Web Writing

Here's an article designed to tell you how to improve the writing on your website. I wish I understood what it meant.

Technorati tag: Writing for Websites

Cable a la Carte

Update: R. Alex Whitlock has a different perspective on the issue of a la carte cable. His feeling that this approach will likely not drop prices has some merit, although I think this is more than just an issue of pricing...it's also about the ability to better control the media content that comes into your home.

It's not surprising that the cable TV industry is pushing back against the FCC report proposing that consumers will be better served if they have the ability to purchase programming by the channel, rather than via the big multi-channel packages now offered.

The arguments I've seen against the proposal all center around concerns of "breaking the current economic model," as if that was a bad thing. Those arguments are simply another indication of the intense desire of yet another mainstream media outlet to tell consumers what's good for them, rather than the other way around. And like the newsprint, music, movie and broadcast TV industries, fighting against these changes will only delay the inevitable.

It's ironic, really, in that cable TV broke the stranglehold that its broadcast cousins had on the viewing public by offering more choices. Yet, now that a proposal to enhance the usefulness of those choices is being put forth, cable is screaming bloody murder.

Obviously, the cable operators sense an impending drop in revenues, both from lower subscription rates as well as from falling advertising income as advertisers pull back from the less popular channels. An informal poll in today's Wall Street Journal shows that 51% of responders would subscribe to 10-24 channels, 22% to fewer than 10 and only 5% would pay for more than 50 channels.

Another argument against the a la carte approach is that smaller networks won't survive. Apparently, many of those niche programmers are in business only because they're riding the coattails of channels that people actually want to watch. Here again, this argument seems to be a rejection of the basic notion that people ought to be able to vote with their pocketbooks. If no one wants to pay to watch a particular cable channel, that's a pretty good indication that its business or programming model is flawed and it should have never been launched in the first place.

The only problem I have with the a la carte proposal is that it's being pushed as a mandate by the federal government, which generally means that it will end up being badly implemented. What we really need is for one cable operator to step up and embrace what will ultimately be the wave of the future and thereby put pressure on the rest of the industry to follow. I'm not holding my breath.

Technorati tags: Cable TV | a la carte Cable Programming

Rattlesnake Vaccine for Dogs

It seems like the rattlesnake has been a recurring theme around here lately, beginning with this post about the big honkin' snake purportedly killed in the Panhandle (the report of which, by the way, is appearing more and more to be a gross exaggeration). But west Texas in general is rattlesnake country, and so I wasn't surprised yesterday to notice a poster in the vet's office advertising a vaccine designed to protect dogs against rattler bites.

Red Rock Biologics manufactures the vaccine, which is given initially in two doses a month apart, then followed by one annual booster shot in the spring, before the snakes emerge from hibernation (or a month before taking the dog into rattler country).

According to this article, the cost is about $20 per dose, making it a very reasonably priced alternative to applying anti-venom after a bite, assuming you can locate any to begin with.

According to Red Rock's FAQ, the company is also developing vaccines to protect against other types of venomous snake bites, which I assume would be primarily for copperheads and water moccasins in the US.

My brother and his wife live in an area that's literally swarming with rattlers. They're aware of at least one active den within a stone's throw of their house, and each summer they'll kill anywhere from a half dozen to 20 or more snakes around their property. They've had dogs bitten by rattlers and the recuperation is slow and painful...and that's best case. It appears that Red Rock's vaccine may be the answer to those kinds of problems.

Technorati tags: Rattlesnake Vaccine | Red Rock Biologics

What's in a [Domain] Name?

I wouldn't normally link to an article of this nature as it contains some references that are, shall we say, on the other side of tastefulness, but it's also a valid reminder that details are important when creating a website for your business. Keep in mind that the sites mentioned are (or were at the time the post was made) real websites for legitimate businesses.

It occurs to me that until the web became ubiquitous, there was never any reason to think about the seemingly harmless space between the words of a business or organization name.

Of course, there are some who might suggest that consideration should also be given to the acronym associated with, say, blog names.

Tip o'the hat to the occasionally bilingual 網絡暴民 Jacky's Blog, one of the true "link blogs," the genre that once ruled the blogosphere.

Monday Morning Debriefing

You know it could be an interesting day when you can't keep your earmuffs on during the morning walk...

• The Answer, My Friend... - To describe yesterday's weather as windy is like saying that Mike Tyson could use a little help with his decision-making skills. We had gusts of around 50 mph, but that was a gentle breeze compared to Guadalupe Pass where a gust of 110 mph was reported. That's equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.


• Bring on Da Gospel, Bring on Da Funk - Our church's TV crew had a little something extra on our headsets during yesterday morning's worship services, as the signal from one of the local hip-hop radio stations strayed onto the com frequency. I was hoping for a fire-and-brimstone sermon so I could hear simultaneous references to both cast-outs and OutKast.


• Much Ado about Nothing - I admit that I fail to grasp the irony or significance of the fact that US Border Patrol agents are wearing uniforms made in Mexico. I was under the impression that La Migra was responsible for protecting our borders from illegal immigration, not the enforcement of a policy of total national isolationism.


• Sat, but not Downed - Among the many other indignities Abbye has been forced to bear is the gradual loss of hair, particularly from her hindquarters. This is a phenomenon for which we have no explanation, let alone a solution, and it's been going on for more than a year. It's a shame, really, as her coat was one of the most amazing things about her. She had a long multicolored top coat underlaid with a thick thatch of fine cream-colored hair, much like down on a duck. It was great insulation in both heat and cold, and her skin rarely got wet due to its moisture shedding properties. Now, she has the world's only full-bodied comb-over. But she really hasn't shown any signs of it bothering her, at least not until this morning. When we came to an intersection where we needed to pause to let traffic clear, I gave her the sit command and she complied immediately...sort of. I noticed that her rear was actually hovering about a half inch above the cold sidewalk. I can't say as I blame her, of course, but I guess we'll have to start working on the "squat" command just to keep things copacetic.

I hope your Monday is a good one (offer void where prohibited, and irrelevant in Singapore and New Zealand, where it's now Tuesday), and that your earmuffs find harmony with your head, as needed.

Abbye Update #814

Abbye seems to be returning to her normal state: lazy, pampered, spoiled beyond belief. However, I suspect that she's also a lot more suspicious of trips in the car, seeing as how the last two have resulted in close to ten needle sticks.

We returned to Midland yesterday morning, just in time for me to drop MLB and Abbye off at the vet's office while I went home and unloaded the car. Abbye got injections of antibiotic (a new and apparently tolerable variation) and anti-nausea (also a new concoction) as well as subcutaneous injections of fluids to treat mild dehydration. She did fine the rest of the day, although some strange behavior at 3:00 a.m. interrupted our sleep (it turned out to be nothing of significance).

MLB took her back this morning at 8:00 for more injections and fluids, and she's been what passes for normal around here ever since...other than her adamant refusal to go outside because of the leaves of death. (We shall not speak of the resulting spot on the living room rug.)

I'm to take her for one final appointment in the morning, at which time I hope the vet will release her to a normal diet, as she's been quite surly at not receiving her proper quota of puppy biscuits.

By the way, she wishes to extend her warm thanks to each of you who have been so kindly solicitous of her health and well-being, and she has asked me to alert you to the fact that you may receive a summons to appear at the upcoming civil trial in which she plans to sue me for violating her right to privacy under HIPAA. Such is life with a canine primadonna. But I'm sure we'll be able to settle out of court. We always have.

Book Review: "Chasing Lance"

How significant is the Tour de France to its namesake country? On Bastille Day, that most French of all holidays, the only financial institution permitted to conduct business is the mobile bank that accompanies the bicycle race as it moves across Europe.

That's one of the many behind-the-scenes tidbits served by Martin Dugard in his chronicle of Lance Armstrong's quest for a record seventh Tour de France victory. Of course, there's little suspense, as we all know that Armstrong was successful, but Chasing Lance is about the journey, not the destination.

Dugard has authored a number of books about human achievement and adventure, and has written articles for magazines like Outside and Sports Illustrated. In Chasing Lance, he capitalizes on his securing of a coveted press pass to bring us an insider's look at the 2005 Tour de France, the race in which Lance Armstrong not only secured his place in the permanent lore of cycling but which was ostensibly his last competition as a profession racer.

Dugard has covered the Tour before, has followed Lance's career for years, and has a love for the sport and a deep appreciation for the challenges of riding in what is billed as the world's toughest competition. He also loves the country of France and has taken the time to study its history. (Don't be fooled by his name; while "Martin du Gard" is a French author who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1937, this Martin has not a drop of Gallic blood in his veins.)

He uses the descriptions of the historical significance of the towns through which the Tour traveled as context for the athletic drama being played out in the race itself. Each chapter is devoted to a stage of the race, with Dugard providing insight as to the individual and team strategies for attempting to master the difficult course. The Tour de France is replete with obscure traditions; it's also a masterpiece of modern logistical achievement as a veritable army travels more than 2,000 miles over the three week course of the race. Chasing Lance provides an entertaining education about the details of both aspects.

The pacing of the book mirrors that of the 2005 version of the race. The early and middle stages are where the heart of the battle for the yellow jersey (the symbol of the overall race leader) are played out, and that's where Dugard concentrates his attention. The strategy for the latter stages is generally centered around not making any mistakes, and there's rarely much drama in terms of the placement of the top riders. But there are still as many subplots playing out as riders in the race, and Dugard provides a look at some of those that might otherwise be overlooked, including some attention to the lantern rouge (the reference to "red lantern" coming from the light that hung from the caboose of a train), the term applied to the rider in last place. In 2005, that distinction belonged to Spaniard Iker Flores, who found no humiliation in his placement. After all, 34 other riders had either dropped out or fallen so far behind as to be disqualified from continung the race.

Dugard is well enough connected to have gotten an interview or two with The Man himself, as well as getting to spend time with other personalities well known to those who follow the Tour de France. The strength of the book comes from his access to those stories and insights, and to the fact that he covered the race from beginning to end, giving him the ability to put into overall context the daily drama (and, yes, even boredom) that played out on the road (and after the day's stage).

In the end, his attempt to equate cosmic significance to Armstrong's achivements borders on hero worship, but that's not to take away from those achievements or the effect they've had on people around the world...and especially other cancer survivors. And I don't fault Dugard for his enthusiasm for Lance, someone who, if not exactly a close friend, does at least have his cell phone number and has called him for a chat. I suspect that for any cycling fan -- or for a fan of human endurance and achievement -- that's pretty heady stuff.

If you're a TdF fan, this is a must-have book. Even if you're new to the sport or the race, Dugard's clear non-technical descriptions of the action and his human-oriented anecdotes make for an interesting and fast read.

Oh, and in case you're wondering...according to Dugard, Lance told him that he will not be racing again. Lance's explanation of why that's so provides the perfect epilogue for the book.

As always, I want to thank the good folks at the Online Marketing department of the Time Warner Book Group for providing a review copy of this book.

Technorati tags: Chasing Lance | Martin Dugard | Tour de France | Lance Armstrong

Abbye Watch: The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Abbye did not have a good Thanksgiving evening. First, she suffered the indignity of my cramming a pill down her throat when she refused to accept it wrapped in even the tastiest of morsels. Then she had another bout of throwing up, making us despair that we were making any progress on her recovery. To make matters worse, we were unable to get another antibiotic tablet down her before bedtime.

When we awoke this morning, she just laid in her crate, eyes half-closed, refusing to even acknowledge our presence. We began to discuss potential options, one of which was to hurry her back to Midland and leave her with the vet for continual monitoring. How bad did things seem? MLB had tears in her eyes as she said "I just can't bear the thought of her dying over there by herself." I had no good words of comfort.

We decided to go for a run, hoping that the cold air and exertion would help us focus on what needed to be done. When we finished, she kept going a few more blocks while I went in the house to check on Abbye...who, by that time, had apparently decided that the joke had gone far enough and was trotting around the house looking for a handout of leftover turkey. I put her on the leash and we set out to meet MLB. Abbye was as animated and alert as she was before all this started.

So, we've gone from cutting our trip short to return her to the vet in the hope that he might somehow save her life, to MLB going shopping with my mother and our niece. Abbye's now asleep in her crate, which is her normal mode this time of day. And we've decided that the antibiotic was actually making her sicker instead of healing her. She's had adverse reactions to antibiotics in the past. As it turns out, her refusal to take one last night was probably the key to the apparent turning of the corner.

And, as far as why she refused to acknowledge our presence this morning, I think it was her way of expressing her absolute disgust with the lack of respect accorded to her yesterday evening when I manhandled that pill down her throat. Let that be a lesson to me.

Happy Turkey Day!

We're safely ensconced in the old homestead, readying ourselves for a turkey-eating marathon: not one, but two Thanksgiving dinner. Well, in the west Texas vernacular, we'll be having one Thanksgiving dinner and one Thanksgiving supper.

The whole crew went to Mi Casita last night for Mexican food, and we weren't the only ones who thought that was a good idea. The little café seats about 50; there were about 47 people present, mostly in three big groups. Excellent food, and the service was pretty good considering that everyone pretty much arrived at the same time.

Abbye's doing a bit better, although as is so often the case, the medication seems to be causing as many problems as the symptoms its treating. The anti-nausea medicine weirds her out, making her extremely agitated. But she's been able to keep some food and water down, and that's very encouraging. Thanks to everyone who have expressed concern about the little dog!

MLB and I slept in this morning -- until 7:15! -- then went for a run. The weather's nice, low 50s when we first went out, high thin clouds and a light westerly breeze. I wore a short-sleeved t-shirt and running tights...not bad for late November. We returned and had a light breakfast, just enough to tide us over until the first feast.

It's a long story as to why we're having two big meals today, so I'll spare you the details. In any event, I hope your day is a good one, peaceful and happy and spent with family and/or good friends. I know we're blessed beyond belief; I hope you feel the same way!

BTW, I heard yesterday that the American Greetings Thanksgiving ecard featuring the turkey singing a spoof of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" anthem has become the most popular card in its history, with over 30 million viewings thus far.

SSG. Will Heading Home; One Final Request

The Good News

SSG. Will is wrapping up his official duties in Iraq and is preparing to hop aboard a C-130 for Kuwait. If things go according to schedule, he'll be back in the States in time for Christmas shopping with his wife and daughter. Please pray for continued safety and health as he prepares for that special first Christmas with his new (to him, anyway) daughter.

In an email I received this morning, he writes that if it weren't for having a wife and child to return to, he'd just as soon stay in Iraq and continue the work there until it's finished. He sees the value of what we're accomplishing and is proud to be a part of that. And, in case you're wondering, he and his fellow soldiers aren't paying much attention to the nonsense being spouted by certain politicians back in the States. That grandstanding is irrelevant to their recognition of and commitment to the job of giving democracy a chance to take root in the Middle East.

The Not-So-Good News

That's not to say that everything's hunky-dory in SSG. Will's part of the war. I've received an eye-opening education about how ridiculously bureaucratic the US military can be when it applies itself, and I want to share that with you...and then ask for your assistance, one more time.

SSG. Will's primary responsibilities are as a Supply Sergeant. As such, he's the guy who sees that the troops get the equipment and supplies they need to fight the war. In some ways, he's like a very well armed accountant. Not only did he occasionally go out on combat missions, but he also had to handle all the paperwork involved with keeping track of millions of dollars of US government property needed to execute said war.

Military Bureaucracy at Its Finest

Here's where my understanding of the process broke down. If a piece of equipment cannot be properly accounted for, the unit's Commanding Officer and Supply Sergeant are responsible for reimbursing the government for the value of that property out of their own pockets! So, for example, if SSG. Will issued a pair of M24 binoculars to a soldier who subsequently loses them (or sends them home as a souvenir, not that that ever happens), Will is liable for the $386 cost, unless he can produce written evidence that he issued the binoculars. The problem is that during a war, paperwork is often not the top priority, as you might imagine, and receipts can't always be located after the dust settles.

To make a long story short, it appears that SSG. Will and his C.O. are going to be liable for about $2,250 of unaccounted-for equipment, which will come out of their paychecks. In terms of percentage of total value of the equipment under their responsibility, this is just a rounding error...but it's a significant hit to an individual soldier's pay.

Now, I'm an accountant by education and I'm married to an accountant, and I understand perfectly the importance of having a strong system of controls in place to protect the US government assets that were purchased using my tax dollars. I applaud the philosophy of requiring personal accountability, a philosophy that should apply to each and every one of us who is an employee. But I also believe that such policies should be administered with an eye toward reasonability and materiality, and I don't think that sticking a couple of soldiers with a bill for $2,000 following a wartime deployment is reasonable.

Introducing the "Black Knight Fund"

Therefore, I'm putting forth the audacious proposal that we help SSG. Will and his CO with those expenses. I'd like to raise at least half of the money that Uncle Sam is doing to ding them for. I've bounced the idea off Will, who also visited with his CO about it, and they've agreed to the concept.

If you're in agreement, here's how you can help. We've converted the old "SGT. Will Fund" into the "Black Knight Fund," Black Knight being the call sign for Will's company. There's a PayPal "Make a Donation" button over in the right column, and if you'd like to help offset the amount described above, just click it and enter the amount you want to donate. 100% of the proceeds (minus PayPal's nominal processing fee) will be forwarded to Will for use in paying this assessment. If donations are sufficient to cover the entire cost, we'll deactivate the fund when the balance reaches $2,250. We're just trying to keep a couple of military paychecks whole.

I realize that this is a rather unusual request, calling for unusual trust. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me; my email address is available in the right sidebar also. Thanks in advance for your consideration of this request.

Getting Christmas

Deb Thompson over at Write Lightning is my favorite Seventh Day Adventist blogger -- well, she's one of my favorites, period -- and I highlight that descriptor only to provide some context for my recommendation that you go read her wide-ranging post about the Ten Commandments, Jerry Falwell, boycotts and how to revive a harried and harassed store clerk on Christmas eve. I like the way she thinks.

Doggy Doldrums

The forecast calls for monsoonal miasma, with occasional breaks for apathy and doldrums.

We have a sick dog, just in time for the holidays. Abbye's been throwing up everything she's chowing down -- which hasn't been much -- for a couple of days, so she went to the vet today and we're awaiting results from a blood test. She's running a slight fever and has slightly jaundiced eyes, possibly indicating a liver inflammation. She got five injections -- a B12 shot, an antibiotic and three injections of fluids for dehydration. She's not a happy camper, so neither are we. The bright spot is that she's on a doctor-prescribed diet of Gerber's baby food (smushed chicken; mooshed beef; etc.), and she does think that's pretty good stuff...and so far, it's been staying with her. But, it looks like no turkey for her this week, unless it's the gelled variety.

A Devolting Development

Update: Following a power outage of almost another hour, plus another 20 minutes for the systems to re-boot, MLB was able to resume the exam where she'd left off...and pass it! (She's so smart.) Three parts down, one to go.

I don't know what's going on with our power grid this morning, but my UPS has kicked in a half dozen times over the past hour. Nothing major -- not even enough to reset the clock on our overly-sensitive microwave oven -- but it's dimmed the lights and I'm sure my computer would have gone down without the UPS backup.

However, it's apparently worse in other parts of town. MLB just called on her cell phone to say that she's been sitting in front of a dark monitor for the past twenty minutes. Normally, that wouldn't be a huge deal; she would just switch to another task. Unfortunately, the monitor she's staring at is in the test center where she was almost halfway through the third part of the CMA exam. After spending about twenty hours in preparation over the weekend, in addition to all the studying she did up to that point, she's not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to reschedule...or having to think about it over the Thanksgiving holiday.

And, this just occurred to me. Since the exam is administered online, I wonder if her progress up to the point where the power went off was saved. If the power comes back up and she finds that she's got to start over, I pity the fool who was messing with the power lines if she ever tracks 'em down!

Busy Monday

Following a pretty slow weekend, which itself followed a pretty slow week, today has been quite hectic (I've worked on nine websites thus far today). I suppose everyone's trying to get last minute tasks completed before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Anyway, posting will be light around here, all the more so since I just received in this afternoon's mail -- courtesy of the wonderful folks at Time Warner Book Group -- a hot-off-the-press copy of Chasing Lance, written by Martin Dugard. It's the account of Lance's final professional bicycle race in the 2005 Tour de France, and I'm really looking forward to reading it. Watch for a review within the next week or so.

Technorati tags: Chasing Lance | Martin Dugard

WWJD: Who Would Jesus Deck?

Update (11/22/05): Yesterday, TCAL officials awarded the state football championship to our local high school team, and mailed the trophy to the school. We probably shouldn't read anything into the fact that the TCAL website makes no mention of this.

Yesterday, one of our local high school football teams was playing for the state championship in its league. Unfortunately, after fights broke out in two consecutive plays, the game was suspended by the referees, and it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be. Our local team had a significant lead when the game was suspended shortly into the second quarter.

The championship being contested was that of the TCAL...the Texas Christian Athletic League, a statewide association of private Christian schools.

The more I think about this, the more it bothers me. If Christians wonder why they're making such a small impact in society today, they need look no further than this example to get a clue.

Here's what the coach of the local team was quoted as saying about the game: ""We were not the cause of this," Jauz said. "We were only trying to defend ourselves."

Well. Who could argue with "trying to defend ourselves"? Oh, let's see. How about the person for whom the athletic league is named, none other than Jesus Christ? That defense doesn't seem to square very well with what Jesus said here:

Oh, but he didn't mean that literally, did he? Well, I'll leave that to you to work out with God, if you're so inclined to question Him about it. But you can be sure that the world at-large is watching to see how you answer that question, if you're a follower of Christ, and if your faith doesn't distinguish you from anything else it sees, you can't blame it if it questions the value of that faith.

I don't know how the TCAL controversy will be resolved and frankly, I don't care. Both teams forfeited their right to be honored as "champions" according to the criteria that truly matter, and that's truly regrettable.

Technorati tag: Texas Christian Athletic League

Backing Up or Reformating iTunes Music

One of the misconceptions I sometimes hear about music purchased via Apple's iTunes Music Store (ITMS) is that the songs cannot be converted to another format for back-up purposes, or for playing on your home or car stereo without using an iPod. The confusion arises because music purchased from iTMS is downloaded in MPEG-4 AAC format rather than the more familiar MP3, and it has DRM protection built into it, so that right out of the box, so to speak, it won't play on anything but iTunes or an iPod.

The fact is, however, that you can convert your purchased AAC music into regular old uncompressed AIFF files -- the same kind found on any commercial audio CD. In fact, iTunes itself provides you with the capability of doing this, and if you want to make a back-up copy of your purchased music (and also play it via non-Apple outlets), here's how to do that.

Note that the following instructions apply to the Mac version of iTMS, but they should be similar, if not identical, on the Windows version.

First, insert a blank CD, then open iTunes. Select the "Advanced" menu item under iTunes Preferences, and then click on the menu option labeled "Burning." Select the appropriate settings for your CD burner, but make sure the radio button labeled "Audio CD" is toggled on. You're going to make an audio CD, not a data or MP3 CD. Once you've made the appropriate selections, click "OK."

You should be back in the main iTunes window. If you haven't already done so, create a new Playlist containing the songs you want to backup to CD. Keep in mind that the songs being recorded to the new CD will be uncompressed and thus more than ten times larger than the originals. I recommend using total minutes rather than file size to determine how many tracks you can burn to the CD.

Once you've created your Playlist, click on it to highlight it and the "Burn Disc" icon in the upper right corner (see screenshot at right) of iTunes should be clickable. Click it to start the recording. The end result will be a CD containing the songs in AIFF format, and it should be usable in any car or home CD player.

There are some downsides to this approach. First, since you're working from a compressed source file, the quality of the resulting AIFF will be somewhat lower than if you'll find on the original CD of whatever music you're backing up. Whether you'll notice the difference in quality will depend on the sensitivity of your ears and your stereo system. I'm guessing that 95% of us won't be able to tell the difference, but your mileage may vary.

Second, you'll lose all identifying information for the tracks you backup: album name, artist, song name, album art. If this is important to you, you'll want to create a copy of the disk you just made and use the copying software to manually add that information.

Now, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. First, this is not intended to be a process whereby you bypass the DRM and make a bunch of copies of purchased music for your friends. We'll all be terribly disappointed if you do this. OTOH, I'm not your mother.

Second, this process is useful for another purpose and that's to edit purchased music. Why would you want to do this? Well, that's up to you, but here's one recent example of why I made a copy of a song. The original version of the song is about eight minutes in length, a nice catchy hip-hop tune with good lyrics...but the last two minutes contains a bizarre recording of a series of messages from an answering machine. I'm sure the artist's vision required that this be included, but I don't share his vision, and I certainly don't want to listen to those messages everytime the tune pops up on my 'pod. So I converted the song to AIFF, fired up Sound Studio, cropped the song at the point the music ends and the messages begin, added a tasteful five second fadeout, saved the new version to another AIFF, then imported it back into iTunes in AAC format. I not only saved two minutes on my 'pod, but I eliminated something I didn't want to listen to. (I did keep the original version intact.)

One last note. If all you want to do is make a back-up copy of your iTunes Library, you're much better off copying it to DVD. Use the same process as described above, but in the Preferences/Advanced/Burning panel, select "Data CD" (even if you're going to burn a DVD).

"If you are OCD, press '1' repeatedly..."

The entertainment of the day comes from my pal Gene, who happens to be a counselor and thus comes across all kinds of -- dare I say it? -- crazy things. I'm afraid to call his office now, for fear that this is what I'll hear...and I won't have a clue as to how to react.

BPFAA Hamming it Up

McDonald's new spoof ad site for its McRib sandwich is pretty good; they even grabbed a dot-org domain name to further the illusion. Even the privacy policy has some funny stuff (I'd link to it but the whole dang site's a Flash movie). The videos are kind of corny, but what would you expect from a pig farmers association?

However, I can't help thinking that after the huge success they had at the Utah State Fair, this would have been an absolutely perfect gig for Napoleon and Pedro. Somebody at the ad agency really fumbled the old pigskin on this one.

Technorati tags: BPFAA | McDonalds

I Knot Rhythm

In a feeble attempt to counterbalance the previous post about big dollar gifts, and also as an acknowledgement that as a guitarist, I make a fine dishwasher, I offer for your consideration the Zydeco Tie, courtesy of Lark in The Morning. Here's all you need to know:

The three little words every Zydecoan longs to hear: comes with thimbles.

It's just $25.00.

Technorati tag: Zydeco Tie

New Businesses

We visited with the soon-to-be-manager of the soon-to-open Starbucks and he told us that the "café" (I didn't know they referred to their stores as "cafés"; how very Seattlean) across from the new Wal-Mart will open for business on Friday, December 2. But here's the real news; they'll be serving free coffee from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on December 1st as a pre-opening event.

And, for those who might be heading to Big Bend or the Davis Mountains, the new IHOP in Fort Stockton is now open for business.

What's in a Name?

I'm looking at a "holiday" shopping catalog, one of those glossy numbers touting some "exclusive" gifts such as

• a Jimmy Buffett Las Vegas Concert Package for eight - Price: $30,000


• a 1969 Chip Foose custom-designed 620 hp 1969 Camaro and travel package to meet the designer - Price: $190,000


• a Hummer H3 Golf Car complete with hydraulic disk brakes and your choice of four colors - Price: $8,998


• An inflatable 16' wide x 13' tall projection TV screen with Peavy audio system, perfect for poolside movie watching - Price: $6,999


• a set of platinum ear studs made with 10 2/3 carat total weight in diamonds, one-of-a-kind - Price: $158,210


• an 82 carat diamond wreath necklace, made with 155 pear-shaped diamonds set in platinum - Price: $263,574

Have you guessed the catalog? Neiman-Marcus? Nope. Gump's? Huh-uh. Tiffany? Nyet.

It's from none other than those good old boys right down the street at your local Sam's Club, where you can buy Pampers and hand lotion in pick-up bed sized loads, along with everything you need to stock your candy machine and storm cellars.

Now, I'm not a marketing expert, and I've certainly never had 200 large to drop on a bauble, but I somehow think that if I did have that kind of dough, I wouldn't be trekking down to Sam's to spend it in this magnitude. In fact, it would likely never even occur to me that I could get these things at a Sam's Club. (Does your average millionaire -- and I'm talking annual cash flow here, not 401K/home equity/comic book collection balances -- spend any time thumbing through a Sam's catalog?)

I also can't help thinking that the fortunate recipient of one of the above gifts, especially one of the jewelry persuasion, would much rather be able to brag about it coming from one of those exclusive names mentioned above. But, maybe that's just me.

Perhaps if Sam's Club is able to provide the same level of savings on these high-end items as on the more plebian bulk commodities it's better known for, the smart money will, indeed, get spent there. I'm just skeptical about their success in attracting those eyeballs in the first place.

Oh, by the way. While I don't have a wish list posted on this blog, I can assure you that my pride is sufficiently held in check so as not to be offended in the least if you decide to bestow one of these splendidities on me out of the sheer goodness of your heart. Feel free to use the money you save to buy yourself something nice, as well.

Preying Mantis

I have mixed emotions about posting a link to this page, seeing as how this blog is already becoming Mantid Central and considering the delicate sensibilities of my readers, but in the interest of public safety I think we all need to be cognizant of the fact that a praying mantis is not a domesticated household pet, regardless of how cute and cuddly it looks.

I also think this is a warning to hummingbirds to reassess their position on the food chain.

Tip of the hat to Scott, who is apparently a mantid fan his own self.

"Walk the Line": Phoenix IS Cash

When Joaquin Phoenix first introduces himself on stage in Walk the Line, he's not convincing. But before the movie's over -- well before the end -- you've hopelessly sold out to the illusion that he is, indeed, Johnny Cash. And there's never any doubt, from the first shot, that Reese Witherspoon is June Carter.

Remember how Jamie Foxx became Ray Charles last year in Ray? Walk the Line raises the bar considerably in terms of actors and actresses stepping into the skin and souls of real people (I understand that Philip Seymour Hoffman does the same thing in Capote). It's one thing to adopt the speech patterns and physical mannerisms of another person, but it's quite something else when you are able to perform like them, especially when you're not a trained musician. Much has been hyped about how Phoenix and Witherspoon did their own singing and playing in the movie; I'm here to tell you that it ain't hype if it's true.

Walk the Line will get compared to Ray in other ways, especially for the parallels in the highs and lows, the self-destructive behaviors, of the men they portray. Those are fair comparisons. There were parts of Walk the Line that were hard to watch; nothing was sugarcoated. But the movie's overall theme was one of redemption and I couldn't help leaving the theater wishing I'd paid more attention to Johnny Cash while he was alive.

And I'll tell you another thing...this is a predication: they're gonna sell a(nother) bazillion dollars worth of Cash's music. And that's a good thing.

Technorati tags: Walk the Line | Joaquin Phoenix | Reese Witherspoon

Google Analytics & Blogs

I learned about Google Analytics from Jim's post over at Serotoninrain, and popped over to check it out. It seems like an interesting thing to have, although I've already got similar capabilities via SiteMeter and BlogFlux. But I decided to walk through the sign-up process anyway, just to see what was involved.

Everything was pretty straightforward and then I came to Google's User Agreement, which contains the following provision:

I wonder how many bloggers will actually read this provision, let alone create and post a privacy policy for their websites? Also, the requirement to "comply with all applicable laws relating to the collection of information" implies a heavier responsibility than one might initially think. Do you know the privacy laws in your state? I don't know anything about privacy laws in Texas.

Is this a big deal? Well, possibly. This is a legally enforceable agreement, although I don't believe Google is going to scan through the sites of all the subscribers for violations.

For me, for now, I'm going to pass. Life's complicated enough as it is. And I probably don't need another pie chart to -- as Jim so eloquently puts it -- tell me about the vast magnitude of visitors I'm not getting.

Technorati tags: Google Analytics | Privacy Laws

Oil in Tahiti? Riiiggghht...

The headline in the industry publication reads Shell Swaps Stake in Tahiti for Total’s South Texas Assets.

I'm thinking, where do I apply for a production supervisors job with Total? And how many Total execs are going to be taking "field trips" to check out these new assets? And, who's the lamebrain at Shell that approved this swap?

Turns out that Tahiti is actually the name of a deep-water Gulf of Mexico field operated by Chevron and located about 190 miles southwest of New Orleans. So much for visions of a tropical paradise.

Layout Tweak (Did you notice?)

Ever since the Gazette got a makeover last August, I've been dissatisfied with the look of the blogroll and recent post links shown in the right sidebar. The look wasn't bad...it just wasn't what I wanted, and I was frustrated that I couldn't get it right. I decided that the problem was that I didn't understand how Blogrolling.com was delivering the links via its Javascript, but I never thought to explore its website to see if there was some documentation that would clarify things.

Turns out, there is. In fact, there's a page entitled Customizing Look and Feel with CSS (the link is also available via the "Code Generator" page associated with each blogroll). A quick read of that page showed me what I needed to do.

I've now eliminated the too-wide gaps between the links and added discrete borders between them. And, I just checked the page in both IE and Firefox for Windows and it looks fine. I hope you approve.

And if you have a blog and are using Blogrolling.com's service, you might want to check the above-referenced documentation. Unless, of course, you've known about it all along...in which case, thanks for nothing. ;-)

Big Snake, Dead Snake, Heavy Snake, Fake Snake

Very few Gazette posts have generated traffic like this one showing the photo of the big rattlesnake purportedly killed near Fritch, Texas. I've even received email asking for the source of the photo so it could be verified. Unfortunately, I have no idea about who took the photo; it came to me via one of those endlessly forwarded emails that 99% of the time get trashed without a second glance.

Fortunately for those naysayers whose lives are such that they've got the time to perform the necessary trigonometric computations on the photo to prove that the snake can't possibly be as big as it looks, Snopes is on the case. I'm sure that -- just like a real dead rattlesnake -- this story still has a little bite left in it.

Technorati tag: Big Freakin' Dead Snake

KMID-TV Kisses Off Grande?

Update (11/18/05): According to this article in today's Midland Reporter-Telegram, the KMID and Grande have "reached an agreement" and ABC's local programming will not be pulled from the cable's lineup. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Does anyone really believe that the local ABC affiliate, KMID-TV, is going to withdraw its programming from the Grande Communications cable network in west Texas on December 31? I know; they say they're going to do it, calling it Grande's decision in electing not to pay the station 30¢ per subscriber. Of course, Grande provides a different perspective on the dustup (link is to a PDF document), including the following:

Gee, doesn't this sound familiar? Oh, now I remember. It was three years ago that KMID threatened to pull its programming from the other cable provider in the area, Cox Communications. Guess what? There was never any disruption of service.

All the same arguments I put forth back then still seem to apply. Of course, Grande's subscriber base is smaller than Cox's (I couldn't find any actual numbers to quantify the difference) but the real winners if this parting actually occurs will be the other three local stations, and, possibly, Cox itself. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that some people would rather switch cable companies than lose access to ABC programming; the network had four of the top ten shows (and three of the top five) in the last Nielsen survey.

Of course, the losers are the same schmoes that take it on the chin every time: the customers...you and me. Although, now that I think about it, removing easy access to "Desperate Housewives" from a few thousand homes each week might not be such a bad thing after all.

I predict this will get settled before December 31. If not, look for violence to potentially take place on January 4, 2006.

Technorati tags: Grande Communications | KMID-TV

Can You Hear Me Now?

The latest entry in the category of "I'm sure I need this if only to annoy the neighbors" is the iPod Mega Helmet, in which a plain old Radio Shack megaphone enters into an unholy union with an iPod and the whole schmear is mounted to a motorcycle helmet using stylish duct tape. Not only will you then be able to project your voice but also the music* on your 'pod. As the construction instructions note, this device would be handy on the softball field for aggravating opposing batters.

I can also see some definite possibilities for mounting on a bicycle helmet. And, considering the bikes I ride, this might actually make me look less geeky.

*Or you could record a podcast using your own voice, then broadcast that via the megaphone. While this might be helpful for those who get tongue-tied in social situations, I suspect that in general it would just be weird. And lazy.

Bonk of the helmet to Cult of Mac

Name the Movie

I'm falling pitifully short of my pledge to provide Content Free™ posts, so I hope this will help a bit in rehabilitating my reputation. Name the movie from which the following shot originates...and explain the context.

OSM Debuts *yawn*

The much-hyped Pajamas Media portal, Open Source Media (OSM), debuted a couple of days ago, and I'm still trying to figure out why it's a big deal. OSM is intended to be a "portal to the blogosphere," somehow bringing us the best and brightest, the most up-to-date and relevant, the sharpest of the cutting-edge -- so as to save us the trouble of finding it on our own. Or, possibly, having to rely on the MSM to get our content.

The only part of the concept I really grasp is that the founders hope to make some money from the site by selling advertising. Otherwise, I haven't seen any content compelling enough to make me want to return on a frequent basis. I've got a newsreader, and I know how to use it. I don't need a "portal" where someone who isn't me tries to decide what I'm interested in...even if those "someones" are all A-listers in the blogosphere. Plus, their aggregations are just weird.

For example, under "USA News," today's top two headlines are "Gibbs' return showing capital gains for Redskins" and "Michigan State has been a danger zone for Top 10 teams." These are both sports stories...but the page on which they appear bill thems and the others as "Top 5 Recent Headlines in the US," (along with "Caring for your trees will sprout rewards for you," which is either a horticulture article or a fortune cookie reading).

Then there's the "bloggers' debate" appearing on the home page, which purports to be an enlightening discussion among four big-name bloggers (Austin Bay, Brad Friedman, Max Sawicky, "Sgt. Mom") about "Why We Fight." After the first few entries, I quit reading as it reminded me of a junior high chatroom, albeit with slightly more multi-syllable words while lacking the energy.

It's probably just me, but there are some things I'd rather do for myself. For now, almost everything OSM is trying to do falls into that category.

Technorati tag: Open Source Media

Cowboys and Politics

The Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickson Research Center serves as the library and archives of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Its mission, to quote the website, "is to preserve, document, and interpret the heritage of the American West for the enrichment of the public by collecting, arranging, describing, making available, and preserving library, photographic, and archival materials related to the West and its social and cultural history."

I've just come across one of the Center's online exhibits entitled Like a Cowboy: Imagery in Politics, Prose and Reality. The exhibit is a series of images juxtaposed against blurbs of text taken from a wide variety of sources, including poetry, newspaper and magazine articles, personal correspondence...and even the blogosphere.

It's a jumble of perspectives, where the lyrics to Song of the Cattle Trail, a 1907 postcard showing the start of a cattle drive and a quote from a magazine published in 1895 bump up against an excerpt from, well, this.

Like a Cowboy is an unfiltered look at how cowboys -- and the concept of the cowboy -- has been used and misused through the years. Apart from the dubious judgment of including a portion of a Gazette post (an acknowledgement which I nevertheless gratefully accept), it's a fascinating presentation. The old photos alone are worth a visit.

Technorati tag: National Cowboy Museum

A Bostonian's Perspective on Big Oil (It's not what you think!)

In the wake of last week's post about Senate showboating hearings on oil and gas industry profits, I received a note from David Gerstman who blogs via several outlets, most notably Israpundit and Soccer Dad. David passed along a link to a column by Jeff Jacoby entitled "Big Oil's Real Profiteers" that appeared in the November 13th edition of the Boston Globe.

As David pointed out in a subsequent email, Jacoby is the Globe's "token conservative," but it's nice to know that the paper has even one. Anyway, Jacoby's column describes the financial risks of being in the oil and gas business, and the rather plebian returns made by the industry, compared to other businesses, on his way to identifying the real "fat cats":

Read the whole thing. It's a piece that could have -- and probably should have -- come from the Houston Chronicle or the Dallas Morning News or the Midland Reporter-Telegram. Still, it's nice to know that not everyone in the northeast has an agenda that mandates ignorance of the facts.

Technorati tags: Oil & Gas Prices | Oil Industry | Windfall Profits Tax

Daily Dose of Humility

Brought to us by the Wall Street Journal, via its "Question of the Day," the following reminder that we're not necessarily all that:

Update: As of 3:20 p.m. (CT), the poll has logged 2,072 votes and the percentage of non-blogreaders now stands at 65%. Just so you know.

Ah, but it's still early...still time to turn this thing around. Go out and read a blog (hey! you already have!), get a quick subscription to the WSJ, and cast your vote.

Technorati tag: "You're So Vain (I'll bet you think this blog's about you)"

SOX Driving Privatization?

I've made no secret of the fact that I am an accountant by education, although through a fortuitous combination of Divine intervention and blind luck, I've never had to do any real accounting to make a living. Nevertheless, one of the rights that naturally accrues (see...there's an accounting term, right there) to an accounting degree is that of deriding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (affectionately referred to as "SOX") at every turn.

The laws and related regulations derived from SOX were enacted in response to Enron and other major corporate accounting fiascos, and the purpose was pure: to provide more accountability (no pun intended) for corporate executives to ensure that their companies were not monkeying around (that's a technical auditing term) with their books so as to mislead, defraud, neuter and/or otherwise annoy their shareholders (and, hopefully, their employees who hoped someday to do more with their 401K balances than have a nice meal out with the family).

Still, SOX has been a big burden on a multitude of frontline accountants who couldn't cook the books if they were asked to, but who have to do all the grunt work so that somewhere way up the line, the CEO/CFO/Controller/Whomever can sign something saying things are hunky-dory (more auditspeak) and thus they won't have to go to jail and work on their golf swings. Like the Pharisees in Biblical times, corporate accounting managements have built layers and layers of additional controls and reports around the SOX requirements under the principle that anyone violating them will die of outright fatigue before getting to the truly felonious infractions.

Which leads us to...what? I forget where I was going with this. It's too much fun just to bash SOX. Hmm. Oh yeah, I remember.

Today's Wall Street Journal has a mild rebuke for folks like me, pointing out that the reported costs of being a publicy-traded company are up a mere 45% from last year, mainly due to SOX...but that's not a lot of money for most large corporations. (We'll agree to ignore for purposes of this post the hidden costs, primarily productivity losses.) Plus, the article goes on, SOX has actually made companies behave better, and that's A Good Thing.

But, apparently, there are those who feel that better behavior is overrated. Some are putting forth the theory that SOX is a catalyst for a new trend of the privatization of public companies; the requirements of SOX apply only to publicy-held companies. The recent multi-billion dollar acquisition of Georgia-Pacific (a public corporation) by Koch Industries (a privately-held company) is Exhibit A in this argument.

Interesting theory, but Alan Murray, the author of the WSJ article, has a different explanation for the flight to private:

Well, rats. Now I don't know who to root for. Anything that stifles some of the despotic urges that so often seem to crop up in officers of companies whose net income is bigger than the combined GNP of Central America can't be all bad, can it?

Still, this possible trend toward privatization bears watching...if only to see if it even exists. I tend to be skeptical that it's driven by SOX, and even though I characterize SOX as being excessively burdensome on smaller companies, I'd have to wonder what any company had been up to if it was willing to abandon the funding and risk-sharing benefits of being publicly trading just to avoid some regulations.

Technorati tags: Sarbanes-Oxley | Privatization

The Gazette Attracts CMA Viewers

OK, maybe that post title is a little over the top, but there is an interesting phenomenon taking place at this very moment.

Rewind an hour or so, back to when Garth Brooks appeared in Central Park Times Square with a performance honoring Chris LeDoux, who died last March of cancer. Brooks' appearance was a part of the televised broadcast of the CMA Awards, taking place in New York City. The tribute to LeDoux was nice (and it's also good to see Garth back on stage). Brooks and LeDoux collaborated on a few things and the latter's career got a nice reboot as a result.

"So what?" you ask. Well, I just noticed that I'm now getting visitors via Google searches for phrases like "what happened to Chris LeDoux". My own humble tribute to LeDoux comes up in the #8 spot for that particular search.

I don't point this out as a way of patting myself on the back (OK, maybe a little, but mainly for being a fan of a great musician), but in continuing amazement at how people are using blogs as resources. Obviously, folks who are not intimately familiar with country music in general or some of the specific artists are turning to the internet to get some quick education. This is all still new enough to me that I don't take such wonderments for granted.

New Blog: "Religion of Peace?"

Our pal Discoshaman has supplemented his regular day-blogging gig with a new joint devoted to the coverage of news related to the War on Terror. Disco's perspective on that news is captured by the blog's title and tagline: "Religion of Peace? (Ignore the corpses behind the green curtain)" along with a running total comparing "the number of victims killed by Muslim terrorists since 11/11/05" vs. "the number of victims killed by Christian terrorists since 11/11/05." In case you're wondering, the current total is 94-0, with the Christians apparently lacking motivation. Personally, I think it has more to do with coaching.

Some will be put off by the no-holds-barred references to another religion, believing that religion would never truly advocate violence to another. And some people still believe in the tooth fairy.

At a time when even certain Republicans who should know better are starting to waffle about the realities of WWIII, ROP has the potential to reinject some energy into the coverage of said war.

Technorati tags: War on Terror | Islam

Book Review: "The Devil's Highway"

In May, 2001 25 men and one boy set out across the Sonoran Desert, determined to cross into southern Arizona, between Yuma and Nogales, from their native Mexico. Crossing into the US was easy; finding their way to civilization was deadly. Fourteen of them perished in the attempt. Luis Alberto Urrea reconstructs the details of this tragedy and presents them in an absolutely compelling account entitled The Devil's Highway

The Devil's Highway is a geographic area that corresponds roughly to the Cabeza Prieta ("dark head") National Wildlife Refuge, an area the size of Rhode Island with a permanent human population density of zero. A hundred consecutive days of 100°+ temperatures is not unheard of, and parts of the area average only 3" of rain each year. It also happens to be a popular conduit for those entering the country illegally from Mexico.

Urrea is a gifted author -- this book was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction -- and a tireless investigator. The breadth and depth of research that went into this quick-reading work is a reminder that being an author is difficult labor and there are no shortcuts.

Having recently read Urrea's wonderful novel, The Hummingbird's Daughter, I knew that while he loves Mexico, the country of his birth, he doesn't view it or its history through rose-colored glasses. Nevertheless, I wondered how he would tell this story within the context of the ongoing controversies surrounding illegal immigration. In a recent poll, 85% of Americans agree that illegal immigration is "a problem," and 55% say that it is "very serious." Illegal immigration, especially from Mexico, is a hot button issue to many; emotions run strong on all sides of the debate, and it's rare to hear or read an even-handed discussion of the issues. But that's exactly what Urrea gives us.

He gives us a matter-of-fact overview of the economic and political realities that cause so many Mexicans to view migration to America as their only hope for a life above the subsistence level. He shows us the frustrations and dangers of being a member of the US Border Patrol, La Migra; he also reveals the tolerance and even compassion that many of the BP agents have for those they capture and turn back. It's telling that most illegals will tell you that they'd much rather be caught by La Migra than by their own immigration police. La Migra carry life-saving bottles of water; los federales attach battery leads to body parts.

Urrea also provides some analysis of the costs and benefits that accompany illegal immigration, leaving it to readers to decide whether the math works for or against their perceptions.

But the most important thing he does with The Devil's Highway is put faces and lives and families and aspirations onto those otherwise anonymous masses about which we see only reports on the 10:00 p.m. news. The result is uncomfortable, because it injects humanity into the situation and that turns our nice black-and-white, well-focused picture of How Things Should Be into a muddy gray swirl that, for me anyway, will defy re-separation.

Urrea accomplishes something else, probably unintentionally but still important to those of us who live in or near the desert. He describes in great clarity the unforgiving nature of the desert, the way it can turn the unprepared into corpses almost before they understand what's happening.

The Devil's Highway is a thought-provoking look at an issue that has perhaps more immediate relevance than any other now facing our nation. It should be required reading for everyone who wants to debate illegal immigration... regardless of the side they take.

As always, in the interest of full disclosure, you should know that this book was provided to me at no cost and for review purposes by Time Warner Book Group as a part of its Online Marketing program. And, once again, I'd like to thank my personal Book Angel, Miriam Parker, for recommending an excellent work.

Technorati tags: The Devil's Highway | Luis Alberto Urrea | Illegal Immigration

The Science of Kids

I spent four hours this morning at a local elementary school judging science projects. My pal Jeff McDonald called a week or so ago and asked if I would do it (Jeff's sons attend the school) and I agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I wasn't hesitant because of the task itself -- I've judged in science fairs before and it's fun -- but I've grown accustomed to not having to deal with the public at such an early hour. But, I figured it was for a good cause.

There were at least forty judges, including a contingent from the Midland Fire Department, a group of Midland College students working for extra credit, and an early-morning TV show meteorologist (at least he was already up and dressed). Teams of three judges were assigned categories and school grades (I landed the plum assignment of 6th grade "Life Sciences") and given about ten projects to assess. After acquainting ourselves with the project material on display, the students were summoned and they proceeded to educate us on their work.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that when I was in the sixth grade I was not competent to stand in front of three adult strangers and rattle off the details of a science project, and then field questions about it. And I'm equally sure that my project would have been something like "what stretches more...a rubber band or a piece of barbed wire?"

But, these kids were sharp. They were enthusiastic, they knew their material and not one of them was noticeably nervous. Of course, the variety of projects was wide, and some were more complicated than others. Being "Life Science"-related, we had lots of experiments involving spiders (ick), ants (yay), crickets (chirp) and mold (ohmmmm). Two experiments involved the sense of smell; another was a very involved study of memory (or something; I forget the details ;-). Some of the students obviously had more help from home, and more resources to work with, but we tried to factor those things into our evaluations.

The main thing I walked away with was a renewed feeling that the world wasn't really going to hell in a handbasket in every regard. As long as we have kids that get excited about the scientific process of discovery...even if it involves only a potato and a black light...there's assurance of good things on the horizon.

So, my advice is simple. If the global headlines ever get too depressing, go judge a science fair (or referee a soccer game or teach a Sunday School class or take your kids birdwatching). You'll be glad you did, and so will the kids.

Box Play

I can't think of a better way to jumpstart a Monday than a post about toys, so it was fortuitous that one of the stories on the early morning news was about the induction of the cardboard box into the Toy Hall of Fame.

I for one applaud the perspicuity of those who recognized the universal appeal of something so simple that it provides an endless array of possibilities when leavened with just a touch of imagination.

Everyone knows that toddlers are just as enamored with the boxes (and wrapping paper) enclosing their birthday and Christmas gifts as they are with the presents themselves, but that appeal isn't limited to that age. I can remember the feeling of amazing luck my brother and I had upon stumbling across the occasional abandoned refrigerator box when we were in the single-digit ages. Our preferred transformation of said containers was into a tank-like contraption that could roll over all manner of terrain with us ensconced inside, safe from all the prickly, stickery and biting things that made up the landscape of the vacant lots surrounding our house.

It's my firm conviction that the world would be a better place if more kids spent more time playing with cardboard boxes.

Genius

Despite the previous post about Veteran's Day, it was only after the third futile trip to the mailbox (&#*&$ mailman) that I realized that today was, well, Veteran's Day...aka, a postal holiday.

Say, anybody got any good swamp land in Florida to sell? I'm in the mood to make an investment. Or a Windows computer...anybody want to sell one of those bad boys?

Veteran's Day 2005

What we now refer to as Veteran's Day actually began in 1919 as Armistice Day, in observance of the one-year anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in World War I. Armistice Day was made a legal Federal holiday in 1938, and in 1954 the name was changed to Veteran's Day. That change was effected by a proclamation by President Eisenhower and included the following:

Did you get that last part? "...let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace..." It's a difficult truth that going to war is sometimes the only option for securing peace. And while one may argue about imperfect rationale or execution of a wartime strategy, the loyalty, sacrifice and value of those who are called upon to carry it out must not be questioned...must be appreciated. That's what Veteran's Day is for.

So I want to publicly express my thanks to some specific people for their service to our nation. It's an incomplete list, but if everyone would make such a list, perhaps we can cover the bases. My deep gratitude goes to:

• My dad -- World War II
• My father-in-law -- World War II
• My cousin - Viet Nam
• My blogging pals Wallace (Viet Nam) and John (Airborne Infantry)
• SSG. Will -- Operation Iraqi Freedom
• The sons of friends, Adam (USMC Advanced Flight Training) and Joe Anthony (USMC - Iraq)

God bless you, and God bless America.

Technorati tag: Veteran's Day

Starbucks to Withhold Cheer from West Texas

I see that our area will not get the benefit of a visit from the Starbucks "Cheer Patrol" this year.

They'll show up for the UH vs. Rice football game, but not for the gala lightings of the big honkin' Christmas trees in Midland and Odessa?

Bah, humbug, I say.

Technorati tag: Bah, Humbug

Price Gouging: A matter of morals, not economics

I'm surprised that no one has called me on the following paragraph, taken from a post earlier in the day:

I had a vague sense of unease even as I typed that paragraph, but it took a mid-afternoon bike ride to zero in on what I'd missed. Simply put, I should have written the last sentence as follows:

Price gouging -- the arbitrary setting of inflated prices with the primary purpose of profiting from a shortage of critical goods or services during a time of emergency -- is morally reprehensible, in my opinion.

As far as I know, there is no technical or economic definition as to what constitutes price gouging. Like obscenity, it's something one recognizes when one sees it...but not everyone sees something in the same way. In some cultures, the flash of a female ankle is considered obscene, but others have very different standards.

Some will argue that the oil and gas industry is an oligopoly and the standard supply-and-demand market constraints don't work, and thus accusations of price gouging in the wake of the recent hurricanes are warranted. I don't agree with the base assumption of an oligopoly, and such arguments seem to ignore the realities of how commodity prices are actually set. Nevertheless, even if the argument was true, a solution remains elusive.

What are reasonable profits? How much could prices rise and over what period of time before price gouging could be charged? How do you factor in legitimate supply shortages? And what goods and services should be covered by price gouging laws? Gasoline? Toilet paper? Diet Coke? iPods?

In the end, attempts to penalize price gouging will likely do more harm than good, because they will inevitably fail to consider the preceding questions. Proposed solutions will be based on political expediency and/or moral judgments, neither of which generally result in good legislation.

Don't take my word for it. Much smarter people than me are saying it much better.

Technorati tag: Price Gouging

Power Shower

It's been around awhile, but it doesn't hurt to remind those of you seeking yet another Caffeine Delivery Method (CDM) that you don't have to wait for that first morning cuppa, not if you start your day with Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap. Sure, you've joked about wanting a direct IV feed, but this soap purports to deliver 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving...er, shower. That's the equivalent of two espressos.

On the other hand, there's evidence that that enervating shower will also kill you.

Until then, you can live by the time-honored motto, "what doesn't kill you, makes you cleaner -- and hyper."

Tip o'the shower cap to The Everlasting Phelps, as discovered via comment left over at The Fat Guy's place.

Technorati tags: Shower Shock Soap | Caffeinated Soap | Caffeine

Oil Prices: Save us from the Senate

Yesterday's Senate grandstanding hearings about the causes and impact of increased oil, natural gas and gasoline prices in the wake of the hurricanes provided some disappointing but not surprising insights into why that body is exactly the wrong group to address the issue: an inability (or unwillingness) to grasp fundamental economic truths.

Witness this exchange between the Federal Trade Commission Chairman and the honorable senator from the great oil-producing state of Oregon:

One would hope that by referring to this conclusion as "astounding," the senator was implying that a door to understanding had been thrown wide open and he now saw the direct link between supply, demand and prices. One would probably be mistaken in this hope.

To the extent that interdiction of actual price gouging at the retail level can be achieved, the process is worthy. Price gouging -- the arbitrary setting of inflated prices with the primary purpose of profiting from a shortage of critical goods or services during a time of emergency -- is reprehensible. But the senators appear to be overreaching -- shocking, I know! -- by attempting to exert economic control all the way back through the supply chain, starting with the raw product coming out of the ground.

In light of those hearings, the irony of this becomes almost unbearable.

For a realistic take on what the Senate hearings are all about, you'd do well to see how our Australian mates view the process. In an article entitled "Big Oil takes Senate back to school," we get this insight:

This is a complex issue and there will be no solutions created by the Senate, or anywhere else in the US, for that matter. But the ability of the Senate to make things much, much worse in the long run should not be underestimated.

Technorati tags: Oil and Gas Prices | Price Gouging | Windfall Profits Tax

New Client Website

Just went live with a new website, one that I've peripherally alluded to but not in any recognizable way. Whatever that means.

Anyway, it's a website for a local luthier. That's someone who makes stringed instruments, but you knew that. In this case, it's a fellow named John Singletary and he designs and builds custom acoustic guitars. He does nice work -- lots of intricate marquetry and inlay using various exotic woods, abalone and mother-of-pearl. He's relatively new in the guitar business, but he's got years of experience as a woodworker.

If you're in the market for a new custom-designed acoustic, keep him in mind. I'm not an expert in the field, but the prices look pretty good for the quality.

Technorati tag: Luthier | Custom Guitars

Ooh-Rah!

Today marks the 230th anniversary of the creation of the United States Marine Corps via resolution by the Continental Congress. This date is marked each year in the Corps by the reading of Marine Corps Order No. 47, issued by Major General John A. Lejeune on November 1, 1921. Order No. 47 reads as follows:

In its typical all-business approach, the official USMC website doesn't even mention the significance of this date on its home page. This is understandable, as Corps members are standing in harm's way at this very moment, and their emphasis is on service and duty, not self-congratulation.

That makes it even more important that we who are not in those circumstances take a moment to reflect on the worthy sacrifice and service provided through the centuries.

Take a moment to learn more about the history of the USMC. GoDaddy has also assembled a birthday tribute to the Corps (if the movie doesn't play automatically, try clicking and holding inside the movie window).

Technorati tag: USMC

Snake Chat

Following up on a prior post about the big rattler killed near Fritch, Texas, here's a message board thread discussing the snake and containing photos of other big'uns. If snakes give you the willies, I'd surf elsewhere.

Technorati tag: Rattlesnakes

New to the Blogroll

You gotta love a gal who brags about having capped teeth and a broken nose...courtesy of her hockey playing!

Light in Winter (Luz en Invierno) comes to us from Scotland, a lovely place that I'd like to someday visit but probably never will.

Tip o'the hat to Hokule'a

The Pain of Ministry

Via Serotoninrain comes a link to one of the most honest -- and heartbreaking -- posts I've ever read from the hand of a preacher.

Regrets about one's choice of career are common. But what happens when you realize that what you thought was a divine calling is in all likelihood a terrible mistake? And how do God's redemptive purposes factor into the picture?

As I grow older, I'm starting to really understand that being a Christian and pleasing God is much more about who you are than what you do. What you do will flow from who you are.

We try too hard. It's not that hard, but we make it so. And we often end up hurting ourselves and those around us. And those who are in fulltime vocational ministry see those things magnified and multiplied in terrible ways that "regular" folks never have to deal with.

Analyzing Gazette Readership

I noticed an article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days ago chronicling the continuing decline in newspaper circulation.

Now, I'm always loathe to compare blogs to the MSM, but I do think it's wise to stay on top of trends like this and understand the implications. Therefore, I've spent a lot of time recently getting a handle on the preferences of the Gazette's readership to ensure that it doesn't suffer the same embarrassing fate.

The second most frequent question* I get is along the lines of "how do A-list bloggers figure out what to write about?" Of course, I don't even know any A-listers, much less know how they decide what to write; I just figure they have staffs to do that for them, while they're taking power lunches. But I do know what my readership responds to, and the following chart is amazingly illuminating.

This graph tracks average daily readership over a typical month. You'll notice that it remains fairly constant, but three spikes are obvious. A careful analysis reveals that these spikes are related to specific post content, to wit:

1. A post about politics


2. A post about baby squirrels


3. A post about the politics of baby squirrels

Pretty telling, huh? In the case of #1, the negative readership numbers seems to indicate that not only did people stop reading the Gazette, but they shut down their computers and sat on the back porch, moping.

I believe the lessons of this graph are clear, and I'll try to keep them in mind for future posts.

By the way, this graph also illustrates another significant -- albeit unrelated -- point: the accuracy of the data on which a graph is based is indirectly proportional to the number of colors, drop-shadows, 3-D and bevel effects used therein.

*The most frequently asked question is "are you still on your meds?" As if that would make any difference.

LTOS Tour Moves to Tahoe

I'm pleased to announce the finalization of plans to move next February's Lunatic Texans on Skis Tour to Lake Tahoe from its previous destination of Santa Fe. And I categorically deny the reports that we were asked by the National Park Service to give the trees in the Santa Fe Ski Area a break (no pun intended).

Since none of the participants have ever been to the Lake Tahoe area (or if they have, they don't remember...that seems to happen a lot nowadays), we're now accepting tips and advice from those of you who have been (or remember being there, even if you weren't). We'd specifically like to have the locations of a few good restaurants and the best ski, snowshoe and hiking areas. Oh, and emergency clinics.

We'll keep you up-to-date as our plans become more firm, and we hear back from our insurance agents.

Pop Quiz

What semi-hit song from the last century contained the word "spaghettied"...and who sang it?

No fair googling. Either you know it or you don't.<