So, our new apartment (which we moved to in September) does not have utilities included, so for the first time I had to start an account with a gas company: Columbia Gas. I initiated the account online before moving, and received a bill in late September for the initiation fee and the first 4-days of gas usage. Then I never heard from them again and never received any subsequent bills. I didn’t worry about it because Melissa, who has dealt with Columbia before, said it was pretty normal for bills to come sporadically—even sometimes 2-3 months apart.
World’s Greatest [Fake] Laptop
![World’s Greatest [Fake] Laptop](/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/2007-11-29-2d-laptop.jpg)
This is, without a doubt, the best two-dimensional fake laptop in the world (as seen at a local Staples store in Logitech’s display area). Somebody gets paid the big-bucks to build fake laptops like this, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
End of Tackiness Alert
Now that Thanksgiving is over (and a great Thanksgiving it was), it is no longer tacky to put up your Christmas decorations, buy Christmas gifts, or display Christmas products in your retail outlets. The Christmas season begins after Thanksgiving. If you broke this cardinal rule and began your Christmas festivities before Thanksgiving, you can earn forgiveness by removing your Christmas decorations an equal number of days before New Years (when Christmas decorations become tacky again) as you put them up before Thanksgiving. Next year, be more conscientious and keep Christmas confined to the proper Christmas season.
Election 2007: Results (Final)
Off on a Tangent’s live election coverage has concluded, as all races I am following have projected winners. The Washington Post reports that the Democratic Party has gained a majority in the Virginia Senate, while the Republican Party maintains a narrow majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. All signs in Northern Virginia point to sweeping local gains by the Democratic Party. Nearly all Democratic incumbents have retained their seats in the region, while many incumbent Republicans have lost their seats to Democratic challengers. The Democratic Party, however, did not make strong gains outside of the urban/suburban areas of the Commonwealth.
The Great Week of Upgrades
Happy Upgrade Week! Due to a number of unrelated events, much of my technology world saw major changes and upgrades over the last week or so. My main computer and my phone both saw major operating system upgrades, and my iPod was replaced entirely. Following are my (very brief) impressions of Max OS X 10.5 ‘Leopard’, the iPod Classic 80gb, and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. . . .
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.