From my work email inbox this morning:

On Monday, April 30th, a Verizon LG cell phone was turned in to the Front Desk.  It has been run over, but it did ring a couple of times.  Unfortunately, as it is locked we were unable to answer the calls.  The screen is broken, so we also couldn’t see the phone number.

If you are missing your cell phone and this could be yours, please come to the front desk.  Thank you.

I’ve owned cell phones that I’ve wanted to run over,  but the worst I’ve ever done was accidentally running a StarTac through a washing machine.

In a previous, partially-hidden post, I was a bit callous while discussing the pending death of my maternal grandfather. Well, he passed away Monday morning, and I attended his funeral today in Bemidji. I grieved.

The funeral mass really rubbed me the wrong way, primarily because of the presiding priest, but I’ll say no more publicly on that topic.

In light of my teary-eyed mourning at the funerals of people I knew at an acquaintance level, I fear I will be an emotional disaster when I’m at a funeral of somebody I knew intimately.

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

Guy Kawasaki is an evangelist of the 10/20/30 rule for PowerPoint presentations: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point text.

I went to a presentation today where the speaker paid that rule no heed. The resulting boring, rambling, incomprehensible, unreadable, never-ending monstrosity made me want to gouge out my eyes, glue closed my ears, and run for the exit. Ug. I actually left partway through, ostensibly for “another meeting.”

These guidelines should be required reading for anyone who needs to give presentations in a professional setting. For authors of academic or technical papers, please, please read these too.

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

Lo, and there was light!

Today was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. About 70 degrees, blue sky, no bugs. All around, people were escaping their homes to experience the kind of day that reminds them why they live in Minnesota.

I spent my day in the office and my evening fighting with a lawnmower, but no matter: I enjoyed it anyway.

The tentative dates for my Isle Royale backpacking trip are July 13-17; let me know if you’re interested.

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

From my inbox five minutes ago:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN(R)) recently agreed to reduce their Registrar Transaction Fee from $.25 to $.22. What does this mean for you?

Good news. You have been credited $.03/yr for each domain name you registered or renewed dating back to July 1, 2006* — $.06 has been placed into your Go Daddy(R) account

Wow, six whole cents! I’d better not spend that all in one place!