Monthly Archives: March 2002

Out of touch

Posted on March 26, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Tiffany and I depart today for a week in Switzerland, so there won’t be anything new here until next Tuesday. I recommend all the fine links on the left to hold you off until then. See you next week! Continue reading →

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It was bound to happen sooner or later…

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Playboy is inviting current and former Enron employees to audition for a Women of Enron pictorial. I heard the teaser for this on the news but didn’t catch the segment, which was no doubt presented in a restrained and dignified … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Digital rights

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Patrick points me to this article by Dan Gillmor about the SSSCA. It’s interesting that Dan doesn’t hope that a President who is committed to free trade would step in and lobby against this obviously obstructionist bill. Of course, we … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Comments Off on Digital rights

Things I hate about moving

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

There are many things I hate about moving. Near the top of this long list is dealing with phone and utility companies. Today I spoke to my local telco about switching service. I had no trouble getting through to an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The name game

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Chron politics columnist John Williams explains how State Supreme Court judge Xavier Rodriguez, the lone Hispanic GOP candidate in Texas, lost the nomination to retain his position to a guy with a simple American name. This isn’t the first time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on The name game

The Final Four

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I have to say, I like the fact that Indiana made it to the Final Four while Bobby Knight once again got bounced in the first round. For several years, one of my hard and fast rules for handicapping the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on The Final Four

Oscar thoughts

Posted on March 25, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

So last night Tiffany and I attended an Oscar party thrown by our friends Pete and Tory. It was one of those parties where guests are asked to dress up as if they were attending the actual Academy Awards. I’ve … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Oscar, schmoscar

Posted on March 24, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Who cares who’s going to win Best Picture? The more important news is that Tom Green won five Razzies for his work in Freddy Got Fingered. Continue reading →

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Court shopping

Posted on March 24, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Girls in Texas who want an abortion but are required to get parental consent have been looking to courts in Austin and San Antonio for judicial bypass. Houston and Dallas have had almost no such reviews filed since the law … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Comments Off on Court shopping

Better late than never

Posted on March 24, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

After 30 years, The Last Picture Show will finally play in Archer City, the small Texas town in which it was filmed. The town’s lone movie theater had burned down before the film premiered in 1971. The rebuilt Royal Theater … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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House update

Posted on March 23, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Well, much has happened since the last update. We have agreed to terms with the sellers of the house we want, and we have a buyer in place for our house. Both houses have been inspected and appriased, so all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Road versus rail, round 438

Posted on March 23, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Proponents of the Katy Freeway expansion are howling in protest at a request by Metro to reserve space for a light rail line. sigh This is really painful to watch. We study rail feasibility to death but are chomping at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bush in Peru

Posted on March 23, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

From today’s Chron: [President] Bush touted free trade as a means of lifting the region’s economies, and said: “We’re going to analyze all options available to help Peru.” “Unless, of course, if free trade would damage embattled industries in swing … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on Brittanie Cecil

Posted on March 22, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

More on Brittanie Cecil, the 13-year-old girl who was killed at a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game after being hit in the forehead by an errant puck. The NHL is revisiting the issue of arena safety. The player who took … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 10 Comments

Texas Twisted

Posted on March 22, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another interesting link in the inbox today, to Texas Twisted, a site devoted to Texas roadside attractions and other weird stuff. My friend Margo, who sent the link, was pointing to a miniaturization of the Chinese Forbidden Gardens located … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

To comment or not to comment

Posted on March 22, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been toying with the idea of adding code to support comments on this page. I like getting feedback, and I strongly suspect that more people are inclined to give comments rather than send email. But then I come across … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The priesthood and the saving grace of women

Posted on March 21, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Today Ginger points out this infantile little article in the conservative Cornell Review, in which the author makes the oh-so-original point that we menfolk are just hunks of burning carnal desire who need wimmin around to keep us civilized: Presumably, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Jesus saves! But Gretzky gets the rebound! He shoots! He scores!

Posted on March 21, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Just when you think you’ve run out of things to make fun of, someone sends you links like this one. I really wish they’d shown the Martial Arts Jesus and the Ballet Jesus. The plastic Jesus figurine, of course, has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 1 Comment

Oprah talks to the Central Park Jogger

Posted on March 21, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Remember her? In 1989, a 28-year-old investment banker in New York went jogging in Central Park, where a group of “wilding” teenage boys beat and raped her and left her for death. Today she’s recovered from her injuries, married, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Proof

Posted on March 21, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I have always thought that long-distance runners are a bit nuts. Now I have absolute proof. Two words: Antarctica Marathon. Continue reading →

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Most cities have soul…

Posted on March 20, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Maxim magazine, which for some strange reason doesn’t have its April issue online yet even though the print version is out, named Dallas the “greatest city on Earth”. All I can say is that they’ve obviously never listened to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

More on religion

Posted on March 20, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Gary Farber, who’s been quite prolific of late, adds on to Peter Beinart’s piece about freedom of religion, Bush and Ashcroft style. They both attack the underlying theme that one must be religious in order to be moral, and the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Speaking their language

Posted on March 20, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Via Tom Tomorrow comes this story of how U2 lead singer Bono persuaded Republican leaders to give extra aid to poor countries. It’s a fantastic story of pragmatism and speaking the right language. I’d like to discuss a couple of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Sports tragedy

Posted on March 20, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

A 13-year-old girl who attended a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game died two days after being struck in the head by a puck. According to the pathologist’s report, Brittanie Cecil died from a rare blood clot in an artery, the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Show tunes

Posted on March 19, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Hlatky discusses Andrew Lloyd Webber and his place in the pantheon of theatrical composers. For my money, I thought the music of Phantom of the Opera was overrated. Yes, All I Ask of You is a great song, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Show tunes

Holidays for men

Posted on March 19, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I got this link from a mailing list I’m on. Somehow, I don’t think Hallmark will do any marketing around it. Continue reading →

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Highway to hell

Posted on March 19, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The proposed widening of the Katy Freeway takes another step forward. It’s very much an afterthought, but at least there’s still talk about rail as part of this boondoggle. Hey, Tom DeLay: We’re gonna spend zillions of dollars on this. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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RIP, Ray Knoblauch

Posted on March 19, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Longtime Bellaire High School baseball coach Ray Knoblauch died in his sleep yesterday. Knoblauch, father of current major league player Chuck Knoblauch, was 71 and had been battling Alzheimer’s. The article lists his accomplishments (four time state champion) and his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Enron: The saga continues

Posted on March 19, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Newly released information says that questions surrounding Enron’s off-books partnerships started surfacing in 1999. This story refers to some “prominent Houstonians” who were allowed to invest in some sweetheart deals. I can’t wait to hear more about that. Continue reading →

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There’s evil, there’s the Axis of Evil, and there’s Carrot Top

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Can we please add AT&T to the Axis of Evil for subjecting us to those godawful 1-800-CALL ATT ads with Carrot Top? I swear, I lose brain cells whenever I’m in range of his voice. I would not rule out … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 6 Comments

Real truth in advertising

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

Today I was forwarded an email exhorting me to increase my business income blah blah blah. Like most such junk mail that I see, it was done as HTML, with inline JPEG images. This one was supposed to show some … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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RIP, Astrohall

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The Astrohall Exhibition Building has hosted its last event and is scheduled to meet the wrecking ball on May 1. A new exhibition hall has been built on the complex that includes Reliant Park. The old site is being cleared … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on RIP, Astrohall

Analyzing the primary turnout

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic race for governor brought out Hispanics in record numbers, but Anglos mostly stayed home, according to this report. The ethnic portrait of the Democratic primary is dramatically evident when this year’s voting is compared with 1994, the last … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2002 | Comments Off on Analyzing the primary turnout

The Chron gets prickly

Posted on March 18, 2002 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t usually bother with the Houston Chronicle‘s Sounding Board editorials, which are written by various members of their editorial board. Most of the time what they have to say is mealy-mouthed platitudes. Today, however, board member James Gibbons lays … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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