I mentioned the other day that I received the Hammacher Schlemmer gift catalog of unbelievably overpriced toys for the man who has far more disposable income than is good for anybody to possess. Well, I also get a catalog from the other end of the spectrum--Johnson Smith's Things You Never Knew Existed.

I teach computer classes at a public library, mostly classes on Windows and Office, so I’m on the front line, so to speak, whenever Microsoft changes its operating system. Not to overgeneralize, but I’ve found over the years that many Windows users tend to be technically hesitant or conservative. When Windows changes, the complaining from these users is extensive. This attitude directly contrasts with the Apple community, which tends to be excited, and extol the new look and features of the new operating system or device.

The other day, I was having an on-line discussion with some friends of mine, and one of them, out of the blue, mentioned that Rush Limbaugh has written a book about American history aimed at children. Tied in with his line of tea ("Two If By Tea") the book follows time-travelling history teacher Rush Revere and his wise-cracking talking horse, Liberty, as they visit various points of historical interest and tell "the real story about America."

Okay, fine enough. We all recognize that Rush, being who he is, will be writing from a very conservative point of view.

We've all heard the trendy deconstruction of Star Trek TNG: That The Federation is either an Evil Empire or a Bored Collective of Cult Members who believe they're perfect.

It was come up with by bored English Majors who spent far
too much time in their high school literary/poetry analysis classes investigating the deeper meanings of Kafka and Dostoyevsky. (Perhaps you know someone like that. Perhaps you *are* someone like that.)

But, for me, Star Trek went off the rails much earlier.