November 2022 archive

Toddler vs Male CEO

Great list by Justine Cotter at McSweeney’s: “Are You a Parent of a Toddler or an Assistant to a Male CEO of a Tech Startup?” https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/are-you-a-parent-of-a-toddler-or-an-assistant-to-a-male-ceo-of-a-tech-startup

Grocery Store Check-outs Now Gambling Casinos and …

For anyone who’s had to wait, and wait, to pay for their groceries while somoene ahead of them indugles in their gamlibling addiction, and for anyone who’s tried to use the self-serve check-outs instead, check out the scene in chap 30 of Tim Dorsey’s Tiger Shrimp.

Male privilege

Excerpts from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/06/male-privilege-female-top-surgery-workplace “After returning to teaching, I started to receive very little, if any, pushback when I said no. This was especially the case with students. Within academia, it is not an uncommon belief that students make more requests (for grade changes, deadline extensions, and so on) of female-presenting professors. In my case, requests …

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A great idea from Jodi Taylor

“Helen and I watched a short film about childbirth and it was so gruesome we had to turn it off. She had a stiff drink, I had a cup of tea, and we swore we’d never have sex again.” Jodi Taylor, The Long and Short of It (p181) But yes! That should be mandatory viewing—and …

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from Joel Bakan’s The New Corporation

“There are no limits in the [Paris] accord on continued exploration and drilling or on tar sands exploration (which experts say could alone defeat Paris targets), pipeline construction, or hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”).  The accord contains no legally binding emission targets, no timeline for emission reductions, no enforcement mechanisms, no concrete regulatory proposals, and no plans …

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Some great lines from Luke McKinney

Luke McKinney’s “The 8 Stupidest Defenses Against Accusations of Sexism” is worth the read, but a few lines stand out: “Of course, most of us don’t need special tactics to get laid. It turns out “not being an asshole” and “meeting other people” both work pretty well.” “Being a straight male is tremendous fun and …

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re outdoor advertising – EXCELLENT POINT

“But there are other loopholes on French pavements. In Lille, as in Paris, shops are considered private spaces, and not subject to local advertising rules. So all kinds of shopfronts – from chemists to hairdressers and tech shops to trainer emporiums – can put up screens just behind their windows, beaming digital video into the …

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Misconduct of the Heart, Cordelia Strube – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

(No, it’s not a love story/romance.) It’s a must-read for “knobs [who] lose their shit over phones dying” (p5). (And anyone who even thinks of joining the military.)