Wednesday, November 23, 2005

An Office Cargo Cult?


Something strange is happening at my office building.

Last Thursday I noticed an odd little collection of items in the parking lot. There, in that white-striped corner, next to the handicap parking, I saw a black Swingline stapler, a large binder clip, and a paper clip, all arranged carefully in line. A single thumb tack was placed near them, but not in line.

Nearby, I saw scattered on the other side of the walk, an offering of rubber bands and a black, dry erase marker.

I told Sean about it Friday and we went back down to the parking lot to look at it. As far as I can figure, either a tribe of feral office workers hiding in our building was trying to attract cargo from the office supply gods, or we were witnessing the evolution of paper binding tools. I am thinking seriously of changing my title to "Office Anthropologist."

On Monday, as I pulled into the parking lot, there it was. A large truck from Continental Office Supply, its rear door open, the engine running, but no one in sight. Apparently, the display had attracted the cargo.

But yesterday, the stapler was missing. I suspect the gods will be displeased. If I can find a stapler to "borrow" from someone's desk, I'll try an appease them. I'm also thinking of starting another display to attract different types of cargo. Maybe a collection of MatchBox cars. Or perhaps I can put out some calculators and old Palm Pilots and my first generation iPod.

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Monday, November 21, 2005

Penn Jillette is a Smart and Brave Man

I saw this today over on Metafilter

NPR : There is No God

Excellent. Much better than Kathy Dahlen where she claims that "Gazing at that mass of gray nerve tissue, I was unable to reconcile the evidences I had known of self-sacrifice and forgiveness, or even this suicide, with the notion that a human life consists only of one's biology."

I heard Dahlen's essay a few weeks back and it struck me instantly as incredible mushy thinking, but typical of religious thinkers and believers.

It's a tough pill for some to swallow, but as Jillette points out "So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. "

Good man, that Jillette.

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