Is it a Celebrity Blog, an Author's Blog or a Geek Blog?

It is one of those blogs occasionally mentioned in a NYT article, you visit it, browse around and then click the X and it is off your radar.  However, there was one and now there are two blogs put out by authors that I have added to the TO READ folder in my overloaded Google Reader.
The first belongs to Neil Gaiman.  

His blog has had many changes from feeling like an illustrated novel to becoming a more personable blog, with side features to add to it wealth of information.  Mr. Gaiman is one of the contemporary authors who cannot have a book published for very long before it is in my hands and read too quickly.

Now another author whose work finds itself into my hands as quickly is Stephen Fry.  His blog leans more to the fun he is having using computers and the Internet, but still, there are links to the fruit is labor handily weaved into the page design. 

Though the content of Mr. Fry's blog leans toward the Geek, I have placed it in the TO READ file, instead of the KNOWN GEEKS, where Amber MacArthur, Leo Laporte and the like are linked. 

With so much information constantly coming into our lives from so many sources, the need to characterize, compartmentalize and generally cope is becoming more and more a necessity. 

As an example, there is one book of Mr. Gaiman's I have yet to read is Revenge: A Novel

I am waiting for the arrival of my gifted Kindle and intend it to be my first online order/download.

Hogmanay !!
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LiveJournal Tags: Stephen Fry

Patti DeRosa

If you haven't seen her perform or at least heard Patti DeRosa sing, there is a piece missing in your life.

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The Mysterious Object Identified!

In an earlier article on BBC News, a mysterious object over 27 meters long had washed up on the shores of Stinky bay on the west of Benbecula.

The good news is it has been identified. The very good news for our fellow Scots is that it is a fermentation device used to make beer. Though it hasn't been claimed by the Colorado brewing company, the BBC News reports it is very similar to the type they used.

When I first saw the article, I was convinced it was of some sort of military creature right out of Dr. Who or its anagram spin-off Torchwood, where alien articles mysteriously appear on the British Isles, mostly around Cardiff. But the more mundane use for brewing beer; now that's something I never would've guessed.

Well, ye inhabitants of the Western Isles, Hogmanay!
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From whence came all the programs?

Back in the 80's when I took home my first 8080 PC, the program was on one five inch floppy while the OS ran on the other 360K disk.  Then came the 80286>80386 and the hard drive.
Soon after the introduction of the hard drive a 1200bps modem was added. 

Shareware came on floppies collected at monthly PCUG meetings.  Geeks Only!!!

Next was the 486 and the 5600 baud modem.  It was believed for a moment that we had plateaued in information sharing.  What fools!

This bit of nostalgia was brought about by a review of programs evaluated over the past year.  We kept all of the installation files on our backup 250 Gig back-up drive.  That being full, we are now moving the 2005-2007 files to the second 500 Gig back-up drive.

With the 160 Gig drive on the laptop, the total storage connected to this little laptop come to 960 Gig, or .96 Terabyte.

960,000,000K vs. 360K-X2 in twenty or so years.  There was no way I could've imagined making that leap in so short a time.  What more do we get out of this memory?  A great deal if managed rightly.  Too much to handle, if we don't.

Maybe I'll go back into politics...
Nah!
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Link About Living Longer

This link found Lifehacker.com lists way to live longer.  We found the part about dark chocolate to be of the most interest.

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Funny Cartoon

We're back in the States just in time for another winter storm. Here in New England we call this watershed. The more snow that accumulates during the winter, the higher the water tables will be underground for the summer rush on water usage. Also, the surface water in our lakes and ponds, of which there are many, will rise, probably overflow. In most cases this is a good thing. In others, not so much, but we hope for the best.

This cartoon demonstrates what happens to communities who don't think their water policy through.
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Away Bloogging

One of the advantages of using Blogger to base Belltower News is the ability to use a computer not your own to post blog entries.

I am sure there are all sorts of security issues, but if you use Firefox, and set it to delete all of your private settings, then the risk is, if not completely removed, at least it is reduced. In today's world, for what more could you ask.

For those of you basking in the sunlight, enjoying the sunny climes on this week between Christmas and the New Year, a pox on you! You are not sitting in a study, in an ancient New England house overlooking the ice laden water. You don't see the hopefully grateful birds clambering around the feeder, attacking the squirrels feeding from their dropped seeds.

You see sun and surf and all that is attracted to that environment. You lucky dogs.

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Mastering Google Reader

In a few of our blog entries we have complained about being overwhelmed by Google Reader.  This is no longer so.

We have made few modifications in the manner in which it is read, while simultaneously adding a dozen or so RSS links to blogs and other sites.

Whereas before we were reading each blog separately they are now grouped by general interest.  We have BLOGS, NEWS, SOFTWARE, HARDWARE and TO READ.  Each of the selected links are placed into the right group. 

Next we changed the default view from Expanded View to List View.   For a while we tried reading it by group.  Then we advanced to reading list with All Items (#) chosen.

The last, and most necessary of the settings is Show # New Items.

After perusing the  list, do not forget to Mark All As Read.  If you forget to do that, then the rest of the effort was in vain. 

We have recently added to Firefox the Read It Later extension.  Using this tool removed the last bit of pressure.  

Now we select an item from the list, right click to link and choose, Read It Later from the list.  Then the link is added to a list activated by the new icon in the top toolbar. 

Next,  it's onto the new Kindle from Amazon.

Information Overload.  Who would have thought it possible?
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43 Things Tags: Google Reader

 Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

Dolphins Win 2nd Half!!

The Miami Dolphins defeated The New England Patriots in the scoring for the 2nd half of today's game. Unfortunately, The Patriots won the first Half by a lot more points. 28-7. This makes them 15-0.

Just thought you might like to know.
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A Break with Tradition

For the past 12 years, two dear friends of ours from "back in the day" have come up to visit us from the city.  Along with them came their growing family.  In totum now there are seven of them.

It saddens me deeply that this year, due to separate reasons, none of them will be visiting. 

Adapting to this news, we have decided to visit Maine and PEI for the holiday.  I know the Caribbean is the other way, but I have always wanted to visit the island, and we understand they do the season "Right."

Happy everything to all of you.
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Free Fax • Free Internet Faxing

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Zoho Writer Blog Entry Titles

When using the Zoho Writer online to post a blog, the title of the blog will be the title of the document.  If you don't save the document with a title prior to publishing it, then the title of your blog entry will be Untitled.

We learn by example best.
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Just tired

Once a week the "tireds" comes over me. On a normal day, five to six hours sleep is all I need. Tonight, I think ten should do it. This will carry me through to a week of much needed vacation.

If it was my choice for the entire week I would hunker down and watch the weather happen outside without me. But family calls to Maine where I will watch the winter from the family compound. The view is better but the drive can be a terror when black ice rules the roads.
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So There are Rats in Sumatra, Indosnesia at Least.

Fans of the canon will be glad to hear of the recent discovery of a giant rat in Indonesia, of which Sumatra is a part.

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Times are Changing

Fidel Castro, according to BBC News, is hinting at retirement. Wants to make room for the younger generation. I remember watching supportive newsreels of the Cuban Revolution between movies in my childhood, over a half a century ago. It would appear Mr. Castro has a slightly warped idea of what moving over and the younger generation mean.

On a lighter note, the Earl and Countess of Wessex have announced the birth of a new son, Viscount Severn, first name so far undecided. The file photo in the piece displays the Earl in a top hat and the Countess wearing a bird thingy on her head. That's straight out of the 1930's representation of royalty!

Rah for that!
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Weather Report from Patriots New England

Here in balmy New England, I sit around thirty miles from Foxborough Stadium. I know there is a brand name attached to it, but we, being New Englanders, will always call it by its real name.

This goes for the Gimmell house in which we live. The Gimmells haven't lived here since the 1950's but when we tell people here-abouts where we live, "Oh, the Gimmell house." is aways the response.

On a dry Sunday, with no game in the forecast, it would take me less than 20 minutes to drive up Rte. 1 past the Stadium. Today, if I left right now, I might make it there by breakfast tomorrow. It the last Instant Snowstorm of a few days ago, I left Worcester at 1 in the afternoon and saw my front door around dinner time. My knuckles are still white from that driving. I don't intend to make them whiter today.

Our greatest fear at the moment is ice on the cable and power wires. News reports have a large portion of Pennsylvania without power. It would also shut down the heat, but we have fireplaces for back up. Power failure would mean we would have to rely on out Blackberries for the score. Or, there is that thing called a radio... I think we have one in the basement. Where are those batteries?

As far as the weather, three hours before the game, the foot or so of snow on our balcony is now being nicely coated with sleet. We understand there may even be a touch of freezing rain to add to the layering effect. Then, as it gets dark, more snow.

What fun!!!

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BINGO!!!

The problem with the Live Writer usage with Movable Type was looking for the API Password.  It isn't called that in the user profile.  It is called  Web Services Password.  I followed all of the directions to embed the .xml file in the root directory, etc. etc. It was using the wrong password.

For every other system the password you use to sign-in is the same as the one you use to allow an editor, such as this Live Writer to gain access.  The people at Movable Type decided you needed an extra layer of protection by providing a different password for "Third Party Access."

I told you I wouldn't quit that easily.  Now let's see if I can get this work in Scribe Fire and w::bloggar...

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I have tried all of the offline blog editors, even w:bloggar, to get into the new MovableType grazing blog, Movable Grazing. I am getting all sorts of error codes.

The people at LiveWriter gave me an XML file to create and load on the server. All that did was change the error code. Something's going on here. It probably is a misplaced comma or a space where there shouldn't be one.

I will find out what is going on and let you know.

Or not...

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GoDaddy Localhost For MovableType

Now that MoveableType is OpenSource, I couldn't wait to install it on our GoDaddy Host. After what seemed like HOURS, I finally RTFM and found out "localhost" doesn't work when setting up the database in GoDaddy. You have to go into your account hosting manager, click on databases and then find the pencil icon on the right side of the screen.

Clicking that brings you to an informational screen where the local host, unique to your database is named. It isn't even close to "localhost" but it works.

Good Luck!!
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Instant Winter!

One of the disadvantages of listening to music, via iPod transmitter, in your car is you don't get weather bulletins. To make up for that, I do get NWS bulletins in my email, but, that requires reading them.

So, you can imagine my surprise when driving south on the Interstate this afternoon to find myself, just about instantly, on a road, unsalted, and blanketed with snow.

Before Exit 20, brown grass and evergreens, after Exit 20, winter wonderland. It was that fast.

Normally snow creeps up on you, or it's there in the morning when you rise. This was more like somebody up there said, "Whoa! Forgot to install winter and I have train to catch." DUMP! "There, that should do it." In the words of my philosophical guru, "I kid you not!"
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Live Writer Has Arrived!!

Now that Live Writer is a usable blog editor you are guaranteed to see more entries at Random Grazing Space.  The other active grazing blogs are rooted here in Belltower News.  The catchall blog is Other Grazing on Live Journal.

On WordPress we have Grazing Portal and Grazing Press= our last hosted blog.

While at a trade show in British Columbia we set up the Vox blog Trounce Alley.  Because of the lack of off line editors that support this blog and its connection to a social connection portal, we don't count it as an active blog. It does serve as a good place to test programs which tout themselves as all-over blog editors.

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The Patriot beat the Guaranteed Pittsburgh Steelers.  

Technorati Tags: Live Writer and Spaces

The Patriots vs. Pittsburgh

I know we have gone on and on about Google Reader.  There is one thing more powerful.  The New England Patriots.  There is no way, at 1615 this afternoon, I will be anywhere near this laptop at kick off time.

The rest of the world my hate the Patriots, but this is New England.

Expect comments after the game.

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Google Reader-a deus: Drug of Choice

In a previous blog entry, I bemoaned the time taken up by defaulting to Google Reader as the Firefox home page. 

It used to be Google News.  Google News took up enough time to get me somewhat informed.  The occasional dive from a Google News New York Times link to other NYT stories was no where near as time consuming as the links out from the dozens of RSS feeds that now reside on my Google Reader. (One of them being the NYT RSS Feed)

What would Betty Ford do?

Technorati Tags: Google Reader

Google Reader Free Software Feed

In the right hand column of Belltower News is a box.

This is the Google Reader share box. It only displayed the last five links shared from the the Google Reader.

But, if you click on the Read more it will take you to the entire list of shared items. The latest dozen or so are software items available at CNet.

Each is either in use here or on the desktop in the office. All of the listed software is very usable and totally replaces their professional counterparts.

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I Have Been Swallowed by Google Reader

You may find the items in the Google Reader box in the lower right column to be very up to date, whereas the entries to this and the other Grazing blogs have fallen off in quantity. Blame Google Reader. Where we would have come back to the blog and made mention of site of wonder, now we just hit the SHARE key in Google Reader and it appears in the aforementioned box in the lower right column.

A good example of this is the link to the blog entry about the blog entry about the $40.00 eyeglass phenomenon.

You would have seen my own evaluation because I bought six pairs from one of the companies mentioned to my own great satisfaction. But did I have time to tell you? NO! Because I was too busy being dragged from story to story, blog to blog, news bit to news bit by Google Reader.

The line from the fortune cookie:
"Help! I am being held hostage in a fortune cookie factory!"comes to mind here..
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