2013 — 13 November: Wednesday
Could there be anything nicer than a morning expotition to the dentist?1 Still, at least it isn't raining.
Back soon, I hope...
Irritatingly...
... the next step in this particular dental da(llia)nce — which has already been going on since September — is for me to whizz down the motorway to consult a dental surgeon (with a microscope) in Southsea who will do what he can to assess the state of the bacterial party still going on in the root tip. It's starting to sound like a re-run of my Wimpole Street adventures a little over two decades ago. Though I have no doubt the fees have gone up since then.
Before that, however, I have some supplies shopping to do. It's bright and sunny out there, but a mere +3C on my porch thermometer.
I had never...
... heard of "The Necks" but, noting their 16 albums and hearing some of their ardent fans, I was predisposed to like them. Sadly, it was not to be. I like jazz. I like minimalism. I like improvisation. But their improvised jazz minimalism turned out to be simply tedious noodling. Your mileage may vary. (Link.)
Nor had I ever...
... read the August 2012 "Vanity Fair" article describing Microsoft's "lost decade" though, I have to say, if you globally changed each occurrence of 'Microsoft' to 'IBM' I'm sorry to say it would still have read extremely plausibly. I had several fierce arguments with surprisingly-senior IBM managers about the inane "employee ranking" process that was for such a long time such a destructive component of IBM's HR policies. (Link.)
I wonder (but not for very long) if it's still firmly entrenched. Bean counters rule, after all, and the peons are plenty smart enough to pay attention to the things that their managers pay attention to. I'm not sure if, technically, it's a zero-sum game, but it certainly struck me as a silly way to encourage teamwork.
Although only...
... half-listening to the Media Show (items on DAB radio / analogue switch-off, and print magazines) I note that there was no discussion of compressed (and lousy) audio quality. And, while hanging around in the dentist's waiting area this morning for an X-ray to be developed, I was able to leaf entirely through the glossy December 2013 issue of "Stuff" without finding anything that caught my eye apart from a small bit about OLED TV screens. The only magazine I currently buy and read is "Private Eye".
Though I gratefully accept pre-owned issues of "Scientific American" passed along from time to time :-)
[Pause] The depressing thought has struck me that it's just about time to start thinking about Xmas shopping. <Shudder>