Slightly Off KIlter

Normal is overrated

  • Contract or FTE?

    Three years ago, I _needed_ to be a contractor; three years later, the distinction between W2 contractor and fulltime employee has begun to blur. Continue reading

  • Drivin’ in my car

    The Friday 5 for this week concerns cars… That's cool. I like cars. What vehicle do you drive? How long have you had it? What is the coolest feature on your vehicle? What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle? If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now? Continue reading

  • Low carb need not equal faux food

    From the San Francisco Chronicle ( Food in the News, http://www.sfgate.com, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003) Low-carb craze grabs consumers Onslaught of new products tempts dieters You'd never buy most of them for their taste — even some people who sell them admit that. They're generally not low in calories. Nutritionists raise their eyebrows at all… Continue reading

  • Mailing List participation

    I’ve joined a lot of mailing lists (and before that, newsgroups) in the past 20 years. Some are software support lists; many are discussion lists on some topic (software, cats, jobs, etc.). Many are social groups (whatever the “topic”). When I join a list, I either read it regularly and participate, or I archive it… Continue reading

  • Everything I know about UI design

    Found on slashdot (this explains a few things about some of the programs I've used, especially on Windoze… – V.) Everything I know about UI design, I learned from Games Continue reading

  • Conspiracy Theory

    Coming home from dinner this evening, we drove past a shopping center near our home. As is often the case, several of the storefronts had lights out in their outdoor signs. We see this phenomenon in many shopping centers. There was a Radio store (aka Radio Shack) and the Vietnam Villa e (there is no… Continue reading

  • Interview Ups and Downs

    I had an interview last week. At first, I thought it went poorly. In retrospect, however, I’ve begun to believe it was actually quite successful. Continue reading

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood

    Welcome to Sherwood! One of my favorite movies, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland), is now available on DVD. Continue reading

  • Inside skinny on office fat

    There was an article in today's SF Chronicle about how the workplace contributes to the obesity problem. Here's an excerpt: The workplace study, a random sampling of 611 working adults from around the country, found that although 32 percent of workers usually skip breakfast and/or lunch, they aren't exactly doing a Gandhi impression. Eighty-nine percent… Continue reading

  • Friday but no Five

    The Friday Five is taking this week off, so in its place we bring you.,.. a book report. If you like the sorts of questions the Friday Five provides, look for these books: The Little Book of Stupid Questions (David Borenicht; publ. Barnes & Noble Books; 1999) and The Big Book of If… (Questions for… Continue reading