This is a test of pixelpipe...

Maybe this is working now? always testing!

Eudora is now free, cross platform, and based on the Mozilla & Thunderbird code

https://wiki.mozilla.org/Penelope

Eudora is now free, cross platform, and based on the Mozilla & Thunderbird code:

Penelope is an open source extension to the Mozilla Thunderbird mail application.

Qualcomm's intention with the Penelope project is to join the Eudora® user experience with the Mozilla platform. We intend to produce a version of Eudora that is open source and based on Mozilla and Thunderbird. It's not our intention to compete with Thunderbird; rather, we want to complement it.

Qualcomm is committed to both preserving the Eudora user experience and to maintaining maximum compatibility, for both developers and users, with Thunderbird. It is our goal to build a single development community around Thunderbird and Eudora, so that both mailers advance faster than they previously have.

The Mean Kitty Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo&NR=1

Fun cat music


  Jeff.

Today Show: Hoda & Al with the scoop

This is so so so much better than Kathy Lee ... would they please promote Kathy Lee the hell out of there??

LOST: The Smoke Monster

http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Smoke_monster

this is a great article about the Smoke Monster on the tv series LOST.

Some one must have a Lot of Free Time.  And I'm glad they do.  I have my own thoughts about the Monster which I may share later.

  Jeff

automate sending links to your Facebook profile (Bookmarklet)

http://www.facebook.com/share_options.php

Just drag it to your bookmark toolbar.   I renamed it afterward so it doesn't take up so much space.

This will do the job,  and you never have to look at facebook either (a clever way to waste your facebook friends' time!)!  For me I have found that I actually use facebook,  but for what is hard to define.


   Jeff

what do you think? The 50 Million Pound Challenge

http://50millionpounds.com/

I would have joined this if they HADN'T STARTED YELLING AT ME when I opened the page.

:(

Lostpedia - a wiki devoted to LOST... 5600+ articles so far

http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Of interest is the page on book references: http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Literary_works

A lot of Stephen King references... one quote:

The Stand
See main article: The Stand By: Stephen King Lost References: Producers say this is an influential book in Lost. Wikipedia Link

And yet S.K. is a small portion of what's there.

name pronunciations... Summer Glau - Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

lot of hits on google...  http://tinyurl.com/cv7zvz

http://terminatorwiki.fox.com/thread/1241270/Summer+Glau?offset=20&t=anon

31. RE: Summer Glau

Mar 10 2008, 11:38 PM EDT | Post edited: Mar 10 2008, 11:38 PM EDT

"Just out of curiousity, what is the correct pronunciation of Summer's last name?

I've heard a lot of ways to pronounce it, and I just want to make sure im correct. "

It's pronounced "GL-OW" with the "au" sounding the same as the exclamation of pain ("Ow! that hurt!). If I'm not mistaken, it's German. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
[...]

4  out of 4 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?    

Jenna Wolf has a big tattoo... trying to find picture...

She was demoing yoga on the Today Show & I could see it peeking out.  A big tattoo on her back... maybe a spider, not sure.

another BIG source of digital books... Scribd

http://www.scribd.com/

50 million users,  50,000 documents uploaded everyday.  Scribd appears to be something of a controversy and a fright to publishers.

you're missing it... Veridian Dynamics: Life. Better.

http://veridiandynamics.com/

It's not what you think.

It's like 30 Rock does The Office does Ugly Betty does ADM (really).

Dental Self-Sufficiency Rant...

http://mizar5.com/rant0309.htm

No easy fix,  but a method that requires commitment and work.

Financial crises And Panics Throughout United States History

Recent commentary from Alan Greenspan suggesting that the current (2009) crisis was a once in 100 years event made me wonder what was the history of such things in the United States.

A lot of Google searching didn't give me much on first look,  but it did lead me to Wikipedia yet again for a lot of relevant information:

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

The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these panics. Other situations that are often called financial crises include stock market crashes and the bursting of other financial bubbles, currency crises, and sovereign defaults.

Near the bottom of that page is a list which includes:

• Panic of 1819 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures; culmination of U.S.'s 1st boom-to-bust economic cycle
• Panic of 1825 - pervasive British economic recession in which many British banks failed, & Bank of England nearly failed
• Panic of 1837 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures; a 5 yr. depression ensued.
• Panic of 1857 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures
• Panic of 1873 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures; a 4 yr. depression ensued.
• Panic of 1893 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures
• Panic of 1901 - limited to crashing of the New York Stock Exchange
• Panic of 1907 - pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures

None of these were end-of-the-world events although they were largely worse than what we are experiencing right now.  None of them had a rock hard solution to "fix it".

The Panic of 1819 has a list of proposed solutions:

• increase of tariffs (largely proposed by Northern manufacturing interests).
• reduction of tariffs (largely proposed by Southerners, who believed free trade would stimulate the economy and increase demand).
• monetary expansion; i.e., restriction or suspension of specie payment.
• rigid enforcement of specie payment.
• restriction of bank credit.
• direct relief of debtors.
• public works proposals.
• stricter enforcement of anti-usury laws.

The basic solution appears to be patches to hopefully make things better,  cross your fingers,  and wait.  Worse, according to that article means 75% unemployment which means we have a way to go to get that bad.

A minor p.s.:  in the Panic of 1839 article a writer says:

Apparently, the economy was able to grow due to price flexibility, a result of minimum union control and no government intervention.

Which is curious to me,  because there really weren't any unions at that time.  Maybe they mean bank mergers? Or maybe one can't trust Wikipedia?

Thanks for listening...

         Jeff

all about Facebook Pages

http://www.facebook.com/help.php?topic=pages

how to create your own, & why you might want to.  How pages are different from groups.  etc.

The Cluetrain Manifesto — Entire Text Index Page

http://www.cluetrain.com/book/index.html

yep. there it is.  the whole thing. for free.

for those looking for it through my friends... you did good to get here.

Accountability -- U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=308103

I don't know if this was the guy who was being so "rude" to the banker guys... but in this article the same points are being made with zero rudeness (imo) and great precision.

Starfish & Spider Stuff...

I read the Starfish And The Spider book a while ago... It's subtitled "The unstoppable power of Leaderless Organizations".

Found it while unpacking upstairs last week.  And it's relevant to ministerial stuff (lots of bible quotes online).

Basic info online http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starfish_And_the_Spider

it's all about alternatives to traditional centralist organizing.

The last (& final) time I went to the UUPIA budget meeting... there was a big longwinded thing about some committee that didn't have a chair & one gentleman NOT sitting in "the group Facing the crowd" (I'm guessing that's the "A Team")  said why does it need a chair to do it's thing.  He of course was met with disbelief edging into derision,  but I could tell he was serious.

Lots of people studying that exact question.  Starfish is pretty much about it.

remember: "They came for Spirituality & got a Committee"?  (paraphrased).

a lot about this question by a Methodist Minister at http://bigcircumstance.com/ 

also for the "fun" of it,  read about the Seminole Wars (which I have heard described as "the only war the US Army never won"):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_War#Aftermath_2

=========

Oh well pooie or poee as it may be.

  Have a good day pardner!

              Jeff




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Drugs Bring Death

http://drugsbringdeath.us/

Straighten Up and Live.

Interesting way of cleaning up a neighborhood.

This was referred to on the Today show... people in the crowd outside were holding signs.

   jeff


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Cambodian Orphanage Dance

http://www.vrhotwires.com/cambodia/dance/

not sure how long that will be there.  Click on image & drag to look around.

requires current version of flash,  will ask to install if you're not up to date.

Music is not quite in sync.... that is being worked on.

This video was done by vr artist & owner of http://vrhotwires.com,  Bill Meikle.

   Jeff

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Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon Recipe (modified)

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/pork/new-years-black-eyed-peas-with-bacon-recipe.html

12 oz turkey bacon
2 lb blackeyed peas
1.5 tsp oreg
1 tsp of ground coriander since I didn't have thyme
1 tsp pepper
14 oz diced tomatoes

no salt added there's plenty in the bacon & tomatoes.

We've Fullfilled Our Quota Of Caring!

Ok.

Now we can get on with our lives! 

Let's hope someone gets the point.  However unlikely the getting may be.

Attn:  Church Members Who May Be Suffering BCO the Economy
Message: Please call <Agency Name> at <Agency Number>.
Post Script:  We feel your pain.

   Jeff

How to Find Islands of Ease in the Chaos of Life | Zen Habits

http://zenhabits.net/2009/02/how-to-find-islands-of-ease-in-the-chaos-of-life/

some good ideas.  practical for some people.  I know that turning off the noise is sometimes helpful.

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Monkeys Monkeys Monkeys

http://www.vrhotwires.com/MalaysiaPanVid/monkeyfall/index.html

I have done some work for this gentleman.  Small effort that went nowhere.

He does some great vr work.

If you wait till the monkey runs out of the scene,  click & drag the center of the screen & you'll find the monkeys are still at it.

This is part of a project he's doing for a nature center somewhere in Malaysia.


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(Bob Dylan & Will.I.Am) Superbowl 2009 Pepsi Commercial: Refresh Anthem HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T_IpCVf3cA

with some luck the above link will get you the high quality video.

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spinning lady illusion

http://www.threadbombing.com/details.php?image_id=2674&mode=search

I'd never seen this before.  I don't know what the clue is but somtimes I see it going one way, sometimes the other.    Look away for a while close eyes, look back.  Every so often it will change "direction" of spin.

  jeff


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"No One As Irish As Barack Obama" via One Eyed Parrot Dance Club

http://www.oneeyedparrot.org/obama.html

A pleasant interlude in which one also gets to see that Barack Obama actually can dance!


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"Call No Man Happy Until He Is Dead" - Herodotus

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2AMW6LDQPKST9/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

the first commenter on herodotus the histories at Amazon.com recommends the translation by someone named Green (1987).  Look for it in your local library system?  Or used.  Of other translations the one by Penguin Books was listed almost as good.

I first read this as a college freshman,  I liked it then & I still like it.

  Jeff

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Caterpillar Moves to Cut 20,000 Jobs - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/business/27caterpillar.html?hp

"Team Caterpillar" woo hoo!

Six Sigma!  woo hoo!

(you may have to register for a free NYT account)

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Microsoft Songsmith: Watch the Ad, Read the Comments

http://9to5mac.com/microsoft-songsmith

It's amazing!  Right when you think the ad must be over,  it continues!  And gets even "better".

Ah what a lovely day.


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Cheryl Kaye Tardif - Canadian Suspense Author - How Can Authors Use Online Social Networks?

http://www.cherylktardif.com/authors-online-social-networks/

this is a 5 part article on one page.  She has done some work promoting herself on several social networks and has suggestions on how-to.

quite a few specifics.

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gad... this facebook thing is insane...

did a search on marketing via facebook ... there are some powerful sounding results...

http://www.google.com/search?q=marketing+via+facebook

to counter balance I first looked at the result that said it WASN'T a viable marketing tool...

http://www.pronetadvertising.com/articles/why-facebook-is-not-a-viable-marketing-platform34381.html

even the comments there are interesting.


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A crazy page.... Television Tropes & Idioms, and The Thirteenth Warrior (movie)

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage <- interesting crazy site for writing fiction.

got there by looking for info about "The Thirteenth Warrior",  which while an interesting film seemed to be loaded with bullshit.

My biggest nit pick is "how did the Northmen not know about the bear people since there were obviously thousands and thousands of them living right over the hill?"

Second nit pick... did Crichton have any actual evidence that the famous "earth goddess statue" was part of a canibalistic tribe that believed they were bears?

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department of peace - Google Search

http://www.google.com/search?q=department+of+peace

Dennis Kucinich and others are dring to establish a US Govm't official Department of Peace.

A Very Good Idea, IMHO.



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Pacifism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pacifism/

Non-religious pacifism is possible.

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how to make whole wheat pita bread - Google Search

http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+make+whole+wheat+pita+bread

was just wondering about making whole wheat pita bread... there are a ton of "recipes" ... the first hit is about "baking" it in a frying pan!

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Personal Branding: Be Aware of Your Pigeonhole - It’s Hard to Switch [via Zen Habits]

http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/personal-branding-be-aware-of-your-pigeonhole-its-hard-to-switch/

a lot of insight, especially with respect to writers...

Many people aren't aware that when they begin to make a name for themselves, they are creating a brand … and what's more, that brand becomes hard to change once it's become established in people's minds.

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personal solar & WIND powered recharge unit!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/10/kinesis-k2-solar-wind-charger-hands-on-captain-planet-approve/

good idea, if crazy.



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What happens when the money runs out [California readies IOUs]

California readies IOUs -- legislators would be first - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee...

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1507830.html

Gives you a good idea of how states might handle financial collapse.  And how it might effect individuals.

   jeff

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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

--
My Online viewing: at http://nocomputers.blogspot.com
My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum
Health & Age Related: http://www.stopmowing.com/healthblog.html
Our Kitties:  http://catsatgooseberryhill.blogspot.com/

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



--
My Online viewing: at http://nocomputers.blogspot.com
My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum
Health & Age Related: http://www.stopmowing.com/healthblog.html
Our Kitties:  http://catsatgooseberryhill.blogspot.com/

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/

--
My Online viewing: at http://nocomputers.blogspot.com
My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum
Health & Age Related: http://www.stopmowing.com/healthblog.html
Our Kitties:  http://catsatgooseberryhill.blogspot.com/

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.



--
My Online viewing: at http://nocomputers.blogspot.com
My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum
Health & Age Related: http://www.stopmowing.com/healthblog.html
Our Beloved Cats:  http://catsatgooseberryhill.blogspot.com/

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

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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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

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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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

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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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 ;-)

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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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!





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

My home listening at: http://www.last.fm/user/MagicDrum

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 -