Author: Steven Garrity

is the Microsoft Office monopoly more dangerous than Microsoft Windows monopoly?

by Steven Garrity

Jakob Neilsen, usability nut, offers this interesting proposition:

“…the real platform these days is Office and that Microsoft’s monopoly at this new level is of more concern than what they do with Windows…”

To a degree, this is true. Most common business documents use the Microsoft Office formats (primarily Word, Excel, and Powerpoint). Regardless of whether you are using a Mac or a Windows PC (I realize that there are significant operating systems left out here), you can email Office documents to other (Microsoft sanctioned) platforms to your hearts content.

 

Jeeves, how do I bluntside the awning?

by Steven Garrity

Damn You Tony Hawk!
The chain of events took place as follows:

  1. A co-worker gets a computer game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (warning, this links to a totally x-treme website – mountain dew big-slams recommended), for Christmas.
  2. He leaves it at the office.
  3. My life deteriorates into a blur of late nights full of kick-flips, 720’s, and ollie transfers.

A real low point in my addiction to the ridiculous game came when a few of my friends were sitting around complaining about our injuries from the playing the game (sore wrists, etc.). As soon as we realized what we were doing, the conversation came to an abrupt end.

This post was not meant to be about my pathetic addiction to a computer game, which appears to have been inevitable, but rather about a triumph of the Internet search technology.

One of the goals in the foolish game is to “Bluntside the Awning”. This meant as much to me as it does to you (nothing) and it was an important goal that I needed to complete in the game (I know, I know). Frustrated, confused, and all the while ashamed of myself, I went to AskJeeves.com and posed the simple but arcane query, “How do I bluntside the awning?”

The first result was my answer. Well done, Internet.

 

a tale of cats, philosophers, and SUVs

by Steven Garrity

aov’s favourite philosophy professor, Tony Couture, to whom we owe a lot of our genius, has had quite a misadventure.

As featured in The Guardian newspaper, Tony’s unreasonably large Sport Utility Vehicle went off the road near Shediac. While Tony seems to have escaped unscathed, the windows smashed and his cat, Casi, went missing. After 18 days lost in the woods a few good Samaritans tracked down the cat and he was delivered home safely.

Tony, we’re glad to hear you are ok and that Casi made it home safely.

After my earlier post about how the news is never pertinent to me, this is refreshing.

 

no rails will be ‘jibbed’ this day

by Steven Garrity

Two of my co-workers took the day off to go snowboarding today (we are web designers after all). After getting out of bed especially early and a embarking on a tumultuous drive we arrived at the hill. Alone. The hill was closed.

Well, we weren’t totally alone. There was a staff lady in the lodge (which was locked). She was nice to us (who wouldn’t be, we must have looked pathetic).

With no lift operating, we walked up the hill (which should you an idea of how big the hill is). I had what I think might have been a stoke (I will confirm this on WebMD in a few minutes). We had one beautiful run on powder and corduroy*. Just enough to remember how much fun it is, then back to work.

* “Corduroy” is a term used to describe the snow after it has been freshly groomed and still has the little corduroy-like ridges from the groomer. It’s a beautiful thing.