LookIt

Dumb fax spammers

Most of the fax spam I receive is pump-and-dump that is untraceable. This morning, I got an unsolicited fax spam that was fully traceable from the "Secure the Call Foundation". I hope that they are just clueless about the fact that being fax spammers makes them look fraudulent, but if it is more than cluelessness, they could be doing things like vacuuming the phone numbers off the donated cell phones and using them as fodder for phone lists. Just what we need more of...

The second thing causing a reduction in email reading

David Strom, in his article on LinkedIn and FaceBook: "I see my daughter using email less and less because she lives in Facebook and doesn’t want to check her email box."

(For those of you wondering about the first thing: RSS and Atom. Fewer mailing lists means more of the mail in your inbox is really for you, which can be terrifying to some people.)

Why poll?

Steven Levitt asks "Is There a Point to Conducting Polls About Whether or not Sexual Orientation is Chosen?" and other good questions beyond the title: "Should I care what Americans think about this? Maybe it is an indirect reflection of general views on homosexuality and its acceptability. But if that is the point, why not ask questions that tackle that issue more directly?"

Addictive one-person online games

I have a problem with games. I say "oh, this one, I can play in moderation," and am usually wrong. I prefer non-competitive (that is, one-person) games. I have known for more than 25 years that I don't like shooters and twitchers, but I like to think that I can handle ones where timing isn't such a big issue. Recently I have come across two games that are so repetitively fun (read: addictive) that I have taken them off my bookmarks list. But if you like such things, definitely check out:

• Bloxorz is a pure puzzle. Try to roll a block over a route to a goal. I got to level 15 before it started affecting my sleep. The graphics and sound are amazingly good.
• Shuffle is a mixture of skill and planning based on billiards. You play against the computer, who gets better with each round. I got to about 50,000 points a game before I realized I was spending way too much time trying again.

On the other hand, if you like word games with anonymous competition and a timer, definitely check out Weboggle. The graphics are uninteresting, but it is a good 3.2 minute diversion. There are usually around 70 players, and I'm happy if I get in the top half on any particular game.

Looking for a home in New Jersey?

My mother-in-law is selling her home in Bergenfield, NJ, which is an easy drive to NYC over the George Washington Bridge. As a California boy, I have a hard time imagining a house built around 1950 having just one owner the entire time. Imagine her trying to remember a new phone number after all those years... Anyhow, the house is lovely and it should feel great for the folks who buy it.

A better tribute

I quickly became bored with the "what Sgt. Pepper meant" articles in the past few weeks. David Gans put together a short, refreshing mix that describes what the album felt like.