Why Does Feb Have Only 28 Days?

Good question. "The Explainer" at Slate.com says "It’s the Romans fault".

Thinking About Switching To A Mac?

Good for you! This article will give you the down-and-dirty on the good, bad, and ugly of what to expect.

How Many Usernames and Passwords Do You Have?

How many more are you willing to put up with?

OpenID is an authentication system that has been gaining momentum recently as we progress into a bigger better web world, often called "Web 2.0". Does the situation described below seem familiar?

"When you went to hotmail to get your free email, it was okay to sign up
with a name that was available. But then came photo sharing sites, the
bank(s), your utility companies, the baseball leagues web site, the
on-line merchants who sold you books, clothes, electronics and pretty
soon you had more logins than you care to remember. Sounds so web 1.0!
Doesn’t it? How long will users continue to get around with the
shackles from the web 1.0 era ? Not for long would be my guess — if
there were a better alternative."

The proposed solution is to assign unique usernames that emulate website addresses (URLs). To start to stop the cycle, go over to VeriSign’s free OpenID sign-up. Here they will register all your essentials and generate a unique "web address" username that can then be used in all participating websites. Presently only early adopters are participating, but shortly this will become the prevailing trend — so secure a reasonable name today, so you won’t be stuck with something like  tngerine34@hotmail.com

What’s the Meaning of Life?

Good question. Wikipedia lists many answers. (thx)

Gerry & Laura Breen’s Wedding

Our longtime friends tied the knot this weekend in quaint Leominster, MA (pronounced Lemon-ster… don’t ask). They had a multi-denominational ceremony in a Unitarian church that paid tribute to Jewish, Catholic, and Eastern religions. They had readings that were American Indian, traditional Irish, and a quote from their Aikido sensei:

"In a world of people who all believe they know the unknownable, go forward together into the unkown."

We all then devoted two minutes of silence to contemplate this thought, which were started and ended by a chime. Next they stated their vows and Gerry crushed the a glass in a napkin, before dashing off for 15 mins of seclusion. I guarded the door of their room as they honored this Jewish tradition.

Later we all gathered in, of all places, the National Plastics Center’s Museum, which turns out to be the best place for a reception in town. So we drank, dined, danced, laughed… and learned a little bit more about the wonderful world of plastics!

Here’s a slideshow of their lovely wedding.

10 Tips to Secure a Management Position Without a College Degree

Excellent, simple advice that I’ve lived and can attest to.

Personal Development for Smart People

This is Steve Pavlina’s tagline for his blog. Here he lists an extensive list of books across a broad spectrum for achieving success in all aspects of your life.

9 New York Subway Etiquette Rules

1. Get the hell out of my way, I’m coming through.

2. Do not stop at the top of the stairs to put your MetroCard away. You are between me and my train.

3. Act more like a particle and less like a wave. When you’re
weaving all over the platform like a drunken sinusoidal, energetic
particles like myself — who, in keeping with Newton’s first law of
motion, like to remain in a uniform state of motion until acted upon by
an outside force — cannot easily get past you.

4. Slower traffic keep to the right.

5. Yield to persons crossing the platform from the express train to
the local train (or vice versa). They need the right-of-way more than
you do for that 15 seconds of your existence on this earth.

6. Have your MetroCard out of its holster before you get to the turnstile. Before.

7. If you are waiting for your train, suppress the urge to wander
the crowded platform aimlessly. Pick a spot and stay exactly there. If
you need to move, do so with purpose and well-defined direction.

8. I’m embarrassed that I even need to mention this one because it’s
so bloody obvious, but get out of the way and let everyone off the
train before you attempt to board.

9. Get the hell out of my way, I’m coming through.

(thx Kottke.org)

New York Etiquette Guide

Very funny, very informative, very rewarding.

"We see all kinds of behavior in New York, and as citizens, we practice
our own varieties. Call it research, this constant bumping-into,
hustling-over, spitted-on; some people behave well in this city, others
don’t. Based on good and bad examples of etiquette we’ve witnessed,
this guide has been compiled to help the tourist and veteran alike in
navigating New York in the best possible manner."  (thx Morning News)

Masterful Line Rider Video