November 27th, 2003
3:28:03 am
Tech
From Reuters, via CNN, via Jewbacca:
Los Angeles officials have asked that manufacturers, suppliers and contractors stop using the terms “master” and “slave” on computer equipment, saying such terms are unacceptable and offensive.
The request — which has some suppliers furious and others busy re-labeling components — came after an unidentified worker spotted a videotape machine carrying devices labeled “master” and “slave” and filed a discrimination complaint with the county’s Office of Affirmative Action Compliance.
[...]
“We would request that each manufacturer, supplier and contractor review, identify and remove/change any identification or labeling of equipment components that could be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive in nature,” Sandoval said in the memo, which was distributed last week and made available to Reuters.
The memo did not include any suggestions for alternative labels.
How about senpai and kohai?
Get the full story.
Okay, one more…
Steve Martin has agreed to star in the remake of The Pink Panther. Pleaseohpleaseohplease let this not suck!
There was a farmer’s market in Rockefeller Center today. What’s that about?
November 12th, 2003
5:17:54 am
Movies
The event has officially been announced, and the invitations have gone out. Some of you may not have received the email. Here are a few possible reasons:
1) You have trained your adaptive spam filter on my name and/or any of the countless sales-oriented words in the body of the invitation message.
2) I tried to email you, but I don’t have a recent address for you.
3) You are not invited. Sucks for you that you’re not my friend.
A select few will fall into category 1) or 2). If this is the case, send an email my way, and I’ll make sure you have all the details. The rest of you may send an email with your name, address and social security number to spam@chirls.com.
November 11th, 2003
3:59:04 pm
General
I was going to post a new Hot List today, but there has been an unexpected development that I feel I need to share. As of last Friday, I have decided to leave my position in the Brooklyn office. It’s not a decision that came easily, but it was helped along by the fact that they kept wheeling my desk chair out of the office with me in it. So the Hot List will have to wait.
Let me be clear about something: this is a good thing. The work was neither interesting nor challenging, and the terms of my employment were increasingly…unfavorable. Also, I was really tired of having my manicure ruined every time the carpenters asked me to carry a box of nails or shake their hands.
There is, of course, a down side. There were two or three people at the Brooklyn office with whom I shall miss working. There is also the matter of rejection. While almost everything about the working environment was completely awful, it still stings a little bit to be told I’m just not worth the money. It’s like being rejected by an ugly girl. You know how sometimes you meet a girl whose best features are her real swell personality and a quirky taste in hats? Maybe you met her at some college party on homecoming weekend or at someone’s gay wedding or something? And you decide you’re gonna be all friendly even though she insists on wearing spandex all the time when maybe she shouldn’t, but you still think her hats are great? So then she comes along and is like, “Hey, Chirls, it’s cool being your friend and all, but I want you to know that nothing is gonna happen between us ’cause I just don’t think of you that way.” And you’re like, “What just happened here?” My job was like that, except without the hats and the swell personality.
So, I guess don’t call me at the office number anymore. Stay tuned for the Hot List. Good Stuff.
[Edit: Thanks to Jewbacca for expert help with unemployment research for this piece.]
The Ass found this nice little item in the Times for us. I don’t know if there’s anything interesting in the article, but the headline is a sign that the paper is on the way up.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/03/international/middleeast/03REAC.html
