The Satanic Bible

1
I once told a coworker I read The Satanic Bible.

I did, in college, Calvin College as a matter of fact; they had a copy in the library. It was interesting, but not what I expected; more of a humanist manifesto wrapped in the occult. You can learn more about it here>

When I told this coworker (no longer with the company) that I'd read The Satanic Bible, he looked at me sidelong, unable to turn his head, but only rotate his eyes; he didn't know whether to believe me or not, but I gather he did, and not only did he believe me, but he appeared to attribute something malevolent to this new knowledge.

Being the charitable kind of guy I am, I returned his quizzical eyes with my best Linda Blair stare, and occasionally brought it up again at moments when a coincidence might be interpreted to have a diabolical edge.

I don't think he ever fully realized I was having fun.[1]

[2012-11-08]

2
Say it ain't so.

"Background images are going away on November 16, 2012
Thank you for using background images. As we build a more streamlined Google Search page for everyone, we’ll no longer be able to support customization with background images. So you will no longer be able to see your background pictures starting November 16, 2012."

Too bad. I kind of like Google greeting me with delightfully cool and cloistering fog; it was also a very quick indication of which Google account I was using. Perhaps Google is concerned with brand presentation, as they have no control over what surrounds their logo.

[2012-11-10]

c0

[1]
He may, in fact, have been playing with me. If so, he played it well, equal parts ingénue and skeptic.

I believe at the time I read The Satanic Bible, I was enrolled in Group Communications with Professor Quentin Schultz, who went on to chair Calvin's Communications Department. It so happened he encouraged the class not to do a project on the occult, but we did one anyway. Asking kids not to do something is like keeping ants away from a picnic by sprinkling sugar around it.

(I think the sugar analogy is Rex Reed's from many years ago; he was referring to movie producers putting enough adult content in a film to earn a PG rating.)

c0