I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Monday, April 13, 2009

Random Mondays

In case you've ever wondered if the broadcast music system (ie. commercial radio) in this country was an attempt at subtle mind control, I'll just point out that in the past three weeks on the few times I've listened to commercial radio, I heard Styx's "These Are the Best of Times" like four or five times. This is more than I've heard 1) Styx and 2) this song in the past decade and a half. I wonder what they're trying to say? And could they be a little less blatant about it? I think it's that they aren't even being somewhat circumspect that is the most disturbing.

Gas prices are expected to continue upward at the rate of $.03 a day until we reach the magical Memorial Day Holiday Season. You know, even though oil on the world market continues to fall on increased reserves and the continuing world-wide recession. Okay, so summer gas needs to be refined in different ways to meet the EPA regulations in different markets. But, you know, this hasn't changed for the past 12 years, don't we have the process down yet?

With the demise of printed newspapers around the country, and (continual blathering about) the move toward e-publishing, just what are we going to use to hit our dog's noses with in the future? What will all those housewives in their housecoats shamble out to the mailbox to get at 6:30am in the morning? What will we line our birdcages with, or wrap fish in to send as a warning? What will children in kindergarden use to make their papier-mache object de art with? And what will kids make pirate hats out of (you know, I used to know how to make a square hat out of paper, but I can't remember now)? What will we use to wrap grandma's china in when we move? How will we show intensive background searches when our hero can't scroll through microfiches on those huge honking machines only to stumble upon the front page headline (that really would have been a page 3 story) that helps them solve their cases? What about the microfiche industry? OMG! It's the end of civilization!

And just how many weeks will the stock market have to grow (and how high) until the idiot financial analysts on Fox News can no longer say "Bear Rally" without the rest of us falling over laughing? And thinking about Fox, just how many more times can Krauthammer and Hannity say "socialism" before all the angels get their wings? Or does that only happen when they say both "socialism" and "fascism" when referring to the same thing?

2 comments:

Nathan said...

I'm no expert on the airline industry, but didn't they justify charging for checked bags because of higher fuel prices? How low do fuel prices have to fall before they stop doing that?

Yes, I know. I'm just being silly, aren't I?

Steve Buchheit said...

That and all the surcharges for delivery by the various companies. For one place that sells us stone, when fuel doubled they doubled their surcharge. Since fuel has been in half, the reduced their charge by 10%. Nice people.