ken-jennings.com: “Maybe I was punk’d and the whole thing was some kind of confusingly high-concept performance art. If so, way to go Memphis! Many of my book escorts have been type-A suburban Beautiful People moonlighting from their real gig showing million-dollar homes or running some kind of adorable “boutique,” so the comedy stylings of these two amiable and bookish-but-slightly-helpless-in-the-real-world librarians was a breath of fresh air.”

Kotaku: “The whole thing felt a little unsavory, forced. It was like a bath house hook-up but instead of man sex there was Tetris.”

I haven’t written much original content in the last six weeks. I’m sorry about that. I started a new job at a new company, a place that’s smaller, more specialized and cares about it’s intellectual inventory–people. I’ve travelled more, trained more, and cared more in this job compared to my last. I’ve also realized two very important things.

I was a miserable and sometimes hateful person.

I am now a happier and joyful person.

I had convinced myself that my job and the work performance of others was the source of my personal discontent. It’s only when I left did I realize just how myopic I had become.

I’ve apologized to quite a few people in the last two weeks. I needed to.

My new job challenges me in ways that aren’t exhausting our pointless. The people I work with want me to succeed and not just because “the company” will do better. The feeling is hard to describe until you experience it.

The lesson from today’s weblog post: if you’re not happy, it’s time to do something about it. You’ll be glad you did. Get that new job. Sign those divorce papers. Clean out your garage. Sell that old car. Take your wife out on a date and really mean it.

I’m happy. If you’re still listening, thanks.

Boing Boing: “An award-winning junk-food inventor debuted deep-fried Coke syrup at September’s Texas State Fair”

Cool Tools: “Leave it to the Japanese to create a brush pen.”

paidContent.org: “One down, one to go for the next phase of resurrecting Ma Bell … the Justice Department has approved the $78.5 billion deal that would make BellSouth part of already massive AT&T…”

MAKE Magazine: “Here are some, er, interesting DIY costume ideas from Popular Science 1939”

MAKE Magazine: “CRAFT Instructable group member Honus posted up a clever/simple bat decoration”

Cool Tools: “I’ve owned and played professionally close to a hundred fine instruments in the 35 years I’ve been playing and I’ve ended up being something of an accidental Martin collector. When people ask me what they should buy for their first guitar, I tell them to go straight to their nearest authorized Martin dealer and get a OO-15 or an OM-15.”

Autoblog: “In the ‘Easily Amused’ category for today is this video of an unfortunate racer who loses an all-important component — a tire (or tyre, if you’re so inclined to use the British spelling). The wayward appendage put on quite a show for the cameras, bouncing without interrupting the rest of the race and then lands in just about the funniest place possible — play the video to check it out.”