Archive for May, 2004

Conveyor Belt Sushi

You will have to excuse the somewhat awkward grammer of this entry. I suspect it was translated from Japanese. While the writing is not of the highest quality, the history of the conveyor belt sushi idea is interesting.
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Pakistan

The sixth largest nation on earth was created by partitioning India? I find it amazing that the region is not immersed in all out war. During Pakistan’s short history it has spent some time at war with India but thankfully cooler heads seem to be prevailing these days. In fact, recently Pakistan and India held a joint soccer match - a positive sign.
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Jack Kerouac

Kerouac best represents the Beat Generation - a term he coined to help define the culture of the 1950s. His life reminds me of Kurt Cobain’s. They were both profoundly unhappy and this was reflected in their art. Both of their careers were cut short by substance abuse.
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The U.S. Electoral College

Following the 2000 presidential election there was a great outcry, at least among Al Gore supporters, to examine the system we use to elect our leader here in the U.S. Putting aside the allegations of voter fraud that have been associated with Florida, does the electoral college system truly represent American voters? There have been four presidential elections in U.S. history that ended with the college electing a different person than the popular vote.
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Tivoli Sirius Radio

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This is SWEET! I am a big fan of satellite radio and Sirius in particular and this radio combined with the classic finish of Tivoli Audio have me positively excited. Look at that wood and those dials! I grew up a couple of generations after this type of design went out of vogue but you can bet I will be buying one of these for the desk.

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The Okapi

Looks more like a zebra with a very bad dye job to me…
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The Gold Standard

Some people claimed that the U.S. move away from the gold standard in 1968 and the repeal of the policy of dollar for gold redemption in 1971 would create a valueless currency. The reality was the opposite. People’s belief in the dollars intrinsic value provided all that was necessary for a stable currency. Just keep on believing a short while longer - I need to buy a new car!
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Email Done The Correct Way

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Email done correctly! I gave Northwest Airlines my email address for account updates and this is a screen capture of the email I received this month. Useful and informative, it tells me how much progress I have made towards my first free perk, a domestic coach ticket. You can bet I will read next months newsletter too. Amazon.com should consider something like this - perhaps a little bar graph comparing my total expenditures there against the site average. Actually, that might scare me!

What is a Wiki and How Can It Impart Wisdom?

I recently received an email from someone wondering what wiki means and specifically what the connotation is of WikiWisdom so I will take this opportunity to quote from … the Wikipedia:

“The terms wiki (pronounced “wickie”) and WikiWiki are used to identify either a specific type of hypertext document collection or the collaborative software used to create it. “Wiki wiki” means “super fast” in the Hawaiian language. Wiki (with a capital ‘W’) and WikiWikiWeb are sometimes used to refer to the Portland Pattern Repository, the first ever wiki; proponents of this usage suggest using a lower-case ‘w’ to distinguish the generic terms discussed here. “
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The Nation of Belarus

Belarus has had a tumultuous history - even by eastern European standards. Its capitol, Minsk, was totally destroyed during WW2 and was reconstructed by the Soviets following WW2. It stands as a shining example of Soviet civil planning.

You will notice the lack lack of historical references following the disintegration of the Soviet Union when you read this article. Belarus has not enjoyed the many successes that many other eastern European nations have enjoyed following the fall of the Soviet empire.
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