I sometimes find that when I am saving files off the web in firefox, I have to go through multiple levels of folder creation. I click the “create new directory” button, type a name, hit return. Repeat.
I just learned (after my determination that it would be a very handy thing) that you can [...]
I guess there are a lot of unspoken rules of netiquette which pertain to writing email. Perhaps it’s simply too much for many people to pick up in casual correspondence with their grandmother, but for those of us who use email regularly, our experience has lead to a set of guidelines for how emails [...]
Whomever designed the physical shape of the USB (type a) connector clearly was not thinking.
You don’t make a plug which is symmetrical but yet can only be inserted one way. Half the time you try to plug a USB device in, you end of flipping it over because you had it backwards. Actually [...]
Buddy icons are an interesting feature. I’ve never really bothered to question why they exist. But I guess there are two legitimate reasons: (1) personal expression (for the icon picker), and (2) rapid identification (for the icon viewer).
The first one is simple, the second just relates to the fact that humans can distinguish [...]
As all my GNU/Linux friends probably know, Windows Vista (formerly ‘Longhorn’) Beta 1 has been released. Many sites are posting screenshots of the new features. Some of the new things are cool: virtual folders, in-file searches, etc. I was a bit impressed at first, but then I realized that every new feature [...]
Wow. Since I actually managed to post about language without having my ass chewed off by anti-grammar guerrillas, I have to point out one more which irks me.
“out loud”
When I was a kid many of my teachers would tell us students to read “out loud”. Later I learned the word ‘aloud’ and almost immediately [...]
I have to bitch about this because nearly everyone does this now and then—including many writing professionals—and it’s just sloppy.
“for free”
‘Free’ is an adjective or an adverb (or a verb under the other definition), but never a noun. That said, you can get something free, you can get something free of charge, you can [...]
You guys remember the Tamagotchi (たまごっち), right? The Tamagotchi was a virtual pet you could feed, clean-up after, play with, etc. It sounds kind of lame, but the cool part is that the Tamagotchi has a persistent idea of state. It’s never really off, it “lives”, even when you are not playing [...]
One advantage of America is that it doesn’t have all the foolish historical baggage behind it that nations of Europe will always carry. For instance, the appreciation for noble blood.
America has always had a keener eye toward merit than any other means of determining worthiness.
You know, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s waiting for food. I don’t care what the food is or how nice the place is—it’s not worth it. I’d rather just leave for Wendy’s or something (at least it’s food). If I weren’t ready to eat, I wouldn’t be at a fricking [...]