I knew this stuff had to be illegal!

“...As to the coffee it is an innovation, which curtails sleep and the generating power in man. Coffee-houses are houses of confusion. Coffee has been by law declared illicit in the great collections of fetwas (legal injunctions) wherein every thing that is burnt is declared to be illegal food. ”

Evliya Efendi (During Ramadan in 1539 CE Cairo's coffeehouses were raided and closed, although only for a few days.)

This week I will...

be in Bangalore - speaking at LB 2004. I'm hoping to meet a lot of old friends, put faces to names, and be a geek all over again. I'm speaking on Wikis - I'll try and be an arm chair pyschologist, but hopefully I'll have something worth everyone's while.

Ping me if you are attending!

Bowling, is a Comfort Sport !

Have you ever stopped to notice that bowling is a comfort sport? Seriously, it's designed with the bumbling amateur in mind. Explain otherwise how it's the favorite sport of Fred Flintstone, Homer Simpson and yours truly. Duh! And how can I forget "The Dude", or his dudeness or el duderino, you know, if you are not into the whole brevity thing!

The dude (or dudette) who has the spare evening, and knows he sucks at every other goddamn sport known to human kind will make his way to the bowling alley. Of course, the inexperienced will fail to recognise this fundamental design idea and seek to perfect their game. Hah!

The experienced bowler is removed from the game. Ideally there's a bottle of beer or two making its way through your gullet when you amble up to your first ball. The objective is to maximise the time spent on the floor, no sense rushing things here, especially when you pay by the game. Now, don't be a spoil sport and begin making a contest out of it. Remember, it's all about the beer and the good times.

Pick a seriously heavy ball, and float the ball toward the pins. If you don't seriously screw up, the ball will land dead center almost at your feet and roll down slowly knocking the pins in its wake. If you need to use both your hands, don't be bashful about it, all serious professionals know it helps the game.

Enjoy the sporting good times - *burp*

P.S. The correct answer is - "The dude abides"