Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Find Another Airstrip
The meaning of the name Boca Raton has always aroused curiosity. Many people wrongly assume the name is simply Rat's Mouth. Boca (or mouth) often describes an inlet, while raton can mean a “cowardly thief” in old Spanish terms. Thus, a possible translation “thieves' inlet” could be explained by legends that describe Lake Boca Raton as a haven for pirates.
Boca Raton Historical Society—History
My friend Greg and I were trying to find the name of the airport that was later turned into FAU. It is well known that the airstrip was an important training ground for airmen during World War II but we couldn't find a name for the airport at all, although I did find out that Lyndon B. Johnson was at the dedication ceremony.
Wanted: Scientists for secret project; may be turned into Zombie
Mark, JeffK and I saw Resident Evil, a pretty standard zombie flick with not much going for it (except for Milla Jovovich in various forms of undress).
Large evil corporation is doing genetic experimentation in a secret underground lab when an act of sabotage releases a deadly virus and a corporate/millitary SWAT team, along with three amnesiacs (who are found at the entrance to the secret underground lab) go in to investigate.
What I would like to know is, where do they get all the scientists who work there? Do they put out classified ads?
WANTED: Scientist willing to work on top secret projects in an undisclosed location. Benefits include full medical, dental and hazzard pay. Applicants should be aware they might be killed, blasted into parallel universes, or turned into mindless zombies. Call 555-555-1212.
And I would also like to know is how are these large, secret underground labratories built? In the movie, the lab is situated underneath a town for crying out loud. NORAD took over five years to clear out Cheyenne Mountain and that was under orders to do it quickly. I can only imagine what building a secret underground labratory would take, both in time and money.
Living within your means? How quaint …
The fundamental problem here, see, is that I'm not a typical American. And by typical American, I mean, “Living beyond my means.” Well, maybe I'm taking that a bit far. But you get the point.
The fact that I've made a good salary for the last three years? Meaningless.
That I have cash saved in the bank? Eh, who cares.
That I have no debt, have never defaulted in anyway, etc. etc.? Not interesting.
I can certainly relate to that. Back in '97, I found out the hard way that I was considered a “ghost,” one without a credit history. I also found out that being a “ghost” is worse than being a “debtor” and one step away from declaring bankruptcy (heck, it may be worse than actually having declared bankruptcy).
I am begining to think that the old notions of saving money isn't as important as it once was; the economically powerful aren't those that have tons of money at their disposal, but rather the ability to move money through the economy. It's less about what you have and more about what you control and the two aren't necessarily synonymous. Building credit is a way of showing you can control the flow of money, which (from what I've read) seems to be the current theory behind the economy these days.
Hoarding is so 19th century …
