The Dentist

I have a dental appointment today that promises to be interesting.

At least that is how I'll choose to describe it.

In general, dental work doesn't bother me. Root canal? Just give me the drugs. Cavities filled? Yawn. Crown work? Hmm. It depends.

This is in the It Depends category.

[UPDATE: Where did I put that pain medicine?]

The Big Droid X

Future Lawyer has some helpful info on the upcoming Droid X, another phone I need to consider once I get rid of my Korean War model.

Determining the Best Candidate for the Job

Some reasons why employers have difficulty selecting the best person for the job:

1. They know very little about the actual job requirements.
2. They disagree over the necessity and priority of various job skills.
3. They say they want A but really want G.
4. They are threatened by a highly qualified candidate.
5. They don't care much about who gets the job.
6. They know who is going to get the job regardless of how the selection process is handled.
7. They rely heavily upon screening mechanisms that address a limited range of what is needed to be successful on the job.
8. They know what it takes to be successful but are forced to ignore those standards.
9. They don't have the time to make a thorough analysis of the candidates.
10. They give too much - or too little - weight to a part of the candidate's background or qualifications.

Question: When does a quest for an excellent candidate cloud the ability to find a pretty good one?

Diet Calculations: Give or Take a Cookie

What would happen to your weight if you added a tasty chocolate chip cookie to your daily diet without making any other changes? So you don't exercise any more than you do today and you keep eating everything else that you're eating today. Except for that extra 210 calorie chocolate chip cookie.

Read the rest of Political Calculations here.

Miscellaneous and Fast

• Stanley Bing: How not to handle a cocktail party.
• Chilling: A scene from "The Lives of Others."
• Tom Peters reads from "The Little BIG Things."
• Mark Steyn on post-modern political leadership.
• Dogpatch: Stefan Kanfer on the work of Al Capp.
• Slate: An excerpt from "Hitch-22."
• Roy Orbison: "Only the Lonely."

Quote of the Day

When I die, if the word "thong" appears in the first or second sentence of my obituary, I've screwed up.

- Albert Brooks

Econ Rap 101

Idea Anaconda points out a rap video on the ideas of Hayek versus Keynes.

The Spirit

The power of attitude is well illustrated in this interview with Politico's Roger Simon, who just returned after having some surgery. Here's an excerpt, but be sure to read the entire thing:

Q: Where have you been? It's been months.
A: I decided that while anyone can write about health care from the outside, it takes a real journalist to explore it from the inside.
Q: So?
A: So I had my legs cut off.
Q: That's not funny!
A: You’re telling me. You want to know what’s funny about losing your legs?
Q: What?
A: They’re always in the last place you look.

[HT: Althouse]

World Cup

I haven't been following the sports news that closely but is there a kickball tournament being played somewhere?

Some Fine Things: A Partial List

Being up real early. French Market coffee. The smell of the desert's creosote after a rain. Earl Grey tea. The Wall Street Journal. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Orange marmalade. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. Sinatra. Spencer Tracy. Golden retrievers. The Third Man. A little rain. Friday afternoon. Whenever the batter is at the 3 and 2 count. Beethoven's anything. On the Border with Crook. Gershwin. Cream cheese. The Beatles. Mark Twain. Scrabble. Gilbert & Sullivan. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. Vultures. An open highway and a full tank of gas. Bolla Bardolino. Greer, Arizona. Foyle's Books in London. The scent of bacon. Boats. C.S. Lewis. A good bicycle. Shakespeare. Edwin O'Connor. Bay rum aftershave. Edward G. Robinson. An empty beach. Elmore Leonard. Honey. Smiles. Favorite stories. Old trucks.