fnord.kevyspice.org

Some time ago, the trusty Gemini Plus theme I was using stopped displaying the links in the Links section, leaving an orphan heading. As such, all 1.5 to 5 of you out there get to see this one for a while. I doubt there’ll be much more content added in the coming weeks, but I wanted to write something to commemorate the occasion, such as it is.

Edit: Figured out how to add the links back, so, uh, nevermind fnord.

On a recent re-read of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, I finally found a Douglas Adams bit that I’ve been butchering for years:

“The major problem - one of the major problems, for there are several - one of the many major problems with governing is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.

“To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.

“And so this is the situation we find: a succession of Galactic Presidents who so much enjoy the fun and palaver of being in power that they very rarely notice that they’re not.

“And somewhere in the shadows behind them - who?

“Who can possibly rule if no one who wants to do it can be allowed to?”

Substitute “career politicians” for “Galactic Presidents” and you’ve got one of the big reasons I spend so much time gritting my teeth, playing games, and studiously trying to ignore the world around me…

Wow, these guys are busy! I’ll refrain for now from posting more details of my own Leafy experience, but in the meantime, there’s a new Ars thread with some delectable song parodies dedicated to our (well, my) favorite pariahs. Enjoy!

Random observations before lunch on yet another holiday-coded day that should’ve been a sick day.

• Prop noise on certain small planes sounds uncannily like throat/overtone singing.
• David Foster Wallace’s essay on the use of irony in the plight of under-40 post-postmodern fiction writers in the early ’90s has had an impact on the way I interact both with my friends and my television. I’ll have to read it again to be able to articulate what I mean, but for now I’ll just mention that I’ve started to notice exactly how many pop culture references get bandied about in my everyday conversation in place of actual sentences of my own creation, and it makes me a little uncomfortable.
• Airport bars aren’t as depressing on Christmas as one might think.

Edited to add:

• Leafycaust 2006 has (probably unintentionally) yielded a wealth of useful discussion and information for small business owners, office drones, IT guys, and people in other service-oriented positions. The most useful nugget I’ve gleaned, which changed my work habits almost immediately (and which may be common sense for most people), is to communicate with customers/co-workers/bosses with “I have done x” instead of “I will do x as soon as possible.”

More details on the hosting snafu here.

Whee! I’ve just changed hosts because of the Leafyhost fiasco. In fact, I’ve secured another domain just to be able to move on and avoid more non-responsive wackiness. Kevyspice.com may or may not become my active domain again at some point, but it’s .org for now.