My computer reads my mind!

An annoying "feature" of Microsoft Excel for the Mac 2011 is that it will, without seeming cause, open a workbook at almost full screen rather than at the last size I closed it.

As I opened a worksheet a few minutes ago, I thought about this problem.  Sure enough, the workbook opened as almost full screen rather than the "tidy" size I last closed it at.

Another reminder that large corporations are not as efficient as many would like to believe.

Of course, I should remember that I do a lot of useful stuff with Excel, but it would be a little bit more comforting if its behavior was consistent and accurate.

Minnesota House votes to jettison legislator seniority

The Minnesota House voted Thursday to scrap legislative tenure in the state and replace it with a plan that gives house leaders the authority to consider performance when making decisions about committee assignments. "Experience matters, but the number of years served is not an adequate measure of ability, competence and success in forming legislation," said House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove. "We need to stand up for voters." Oh, my bad! That was "scrap teacher tenure", "decisions about layoffs", "success in teaching kids", and "We need to stand up for kids." See "House votes to jettison teacher seniority system", Kim McGuire, Star Tribune, 2012-02-16. However, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Too few politicians are noted for consistency.

Constitution, Rights, and secretive Congress

I left the following comment on OccupyVotingBooths Facebook community to an item on the arrest of Josh Fox taking pictures of a Congressional hearing. The article is "The Arrest of Josh Fox: What Are They Trying to Hide When They Deny Our Right to Take Pictures?"

This all is a slippery slope of intent. If cameras were unknown at the writing of the Constitution, then how can we positively say that use of a camera is a First Amendment right? Since multiple-shot, concealable weapons were unknown at the writing of the Constitution, then there is no Constitutional right to conceal and carry. Either we have to interpret the Constitution to cover modern technology or we have to interpret it to not give rights of use of modern technology. As it is, we are interpreting it to suit our own interests. Nothing new there.

What we can assume about the arrest of Josh Fox is that some members of Congress have something to hide.

Plural humor

I've long mused that the only languages that I know that add an 's' to indicate a plural noun are English, French, and Spanish. Other languages that I've encountered use other final sounds or inflection. Inflection is the changing of a vowel sound, like one alumnus or many alumni.

English however uses inflection also. Is this a holdover from its Germanic origin?

For example, we have goose and geese, mouse and mice. Does this last mean that the plural of spouse is spice? When I mentioned this to my wife, I added I really think the plural of spouse is trouble.