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....from one of the smartest guys I know: You can never have too many Big $%^#! Arrows.
By which he meant, I think, that we should always remember that a presentation is a visual medium, and that relying on bullet points alone can limit our effectiveness in persuading others.
Only he said it a $%^#! of a lot better than I just did.
Could this be the reason that Bob Dylan always sounds like he's singing with his nose pinched tight?
...That people who are eager to give you their opinions — who laugh and say things like "I've got an opinion on everything" — usually aren't terribly interested in yours?
The other problem with maintaining an opinion on everything, it seems, is that you can't invest too much time, research and effort into any one of those opinions, lest you be overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of facts and wisdom you would otherwise be forced to acquire. It's much easier, apparently, to simply appropriate opinions you've heard elsewhere (from friends, pundits, radio talk show hosts, etc.). That way your opinion quiver can always remain full, without the inconvenience of actual thought.
Over breakfast this morning (!), my 12-year-old son corrected me regarding the Gears of War 2 (video game) signature weapon: It is not a chainsaw bayonet, he explained, but rather a "Lancer," which is, apparently, a high-powered assault rifle for killing aliens that also includes, at the end of its barrel, a chainsaw. Which, from what I can tell, is used in the game pretty much as a bayonet. And which, I am also told, can be purchased in replica form at Amazon for $139.99 (!!). The replica comes complete with fake blood, I am assured, but not, as I was already informed, nearly as much as I might think.
Well, at least we got that cleared up.
...from part of a pitch made by one of my 12-year-old son's buddies, as he tried to convince me that the video game Gears of War 2 (rated M) wouldn't be too intense an experience for them to play, despite the game's featured weapon: A chainsaw bayonet.
"It's not nearly as bloody as you might think."
Oh, well then. By all means. I mean, it's just a BAYONET, right? With a CHAINSAW attached to it. Why would I have thought that would be BLOODY?
Nice try, though.
The State Department has launched an online Hillary Tracker (deftly named by The Daily Beast) — oops, sorry, Interactive Travel Map for the U.S. Secretary of State — that allows users to virtually follow Ms. Clinton around the world, study her future travel plans, see photos and videos of her meetings with various heads of state, etc. Offers one wag: I bet Bill is saying (at least to himself), "Oh, Man, I wish I could have gotten one of these years ago!"
Florida woman calls 911 three times to report emergency shortage of Chicken McNuggets at McDonald's. Police cite her for misuse of 911, after determining that there is no statute barring complete nincompoopery.
Now comes word that European discount carrier Ryanair may charge passengers a fee to use the restroom on its flights, or, as Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told the BBC, “We’re thinking of putting a coin slot on the toilet so people may have to spend a pound to spend a penny.” (if you don't know what spend a penny means in the UK, find out here.)
...Along comes the world's most outrageous new revenue idea: Charge customers not only for your product, but merely for the pleasure of buying it from you. Which industry would have the gall to do such a thing? You guessed it: The airlines. Spirit Air Inc. has gotten an OK from the Department of Transportation for a "passenger usage fee" of $5 to $10 for any ticket bought outside an airport (e.g., online).
Um... No. Never. As in, Not if you were the last airline on earth. Though I do admire the sheer brazenness of the phrase "Passenger usage fee," as if the ticket itself weren't "usage" (or "abusage") enough...
...courtesy of an IT consultant, referring to the often clunky, haphazard, less-than-integrated IT systems found at many small (or even mid-sized) firms: I-Know-A-Guy-Architecture, as in: "Hey, do we need a new [insert IT project here, e.g. website, email system, etc.]? I know a guy..."
