Random Thursday
Category: Random Thursday...
Posted Thursday, August 31, 2006 at 08:32 AM [GMT-6]

Today's the last day to enter the "Give the Gazette a Tagline" contest and possibly win Fame and Glory (but not much else).

Meanwhile...

  • The winner of the "Snidely Whiplash Employer of the Year Award - Creative Use of Technology Category" goes to RadioShack for its use of email to notify 400 employees that they had been fired. Now, the move -- if not the medium -- wasn't unexpected. In a news release dated August 10, RadioShack announced the planned layoffs:

    Most of RadioShack’s planned reductions will affect positions at its headquarters operation. The exact number of employees affected has yet to be determined; however, the reduction will include employees at all levels. RadioShack will notify affected employees by early September.

    I suppose that the company just figured that the immediacy of email in helping it meet its self-imposed "early September" target superceded the humanity of its corporate motto: Enhancing the quality of life in the neighborhoods we serve ... it's what RadioShack corporate citizenship is all about.

  • I watched the early release DVD of The Sentinel this week, and while I haven't yet had a chance to watch the special features on the disk, I did notice something unusual in the credits. One of the stuntpersons in the crew was Cotton Mather, which seems to run counter to the conventional wisdom that there are no longer any good roles in Hollywood for 300-year-old Puritans.

  • And speaking of Snidely Whiplash, the true comedic genius of My Name is Earl was showcased last season when Earl's brother, Randy, used his vast knowledge of TV trivia to confirm the nationality of the brothers' fence's putative Russian mailorder bride, via this exchange:

    Randy: Say "Moose and Squirrel."

    PRMB: Mooose end Squeerul

    Randy: Yep. She's Russian, alright.

  • Speaking of profiling via linguistic accent, there's a Biblical precedent for the practice, used very effectively by a group of Hebrews during wartime. Anyone remember the context?

  • I'll close here -- no, don't thank me -- with this old joke that I was reminded of while listening to KLOVE this morning:

    A group of scientists approached God and told Him that they weren't all that impressed with His skill in creating man, because they were sure they could duplicate the feat using their own learned prowess. God said, OK...give it your best shot. The scientists began to gather some dirt in an attempt to duplicate God's handiwork. Wait a minute, interrupted God. Get your own dirt.

Hope you have a great day...just remember Whose dirt you're treading upon.

Permalink
Comments

Shibboleth. Judges 12:4-6. It was the password used by the Gileadites to distinguish their own men from fleeing Ephraimites, because Ephraimites could not pronounce the -sh- sound.

Modern version: Asking someone who claims to be a Texan to pronouce the word "kite."

Posted by: Deborah at August 31, 2006 09:49 AM

See now, Radio Shack is not the first to fire people that way. That is in fact the preferred method at my company. Really inspires you to come and open your email every day. :)

Posted by: beth at August 31, 2006 10:07 AM

Deborah, excellent! However, I probably would choose "fire" for the Texas password. ;-)

Beth, it's enough to make you understand that the most sadly misguided people in the world are those who still believe that Dilbert is a work of fiction.

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 10:33 AM

You know, I had that Radio Shack item in my 'to blog about' list but I thought, "Nah, Eric will do a much better job with this one." ;-)

I didn't actually think that but you did do a much snarki... I mean, nicer job of it than I could have.

Posted by: Jim at August 31, 2006 01:58 PM

Oh, and by the way. I worship the God who made the ground that you walk on.

Posted by: Jim at August 31, 2006 02:01 PM

Jim, I'm glad I didn't disappoint you. ;-)

Maybe that's an idea for a tagline: "Just because you're Content Free™ doesn't mean you're not snarky."

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 02:14 PM

Pick me! Pick me!

And, oh, uh, this was an excellent and informative article on Radio Shack's despicable policies.

Posted by: Julie at August 31, 2006 03:39 PM

Julie, OK...you're "it." Whatever "it" is. I'm sure you'll be excellent at "it."

On second thought, maybe I should wait until some chocolate appears.

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 03:46 PM

it's weird to think that such a "classy" organization as radio shack would let people go that way.

although truly, it makes me sad, because if radio shack goes out of business, where will i buy an adapter that can go from a male mini-plug to six female rcas?

Posted by: kyle at August 31, 2006 04:03 PM

Eric ... "moose and squirrel" ... LOVED that. "My Name is Earl" (from the very begining) and "The Office" (eventually) have been, for me, two of the highlights of the 2005/2006 television season ...

'Randy' is such an important character to "Earl" ... not quite a star of the show, but so much more than 'just' a supporting character ... his 'out-of-the-mouths-of-babes' moments are priceless ...

Posted by: Jeff at August 31, 2006 04:10 PM

Kyle, you're exactly right...I can't remember the last time I bought anything at RadioShack that wasn't some kind of esoteric adapter/patch cable/weird plug.

OTOH, I still have a RadioShack 50-watt stereo amplifier from 1967 that works perfectly. They're far removed from those glory days now, and not just temporally.

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 04:10 PM

Jeff, I can't wait for the new season of "Earl" and "Office" (almost sounds like "moose and squirrel," doesn't it?) to begin. My television needs are modest, but those shows are necessary to my well-being.

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 05:38 PM

(Pick me! Pick me! = winner of new tagline contest.)

Posted by: Julie at August 31, 2006 07:59 PM

It doesn't work that way.

First, you have to send chocolate.

Then, it very well MIGHT work that way. ;-)

Posted by: Eric at August 31, 2006 08:03 PM
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