iPhone July 26, 2007
Posted by Owen in : Weird , add a commentYou know you have an iPhone when people thank you for letting them take your photo using your iPhone.
Subtle Motivation? February 10, 2007
Posted by Owen in : Life, Weird , 1 comment so farI was at the gym today and I used the elliptical trainer for 30 minutes. (Yay!) I noticed something unusual about these machines: when one increases the resistance, the machine made a quiet low-pitched beep. But when one decreases the resistance, the machine makes a very LOUD high-pitched beep that can be heard across the room. It’s like they’re trying to embarrass you to prevent you from giving up and reducing the difficulty. When you make the resistance 100 to what it’s like and change your mind and go back to 40, well, that’s a lot of loud beeps.
Apple Style August 23, 2006
Posted by Owen in : Weird , 4commentsWhen a Windows PC dies what do you see? The Blue Screen of Death. Ugly. Boring. Utilitarian. Blue.
What do you see when a Mac dies? The Multi-colored Vertical Stripped Screen of Death. Fun. Vibrant. Useless. Pretty.
I think the (very helpful) guy from Apple’s tech support summed it up pretty well: it’s a screen so pretty that you want to see it everyday. Uh-huh. Sure I do.
Boneheaded Quicken UI Error #768 May 4, 2006
Posted by Owen in : Programming, Weird , 5comments
Ok, there’s a lot of things I find annoying in Quicken, but I think this is easily the funniest. Check out this screenshot of the “Create Renaming Rule” window. It looks normal, right? Well take a close look at the “Contains” dropdown. Notice how the two Contains menus look slightly different? What Quicken does is show you an IMAGE (i.e. a JPEG) of the menu and when you click on it the software substitutes in the real Windows dropdown menu. It’s flabergasting–did Intuit have their intern design the menu? How could anyone possibly think this is the correct way to design an application? I think this is a perfect candidate for the Daily WTF.
iMac as a Laptop April 11, 2006
Posted by Owen in : Weird , 3commentsI just saw a woman today in the Internet cafe that was using a full size flat-screen iMac as her laptop. She even had a *huge* bag for it. Considering that an iMac weights 16 lbs, I don’t think it’s the most portable option. 
Edit: I wasn’t the only person who thought it was strange.
Bookmarked! November 7, 2005
Posted by Owen in : Weird , 1 comment so far
Last weekend I checked out a copy of The Hotel on the Roof of the World by Alec Le Sueur from the main branch of the San Francisco library. (It’s a hilarious read–highly recommended.) Stuck between the pages, was this photo. I don’t know, I just can’t stop laughing whenever I look at it. It would be great to find the people in this photo and ask them what the hell they were thinking.
Woken up by an angel October 6, 2005
Posted by Owen in : Life, Weird , add a commentFleet Week is coming to San Francisco and the Blue Angels are practicing their flybys over San Fran. They just happen to by flying directly above the building I live in and so low the cloud of smoke actually drifts through my window. Here’s to hoping they’re as good as they claim to be.
The Blue Angels are doing some really cool maneuvers, but it feels like a war zone here. Every few minutes the sky tears apart as a plane roars by. When the roar starts, most people on the street stop walking, covers their ears, and looks for the plane. It really was very reminiscent of some war movies I’ve seen–but without the blood and gore. I tried to get some pictures, but they just didn’t come out. It’s hard to get a photo of a plane flying 500 MPH 100 feet above you on a camera with a lag.
San Francisco Ski Jump September 29, 2005
Posted by Owen in : Life, Weird , add a comment
That’s right, skiing inside the city on an 85 degree day. Recently a group converted two blocks of Fillmore street into a ski jump for some sort of publicity stunt. (Not without controversy, of course, since this is San Francisco.) I went and checked it out this afternoon and it was pretty cool. I’ve never seen so many people on one street before. I had to push and shove for 10 minutes before I could even get close enough to see anything. The jumpers were actually pretty decent. I shuttered to think what would happen if a skier went slightly off course. With so many people standing nearby, it could have been disastrous. Anyway, check out my photos and decide for yourself.
‘Smoking! August 17, 2005
Posted by Owen in : Weird , add a commentI keep getting free presents in the mail: In particular, I got a bunch of packages from Marlborough… one contained some really classy matchbooks with pinup girls on them and another contained a gold-accented stainless steel money clip. Keep sending ‘dem gifts Marlborough, and I’ll keep not smoking cigarettes.
Only in LA May 10, 2005
Posted by Owen in : Weird , add a commentI was talking on the phone (see previous post) when I hear helicopters and sirens outside. This in and of itself is not so unusual, but I go onto my porch to see what’s happening and I see 7 (seven!) helicopters and a bunch of cops with their lights on going across the bridge. I go back inside, turn on the TV, and I’m watching the car chase I just saw from my window. I swear, only in LA.