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December 31, 2004
After the Fact
I thought I escaped the whirling germs of the virus my mom had during the Xmas holidays... I didn't. If this is the worst thing that could happen to me, then I'd say I've got it pretty damn good. However, it's difficult to look at that silver lining when your head feels like it's going to explode. Staying home instead of travelling wasn't the idea for the past few days, but at least it prevents me from spreading the germs. *sniffle*
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December 28, 2004
I, I, I, I'm Stuttering Again
*Blush*
Any man who announces to the world that he'll pay money in order to get me tickets for the 2006 Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concert (most likely to get me to stop writing about it) deserves ------------- in 2005. :-)
I still can't believe you did that Al. Wow.
P.S. to Al:
In response to your sub-head of "Vienna. Long flight. Headache. Sounds like a plan to me." -- Vienna = overnight flight (not long at all.) No headaches due to cocktails and sleep. Wake up in a different country. Yup. Sounds like a plan to me!
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FORTUNE on Blogging
FORTUNE Magazine's January 10, 2005 issue includes a lengthy article about blogging:
10 TECH TRENDS
Why There's No Escaping the Blog
Freewheeling bloggers can boost your product -- or destroy it. Either way, they've become a force business can't afford to ignore.
The article mentions high-profile bloggers such as Xeni Jardin (BoingBoing), Robert Scoble (Microsoft), Jeff Jarvis (BuzzMachine) and Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit), among others. - story link
FORTUNE on Podcasting
I'm anxiously awaiting a FORTUNE story on podcasting. Considering the fact that
Business Week has already done a few stories on podcasting, I find it difficult to believe that FORTUNE is behind on the topic.
Business Week prediction:
Podcasting will democratize radio (and video broadcasting, for that matter, as technology progresses) by making it possible for just about anyone to broadcast audio content -- much as blogging did for written commentary.
In late September I wrote a detailed email to a former colleague of mine at FORTUNE about podcasting and Adam Curry's groundbreaking work. Now I'm not saying that my email will result in a FORTUNE story, but since I worked at FORTUNE for many years, hopefully that tip was followed up on. We'll see what happens!
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It's That Time Again
You know where I'll be on Saturday, January 1. Yes indeedy, the annual park-my-ass-in-front-of-a-television viewing of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Day Concert. I've tried for three years to get tickets via their online lottery, and after not getting them yet again on the third attempt, I've finally given up. I'm so jaded about it that I'll venture to guess that their online lottery is bogus. I can't help but wonder if anyone who tries to get tickets via that method has actually won the chance to purchase two tickets.
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Atmosphere
It was the usual annual Xmas Eve madness with my family save for the moment I stepped outside to inhale some cold air. I looked up and saw a really freaky thing. The moon was shining brightly and there was a perfectly formed ring around it -- not close to the moon but hundreds or thousands of feet away. About the only thing I could compare it to would be the distance between the bull's eye and the outer area of a dart board. Weird funky stuff. I've no clue what that was and assumed it was a circle of clouds up there... ???? Anyhow, that was my riveting Xmas Eve moment. :-)
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Letterman Visits Marines in Iraq
David Letterman brought his late-night show to Iraq on Friday, asking Marines, "anybody here from out of town?" When hands flew up in the air after he asked for a volunteer to help deliver his opening monologue, he responded, "isn't that how you got here?" Other Letterman quips:
"Iraqi elections are in January. Hurry up and pick somebody so we can get the hell out of here," he said.
"If I wanted to face insurgents I would've spent Christmas with my relatives."
"We're sorry we keep having to come back. If you ever come to New York City, come see us and we'll treat you like big shots."
- CNN
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Skyping Belgium
Zoe Skyped me as she wanted to try out Skyping while she was slightly inebriated. This is something you really should hear, though she asked that I not record our conversation. (That's what SHE thinks.) :-)
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December 24, 2004
Happy Holidays!
This elf is off like a dirty shirt. Best wishes for a great holiday!
Posted by me, of course!
December 23, 2004
Ho x 3
After three days in the woods (a lovely break from the city) and having gone stir crazy in stores that end in "mart" I needed some sort of distraction. Though on dialup, I managed to keep up with my blog reading and even deposited some commentary here and there.
Now that I've returned briefly to my usual neck o' the non-woods, here's some linkin' love and other nibbles and bits for the holidays. Should I experience additional moments of insanity today (I'd say that's a guarantee) I'll add more.
* * * * * * * * * *
Al whips out the chainsaw ... in a manly effort to unearth a Christmas tree.
Lord Oz... tips us off that for $76, we too can become a Lord or Lady.
The divine Ms. Zoe is now on her Christmas break, and shared her thoughts about "Fuckwit:"
I left the office in pretty good spirits as Fuckwit didn't hold me back whilst he signed each and every bill that I've been preparing over the past three mornings as he usually does. He tried to, but I simply trilled that it was time for me to leave the office and pointed to my watch. I would stay on, but if he carries on refusing to employ me full-time for a job that needs a full-time employee, then up his.
Daisy claims her dog ate her blog posts.
Paul was in a wedding recently. He writes:
Actually, the hardest part of all was that we had to take pictures on a BRIDGE, in GRAND RAPIDS over a RIVER, in the MIDDLE OF WINTER. And yes, it may not be winter yet, but someone tell Michigan, cause my testicles will happily disagree. I didn't have a jacket and couldn't wear one if I did.
I love Paul. He's got the greatest sense of humor and a wicked, devilish writing style that I simply can't get enough of. Here's more:
I have more pictures, but I don't want to flood the web and cause it to crash from overhandsomeness.
Kat ponders:
I just noticed this morning that the damned clerk didn't pull a .55 cent coupon off of the bottle of shaving cream I purchased so I'm seriously considering taking that coupon back to the store, stapling it to his forehead and demanding my .55 cents. That's not an over-reaction, right? If you think about it he really has it coming.
Here's wishing Tine a speedy recovery from a very nasty chest cold!
MIA bloggers...
I'm missing Nick's blog writing. I hope your holidays are lovely Nick.
I also miss Tom and his blog, HeadCleaner(). Damn.
...and Dawn's fabulous writing. Boo hoo!
Pogo is dreadfully busy:
The manic Christmas Eve gimme them fuckin sprouts or I'll rip your head off and shit down your neck Sainsburys thing needs to be sorted out tomorrow. Never pretty. Always entertaining. I wonder what the Mad Impulse Buy will be this year?
Greg asks What does it mean?
... as my node fills up, there may be some speed variations but, for now, I'm Shatner riding the rocket to places unknown at the speed of light...
Sad, Sad, Sad
Ted, if you know anything about me at all, you'd know that the rudolphs are "deer" to my heart. I'm, I'm, I'm... shocked. Hey! Is that Al from Fulton Chain dressed as Santa?
Today's quote comes from Kenster J, my delightful podcasting partner in slime, who blurted out the following mid-conversation. (note:
context irrelevant.):
Well that's just downright horny!
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December 21, 2004
Quickie
Buckets full of thanks, Al. You da man!
Posted by me, of course!
December 20, 2004
Broked Fixed
Updated 12/21: all better now. Yay Al!
How mysterious that the xml feed for the Ken and Squip Show would somehow just up and regurgitate all over itself. Though I attempted to post the new show along with all the production notes, it didn't take the link or the notes. (Sorry, Ken.) Even though the actual link isn't there, the URL made it into the post, just copy and paste into your browser window. (Yes this works. I tried it.)
So... (insert heavy sigh here)... while I'm in the car and it's slipping and sliding on the road due to zero temperatures and frozen roads, you can be sure I'll be pondering this latest technical glitch. Not! As if I haven't had enough of them this year.
Oh P.S. I'll post the show and notes here... in the meantime.
P.P.S. And if it all gets fixed somehow, I'll post about that too.
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Travels
I'm travelling for the next few days and that means dial-up. A molasses-like connection means disabling image loading, and inability to download podcasts, etc. But hey, no surprise here, I can continue to receive spam.
Something's definitely wrong with that picture.
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Oh, Canada!
It's that time of year again. The temperature has dipped considerably and the rain has turned to snow. Tomorrow promises temperatures at zero, and y'all know where it swoops down from... :-) This post is guaranteed to start the now-annual winter festival of snark between the down-state chick and her frozen, upstate friend. Let the virtual snowball throwing begin!
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Cashmere for Rover
Christmas spending on dog apparel has surged in New York, where cashmere sweaters priced at $100 and alpaca sweaters from $55 are reported to be big sellers. "My dogs have bigger wardrobes than most people," said one owner of an upscale pet products store. Nationwide, 54 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners are expected to buy their pet a holiday gift.
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Window Performance
To promote business, a Santa Cruz, California adult products store has hired pole dancers clad in Claus-themed outfits to perform in its window. Customers who spend more than $100 will be entered in an hourly lottery in which the prize is a free lap dance.
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Holiday Spirit
As I sat writing out last-minute Christmas cards and wrapping presents, I thought I heard singing... Christmas carols. The sound grew louder, and I thought it was someone's car radio outside. When I looked out my window, there were about 20 people standing on the sidewalk -- carolers with the most amazing singing voices (Lincoln Center talent, perhaps?) For a city that can be quite cold and unfriendly, this was a wonderful surprise.
Posted by me, of course!
December 16, 2004
Hey Al, Get Out of My Dreams!
Al of Fulton Chain and his significant other were in my dreams last night. Al and I are friends even though we've never met, and he's often come to the rescue when I've encountered blog technical or design nightmares. Al's the man! I digress.
Back to that dream...
Now y'all know I have enough trouble sleeping, but did you have to barge in like that and start a party? All I remember is that his s/o and I were having a grand old time, and Al wasn't around much and when he was, he barely spoke. Somehow I find that believable. :-)
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Fortune Cookies
A fun thing to do the next time you're in a Chinese restaurant and you're cracking open a fortune cookie to unearth the pearls of wisdom inside. Add the words "in bed" at the end of the fortune. Here's an example:
"You will be fortunate in the opportunities presented to you... in bed."
:-)
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Comment Spam
The evil comment spammers are working overtime. My server logs are filled with attempts from the bottom dwellers, and over the weekend I deleted at least 40 pieces of spam per each of my blogs. The folks who do this should be drawn and quartered.
It's bad enough to receive hundreds of pieces email spam; comment spam just makes matters worse and ultimately forces a blogger to disable the comments function. The alternative is for a blacklist of IP addresses and/or having your visitors register before the comment is posted. Though a blacklist may work, asking visitors to register seems a bit much to me, though perhaps helpful in the end. Any thoughts? (Note:Chances are that this post will be comment spammed since I'm leaving the comments function open for responses.)
Addition: For another viewpoint, go read Al's post, Tipping Point? at Fulton Chain.
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December 13, 2004
Scooter
While browsing in a store in Austin with friend Marcus, I'd point out different items to him, saying things like "isn't this cute!" or "look at THAT!" or "oh! cool!" When we returned to the car, Marcus handed me a box, mumbling something along the lines of "here, this is for you." He surprised me with his gesture, but I was more surprised and delighted when I opened the box:
"Scooter" struck me as a loner and I thought he needed some company. After digging through a box of Christmas ornaments, I found a life partner for him. Each time I look at the two together on that scooter it makes me laugh.
Yeah, I'm goofy like that.
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Under the Mistletoe
Send this or other cards available on 'tis the Season
ho x 3.
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December 7, 2004
Liquids + Computers = Nightmare
Around this time last year I wrote about the heartbreaking moment when my tea toppled over and onto my G4 Titanium laptop. The sudden and stress-inducing mishap resulted in a vow to never have liquids anywhere near my laptop again, since this disaster resulted in having to buy a new laptop. *Poof!* went files that weren't backed up, the additional gigabytes that made the Titanium a lean, mean fighting machine, the photographs I'd just transferred from the camera. Trust me. You don't ever want to go through this - EVER.
Though I'll not soon give up my caffeine while 'puting, I found a solution for my habit of having a tea or coffee cup in the proximity of the new laptop. With liquid-filled cups forever banned from the immediate area, I've got a smaller table that is nestled under my desk with enough room between both for the cup to fit. This way, if a mishap is destined to occur again, it won't cost me a dime because the liquid would simply empty out onto the table and the floor. voila!
For those of you who have carpeted floors, tea and coffee spills are difficult to remove unless you've got soap and water at the ready. That fix works - sometimes. Otherwise, the smaller table and perhaps a plastic mat under it, large enough to protect the carpeted area underneath, might be a good idea.
What's that saying again... an ounce of prevention is worth... what? Right. An ounce of prevention is worth the cost of a new computer.
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The Elf Resigns
It's no longer fun to be the appointed family elf.
Once upon a time it somehow became my responsibility to send an email to family members asking them for their Xmas wish lists. The idea of asking for lists was to eliminate the unnecessary taxing of one's brain and providing more than enough gift ideas within a reasonable price range. The exercise also helped everyone avoid duplication and subsequent returns.
I approached this assignment in my usual way -- take a ho-hum task and infuse it with humor. This worked for the first couple of years that I did it. I was funny. I was witty. I left them wanting more. I could have done standup comedy.
Somewhere along the lines I lost that humor gene. I tried to find it. I looked everywhere for it; under sofa cushions, in cupboards, boxes of important papers, in the pages of books in my bookcase. I scoured the files on my laptop and those now housed on CDs. I came up empty. I posted about it last year on November 25 -- "Call for Wit" -- hoping that some of my readers could assist me in tapping into my funny bone, and some of you really tried to help me.
Even though I tried my best last year, the humor just wasn't there. The email went out and it was ho-hum in content. To make matters worse, the response was pathetic. You'd think that after years of doing this, family members would have a clue and be a bit more cooperative. Some were, some were not. This resulted in additional communiques; three or four more emails requesting information from them. It had now reached the ridiculous stage, an absolute waste of my time as well as drastically altering my usually upbeat attitude. How difficult can this task be? What part of "please" do you not understand? *sigh*
That was last year's debacle. My absolute frustration and failure in obtaining a 100 percent response left me no choice but to resign this year. I decided that I'd hand in my elf hat and pointy-toed slippers and quit. My resignation has afforded me the luxury of sitting back and watching someone else try to do that very same thing I did last year. It has been amusing but at the same time, reminds me of my own frustration back then. Though some lists have been sent out, I've decided to ignore them. This retired elf is giving each one a fruitcake. :-)
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December 6, 2004
Back After a Technical Nightmare
In response to -- what happened? where did you go? when will you be back?" -- it all boils down to just a couple of minor details, like exceeding my bandwidth for November and hosting snafus. The important thing is that I have access once more and can now blather on endlessly. Oh joy, oh thrill, oh blah, blah, blah. :-)
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