Do not meddle in the affairs of System Administrators, for they are quick to anger, and have no need of subtlety. This guy got a bad performance review, and they tried to fire him, but it didn't work. His revenge?

Last week was the 2008 New Media Center Conference, a gathering of nerds from academic institutions all over this great nation, and even a few folks from other countries. Our collective destination: Princeton, New Jersey.

Ever year or so I get it in my head I should have a smartphone. I'm an IT guy, the type of person you'd expect to see with a do-it-all cellphone, checking e-mail or surfing the web when I should be paying attention in a meeting. That familiar feeling of smartphone lust hit at just the right time about a month ago: my current phone started having major issues, I was due for a new-every-two replacement, and the Blackberry Curve 8330 was about to be released. Fates had conspired, and I bought one. Three days later I returned it, and here's why: