The title says it all. A page of poems that just beg to be read aloud. It’s a wonder we ever learn to spell at all.

A couple of thought-provoking articles in the Economist:

First a story about the rise of power consumption via electronic appliances in “standby mode”. Incredible amounts of electricity are wasted because stereos, microwave ovens, TVs, VCRs, PVRs and the like are constantly consuming power to operate their clocks, timers and “instant-on” features. (One wonders why a microwave needs a clock, anyway.) This totally unnecessary use of “phantom power” is largely ignored by manufacturers, even when more energy-saving adjustments are available.

The second article is a more humourous analysis of the development of the disposible razor, with a fancy graph showing possible projections of ever-higher multiples of blades (they’re up to five now) as a hyperbolic line instead of the more typical power curve.

I confess that I went to The National Post’s website (dosing up on anti-histamines beforehand so I wouldn’t break out in hives) to see whether they had an inside scoop on the new federal cabinet. They didn’t, but John Ivinson did talk to an unnamed Liberal insider about the many pitfalls that are part of putting a cabinet together, which ended in this happy little quote:

This is not a measure of absolute brains, but how smart you are divided by how smart you think you are. You always have to keep that ratio above one.

From Business 2.0’s annual “101 Dumbest moments in Business”. Most of the entries just show corporations’ eye-poppingly dumb moves:

36. We know why you fly … JetBlue.
The winner of the American Airlines “We Know Why You Fly” contest, which promised to award 24 round-trip tickets to the traveler who submitted the best video about his airborne experiences, turns down the grand prize. Why? Because American fails to cover the winner’s federal, state, and local income taxes, which amount to about $19,000, or $800 per ticket.

But the last one is pretty funny:

101. Little Big Man
In September, as the result of a typo in a spreadsheet, Electronic Arts issues an update to Madden NFL 06 that reduces 6-foot-3, 305-pound New York Jets lineman Michael King to a height of 7 inches. The next day, EA fixes the bug—to a chorus of complaints from customers who enjoyed watching the shin-high blocker get steamrollered by full-size players such as seven-time All-Pro linebacker Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

My last election link is, of course, satirical. Rick Mercer’s site, once again, leads the way with Youth Vote, which brings some tiny degree of dignity back to this country. While you are there, the Liberal War Room and a pretty good summation of the Liberal attack ads are worth your time. Not to mention the shot they take at those damn Lakota ads. Well aimed, Mr. Greene!

Nope, nothing partisan here today. Heartily tired of the political aspects of this election (ie, pretty much the whole thing), I started perusing CBC’s Election FAQs (information mainly supplied by Elections Canada) to find some interesting nuggets of non-partisan Election trivia.

For instance, without looking it up first, do you know the answers to:

• Are there any adult Canadian citizens who can’t vote in a federal election?
• What was the last group of people to get the vote?
• How many people are hired by Elections Canada for a federal election?
• What city’s the smallest riding (in area, not population) in?
• Where’s the largest riding?

Update:
I’ll post my answers in election updates throughout the day!

• Are there any adult Canadian citizens who can’t vote in a federal election?
  Only two people: The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada and the Assistant Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
• What was the last group of people to get the vote?
  Federal prisoners, serving more than two years’ sentences, in 2002.
• How many people are hired by Elections Canada for a federal election?
  170,000! For an election you need deputy returning officers, poll clerks, registration officers, information officers, and other coordinators, data entry staff and security officers. That’s why these things cost so much, over $220 million for the last election.

Ah well, as if anyone cares anymore (at least our riding’s guy won):

• Smallest and largest ridings: Papineau (in Montreal) and Nunavut.