The enormous volume of spam has made us dependent on automated filters. Unfortunately, those systems aren’t perfect, so some spam inevitably gets through (false negative), and some legitimate messages are classified as spam (false positive).

False negatives are easy for me to notice, but that’s not the case with false positives. I often purge spam queues without a glance.

This morning, I happened to peek at the spam comment queue for Keacher.com, and I noticed one of Mutak’s comments had been incorrectly marked as spam. I wonder how many times I’ve lost valid email or comments to the spam filter gods?

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

We had a going-away party for one of my coworkers yesterday. He’s leaving the company after eight years to return to school. It’s a sign of a good company, and a valuable person, when that somebody gets a party upon his unexpected departure.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

In response to an increase in panhandling, Minneapolis is considering new ordinances:

The proposed rules would ban panhandling at night, along with verbal solicitation of money within 10 feet of a crosswalk, where people feel captive to importuning beggars.

Opponents object that the amended ordinance would target poor and homeless people.

Wait… come again? The “opponents” take issue with the implied wealth and station of beggars? Of course the new rule targets the poor: the poor are the ones begging (exceptions notwithstanding). Sure, they might need extra money solely to feed a drug or alcohol habit, but the rich satisfy those vices without accosting people on the street.

To say that panhandling laws unfairly target the poor would be like saying that insider trading laws unfairly target the wealthy.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

There is a certain magic that I feel in bookstores.  It’s a sense of wonder, of possibility, of excitement at all the knowledge waiting to be learned and stories waiting to be enjoyed.  A thousand lifetimes would be insufficient to absorb it all.

Oddly, I don’t have the same feeling in a library.  Sure, the books are free to borrow, and some libraries now sell espresso, but there’s something lacking in the experience.  Have I been brainwashed by Barnes and Noble to prefer ownership over community?  Is the bookstore more convenient and better stocked?  I wonder.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

Three years ago, I spent a month backpacking through Europe. In the hope that somebody can benefit, I’m sharing my packing list. I think my choices worked well. The best advice I can offer is that the less stuff you bring, the happier you will be.

Of course, not everybody subscribes to that school of thought. I couldn’t believe how much crap some people lugged around. Two female Aussies that Webb and I encountered had enormous camping backpacks, plus giant suitcases, plus large bookbags. They must have been miserable while on the move.

Pack smart. Pack light.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)