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It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp

John Atkinson just sent out a very strange e-mail:

I am taking March 7-9 as vacation days. I will be back in the office Friday...

What? This is unheard of. This is crazier than, say, the Oscar for Best Song in a Film being awarded to some deep-South crunk rappers growling about how hard it is to be a pimp.

Crazy, indeed. But that doesn't mean I don't like it. In fact: I love it.

Much needed and well deserved.

The biggest problem with many consumer products these days is that the people who make 'em never figured out what they needed to be. That's why I have an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machine I have never figured out how to send a fax with. I could read the manual I suppose, if I ever figure out which pile of papers it's under.

What Is It That's <I>You</I>?

If you answered "my consciousness," then what happens if you wake up one day and it's not the same? This is a strange and frightening essay.

The <I>Seed</I> Oscars

Seed rates 2005's science-based movies. It's a tough room.

How to Price Merchandise Incorrectly—Just Like the Big Guys

I'm not an economist, so I can't vouch for how accurate this is, but I loved the wild ride. First it teaches classic B-school pricing philosophy and then it tells you that everything you just learned is wrong. It does seem to explain a lot.

Last Friday's Cephalopod Blogging

I missed Pharyngula's picture of planktonic octopus paralarva from last Friday. It's not cat-blogging, but it sure is pretty.

Ali Farka Touré, R. I. P.

Mali's proto-bluesman dead at 66. I loved his guitar, true—but I really loved his phrasing as a singer. If you haven't heard his duet with kora-player Toumani Duabaté, you're missing one of the great records of this century.

And Dragonflies and Bumblebees

On the streets today, people seem so smart and full of Spring. Though the temperature has dropped ten degrees from its high, the sun is still shining. It's 32 degrees and sunny in New York City.

I love the word "still," by the way. I have to tell you. It means so much more than its five letters.

On the train this morning, I read.

Elizabeth Costello is giving a lecture on animals now. She refers to Kafka's story about an ape, Red Peter, that is captured and brought into civilization. To avoid "life" in a zoo, the ape, Red Peter, decides to become human. He, the ape…

It's New to Me

David Bragin sent these alternate meanings to existing words. I Googled them and found they're two years old—although they still seem fresh'n'tasty to me.

I like "willy-nilly."

The Lovesong of J. Alfred Fratboy

"At the rager the chicks come and go
Talking about art or something, I don’t know."