Dialog

From "Halting State" by Charlie Stross...

A mob of LARP zombies has assembled and chants:

What do we want?
BRAAAAAAAINNS
When do we want them?
NOOOOOOOOW




Real life can be so boring.

The List, part 4

Rudy Guiliani
Anita Bryant
Torquemada
Joe Torre
Barney (the dinosaur)
all three Stooges

Sheer Fucking Stupidity

Part of an architect's email to me today:

I was at the Building Dept to get structural drawings for [address]. Unfortunately, I couldn't get them.

Several hundred building in NYC were designated Security Risks after 9/11.  [Address] is designated a potential security hazard, so I have to apply for clearance. The process includes getting a written letter from the owner giving permission to accces the drawings. The security clearance would take about a week.

[Address] is a condo, completed about two years ago. The only people who'd want to blow it up are the minority with good taste.

High Tech

The Gasholder House, Troy NY:

People today somewhat vaguely remember that, in between oil lamps and electric lights, we used to light our homes and business with gas lamps. The gas was refined coal gas and, like all such volatile products, had to be stored carefully for distribution. The Gasholder House is a large gas tank, with a brick exterior wall and trussed dome, and supplied gas to Troy. This was, for its era of construction, fancy stuff...and today requires a paragraph of explanation.

One minor linguistic hangover: we call natural gas "natural gas" to distinguish it from the previously used "artificial gas."