The FP collective has been advocating the policy of swapping shopper ID/discount cards at every opportunity. This guy has taken that idea in an interesting direction: send him mail, and he’ll send you a sticker to put over the barcode on your Safeway card so that you’re contributing to his shopper record. I’m thinking I’ll do it.
Monthly Archives: March 2003
Yes, I'm asking for trouble
OK, so I’ve decided to allow myself to read a book other than for professional purposes (that is, I’ve decided to read a grown-up-person book), and would like to read one with a more involved narrative than the craft books I’ve been skimming. But now that I set my mind to do it, I’m not sure where to start. Can you help?
Here are some books that I’ve really liked, and keep in mind that you should avoid the kind of book recommendations common with a certain provider of book recommendations (I’ll just call them What Do I Read Next, because that’s their name) that holds that should the hero happen to use a canoe in the book you like, you must be an avid fan of any book involving canoes. I’m much more interested in writing style and ideas than canoes, thank you.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
A Darker Place by Laurie R. King
Virtual Light by William Gibson
Zeitgeist by Bruce Sterling
Passage by Connie Willis
So very cyberpunky
Get your artificial hippocampus now. Designed entirely through black-box analysis: “Slices of rat hippocampus were stimulated with electrical signals millions of times, until scientists could be sure which input produced a corresponding output.”
Iron-Ons for Peace
If any of our loyal FP readers would like any of these posters made into an iron-on transfer or temporary tattoo, let me know. I would be happy to crank them out for you.
And buy a cross-cut shredder while you're at it.
While you’re doing your spring cleaning, why not consider cleaning out your wallet? Check your credit report, cancel credit cards you don’t use, opt out of marketing lists, and tell credit agencies to call you before they issue credit in your name. Learn these and more handy tips from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
Life of Leisure and Reflection
The Grauniad is starting a series of columns on balancing work and home life, the first sets out the premise that a life dedicated to work starves other parts of our lives. I’m interested to see the directions the column will take.
Why PD is Cool
Have I mentioned that free online books are neat?
A Special Rainbow of News
Here’s a selection of news sites:
Mainlining the News
For those compulsive headline-scanners and people who’ve exhausted the small sliver of actual entertainment on the web, take a look at NewsNow.
Because we care about you, the Iraqi people
It’s not news that we’ve been dropping leaflets all over Iraq (at least in the no-fly zones), but I hadn’t been aware that the contents were being published by our friends at U.S. Central Command. I found this one particularly heart-warming. I’m touched at our concern that the livelihoods of Iraqi citizens will be Ruined if anything happens to the Iraqi oil industry, so they damned well better leave it intact for us — I mean, for the sake of their future, of course.
