Sunday, February 20, 2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
The mother of all colds!
This is a mother of a cold. Of course it hit me the night we went out
for a romantic Valentines Day weekend dinner. It can be accurately
said, I was not the most amiable dinner party
tomorrow morning I have to leave for work. The answer is to go
to bed early and not at my usual 2:00 a.m.
I'll keep you posted.
=30=
for a romantic Valentines Day weekend dinner. It can be accurately
said, I was not the most amiable dinner party
tomorrow morning I have to leave for work. The answer is to go
to bed early and not at my usual 2:00 a.m.
I'll keep you posted.
=30=
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Do you want to hunker down?
Do you have the nasty part of a cold and not want
to commune?
I have two websites you need to visit:
The first is Magntune
I recommend their "Genre" page for this exercise.
Assuming you have WinAmp, go down to the Mood
selection on the genre page and click on Relax.
Then go to Metafilter, using Firefox of course, and just
start middle clicking on links of every sort.
You will be planted in from of your computer for a goodly
two hours, minimum. Almost as good as chicken soup.
=30=
to commune?
I have two websites you need to visit:
The first is Magntune
I recommend their "Genre" page for this exercise.
Assuming you have WinAmp, go down to the Mood
selection on the genre page and click on Relax.
Then go to Metafilter, using Firefox of course, and just
start middle clicking on links of every sort.
You will be planted in from of your computer for a goodly
two hours, minimum. Almost as good as chicken soup.
=30=
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Bravenet.
There is a commercial rich site called Bravenet.
They provide a "free" blogging service that comes with
many "free" features.
When I say "many," I mean MORE than many. This was a
site I used for various counters back in the days when designing
web sites was a gentlemen's profession. Have a look>>>>
=30=
They provide a "free" blogging service that comes with
many "free" features.
When I say "many," I mean MORE than many. This was a
site I used for various counters back in the days when designing
web sites was a gentlemen's profession. Have a look>>>>
=30=
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Two interesting links:
First the the CJR campaign Desk article
regarding a candidate for the Texas governor's Office.
The other is a photo of Marthaé and François Gribaud's Last Supper ad in the
UK's Guardian
The above were found in my weekly sweep of bookmarked blogs.
=30=
regarding a candidate for the Texas governor's Office.
The other is a photo of Marthaé and François Gribaud's Last Supper ad in the
UK's Guardian
The above were found in my weekly sweep of bookmarked blogs.
=30=
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Wedding photos sent.
It wasn't that long ago, 20 or so photos were taken
at a wedding. They've been sitting on my laptop,
the subject of Picasa modification, experiment and
simple creative techniques.
It was my assumption that there were so many photos
taken at the wedding, that these few would be of no
importance. It was discovered this morning at a church
service that at least one of the wedding party was disappointed
by the lack of photos.
Safe to say, the photos left have been sent, post haste.
=30=
at a wedding. They've been sitting on my laptop,
the subject of Picasa modification, experiment and
simple creative techniques.
It was my assumption that there were so many photos
taken at the wedding, that these few would be of no
importance. It was discovered this morning at a church
service that at least one of the wedding party was disappointed
by the lack of photos.
Safe to say, the photos left have been sent, post haste.
=30=
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Speech Class, 1964
It was for my Speech Class in 1964 I had to memorize
Poe's The Raven. I was walking around school reciting,
"Once upon a midnight, dreary,
while I pondered weak and weary,
over a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
=30=
Poe's The Raven. I was walking around school reciting,
"Once upon a midnight, dreary,
while I pondered weak and weary,
over a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
=30=
The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Trivia
The basic meter of the poem is 'trochaic octameter', that is, lines of 8 trochees (pairs of syllables, the first with strong stress, the second with weak).
Ravens can be taught to speak. Poe's raven is thought to have been inspired by the raven Grip in Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. Dickens' bird has many words and comic turns, including the popping of a champagne cork, but Poe felt that Dickens did not make enough of the bird's dramatic qualities.
Baltimore's professional football team, the Baltimore_Ravens, is named after the poem. The name was selected after a telephone poll of Baltimore residents.
The Raven Society (http://www.student.virginia.edu/~ravens/), founded 1904, is the University of Virginia's most important honor society, combining requirements of high-level scholarship, service, leadership, and - for the student members - 'promise of further advancement in the intellectual field.' New members have to supply a parody of the poem for initiation, which takes place in Poe's room where he lived when studying at the University, which is now under the curatorship of the Society. The Society also owns and takes care of several other Poe sites, including the grave of his mother in Richmond, Va."
The basic meter of the poem is 'trochaic octameter', that is, lines of 8 trochees (pairs of syllables, the first with strong stress, the second with weak).
Ravens can be taught to speak. Poe's raven is thought to have been inspired by the raven Grip in Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. Dickens' bird has many words and comic turns, including the popping of a champagne cork, but Poe felt that Dickens did not make enough of the bird's dramatic qualities.
Baltimore's professional football team, the Baltimore_Ravens, is named after the poem. The name was selected after a telephone poll of Baltimore residents.
The Raven Society (http://www.student.virginia.edu/~ravens/), founded 1904, is the University of Virginia's most important honor society, combining requirements of high-level scholarship, service, leadership, and - for the student members - 'promise of further advancement in the intellectual field.' New members have to supply a parody of the poem for initiation, which takes place in Poe's room where he lived when studying at the University, which is now under the curatorship of the Society. The Society also owns and takes care of several other Poe sites, including the grave of his mother in Richmond, Va."
Spot Color using Picasa
This was taken at a UU wedding a few months ago.
The spot color on the candle was done using the upgraded Picasa.
The newer version of Picasa gives you a more varied control
of how your digital snapshots are displayed.
It also lets you post it on a Blogger based blog with little trouble.
The only thing I find inconvenient is the automatic posting
when the ENTER key is hit. This make the caption section
sometimes posted too early
=30=
Sunny Five Degree Saturday
Here in Massachusetts, the sun is shining.
It is reflecting off the snow to the point that
sunglasses are needed to look out the window
at the five foot snow mounds lining the road.
Our mailbox was a casualty in the last road
clearing. We first replaced it with a cardboard
box shoved into the snow bank. This worked for
a day or two, but the box was wearing out.
We replaced that with a Rubbermaid mail
box.
Let's see how long this one lasts.
Remind me again why I don't live in Marin?
=30=
It is reflecting off the snow to the point that
sunglasses are needed to look out the window
at the five foot snow mounds lining the road.
Our mailbox was a casualty in the last road
clearing. We first replaced it with a cardboard
box shoved into the snow bank. This worked for
a day or two, but the box was wearing out.
We replaced that with a Rubbermaid mail
box.
Let's see how long this one lasts.
Remind me again why I don't live in Marin?
=30=
Friday, January 28, 2005
Ma is reforming...
When I was a young man there was one phone company.
In fact, we called it just The Phone Company. Your phone,
the one phone you had in your house, belonged to The
Phone Company and you rented it from them.
The phone came in one color, black Bakelite.
Then there was the break up, the forming of Baby
Bells and the birth of newly independent companies.
Now there are thousands of ways to use the phone.
But, it looks like AT&T, the original name for The
Phone Company is about to be bought by two, or
three of its babies. To me that looks like what was
split is reforming, Borglike.
I don't know, I kinda liked Bakelite.
=30=
In fact, we called it just The Phone Company. Your phone,
the one phone you had in your house, belonged to The
Phone Company and you rented it from them.
The phone came in one color, black Bakelite.
Then there was the break up, the forming of Baby
Bells and the birth of newly independent companies.
Now there are thousands of ways to use the phone.
But, it looks like AT&T, the original name for The
Phone Company is about to be bought by two, or
three of its babies. To me that looks like what was
split is reforming, Borglike.
I don't know, I kinda liked Bakelite.
=30=
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Good Night Johnn y...
Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen, Jack Paar and now
Johnny Carson.
Combined, the two gentlemen now occupying their
timeslot haven't a tenth of the intellectual wit any
one of these men had on a bad day.
It's either that, or I am just getting old and grumpy,
waxing nostalgic about the days when two super powers
were lined up at either side of Dodge City waiting
for the other to flinch. Wit had a place then.
Now we're sitting around waiting for another pathetic
misguided religious zealot to blow a mere fraction of us
up.
When will the truly good old days get here?
=30=
Johnny Carson.
Combined, the two gentlemen now occupying their
timeslot haven't a tenth of the intellectual wit any
one of these men had on a bad day.
It's either that, or I am just getting old and grumpy,
waxing nostalgic about the days when two super powers
were lined up at either side of Dodge City waiting
for the other to flinch. Wit had a place then.
Now we're sitting around waiting for another pathetic
misguided religious zealot to blow a mere fraction of us
up.
When will the truly good old days get here?
=30=
The New York Times > New York Region > Roaring Snowstorm Shoves Northeast Into Winter's Grasp
The New York Times > New York Region > Roaring Snowstorm Shoves Northeast Into Winter's Grasp: "Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts were expected to be hit hardest, with more than two feet of snow blown by winds that gusted up to 60 miles an hour. 'The snow is falling not in inches but in feet,' said Gov. Mitt Romney, who warned that the threat would be complicated by a full moon and a tidal surge in coastal communities."
The Blizzard of 1-23-05
This is our cat, Mougli, try to decide whether ot not
this would be a good time to run out in the yard and
frolic.
Welcome to New England on the day the Patriots play
Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania.
Hoo-Boy
=30=
Saturday, January 22, 2005
William Tolliver Painting for Sale!
This is an oil painting we bought in New Orleans over
eleven years ago. It's called "And Then I Rest."
It's an oil on canvas by William Tolliver. (1951-2000)
Almost all of the other works by William Tolliver that
we've seen have to do with New Orleans' Jazz culture.
This is more along the line of his famous
" Sunday Service" lithograph.
=30=
Thursday, January 20, 2005
I shouldn't have said anything...
"How does Zero sound?"
The same radio station, on the way home this evening,
was kind enough to inform me the temperature will drop
to four below zero over night.
I shouldn't have complained about four above zero.
When will I learn?
=30=
The same radio station, on the way home this evening,
was kind enough to inform me the temperature will drop
to four below zero over night.
I shouldn't have complained about four above zero.
When will I learn?
=30=
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Okay, too cold!
On the drive into work this morning, the woman with
the lovely voice on Magic 106.7 started her traffic and weather
report with something like. "It's 4 in the Backbay!" When I
first heard this, I honestly looked at the car clock and saw it was
twenty to seven. How, I asked myself, could she get the time
so wrong.
Then the horror of what she said struck me. When she said
four she meant a four found on the F. scale.
Damn, that's cold!
=30=
the lovely voice on Magic 106.7 started her traffic and weather
report with something like. "It's 4 in the Backbay!" When I
first heard this, I honestly looked at the car clock and saw it was
twenty to seven. How, I asked myself, could she get the time
so wrong.
Then the horror of what she said struck me. When she said
four she meant a four found on the F. scale.
Damn, that's cold!
=30=
Monday, January 17, 2005
Leave it Behind
The author of the Leave it Behind, Brian Bailey said that
blogger should mention other blogs. There, I mentioned
your blog, Brian...
=30=
blogger should mention other blogs. There, I mentioned
your blog, Brian...
=30=
Sunday, January 16, 2005
A book I am reading and a book I will read
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This was given to me as Christmas present by
my nephew, Tad. I had never heard of Bill Bryson. It seems everyone in the room, including
my nephew had known him from another book of his:
I am a Stranger Here Myself Now that I am a quarter of a way through the absolutely amazing history,
I will have to get ALL of his books. It is what I do, as Winston Churchill and Samuel Clemens.
=30=
An interesting read about google...
If Google has become the only way you look something up
these days, you may want to take a few minutes and pop
over to Alan Williamson' blog city page to read about a lecture
he attended given by Marissa Mayer, Product Manager for Google.
=30=
these days, you may want to take a few minutes and pop
over to Alan Williamson' blog city page to read about a lecture
he attended given by Marissa Mayer, Product Manager for Google.
=30=
RSSCalendar.com - Product Overview
RSSCalendar.com - Product Overview: "School calendars"
I have little use for this feature, but I could see where some
organizations having use for it.
A problem may occur in explaining a RSS feed to some people .
...
=30=
I have little use for this feature, but I could see where some
organizations having use for it.
A problem may occur in explaining a RSS feed to some people .
...
=30=
update for w::Bloggar
If you are having trouble with ::w.bloggar and TypePad,
you may want to go over to the site and pick up the updated
.exe file. You dont' have to download the entire program,
just get the .exe file and replace the one in your w::bloggar
file.
=30=
you may want to go over to the site and pick up the updated
.exe file. You dont' have to download the entire program,
just get the .exe file and replace the one in your w::bloggar
file.
=30=
just Checking In.
The commute to work today was a breeze.
This could be because it's Saturday, the first day of
a three day weekend. There was some business
that needed doing that I did. The commute home was
just as nice.
Going into Boston can be a tricky thing, from the
north or from the south. Coming from the south,
if you leave ten minutes before the hour, the
ride can take 20 t0 30 minutes.
Leave a minute after seven and you might as well
take you knitting with you and a few newly burned
CD's with your favorite music because it will take
over an hour.
Pittsburg won.
=30=
This could be because it's Saturday, the first day of
a three day weekend. There was some business
that needed doing that I did. The commute home was
just as nice.
Going into Boston can be a tricky thing, from the
north or from the south. Coming from the south,
if you leave ten minutes before the hour, the
ride can take 20 t0 30 minutes.
Leave a minute after seven and you might as well
take you knitting with you and a few newly burned
CD's with your favorite music because it will take
over an hour.
Pittsburg won.
=30=
Monday, January 10, 2005
Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things: "Companies that have fired people for blogging
This page contains a list of companies that are purported to have fired employees for blogging 'fired, threatened, disciplined, fined or not hired people because of their blog.'
1.) Delta Air Lines
2.) Wells Fargo
3.) Ragen MacKenzie
4.) Starbucks
5.) Microsoft (some say yay, some say nay)
6.) Friendster
7.) the Houston Chronicle
8.) the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
9.) Nunavut Tourism (Canada)
10.) the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
11.) Maricopa County Superior Court of Arizona Self Help Center and Library
12.) Mike DeWine, US Senator (R-Ohio)
13.) the Durham Herald-Sun
14.) Kerr-McGee
15.) ESPN
16.) Apple (according to this blog entry AND this article)
17.) Statistical Assessment Service (DC nonprofit)
18.) Minnesota Public Radio
19.) The Hartford Courant
20.) the International Olympic Committee (barred athletes from blogging during the Olympics last summer)
21.) Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (?)
22.) the National Basketball Association (NBA)
Link (via Apophenia)
posted by Cory Doctorow at 03:26:05 PM permalink | blogs' comments"
This page contains a list of companies that are purported to have fired employees for blogging 'fired, threatened, disciplined, fined or not hired people because of their blog.'
1.) Delta Air Lines
2.) Wells Fargo
3.) Ragen MacKenzie
4.) Starbucks
5.) Microsoft (some say yay, some say nay)
6.) Friendster
7.) the Houston Chronicle
8.) the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
9.) Nunavut Tourism (Canada)
10.) the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
11.) Maricopa County Superior Court of Arizona Self Help Center and Library
12.) Mike DeWine, US Senator (R-Ohio)
13.) the Durham Herald-Sun
14.) Kerr-McGee
15.) ESPN
16.) Apple (according to this blog entry AND this article)
17.) Statistical Assessment Service (DC nonprofit)
18.) Minnesota Public Radio
19.) The Hartford Courant
20.) the International Olympic Committee (barred athletes from blogging during the Olympics last summer)
21.) Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (?)
22.) the National Basketball Association (NBA)
Link (via Apophenia)
posted by Cory Doctorow at 03:26:05 PM permalink | blogs' comments"
I know it is selfish...
...to complain about the trivial with so much sorrow in the world,
but I still am not overly fond of driving to work in the dark.
Circadianilly, we were meant to rise with the sun. I am at work,
in the catacombs of corporate worship when the sun rises,
the sun sets while I am still encased in concrete.
Oh, well, back to the wheel...
=30=
but I still am not overly fond of driving to work in the dark.
Circadianilly, we were meant to rise with the sun. I am at work,
in the catacombs of corporate worship when the sun rises,
the sun sets while I am still encased in concrete.
Oh, well, back to the wheel...
=30=
Sunday, January 09, 2005
I am tired
After a lovely 10 day vacation that only cost me three vaction days, I have
come back to work in a great way. This is my 10th straight day.
I need to be here at five in the morning and then back again at 2230. Two
more days of that.
In between that, it being transition STUFF, I am teaching an 80 hour course.
16 of the 80 hours have pased. Only 74 to go. Whoopee!!! Then next Saturday
I have an auxilliary class to teach. What fun.
The end line of all this is exhaustion. When exhausted,
writing witty blog entries is drained from my limited list of talents, if so they
can be called.
Say good night, Gracie!
=30=
come back to work in a great way. This is my 10th straight day.
I need to be here at five in the morning and then back again at 2230. Two
more days of that.
In between that, it being transition STUFF, I am teaching an 80 hour course.
16 of the 80 hours have pased. Only 74 to go. Whoopee!!! Then next Saturday
I have an auxilliary class to teach. What fun.
The end line of all this is exhaustion. When exhausted,
writing witty blog entries is drained from my limited list of talents, if so they
can be called.
Say good night, Gracie!
=30=
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Diego Garcia Safe
For those of us who have been on the horseshoe known as DG who were
worried, the following message has come:
Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory –
Navy personnel on board Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean
are safe following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that had devastating
effects on Southeast Asia. Facilities and operations were not affected.
Favorable ocean topography minimized the tsunami’s impact on the atoll. Diego
Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago, situated on the southernmost part of
the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. To the east lies the Chagos Trench, a 400 mile long,
underwater canyon that ranges in depth from less than 1,00 meters below the
surface to depths that plunge to over 5,000 meters. It is one of the deepest regions
of the Indian Ocean.
Diego Garcia is located to the west of Chagos Trench, which runs north and
south. The depth of the Chagos Trench and grade to the shores does not allow
for tsunamis to build before passing the atoll. The result of the earthquake
was seen as a tidal surge estimated at six feet.
Blessed BE!
=30=
worried, the following message has come:
Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory –
Navy personnel on board Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean
are safe following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that had devastating
effects on Southeast Asia. Facilities and operations were not affected.
Favorable ocean topography minimized the tsunami’s impact on the atoll. Diego
Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago, situated on the southernmost part of
the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. To the east lies the Chagos Trench, a 400 mile long,
underwater canyon that ranges in depth from less than 1,00 meters below the
surface to depths that plunge to over 5,000 meters. It is one of the deepest regions
of the Indian Ocean.
Diego Garcia is located to the west of Chagos Trench, which runs north and
south. The depth of the Chagos Trench and grade to the shores does not allow
for tsunamis to build before passing the atoll. The result of the earthquake
was seen as a tidal surge estimated at six feet.
Blessed BE!
=30=
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Below Zero Last NIght
It was below zero last night. The ice fishermen are out on the river. I count four from this window.
They are keeping close to shore. It will probably take a few more nights below zero before the perminant village is installed. Because to temperature is going up during the week, the shacks out there now will be towed off.
To more days in the fridged north before we return to balmy Boston.
=30=
They are keeping close to shore. It will probably take a few more nights below zero before the perminant village is installed. Because to temperature is going up during the week, the shacks out there now will be towed off.
To more days in the fridged north before we return to balmy Boston.
=30=
Monday, December 27, 2004
In the Maine Woods in December
How does howling winds, 10 degrees above zero, F., sound?
I am sitting at the computer on the enclosed porch overlooking the frozen river. The word 'cold' comes to mind. Not too cold, yet. Too cold is when you walk out to the shed to get wood for the stove and your eyeballs can't move because the tears have frozen, you can't breath through your mouth because your lips have frozen together, now THAT'S cold!
It's too early in the season for the ice fishermen to be out there.
It takes a few nights below zero for the ice to be hard enough for them to pull their little huts out onto the river ice with their snowmobiles.
They once used jeeps, the small WWII type of jeep not the monsterous SUV jeeps of today. I suppose before that horses were used. That would be long before my time.
There is snow predicted for the drive back through Boston on Wednesday, but we'll have snow tires on the car. This will hopefully make the drive a tad easier,
Ah, Maine in Winter, what fun...
=30=
I am sitting at the computer on the enclosed porch overlooking the frozen river. The word 'cold' comes to mind. Not too cold, yet. Too cold is when you walk out to the shed to get wood for the stove and your eyeballs can't move because the tears have frozen, you can't breath through your mouth because your lips have frozen together, now THAT'S cold!
It's too early in the season for the ice fishermen to be out there.
It takes a few nights below zero for the ice to be hard enough for them to pull their little huts out onto the river ice with their snowmobiles.
They once used jeeps, the small WWII type of jeep not the monsterous SUV jeeps of today. I suppose before that horses were used. That would be long before my time.
There is snow predicted for the drive back through Boston on Wednesday, but we'll have snow tires on the car. This will hopefully make the drive a tad easier,
Ah, Maine in Winter, what fun...
=30=
Sunday, December 26, 2004
No one should drive in this weather
Okay, that was too scary for words.
We drove north from Quincy after a family gathering,
through Boston on Rte. 1 and then onto 95 North.
The interstate had not been plowed or sanded. Our
packed minivan was going all over the road.
There was no place to get off the interstate where
we wouldn't end up on a sideless farm road, so
we braved the road until we got to middle
Newburyport.
By then, the nerves were shaken and the windshield wipers
frozen. We were able to pull over at a Mobil station.
There we shook off the nerves and the windshield wipers.
It wasn't that far to New Hampshire, where fellow motorists
met at the station, told us the roads were passable.
My kudos to the New Hampshire and the Maine road crews.
A Bronx Cheer to the Massachusetts crews. The roads sucked
to the point of being dangerous. I just hope they weren't all
nice and warm watching the Patriots trounce the Jets.
=30=
We drove north from Quincy after a family gathering,
through Boston on Rte. 1 and then onto 95 North.
The interstate had not been plowed or sanded. Our
packed minivan was going all over the road.
There was no place to get off the interstate where
we wouldn't end up on a sideless farm road, so
we braved the road until we got to middle
Newburyport.
By then, the nerves were shaken and the windshield wipers
frozen. We were able to pull over at a Mobil station.
There we shook off the nerves and the windshield wipers.
It wasn't that far to New Hampshire, where fellow motorists
met at the station, told us the roads were passable.
My kudos to the New Hampshire and the Maine road crews.
A Bronx Cheer to the Massachusetts crews. The roads sucked
to the point of being dangerous. I just hope they weren't all
nice and warm watching the Patriots trounce the Jets.
=30=
Saturday, December 25, 2004
How a blog works
It's been a long time since I last mentioned the website I can only call "neat."
The site is How Stuff Works. If you've ever had a question regarding the basic
inner workings of just about anything, this is a good site to visit.
My favorite entry so far, and I know this will be a surprise to you, is the one
entitled How Blogs Work
It doesn't go into great detail but just enough to let you know what it is we're
dealing with here. It also talks you through signing up for a blogger.com
weblog, such as this one. The next section is a simplistic explanation of
the Blogophere. At least it tells you it exists and in very general terms
what it is from one point of view.
The entry on blogs mentions the Forbes Best Blogs page. That's worth a visit
as well, if you have an hour or so to kill and a good understanding on
how to load bookmarks in your browser.
I hope your holiday is going well.
=30=
The site is How Stuff Works. If you've ever had a question regarding the basic
inner workings of just about anything, this is a good site to visit.
My favorite entry so far, and I know this will be a surprise to you, is the one
entitled How Blogs Work
It doesn't go into great detail but just enough to let you know what it is we're
dealing with here. It also talks you through signing up for a blogger.com
weblog, such as this one. The next section is a simplistic explanation of
the Blogophere. At least it tells you it exists and in very general terms
what it is from one point of view.
The entry on blogs mentions the Forbes Best Blogs page. That's worth a visit
as well, if you have an hour or so to kill and a good understanding on
how to load bookmarks in your browser.
I hope your holiday is going well.
=30=
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
If Christmas is the holiday your people use
to celebrate the rebirth of the sun,
now that days are getting longer,
I wish you the merriest of times.
=30=
to celebrate the rebirth of the sun,
now that days are getting longer,
I wish you the merriest of times.
=30=
Friday, December 24, 2004
GMail invitations.
I remember scrounging around for my GMail invitation not so long ago.
Now I have five of them just sitting there with no one asking for them. If
you would like one, just leave a comment to this blog and I would be glad to
send one to you.
=30=
Now I have five of them just sitting there with no one asking for them. If
you would like one, just leave a comment to this blog and I would be glad to
send one to you.
=30=
w::bloggar is sending up duplicates
w::bloggar, the blog interface I use to upload messages directly from my desktop to Blogger has take on a new feature.
In the previous version, when you backloaded a previously published blog for editing, and you republished it, it replaced the edited version.
In this version of w::bloggar, 4.00.181, to place the corrected blog back in its prior location, you click on the "Post" icon and not the "Post & Publish."
When I reviewed the blog this morning and found similar duplications to the one found on Leo Laporte's blog, I was able to delete them using the online Blogger interface. Good thing it was there; it makes maintaining the blog so easy.
In the previous version, when you backloaded a previously published blog for editing, and you republished it, it replaced the edited version.
In this version of w::bloggar, 4.00.181, to place the corrected blog back in its prior location, you click on the "Post" icon and not the "Post & Publish."
When I reviewed the blog this morning and found similar duplications to the one found on Leo Laporte's blog, I was able to delete them using the online Blogger interface. Good thing it was there; it makes maintaining the blog so easy.
| =30= |
This site is copyrighted by JDK Communication
Though all I write is owned by JDK Communications, I found the
Creative Commons Licence displayed below to be of some interest.
There were no sites listed in the United States, but the link was
facinating.
=30=
Creative Commons Licence displayed below to be of some interest.
There were no sites listed in the United States, but the link was
facinating.
=30=
Tomorrow and the day after is for Family...
I spent a good deal of time on the home laptop today.
For the next two days, I will come in here sparingly.
Happy Holidays!!
=30=
For the next two days, I will come in here sparingly.
Happy Holidays!!
=30=
I jumped ship, but the siren calls
The kick is now Opera is releasing a beta version to be called Opera 8.
The amount of information I have put into that program is personally staggering. It has a Palm interface, but I don't think I want half of what I have in Time and Chaos to fill all the memory. This also gives me a chance to keep work somewhat at work and my personal information seperate. The Palm is the bridge. I don't know how I lived before it existed.
|
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Ever the one to try something new, I took advantage of TypePad's free 30 day offer to try their on-line interface for blog creation. It was interesting, had some nice features, but was no more interesting than, say boog-city or the venerable blogger.com.
Here are snap shots of the two pages I created there. The offer expires today, and I don't plan to continue with the paid service.
=30=
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Monday, December 20, 2004
Weather Report
Though I know of none, I am sure there is a superstition somehwere
about it snowing on the first day of Winter. It probably has something
to do with locust, China and the grand state of Utah, home of our
Governor's family.
You may be surprised to find me making an entry early on a Monday
morning. Be not so startled. I am teaching a class this evening at
1800. Ergo, I don't need to be in the office before 1400.
I took Friday off and here it is Monday and I am still not at work.
It kinda, sorta, almost feels like a four day weekend. I am sure
it won't feel that way when, tomorrow morning, I have to get up
at five to make it into work on time.
The good news there is there will be only one more day after that
before I go on vacation.
Real Vacation, with a capital V. Then I don't return to work until
the first Monday of the New Year. That is assuming the job is
still there.
Not too , supersticios am I?
=30=
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Aimie's Mother and Aunts
The older photograph is of Aime's mother and aunts. If the
second photo posted along with the first it is of Amie's two
black full sized black poodles.
The brown one was sitting next to me on the back porch.
=30=
The entry below this one was the Flickr Zeitgeist
One day, if I think there are enough interesting photos to upload to Flickr, I may install the Zeitgeist into the upper right hand corner of this blog. For now, I think I will experiment a little more with the beta version of the service.
The price for the pro version, almost $50.00 is a tad steep for one who would give it frivolous use. That and the Hello! part of Picasa offers so much more as to the management of the photos themselves. Combined, and if the upload by email feature ever works, perhaps then I would consider subscribing.
=30=
The price for the pro version, almost $50.00 is a tad steep for one who would give it frivolous use. That and the Hello! part of Picasa offers so much more as to the management of the photos themselves. Combined, and if the upload by email feature ever works, perhaps then I would consider subscribing.
=30=
A washed photo of The Monument
This is a test of the Flickr online photo log's ability to upload photos to my blog.
In case you were wondering with what camera I am taking the previously posted photos,
It is the Olympus Stylus 410 4MP Digital Camera . It replaced my Olympus film camera that
went with me to Africa, stayed behind and came home a week or two later intact.
It's a ridiculously easy camera to use. Combine it with the SanDisk SecureMate USB Card Reader
to my laptop, and you're off and running.
The Camera does come with a cable that attaches directly to the
laptop, but I found the downloading of pictures drains the battery quickly.
There is nothing worse, photographically, than running out with a dead battery. It's very
frustrating to have the digital advantage of 372 shots but not the power to take them. I am
considering getting the solar powered back pack I saw in a recent Engadget entry.
Whether that's before or after I get the
I don't know.=30=
The orange cat below has a name.
His name is Mowgli, after the boy in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books
He is originally from Florida. He came to our house because of a child's
allergy in his first home. Unlike our other cat, Beamer, Mowgli is pure
house cat. Beamer is more the outdoors type. Moge, as we call him has
the pure New Yorker's attitude of the great outdoors being the space between
the end of the awning and the taxi.
=30=
He is originally from Florida. He came to our house because of a child's
allergy in his first home. Unlike our other cat, Beamer, Mowgli is pure
house cat. Beamer is more the outdoors type. Moge, as we call him has
the pure New Yorker's attitude of the great outdoors being the space between
the end of the awning and the taxi.
=30=
This man was one of my childhood heroes. Here he is demonstrating how a certain gesture can be modified by leaving the fingers open. My favorite quote from him has to the with the expulsion of fire rectally to save matches. He's a wonder of wonders to know. Do you know who he is? Think Paul O'Dwyer and Sarah Kovner....
I like to think of this blog as the diary of person into not just the blogging itsef, but the method and use of the blogging software and associated paraphenalia. An example of this is the Picasa and its related Hello! plug in for sending photos to Blogger. The photo above is a screen capture shot of sharing photo session using Picasa.
Picasa
Download it for free here! This is an amazing bit of software free from Google.
They must be making money on it somewhere, but so far it hasn't come directly
out of my pocket.
Picasa's first use for me is to easily upload photos to the Blogger Account. This
is a Blogger Account.
The second use, one for which I thought I had little use until friends and family
picked up on it, is the instant sharing of pictures.
Simply said: I like it.
=30=
They must be making money on it somewhere, but so far it hasn't come directly
out of my pocket.
Picasa's first use for me is to easily upload photos to the Blogger Account. This
is a Blogger Account.
The second use, one for which I thought I had little use until friends and family
picked up on it, is the instant sharing of pictures.
Simply said: I like it.
=30=
Have I mentioned the jury notice?
In Massachusetts, all able body adults are required to report for jury duty
every three years. When they say "all," they are not kidding.
This includes others who are automatically excluded in other states, lawyers,
judges, politicians, police, Indian chiefs and candlestick makers.
The jury notice sitting on my desk tells me I am to report to a certain court
at a certain time and that there is no choice.
The good part is the one trial-one day rule. You report for one day. If you are
not selected for a trial, you are forgiven for the next three years. If you are
chosen for a trial, and the trial goes one day, again, you are forgiven for three
years.
However, if you are chosen for a trial and the trial goes on for weeks and weeks,
you must stay for the entire trial. It's a crap shoot.
Life's pretty much a crap shoot as well. It should apply to our trial system.
Such is Justice in New England.
=30=
every three years. When they say "all," they are not kidding.
This includes others who are automatically excluded in other states, lawyers,
judges, politicians, police, Indian chiefs and candlestick makers.
The jury notice sitting on my desk tells me I am to report to a certain court
at a certain time and that there is no choice.
The good part is the one trial-one day rule. You report for one day. If you are
not selected for a trial, you are forgiven for the next three years. If you are
chosen for a trial, and the trial goes one day, again, you are forgiven for three
years.
However, if you are chosen for a trial and the trial goes on for weeks and weeks,
you must stay for the entire trial. It's a crap shoot.
Life's pretty much a crap shoot as well. It should apply to our trial system.
Such is Justice in New England.
=30=
Saturday, December 18, 2004
The first blog every I read...
...was the one put up by Neil Gaiman.
I picked up a copy of his Neverwhere and fell totally in love with his writing style.
Much like my experience with Gurdjieff, I wondered if he had written anything else.
When I googled him, it somewhat amazed me that there was already a small
cult following. Every time I think I've found something new and cool,
it always happens that a million people have beat me to it.
This started as a comment on Neil Gaiman's blog and turned into a walk down memory lane.
The point I intended to make is that producing a blog similar in intensity to Neil Gaiman's
has been my goal. There were two or three paragraphs of excuses running through my head
which almost were written, but all of them boil down to lack of commitment to the trade.
There is SO much writing in so many forms these days, that to be a Writer is no longer clearly defined,
but seems to be a needed profession in much the same way the farmer or hunter was not that long ago.
With my over a half of century of experiences behind me, the noble thing to do would be to write about
the more interesting parts, meaning the parts that happened in the first 32 years, before I was put on hold
by a date with the front of a truck.
Before that date, I wrote poetry, sculpted and went to every museum and library within fiscal reach.
After the date, I found solace in just waking up alive every day.
The desire for adventure of any sort was almost cut out of me.
Near Death for the fifth or sixth time should be a lesson to the smartest of the few
who make it past the last time. For me the fear of being timid far exceeds the fear
of dying. Make sense out of that and I will spend time on your couch saying confession.
Enough baring of the soul.
=30=
I picked up a copy of his Neverwhere and fell totally in love with his writing style.Much like my experience with Gurdjieff, I wondered if he had written anything else.
When I googled him, it somewhat amazed me that there was already a small
cult following. Every time I think I've found something new and cool,
it always happens that a million people have beat me to it.
This started as a comment on Neil Gaiman's blog and turned into a walk down memory lane.
The point I intended to make is that producing a blog similar in intensity to Neil Gaiman's
has been my goal. There were two or three paragraphs of excuses running through my head
which almost were written, but all of them boil down to lack of commitment to the trade.
There is SO much writing in so many forms these days, that to be a Writer is no longer clearly defined,
but seems to be a needed profession in much the same way the farmer or hunter was not that long ago.
With my over a half of century of experiences behind me, the noble thing to do would be to write about
the more interesting parts, meaning the parts that happened in the first 32 years, before I was put on hold
by a date with the front of a truck.
Before that date, I wrote poetry, sculpted and went to every museum and library within fiscal reach.
After the date, I found solace in just waking up alive every day.
The desire for adventure of any sort was almost cut out of me.
Near Death for the fifth or sixth time should be a lesson to the smartest of the few
who make it past the last time. For me the fear of being timid far exceeds the fear
of dying. Make sense out of that and I will spend time on your couch saying confession.
Enough baring of the soul.
=30=
Though I am very tired, I had to finish...
... installing the Openoffice.
I was told it's HTML editor was a great place to writer a blog before
transferring it to w::bloggar.com
or Thingamablog.
So far it seems to be working out for the
best. We'll see how true this
is when we save it in HTML form
and see if it translates at all to the blog
=30=
Friday, December 17, 2004
Live Radio Net
Of all the radio guides I've seen on the Internet, the link above
will take you to the best I've found yet.
=30=
A witticism
A witticism spontaniously erupted from my boss during a
budget discussion. He said, "...we have to learn how to polish
the apple without paying for the cloth."
Having read many books containing endless bon mots and
have never heard that phrase used before. Kudos to the boss.
=30=
budget discussion. He said, "...we have to learn how to polish
the apple without paying for the cloth."
Having read many books containing endless bon mots and
have never heard that phrase used before. Kudos to the boss.
=30=
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Amy's New York Notebook
Amy's New York Notebook is worth a visit
for anyone who has ever lived in New York.
Reading this blog is like having an old neighbor stop
at your house on the way somewhere else just to have
a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze about
what's happening in your old neighborhood.
=30=
for anyone who has ever lived in New York.
Reading this blog is like having an old neighbor stop
at your house on the way somewhere else just to have
a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze about
what's happening in your old neighborhood.
=30=
Amy's New York Notebook
Amy's New York Notebook is worth a visit
for anyone who has ever lived in New York.
Reading this blog is like having an old neighbor stop
at your house on the way somewhere else just to have
a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze about
what's happening in your old neighborhood.
=30=
for anyone who has ever lived in New York.
Reading this blog is like having an old neighbor stop
at your house on the way somewhere else just to have
a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze about
what's happening in your old neighborhood.
=30=
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Everyday Matters.
Now that Boogie Street is on hiatus, I have added another artist's blog to my list of To Read blogs.
Its called Everyday Matters.
I hope you all go there for a visit and enjoy this wide open free spirited artist as he shares
his work with the world.
I wont make the mistake again of reproducing the work here.
You'll just have to go over the Everyday Matters and see for your self.
=30=
Citizen Reporters
MSNBC news is taking advantage of the blogging faze to sign up Citizen Reporters.
It appears to be little more than an extended letters to the editor section.
It does bear reading, if for no reason than to gauge what the people believe to be important news.
When I say the people this mean those people who have the ways and means of getting online to express their opinion of what qualifies as news. This makes them no different than most bloggers, but does give them the legitimacy of coming from a recognized news agency.
=30=
It appears to be little more than an extended letters to the editor section.
It does bear reading, if for no reason than to gauge what the people believe to be important news.
When I say the people this mean those people who have the ways and means of getting online to express their opinion of what qualifies as news. This makes them no different than most bloggers, but does give them the legitimacy of coming from a recognized news agency.
=30=
Chocolate getting a bum rap agian?
Just when I thought chocolate was really the miracle food I always thought it should be, ABC News, in an article, goes on to tell me it may not be.
In the tradition of news of late, it continues to say it just might be.
A Dr. Katz is quoted as saying: "It's probably the richest source of flavanoids in our diet," Of course this is assuming that the scientific announcement that a flavanoid is good for your. To me it sounds like a body part that should be removed if it becomes swollen.
The conclusion of the article states it is, in moderation, an indulgence that may have health benefits. Sounds like a resounding endorsement to me.
=30=
In the tradition of news of late, it continues to say it just might be.
A Dr. Katz is quoted as saying: "It's probably the richest source of flavanoids in our diet," Of course this is assuming that the scientific announcement that a flavanoid is good for your. To me it sounds like a body part that should be removed if it becomes swollen.
The conclusion of the article states it is, in moderation, an indulgence that may have health benefits. Sounds like a resounding endorsement to me.
=30=
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Monday, December 06, 2004
Sunday, December 05, 2004
A bright and sunny Sunday
With the cat on the roof, not hot, not tin
but tile and very cold, I sit and muse.
Musing can be a very dangerous thing.
It means there is nothing of any great worth
to do, or ponder, or regret.
Musing, I believe is more of an Europian
practice. With musing they came up with
things like World Wars I and II.
Then there's Communism, The Catholic
Church and all of its puppies. Most of
these things were the result of having
enough free time on your hands to muse.
You can argue that the Christian faith
started in the Middle East. True enough.
It wasn't until it got to Rome on the back
Paul, as in "blinded by the light" Paul, and
was picked up as hobby by the emperor
Constantine, that it took off.
It took off, the books tell us, because
Constantine was looking up towards the
sky, as in musing, and saw a cross form
in the clouds. What would the world be
like today if he saw a clown or a duckie?
Yes, this musing can be a very dangerous thing.
=30=
but tile and very cold, I sit and muse.
Musing can be a very dangerous thing.
It means there is nothing of any great worth
to do, or ponder, or regret.
Musing, I believe is more of an Europian
practice. With musing they came up with
things like World Wars I and II.
Then there's Communism, The Catholic
Church and all of its puppies. Most of
these things were the result of having
enough free time on your hands to muse.
You can argue that the Christian faith
started in the Middle East. True enough.
It wasn't until it got to Rome on the back
Paul, as in "blinded by the light" Paul, and
was picked up as hobby by the emperor
Constantine, that it took off.
It took off, the books tell us, because
Constantine was looking up towards the
sky, as in musing, and saw a cross form
in the clouds. What would the world be
like today if he saw a clown or a duckie?
Yes, this musing can be a very dangerous thing.
=30=
Watch out Blogger!
There is a new blog host in town.
It's called MSN Space and it wants us all to leave this
Google based Blogger and run right over to a new
attempt by Microsoft to own the world of computing.
Did I succumb?
Of course I did. I created a blog there called, of course,
Random Space.
=30=
It's called MSN Space and it wants us all to leave this
Google based Blogger and run right over to a new
attempt by Microsoft to own the world of computing.
Did I succumb?
Of course I did. I created a blog there called, of course,
Random Space.
=30=
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Stretching the limit
When we look for new ways to make a blog entry stand out,
using this drop-cap method is one of them.
Though, as a child the drop cap did confuse me into thinking
all of the words to the right of it began with that letter.
It was used in earlier manuscripts as an illustrative tool.
I think it's much sublter than constantly using the thumbnail
photo method. After a while, too many photos on a page can be
distracting and take away from the topic on hand.
If you have any questions as to how this is done, merely look to the
source of this blog. It will have the coding in it. Look for coding
that begins with "float" and ends with "2px;"
=30=
Friday, December 03, 2004
What does a Saturday off feel like?
I'll let you know.
It has been a month and one half since I have had a Saturday fully off.
I have either worked, attended a work related class or was "on call" every
Saturday since the beginning of October.
I think, if I can, I will sleep past seven a.m. this coming morning.
What a luxury!
=30=
It has been a month and one half since I have had a Saturday fully off.
I have either worked, attended a work related class or was "on call" every
Saturday since the beginning of October.
I think, if I can, I will sleep past seven a.m. this coming morning.
What a luxury!
=30=
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