Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

This image certainly puts things into perspective.
Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

Would you rather be a famous musician or a famous actor?

Er, actor - but only for the cushy travel arrangements.

(Is that all there is?)

Screwing it up since 1877

So here's what my Useless Knowledge feed had to say this morning:

"The first operators employed by the Bell Telephone Company were young boys who worked standing up. Only after several years did it occur to anybody to provide them with chairs."

The Telephone History Timeline Page, which - thankfully - has an annotated bibliography for further verification, states that "commercial telephone service begins" in 1877 and that "[s]witchboard operators were no longer necessary to make a telephone call" as of 1891.

If we assume that switchboard operators were required from the start then Bell has been in the business of technological innovation at the expense of actual people - evidently its employees, in particular - for over 125 years.

I wonder if I'll take any comfort from that fact the next time I have to talk to Bell Canada's "automated operator", Emily.

At least she doesn't need a chair.

20,000 Views and Still Pretty

A little follow-up for those of you who saw my previous post regarding a fan-made video for Emilie Autumn's "Thank God I'm Pretty":

Thrilled by the more than 15,000 pageviews the video has received this week, Miss Autumn appealed to her Twitter followers yesterday for contact info to the little nippers responsible.

Not one to rest on her laurels Autumn wrote, "Let's go for 40,000!!"

Well? You heard the lady, go watch!

Who was your first crush?

Helen. She was 4 and my best friend's little sister. I was 5 and completely smitten.

(Is that all there is?)

Emilie Autumn - Thank God I'm Pretty (Fan Made)

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

I think omnipotence would suffice.

(Is that all there is?)