What if magic was a limited resource? Not a fossil fuel-style limited resource, but one measured in units of energy per second?

So, when there are a half-million intelligent beings on the planet, one person might be an impressive wizard. Five million, and you need a group of people to create a magical effect.

And once there are billions of people, the size of the group needed to do anything that is visibly magical is large enough that you're into "herding cats" territory.

No, I have no idea where I'd go with this. It just showed up in my head, with no idea for what comes next.

A net-acquaintance is looking at moving to Seattle to go to the University of Washington. Does anybody know where I could find recommendations for an apartment that will accept a renter with a cat?

I have a game I play with license plates. I treat the letters like an abbreviation, and expand it to get something memorable, generally leaning towards silly. Mice From Yelm. Big Fat Kangaroos.

I don't bother with something like SIX, but that's just too easy anyhow.

Today, I saw a license plate with the letters XSI. My first expansion was "X-Files Scene Investigation." I have no idea how somebody would cross-breed X-Files with CSI, but I'm sure it would be strange.

("What do you have on that hair?"
"It's not human. And the DNA check against the saliva from the coat shows a match. Forty-four chromosomes, matches file 123."
"A Sasquatch. In Arizona. How did it get here without drawing attention?"
"I've got somebody checking on the science-fiction convention from last week."
"Science-fiction convention?"
"The last time I saw a roaming Sasquatch, it was disguised as a wookie.")

I read an article by Ellen Goodman that made me wonder if happiness is something people measure as an absolute, or a percentage of possibility.

If my glass is completely filled with water, and my neighbor's pitcher is half full of water, who has more water? By percentage, I do, but if that pitcher is more than twice the size of my glass, my neighbor has more water in an absolute sense.

Feminism increased what was possible for women. Are women less happy now, not because things are worse, but because women in the past didn't realize they could fly instead of walking?

I love my work.

But when I get something for a budget that officially closed in March of this year, effectively closed in May of this year, and looks like it slipped past getting paid, I feel a need to grump.

In geological terms, this item isn't old at all. In financial terms, it's an ancient artifact. If I'm going to be dealing with ancient artifacts, I want some benefit. Vast Cosmic Power? A bit much, but I'll take it. The ability to visit good fortune on my friends with no other effects? Sounds nice. An army of indestructible flying monkeys to do my bidding? A bit over the top, but I'd go with it.

But an ancient artifact which promises nothing but annoyance...if I could just throw it in the shredder and ignore it, I would.

Grf.

We're revising how things are done at my workplace to deal with moving a part of the people to a different building. (We really need the space.)

In any case, one of the concerns is how office supplies get ordered. One suggestion was to have the supplies orders come to my regular e-mail, another was to set up a dedicated e-mail. I have my opinion:

"I think I’d prefer a dedicated e-mail, in case of being hit by a car or something equally disabling. If I’m not in a position to redirect the mail, things could pile up until I was back on my feet."

The response?

"You’re not allowed to get hit by a car or anything equally as bad."

I love working with people with a sense of humor.

What does it cost to fly? Fuel, safety, security, maintenance, pilots, and I don't know what else add up, and none of this is getting cheaper in the long term.

What if passenger flight is approaching the limit of affordability with our current technology? Will our future passenger planes be slower simply because we can't afford to fuel jets? Will "six hours coast to coast" become the realm of the rich again, until somebody designs the next system for powered flight? Will passenger flight disappear?

What will happen to airports if passenger flight stops? What does it mean when express delivery can't afford to fuel up?

How would having flight out of reach affect people? Is it easier to dream of the stars when we can see that we've already made it into the sky?

Are people who know how to find the answers asking these questions right now? Is anybody designing the answer to "the day the jets run out of fuel" right now?

Sometimes, being half asleep causes misheard lyrics. Sometimes misheard lyrics result in things like this.

I can almost see it
The thing I’m stealing
But there's a voice outside the door saying
"You'll never reach it"

Though there’s gems I’m taking
Every plan I make ends
With cops in all directions
My hands start shaking

But I, I gotta keep trying
So just keep your hands held high

There's always gonna be another million
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a foe to battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain’t about the cash I find there
Aint about the heroes on the other side
It’s the crime

The heroes I’m facing
When loot I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

They might not know it
But there is some gold, yes, that
I’m gonna be bringing home, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I just gotta be wrong
Just keep scheming on

‘Cause there's always gonna be another million
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a foe to battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain’t about the cash I find there
Aint about the heroes on the other side
It’s the crime

There's always gonna be another million
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a foe to battle
Somebody’s gonna have to lose

Ain’t about the cash I find there
Aint about the heroes on the other side
It’s the crime, yeah!

Keep on planning, keep stealing,
Keep the loot, maybe
It’s all about, it’s all about the crime
Keep the cash, if you can, yeah!

Assume that printable semiconductor inks become available. What I imagine is a person with a laptop and a printer producing index card technology. Say, a business card with an LED flashlight printed on it, and an index card with four button-sized batteries glued on it to create a two-way radio which links to a Bluetooth headset. The batteries probably would last only an hour. But it's just the thing for the secret agent on the go.

With all the panic, fear, and rumormongering from the people opposed to health care reform in the United States, I've stopped listening to anybody who is opposed to health care reform.

I know that they aren't all easily stampeded people who will believe anything they're told, but I don't care now. I've seen enough of the panic-and-fear department that I'm dismissing the whole argument against without even thinking about it.

Yes, the Nietzsche line.

My question is, what happens to a monster that battles with a human? Does it become human, or are we assuming there's some sort of rating system where a human can become a monster, but not vice-versa?

Dodoma is an actual place in Tanzania.

So, if a hotel in Dodoma, Tanzania refers to itself as "The Shangri-La of Dodoma," you are not allowed to "correct the error" by describing it as "The Shangri-La of Doom."

Sheesh.

EXTERMINATE!
doot doo de doo doot.
EXTERMINATE!
doot doo deet doot.
EXTERMINATE!
doot doo de doo doot, de doo doot, de do-do de doot doot doo doot doot.

(My brain is a strange place.)

I don't know what happened, but for a little while, I was receiving the audio from one channel, and the video from another channel.

This wouldn't be more than an annoyance, except I was hearing, "Now we'll add a miter joint here," while one of the Antiques Roadshow appraisers was pointing out the features of a cabinet...

I just read volume one of Starman Omnibus.

History Detectives started a new season last week.

I have a DVD of Connections for later this week.

And there's ice cream in the freezer.

I know life can get better than this. But right now, this is pretty good.

The story.

The part I'm uncomfortable with is where the article notes that "Irvin...said he believed there was a 'secret gay organization' that could be engaging in covert actions against him..."

I don't agree with Mr. Irvin's position. However, is it necessary to include quotes like that?

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority sells CharlieTickets and CharlieCards, rechargeable paper tickets and plastic cards which are used to pay for subway trips.

Presumably, there's some way of recharging the card or ticket so a rider doesn't get stuck on the subway due to a fare increase.

Out of curiosity (and a bit of boredom), I went through the alphabet to see what websites my browser associated with each letter.

A - http://www.naturalchemist.com/
B - http://www.bay12games.com/forum/
C - http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Archive.aspx?tag=Column
D - http://dornbeast.livejournal.com/friends/
E - http://www.evil-comic.com/
F - http://filkertom.livejournal.com/
G - http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php
H - http://www.eyrie-productions.com/Forum/?az=login
I - http://icanhascheezburger.com/
J - http://www.jayisgames.com/
K - http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/
L - http://www.livejournal.com/
M - http://mail.yahoo.com/
N - http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php
O - http://jick-nerfed.us/forums/index.php
P - http://www.punchanpie.net/cgi-bin/autokeenlite.cgi
Q - http://www.questionablecontent.net/
R - http://rollick.livejournal.com/
S - http://www.sinfest.net/
T - http://theferrett.livejournal.com/
U - http://www.userfriendly.org/
V - http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/El_Vibrato_Island_guide
W - http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Archive.aspx?tag=Column
Y - http://www.youtube.com/
Z - http://z-gryphon.livejournal.com/

The horoscope in my local paper began rating days from 0 to 10 a few weeks ago.

Anybody who is surprised that nobody's day has rated lower than a 5, raise your hand.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?