool would be empty, but there was always someone out there walking a dog!
I really think this could be desirable amenity in high-rise buildings. It would be almost as good as having a backyard! It would hardly require any maintenance - just put up a fence and maybe cut the grass once in a while - and it would have far fewer liability issues than a pool.
Why don't I type faster?
I started learning to type at the age of 9 with this computer game my parents gave me. It was slow going and it took me about a year to be able to touch type, and even then I could only do about 30 wpm. But my speed slowly increased, and by the age of 13 I was doing 100 wpm.
And to this day, I type 100 wpm.
Why hasn't my typing speed increased in the last 15 years? I type at the same speed that I did before the internet! Shouldn't it be getting faster?
And to this day, I type 100 wpm.
Why hasn't my typing speed increased in the last 15 years? I type at the same speed that I did before the internet! Shouldn't it be getting faster?
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Do professional dominatrixes get job training?
Broadsheet wonders why professional dominatrixes don't qualify for insurance.
Which makes me wonder: do they get job training? The article describes their services as "bondage, verbal humiliation, spanking or paddling, whipping and genital torture." I don't know about you guys, but if I were paying good money for genital torture, I'd want a dom who was properly trained in how to not cause any permanent damage.
The article isn't clear, but it makes it kind of sound like people are just wandering into dungeons saying "Yeah, I could totally do that!" But you wouldn't let someone cut your hair if they just wandered into a salon one day and said "Yeah, I could totally do that!"
Which makes me wonder: do they get job training? The article describes their services as "bondage, verbal humiliation, spanking or paddling, whipping and genital torture." I don't know about you guys, but if I were paying good money for genital torture, I'd want a dom who was properly trained in how to not cause any permanent damage.
The article isn't clear, but it makes it kind of sound like people are just wandering into dungeons saying "Yeah, I could totally do that!" But you wouldn't let someone cut your hair if they just wandered into a salon one day and said "Yeah, I could totally do that!"
PBS censors have a sense of humour
PBS is showing George Carlin. He just said "...your neighbour has a vibrator that plays Oh Come All Ye Faithful."
The censor bleeped the word "come".
Which makes it even dirtier.
Brilliant!
The censor bleeped the word "come".
Which makes it even dirtier.
Brilliant!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Why is plastic cheap?
Plastic is made from oil, which is a non-renewable resource.
So why is it cheaper than stuff made from renewable resources?
So why is it cheaper than stuff made from renewable resources?
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
How will new Canadian citizenship regulations affect the children of existing pregnancies?
In December, Citizenship and Immigration Canada released new regulations effective April 2009 that will affect the citizenship of children born abroad to expats. If you were born outside of Canada and your child is born outside of Canada after April 2009, your child will no longer be able to automatically inherit your Canadian citizenship.
There are a lot of problems with this, especially among the academic community. Most people I know who do graduate and postdoc work have to go abroad at least temporarily - we're a small country and our academic institutions can't accomodate every researcher in every field - and given the tendency of academics to beget more academics a larger-than-statistical proportion of the PhD and postdoc students I know where born abroad. And the Globe and Mail article and chat do cover the vast majority of the issues that I see here.
But there's one thing that hasn't been mentioned and seems both urgent and important: what about children who will lose their citizenship due to this change and are currently in utero?
The change was announced in December to take effect in April. That means that some of the children who will be affected had already been conceived when it was first announced. When the announcement was made, these kids already had a midwife and a birth plan and maternity leave arrangements, all of which were made with the assumption that the kid could inherit their parent's citizenship.
So now, with only a few months' notice, the expat parents have to change all their plans to arrange for the birth to take place in Canada. They have to find housing in Canada, find a midwife on short notice, start their maternity leave earlier so they can get home before they're too far along to fly. If they're following the traditional model where the mother takes mat leave and the father keeps working, the mother will have to go home to Canada by herself and maybe even be alone for the birth because they've already done all their financial planning on the assumption that the father will be staying at his job. And if, despite all the frantically re-arranged plans, the baby arrives prematurely while still in the other country but after April 2009, it will lose its right to Canadian citizenship and, if it's born in a country that doesn't have birthright citizenship, may well end up stateless.
What's going to happen to these kids? Why hasn't anyone thought of this?
There are a lot of problems with this, especially among the academic community. Most people I know who do graduate and postdoc work have to go abroad at least temporarily - we're a small country and our academic institutions can't accomodate every researcher in every field - and given the tendency of academics to beget more academics a larger-than-statistical proportion of the PhD and postdoc students I know where born abroad. And the Globe and Mail article and chat do cover the vast majority of the issues that I see here.
But there's one thing that hasn't been mentioned and seems both urgent and important: what about children who will lose their citizenship due to this change and are currently in utero?
The change was announced in December to take effect in April. That means that some of the children who will be affected had already been conceived when it was first announced. When the announcement was made, these kids already had a midwife and a birth plan and maternity leave arrangements, all of which were made with the assumption that the kid could inherit their parent's citizenship.
So now, with only a few months' notice, the expat parents have to change all their plans to arrange for the birth to take place in Canada. They have to find housing in Canada, find a midwife on short notice, start their maternity leave earlier so they can get home before they're too far along to fly. If they're following the traditional model where the mother takes mat leave and the father keeps working, the mother will have to go home to Canada by herself and maybe even be alone for the birth because they've already done all their financial planning on the assumption that the father will be staying at his job. And if, despite all the frantically re-arranged plans, the baby arrives prematurely while still in the other country but after April 2009, it will lose its right to Canadian citizenship and, if it's born in a country that doesn't have birthright citizenship, may well end up stateless.
What's going to happen to these kids? Why hasn't anyone thought of this?
Why does Michael Ignatieff's name end in -ff?
The surname Ignatieff is Russian. There is no double F in Russian.
Michael Ignatieff's Russian-born father spelled his name Игнатьев in Russian, and the standard English transliteration of the Cyrillic в is V.
So how did it end up being Ignatieff instead of Ignatiev, or even Ignatief?
Michael Ignatieff's Russian-born father spelled his name Игнатьев in Russian, and the standard English transliteration of the Cyrillic в is V.
So how did it end up being Ignatieff instead of Ignatiev, or even Ignatief?
Today I am ashamed of Ontario
A sexual assault victim is forced to uncover more of her body than she is comfortable with while testifying in court.
Shame on you Mr. Justice Norris Weisman.
I am so surprised to see this coming from a judge. I read a lot of court decisions for someone who doesn't work in the legal field (they're an excellent translation resource) and the usual more I read the more respect I have for judges. The vast majority of the time they come across as measured and nuanced and intelligent.
But this is just so...wrong! It's like something a 9-year-old would come up with parroting a closed-minded parent without applying critical thinking skills.
I look forward to the Superior Court overturning this decision and setting a sensible precedent.
Shame on you Mr. Justice Norris Weisman.
I am so surprised to see this coming from a judge. I read a lot of court decisions for someone who doesn't work in the legal field (they're an excellent translation resource) and the usual more I read the more respect I have for judges. The vast majority of the time they come across as measured and nuanced and intelligent.
But this is just so...wrong! It's like something a 9-year-old would come up with parroting a closed-minded parent without applying critical thinking skills.
I look forward to the Superior Court overturning this decision and setting a sensible precedent.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Currently wondering
1. Is there a statute of limitations on children's drawings? Several years ago, a co-worker's very friendly and outgoing child wandered into my office and made friends and drew me some pictures, which I proudly posted on my cubicle wall. Today I realized that that kid is now a teenager and might not want her childish drawings being displayed. Should I take them down? If I take them down, is it creepy if I keep them? I like them, they're cute and funny, but it seems like the sort of thing that might not be appropriate.
2. In TV and movies, actors have a lot of lines to memorize but don't have to repeat them that much (unlike on stage). After a scene is filmed, they don't need to know those lines any more. So how long do the lines stick in their head for?
3. Inspired by the fact that London is apparently currently crippled by six inches of snow, in places where they get snow so rarely that the city doesn't own snow removal equipment, do people own snow shovels? If not, what exactly do they do with all the snow? It needs to be removed at some point.
2. In TV and movies, actors have a lot of lines to memorize but don't have to repeat them that much (unlike on stage). After a scene is filmed, they don't need to know those lines any more. So how long do the lines stick in their head for?
3. Inspired by the fact that London is apparently currently crippled by six inches of snow, in places where they get snow so rarely that the city doesn't own snow removal equipment, do people own snow shovels? If not, what exactly do they do with all the snow? It needs to be removed at some point.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Comparative sensitivity
I was reading a review on some random blog of a book I'd recently read and enjoyed, and I was surprised to find them describe the book as particularly dark. This surprised me because I found the book fun. It isn't complete sunshine and rainbows - it's a murder mystery - but I like the characters and they have good rapport and I enjoy spending time in that universe. So it was strange to me that someone else found it dark, because in my corner of the world I'm one of the most sensitive people I know. I don't have a very high tolerance for darkness as compared with the other people around me, I'm more likely than most people to put aside a book or turn off the TV because it's just too much, and I need more than other people to deliberately expose myself to happy stuff so my mood doesn't get too dark and mess up my ability to function.
But it seems there's this other person out there who responds sensitively to things that I find purely entertaining. So this means there's a whole nother level of sensitivity out there among perfectly normal functioning adults that I didn't even know about.
I wonder how many more there are?
But it seems there's this other person out there who responds sensitively to things that I find purely entertaining. So this means there's a whole nother level of sensitivity out there among perfectly normal functioning adults that I didn't even know about.
I wonder how many more there are?
Questions Ugly Betty needs to answer
Why does Hilda have customers? She's a brand new hairdresser with a chair set up in a spare corner of the family home. But she always has customers. Why? This is New York City, I'm sure there are lots of hairdressers around, the fact that she's there and she's a hairdresser shouldn't be enough to get her customers. Are her prices better? Is her location particularly convenient? Is she getting referrals? Someone should mention something in passing, because it really doesn't make sense.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
What people need to know before commenting on Employment Insurance
Employment Insurance benefits are 55% of your weekly income, to a maximum of $447 a week (which is equal to just over $23,000 a year).
This means if you make $100 a week, you'll get no more than $55 a week in EI.
If you make $500 a week, you'll get no more than no more than $275 a week in EI.
If you make $1000 a week, you'll get no more than $447 a week in EI.
If you make $2000 a week, you'll get no more than $447 a week in EI.
All these amounts are before tax.
This means if you make $100 a week, you'll get no more than $55 a week in EI.
If you make $500 a week, you'll get no more than no more than $275 a week in EI.
If you make $1000 a week, you'll get no more than $447 a week in EI.
If you make $2000 a week, you'll get no more than $447 a week in EI.
All these amounts are before tax.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Things They Should Invent Words For
1. When something fucking obvious that you have trouble actually explaining it because it is so incredibly fucking obvious. (e.g. "Why would you want to retire? What on earth would you do with your time?")
2. When you read or hear something about someone that makes you think they're an asshole, then time passes and you forget why exactly you think they're an asshole but you remain convinced that they're an asshole.
3. The phenomenon where someone in one breath tells you not to worry about the thing you're worrying about, then in the next breath says that you should be worrying about something else that you've already thought about and have determined to the best of your judgement is not worth worrying about.
2. When you read or hear something about someone that makes you think they're an asshole, then time passes and you forget why exactly you think they're an asshole but you remain convinced that they're an asshole.
3. The phenomenon where someone in one breath tells you not to worry about the thing you're worrying about, then in the next breath says that you should be worrying about something else that you've already thought about and have determined to the best of your judgement is not worth worrying about.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Me and my problems
A few weeks ago, an ATM gave me half of a $20 bill. It was ripped clean in half and only one half came out of the ATM. I went into the bank and they had me fill out a form and they swapped it for a normal bill.
Problem: It happened again a few days ago. I didn't notice at the time, but now there's half a $20 in my wallet and I think it was from the same ATM. But I'm too embarrassed to go into the bank and have them fix it because I already did it once and I'm afraid they'll think it's some scam or something.
Problem: It happened again a few days ago. I didn't notice at the time, but now there's half a $20 in my wallet and I think it was from the same ATM. But I'm too embarrassed to go into the bank and have them fix it because I already did it once and I'm afraid they'll think it's some scam or something.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Currently wondering
To what extent would the current financial crisis have been mitigated if no one had invested in anything they didn't understand?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Pnau vs. Pink Floyd vs. Country Joe McDonald vs. John Lennon. Hell yeah!
Prominent but inconsequential profanity. It won't offend you, but you might not want your boss/parent/kid to hear it.
Newsreel accent mystery
This is a US newsreel from 1944.
Hear the guy's accent? (He starts talking at 0:35.) Lots of black and white newsreel narrators talked like that (unless, like, it was always the same guy). But I've never heard anyone talk like that IRL, and I've never heard anyone talk like that in old movies. I wonder what the story behind the accent is. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called and my attempts to google it have been unproductive.
Hear the guy's accent? (He starts talking at 0:35.) Lots of black and white newsreel narrators talked like that (unless, like, it was always the same guy). But I've never heard anyone talk like that IRL, and I've never heard anyone talk like that in old movies. I wonder what the story behind the accent is. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called and my attempts to google it have been unproductive.
Cough syrup
Why does cough medicine only come in liquid form? Why can't you buy it in pill form? The liquid stuff is disgusting! (Although it's a lot easier now as an adult knowing how to do shots.)
The logistics of the Finance Minister buying shoes
On TV they're showing Jim Flaherty buying shoes. He appears to be trying them on, and there appear to be some other boxes nearby for him to try on too. There's a swarm of media around him taking pictures.
I wonder how that really works? He can't possibly be doing a from-scratch trying-on-for-real shoe shopping trip with all those media people following him. A real shoe-shopping trip involves going to several different stores and trying on a bunch of different things and then maybe going back and doing a comparision etc. It could take all day, which would be boring for the media people and tiresome for Mr. Flaherty to do with a mob of cameras on him.
They must either do one trip to a specific store where he buys the best pair available there (and perhaps returns it later if it isn't good enough) or they must do preliminary recon to identify the best pair and then he shows up with his media mob and goes through the motions of trying them on.
I wonder how that really works? He can't possibly be doing a from-scratch trying-on-for-real shoe shopping trip with all those media people following him. A real shoe-shopping trip involves going to several different stores and trying on a bunch of different things and then maybe going back and doing a comparision etc. It could take all day, which would be boring for the media people and tiresome for Mr. Flaherty to do with a mob of cameras on him.
They must either do one trip to a specific store where he buys the best pair available there (and perhaps returns it later if it isn't good enough) or they must do preliminary recon to identify the best pair and then he shows up with his media mob and goes through the motions of trying them on.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Impossible Quiz
I am smarter than 90.33% of the rest of the world.
Most Difficult Quiz
The quiz seems to think you're allowed to google, but I didn't google while taking it.
Most Difficult Quiz
The quiz seems to think you're allowed to google, but I didn't google while taking it.
Perception of safety
Yesterday there was a shooting on the subway and there was a shooting on the 401.
I've seen news items about people who are now afraid to go on the subway and news items reassuring people that they shouldn't be afraid to go on the subway. I haven't seen any news items about people who are afraid to go on the 401 or reassuring people that they shouldn't be afraid to go on the 401.
I've seen news items about people who are now afraid to go on the subway and news items reassuring people that they shouldn't be afraid to go on the subway. I haven't seen any news items about people who are afraid to go on the 401 or reassuring people that they shouldn't be afraid to go on the 401.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Parenting is futile
Think about all the behaviours that parents try to limit or restrict in their children.
Now think about how many of those limitations or restrictions are relevant to adults.
We can smoke and drink and have sex. We can go out whenever we want with whomever we please and go driving around in a car if one of us has one and come back as late as we want and stay up as late as we want before going to bed. We can talk on the phone or play videogames or watch TV or go on the internet as much as we want with no restrictions, and if we hear a swear word or see someone's boobies it's no big deal, not even worth mentioning really. We can have whatever cake or cookies or candy or junk food we want in any quantity without having to first drink a glass of milk or eat 11 peas or any other arbitrary rules. We can wear all the make-up we want, plus high heels or short hemlines or low-cut tops or bras with the best engineering money can buy. We can dye, pierce, or tattoo any part of our body humanly possibly. We can totally just walk into a pet store and buy a puppy. (We don't, because it's morally wrong, but we totally can.) We can leave our beds unmade and our clothes unironed and take hour-long showers and leave the house looking like that.
And we do whatever we want out of this list, whenever we want, to no ill effects.
And yet for the first 18 years of our lives, our parents were desperately trying to restrict these behaviours.
Now think about how many of those limitations or restrictions are relevant to adults.
We can smoke and drink and have sex. We can go out whenever we want with whomever we please and go driving around in a car if one of us has one and come back as late as we want and stay up as late as we want before going to bed. We can talk on the phone or play videogames or watch TV or go on the internet as much as we want with no restrictions, and if we hear a swear word or see someone's boobies it's no big deal, not even worth mentioning really. We can have whatever cake or cookies or candy or junk food we want in any quantity without having to first drink a glass of milk or eat 11 peas or any other arbitrary rules. We can wear all the make-up we want, plus high heels or short hemlines or low-cut tops or bras with the best engineering money can buy. We can dye, pierce, or tattoo any part of our body humanly possibly. We can totally just walk into a pet store and buy a puppy. (We don't, because it's morally wrong, but we totally can.) We can leave our beds unmade and our clothes unironed and take hour-long showers and leave the house looking like that.
And we do whatever we want out of this list, whenever we want, to no ill effects.
And yet for the first 18 years of our lives, our parents were desperately trying to restrict these behaviours.
Brilliant Ideas That Will Never Work: celebrity interrogation for charity
You get a famous but reclusive person who hardly ever gives interviews, and you get them to do a Q&A session. You charge admission to the Q&A session (being a real hard-ass about recording devices), and then auction off the right to ask questions. Top bidder gets to ask the first question, second bidder gets to ask the second question, etc. etc. until time is up. The size of the audience and the duration of the event should be such that only 10-20% of the audience gets to ask questions, and if possible a live bidding system should be set up so people sitting in the audience can increase their bids in desperate attempts to get their questions in.
Fatal flaw: finding someone who is sufficiently famous and sufficiently reclusive that people would be willing to pay significant money for the opportunity, but still willing to do the interview.
Fatal flaw: finding someone who is sufficiently famous and sufficiently reclusive that people would be willing to pay significant money for the opportunity, but still willing to do the interview.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Things They Should Invent: defined contribution to defined benefit pension conversion program
This economic crisis has really pulled the rug out from under defined contribution pension plans. People are seeing their pensions disappear with the tumbling stock market, which destroys consumer confidence among everyone with a defined contribution plan and makes people more likely to save than invest their pension contributions. At the same time, the economic turmoil must be making employers even more hesitant to set up defined benefit plans for the same reason that their employees are losing confidence in defined contribution plans. The impact of this is likely to be felt in our economy for a long time.
This is where the government could step in. They set up a system where you turn over your defined contribution, they invest it, and they guarantee you a defined benefit. The guaranteed benefit would simply be whatever is reasonable. Not an excessive amount that would put our public finances at risk, but not a stingy amount like EI either. There would be no ceiling - the bigger your contributions, the bigger your pensions. Perhaps people could add private contributions too, I'm not sure how that would affect it. The program would be completely optional. They'll tell you up front how much defined benefit they will guarantee, and if you think you can do better you can still invest your defined contributions yourself.
Advantages: The government already has pension-management expertise because they have to manage the CPP and their own employees' pensions. This would just be doing the same thing with more money. Since the government operates on a longer term than individuals, they can absorb losses in bad times and make them up in good times, which individuals can't do. This would boost consumer confidence among pensioners and older workers because they don't have to worry about what if they lose their pensions. It would also stimulate the economy by investing money that would otherwise be saved, and perhaps set an example for other investors. I seem to recall our PM recently saying something about how this economic turmoil provides a lot of good buying opportunities. This would be a chance to walk the talk, perhaps also increasing investor confidence. On a smaller scale, you know how every once in a while you meet someone who hates their job and is just marking time until their pension kicks in, to the detriment of the entire organization? This would let them leave their job for something they like better, without having to worry about losing security in retirement.
Question marks: This is based on the idea that larger investors with more principal can get a better return on investment than smaller investors. I'm not sure if this is actually true. It's in my mind as a pretty solid piece of conventional wisdom, but I have no idea where I got the idea from or how valid it actually is.
Disadvantages: People would have all their eggs in one basket and be entirely dependent on the government not going bankrupt.
This is where the government could step in. They set up a system where you turn over your defined contribution, they invest it, and they guarantee you a defined benefit. The guaranteed benefit would simply be whatever is reasonable. Not an excessive amount that would put our public finances at risk, but not a stingy amount like EI either. There would be no ceiling - the bigger your contributions, the bigger your pensions. Perhaps people could add private contributions too, I'm not sure how that would affect it. The program would be completely optional. They'll tell you up front how much defined benefit they will guarantee, and if you think you can do better you can still invest your defined contributions yourself.
Advantages: The government already has pension-management expertise because they have to manage the CPP and their own employees' pensions. This would just be doing the same thing with more money. Since the government operates on a longer term than individuals, they can absorb losses in bad times and make them up in good times, which individuals can't do. This would boost consumer confidence among pensioners and older workers because they don't have to worry about what if they lose their pensions. It would also stimulate the economy by investing money that would otherwise be saved, and perhaps set an example for other investors. I seem to recall our PM recently saying something about how this economic turmoil provides a lot of good buying opportunities. This would be a chance to walk the talk, perhaps also increasing investor confidence. On a smaller scale, you know how every once in a while you meet someone who hates their job and is just marking time until their pension kicks in, to the detriment of the entire organization? This would let them leave their job for something they like better, without having to worry about losing security in retirement.
Question marks: This is based on the idea that larger investors with more principal can get a better return on investment than smaller investors. I'm not sure if this is actually true. It's in my mind as a pretty solid piece of conventional wisdom, but I have no idea where I got the idea from or how valid it actually is.
Disadvantages: People would have all their eggs in one basket and be entirely dependent on the government not going bankrupt.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Question for USians
This purple lady who is talking before all the actual swearings-in happen is putting a lot of emphasis on how US democracy is apparently peaceful and non-violent.
Is that normal? It seems really random to me, but I've never watched a presidential inauguration before.
ETA: For that matter, is it normal to have your inauguration soundtracked by John Williams?
Is that normal? It seems really random to me, but I've never watched a presidential inauguration before.
ETA: For that matter, is it normal to have your inauguration soundtracked by John Williams?
I think Peter Mansbridge is misreading Barack Obama
Peter Mansbridge is saying that Barack Obama is looking cool and confident and composed.
That's not what I'm seeing. To me it looks like he's quite obviously trying very very hard to look cool and confident and composed but is really somewhere between ecstatic and terrified.
That's not what I'm seeing. To me it looks like he's quite obviously trying very very hard to look cool and confident and composed but is really somewhere between ecstatic and terrified.
Insert a stupid joke about money buying happiness here
Via Antonia Zerbisias, a silly little study postulating that women have more orgasms with wealthier partners.
I didn't give this much attention when it first came out because it contradicts a lifetime's worth of empirical evidence.
But it occurred to me today: what if the link here is really charm/charisma/people skills? Sex is way better when your partner makes you feel special and important, and people who can make others feel special and important are likely to do better in business.
I didn't give this much attention when it first came out because it contradicts a lifetime's worth of empirical evidence.
But it occurred to me today: what if the link here is really charm/charisma/people skills? Sex is way better when your partner makes you feel special and important, and people who can make others feel special and important are likely to do better in business.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Things They Should Study: gender-based material wishlist comparison
Carol Goar has some statistics about men's vs. women's financial habits that lead her to conclude that if the economic stimulus does not address women's concerns, it won't work. On one hand, this reads like one of those articles written with the express intention of focusing on "women's issues", regardless of whether that is the best approach to the subject at hand. On the other hand, it is completely consistent with my reality. My Protect Existing Jobs policy is based on this reality, and protecting existing jobs would totally address every point Ms. Goar raises.
But the big question mark here, which I think might be a productive line of inquiry, is whether there's any difference between what men and women would spend their money on (but aren't spending it on because of financial uncertainty). Are the things they covet within their means (but they feel they shouldn't buy them) or beyond their means (i.e. the money simply isn't there)? Are the things they covet one-time purchases (capital expenditures) or ongoing lifestyle upgrades (operational expenditures)?
I'm thinking along these lines because most of the things I covet are lifestyle upgrades that are technically within my means, but I feel like I shouldn't because then if money becomes tight it will hurt to downgrade. For example, I'd very much like to use Touche Eclat and unless it runs out ridiculously quickly I could totally come up with $30-40 every time I need a new tube of concealer. But I feel like I shouldn't, so I'm making do with discontinued Skinlights purchased on ebay. I'd like to upgrade my hairdressing (I just recently upgraded from no hairdressing to hairdressing, and I like the results and want to go further) and the money is there, but if I lost my job having spent that much on my hair would be inexcusable. I'd love to get my bras at Secrets From Your Sister, but if they're as good as they say they are I won't be able to go back to ill-fitting $12 numbers from La Senza, and then if my bra explodes while I'm unemployed I'm screwed. With the exception of real estate, everything I covet is an operational expenditure that I probably could afford. And, with the exception of real estate, everything I covet is girly stuff.
My non-spending could be fully addressed with job security. If I were certain I was never going to lose my job, I would totally buy all those things. I would be buying $30 make-up and bras with prices in the three-digit range and the best hair stuff money can buy for the rest of my life.
But when I think about the men around me, the stuff they covet is different. They seem to covet more one-time purchases that they aren't purchasing because the money simply isn't there. A big-screen TV with surround sound. A car. A trip. A new computer. Their non-spending could be addressed by putting more money in their pocket. If the money was suddenly there for a big-screen TV, they'd get one. So, following Carol Goar's logic that women are underrepresented on economic decision-making, perhaps this is why some of our politicos seem to be under the impression that a tax cut would be an effective economic stimulus?
Now I have no way of knowing if I'm typical of women or if the men in my life are typical of men. But looking at all of this, I'm thinking perhaps someone should study the coveting habits of different economic groups to try to figure out what it would take to get different people spending.
But the big question mark here, which I think might be a productive line of inquiry, is whether there's any difference between what men and women would spend their money on (but aren't spending it on because of financial uncertainty). Are the things they covet within their means (but they feel they shouldn't buy them) or beyond their means (i.e. the money simply isn't there)? Are the things they covet one-time purchases (capital expenditures) or ongoing lifestyle upgrades (operational expenditures)?
I'm thinking along these lines because most of the things I covet are lifestyle upgrades that are technically within my means, but I feel like I shouldn't because then if money becomes tight it will hurt to downgrade. For example, I'd very much like to use Touche Eclat and unless it runs out ridiculously quickly I could totally come up with $30-40 every time I need a new tube of concealer. But I feel like I shouldn't, so I'm making do with discontinued Skinlights purchased on ebay. I'd like to upgrade my hairdressing (I just recently upgraded from no hairdressing to hairdressing, and I like the results and want to go further) and the money is there, but if I lost my job having spent that much on my hair would be inexcusable. I'd love to get my bras at Secrets From Your Sister, but if they're as good as they say they are I won't be able to go back to ill-fitting $12 numbers from La Senza, and then if my bra explodes while I'm unemployed I'm screwed. With the exception of real estate, everything I covet is an operational expenditure that I probably could afford. And, with the exception of real estate, everything I covet is girly stuff.
My non-spending could be fully addressed with job security. If I were certain I was never going to lose my job, I would totally buy all those things. I would be buying $30 make-up and bras with prices in the three-digit range and the best hair stuff money can buy for the rest of my life.
But when I think about the men around me, the stuff they covet is different. They seem to covet more one-time purchases that they aren't purchasing because the money simply isn't there. A big-screen TV with surround sound. A car. A trip. A new computer. Their non-spending could be addressed by putting more money in their pocket. If the money was suddenly there for a big-screen TV, they'd get one. So, following Carol Goar's logic that women are underrepresented on economic decision-making, perhaps this is why some of our politicos seem to be under the impression that a tax cut would be an effective economic stimulus?
Now I have no way of knowing if I'm typical of women or if the men in my life are typical of men. But looking at all of this, I'm thinking perhaps someone should study the coveting habits of different economic groups to try to figure out what it would take to get different people spending.
Kiva has gone crazy!
There's a notice on Kiva saying they've gotten so much press lately that there are more donors than loans, and they're not kidding! I've tried to donate to three different loans, and every time they ended up fully funded in the time it took me to google the field partner (Q: Why? A: To confirm that they're secular).
The third loan I looked at was at $0 when I first logged in. I looked at two other loans first, and by the time I got to the third loan it was fully funded up to $1000. A thousand dollars of funding in just a few minutes!
This is fantastic for Kiva and all the loan recipients, but it's starting to annoy me.
The third loan I looked at was at $0 when I first logged in. I looked at two other loans first, and by the time I got to the third loan it was fully funded up to $1000. A thousand dollars of funding in just a few minutes!
This is fantastic for Kiva and all the loan recipients, but it's starting to annoy me.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
What's up with sock sizes?
When you buy women's socks, the label says "Sizes 6-10". What's the point of that? First of all, that's ALL the standard women's shoe sizes. Secondly, it's not like there are other sizes on the shelf next to it. It's not like I can look at the size label, say "Oh, I'm a size 11" and go up to the next size. That's the only size they ever come in anyway. Why bother to label them if you aren't going to have different sizes?
(And in case you're wondering, 6-10 usually fits me anyway - I've only had two pairs of socks in my life where 6-10 was too small - and I can wear men's socks too which is fine since I usually wear just plain black.
(And in case you're wondering, 6-10 usually fits me anyway - I've only had two pairs of socks in my life where 6-10 was too small - and I can wear men's socks too which is fine since I usually wear just plain black.
How NOT to explain the meaning of a phrase
If a person says "I don't understand what they mean by [phrase]" or "What does [phrase] even mean?", replying with the dictionary definition of every word in the phrase is not helpful. (Especially when you include every meaning in the dictionary definitions, not just the one that applies to the phrase in question!)
Apart from the fact that if it were a matter of dictionary definitions they would just google it, if they are missing the meaning of the word they would say "What does [word] mean?" If I said "The Governor General prorogued Parliament" and you didn't know what prorogue meant, you wouldn't say "What does prorogue Parliament mean?", you would say "What does prorogue mean?" If, in some bizarro universe, you knew what the word prorogue means in general terms and you knew what the word Parliament means but you don't know what proroguing Parliament is, THEN you would say "What does prorogue Parliament mean?" You'd want to know the specific implications for Parliament, not the general dictionary definition.
Or, to use a simpler example, if you didn't understand what was meant "Coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition," looking up all those words wouldn't help. The information you're probably missing here is that it means the Opposition doesn't intend to automatically make the Government fall, but they are prepared to do so if the Government is inadequate - basically using the threat of a coalition to keep the Government in line. That information isn't found in the dictionary definitions; if you don't get it, it's really a political strategy question.
So yeah, posting a definition of every word in a phrase doesn't help people understand the phrase. And worst case, it can make you look like a dickhead. Don't do it.
Apart from the fact that if it were a matter of dictionary definitions they would just google it, if they are missing the meaning of the word they would say "What does [word] mean?" If I said "The Governor General prorogued Parliament" and you didn't know what prorogue meant, you wouldn't say "What does prorogue Parliament mean?", you would say "What does prorogue mean?" If, in some bizarro universe, you knew what the word prorogue means in general terms and you knew what the word Parliament means but you don't know what proroguing Parliament is, THEN you would say "What does prorogue Parliament mean?" You'd want to know the specific implications for Parliament, not the general dictionary definition.
Or, to use a simpler example, if you didn't understand what was meant "Coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition," looking up all those words wouldn't help. The information you're probably missing here is that it means the Opposition doesn't intend to automatically make the Government fall, but they are prepared to do so if the Government is inadequate - basically using the threat of a coalition to keep the Government in line. That information isn't found in the dictionary definitions; if you don't get it, it's really a political strategy question.
So yeah, posting a definition of every word in a phrase doesn't help people understand the phrase. And worst case, it can make you look like a dickhead. Don't do it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)