MemeMachineGo!

How can you tell the blogger is back from a 3-week vacation?

He stops posting.

Yes, the MemeMachineGo! renaissance last month of new entries every weekday was because I’d created and scheduled them in advance, to create a disinformation trail disguising my absence. ‘cause I’m a little crazy that way. (Now that that’s just what you’ll be expecting me to do, I’ll carefully avoid such consistent posting next time I’m away. Or will I?)

And just before I left, my computer stopped working. I’ve finally built a new one. So I should be back on the air. Perhaps I’ll even get around to stories and pictures of my travels in London, Dublin, and Paris.

A call for evidence-based medicine.

As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled trials. Advocates of evidence based medicine have criticised the adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of evidence based medicine organised and participated in a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute.

(Via Neil Gaiman’s journal)

There’s a successful mystery series whose high concept is: Jane Austen, detective. It’s up to half again as many novels as Austen herself wrote.

This inspired my latest million-dollar literary idea: Emily Dickinson solves locked-room mysteries… from within a locked room. Susan Gilbert can be her Archie Goodwin.

Millions, I tell you. Gotta run — I have to fantasize about how I’ll spend them.

The Good News Ministries’ Prayer Room lets one submit prayer requests. Fundies say the darndest things shares this one. (Via Sore Eyes)

I am a bit troubled. I believe my son has a girlfriend, because she left a dirty magazine with men in it under his bed. My son is only 16 and I really don’t think he’s ready to date yet. What’s worse is that he’s sneaking some girl to his room behind my back. I need help, God! I want my son to stop being so secretive!

I still can’t decide whether it’s a prank.

Defective Yeti noted (two weeks ago when it was actually timely):

Today Bush attended a a study group; next week he’ll be going to Vietnam. Maybe he’s having a midlife crisis or something, and frantically trying to do all those things he didn’t do as a youth.

Jack Chick of Earth-616: Galactus is Coming!

M w/ male voices in my head, seeking F counterpart w/ female voices:

25 y/o male, with the misfortune of hearing only male voices. Not a single woman upstairs. We make great conversation but can only take so much of each other, and none of us clean up. Ideally seeking my female counterpart in the mirror situation. Please have between 3 and 6 female voices (not counting THE ONE). Only people in control of their voices please, the last thing I need is someone who lets the lessers drive. If you respond to this please don’t do so as one of your subs. I want THE ONES to match first and then we can slowly introduce our subs to eachother if it seems to work out. Prefer to meet around Motor Parkway in the region where it is south of the LIE. Please do not respond asking me if I’m the keymaster, because ha ha very funny I’ve heard that before. Yes I saw that movie too, thank you, you are very witty. OK! LEts do this. Motor Parkway, female voices. P.S. Please meet a standard level of hygiene.

I recently read Trent’s Last Case by E. C. Bentley, an English mystery novel from 1913. It’s a good read, and it’s fun to see what needed emphasis 90 years ago — the author goes to lengths to explain what fingerprinting is, and what a rear view mirror (or, “the back-reflector of a motor car”) is.

One thing I still can’t decide is whether this butler’s description of his employer’s drinking habits is meant to be funny, or just ends up that way at this remove.

“Mr. Manderson was, considering his position in life, a remarkably abstemious man. In my four years of service with him I never knew anything of an alcoholic nature pass his lips, except a glass or two of wine at dinner, very rarely a little at luncheon, and from time to time a whisky and soda before going to bed.”

Comments are broken; will fix soon. Sorry to anyone who’s tried to comment recently.

A while back, I posted about how Bobby Fischer had been arrested in Japan and was slated to be deported to the U.S.

After holding him eight months, Japan ultimately released him to Iceland, which, despite having an extradition treaty with the U.S., granted him citizenship for this purpose, grateful for the notoriety that Fischer’s 1972 chess championship match in Reykjavik brought them.

Fischer is wanted in the U.S. for defying sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a match there in 1992. Ironically, his opponent at the match, Boris Spassky, has subsequently visited the U.S. without incident.