And it's all downhill from here

I've been bothered by something for a while. I use Adium, and I have it display a Growl notification whenever I get an IM and Adium is in the background. The Growl notification contains the name of the contact that the IM came from, and the first line of the message itself. Sometimes I don't want that, such as when there are people reading my screen and the IM contains something I'd rather those people didn't see. Unfortunately, there's no option to stop Adium from displaying the contents of the IM in the Growl notification.

There are two possible solutions to this.

1. File a bug report or feature request with the Adium developers.
2. Download all 200 megs of the Adium source, modify it myself, build it and feel all proud of myself for running a custom build of an open source app.

Guess which one I chose.

I slept badly that night, knowing that I'm turning into one of those people.

Unsuitable

Of all the examples of being unable to comprehend new technology. perhaps the most tragic yet ridiculous example is the armadillo.

All animals, big and small, are born with an array of mechanisms that are meant to ensure their continued survival. The most important tool in the armadillo's survival kit is, of course, the hard outer shell for which it is named; Spanish speakers will no doubt recognize its name as "little armored one".

But among those facilities that a species uses for survival must be a reflexive response to danger — something that primes an individual for fast response, or buys some time, or even constitutes an active defense against the threat. In humans, this is the fight-or-flight response. Whenever we feel threatened by something, however complex, a primal, deep-seated reaction is triggered. Adrenaline flows, and we are ready to fight or flee should either become necessary. Our senses enter slightly heightened states, and our brain is momentarily endowed with quicker thought, to enable a rapid decision as to the appropriate response.

Armadillos also have a reflexive response to danger, though it manifests itself in a rather more obvious way than that of humans. Its reaction is to leap straight up into the air, thereby causing erstwhile predators some startlement of their own, as they realize that their prospective prey is bouncy, and perhaps some bafflement later as the predator reflects on how it can be possible for an animal with such little legs to propel itself higher than its own body height. It's even possible that the armadillo could strike its tormentor with its armor as it jumps, thus causing pain as well as surprise.

In all, the armadillo's response to danger can be reasonably effective. Not, however, when said danger is an oncoming car.

Scrubs Retro

A retrospective. A lame cop-out from having to make a real episode, for sure, but it’s good nonetheless. One disappointing aspect of it all, though, is the fact that nearly all the best clips from past episodes are from seasons 1, 2 and 3. In other words: there haven’t been “best moments” in the past two and a half seasons.

This retrospective is strikingly similar to one that was done as a special (not aired as a real episode) at the end of season 2; for example, it included a “dancing” montage with many of the same clips and the same music, and also “girl names” and “pratfalls” montages. There sure was an awful lot of dancing on Scrubs in the early days. How many other sitcoms have that much dancing? Also: how much dancing happens on Scrubs now? Answer: none. Is there any good reason for this? Answer: no. Is this bad? Answer: yes.

One theme I’m surprised they didn’t include is one that was in the one-off special: a “slut” montage. This is one where they show clips of the many times Elliot has been scantily clad or done other such things. Maybe because Elliot as a character has developed significantly since then? Still, it was an integral part of the show in the early seasons (I find it very funny that this is actually true).

Even though this was seriously lame as an episode, I enjoyed it, mainly because I haven’t watched anything from early seasons in a long time and I forgot how bizarre and random it was. Subtle Wacky Randomness, remember? It basically summarizes the key elements of Scrubs: pratfalls, fantasies, dancing, wittiness, girls’ names, and serious moments. I also find it quite funny to see how much everyone’s appearance has changed.

Speaking of which, what the hell is up with Johnny C.’s hair?