a different take on Blagojevich from Whiskey Fire

Hold onto your hat:

http://tinyurl.com/a4uwg4

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worried about "losing your mind" as you get older?

try:  Brain Health: How To Boost Your Brain Power

http://www.aarp.org/health/healthyliving/brain_health/

   they say:

Build your brain power with these eight newly unveiled, and free, brain games:

• The Right Word (Language)
• Split Words (Language)
• The Squeaking Mouse (Memory)
• Secret Files (Attention)
• Decipher (Executive Functions)
• Word Bubbles (Language)
• Speed Match (Processing Speed)
• Moneycomb (Memory)

I tried one of these games and it's pretty good.  At the beginning they set the difficulty based on your age & education.

You need to turn off flash blockers for aarp.org,  if you're the kind of person who uses them (like me for example).

   jeff

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Hippie Christmas to you all!

go listen...

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=102884#

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live TV on your desktop ... free Livestation player Win/Mac/Linux

http://www.livestation.com/

A free desktop application in beta,  not a browser extension.

So far... it works great on Mac.  To find what you really want you'll probably want to use the search function.  That's how I found the CNN I remember from the days of yore.

  jeff

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The Christmas Resistance Movement!

Due to the fact that I follow bohemian artists & musicians online, I found this:

http://www.xmasresistance.org/

A stop consumerism site.  Some of us of course are stopping consumerism thanks to the financial meltdown.

Found them through myspace via evolution-control.com

       Jeff


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Oprah's Favorite Things for a Thrifty Holiday

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081118_tows_holiday/1

Found this by browsing one of my favorite free music sites (http://oddiooverplay.blogspot.com)

  jeff

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Near East :: cookingconcepts

http://neareast.com/#cookingconcepts/stockingyourkitchen

It occurred to me that we could make our own Whole grain blend like the pecan & garlic blend I got from the Kroger closeout bins.

So I went to look at the website listed on the box.

Also http://barryfarm.com/our_store.htm is where I've bought all kinds of stuff... they have excellent pricesl

   jeff

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PRACTIQUEMOS [FREE] software to learn and practice Spanish

http://www.practiquemos.com/english.html

Windows & Mac versions

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YouTube - Bush Confesses: Not a Literalist, Accepts Evolution

In case you don't mind wasting another 2 minutes on GWB2,  this is your chance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePL12hOiDbw

It's true by the way... he really did say he's not a literalist.  Also he said he's "a simple president".

The author of the video has fun with it.

    Jeff

p.s.

   There's also a song by Bob Dylan in there which I had not heard!  I think.  Memory's going :-(


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Illinois Governor Taken Into Federal Custody For Abusing His Authority To Appoint Obama Successor

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/09/blagojevich-arrested/

additional detail:  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16348.html

  jeff

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what it was like & what is a narrative: OP-ED December 6, 2008 « Bill Ayers

http://billayers.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/op-ed-december-6-2008/

1. what it was like in the 60's.  I spent some time wandering around in the Hyde Park area (and Roger's Park).  I wouldn't be surprised if my path crossed with Bill Ayers at one time or another.  Hey Hey LBJ!

2. Narrative:  that's what happens nowadays... create a story true or untrue doesn't matter.... spread it around enough and people believe it. "Tell a big enough lie often enough and people will believe it" (paraphrasing A. Hitler, there, I believe).  Also "Last Liar Laughs Longest" (a folk saying):  people have short attention span so the big liars always want to get the last word (a.k.a. "lie") in.   But it didn't work on Obama.  It will be so cool if Caroline Kennedy gets the New York senate seat.
   Narrative: string a bunch of stuff together & make a story out of it.  Or... stringing it together MAKES a story out of it. etc. 

  jeff

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Boxee gets Netflix. [ and other services ]

http://www.9to5mac.com/boxee-netflix

Boxee works great.  I don't know if they are handing out licenses now... so if you may have to "sign up" to get Boxee... it took me about a week.

They are at the "alpha" stage,  but the latest alpha is useable, although the Netflix doesn't really work on the Mac yet... it's there,  but the watch-it-now list never fills out.

Hulu is fabulous.  They have nailed that.

All in all Boxee is a good way to watch tv.

  Jeff

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jeff says try Magic/Replace - FREE Spreadsheet Data Cleanup for Everyone from Dabble DB

http://cleanupdata.com/

this has got to be useful.  Many times I have had need of it.  Of course, not today :-(

  jeff



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the largest bank failure in U.S. history

The CNN Wire: Latest updates on top stories Blog Archive - 9,200 Washington Mutual jobs cut « - Blogs from CNN.com

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/01/9200-washington-mutual-jobs-cut/

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Economy Train Wreck: End of the beginning? via Crooked Timber

The beginning meaning when things BEGIN to get bad.  When the beginning is done these folks say it's going to get really bad...

http://crookedtimber.org/2008/11/21/end-of-the-beginning/

quote:

Citi is not only too big to fail, it's too big to rescue with any of the half-measures that have been tried so far. Only outright nationalization is feasible, and that will probably require joint action by a number of governments; Citigroup's global operations are too big for the US to handle alone. After that, the kinds of tinkering discussed at the G20 last week will be irrelevant. It's now unsurprising to read (on CNBC!) predictions that all US financial institutions will be nationalized within a year. That's probably an overstatement: as long as the economy doesn't really crash, there are plenty of small banks and credit unions that will survive, but few of the big names will be among them.

Not only major institutions but whole national economies are up for grabs now.

end quote.



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Greatest Cat Toy Ever! Plus: it does housework for you!

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/20/caption-contest-cat-drives-roomba-is-not-so-impressed-actua/

Genuinely worth watching if you like cats and/or you are a lazy bum like me!

Our beloved kitty Shadow always did her best to clean up our place,  but she didn't have the tools so she gave me very strong and repeated messages. If only she'd had one of these things.

R.I.P.  Shadow.

      Jeff

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Google Flu Trends

http://www.google.org/flutrends/

An interesting use of computer technology.  It's being hammered right now since it was announced on the evening news.  There is no county by county stats but what is there is worthy.

       Jeff

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Barrack Obama on the subject of Pie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU9qTzhQk3U in which Mr. Obama details about a dozen kinds of pie.  There's also a pretty good Republican story in there as well.

Dave Winer says if Obama wins,  celebrate by eating some pie.

Mr. Winer also says all diets are suspended for the evening.  I imagine if he says it, it must be so.

I'm thinking pumpkin.

   Jeff


My Online viewing: at http://nocomputers.blogspot.com

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Handgun at Judy's Online Genealogy & Writing Store

http://tinyurl.com/5t2po8

The fun thing about this is... look closely at the old photo of Doris Wade sitting on the porch... you'll see that's a HANDGUN on the bench beside her!

That means you didn't sneak up on Dori Wade.  She probably sat there and did target practice.

"Those Were The Days"   Or not.

Hah.

Jeff

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Cat Being Namer

http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=catbeingnamer

"Creates names with a feline feel"

also fun is all the stuff at http://www.chaoticshiny.com  ... chaoticS is a little better quality than what you get at seventhsanctum,  but slightly more gaming oriented.

p.s.

 I am working on my http://www.nanowrimo.com stuff,  like you couldn't tell ;-)

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Great picture of Barack & Family

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/images/callie/20.jpg

the whole series is somewhere around http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/callie-bp.html

I am looking forward to Michell Obama as first lady!





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online layaway programs

Online layaway programs made the evening news.

         Google Search: http://tinyurl.com/698m6q

There's a link there that says this is a good way to save money & avoid debt.  I think they have a little way to go... they could have accounts that just accept payments & when you reach a figure the get you what you want... like through buy.com or something... so the place offering the "layaway" would make money via earning interest off your money.  Of course LOGIC says one should just put the $$ into your OWN account somewhere,  but sadly us humans tend to lack in the logic area.

         Jeff

YouTube adds select TV shows from CBS; takes aim at Hulu

from last100 (DTV news):

http://www.last100.com/2008/10/10/youtube-adds-select-tv-shows-from-cbs-takes-aim-at-hulu-for-long-form-video-content/

I'm hoping for more vendors of full tv shows online to dump the Windows Only playback.

  jeff

Homer Simpson votes for Obama (Scripting News)

http://www.scripting.com/stories/2008/10/01/homerSimpsonVotesForObama.html

a video.

CBS: Palin can't name one single newspaper or magazine that she has EVER read in her life

Americablog gives an interesting perspective to Couric's interview of Palin:

http://www.americablog.com/2008/09/cbs-palin-cant-name-one-single.html

Apparently someone told Palin she should never answer any question.

I saw this interview on the evening news,  the more I thought about it the more bizarre it seemed.

I think Ms. Palin has some charisma, though;  I'm not sure that is a good thing because it can fool people into thinking there is actual fire there instead of just smoke.  Here is how I can tell that:  If you watch an interview with her she seems reasonable,  but when you read a transcript or listen to the same interview without the visual it becomes apparent that she spews a jumble of words that don't make any sense;  so her appeance and mannerisms tie things together (the smoke) when there is no actual content (no fire).

Sarah Teen USA Palin (Scripting News)

http://www.scripting.com/stories/2008/09/25/sarahTeenUsaPalin.html#disqus_thread

Ok,  now that's sad.

Unfair to everyone,  but still real in a Very Scary way.

  jeff

David Letterman on McCain's Suspension Campaign.

mentioned on the 'net....

"You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

And now for some comic relief: Won’t Get Fooled Again

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/09/wont_get_fooled_again.php

Bail Out Comedy!

Really!

Go Read.  Including the comments.

Hey Washington, can you buy my bad investments too?

http://www.buymyshitpile.com/

Have you bought stuff that you'd like to sell but no one will buy?

Stuff that won't even sell on eBay,  but you KNOW is way valuable??

Or maybe a loan for a car that turns out to be crap and you can't afford lawsuits over?

Well those things are very much like the houses bought by sub-prime no money down loans given to people who were suckered in.

So http://buymyshitpile.com is building a SHITPILE for all your crap,  and you're invited to add yours to it!  They are up to almost 8 BILLION dollars so far... that's nothing compared to the money they want to shovel at banks,  so why not join the line for handouts?

To quote the SHITPILE site:

With our economy in crisis, the US Government is scrambling to rescue our banks by purchasing their "distressed assets", i.e., assets that no one else wants to buy from them. We figured that instead of protesting this plan, we'd give regular Americans the same opportunity to sell their bad assets to the government. We need your help and you need the Government's help!

    

Works for me

        - Jeff -

In this week of turmoil, consider the Enabling Act of 1933

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933

I saw a comment on Scripting News wondering if the bail out bill was an "Enablement Act".  Took me a while to find out what that referred to.  Basically it was an act in 1933 of the German Government which enabled Hitler to take complete control of the German Republic.

So the fear/pondering about our present time is if the current bail out legislation combined with the 9-11 legislation could be an enabling act for some current politician to take dictatorial powers.

You know, like declare a national emergency and suspend elections.  Or something like that.

This is why I'm seriously hoping that our congress people go slow on writing the blank checks.

     - Jeff -

The Big Picture | How SEC Regulatory Exemptions Helped Lead to Collapse

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/09/regulatory-exem.html

hmmm...  that clarifies a few things.

It's crazy that the five big culprits they point at are the very three that have gone kablooie and the next two are teetering.

China threatens 'nuclear option' of dollar sales

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/08/07/bcnchina107a.xml

read about relation to the US pres campaigns.

    jeff

and Pontius Pilate was a Governor

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html#comment-564546

Jesus was a community organizer

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html#comment-564546

What a Community Organizer Does

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/what_a_community_organizer_doe.html

It was a "faith-based" organization.

  Jeff

convention C-SPAN Live Stream - C-SPAN

http://cspan.org/Watch/C-SPAN_rm.aspx

tonight at 5pm ET,  that would be 4pm CDT.

For Mac users... I couldn't get Flip4Mac to work... installed Real Player 11... installed it, chose Real Media stream & it works nicely.

Upcoming game for Wii & Wii Fit

http://picasaweb.google.com/balanceboardblog/RabbidsGC08

Slide show: http://picasaweb.google.com/balanceboardblog/RabbidsGC08/photo#s5237131486357983826

I love these Rabbits.

    Jeff

new experience... Zumba

http://www.google.com/search?q=Zumba

Did this today at nearby fitness center.  It was very good. Lots of music I was semi-familiar with.

I found myself being comfortably achy tonight.  Pretty sure I'll be going back.

from the wikipedia article:

Zumba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Zumba is a fitness program inspired by Latin dance. It was founded by Miami-based dancer and choreographer Alberto 'Beto' Perez, who teamed up with two local entrepreneurs: Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion. Zumba combines Latin rhythms with cardiovascular exercise to create an aerobic routine that is fun and easy to follow. The name Zumba is derived from a Colombian word meaning to move fast and have fun. Zumba sells DVDs/videos through its website and via infomercials. More than 3 million DVDs have been sold in over 30 countries. Zumba currently has over 9,000 instructors worldwide. On October 15, 2007 Zumba was showcased on the Today Show.

"We utilize the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning. It's a way of mixing body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps," says creator Beto Perez. "It's fun and addictive." "It's wonderful to see so many people having fun while getting fit," says Perez. "I think the terrific Latin rhythms in the program have taken the 'work' out of "working out." ^[1]

Hulu - The Process: The Simpsons

http://www.hulu.com/watch/31515/the-simpsons-the-process

The Process

The Simpsons

Excerpt |00:50 |

Chief Wiggum tells Marge how they will discover if she is or is not a witch.

This is worth signing up for HULU for.  Hulu is a combined presentation from NBC & FOX.  So what you'll find there are lots of interesting CLIPS, ads, and offers for you to buy DVD's.

Cringely Analyzes Squirrel Behvior

For the squirrel lovers I know:

       http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2008/pulpit_20080711_005222.html

This starts with a really interesting analysis of why squirrels behave in some of their squirrelly ways.

Then there is a big big chunk of computer "stuff" which should just be ignored, then the next to last paragraph mentions the squirrel again.

I had never thought of squirrels in this way.  Quite entertaining.

Powerful Wind! | WEEK News 25 | YouNewsTV Near Morton Illinois

http://www.week.com/younews/19959539.html?img=1&mg=t

Somewhere WEEK has a video of this... this may be a still from said vid.

We drive past this corner all the time.  It's not actually a barn... it's a storage shed for an FS (Farm Services) fuel station.  Lucky there wasn't a tank there at the time,  or as Judy said... maybe there was!  This was last Tuesday (?) mid afternoon.

'Bridge To 21st Century' Crap Forgotten | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Channelling Bill Clinton...

At The Onion..

> 'Bridge To 21st Century' Crap Forgotten | The Onion - America's
> Finest News Source
> http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29957

Oh Wait!... he's not dead yet.... Well it looks like channelling to
me. I know when I have my spriti guides look around the Etherial
Plane for me that this is what they are reporting... and there it is
on The Onion!

Jeff

Al Franken wins endorsement for Senate in Minnesota

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MINNESOTA_SENATE_FRANKEN?

SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Something fun in the political "arena".

me in Korean... MagicDrum 的音乐专页 – 用户 - Last.fm

http://cn.last.fm/user/MagicDrum/

I've been listening to a lot of dance & unusual music from http://
icompositions.com ... saw an author referenced several times....
googled the name and found two hits... both to me of all things.
One in Korean and the other in Croatian or something. Both copies
of my english version of my last fm log.

Not sure why it didn't land my last.fm anywhere else.

And not sure why it didn't get icompositions in the first place...
thinking maybe icompositions requires one to join before viewing.

At least I've been getting a lot of interesting dance music not found
elsewhere.

Enjoy the heat.

Jeff

Bruce Duncan Phillips, 73, Folk Singer - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/arts/music/27phillips.html?

_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

I was at several of Utah Phillip's shows. He was a great entertainer.

Jeff

exploring the Virtual Grocery Store - American Diabetes Association

http://vgs.diabetes.org/homepage.jsp

Today I'm looking the the American Diabetes Association's Virtual Grocery Store.  It's not a heavy duty grocery shopping center but a really good idea for guiding purchases for healthy eating.

Initial reaction to the Wii Fit

My initial reaction to the Wii Fit is that it moves very slowly.  Doesn't motivate me to come back for more,  although there is a lot of potential there.

I found the Rayman Raving Rabbids more interesting ;)

HOWEVER,  I will persist because I think it will pick up.

There are aspects of the Fit which would be nice to customize.  For example there are places where a whistle is blown....  my wife says "Nobody blows a whistle at me"  & I concur.  Any kind of sound could be used...  the "listen-up coach whistle" is not necessary.

Where were You? Tube - John Lennon - Give peace a chance 1969

YouTube - John Lennon - Give peace a chance 1969:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDFFh8ZSqV0

Like a who's who.

That's Tommy Smothers in there!

I was such a teenage brat (well... POST teenage), I remember back
then when I first saw Yoko Ono I thought she was awful. Now I love her.

Things change. Like People.

Much love to everyone.

Jeff

Trust &Tribes: My Search for Community & Personal Empowerment on the Internet.

A lot happening,  coming together in the world right now.

I have always feared that Community & Personal Empowerment were mutually exclusive.

There's Obama and Hillary making Nice with each other... hope they keep it up.  As far as I'm concerned,  Obama gives me some hope for the future of the US of A.

Ramping up for the Wii Fit at home.

There were two recent articles online which set me off collecting this batch of info;

1. Rands in Repose: We Travel in Tribes
2. Sites that trust their users (Scripting News)

The first, Rands in Repose, led me to recall recent  & older experience with tribe.net.  Years ago when they first started I was very hopeful, but when I started at that time there were almost no tribes and certainly none of interest to an over educated farmboy like me.

Now however there is much more on tribe.net.  Not too much for blurry visioned old retirees like me, but there is SOME... and that's a big improvement.  Lots of stuff on cats.  So now it's workth looking at again.  That's been in the last 4 months or so & I was therefore greatly interested in the Rands article.  One of many great quotes from Rands:

The value lies in the network of people and how they illuminate the things I don't know.

That's after he's been talking about Twitter & how he came to depend on it, even though it's crappy software.  I have found that I too am using twitter to follow, not really to post;  and that's how I've been following...

The second. Dave Winer on Scripting News, is about trusting your users by letting them keep their own data. Empowering people by letting them take control of things for themselves. To paraphrase:  "If you love them let them go".

The comments on Dave's article (yes I know these are posts,  but they're so intense I'd rather call them articles) led me to think about last.fm.  I too have found that I use last.fm because it integrates well into apps I use:  iTunes & songbird.

And music led me to my Ramping Up in anticipation of the Wii Fit.  The Wii Fit is a Mother's Day gift for my wife, Judy.  And I am way interested in it myself so we both will benefit.

We just got the Wii a couple weeks ago & curiously enough it has wifi built into it & it found  our Airport network automatically!  I never found anywhere in the advertising that wifi was built in!  The network is always there,  but if you want a web browser you have to buy it (for all of $5).  It's an adaptation of the Opera browser & works very well.

So I went on a quest to see if I could get my iTunes library to play through the Wii.  Short answer is "yes".  Long answer is "it's a battle". The upside is that there is a big Wii hacking community.

In looking for web-based music players for the Wii,  I found Orb and I found http://finetune.com.

Nothing specific to last.fm,  but I haven't given up on it (see google search below).

As for orb.com,  It would do the iTunes streaming,  but requires a Windows PC,  so count that out (We have them here, but I don't want to fool with THAT when macs are handy).

However,  finetune has a Wii player.  And much to my pleasure it allows you to build playlists to your own liking from the artists they have available, and they have a LOT.  Almost everything contemporary that I like.  What a surprise.  Actually anything that serves up a javascript based media player will work with the Wii,  but there are not a lot of them.

Also... not music, but.... there is me.dium (I keep thinking rhymes with Te.dium).   Another place where there is the idea of people experiencing the web in parallel and sharing.  But truly this tends to be a young person's thing... they're young and romance the idea and ignore the warts all over it.  I need to keep my energies focused in productive area and not go off on wild chases.

And here's a community idea:  http://carrotmob.org a way for people to bring positive change through collective action. I hope.  I can thank http://zefrank.com for that.

So there's still not my idea of community but the bits and pieces are coming about.

Next project is the HDTV & see what we can do with that.  I've been using Dave Winer's FlickrFan screen saver on my bigger mac & if that could be tied into twitter & the hdtv that would be great fun both locally at home and in whatever community may arise on the web.


ideas referenced:

digging for last.fm: http://www.google.com/search?q=playlists+on+last.fm

A not-random last.fm user: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum/

My music on the Wii:  http://www.finetune.com/listen/playlist/2220591

FlickrFan screen saver:  http:/flickrfan.org

The Carrot Mob for positive change: http://carrotmob.org

and of course....

1. Rands in Repose: We Travel in Tribes
2. Sites that trust their users (Scripting News)

The King Of The Faeries /dance mix/ by NineTeenSixtyEight | iCompositions - Music

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=86414

If I were creating Dance Music, that's what I'd aim for..

http://www.google.com/search?q=The+King+of+the+Faeries

from the google search:

> Digital Tradition Mirror
> King of the Faeries
>
> King of the Faeries
>
> Up the airy mountain, through the rushy glen
> We daren't go a-hunting for fear of little men.
> Wee folk, good folk, trooping all together
> Green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather.
>
> By the craggy hillside, through the mosses bare
> They've planted thorn trees for pleasure here and there.
> Is any man so daring as to dig them up in spite
> He'll find the sharpest thorns in his bed at night.
>
> High up on the hill top the old king sits
> He's now so old and grey he's nearly lost his wits
> He's rising with the music on the cold starry night
> To sup with the queen of the gay north light.
>
> Trad. Irish
> CH
>
> Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!

Everything you might want to know about the mystical side of trees...

is on this site: http://www.the-tree.org.uk/A/no_frames_map.htm

The individual articles also include detailed information about
cultivation and use of the trees.

While http://www.the-tree.org.uk/A/no_frames_map.htm is concentrated
on trees native to Great Britain, any tree lover will find the site
greatly entertaining!

Have fun...

Jeff

Should YOU join the Carrot Mob???

From Zefrank...

http://www.zefrank.com/zesblog/archives/2008/05/carrot_mob.html#more

and

http://www.carrotmob.org

A new concept in consumer action to make positive environmental change!

A clever idea.

I put myself on the list.

- Jeff -

make your own corn chips

http://www.google.com/search?q=make+your+own+corn+chips

Part of our ongoing effort to simplify our food life.

We have been making tortillas from scratch,  & true to what the glowing reports are,  they do taste better than what you buy in the supermarket.  I will say that so far they aren't as pretty,  but that's just a matter of practice.

Next thing, I want to try making our own tortilla chips and corn chips.

I'll report here when the chips are "ready".

Indiana women in Music: Hoosier Rag (1907)

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=87509

Hoosier Rag (1907)

by georgeptingley

There were around 900 published piano rags written by women in the early 1900's. Indiana was central to this activity with Julia Lee Niebergall being one of the most gifted writers. Additionally, it was widely known that she was one of the first women in Indianapolis to own and drive her own vehicle. Apparently, the right to play and compose ragtime as well as drive led finally to women's right to vote in 1920. Ms. Niebergall's charming piece, HOOSIER RAG (1907) is played here without embellishment, or as I like to think - without makeup. Look for more women's ragtime coming soon.

"Hoosier Rag" by Julia Lee Niebergall played by George Peter Tingley 

Re: Kim Komando Cool Site of the Day - Sunday, May 4, 2008

It seems like I found Kim Komando 20 years ago... one of the first
"cool" sites on the web.

I could never figure out if she was real or someone's clever
creation. Whatever, "she" is cool!

Jeff

re http://comando.com

Short History of the Ampersand

http://www.typography.com/ask/showBlog.php?blogID=98

This is great... the ampersand is really ancient, back to 79 A.D., possibly anyhow.

Leads to an explanation that "&c." for "etc." is a "Tironian note"... part of a Latin shorthand used for centuries.

...

Last 24 hours has been productive.

Eschaton sends me on a trip to Bizarro World!

Atrios takes me on a trip with his reference to George Clooney!

The Clooney article concludes with a comment explaining how the GOP is creating Bizaro World in Iraq.

Ok I thought I'd follow their link to Bizarro World since I've seen many references to it but never explored the concept...

Ok... it's a DC Comic thing.  Hmmmm.

It mentioned that Bizarro World's only sane inhabitant was the Bizarro Ambush Bug.

So the Wikipedia link to Ambush Bug takes me into the Metafiction world of Ambush Bug where he (?) mocks the whole DC Comics universe which starts with Superman and ends.... who knows where... Bizarro World?,  and in the process mocks the whole concepts of Comic Book.

That article ends with an exernal link to an article, Ambush Bug as Metafictional Hero.

The conclusion to that article (by "Dr Fury") is that

the idea of Ambush Bug as a metafictional avatar of the apocryphal, of the weirdness being squeezed out of the DCU in preparation for and in the aftermath of multiverse-smooshing Crisis on Infinite Earths became more and more a part of his character in various Superman-bedeviling appearances in Action Comics.

What a grand phrase.... "metafictional avatar of the apocryphal"! Surely this fits into the George W. GOP universe somewhere.

Then in the comments there's a link to info about Bruce Springsteen's Seeger tour and I went to look at that,  and then I decided to write this missive.

 

World Harvest Foods: Champaign and Urbana Illinois International, Gourmet, Ethnic Foods

http://www.worldharvestfoods.com/?page=aboutourstore

Great store... online orders too. This used to be "Hop N Shop" and
had a giant kangaroo on the front of the store! They have great
stuff.. fun things. Their about page is more informative than
linking directly to their "home" page (quotes because it's not really
a home page).

Cross posted to http://nocomputers.blogspot.com

Cooking... Savory Pankeggs (of Awesomeness)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hzdqLUJzhg

Thanks to zefrank... a you tube cooking experience!

Not what you would call healthy, but an interesting approach.

Latin is a Dead Language

Is that cryptic enough? Maybe some government agency will read this
and know what I'm talking about.

I'm really tired of it.

Why would I want to study Latin? At my age? How about Spanish? How
about Japanese? How about Chinese? (Ok, I know how tough Chinese
is, so I'll pass on that). Or even how about German?

A company I deal with changed their name to a Latin word. I don't
like it. It was good enough the way it was.

I'm tired of the Roman Empire. Maybe Jesus spoke Latin. Ha.

Love,
Me

Solfege - Ear Training in the Dance Lab

Ok ...this sort of breaks the no computers rule, but....

Solfege, an open source (musical) ear training program is now available for Mac OS X.

It took TWO FULL DAYS to install and compile all the stuff needed on my creaky old Blue & White Mac G3 I have in the Dance Lab,  That's 24 hours a day... running the compiler.

When I tried to run it,  I thought it wasn't going to work but after one patch it does!  The clue was to run the "man" command from the unix command line after the install,  and at the end of that was an explanation of what to do if it didn't work.  I did what it said, and it now works.

So now, hopefully, I can quit being a geek and start working on honing my skills.

But first must do taxes.  Ick.

   -  jeff -

Great Sound... Blues: Swiss Cheese Groove / Mikees Hammond Express

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=84471

I like it ... happy sound ... no tears.

jeff

The Truth About Trinity United Church of Christ

http://www.truthabouttrinity.blogspot.com/

and lots of videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TRINITYCHGO

zefrank.com: colorwar 2008

http://www.zefrank.com/zesblog/archives/2008/03/colorwar_2008.html

Ze Frank explores creating new games for the internet....

  jeff

Education: Cringely: War of the Worlds

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2008/pulpit_20080321_004574.html

Interesting article about technology and the future of education.

 jeff

Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo

http://ecologyactioncenter.org/islwe/

Environmentally sound living comes to the midlands.

a great guide to friends: A User’s Guide to Fabulous Friendships

http://zenhabits.net/2008/03/a-users-guide-to-fabulous-friendships/

for example...

In our teens and twenties, our friendships are everything. They define who we are, what we do and even what we buy. At the time, we assume it will always be this way. Then life races forward. Careers take off. People get married, have children. Others move away. We struggle to manage our time and responsibilities, and slowly our friends get pushed down the priority list.

This is not necessarily what we want. Few people would dispute the benefits of friendship. The problem seems to be how to fit our friends into an already overcrowded life. Friendship is like a marriage. It cannot be created once. It must be created over and over again. People and priorities change. What worked yesterday may not work today. We must nurture our friendships so they may flourish with us through our changing lives, and that's where this guide comes in.

Choose friends wisely. Focus your energy on people who make you feel good.
We all know the saying, "you can't choose your family". So, make sure you're smart and choose friends who are worthy of your valuable time and attention. It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you have ever made. No one has the time and energy for that. If you don't consciously choose which relationships to focus on, you'll spread yourself too thin and you'll have less to give to those who deserve it most.

that was on ZenHabits.net, a guest post from http://www.she-power.com

Truckers are puzzled by what happens to fuel spills along highways.

This is from a discussion I had two nights ago.

They were describing how they have again and again seen back hoes
digging up fuel spills along the road, loading the dirt into dump
trucks which promptly disappear. They are puzzled about why dirt
needs to be moved somewhere else. They said "what's the point of
just moving it from one place to another?"

I have ideas as to why which I kept to myself at the time because it
would have just started a pointless argument.

However... I'm going to do some internet research to the following
questions:

1. Why do they dig up the dirt.
2. Where do they take it.
3. Why is it important to do it.

So the next time I have a chance to discuss this with them I'll have
some solid knowledge of why and why.

- Jeff -

Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat? - TIME

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics

Short answer: Yes.

Researchers found:

When an animal eats a saccharin-flavored food with no calories, however — disrupting the sweetness and calorie link — the animal tends to eat more and gain more weight, the new study shows. The study was even able to document at the physiological level that animals given artificial sweeteners responded differently to their food than those eating high-calorie sweetened foods. The sugar-fed rats, for example, showed the expected uptick in core body temperature at mealtime, corresponding to their anticipation of a bolus of calories that they would need to start burning off — a sort of metabolic revving of the energy engines. The saccharin-fed animals, on the other hand, showed no such rise in temperature. "The animals that had the artificial sweetener appear to have a different anticipatory response," says Susan Swithers, a professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University and a co-author of the study. "They don't anticipate as many calories arriving." The net result is a more sluggish metabolism that stores, rather than burns, incoming excess calories.

Who is the woman who called Hillary Clinton a monster?

http://www.alternet.org/story/79019/

That would be a good place to start finding out.

"Labor Market Declines" -- What That Really Means

Via Atrios ( http://tinyurl.com/2lmucx ) and CNBC ( http://tinyurl.com/39l2jy ) :

Job losses were widespread. Some 52,000 jobs were lost in the manufacturing industries, the largest decline since July 2003 when 92,000 jobs were cut. Construction businesses eliminated another 39,000 jobs on top of 25,000 that were cut in January, a reflection of the housing industry's deepening woes.

The department said that since the housing boom peaked in September 2006, construction businesses have cut 331,000 jobs.

That means that 52 THOUSAND MORE PEOPLE are out of jobs just in the last month.  Where are they going to get dollars to pay the rent, buy food,  buy shoes for the kids, etc?

There are a lot (more) miserable people out there this month.

This is a human tragedy that is ongoing.  There are not enough McDonald's jobs to cover for everyone.

My long term solution at least to help is to turn every square foot of lawn into garden.  Including public right of way.  Anywhere that grass is mowed.

But that doesn't help the part of that 52,000 who have no where to turn for the next weeks.  No relatives to help.  No money stashed away.

How far can this nation be from breadlines?  I really wonder.

      jeff

Secret Pastafarian Video Exposed at Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

http://www.venganza.org/2008/03/05/secret-pastafarian-video-exposed.htm

I think this is a spoof of the famous Tom Cruise video...

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/41k-IJxPENc&rel=1&border=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/41k-IJxPENc&rel=1&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

GourmetSleuth - Fat Free Flour Tortillas

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/fatfreeflourtortillas.htm

also have the traditional corn tortilla recipe and illustrated instructions at this site

Great Picture, Interesting recipes: 5 Simple Ways to Eat Healthier | Life Learning Today

http://lifelearningtoday.com/2008/02/28/5-simple-ways-to-eat-healthier/

Always looking for interesting recipes. Needing to lose weight.

This site has some good suggestions.

- jeff -

includes visual Illusions: Predictably / Irrational » Demonstrations

http://www.predictablyirrational.com/?page_id=7

This is an interesting site. The illusions may be pretty standard,
but they are only a small part of what this gentleman does.

The site contains his personal musings about pain, irrationality,
and more.

- jeff -

Too cute: if your cat ran CNN.... LOL: CNN.com

http://lol.ianloic.com/cnn

If you like cats, you'll like that!

At the bottom of the page are links to the fellow who created the
feed, if you are so inclined to dig into those kinds of things &/or
wanted to do it yourself.

- jeff -

My favorite SpongeBob episode: Sleepy Time

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sleepy-time--suds/95581296

Wonderful exploration of the dream state. And funny on top of that.

Music Is Elementary

https://musiciselementary.com/

This is a great place for simple but interesting musical instruments
and books.

Lots of percussion instruments, economically priced.

jeff

good article about back pain & dance at The Hip Circle

http://www.thehipcircle.com/article/display.asp?ArticleID=160

Great explanation of the pain I have experienced and exercises to
alleviate it.

Plus a good bibliography.

And an interesting gateway into the world of bellydance! Something I've
always appreciated.

alleviating or preventing The Side Stitch

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm

Preventing a Side Stitch
To prevent a side stitch, take even, deep breaths while running. Shallow breathing tends to increase the risk of cramping because the diaphragm is always slightly raised and never lowers far enough to allow the ligaments to relax. When this happens the diaphragm becomes stressed and a spasm or "stitch" is more likely.

Some other ways to alleviate the pain of a side stitch include:

• Time your eating. Having food in your stomach during a workout may increase cramping by creating more force on the ligaments (avoid eating one to two hours before a workout)
• Stretching may prevent or relieve a cramp. Raise your right arm straight up and lean toward the left. Hold for 30 seconds, release, then stretch the other side.
• Slow down your pace until pain lessens.
• Breathe deep to stretch the diaphragm.
• Drink before exercise; dehydration can increase muscle cramps.
• Massage or press on the area with pain. Bend forward to stretch the diaphragm and ease the pain.
• * If you continue to experience pain, see your doctor.

Please clean your monitor screen.

click here -> http://www.chunkysalsa.net/screenclean.swf

thank you.

jeff

how to videos 5min - Life Videopedia

http://www.5min.com/

great concept... a communal "how to" video site. Based on the idea
that everyone knows something.

as they say on the site... grab your camera & make a contribution.
All videos less than five minutes.

jeff

Mailbox Crash

Hahahah!

"They got him" said Randy the Policeman. It seems he left his
license plate at one of the many places where he ran down mailboxes
and street signs.

The actual culprit hasn't been found, but they know who he is. The
culprit's mom says "we need the tools out of the truck", but the
police have the truck locked up.

I guess it must have been fun, pushing over things, but I wonder
how bad the hangover will be, if there is one.

Neighbor & I propped our mailboxes up alongside garbage cans, tied
up with straps & in my case the magic fix-all of modern times the
bungee cord.

- jeff -

live.yahoo.com ... Four Days Old And Counting: The world is watching at Y! Live Blog

http://www.yliveblog.com/blog/2008/02/06/y-live-%e2%80%93-the-world-is-watching/

That's their blog entry that explains what it is and gives you links to
the "how-to" entries...

See it in action at http://live.yahoo.com

This even works on my old old iBook! (Ok, it hiccups frequently, but
it doesn't freeze the computer)

So for the people at Whole Wheat Radio... you could put some of your
shows LIVE on the internet, or so the theory goes. Or you can take your
live internet somewhere and stream live from the audience. Might be
able to do it from the right cell phone.

Lots of potential.

And it just went public on Feb 06, 2008.

Welcome to the future.

- Jeff -

& p.s. ... looks like Yahoo is going to fight the MS takeover tooth &
nail per the WSJ.

Penn Jillette: Penn Says - Crackle

http://www.crackle.com/Members/2336040

a series of short videos on http://www.crackle.com

much more on the site... many different entertainers.

If you appreciate Penn's craziness, I think crackle is the place to be.

jeff

Crank up the volume: YES WE CAN at Dipdive.com

http://www.dipdive.com/

really nice. music.

jeff

Been trying to track this down: Japan GT Girls (Race Queens)

http://www.tvsmith.net.my/duasen/260606_japangt.html

The GT Girls or Race Queens attracted just as many spectators as the cars at the recent Japan GT Championship. Dua Sen brings you a ring-side view of the babes, cars and drivers. Enjoy!

Ok... so I imagine I will burn in Sexist Political Correctness Hell for linking to this.

BUT... it's just fabulous to see all the interesting Japanese fashions.  Kids having fun.

Think of it as "Hello Kitty" with real people!

  - jeff -

Obama SC Victory Speech: ‘Yes, We Can’

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20080126_yes_we_can/

If you didn't see this, go watch it at the link above. 15 minutes
well spent.

This man is going to go all the way to the top. It gives me some hope.

- jeff -

http://nocomputers.blogspot.com

If you love cats find this video... The Cat Returns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Returns

Judy & I watched this last night (rented from http://www.netflix.com).

It is a charming animated movie about cats and cat magic.

Read the review ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Returns ), then
find the DVD; I think that reading the review will enrich the viewing.

- jeff -

apparently, I'm the ONE subscriber to Whole Wheat Radio RSS

http://feeds.feedburner.com/WWR2

I tried WWR1 to see if there was another feed & it gives an error.

http://wholewheatradio.org

I actually find the feed more interesting than the radio station
itself... quite a variety of people. I believe the feed is the latest
postings from the blogs of various WWR members.

An interesting fact: almost every person/organization has an RSS feed
but most of them don't seem to know it's even there!

- jeff -

fyi... Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade

http://www.etsy.com/index.php

Found this indirectly through http://www.wholewheatradio.org !

It would be interesting to see what kind of sales people get;
perhaps in the future when my digging takes me that direction.

- jeff -

a love song, for example: A Million times by Lapotu | iCompositions - Music

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=82291

A Million times

by Lapotu and jalanix

I'm not really in to love song songs. But at a moment i realized that in everything i do, in who i am, there is only one person who made that happen, my wife. She is there to back me up, understands me, loves me for who i am. So i though lets try to make a real love song for her.

http://www.icompositions.com/music/uploads/931/34060A_Million_times.png

Listen to that song... then think there are probably 30,000 or so songs on http://www.icompositions.com !  All available for the listening.  AND(/OR)... if you are some kind of musician that does computers you can put up your own creations.

While these musical creations are free,  they also have a variety of restrictions.  Which hopefully keeps people from grabbing songs, creating a cd, and selling it.

The permissions are stated on the page for the work in question.

etc.

 ==   jeff

interesting free music site: iCompositions

http://www.icompositions.com/

It's a community of artists (so to speak)

People of various talent creating and tinkering with songs.

I'm still trying to figure out a way to get these to randomly
download & play through iTunes.

No problem to download... just haven't automated it yet.

===

jeff

Dear Bill Clinton - Shut Up.

http://www.shutupbill.com/billclinton.html

And Bill, you're starting to make stuff up. And this time, we're noticing. It's a new era, Bill; everything you say is recorded and broadcast.

So what we're asking, Bill, is that you just shut up.

My email to Barrack Obama re retroactive immunity & FISA

Dear Sir,

 It has been brought to my attention that the FISA bill will be an issue again starting next week.

  Why I say this is an ethics issue is that there have been attempts to give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies for involvement in illegal wiretapping activities.  This boggles my mind... seriously, its almost an admission that someone knows they were complicit in illegal activites.

  It would be great with me if you managed to just kill FISA completely;  our spy agencies can already make all the wiretaps they need... they don't need to read all communications in the US.  I know there are arguments "for",  but there are arguments "for" torture, and I don't want to see our country become the epitome of Big Brother.

  So... please please please at a minimum STOP the retroactive immunity in any FISA bils, and better STOP the whole trend toward this place becoming a police state.

  Thank You

A Guide to Cutting Back When You Feel Overwhelmed | Zen Habits

http://zenhabits.net/2008/01/a-guide-to-cutting-back-when-you-feel-overwhelmed/

The Effects of Stress and Overload

We all know that too much stress is bad for us. Sure, you can't avoid stress completely, and without some stress we would never grow. But too much stress? It leads to problems.

Stress leads to many health problems, for example: headaches, muscle aches in your shoulders, neck, back … it ages you prematurely, leads to ulcers, heartburn, high blood pressure, heart disease, overeating and more. Not a pretty picture.

essence is to cut back, monitor activities,  and plan.

Close to our back yard: Mackinaw River Overflows Its Banks

http://www.week.com/news/local/13678852.html

also the back road to our place is closed.

Kind of exciting as long as no one gets hurt.

jeff

the camera I want: Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1: 60fps

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08010601casiof1.asp

$999

It's a camera AND a camcorder.

And best of all it's FAST... shutter speed up to 1/40,000 (yes
that's one FORTY THOUSANDTH of a second) in manual mode.

With speed like that, I'm surprised it has or needs image
stabilization. Plus, get this: when taking photos when you hold the
shutter button down it shows (and records) a slow motion series
(that's the 60 frames per second I believe); let up the button and
you can pick from the images for the one you want. Or so that's how
I think it works, but anyway, sounds really good to me.

Available in March 2008.

This is enough to drag me away from Canon.

jeff

Britney Spears meets Dr Phil – Tabloid Hell | News | NME.COM

http://www.nme.com/news/tabloid-hell/33478

If she can tell Dr. Phil to buzz off, she gets my respect.

Good luck to her, and I hope she gets her stuff together.

Most of the stories are from The Boston Herald: here, here, and here.

   Jeff

Happy New Year & My Resolutions

Hi all!

I hope you all are having a nice New Years' Day,  and that good things happen for all of you in the New Year.


Seeing that lots of people I know are doing resolutions this year,  I thought I'd add mine to the mix.

So here they are:

1. Practice THREE magical illusions I can actually present to people.
2. Engage in some activity which counts as DANCE
3. Get back to using the Get Things Done program to track tasks
4. treadmill Twice a day, if possible.
5. work on losing weight
   
6. work on (musical) keyboard skills.

AND... remind myself I'm not awful if these things only get partially done.

So that's it.  What's up with your new year????

    - jeff -

p.s.
  Cross posted to my blog http://nocomputers.blogspot.com