Infinite MonkeysIt's been a long time since I've had the early morning urge to just check and see if the world has suffered some great calamity while I was asleep. This morning seemed quiet. Too quiet. Time to pull up Google News and scan the top stories. Hmmm. The world is in the same nuclear oil mosque attack turmoil it was in yesterday. The U.S. news sounds an "all quiet" with headlines about a sextuplets hoax, pirated software on sale in one of the 'stans, and Molly the cat is freed from inside a wall in Greenwich Village. "She was only one foot tall, but there was survival in her eyes."
So, all is well.
But the Sci/Tech section featured this headline: Boot Camp, Mac cultists, and Windows salvation. How can anyone resist copy like that? It lead to a semi-smackdown of an article, fun to read, and good to have read. But one thing keeps bothering me.
I've gone to Marine Corps boot camp. Normally , when I see or hear the words "boot camp" I think of basic training; you know, what everybody else thinks of. It's taken me a little while to figure out why, when I see Boot Camp spelled with capital letters, I think of something completely different. Yes, it's a new feature that allows the new Intel-chip-based Mmacs to restart and run Windows XP. But around Phoenix, AZ , Boot Camp is a bar. In a gay section of town. With a HUGE sign.
I Googled "boot.camp phoenix bar." The first hit was an interesting discussion thread on the Mac/Windows app (specifically, whether it voids your warranty). But the second hit was hosted on a site called Gayapolis. (Why the middle vowel is A, rather than O, I don't understand.) The fifth hit is a surprisingly lengthy (no pun intended) list of gay bars that have come and gone (again, no pun...) through Phoenix's history. It's a humorous read.
So, there you have it. I have come out about my discomfort with the name of a utility for using hardware to cross platforms. And you know that Molly the cat is safe.
It's a quiet day
And the sun has charred
The other side of
The world and come
Back to us
But the second hit was hosted on a site called Gayapolis. (Why the middle vowel is A, rather than O, I don't understand.)
It's because the name refers not to some generic city a la "metropolis", but specifically to the city in Maryland that is home to the United States Gayval Academy.
Betcha "Boot Camp" is making a lot more sense to you right now, too.
Posted by: Poochucker at April 15, 2006 09:25 PMOh, ANapolis. I get that. I still like -Opolis better. And I never had any doubt as to the meaning behind the name Boot Camp as a gay bar. That's why I found it particularly disturbing and memorable.
For some reason, the Naval Academy reference reminds of a sign that I used to see along the I-17 freeway. A (ahem...) "gentlemen's club" there was called "The Navel Base." Not exactly the sort of place I frequent, but I've always appreciated the clever name.
Posted by: Monkey Brad at April 15, 2006 10:21 PM