The View » Off Topic

Scott Adams is spying on me!

Jonathan Johnson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:36:07 +0000

I recently came across the following Dilbert cartoon:

There’s really nothing I can add to this. It sums me up perfectly. I’ll probably be up til 3am looking at pictures and reviews of the Nokia N810 I’m getting for Christmas. How does Scott Adams know these things about me?

If you’re a fan of Dilbert, check out Scott Adams’ blog at Dilbert.com. It’s a surreal mix of useful information and strange humor that only an engineer could think up. You can even make mashups with old Dilbert cartoons and replace punch lines with your own.

Be sure to read the post explaining how financial markets work!

Are you a fan of Dilbert? Addicted to the internet? Share your opinion by commenting.

More political humor: Stevie Wonder campaigns for Obama

Jonathan Johnson — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:28:00 +0000

One of the perks of living in Los Angeles is occasionally interacting with celebrities. During the California primaries last year, Stevie Wonder called me. I wasn’t home at the time, but he left this message on my voicemail. My voicemail has a really cool feature where I can download messages as mp3 files, so I thought I would share it for your enjoyment. Click the link below to listen to the message.

stevie-wonder-obama

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of Senator Obama. My political views are private, and this is not a political site. I share this only because it struck me as funny.

Political Humor: Paris Hilton Spoofs McCain Ad

Jonathan Johnson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:15:07 +0000

This has been all over the headlines, but in case anyone missed it, John McCain’s campaign recently produced an ad comparing Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Paris Hilton responded by producing a parody of McCain’s ad in which she calls him “the oldest celebrity in the world.”

You need to see the McCain ad first to understand the humor in the Hilton spoof. If you’ve already seen it, skip directly to the second video.

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of either political candidate. My political views are private, and this is not a political site. I show these videos because I think they are funny. Your results may vary.

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

My First Earthquake – Observations

Jonathan Johnson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:14:07 +0000

I just experienced my first earthquake after living in Los Angeles for about one year. No, not the “Big One” – just a 5.4. Just strong enough to get my attention. Mrs. Fencepost and I are both unhurt, and none of our stuff is damaged that we know about.

Some minor injuries have been reported, and the building inspectors are out responding to complaints of possible structural damage. There have been more than 20 aftershocks, but I haven’t felt any of them.

Local authorities are referring to this earthquake as a “wake up call.” People who, like me, are new to Southern California and did not previously know what to expect in this situation, are thinking about their state of preparedness and what needs to improve. Here are a few thoughts and observations based on my experience.

What was it like?

The building I was in has a rather noisy air conditioner- every time it turns on, it makes a loud thumping sound that reverberates through the building’s attic. The earthquake’s initial jolt sounded exactly like that; in fact, I thought at first I was hearing the A/C. The thump was followed by a rumbling that got very loud very fast and then died away, almost like the sound you hear when a heavy truck or a train goes by.

I was partway up a flight of stairs when the earthquake struck. I heard the noise first, then noticed that the walls were moving back and forth. I don’t remember having any trouble keeping my balance. It took me almost until the earthquake was over before I figured out what it was, mainly because I didn’t know what to expect.

My body responded with a massive surge of adrenaline, and I felt my heart pounding. I now understand why people with weak hearts sometimes suffer cardiac arrest during earthquakes.

Water Storage

I did not, until today, have any emergency drinking water storage. I corrected that after doing some research on the internet. The type of plastic jug that milk is sold in don’t work well for long term storage, because the plastic tends to degrade and leak. (Trust me – I know that from experience.) Two-liter soda bottles made from PET plastic are much more suitable.

I found several useful articles on how to purify and store water, including one that suggested drawing water from your hot water heater:

Can Water Go Bad? – HowStuffWorks.com article on water storage
Treating and Storing Water for Emergency Use – University of New Mexico publication. Includes recipes for how much chlorine or iodine to use in drinking water.
Emergency Water Supplies – Advice on treatment, storage, use and conservation of water during emergencies.
How Much Water is Enough? – In a nutshell: keep at least one gallon per person or per pet for three days; consume it based on how thirsty you are – don’t “ration” it, but don’t force yourself to drink more than you are thirsty for either.

Communication

Immediately after the quake, I attempted to call Mrs. Fencepost to find out if she was OK. I was not able to use my cell phone to make voice calls, although we did get some text messages back and forth. The phones in the building I was in did not have a dial tone. From home I was able to call out on my VOIP line sooner than on my cell, although VOIP would not have worked if there had been a power outage.

That’s it. I’ve had my wakeup call, and taken a few steps to be better prepared next time. I’m just glad that this earthquake was a learning experience rather than a disaster.