English Rules

May 2006

I Don't Mean To Be Critical

May 23, 2006

On Sunday we spent the afternoon with two of my former students and current friends, Kevin and Christina. It's always fun to watch our kids interacting with adults, and this time was no different. After lunch, Ben took Christina up to his room to show her his latest Lego creation. He was explaining to her some of the finer points … Read more.

Freelancing for Friends

May 16, 2006

My evenings (and early mornings) have been pretty busy over the past few months. After coming home from work and eating dinner, playing with the kids and putting them to bed, spending a little time with Sara and taking care of a few household chores, I've been sitting down at the computer and cranking out a few web sites. A … Read more.

Viral Videos

May 8, 2006

Video is all the rage on the internet now for people with a broadband connection and a little too much time on their hands. Sites such as YouTube and Google Video are garnering millions of visitors as user-published video clips—some legal, some not—find their way on the web. Two videos that I've found especially entertaining recently are the Stephen Colbert … Read more.

Above the Law

May 2, 2006

The Boston Globe reported on Sunday that throughout his presidency, George W. Bush has determined that hundreds of laws simply don't apply to him. President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with … Read more.

Held Up

May 1, 2006

Last week a friend of mine who lives about four blocks away from me got mugged. Paul was by his car in the alley behind his house when four kids looking about 14 or 15 years old approached him and asked for the time. He looked at his wristwatch, and before he had a chance to look back up one … Read more.

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  • Geeking out at #tae2008 -- with Richard Worth and Jonathan Snook: Link and with John Resig: Link — Thu, Oct 2 at 4:09 pm
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  • Wow! What a bizarre letter McCain sent in response to Obama last February: Link This is a must-read, folks. Exposes pathology. — Thu, Oct 2 at 12:20 am

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  • Staggerford: A Novel
  • Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
  • unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
  • Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
Just Read
  • JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
  • The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
  • The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
  • Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)
On the Shelf
  • Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
  • Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
  • Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
  • The Elephant Vanishes: Stories
  • The Catcher in the Rye
  • The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders

© Karl Swedberg

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Noteworthy Articles

Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes (New York Times)

Ms. Havemeister was one of at least five schoolmates Ms. Palin hired, often at salaries far exceeding their private sector wages.

Obama to Palin: 'Don't Mock the Constitution' | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Sen. Barack Obama delivered an impassioned defense of the Constitution and the rights of terrorism suspects tonight, striking back at one of the biggest applause lines in Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech to the GOP convention...

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention - (Associated Press

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

State of the Art - New Nikon Holds a Secret - NYTimes.com

If you saw it just sitting there, you?d never guess that the new Nikon D90 is a mind-blowing, game-changing camera...

Captcha is broken - now what? (The Guardian)

Websites use Captchas in an attempt to disrupt the spam and malware economy - but they are not working...

Hoping It's Biden (New York Times)

Barack Obama has decided upon a vice-presidential running mate. And while I don't know who it is as I write, for the good of the country, I hope he picked Joe Biden...

The Candidate We Still Don?t Know (New York Times)

Most Americans still don't know, as Marshall writes, that on the campaign trail "McCain frequently forgets key elements of policies, gets countries' names wrong, forgets things he?s said only hours or days before and is frequently just confused." ...

Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America? (New York Times)

Mr. Stewart describes his job as "throwing spitballs" from the back of the room and points out that "The Daily Show" mandate is to entertain, not inform. Still, he and his writers have energetically tackled the big issues of the day...

10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List (NYTimes.com)

I?ve rounded up a list of 10 things not to worry about on your vacation.

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (The American Scholar)

Our best universities have forgotten that the reason they exist is to make minds, not careers...z

We're Not Laughing at You, or With You (NYTimes.com)

Let's talk about the bloody crossroads where satire goes searching for its target...

Turf War (The New Yorker)

Americans can?t live without their lawns--but how long can they live with them?

Graffiti artist Banksy unmasked (Daily Mail)

He is perhaps the most famous, or infamous, artist alive. To some a genius, to others a vandal. Always controversial, he inspires admiration and provokes outrage in equal measure...

Behind the Bush Bust - Op-Ed (New York Times)

Other politicians besides Mr. Bush share the blame for the mess we?re in ? but most of them are Republicans...

On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble (NYTimes.com)

Parents who had been paying $1,425 a month for infant care would see their costs rise to nearly $2,500 ? well above the market rate. For parents with toddlers and preschoolers, who were charged less, the price increases were equally eye-popping