Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
Most Disturbing Search Request Ever: photos of every phone in…
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2002 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
Most Disturbing Search Request Ever:
photos of every phone in camden house on 7th heaven
Today a guy came in wearing a Bill Simon for Governor shirt. (Simon is the Republican candidate for California governor.) He asked for a particular book about Osama bin Laden, and also for Peggy Noonan's biography of Reagan. I also saw him carrying Carnegie's How to Make Friends And Influence People.
Then there was the woman who seemed to be seeking a Tom Lehrer book about the CIA's actions in Tibet. (Actual desideratum: Into Tibet by Tom Laird.)
Good lunch with Zack. I found myself considering how many people I knew before and after marriages and/or kids. Each individual instance, when I discovered it, discomfited me, but in the aggregate I don't mind at all, and just consider it a passing like seasons and tides.
I worked the register today, where a guy bought five photography magazines. I said, with a slight English accent, "Are you interested in...photography?"
He said, "Yes, I am. I really like it."
Later, in discussion, this somehow stimulated Eric to say: "If we had only known, years ago, that 'phat' would become a compliment rather than an insult, we could have made a killing on the insults futures market."
