A classic, indeed For some reason I hadn't actually seen Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as a PowerPoint presentation before now. This has been around for a while now, but is well worth seeing if you haven't. (Don't miss the intro on the Web site, it's great too). Although much fun has been made of it, PowerPoint's evils appear to go unchecked. A lot of otherwise sensible people spend meetings reading from slides of often confusing bullet points. Afterwards, few recall much about it but the pain to the eyeballs. Yes, I too have been guilty of committing Death by PowerPoint. Maybe we need a support group?

Peace to all And to all a good night!

The cat ate my blog entry There's a lot of reasons I haven't been posting a lot recently -- but the best excuse recently is being sick. I've been sick now for about a month and a half. Apparently a sinus infection was a lot of it, although I suspect other bugs were involved as well. I finally seem to be getting better now on a new antibiotic, and some codeine for my cough. I'm over the worst but still pretty low on energy. From what I hear and read, I'm not the only one. A lot of people seem to be getting knocked out this year for a long time. Among other things, this has given me a new resolve to make my own health a higher priority. I'm going to start working out again after I get rid of this current ailment, hopefully by New Year's. At the gym at work, I won a charity auction for a reserved locker for 6 months. I figure that will give me some incentive to use the gym!

A question This question assumes you are at least over 18. Do you feel like a grownup, or do you feel like someone trying to act like a grownup?

This blows That is, the Toro snowblower I got this week ... used but in almost new condition (the guy that sold it to me moved to a house with a 100-mile driveway that only a plow can handle). It's a little smaller than the dead/dying Ariens parked out back. Not quite as good at monster drifts, but handles tight spots better and actually fits in the shed. I've made do with a shovel through some pretty big storms. It was manly and all but it was starting to get old. Also, there is something about the sound of a four-stroke Tecumseh engine driving a two-stage blower that warms my heart.

And today's word is ... Snow, of course. Our 2-year-old learned that word in preschool Friday, apparantly, because he started saying it Friday and of course it's been his favorite word this weekend. Yesterday I brought some snow in and put it in the sink, so he could bury his Thomas trains in it. Today when we started to shovel he wanted to come out and see it, even though he has a cold. That upcoming trip to see my in-laws in Florida is looking pretty good. On the other hand, hot chocolate and my wife's chocolate-chip cookies are improving my spirits rapidly right here.

Word of the day If you don't know what BlueJacking is, and I didn't before today, you can read about it here. I first saw this word today on boingboing. Am I out of it? Probably.

Opportunity knocks It was announced today that Charles Vest is stepping down as president of MIT. Even before this announcement, I was seriously considering president of a major Boston-area university as a career choice, considering that there seem to be a lot more vacancies there than in the software industry. Prior to today's announcement I had my eye on the BU job. Considering that Daniel Goldin is getting $1.8 million not to be president, imagine what they must pay someone to actually do the job. Am I qualified to be MIT president? Perhaps not, but let's compromise a little here. I'm making it known here and now that I will agree not to be president of MIT for a mere $1 million. MIT would not only save $800 grand right away, but they'd also get to choose someone more qualified. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Screen gem Bigcat as a movie script? Try this. Or better yet, make your own!. This link was stolen from sooz.