Comments for I Believe Two Things

Comment on Reel Mowers are Real Mowers by Ben

Ben — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:19:40 +0000

We got a “middle of the road” model which includes a height adjustment, so we have some margin of error to let the grass get away from us. If it gets too tall we can just raise the entire mower up a few inches.

It’s still a finite limit, but we’re hoping it’s enough to compensate for the times the lawn grows a little more than we’d planned.

Comment on Reel Mowers are Real Mowers by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:04:44 +0000

There is one discernible disadvantage to reel mowers which you will discover if you let the grass grow too tall. The scissors action of the mower depends on the blades of grass being short enough to fit between the rotating blades and the stationary blade. Too tall and grass just gets bent over and slides under. At that point you have to rent a rotary mower or a goat or a peasant with a scythe. IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: Peasants with a scythe wear ill-fitting clothing in earth tones. Death™ — who also carries a scythe — wears a black hoodie.

Comment on Couch to 5K by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:42:02 +0000

I’m on the couch-to-kitchen program. Never mind nine weeks, I was able to get all the way to the kitchen on the first day. And after replenishing my strength with peanut butter toast, I was able to make it back to the couch.

Comment on A Story of Woe by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:52:33 +0000

From “The Simpsons”:

Baby Lisa: “Bart!”
Bart: “I’m her first word!”
Marge: “Well, I’m not surprised. Lisa’s crazy about you. She thinks you hung the moon.”

Comment on Kitchen Nightmares by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:11:13 +0000

“…started making quick trips to the store for fresh meat and produce as we need it.”

If you’re fortunate to live close to the grocery store, that’s great way to have a great meal. But with zoning and homogenized communities, grocery stores are out of the way for many people.

There are American versions of that show. One of them is “Restaurant Impossible” with Robert Irvine. It follows the same pattern (without the swearing): taste the food, redecorate, shout at each other, change the menu, then hugs at the end. As part of the drama, there is always … always … a moment when Irvine starts shouting about the floors not being done.

I google the restaurants and often find they are not as hunky dory as they seemed when the closing credits are rolling.

Comment on The 1940 Census by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:03:21 +0000

While looking at the scanned paper forms, with their handwritten names, cross-outs, abbreviations and occasional crinkly edge, I imaging the enumerators walking from house to house, asking their questions then handing the forms in to tallied and saved. They must have been proud of their part in that Constitutional exercise.

But could they ever have imagined (or are they stunned, if still alive) the machines and technology that brings their (literal) handiwork from 72 years ago to light again today. Scanners, databases, the internet, computers in so many homes.

The most recent censuses (censii?) were completed by the subjects on machine-readable forms. That data is already computerized. Will we (or our survivors) be stunned at how that data is made public in 2082? Something with holograms in virtual reality, I’m thinking.

Comment on Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:26:13 +0000

This is why it’s always better to have a child owe you money instead of the other way around.

Comment on All Birds. All Angry. by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:40:27 +0000

Is that Alfred Hitchcock in the reflection?

Comment on Patrick Stewart on Sesame Street by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:18:10 +0000

Interestingly, the Count is teaching zero-based cardinal numbers. His viewers will be great at array programming techniques twenty years from now.

Comment on Interstates as Subway Diagram by JustPIxelz

JustPIxelz — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:13:22 +0000

The best part is you can reconstruct the entire interstate system using easily obtained plumbing parts from Home Depot. And if you can invent a switching device for the intersections, and if each “car” in this series of tubes had a destination code — call it an “Interstate Position address” — well, cars will practically drive themselves.