If a cash-strapped province or state had to make painful cuts to public services, the immediately noticeable effect would be the outright elimination of some of them. One would not think of, say, laying off a fraction of all bus drivers and asking the remaining ones to work longer hours,
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Exponential Book: 2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 29,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 11
Continue readingExponential Book: Predictions for 2012
The end of the year is finally upon us, and an appropriate post must accompany it. Memes are lame, which is why I never rarely do them. Thus, I am going instead to wrap up this very eventful year by offering ten bold predictions for the one that is about
Continue readingExponential Book: Can you share this ?
Dear Massimo, Here is how the Wikipedia fundraiser works: Every year we raise just the funds that we need, and then we stop. Because you and so many other Wikipedia readers donated over the past weeks, we are very close to raising our goal for this year by December 31
Continue readingExponential Book: On the road again
A long and tiring term is coming to a close. Time to celebrate the holidays, then head out to Vancouver for a few days, to end 2011, and then it will be a new year and a new term. The Winter term of 2012 is also going to be very
Continue readingExponential Book: Copying time
I got the idea for this (silly) blog post from my primary, inexhaustible source of inspiration, but I swear, I have been thinking about doing a blog post on handwriting for a while. I hardly use my fountain pens these days — heck I hardly hand wr…
Continue readingExponential Book: Tough acts to follow
This week has marked the untimely departure of two charismatic leaders from the helm of two very different organizations. Canada’s New Democratic Party Jack Layton succumbed to cancer, shortly after leading its party last May to the best electora…
Continue readingExponential Book: Eat less, exercise more… or, less ?
Like many adults in my age range (late 40s), I have observed over the past decade my weight progressively creep up, much to my great joy and satisfaction (tongue firmly in my cheeks). It is not driving me crazy (yet), but I am now feeling that I should…
Continue readingExponential Book: Time for a change ?
It is a warm mid-Summer weekend. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the outdoors, the fresh air, the company of friends, the ferocious northern mosquitoes and all the joys that the season brings, I am in my home office, cursing the new Apple operating sy…
Continue readingExponential Book: On being anal
It took me a while to come to the realization that I need to vent over this subject right here, on my blog, no matter how petty, ridiculous and irrelevant it is (the subject, smartass, not the blog). I am becoming quite tired of having to argue with th…
Continue readingExponential Book: Does not get much sillier than this…
… aka, the xkcd wikipedia meme All right, it has been a while since last time I did this kind of stuff. I saw it at VWXYNOT? (where else, eh ?), who got it through Drugmonkey via WhizBang! I figured I would give it a shot too — it is Summer…
Continue readingExponential Book: Free agent professor
If you’re a college or university teacher, whom do you work for ?” Thus begins Stanley Fish‘s latest New York Times editorial on the subject of academia. Here are a few excerpts: “Academics […] want […] to work in an organizatio…
Continue readingExponential Book: iPad on the road
In a recent post, I stated my intent of purchasing an iPad2 as soon as it would become available in Canada, and expounded why I deem it as the optimal portable computing device for someone in my line of work. In particular, I see it as a superior solut…
Continue readingExponential Book: The face of a nation
This editorial cartoon, published on the Canadian National Post of May 18 2011, has prompted the Italian ambassador to Canada to write a letter to the newspaper, stating his displeasure over a satirical commentary that in his view is “gratuitousl…
Continue readingExponential Book: Dissecting the 2011 vote
Having reaffirmed once again my inability at making accurate predictions, I am going to offer now my very personal reading of the results of the general election held in Canada early this week. I am, of course, no pundit or political scientist, merely …
Continue readingExponential Book: Another election prediction
“Good predictions are only made by luck” (anonymous… nah, it’s me) You would think that, given my ability at guessing the outcome of elections, I would have given up by now… Well, this time I think I am in good company, as…
Continue readingExponential Book: Dear flight attendant
… or airline employee standing behind your airline’s counter at the gate, or customer service desk, or checking in my luggage and issuing my boarding card(s), or talking to me on the phone: (the situation described below is hypothetical. Re…
Continue readingExponential Book: The mantra of flexibility
In the Italy where I grew up (in the 70s and 80s), most jobs were for life. Most workers, not just government or state ones but also those employed in the private sector, were hired permanently. They could not be let go without just cause, in turn almo…
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Roll Up the Rim Stats 2011
It’s time for the fifth annual tracking of my Roll Up the Rim statistics. I’ll update this post as my consumption totals rise up.
As always, I record three statistics.
The first number represents the number of ‘Wins’. I will update the post to indic…
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