John’s blog

QotD: Personality Trait = Trouble

2008-05-03T23:40:36Z

What personality trait has gotten you in the most trouble? That's easy - my assumption is always that when someone asks a question he wants an answer [1]. Thus, if I know the answer, I give it. You'd be surprised how many people resent having t...

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Culture QotW: School Play

2008-05-02T02:31:58Z

What role did you play in your school play? Audience member.To paraphrase a famous composer, I can't sing, I can't dance, and I can't act - I'm a triple threat [1]! John [1] Musical geek points for the reference!

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It's only a model...

2007-12-08T04:21:41Z

Shaw once wrote that “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.”. To a lesser extent, scientists and lay people are two similarly separated groups. The problem is that often the word one uses doesn’t mean what the othe...

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Sad but true

2007-10-09T19:04:08Z

Once upon a time, we had statesmen; people who would take a stand because it was right, not because it was a plank in their party platform or might get them elected. Nowadays, we have politicians that are afraid to vote their beliefs because they ...

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Ethical quandary

2007-09-17T22:43:15Z

Three times in the past month, I have been invited to apply for positions at different companies. All three were non-profits and all three were essentially what I'm doing now. So I have been flattered, but not compelled. All three companies have g...

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QotD: My Best Friend

2007-08-30T12:59:47Z

What makes your best friend so special? Submitted by Jessmiloo. I have two best friends (John and Ken), and they are both special for the same reason - they accept me as me. They understand that I'm not like the other bears [1], and don't care....

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What the hell is so scary about Heaven?

2007-08-29T18:53:00Z

A nascent friend and I were talking yesterday. He’s got a friend in the same position as Ken; it is all over but the shouting, and the doctors are about ready to admit that there is nothing more that they can do [1]. So what happens next? Well,...

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The worst

2007-08-21T15:02:16Z

is here. Ken's doctors spoke with him yesterday and told him that he had two years, at the most. And that assumes that he takes aggressive chemo and radio therapy treatments which are almost guaranteed to rob his life of any enjoyment. Fortunately...

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The Law of Unintended Consequences

2007-07-03T13:28:37Z

There is a law that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will [1]. It is the Law of Unintended Consequences - "There is no solution so good that it will not cause a problem." Think I'm kidding? Take a few examples from history [2]: A) Lead plu...

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Bad John - no biscuit!

2007-06-14T14:55:15Z

It isn't nice and it isn't right, but every so often I just have to laugh at some poor schmuck getting what he deserves from the Universe. For example, there's the 20-something yobo who threw a chunk of ice at me while I was riding my bike down th...

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