8. July 2008 by Ben.

I admit, it would have been a lot of fun if students suddenly broke into song in some of my classes.

I give major points to Prof. Valentini for enjoying the unique experience, instead of either getting angry, or (as I’m certain some of my professors would have done) remaining confused throughout about what was happening.

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5. July 2008 by Ben.

From Douglas Crockford’s JavaScript class:

When the compiler sees an error, it attempts to replace a nearby linefeed with a semicolon and try again.

This should alarm you.

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2. July 2008 by Ben.

Tonight’s Boston Pops concert (part of the ongoing OoP day celebrations) featured music from the Baseball Music Project, including a 1969 novelty song called Van Lingle Mungo.  Far funnier in theory than in execution, the song’s lyrics consist entirely of the names of 1940s baseball players – particularly those that sound funny.  The first verse:

Heeney Majeski
Johnny Gee
Eddie Joost
Johnny Pesky
Thornton Lee
Danny Gardella
Van Lingle Mungo

The author, David Frishberg, got to perform the song for Van Lingle Mungo himself, who griped that he wouldn’t get any money despite his name being the title and the refrain:

“When he heard my explanation about how there was unlikely to be any remuneration for anyone connected with the song, least of all him, he was genuinely downcast. ‘But it’s my name,’ he said.  I told him, ‘The only way you can get even is to go home and write a song called Dave Frishberg.’”

They also performed a far more entertaining song titled Let’s Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn, accompanied by slides of the team.  Tip for the future: don’t show slides of a Brooklyn team wearing what is, in the end, the Red Sox insignia on their caps.  We’re easily confused about that sort of thing.

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26. June 2008 by Ben.

Suppose that many students in New York public schools own cell phones.  Summon all your powers of imagination for this one.

Now suppose that instead of banning phones, the city gives one to every student in the system – a phone called the Million.

During school hours the phone can’t make calls or send texts, but it can be used to do research online and interact with materials teachers distribute electronically.  As students do homework and get good grades, they’ll receive an allowance of minutes to call their friends after school.

(via Freakonomics)

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24. June 2008 by Ben.

Imagine that you get off the T and find that although it is cloudy out it is not raining.  You need to walk one block but it begins to sprinkle lightly.  Describe the most appropriate emotional reaction to this situation.

If you’d asked me at 5:26 this evening, I would have answered, “You’ll get wet, and in 45 seconds you’ll be indoors and dry.  Only an infant would complain about this situation.”

If you’d asked me at 5:27 this evening, I would have answered, “It’s sprinkling?  If you value your life flee the streets for dry land with all the speed your legs can offer, sacrificing whatever possessions and money you must to secure the nearest shelter.”

I swear I am not exaggerating when I say that in the time it took me to walk one block the skies opened from “no moisture of any kind” to sheets of rain so thick that when I tried opening my mouth I had a very realistic fear of drowning right there on the street.

Then the leasing agent I went to see showed me apartment 1313.  I can’t discount the possibility that some very powerful forces want to keep me out of this building.  Besides, what happened to superstition (the jokes featured in the latter half that 1.5 minute video)?

Now, to make up for telling a story that, while admittedly very exciting for me at the time, basically reduces to, “I got very wet today,” I will balance it all out with a link to some of the best music ever written, beginning with the song And the Rain Crashed Down.

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24. June 2008 by Ben.

From Radiolab, Paul Ekman describes his definition of lying:

A lie is a deliberate choice to mislead a target without any notification.

According to that definition an actor is not a liar, although… I saw a good actor last night in a play and I was for a time misled.  I even had tears because he had misled me.  But I was notified.

My wife taught me what I’m supposed to say when she comes in with a new dress – I’m not supposed to say, “Gee, that’s not a flattering cut,” or, “the color is wrong,” or, “that’s for someone twenty years younger,” all of which might be true.  I’m supposed to say, “Smashing!”  So I’ve agreed to those rules, and since we’ve agreed about that I’m not lying.

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22. June 2008 by Ben.

A gallery of pictures of phone sex operators with short interviews:

“To the caller, when I first answer, I am the inanimate Barbie. They do not know what I look like, who I am or how I feel. They can only imagine. It is my job to indulge their fantasies, to convince them that I am not a doll. I am their dream turned real. I view every question the caller asks me as a command for me to transform. If they ask if I am blonde, I become a blonde. … I breathe life into their fantasy, I carve the doll out of flesh.”

(from Kottke)

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9. June 2008 by Ben.

JK Rowling (which she herself has said is to be pronounced “rolling, like ‘rolling pin’”) gave the Commencement address at Harvard this year. Now you can watch online.

Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility; or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation. The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I can’t remember a single word she said. This liberating discovery enables me to proceed without any fear that I might inadvertently influence you to abandon promising careers in business, law or politics for the giddy delights of becoming a gay wizard.

You see? If all you remember in years to come is the ‘gay wizard’ joke, I’ve still come out ahead of Baroness Mary Warnock. Achievable goals: the first step towards personal improvement.

That part’s funny, but watch the whole thing.  This is the construction and utilization of language that makes English worth listening to.

(And yes, this is a point to Boston.)

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5. June 2008 by Ben.

“I’m the greatest hitter in the world!“

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3. June 2008 by Ben.

I just rewatched “My Number One Doctor” – the Scrubs episode where Kelso signs up the hospital to use rateyourdoc.org

It turns out: it’s a real site! Not where you can rate real doctors, just where you can rate your favorite Scrubs characters.

“Colonel Doctor’s treatment can only be described as delicious and crispy.”

Dr. Kevin Casey still gets a 5 rating from me.

Update: There’s even a scene where Turk has the site open on his laptop.  While blurry, it looks to me like the very same site.

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