Month: March 2004

  • The Verbing of English

    "Solutioning": A word gaining acceptance at IBM.  As in, "We’re solutioning that right now."  Not solving; not creating a product.  Solutioning.Information week email news quote of the dayIf a sales weasel said that to me I wouldn’t buy his products no matter how good they were.

  • Easier Softer Way

    If it were just this simple…

  • Engineering

    As always in engineering, there are limits to what we know.  We’re used to this—it feels natural.  But to physicists, defining the border between what is known and what is unknown is irresistible.  They may fret over whether Schrödinger’s cat is alive, dead, or both; engineers will look at the airtight box, then at their…

  • The Zen of Overclocking

    If you don’t floss your teeth, they won’t necessarily rot away.  The vast majority of car trips do not include any metal bending, so why wear seat belts?  And why not smoke?  Not all smokers get cancer.  Or you could adopt Oscar London’s compromise, "If you smoke, why bother wearing a seat belt?"  And some…

  • Vision

    It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see.Winston Churchill

  • Recent Research

    A study conducted by the UCLA Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of male face a woman finds attractive can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.  For instance, if she is ovulating she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.  However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal,…

  • ~A good thing for Martha

    In the world of criminal defense, where the first three rules are shut up, shut up, shut up, she talked to federal investigators twice.  In the world of corporate public relations, where appearance is everything, she disappeared for too long.  At trial, the jury seemed to resent her celebrity cheering section—sorry, Rosie—and the fact that…