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David is an occasional blogger, software engineer, Nintendo fanboy, liberal, news magazine addict, voracious TiVo user, and bibliophile. He was born in St. Louis, grew up in southern Indiana, and returned to St. Louis to attend Washington University. He hasn't managed to escape yet. He's a fan of free wine tastings, too many tv shows to name, and eating out. David makes his living developing web applications used internally by his employer. He doesn't blog about work because he's heard too many stories about that causing workplace troubles. There's more on the about page. |
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To de-tree or not to de-tree
I think tonight would be a good night to take down the Christmas tree. But, then again, why do today what I can do tomorrow?
Comments: 0 Posted by david on 17 January 2007 at 5:33 PM
Has Uncrate Jumped the Shark?
When I saw the battery-powered crescent wrench on uncrate, I was a little worried. It's not exactly a killer product. It's just a crescent wrench that doesn't require you to use your thumb to open and close the jaws. A bit lame, but one point does not make a pattern. But when I saw this, I knew it was time to put the site on a jump-the-shark watch. I'm still reserving final judgement on them -- maybe they were having trouble finding things to fill space in the post-holidays lull, for example -- but this is uncrate's one and only warning. It's time to shape up or ship out.
Comments: 0 Posted by david on 9 January 2007 at 11:14 PM
Change Your Lights
Inspired by an article in the NY Times, I went to Wal-Mart this weekend to check out their selection of compact fluorescent lights (those spirally lights that cost three times what incandescent lights cost, but save you $30 over the five year life of the bulb). I was impressed. Easily 40% of the prime real estate in the light aisle was devoted to CFLs. Incandescent lights were relegated to the bottom shelf. I normally avoid supporting Wal-Mart, but whatever their motivations, I applaud their efforts to reduce enery use. So I bought a couple of bulbs and am pretty happy with the decision.
Instead of the normal color, I opted for same "daylight" bulbs. I've never understood why lights need to have a yellow tint to them. Especailyl now that I seem to be workign a bit later than I'm used to, coming home to that yellowish tint on everything just emphasizes how late it is. The "daylight" bulbs give off a whiter, more full-spectrum light and I'm really happy with the change. It's almost a pick-me-up to sit in the cleaner light. I'm very happy with the change. Which is a good thing, as these bulbs will last forever.
Comments: 0 Posted by david on 8 January 2007 at 10:12 PM
Somewhat Unrelated Thoughts
* I'm not sure how I missed this earlier, but The Closer on TNT is one of the best cop shows out there. It isn't gory like CSI and it isn't as narrowly focussed as Law & Order, it's just good television.
* Speaking of The Closer, this week's episode had Ken Davitian, who played Borat's producer, Azamat, in the Borat movie, in a minor role. It was a bit of a shock and I'm afraid he might suffer a bit from typecasting in the future. Once you've seen the guy run naked through a hotel, it's hard to watch him in other roles.
* I was thinking about writing an entire post about the hanging of Saddam Hussein, but then I read Christopher Hitchens's column on Slate and thought it would be simpler just to link to it. In short, everything about Saddam's hanging -- from the rush to the gallows to the amatuerish execution itself -- lends itself to increasing sectarian violence in Iraq and serves as a prime illustration on why the death penalty should be universally opposed. You know you've reached a sad state of affairs when the most dignified man in the room is Saddam.
Comments: 0 Posted by david on 4 January 2007 at 2:42 AM