Came across this photo of my father, obviously taken at one of those places that put in a costume for a vintage photo. Not sure when or where this was taken or who he is supposed to be.
Can blogging kill you?
Jeez, I hope not. But according to this article at NYTimes.com, some bloggers are working in what amounts to a “digital-era sweatshop” and it’s affecting their health. A few well-known bloggers have recently died of heart attacks.
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to blog for my supper. That would take a lot of the fun out of it.
Quick decisions… little data
Reply
“Quick decisions based on the smallest scraps of data. It’s not fair but it’s true. Your blog, your outfit, the typeface you choose, the tone of your voice, the expression on your face, the location of your office, the way you rank on a Google search, the look of your Facebook page… We all jump to conclusions and we do it every day. Where do you want me to jump?”
— Seth Godin
Art Text
The tagline on the Art Text website is: “Where text becomes art,” and that’s pretty much right on. I’ve been looking for an app that would compensate for my lack of graphic design skills and this comes close. If you have the Photoshop chops you can probably do everything that Art Text does but even then it’s going to take you longer. This graphic for the Coffee Zone took about 5 minutes to create.
Ashcroft booed for Obama-Osama gaffe
From rawstory.com: “Former Attorney General John Ashcroft drew the ire of students at liberal Skidmore College this week when he confused the name of Barack Obama with that of Osama bin Laden.
“All I’m saying about the Patriot Act,” Ashcroft began, “is that the elected representatives of this country, including Osama …”
His words were met with a roar of disbelief and disapproval, as he continued stammering, “uh … you know … not … Obama.”
Ashcroft attempted to say “I’m sorry” but was drowned out by prolonged boos.
“I did not mean to … I’m sorry about that … I apologize publicly,” Ashcroft went on as the boos gradually subsided.”
Accident or strategy? Watch the video.
Howard Beale: “I don’t have to tell you things are bad”
I love the movie Network. I went back to a post in September of 2006 to review the prophetic words of Paddy Chayefsky:
“I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth. Banks are going bust. Shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s no one anywhere that seems to know what to do with us. Now into it. We know the air is unfit to breathe, our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had 15 homicides and 63 violent crimes as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We know things are bad. Worse than bad. They’re crazy. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy so we don’t go out anymore. We sit in a house as slowly the world we’re living in is getting smaller and all we say is, “Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster, and TV, and my steel belted radials and I won’t say anything.”
Well I’m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad. I don’t want you to protest. I don’t want you to riot. I don’t want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn’t know what to tell you to write. I don’t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crying in the streets. All I know is first you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m a human being. God Dammit, my life has value.”
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” I want you to get up right now. Get up. Go to your windows, open your windows, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Things have got to change my friends. You’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open your window, stick your head out and yell, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
I am (not) “Howard Beale”
There. It’s out in the open. I feel better already. I am the political blogger who posts under the pseudonym “Howard Beale.” Because I so passionately believe all the things I write, I can no longer hide behind a curtain of secrecy. I’m out, baby!
I’m still trying to figure out how to work my blogging software so I can start using my real name on my blog posts, so you’ll still see “Howard Beale” for a while. But it’s me, smays.com.
And I call on my fellow phantom bloggers to pull off their masks and take ownership of their words. Trust me, you’ll feel better.
UPDATE: Okay, joke’s over. Even my closest friends didn’t spot this as a hoax. That’s scary. This ridiculous post (and photo) should be obvious as a spoof. Looks like the real “Howard Beale” is safe for now.
NOBODY beats the Claw Machine!
Chinese for lunch. As we were leaving, Scott dropped some quarters in The Claw Machine. JUST missed the purple elephant on the first try and got him on the second.
I have NEVER seen anyone beat The Claw Machine. They make the “claw” so feeble it can’t hold any weight. But Scott beat it. As we left, the owner was coming over with a screwdriver to loosen up the old claw.
NPR story on Internet doctor visits
From NPR: "As more doctors go online to communicate with patients, two of the country’s biggest health insurers have started reimbursing patients for the Internet visits. But critics say the online advising could lead to errors, and patient privacy could be compromised."
When it’s too risky to sign your name
