Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
McAfee Secure sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams
Jason English
Morning Links: Amazing Sand Castles
by Jason English - August 29, 2008 - 2:20 AM
bloghead_Coffee-Links.gif

Let’s kick things off with one of the greatest passive-aggressive notes I’ve ever seen.
*
If you’re heading to the beach, here’s a little inspiration: 8 Architecturally Awesome Sand Castles.
*
Discover Magazine offers 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Telescopes.
*
No matter what Bloomberg News says, Steve Jobs is not dead.
*
If you’re into political history, check out John Harwood’s video history of the 1948-2004 conventions. I only wish there were more links to more footage.
*
From WebUrbanist, 15 dramatic guerrilla marketing campaigns. The John 3:16 Guy gets a mention.
*
Here’s a list of all the TV show marathons airing over Labor Day Weekend. Now’s a good time to catch up on your Coach reruns.
*
I’ve been searching for a witty Canadian freelance writer (or two) to work on a series of stories about Canadian history, political scandals, roadside attractions, goalie nicknames, etc. If you have any suggestions, leave us a comment. Here’s a piece on Canada’s most haunted places.
*
And check out Sandy’s incredibly long list of celebrity motorcycle crashes.

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Comments (13)

  1. I did the haunted walk in Ottawa and it was great, the author of “Canada’s Most Haunted Places” missed the whole East coast though!! Two years ago I did a haunted walk in St.John’s Newfoundland which was super fun and the whole Atlantic region has tons of haunted things to do. My old university residence in Halifax, Nova Scotia is very well known for being haunted by a girl who committed suicide there in the 1920s!

    posted by Brittany on 8-29-2008 at 8:15 am

  2. Re: Passive-aggressive note.

    It is with great embarrassment that I have to admit that I can’t see what’s so great about that note. Or what’s so passive-aggressive about it. It just looks like a straight forward request to me. The commenters on that blog are saying the note is directed to someone named Deborah, but I don’t see that in the note itself.

    Can someone please explain? This is driving me crazy!

    posted by Michigan Mom on 8-29-2008 at 8:44 am

  3. I don’t know who Deborah is, but I’ll link to any 15-line, sporadically highlighted angry note about creamer use. That’s gotta be good for morale.

    posted by Jason English on 8-29-2008 at 9:08 am

  4. Passive Aggressive Notes is one of my favorite sites, but I don’t know why this particular letter was showcased as it’s not one of the best on the site. Deborah is one of the recent inside jokes on there (and there’s a LOT of inside jokes on PAN) from a previous letter. The comments left on the site are often more hilarious than the letters themselves :) Highly recommended and all that.

    Isn’t this the second link within the week to haunted places? As a skeptic, I find that kind of odd for a website/magazine that’s all about using your brain…

    posted by Sawicki on 8-29-2008 at 9:52 am

  5. Hey! I claim to be a witty freelance Canadian writer. I like hockey, scandals, history and big hockey sticks and nickels… Call me.

    posted by Ryan Millar on 8-29-2008 at 10:04 am

  6. I didn’t see anything very funny in the coffee note as well…but there are some others on the site that are funny. I had to look up passive-aggressive to understand that its the behavior the notes are condemning, that is passive-aggressive.

    posted by septer on 8-29-2008 at 10:16 am

  7. I work at the haunted jail hostel in Ottawa, and although I’ve yet to experience more than footsteps behind me (while alone on a locked floor) and iron doors suddenly slamming shut, I’ve become accustomed to hearing the experiences of our guests – seeing a prisoner reading the Bible at the edge of their bed as they sleep at night, feeling hands pushing against their backs as they walk down the stairs by the gallows, or getting nosebleeds above a certain spot in the parking lot (which is where many of the bodies of prisoners are buried). I still feel uncomfortable walking through the death row cells by myself. It definitely makes for an interesting work day though!

    posted by Megan on 8-29-2008 at 10:29 am

  8. I don’t know, I think that note’s just great. Maybe because I’ve worked in a depressing corporate setting for so long, I relate to the sheer idiocy in people making mountains out of sugar cubes.

    posted by Cubicle Tom on 8-29-2008 at 10:30 am

  9. Thanks so much for the explanations Sawicki and septer! I had no idea about the inside jokes there, and I didn’t realize that it’s the behavior they’re condemning that’s PA.

    I also agree with Sawicki about the ghost stuff….

    posted by Michigan Mom on 8-29-2008 at 1:48 pm

  10. I nominate Kate Beaton. Although she’s more of an illustrator than writer, for all I know.

    http://www.katebeaton.com

    posted by kati on 9-1-2008 at 1:10 am

  11. In addition to being a (moderately witty) Canadian freelance writer, I also have a weird niche in trivia, as I run http://www.triviahalloffame.com. Drop by and send me an email via the “contact me” link.

    posted by Paul Paquet on 9-1-2008 at 1:22 pm

  12. I work night shifts at the Ottawa Jail Hostel and have to attest to its creepiness. I’ve been here all summer just me and the ghosts and its occasionally truly freaky.

    P.S. Hi Megan! lol

    posted by Amanda on 9-2-2008 at 1:33 am

  13. Possible ideas for Canadian lists I can come up with include:

    10 BIG Canadian Tourist Locations (such as the giant toonie or the Big Apple in Cochrane, Ontario)

    Town names (We have a town in Ontario named Swastika).

    National symbols and their history (things like Eatons, Hudson Bay Company, beavers, lacrosse, etc.)

    posted by Tina on 9-3-2008 at 11:02 pm

Comment

commenting policy