paperknapkin

Webvisions 2007 - WTF?

aschotla — 2007-05-04T22:02:05-08:00

The quality of Portland's annual Webvisions conference (now in its seventh year) has followed a surprisingly predictable trend over the last few years: one year it's great, the next year it sucks. Unfortunately this year, it broke that cycle.

Pet Peeve: "Aesthetic"

aschotla — 2006-10-02T15:44:02-08:00

First, I admit it. I'm a language snob. I think spelling and good grammar count and I hate it when I see words misspelled and sentences abused. I also read a lot of blogs. Unfortunately for me, the latter often fuels my hatred with regard to the former.

Can Anyone Stop the Tyrant?

aschotla — 2006-05-11T10:08:22-08:00

You may want to think twice the next time you call Aunt Millie for a friendly chat. From CNN.com today (bolding is mine):

"The government has been secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls in an effort to build a database of every call made within the country, it was reported today. President Bush said any domestic intelligence-gathering measures he's approved are lawful. 'We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans,' President Bush said."

They've probably been tracking e-mail communications for years, but what's next? Every blog post? Bush has moved well beyond King George. Now it's more like Comrade George.

Condi in Action

aschotla — 2006-05-10T10:49:52-08:00

From ABCNews' The Note this morning:

"Elsewhere on morning television, Secretary Rice said that the UN Security Council is unified in its desire to take action pertaining to Iran, but not yet unified on how to take that action. Secretary Rice guaranteed that some action will be taken, but would not get into details of what that action may entail."

Would that action gain traction if it were targeted at a particular faction? Or would that just be seen as a distraction? Ultimately, the resulting action must garner some sort of satisfaction...

And the 'Most Wonderful Moment' of My Presidency Is...

aschotla — 2006-05-08T09:16:32-08:00

Per The New York Daily News and msnbc.com's First Read: "Asked in an Oval Office interview with the German newspaper Bild to name the 'most wonderful moment' of his presidency, President Bush came up with a fish story.

'I don't know, it's hard to characterize the great moments. They've all been busy moments, by the way,' Bush said, apparently trawling his memory for good times since 2001. 'I would say the best moment was when I caught a 7-1/2-pound largemouth bass on my lake,' he said eventually."

'Nuff said.

$100 For Gas? This Plan Stinks

aschotla — 2006-04-28T13:53:42-08:00

Well, not that it needed verifying, but now leading economic analysts are calling the GOP gas rebate plan just plain dumb.

The Flight

aschotla — 2006-04-18T11:30:02-08:00

Our little son Boo is going to be two years old this summer and Mama M and I have decided he's ready for his first overseas trip to see the grandparents. The question is, are we?

Let's Talk Business

aschotla — 2005-11-18T20:35:20-08:00

I was going to write this entry at work but decided to do it offline instead. That way I could more efficiently allocate my resources, and circle back if necessary, then baseline it at a later date.

I don't even know what that means, yet I hear many of these words every day in meetings. Is it time to draw the line on business speak?

Parking Lot Peeve

aschotla — 2005-09-27T16:22:58-08:00

I have what I think is an unusual pet peeve. Poor parking lot, and specifically parking garage, design. I became especially peeved a couple of weeks ago at a nearby shopping center when I entered its parking structure only to a hit a dead-end.

Keeping It Simple(r)

aschotla — 2005-08-31T11:05:11-08:00

It's been a while since my last post and there's a good reason for that. Paper Knapkin has undergone some slight renovations. We've taken some of graphic weight out of the site and streamlined the look a bit more. To compare, here's what the old site looked like. Some drastic changes, and I think we took a step in the right direction.

Let me know what you think...

Like Son, Like Father

aschotla — 2005-07-08T11:31:20-08:00

My one year old son has been talking for a while now, not full sentences, but a word here and there. He started with "Dada" and "Mama", and progressed from there to include "doggie", "bye" "bottle", "car" and a few others, but it's his new favorite word that got me thinking.

If the Shoe Fits

aschotla — 2005-07-08T11:17:53-08:00

OK, I'll admit I'm a sucker for advertising. At least the creativity of some ads, if not the message they're trying to convey. But every once in a while, I run across one that really makes me want to buy the product being hocked.

For God, Press One

aschotla — 2005-06-10T12:15:27-08:00

You've proably received them... Calls from phone companies pushing you to switch carriers. Most offer things like better prices or more plan options, but one Midwest carrier is trying out a different tact...

The Golden Years, in Black and White

aschotla — 2005-05-23T12:25:36-08:00

After working together for more than 20 years, my parents recently retired to their home on the shores of Switzerland's Lake Zurich. While their days quickly became filled by attending various open houses (art galleries, design boutiques, even hospitals, all of course with free food and drink), it soon became apparent, especially for my dad, that something was missing, like meaningful work, for instance. So, he decided to focus more of his time on his life-long passion.