smays.com

I'm running away from home

I've packed my little bag and said goodbye to Barb. As soon as I can come up with Kerri Walsh's phone number I'm going to call her and have her come get me. We'll tell people I'm her father (okay, her grandfather). I'll be the one crouched by the net, ready to towel off my Goddess of Beach Volleyball.

Seriously, this is the only sport worth waiting in line for. I'd like to meet the person who came up with the idea of sponsoring the back of her bikini bottom. [Photo: Kerri (6'3") hugging her teammate Misty May-Treanor (5'10")]

Too busy for bingo

While checking in at Keith Povall's Sturdy Soapbox, I spotted a mention and link to Millie Garfield, one of the Internet's oldest bloggers (82), according to something called The Ageless Project. Millie was featured in a piece on ABC, pecking away on her Mac, blogging, making videos and doing the online thing. She came across very sharp.

Millie has a second blog called "I Can't Open It" (dot com) which has a bunch of videos of products that are damn near impossible to open. Now, before you start any of that "you're just getting old" shit, just stop.

I bought a couple of ethernet cables this week and they came sealed in those clear, hard plastic shells. I went at these bastards with a carpet knife (the kind they use to topple sky scrapers) and it still took me 15 minutes to slice my way in. You might get in with a pair of tin snips or a cutting torch, but scissors? Fuhgetaboutit!

I plan to be right here, tapping away, when I'm eighty-two. Blog on, Millie!

Reality spill on aisle six

From a recent post on Jeff Jarvis' Buzz Machine:

"Janet Coats, editor of the Tampa Tribune, sat down in her newsroom to tell the staff about layoffs, reorganizations, new ways of doing business, and harsh realities and an intern named Jessica DaSilva recorded the event with appropriate admiration.

My favorite bomb: “People need to stop looking at TBO.com [the newspaper's affiliated web site] as an add on to The Tampa Tribune. The truth is that The Tampa Tribune is an add on to TBO.”

If this is true for newspapers today, will it be equally true for TV and radio tomorrow? And when that day comes, what will it mean for networks and others who provide programming (content?) for those stations.

Steampunk gas mask

Three reasons why I don't own this steampunk gas mask: a) I can't imagine where I'd wear it, b) It's probably hot as hell, c) and damned expensive. But I'd be set for all Halloweens to come.

Like many others, I developed an appreciation for steampunk from the novels of William Gibson.

Wikipedia: "Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date."

Our Goose Family

Every year a pair of Canada Geese come to our neighborhood pond to nest and raise their young. I think they are Canada Geese. They have a Canadian accent. I see them most mornings and most evenings and try to snap a photo. I wish I had Henry with me to get really good shots but that would probably take a LOT longer than just sticking my Casio out the window.

I never tire of watching these critters. And seeing the goslings turn into grown-up geese is a little bit amazing. One of the adults is always "on guard." At least that's what I imagine is going on. There are dogs in the neighborhood but I've never seen them chasing the geese, who stay pretty close to the pond.

I don't know how long they'll stay around but I'll keep adding shots to this flicker set as I get them.

No coffee for you, one year!

Webcast hijinx at the Coffee Zone this morning. I chatted briefly with Kevin and Sally from the ShowMe Yoga Center; George and I shot the breeze with Jefferson City Mayor John Landwehr; and finished up with a visit with the Coffee Zone's own Taisir Yanis. Audio much better than previous efforts. Still need to work on framing the shot. This clip runs long (15 min) because I thought I had stopped recording when I had not.

Officer Julie

Barb has been in San Francisco all week, attending the National Health Lawyers Association meeting (I think). She's been palling around with friends, including an old college chum, Julie. Julie is an old married lady with kids (and a nice husband, Jim), but I remember how hot she was at our annual Halloween parties.

She tripped all my fantasy switches when she showed up as an officer of the law. I just want to make sure her kids find this the next time they google "hot women in cop uniforms."

"Computer Jesus"

From a Mindy McAdams post on setting up a team for online journalism: "Sure, it would be great if you could hire one single person who could do everything. We call that “computer jesus” — and you need to accept the fact that there really are not many people in the world who can walk on water.

Fez of July Webcast Special

Brother George (Fez #14) and I will fire up the webcam for an hour this Friday morning, webcasting from the Coffee Zone in downtown Jefferson City. Should be lots of traffic in the Zone along with colorful carny folk and swarms of strangely dressed Americans celebrating Independence Day.

We'll get started around 9 a.m. Central. Join us if you can.

Blogosphere as "giant wire service"

Clyde Bentley, a Missouri School of Journalism professor who researches user-generated news, speaking at the Future of Journalism conference at Harvard, June 20-21:

The debate over bloggers' influence "is over," he said. "Blogging is a numbers game. It's there and we'll just have to deal with it." Noting that 120,000 new blogs a day dwarf the country's 1,427 dailies, he said editors should treat the blogosphere like a giant wire service. Bentley said that while consumer demand for content decreases, their demand for content navigation increases. "There will always be a place for the journalist who can craft a story better than anyone else, but there will be a bigger place for the journalist who can help media consumers find the information they want."

Poynter: Centerpieces

New bag helps laptop pass TSA security

The Transportation Security Administration
has given the go-ahead for passengers to use newly designed carry-on
bags that will let them pass through security without having to take
their laptops out for the X-ray inspection. The T.S.A. would accept the new
laptop cases as soon as they come on the market.[NYT]

A Day in the Life

Found this on The Sturdy Soapbox. For Beatles fans only I suspect. A fascinating look behind the recording of the final track on Sgt. Pepper. That this song was recorded on just four tracks is... mind blowing?

Dancing Freakazoids

"As always, the parade started with the Dykes on Bikes - a contingent of dozens of lesbians on motorcycles who waved, honked and cheered as they roared down Market Street to screams from the crowd. This year, some members of the normally leather-clad group channeled their softer side and rode in wedding dresses and veils, streaming rainbow flags from their bikes." [SFGate.com]

The San Francisco Gay Pride Parade took place yesterday. Barb is in SF for a legal conference and planned to catch the parade and take some pix. Can't wait to see her stuff (so to speak). She's a much better photographer than I. In the meantime, there's interesting images on flickr.

If you can dance in heels, I suppose it's no great trick to run on stilts. Still, I'm impressed. And where do you even find an outfit like this?

How did they know I was nude?

Nathan reports he could not get to smays.com from the Kansas City International Airport wireless network. Seems we are blocked due to "Adult Themes, Nudity." This could only have been better if they'd added "subversive."

If you feel like shooing me, I second that amendment

In April of 2007, John Edwards, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama were in Iowa, campaigning for the Iowa Caucuses. Radio Iowa News Director Kay Henderson interviewed the candidates and asked each  spoke with each who made a point of talking about gun rights and none of the three endorsed such proposals as gun registration or a ban on handguns.

Kay posted portions of her interviews on her blog, which has generated a couple of dozen comments over the past year. Some flaky, but most thoughtful. The one that  haunts me is from Sergio (who has an email address in Aruba?):

"As a non-US citizen I can't believe how Americans in 2008 still cling to their weapons while trying to police and moralize the rest of the world. Although the US has a unique culture and history - certainly when it comes to guns - I wonder if Americans ever consider why almost no other country in the world allows people to bear arms, especially fire arms. The US has one of if not the highest gun killing rates in the world for a country that is not at (civil) war.

Do you really believe that weapons make a society safer? Strictly licensed weapon possession for hunting and sports is allowed in most countries of the world, but the 'right to keep and bear arms' is really unique."

I honestly don't know if we enjoy the freedoms we do because of, or in spite of, all the handguns (and assault rifles etc etc). If every man in Zimbabwe had a gun, would Robert Mugabe still be in power? Let's face it, the ballot box is a joke in that country. Sort of like Florida.

The recent Supreme Court ruling has prompted me to think about this topic a little. And make a list of all the reasons I can think of for a private citizen owning a handgun. In no particular order:

• Self-defense (from a mugger or home invader)
• Sport/target shooting
• Collector/keepsake
• Repel government goons when some president decides two terms aren't enough
• Commit crimes
• Piss off people who don't think handguns should be legal

That's all that I can come up with at the moment. Self-defense is a popular reason for gun ownership, but I can't recall the last time I heard of someone repelling a robber with their six-shooter. And it seems like there's no end of stories of some youngster shooting his sister (or a dozen or so classmates) with dad's Glock. That's the tasteless interview I'd like to hear.

"Mr. Smith, it's been a year since your oldest boy shot and killed his little brother with the gun he took from your bedside table. Has this terrible tragedy changed your position on hand-gun ownership in anyway?"

I think Sergio is right on one point. We need to stop "trying to police and moralize (to) the rest of the world." It just makes us look like dicks.

Sports fan blogs (NPR Audio)

Interesting story on NPR this morning about a sports blog called The LoHud Yankees Blog. The blog seems to be a collaborative effort by Journal News beat writer Peter Abraham and a shit-load of fans. According to the NPR piece, a post can get as many as a thousand comments and readers will post to the blog form the stands, in the middle of a game.

I have a theory about blogs like this one. If the Yankees organization tried to create  such a successful blog, they couldn't. Wouldn't matter how much money they threw at it. There is some organic quality to really successful blogs like this one that is damned hard for big institutions to foster.

Smart companies will find and encourage and support efforts like this one. Is there a risk that someone will post something unflattering about the Yankees? Of course. But get a clue... they'll do that anyway.

Most of the pro leagues have some sort of dumb-ass policy regarding live-blogging of games by reporters so I'm a little curious how the Journal News is pulling this off. If Mr. Abraham or someone from the paper stumbles across this post, I'd love to know the answer. Could it be the Yankees are smart enough to know a really good thing when they see it?

AppleCare passes first test

Apple hardware and software are not perfect. A piece of gear can be defective or stop working... software is, after all, software. I've had very good experiences since getting my first Mac just over two years ago.

But a couple of things gacked up recently. A problem with my Airport (wireless router) and my new Mac Mini. Unrelated. And even His Macness, George, couldn't put things right. So he called Apple support.

I purchased an extended service plan called AppleCare which is a bit pricey but often recommended for switchers.

We wound up calling Apple three times yesterday, speaking to three different people about the two problems. Each time there was zero wait. And each time we wound up speaking with someone that was very knowledgeable. None of those long waits while they try to read the support screens. These folks obviously knew their shit.

And they were all very friendly, but efficient. No time wasted.

But the big "ooh!" moment for me was when the lady helping with the Airport problem resolved the issue and then asked us to wait 5 minutes (until the MacBook went to sleep) to be certain everything was really working correctly.

She didn't want us to have to call back...get a different agent...and go through the whole routine again.

I'm sure others have had different experiences with Apple and I might have a bad one down the road. But I was reminded of all the hellacious support calls I've endured over the years and this was a nice contrast.

Why I don't do brush piles

There are lots of positives to living on a few acres of wooded land. It's quiet and peaceful. No traffic. The sort of environment where you find deer, rabbits, turtles, wild turkeys and... snakes. (shudder) I am not fond of snakes.

This was found at the bottom of a pile of brush that the lads are clearing out today. I wasn't there when Mark picked this copperhead up and declined his offer to "milk" the venom.

Following this little show-and-tell, the snake was dispatched with a spade. Yes, I know there's never just one snake. [larger photo]

Why I don't do trees

Last December's ice storm destroyed a lot of tree. Parts of our property have looked like an artillery range for the last six months. Today a crew of hard-working lads are cutting down the fatally wounded.

The price tag seemed a little high at first glance, but after seeing the guys 30 feet up with a chain saw roaring in one hand, it seems about right.

I'm proud to say that I gave NO thought to attempting this project on my own.

SlideShare

| View | Upload your own

I've heard good things about slideshare, saw it on Buzz Machine, and decided to give it a try. This is an old (and out of date) presentation but it's the only one I have, so... I believe you can drop in narration audio and I'll give that a try later.

I just like the idea of embedding a slideshow better than trying to email around huge PowerPoint files.