I was just thinking today that MySQL’s SET datatype has to be the most underused feature of MySQL, and how I could implement a multiple category system for my ebooks using it, when I got the MySQL AB Newsletter and lo and behold, it has an article on using SET.
I love fun coincidences like that.
We got an email this evening from a friend, one of those types of emails that has been forwarded something like 5 times or more, warning of a serial killer that lures women out of their houses by playing a recording of a crying baby. Something about the way it was written made me think “urban legend,” so I dug around a little bit on the Web.
It is an urban legend; the Snopes page debunking it is here. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen an urban legend so new that it’s practically gestating; interestingly, the text of the email we received has some slight variations on the one posted by Snopes. Urban legend evolution?
Here’s the full text of the one we were emailed, the only thing I edited out was the annoying >’s from all the forwarding:
***VERY IMPORTANT*PLEASE READ***
This is scary!
Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on
her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.
The police told her, “Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over.
The policeman said, “We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and is using it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.
He said they have not verified it, but! t have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.
Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying
baby. This email should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America’s Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.
PLEASE send this to friends and family.
Note the variations from the Snopes version; the most interesting addition to the one we received was the bit about America’s Most Wanted. Designed to give a bit more authenticity, perhaps?
Am I just cynical? Holiday Inn is declaring today Towel Amnesty Day in which anyone who has ever stolen a towel (or anything else, I imagine) from a hotel can tell their story, and Holiday Inn will donate $1.00 to charity (plus 25 lucky people will “win” a souvenir towel). You know what I see when I look at this? A “Towel Information Awareness” (take that, TIA!) database that Holiday Inn can then use to red-flag future customers. “Even stolen a towel? They did? Charge them an extra $10 for this room.”
Don’t think so? Why else would their entry form ask for your full name, address, phone number and email?
Cynical, indeed.
I always (usually) (sometimes) take notice when someone mentions some of our fine local beers; so my attention was grabbed when I read that Tim Bray enjoyed a Black Butte Porter while waiting for a flight home today. Good choice, Tim.
Black Butte Porter is not only the flagship beer from Deschutes Brewery, but also I think of Bend. It’s definitely one of the things we’re known for in some circles. In fact, if you ever visit Bend, you must go to the Deschutes Brewery and your first beer must be a Black Butte Porter, it’s that good (especially on tap at the source). Should you do so, let me know and I’ll join you. I might even buy the first round.
Saw S.W.A.T. on Saturday, and it’s a pretty good movie. Most surprisingly, to me, was that it was directed by Clark Johnson, an old “Homicide” alum (who also has a small part in the movie, along with another ex-Homicider, Reed Diamond).
(“Homicide” was one of those rare gems of a television show that, when I got into it, I would go out of my way to watch. When it was good, it was the best show on TV, period.)
I had already recognized Clark Johnson (he plays LL Cool J’s partner early on), but was totally surprised to find out he had directed the movie; I had no idea he’d jumped to the big leagues. That’s cool.
A little while back (a month, maybe two), the “Furball Asian Mart” opened up on the south end of Bend, near the corner of 97 and Brosterhous/Division.
Yeah. “Furball Asian Mart.” You’re thinking the same thing I did.
Apparently, somebody else thought so, too: Friday when I passed it going home from work, they had covered up the “Furball” so that it’s now simply the “Asian Mart.”
I just watched the QuickTime trailer for the latest Quentin Tarantino movie, “Kill Bill”. Wow, I don’t even know how to describe it, other than damn.
Thanks to Scoble for the link.
The big news around here is that George W. Bush came to town. Ironically, he came to talk about healthy forests and programs to help cut down the forest fire danger, but was pre-empted from Camp Sherman to Redmond because of forest fires.
Here are some links:
And Jake over on UtterlyBoring has blogged a bit about it, too, both here and here.
Yikes. For the past, oh, 6 hours or so, I’ve had this error killing the site entirely:
Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_VARIABLE in /path/to/blog.inc on line 395
(Of course, if you tried to connect during that time, you’ll know what “/path/to” really is. It’s probably already cached in Google, damn it all.)
I’d forgotten the all-important semi-colon at the end of line 394. This comes about because I’d been making changes today, and like an idiot forgot to test the last upload I’d made before heading home. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Just saw the movie version of Chicago this evening, and I just have to say: eh.
I’m sure this will make me popular with those who loved the movie (even my wife loved it, and she normally hates musicals), but I honestly do not see the big deal with this movie, and I certainly don’t see why it garnered so many award nominations… unless it’s just because it has the label “musical” slapped on it. I’m sorry, but it was just a bit too tedious for me.
Of course, it doesn’t help that I don’t really like René Zellweger, or that Richard Gere pretty much proved he can’t sing his way out of a paper bag. Those aside, it was simply a mediocre plot and thin storyline heavily padded with music and dance numbers.
(I couldn’t sit through all of Moulin Rouge either.)
