The perfect union of chocolate and science… I present to you:

Back on the voting debate…

It was also stated in the New York Times on September 26th that the estimated cost of going out and voting is about $10 per person. That 10 dollars could go to something a lot more useful: like buying myself 6 cans of B&M baked beans.

I struggle to see the point of voting. Especially for a Massachusetts voter. I’ll bet anyone my $10 that Kerry will win MA regardless of my vote.

I am expecting a counter arguement from Rick Richter in the comments.

.

In other news, Expect BIG things in tomorrow’s post. be excited!

An employee asked a thoughtful question at a meeting.

My boss replied:
“let me answer that by not answering it.”

This answer is the perfect illustration of the corporate world.

The Question

Dear Shaun,

One of the biggest shocks in moving to CT was the fact that it is not required to dial the area code to call a local friend. Unlike MA where all 10 numbers are needed to make any phone call, the CT 7 number system caught me a little off guard.

Is CT or MA the exception to the rule?
how many states require all 10 digits to be dialed for local connection?

Comment by mike d — 9/22/2004 @ 3:59 pm

The Answer

You’ve raised an interesting question. Let’s address it point by point.

First, why are some areas able to dial locally without dialing the area code? When the country was broken up into Areas, each Area got an Area Code. The Area is a geographic location by definition. Now what happens when 7 digits aren’t enough for all the phones (landlines, cell phones, etc) in a given geographic Area? The answer is an Overlay. An Overlay is when phone numbers in the same geographic area can have different Area Codes. This allows for more numbers per Area, but can be confusing (your neighbor could, in fact, have a different Area Code). Interestingly, when they created the Overlay in Massachusetts, they created new Areas first. In fact, before the Overlay, there were only 3 area codes in Massachusetts; 413, 508, and 617. Now they’ve thrown in others (such as 978 and 781). And the Overlays for Massachusetts? The 508 Area could have 774 as the area code, 617 gets 857, 781 gets 339, and 978 gets 351.

The Overlay that forces you to dial 10 digits instead of 7 to call local folks is the exception to the rule. The majority of the country doesn’t have this restriction. Only 19 states use Overlays, and usually only in small areas (like major cities; the Denver area of Colorado has an Overlay, but the rest of the state doesn’t). Massachusetts is one of the few states that has this requirement employed state-wide.

On a personal note, I find it weird that there is such a rational answer to this question. Also, was this the BIGGEST shock about moving to CT? Not the “Stuff is more expensive” or the new living situations? Or the “Running of the Bulls” that happens once a year in New Haven?

A REBUTTAL!

Shannon has successfully rebutted a portion of my answer! Everything she says is true. I was misinformed. See below:

I’d like to file a complaint on the basis of false information in regards to the 10 digit dialing. While the central and eastern portion of Massachusetts has to dial 10 digits, the western part does not. I find it very refreshing when I go home to the hills and only dial 7 digits.

Comment by Shannon — 9/29/2004 @ 7:37 pm

my boss glances up at my slightly unkempt overgrown hair

boss: “you look like a cartoon character.”
::awkward laughter::
boss: “I don’t know which one. but you definitely look like a cartoon character.”

I know a girl named Megan Ledger. Very fun outdoorsy kind of gal who doesn’t like escargo and loves peanut butter.

We went to Denmark together back in the day.

Recently, I realized that I too love peanut butter. It’s really delicious.
I don’t think I’d be as in love with peanut butter today if it weren’t for Megan Ledger.

this peanut butter sandwich is for you Megan.

.

haiku:

Peanut Butter? yes.
I do love its creamy taste
with bread or apples.

I’m really thinking the U.S. and Canada should just throw caution to the wind and join forces thus creating a supernation. Imagine the possibilities!

yes, Americanada would quickly surpass all other countries in its coolness.

- Mounties would be seen regularly in city parks, protecting the Americanada way of life.
- Americanada businesses would have the perfect blend of polite restraint and business gung-ho.
- The drinking age would average out at 19 and a half years.
- The new national animal would be a beaver riding on the back of a bald eagle.

a beaver riding on the back of a bald eagle.

I’ve made my case.

The Question

To the All-Encompassing Shaun McQuaid,

Recently, I was helping a friend create a majestic resume. When we were done I went to print it when she screamed ‘bloody murder!’ and scolded me for not using “Resume Paper”. What purpose does resume paper have? Why does it have an annoying watermark on it? Is it proof that you are not a lazy bum and can in fact travel to the store and purchase office supplies on one’s own? And why do girls without touretts syndrome feel the need to scream ‘bloody murder!’ when a simple “Hey dude, hold on one gosh darn minute there, Bucko” would be more audically (haha i made up a word….i think…its still pretty audical) appealing?

Your friendly neighborhood New Hampshirian,
Paul

Comment by Paul — 9/22/2004 @ 12:01 pm

The Answer

The controversy on whether resume paper is a good idea is currently raging in the fields of resume writing experts (meaning people who get fired a lot and people who sell resumes). There are two schools of thought on this; the “it’s an outdated idea” camp and the “it draws attention” camp. The argument against bothering with resume paper says that in this modern world, nobody cares what paper you use. The argument for it states that it shows you are “serious” about the job.

My answer is this: if you are applying for a job via a paper resume, and you believe your resume will be seen by a human being (instead of being scanned by a computer for keywords and accepted or discarded on that basis), it’s worth the time and effort to print it on something nice. Not because that makes the resume more interesting to someone, but on the sole basis that the person looking at it might expect it to be on fancy shmancy paper. And yes, it shows you are motivated enough to get said paper at the closest paper selling depot.

Why a watermark? Because the company who made the paper is selfish enough to brand each and every piece with a logo. Interestingly enough, the watermark isn’t made with water – it’s simply made when the paper is in the “watery gook” stage of production (hence the term watermark.

Apparently the issue is of such importance to the female in question that she jumped straight to the “bloody murder” expressive state. Here’s the general resume-writing anger stages:

Normal speech
Sarcastic-but-not-cruel speech
Sarcastic speech + eye rolling
Angry speech
Angry yelling
Angry yelling + arm waving
Bloody murder

You simply fell prey to a strong believer in the resume paper need – so strong, that “bloody murder” was necessitated. Better luck next time!