Tag Archives: bonehead comment

BCD 26.10.2023

I know, I know. I’m riffing on the same rant again, but as long as there are little old ladies, drive-through coffee shops, the United States, and lawyers, these blog pieces will unfortunately keep coming. Sigh … Hard on the heels of the latest McDonald’s coffee tragedy, comes another, similar story of unnecessary pain andContinue reading “BCD 26.10.2023”

BCD 11.06.2023

Perhaps one of the few segments of the workforce that has as little grounding in reality as admin is marketing. Unfortunately, however, reality too often plays into their weirdly warped worldview. (Or is shaped by it.) Case in point is the latest invention of some too clever marketing-type that I saw the other day: limited-editionContinue reading “BCD 11.06.2023”

BCD 13.05.2023

Here we go again … Once more the American legal system is punishing businesses for underestimating the creative stupidity of their customers. Remember the famous 1994 McDonald’s coffee case where McDonald’s was sued successfully for selling “defectively manufactured” (i.e. hot) coffee that was “unreasonably dangerous” because an older lady managed to spill an entire cupContinue reading “BCD 13.05.2023”

BCD 23.04.2023

With Russian forces stalled menacingly close to the EU’s eastern borders for over a year now, it’s comforting to know that similar threats are being recognized and neutralized here in western Europe on a daily basis too. Case in point: this CNN story yesterday on how Belgian customs in collaboration with the Comité Interprofessionnel duContinue reading “BCD 23.04.2023”

BCD 09.04.2023 (Easter Sunday edition)

If, unlike me, you’ve ever wondered what day Easter Sunday will fall on in some given year, you could look at a calendar. Or you could ask Google. Or you could quickly work it out for yourself using this simple calculation for our bonehead calculation of the day (BCD): (The following figure is the sameContinue reading “BCD 09.04.2023 (Easter Sunday edition)”

BCD 03.04.2023

With increasing political polarization marching seemingly uncontested across the globe, it was time for some good news on the political front and CNN, as well as many other news outlets, promptly delivered. This is a victory for local democracy. Finally! After being under threat for so long and from so many different corners, democracy gotContinue reading “BCD 03.04.2023”

BCD 08.03.2023

Over the last decade of so, the University of Not-Bielefeld has increasingly targeted international students in a bid to become a more global player on the university scene. One “crucial” step in this direction over the past two years or so is having e-mails from central admin (including the President’s Office) in two languages: GermanContinue reading “BCD 08.03.2023”