Parries → Short Stuff 

Persian Civilization Typefaces

Each time one of the handful of people who knows of these pages loads one into his browser, a script named “urchin.js” on a server named google-anlytics.com is loaded, a function named urchinTracker is called, and a variable called _uacct is set. This records all sorts of data about visits to the site, including where people are coming from. Sometimes people type the URL straight into their browsers, sometimes they come from search engines, primarily Google. Here are two unexpected examples, search engine queries that led people to the site:

• ryanair seating arrangements: As of writing, the last link on the first page
• persian civilization typefaces: The top result for this vital notion!

Palestinian Innovation

This New York Times article (registration required), ‘Hamas Says Truce With Israel Is Over’, is illustrated with a photo that to me demonstrates yet another Palestinian innovation: the press conference by members of the ruling political party with the speaker wearing a mask to hide his face. Maybe it’s not just the women who are being encouraged to do it but the men too. See, I said it wasn’t just about modesty, nor in this case is it about protection from Israeli military responses, as an office-worker could have come out and read the statement in regular clothes. No, they want people to see them this way. Is it to seem intimidating? That doesn’t answer why the women are veiled as well. Perhaps it’s some parent value to hyperbolic intimidation and modesty, though I can’t really conceive of what that might be. Anonymity?

Earthquake? Flood?

The JTA reports that in a recent survey, 47% of Israelis believe there won’t be an Israel by 2048. That’s a terribly high figure. But what’s peculiar about that is 32% of them believe it’ll be due to natural disaster. What natural disaster? Israel is not earthquake prone, and even so, Israel is small but not that small to be wiped out by an earthquake. Irit suggested it’s religious people thinking there’ll be another Flood due to the sins and wickedness of the people. I just can’t accept that 1 in 7 Israelis believe that.

JTA also reports that 25% of Israelis have considered emigrating. But what does that mean? Does it matter how many people have considered something?

That’s Life with Websites

The fellow who does the website for Harper’s Magazine has posted a nicely-written piece on the deflating feeling of finishing a site you’ve been working on for months and months. I sympathize.

Brighton is Slow

After watching this slightly banal talk on the value of slow, I realized Brighton is a slow city, and that’s good. People walk here. They lounge about. I like that. Hey, I just called it a city.

Bad Jajah

In their efforts to make money quick, the Jajah internet telephony is doing things to me I don’t like, and as soon as a similar service comes up I’m gone. First of all, their site is terribly ugly, and they just don’t care. Second, every time I recharge my account with them, the default amount to pay is a whopping 25 euros, even though whenever I top it up I always do 2.50e. And whenever I do top it up, the account is always recharging from -0.40e or something. Is that a recharge fee? I’d never know because they never say so. I’d recharge with a bit more money perhaps but I don’t trust them with my money and want to keep my balance as close to zero as possible.

Why don’t I trust them? Because if you go over your 60 minute allowance on a free call, it starts eating into your credit without telling you. But the worst is the call scheduling service. It’s free, with an option to have your phone receive an SMS at the time you set in order to remind you of the scheduled call. This option is 0.50e, and it is checked by default! That is an expensive reminder to receive on your phone that you’re just about to receive a call on your phone.

True, I fled Skype as soon as I learned of Jajah because I like the idea of using a phone to make calls, but I don’t much like them. I like Skype better, even though they’re no longer getting my long-distance call buck. That’s the way things are these days.