From the 1920 book Manual of Library Economy, a description of an early hipster PDA:

The Card Diary.–A useful little card index is one which
may go on a desk, and is guided with the days of the week, and
has such other guides as “This Week,” “To-day,” “Next Week,”
“Miscellaneous matters,” etc., which serves as a reminder to its
user. Behind the appropriate guide are filed cards referring to
the matters which are to be dealt with at the time indicated.
These card-diaries are commonly known as “ticklers,” and can
be a most effective aid to methodical administration.

The next handy tip is how to make a card catalog to help you organize your office supplies. Really.

An edifying article on surveillance trends in China.
“What is most disconcerting about China’s surveillance state is how familiar it all feels. When I check into the Sheraton in Shenzhen, for instance, it looks like any other high-end hotel chain

Got a lovely note from someone who wants me to help him launder a huge sum of money, with this appended:
“En finir avec le spam? Yahoo! Mail vous offre la meilleure protection possible contre les messages non sollicités”

Oui! A thousand times oui!

Highlights from an article about procedure changes to assist Federal Air Marshals (important: not made for your convenience or safety):

“the mix-ups, in which marshals are mistaken for terrorism suspects who share the same names, have gone on for years—just as they have for thousands of members of the traveling public.”
“one major air carrier reports roughly 9,000 false positive hits on the watch list every day”
“The Terrorist Screening Center announced April 10 it will automatically review nearly 500,000 names on its watch list that are frequently matched during airport screenings and other law-enforcement encounters with the general public, and remove those names that don’t belong to actual suspects.” (emphasis added)
“Additionally, Mr. Chertoff announced Monday that each airline can now create a system of limited biographical data including a passenger’s date of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications.” (but will they?)

A wonderful family portrait (of the family of Jerry Shores, in Nebraska), including whippet.

In a half-asleep state last night, it seemed vitally important that I let local restaurants know that it was OK to serve me pasta, potatoes, or bread instead of rice during the rice shortage*.

*Actually seems to not necessarily be a shortage (domestically, anyway), but there may be some sales limits in reaction to hoarding. But other starches are still OK with me.

In the wake of the launch of Sputnik, Henry “Scoop” Jackson (D-WA) proposed a National Week of Shame and Danger. He was doing it to assist the political aspirations of Stuart Symington (D-MO), but I feel that we could get some modern enjoyment out of making a National Week of Shame and Danger an annual observance.

Things one can do to celebrate NWoSaD that are both shameful and dangerous:
Wear flammable pajamas with a hole in the seat
Kitten juggling (sharp claws)
Historic document theft
Fart-lighting
Tease a five-legged scorpion about its disability

An ad for coffee (from 1915) with enthusiasm bordering on the overstatement:

At home–en tour–wherever “White House” Coffee is in evidence–its charm lingers in the memory; commands delighted respect and enlists continued interest no other brand can possibly inspire. A veritable aristocrat among coffees, “White House” is an indispensable adjunct at every repast–; and its invigorating companionship banishes ennui like magic and helps to make life more worth while.

Mmmm, banishes ennui! That’s my kind of coffee!

Man finds chicken in egg, uses phrase “fixin’ to” twice in interview.