TheCapeBlog

Walmart? The obliterator of small businesses, oppressor of workers, destroyer of worlds?
Yesterday, Emme and I visited a small fabric store in Falmouth which was staffed by two unsmiling, unfriendly and unhelpful women whose only question to us was “You’re not going to buy anything, are you?”
Contrast that with Walmart, which has a relatively tiny fabric department but good customer service.
As we were checking out, the cashier asked Emme about her sewing project and wished her luck.
As opposed to the grim bum’s rush we got from the small merchant, whom we understand has a reputation for treating customers badly.
So, which one do you think deserves our trade?

Two great columns on Susan Boyle from EW.com:
Lisa Schwarzbaum:
In our pop-minded culture so slavishly obsessed with packaging — the right face, the right clothes, the right attitudes, the right Facebook posts — the unpackaged artistic power of the unstyled, un-hip, un-kissed Ms. Boyle let me feel, for the duration of one blazing showstopping ballad, the meaning of human grace. She pierced my defenses. She reordered the measure of beauty. And I had no idea until tears sprang how desperately I need that corrective from time to time.
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/04/susan-boyle-why.html
Ken Tucker:
Never underestimate the age factor. Yes, we live in a time when the youth audience commands box office profits and drives TV programming via advertisers who want “young eyeballs” to watch shows. But there’s a huge segment of the population that feels cut out, annoyed, and even angry about this situation. Lots of middle-aged people are fed up with being dismissed as “gray-hairs” and out-of-it; the success of Boyle is one small but potent example that you’re not ready for the trash — or as Boyle would probably say, the dustbin — at age 30.
http://watching-tv.ew.com/2009/04/why-susan-boyle.html?iid=top25-5+reasons+why+Susan+Boyle+is+different+from+your+usual+overnight+sensation

Continue reading Susan Boyle: “Gobsmacked”

Here’s the proof

Peter was saying the other day that seeing a tiny creature like his cat act like a mighty hunter makes him laugh.
Fluffles has only been here for a few weeks, but I already have my share of scratches and bites, so I think even though he’s little, he’s pretty formidable.
Fluffles is around 15 pounds, which would be on the small side for a bobcat, but he’s long enough and almost tall enough to qualify.
I would hate to be in a fair fight with Mr. Fluffles if I were a mouse.

This weekend, I happened to catch bits and pieces of the movie version of “Sex In the City”, which has made it to cable and which generally I liked when it first came out, and cringed once again at the scene where Charlotte tells Carrie that adopting a little girl from China facilitated her becoming pregnant.
I’m not the only one: there’s a terrific blog about the challenges of infertility that explains better than I could why some women found this plot twist so offensive.
I didn’t know this, but the percentage of previously infertile women who become pregnant after adoption versus those who become pregnant without adoption is the same: only 3%.
So, where the myth that “God is thanking you for taking care of one of his little ones” came from is a mystery. Or maybe a rationale for something that we instinctively know is wrong: tearing apart one family to make another one happy.
Guess we’ll never know.

From Live Journal:
1. Would you return to high school life for a week? Why or why not? (If you’re currently in high school, would you redo your experiences so far?)
No! No! No! No! (Shudder)Unless you were a cheerleader or a jock, who on earth would want to go back?
2. Who were/are you in high school?
One of the “good” kids.
3. What was/is your favorite high school hangout? What did/do you do there?
There was a recreation building in the town park, and they’d have teen nights there. I vaguely remember music and bowling. We had a lot of fun in the drama club, used to go to competitions at other schools.
4. What were/are your favorite three songs in high school?
Can’t recall the three favorites, but these were in the running:
Absolutely loved “Patricia” by Perez Prado
“Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips
“That Sunday, that Summer” by Nat Cole
“How High the Moon” by Les Paul and Mary Ford (quite a bit before HS)
“The Happy Organ” by Dave “Baby” Cortez
5. What was the craziest thing you did in high school?
You don’t want to know….

When Peter Cohen (The Imposter) was born, I did some hard thinking about the men I knew, wanting to pick a name for him that would have the most positive associations.
So, I named him after my cousin Peter. This was somewhat irregular in that you were supposed to select the name of a deceased relative, but quite honestly that made no sense to me, and Peter (the Elder) never seemed to mind.

Continue reading Peter Cohen (The Elder)

The last two weeks, from Live Journal:
Stranded!
It’s the “stranded on a desert island” question! You can only take one thing from each category. What is it and why are you taking it?
A food that can be planted and regrown.
Potato
A person you haven’t seen in a long time.
My old friend Priscilla Vaughn Walsh. She would not only be great company, she’s one of the most resourceful people I know.
A book you (were) read as a child.
Don’t remember.
A celebrity.
Harlan Ellison.
The entire episode run of a television show (it’s a very nice desert island).
Sex and the City
Luck
1. Do you believe in good and/or bad luck?
Yes!
2. Do you believe there is one man/woman luckier than all the rest?
My friend Candace Mary had bad luck as a kid and a young adult, but she’s very lucky now.
3. When was the last time you considered yourself lucky?
This past weekend, met a lot of great people.
4. What is the most unlucky thing to ever happen to you?
Being born to parents who didn’t want me and then adopted by people for whom I was “second best”.
5. Where do you think luck (good or bad) comes from?
Honestly? I think it’s karma for good/bad deeds in a former life.

A few months ago I took a pledge:

“I will publish a blog post on Tuesday 24th March about a woman in technology whom I admire but only if 1,000 other people will do the same.”

to celebrate Ada Lovelace and Ada Lovelace Day.
Thus, I would like to call out my colleague Julie(Julia) Lerman. Julie is an independent consultant and .NET Mentor who has been designing and writing software applications for more than 20 years and is the author of O’Reilly’s Programming Entity Framework.

Julie is well known in the .NET community as a Microsoft MVP, ASPInsider and INETA Speaker. She is a prolific blogger, a frequent presenter at technical conferences around the world and writes articles for many well-known technical publications.

Julie lives in Vermont where she runs the Vermont.NET User Group, is a board member of the Vermont Software Developers Alliance and a member of the Champlain College Software Engineering Advisory Board. You can read Julie’s blog at thedatafarm.

We are made poorer by the death of Natasha Richardson, an actress whose work I’ve enjoyed since “The Handmaid’s Tale”.
Ms. Richardson succumbed to a seemingly trivial skiing injury. She had such a remarkable life – daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, wife of Liam Neeson, sister of Joely Richardson – that her passing at such a young age – 45 – is particular poignant: she literally had everything to live for.
Sincere condolences to her family and friends.