"What Was I Thinking?" Song List

From Verging on Pertinence via Cowtown Pattie over at Texas Trifles comes this nasty little meme wherein we're supposed to expose ourselves to public ridicule and possible acute snubbery by disclosing a song or album which (1) we loved in our 'ute and (2) we hate in our oldfarthood. Why, exactly, anyone would want to do this is beyond me.

But what the hey.

The year was 1967 and the girlfriend would eventually become my wife and while her every whim would still be my command, I would at least be able to sneak my own music. But at that point in time, for any number of reasons, not the least of which involved a combination of an 8-track tape deck, a '58 Ford and a series of star-filled summer nights in west Texas, I came to believe that I really did want to listen to Rod McKuen's New Agey "The Sea," part of a trilogy that also included "The Earth" and -- you're already ahead of me, aren't you? -- "The Sky."

At this point, I'm supposed to explain why I no longer wish to subject myself to the aforementioned recording but, frankly, I've successfully blocked the memories and I don't want to take a chance on reviving them.

[Technically, we're supposed to come up with five of these traumas, but frankly, I was pretty cool back then and everything else stood the test of time. OK, there was the soundtrack from "Romeo and Juliet." And everything by The Lettermen. But that's it. Absolutely. Oh, and that fish head song. But nothing else. Really.]

Sad News from a Blogger Friend

I'll let Jen provide the details; she does a beautiful job in heartrending circumstances. I'm know that she and her husband will appreciate your encouragement and prayers.

Too busy -- or blocked -- to blog?

Well, why not just buy your next post?

I guess I'm gonna have to come up with a new chiclet to accompany those for "Content Free" and "Coalition of Unpaid Bloggers." Perhaps something along the lines of "It ain't much, but it's Mine."

Technorati tag: x:posted

Start with the Journalism Department

That's the lead sentence from a report about teacher salaries appearing on the front page of a never-to-be-identified area (but not Midland) newspaper. It's reproduced exactly as it appears in print (including that dangling comma at the end) and believe me, it wasn't easy for my fingers to duplicate some of those words.

You can also believe me when I say I proofed my part of this post very carefully!

String Theory

I got no takers (nor offerers, for that matter) on my "extra credit" assignment at the bottom of the post about throat-cutting kites (although my pal and fellow sci-fi geek Mark did email for a hint, which I cruelly refused to provide, for good reasons which you'll soon understand). Knowing how you hang on every word of the Gazette, I can only assume that the small type and sonorous voice of the preceding post caused you to sleepwalk right past it, so here it is again:

identify the classic sci-fi novel in which a very thin string is used with horrifying effectiveness in a terrorist strike.

Ring a bell?

Actually, this is a trick question...in that I'm not positive I know the answer, and I was hoping someone else could confirm what I think is the right response. And you, dear readers, have let me down.

Here's what I do know. In a late 60s/early 70s science fiction novel, the author described a future society in which terrorism was rampant, sort of like today only it employed much more technologically advanced weaponry. The example I recall consisted of a single long-chain molecule -- a complex polymer, I suppose -- that was essentially unbreakable and invisible. In the story, one of these molecules was stretched across a road (I forget exactly how it was secured on each side; that's always bothered me) in advance of a military troop transport. The vehicle and its inhabitants were sliced by the molecule. Simple enough, right? But here's the twist that made it more horrible: there were no outright fatalities, but due to the extreme thinness of the "string," the effects of the slicing were disturbingly unpredictable. Depending on where one was sliced -- and even the body's orientation to the string -- different parts of the body stopped working normally. Things were just a bit off; synapses misfired or muscles didn't respond or organs began to do strange things. The injuries couldn't be diagnosed, nor could they be repaired.

OK, enough of that. Here's the thing. I'm not at all sure that I'm recollecting any of this properly. I think the scene came from one of John Brunner's classic "dystopian future" novels, and my best guess is that it's Stand on Zanzibar. But he wrote a couple of other possible candidates during that time period, notably The Sheep Look Up and Shockwave Rider (arguably the first cyberpunk novel), and I suppose the scene I described above could have come from one of them.

Anyone care to weigh in as to the source of my admittedly hazy recollections?

And in anticipation of your logical but entirely unnecessary question, I can't actually look in the books because they're up in the attic and, well, there are spiders up there.

Technorati tags: John Brunner | Stnad On Zanzibar

"Terrorists won't defeat us (but watch where you sit...)"

Brave talk of refusing to let the fear of terrorism affect daily living seems to be so much whistling in the graveyard when offset by a British intelligence service report that advises businesses to move away from using cubicles or other "open space" office configurations because they put employees at higher risk in the event of bombings.

The report from the MI5 Security Service will no doubt be hailed by cubicle drones everywhere longing for the prestige of a private office, but they probably won't be heartened by the reasoning: "If you are converting your building to open-plan accommodation, remember that the removal of internal walls reduces protection against blast and fragments," the [MI5] leaflet says.

No one would argue against the need for reasonable caution and precaution in the risky world we now inhabit. But when terrorists begin to affect even our private sector architecture, it's also hard to argue that they haven't achieved at least a partial victory.

Link via Bruce Schneier's Schneier on Security blog.

More Fruity Numbers

It just occurred to me, with respect to the previous post, that it would be cool if the USDA's fruit numbering system assigned apples 31415.

Get it?

Ha. I crack myself up.

This post is made in honor of Patti, whether she likes it or not.

The Number of the Feast

From my pal Paul Carter over at The Parson's Pantry comes this primer on the numbering conventions used to label the fruit you find in your grocery store.

The stores around here do a pretty good job of letting you know that something's organic (to justify the high prices, no doubt), but it's good to know that you can actually audit their labeling, even if you can't affect their pricing.

Technorati tag: Fruit

The blessing of having gifted "neighbors"

You meet the nicest people while in the blogosphere. Take for example, Brian and his wife Jennifer, proprietors of BeanQuest and Jennifer's Nest, respectively. You no doubt recognize their names and/or their blogs from previous posts...a wonderful young couple living in Ohio. Both are quite talented, which you'll quickly perceive after spending a little time on their blogs.

They're both generous with their talents, which is even better, and I've been the recipient of some of that generosity. Brian has helped me with scripting issues in the past (although it's like trying to teach a dog to play Wagner). And now Jennifer has bestowed upon me a one-of-a-kind handmade bike tool roll-up pouch! And I just have to share more about that with you.

That's a photo of it on the right, in its unloaded, rolled-up configuration. You can click on it to see a bigger photo. You may not be able to tell from the small photo but once you unroll it, it's easy to see that it's made of a dish towel, folded and stitched in such a way as to form a series of pockets. Each pocket will hold a tool or other piece of bike-related gear, as shown below. Starting on the left, I've got a CO₂ tire inflator, two CO₂ cartridges, a set of nylon tire levers, a multi-tool with chain breaker attachment, a small crescent wrench and a small set of Channel Lock pliers. Again, you can click the photo for a closer look.

The whole shootin' match rolls up and ties with the integrated twill tape (as if I know "twill tape" from "8 track tapes"; Jennifer has some details on her blog). The rolled-up pack fits neatly into our tandem's rack-mounted pack, where things are now easier to find, and no long rattle around.

It's a great idea for cyclists. You can even use the dish towel to wipe grease off your hands after doing roadside repairs (although I'm hoping it never comes to that!) because, of course, the pouch is washable. I'm wondering if the product might have commercial potential...but, regardless, it's special because Jennifer made it just for me. And here's the best thing:

Yep...it's personalized! (And it also matches our bike, color-wise.)

I'm very appreciative of Jennifer's thoughtfulness and generosity. And if you're the least bit handy with needle and thread, you may be able to figure out other uses for this kind of project; she's made a sketching supply roll-up for her artistically-inclined husband.

Recording History

What do Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Mingus, Gene Krupa, Theolonius Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, and Lucky Williams have in common? Yeah, they're all famous (or should be famous) jazz musicians from a bygone era. And as far as I know, they never all played together on the same recording.

However, that doesn't mean they weren't recorded together, and this is the real answer I was seeking: they -- and a number of others of their profession -- all appeared in a photograph taken in 1958 by Art Kane. That photo, entitled Harlem 1958 is #6 in The Online Photographer's "T.O.P. Ten" list* of all-time greatest photographs.

It really is a beautiful and fascinating photo, not only for its content and historical significance but also for its composition. It's even more remarkable considering that the shot emerged from the photographer's very first paid shoot!

If you have time, visit TOP and read more about the photo (oh...and actually see it, as well!), and then read the accompanying comment thread for a wide-ranging discussion about what makes a photograph significant.

*Others on the list (thus far): #10 | #9 | #8 | #7. No need to thank me for saving you the trouble of finding these...it's why I make the big bucks; future TOP 10 posts are forthcoming each Tuesday. You might also look for the "Shadow Top 10," which are the blogger's all-time favorite photos. Just as interesting; just as striking.

Technorati tags: Art Kane | Harlem 1958

Universal Photoshop Slow in Coming: Short-Term Bad News for Apple

According to this report, Adobe is not fast-tracking the creation of a Universal Binary version of Photoshop that will run on Intel-powered Macs.

The report goes on to say that the new version of Photoshop might not be ready until April, 2007. This is terrible news for the multitude of Mac users who consider Photoshop to be one of the "must-have" applications, especially since Apple's non-universal-binary translator program, Rosetta, is reported to run the current version of Photoshop at only half the speed of current non-Intel Macs.

One could concoct all kinds of conspiracy theories as to why Adobe isn't rushing this conversion, but according to the above-referenced Adobe engineer, it's a simple matter of doing the job right. Rather than trying for a patchwork rebuild of Photoshop CS2, it appears that Adobe will bring CS3 out as a from-the-ground-up Universal Binary. The wait will seem like an eternity, but I suspect the result will be first class.

Tip o'the lens cap to The Online Photographer, a blog by professional photographer Mike Johnston that should be on the blogroll or RSS feed of anyone interested in photography (and related software, obviously).

Technorati tags: Universal Binary: Photoshop | Adobe | Apple

New iPod Volume Limit Setting

[Note: I've just discovered that the following update applies only to the iPod nano and the 5th generation series of 'pods. I don't know why the update was designed to work with all iPods; perhaps it's a firmware issue...]

If you own an iPod you should have received notice from Apple of a free software update that allows you to set a maximum volume for the mp3 player. Even better, it allows a parental control type of setting that permits you to set the maximum volume for your child's 'pod, complete with a password to prevent youthful overrides. Here's Apple's documentation of these new features, and here's the download page for the software update.

Given the potential for damaging young ears via the combination of loud music and earbuds, this volume setting is welcome news...sort of like a speed governor on a car. It should also make it more likely that an iPod-wearing child will have to stretch his or her acting abilities to claim that he or she didn't hear you when you issued your latest order to take out the trash.

Now we know why those Brokeback Mountain guys were so confused

We should have known that L.A. wouldn't be content to let Utah have all the good state fair commercials. I'm a tad late in finding this, but if you haven't seen the two commercials for last fall's L.A. County Fair, be sure to pop over to see them. You'll never look at a cashmere sweater in quite the same way.

Maybe they'll even learn to pronounce "rodeo" correctly, someday.

Tip o'the cashmere cow beanie to MLB

Fortunately, they're the parts I don't use...

Tip o'the hat to Patti at White Pebble, who's far more borg'd by her blog than me.

[I look for this to be the only reference on Google to "blogborged," so I've now got that going for me.]

Really Busy at Not Working

I can't help thinking that if the "youth" of France brought as much energy to the workplace as they're bringing to their riots, they wouldn't have anything to riot about to begin with.

Of course, the good thing about state-mandated socialism is that you always have something else to blame.

The bad thing is that what the State giveth, the State can take away.

Technorati tag: French riots

Death by Kite

Brian is in the middle of the "100 Things" meme over at BeanQuest, and #43 reveals his penchant for flying "two line stunt kites." He's jonesing for a four-liner that has the potential to "pull you into the air." Considering that Brian is six-and-a-half feet tall and tips the scale at around sixteen stone, that's some big honkin' kite.

This brings to mind a recent news report about the banning of combat kites in Pakistan. These kites have been a long tradition in that part of the world; they even played a significant role in the best-selling book The Kite Runner, which is set in Afghanistan. During special holidays and festivals, kite flyers turn up in droves to duel it out in the skies, using strings coated with ground glass to slice the lines of their competitors.

An unfortunate side effect is injury (the aforementioned book described the scarred and bleeding hands of practitioners of the sport, as ground glass respecteth not its own master) and even death. The seven recent deaths in Pakistan led to the banning of the sale of glass-covered string. Most of those fatalities occurred when kite lines slashed the throats of the victims*, resulting in death by exsanguination.

This permutation of a gentle activity that otherwise engenders visions of butterflies and lazy spring days seems to be the incongruous equivalent of, say, full-contact chess. If nothing else, it gives new meaning to the term "death from above."

*For extra credit, identify the classic sci-fi novel in which a very thin string is used with horrifying effectiveness in a terrorist strike.

Technorati tags: Power Kites | The Kite Runner

And, in case you are wondering...

"Vomit" is the 17,953rd most frequently used word in the English language while "regurgitate" is way back at number 55,799, according to WordCount. You can look up "puke" yourself, if you're really that interested.

The Vertiginous Plumber

Having given up on the hope that the box would drag its cardboard carcass from the laundry room where it had rested for weeks and into the kitchen, whereupon it would install the faucet which it encased, I took it upon myself to do the job last Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., allotting myself one hour to replace the identical -- if substantially more haggard-looking -- fixture that squatted over the double sink.

I hate plumbing projects, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I'm lousy at them. Any such project that ends without a frantic call to a highly-paid professional driving a much better car than mine to clean up my mess is cause for celebration. Plus, plumbing generally occurs in cramped, dark, smelly places and rarely permits the wild swinging of 2 pound sledges which I find pleasingly therapeutic.

Still, how hard could it be, taking out a kitchen faucet and replacing it with the same model? Well, I suppose that those guys who decided that connecting two large bodies of water with the Panama Canal probably thought that digging a big ditch would be a piece of cake, too.

OK, to be honest, it didn't go that badly (the faucet, not the Canal). But I did manage to do something I'd never before accomplished during a plumbing project: I became vertiginous and nauseous. Something about lying on my back, head stuck deep in the cabinet under the sink and looking up through the wrong place on my eyeglasses gave me the distinct worry that I would become reacquainted with what was left of what I had for lunch.

Thankfully, that didn't come to pass and the faucet was installed by 5:15...only 15 minutes past my self-imposed timeframe. I would have made it in less than an hour had I not been forced to uninstall the newly-installed faucet in order to entice the steel hose thingie (a technical term; I apologize) through the neck of the new faucet, as it refused to cooperate per the instructions with the faucet in place.

And, of course, there were a few minutes here and there where I had to stop to contemplate whether it was preferable to throw up in the kitchen trash can or make a dash for the bathroom.

Does Craftsman make Dramamine?

Mac XP: A real world test

Last week I posted about a hack that allows the installation and use of Windows XP Pro on the new Macs with Intel chips.

An intrepid Macworld staffer set out to test this application and provides a blow-by-blow description of the 12-hour process to get XP up and running on his Intel-powered Mac mini.

Despite the pain of the installation and configuration process (which he says he now can complete in only one hour), he's contemplating leaving XP in place for those occasional times when he has to run Windows but doesn't want to fire up another computer.

I still contend that this is a sign of the impending Apocalypse.

Technorati tags: Windows XP on a Mac | Abomination Causing Desolation

Book Review: "Fortunate Son: A Novel"

Last night I finished reading an advance copy¹ of Walter Mosley's latest novel, entitled Fortunate Son: A Novel (slated for release on April 10, 2006).

Fortunate Son: A Novel (the latter qualifier apparently intended to distinguish this book from a similarly named volume about George W. Bush's rise to the presidency) describes the first couple of decades in the lives of two boys -- one black, the other white -- whose shared experiences as very young children created an inexplicable bond that years of separation by the most bizarre of situations could not shake.

For one boy, life came easy; everything he touched turned to gold, it seemed. For the other, nothing was easy...nothing seemed fair. Those around him gave him the perverse nickname of "Lucky," as an ironic joke. Yet the former moved through life feeling empty, if he felt anything at all, while Lucky had the ability to find joy in mundane details of otherwise heartbreaking situations.

The boys' lives take vastly divergent paths, and we are led to understand that neither will end well unless those paths can somehow be rejoined.

The author has crafted a plotline that moves quickly and efficiently. Scenes of dramatic confrontation are presented matter-of-factly (including multiple very explicit sex scenes) and without warning (think anti-Stephen-King). The overall effect leaves the reader wondering what's important and what's insignificant, and that situation is exacerbated by the way the main characters seem unaffected by any of the trials and challenges they face. One boy sees the best in everything; the other seems possessed with some god-like ability to transcend the things that affect mere mortals. Even the book's conclusion, where vexing loose ends are neatly tied up, is presented in such a way as to leave the reader in doubt about whether or not it is really a "happy ending."

As an exercise in how to expertly juggle multiple plotlines and improbable characters, Fortunate Son succeeds brilliantly. Unfortunately, I couldn't resist peeking behind the curtain rather than simply taking it all at face value, and came away with nothing more substantial than cotton candy or the final glint of the setting sun on a Pacific coast wave.

¹Disclosure: This book was provided to me for review purposes via the Online Marketing program of the Time Warner Book Group. I was intrigued by the amount of editing that is obviously done between the "advance reading copy" and the final publication, judging by the number of typos and other errors in the volume I read. This was my first glimpse into this aspect of the publishing process.

Technorati tags: Fortunate Son: A Novel | Walter Mosley

Let the Spirit move you...oh!...but not THERE!

Whether this is authentic or not is beside the point; it is hilarious.

Tip o'the mitre to Deb over at Write Lightning

"Inside Man": Spike Scores; "Flight 93": Too Soon

Note: No spoilers are included in this review!

My wife and I caught the last matinee showing this afternoon of Spike Lee's Inside Man, and it's the first movie in recent memory that our first comment to each other walking to the car was along the lines of "that was a great movie!"

Spike Lee has always been a well-respected moviemaker, but Inside Man should put him into the elite few who can not only tell a great story, but make money at it. If this film doesn't become the biggest grossing R-rated movie of the year, I'll be shocked.

It works on every level. The storyline is fresh, the characters are complex and fascinating, the acting is first-rate, the music is amazingly eclectic and effective, and the directing style is imaginative without ever becoming cute. The script assumes a complimentary level of intelligence on the part of the audience (which may be the biggest box-office drawback; few have gotten rich by depending on perceptive audiences). This is 2006's Collateral.

I feel strongly about this next thing. One of the trailers at the showing was for Flight 93, the first movie (to my knowledge) dealing with the events of 9/11. This movie, obviously, is about United Flight 93, the fourth flight that never reached its intended target, thanks to the heroic efforts of the passengers.

It's been almost five years since that event, which is seemingly a long time. But I have to tell you that as soon as I realized the subject of the movie in the trailer, I choked up. I don't know how you feel, but five years later is still too soon for this. I know it's inevitable that movies will be made about those events, but I want to go on record as saying that for our generation, I believe those movies will not be therapeutic, cathartic or helpful. We don't need them; our memories and emotions are quite sufficient.

I'm not judging the filmmakers as pursuing sordid gain from tragedy; I'll give them the benefit of the doubt as to the purity of their motives. I simply think the time for Flight 93 is not right.

If you disagree, please feel free to let me know what I'm overlooking or failing to consider.

Technorati tags: Inside Man | Flight 93

Got Gwynne?

On your blogroll or bookmarks list, that is? If not, you should, because she's taken the blogging plunge at her new joint called The Shallow End.

Don't let the name fool you. And do visit her regularly. I plan to.

Praising Pottstown

Jim posted a reasonably reasonable post about a quiz that purports to map your personality onto an American city...but he lost control of the whole shootin' match in the comments.

He seems to be a bit sensitive about the rendering of the name of the town (borough, burg, village, whatever) in which he resides, and I applaud his civic pride. In fact, I want to dedicate this post to Jim and his little town (which would make a good song title in itself, I think), by offering the following tribute, which was constructed by firing up the iPod in shuffle mode, taking the first ten song titles to appear, and appending his town's name (preceded by the word "in") to the title.

• City on a Hill in Pottstown (Salvador)
• I Say a Little Prayer in Pottstown (Diana King)
• When Tomorrow Comes in Pottstown (Eurythmics)
• Ain't That Love in Pottstown (Jeff & Sheri Easter)
• Escape From Reason in Pottstown (OC Supertones)
• I'll Lead You Home in Pottstown (Michael W. Smith)
• Traintime in Pottstown (Cream)
• SusieQ in Pottstown (CCR)
• Holy, Holy, Holy in Pottstown (Various Artists)
• She's Always a Woman to Me in Pottstown (Billy Joel)

I must admit that this made for some amusing combinations (OK, it's a slow Friday afternoon), except for the last one, which weirds me out a bit, raising all kinds of uncomfortable questions.

Technorati tags: Pottsville | Pottsburg | Pottswallow | Pottscicle

Chicago Crumbles

Jimmy Patterson has heard Chicago's new album, and he's not amused.

His "Real Top 30 Chicago Songs" list is a nice stroll down memory lane for anyone who still has to haul out a turntable to listen to the group.

Chicago XXX sounds like an album featuring Vin Diesel on..I don't know...exploding dumpsters?

Technorati tag: Chicago XXX

Universal Problems

Headline: Private ventures vie to service space station -- Old and new players respond to NASA’s call for orbital transport

Technorati tag: FedEx in Space

Busy evening

Warning to Jessica's Well readers: The following post contains references to both the weather and to our dog. Feel free to browse elsewhere.

Got a call about 4:00 pm yesterday from one of the church's Passion Play directors, asking if I could fill in as a camera operator for the final night of taping. I agreed to do so, even though I knew it meant a long night and I had plenty of other things that needed attending to.

I scrambled into acceleration mode (whatever that means), grabbing Abbye for her afternoon walk (she's adapted well to following my lead on a leash, by the way, trusting that I won't steer her into mailboxes or signposts), running to Rosa's for the Worst Beef Fajita Salad Ever (shame on you, Rosa, for using the dregs from the bottom of that Bag O'Lettuce...you know better than that!) and leaving a bit early to put some petrol in the personal jitney (which had been dinging and flashing at me for a couple of days). Made it to rehearsal around 7:00, where we immediately entered waiting mode for another thirty minutes.

The two remaining scenes were complicated and we didn't wrap things up until just after 10:30. I hope they've got enough usable footage to splice the whole thing together, although we're actually going to film opening night next Thursday just to have some insurance footage.

Oh, and I promised a weather comment, didn't I? Ridiculously cold, for this time of year and this part of the country. I felt silly wearing earmuffs and gloves on an afternoon walk in bright sunshine, but they really were needed. Had a pretty good freeze overnight, too, with frost on the ground this morning. Take that, you clueless fruit trees who ignore your wiser cousins (uncles?), the mesquites, who have had the good sense to not yet leaf out.

In closing, let me just remind you that the alpha version of the next Firefox release is now available. I'm sure there's a good explanation as to why it's called "Bon Echo," but I'm too unenthusiastic to look for it.

Better than a drum solo?

In an interesting coincidence, we had a cut from the Beatles' Abbey Road on our just-completed music quiz, and then this amazing video shows up as an emailed link.

Scott thinks drums are boring, but perhaps they just need a little visual accompaniment.

Tip of the chainsaw/bowling ball/watermelon to cousin Danny, out there in Kerrville.

Thoughts about the War

It's been a while since I've written anything about Operation Iraqi Freedom, now in its fourth year. After SSG. Will returned safely from that theater, we breathed a sigh of relief and focused on other things -- mostly more trivial things -- blog-wise.

When we marked the third anniversary of the invasion, I thought I should post something in observance of that arbitrary milestone, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't have any new insights to share or advice to offer, and I still don't.

But, the more I think about it and the more I see and hear reports about the "growing disenchantment" of Americans with the war, the more I realize that it's important and maybe even critical that those of us who continue to support our country's goals, strategies and tactics need to say so. Even if the voice is so infinitesimal as to be lost in the noise, there's value and, eventually, power in the combination of those voices.

So, with that in mind, I simply want to go on record with the following:

• I continue to stand behind President Bush and others in positions of governmental authority with respect to the decision to invade Iraq, remove Saddam Hussein, and attempt to provide an environment in which democracy can gain a foothold.


• I absolutely reject the idea that US troops should be pulled out of Iraq simply because the war is "too hard" or "too long" or "politically uncomfortable."


• I continue to consider the men and women who volunteer to serve their country as part of the US military to be patriots and heros, committed to a cause greater than themselves. I'm proud of them and I continue to pray for them and their families daily.

I don't expect everyone who reads this to agree with everything I've said, although I suspect that many of you will. But if you do agree, and you have a forum for expressing that agreement, I respectfully suggest that you use it and add your voice.

Well, that was embarrassing! (A continuing series)

It's one thing to have a post rank #1 on Google for a review of a newly-released novel. It's quite another to achieve that number one ranking because you misspelled the title of said novel! Yikes.

That was the case with my recent review of Philosophy Made Simple. While glancing at my visitor log I noticed a hit from Google for "Philosphy Made Simple" and, sure enough, that's how I had spelled the book's title in the post title (yes, it's now corrected).

On the other hand, I guess I should take pride in the fact that I may be providing a valuable service to the growing population of differently-abled spellers of the world.

And I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that I wasn't alone.

Percussion Discussion -or- Rhythm and No Clues

[Original post from 3/20/06]

As I warned promised you, I've created a new music quiz that's deceptively simple. Even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket...even if you're tone-deaf to the max...you can participate, because this ones all about the drums, man.

I've created an mp3 using clips from eight songs, said clips consisting entirely of drum solos or other percussive instrumentation. Your assignment is to identify the eight songs (and for extra credit, the drummers who drummed them).

And lest you think you have to be a rocker to play, 'tis not so. Two of the clips are of the non-R&R persuasion.

The mp3 weighs in at around 750kb, in case your connection speed is a concern. I suggest downloading it to your hard drive and listening offline; run it through headphones or your stereo system for best results.

As usual, leave your guesses in the comments. Each correct guess will garner you instant fame and nothing more as I'll add your name to this post. I'll think about leaving clues if things bog down too much. For what it's worth, I tried to arrange the clips in the order I think they'll be increasingly difficult to identify. But, as usual, I expect to be surprised.

Oh, by the way. The 1812 Overture is not in this group.

Local Website Wins Another Award

I've just learned that the Permian Basin Area Foundation's website has once again been recognized by The Council On Foundations, via the COF's Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program for Excellence in Communications. (Yes, it takes a pretty big plaque to contain all that.)

This is the third time in the past four or five years that the website has been recognized by the COF, but this one is especially meaningful, for two reasons. First, we redesigned the site late last year after it was not recognized in the previous awards competition. It's gratifying to know that the new design got some positive attention.

Second, the PBAF has moved up a class and now competes with larger community foundations ($21-$100 million in assets). The PBAF site was awarded the bronze medal; the gold went to The Ontario [Canada] Trillium Foundation (an agency of the Canadian Ministry of Culture) while the silver went to the Midland Area Community Foundation (asset base - $52 million) of Midland, Michigan (an interesting coincidence). One would expect the competition to be stiffer in this category, although the amount of resources brought to bear on a website doesn't necessarily correlate with its success.

I suppose the latter point is proven by the fact that I provide all website services to the Foundation on a strictly pro bono basis (not counting the annual lunch I get at the Petroleum Club ;-).

Lest you think that all of this is going to my head, I need to disclose the fact that I've seen the judges feedback sheets (just for the PBAF site, not the others) and they served to emphasize the fact that these kinds of competitions are very subjective. The criteria were vague and relatively unsophisticated ("does the site offer hyperlinks?"); no weight was given to accessibility. One judge knocked the site because it lacked "dropdown menus" even though this is one of the flattest websites you'll run across. (The Javascript-driven "dropdown menus" on the Canadian website consume 24kb by themselves on each and every page!) The sites were obviously tested on one browser (IE, I'm sure) and one platform (Windows, I'm sure), as the Midland foundation's website navigation is seriously broken in Firefox/Mac.

Regardless, it's still nice to have your work recognized, and I'm proud to be associated with an organization like the PBAF.

Technorati tags: Permian Basin Area Foundation | Council On Foundations | Wilmer Shields Rich Awards

Oh, this is SO not right...

Running Windows XP on Intel Macs

How many times must we repeat that just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should do that thing.

Perhaps it would be better to wait for Vista. And wait. And wait.

Finally, something math related that's useful

You missed Pi Day, didn't you? (Unless you're a blogger, then you probably posted something about it to prove your mastery of arcane cultural detritus. As if anyone can really master detritus.) Of course, anyone can put up a post on March 14 and dedicate it to pi, but only the most committed can provide a computational machine that will search 1.2 million digits or so on the right side of the decimal to find where in that string your birthday appears.

For the record, I'm in the top ten percent, at position 114,290 (and the sum of those digits is 17, and I don't think I have to tell you what that signifies).

Tip o'the green eyeshade to Soccer Dad (who also notes the formation of a new ocean in Africa), by way of White Pebble (who's in a dither [tizzy? tither?] about the new ocean, but apparently didn't notice the ode to pi)

Texas Panhandle Wildfires - Photo Gallery

The photographers for the Amarillo Globe-News have assembled a dramatic gallery of images from the recent wildfires that swept across a million acres of land in the Texas Panhandle. (Click on a date at the bottom of the page to view the images.)

These are some of the reasons that we pray for rain.

Photographer: Michael Schumacher
© Amarillo Globe-News 2006

You can't see it in this reduced-size image, but this telephone pole is still burning, from the bottom up. It's a bit clearer in the full-sized version.

Technorati tag: Panhandle Wildfires

This explains almost nothing

My wife ran across the document shown below and thought I needed to display it on my desk along with my other awards and accolades. OK, in reality, this is my only award and accolade, but that's not the point.

Actually, I'm not sure what the point is. Do they still give out this sort of thing? Surely not. And even if they do, I can't imagine that the superintendent of the school district actually signs the blessed things.

Several observations. First, I always thought that my first grade school teacher's first name was "Vera," not "Bera." I'm glad I've got that straight now. Second, Sid McCallister, the principal, is none other than the father of PGA Tour pro Blaine McCallister. Third, Comanche Elementary School was "retired" some years ago, too old and decripit for rehabilitation. The buildings are still intact, and there are ongoing rumors that the complex may be purchased by an oil company for a field office (or pipe yard, which is more likely but less welcome by the neighborhood).

Fourth, and most puzzling, is the lack of a grade in the all important area of "Appetite." Did I not eat that day (in which case, shouldn't I have received a "U"?)? Or did they not feed us? Perhaps the school was short on paste for the first day of classes. (Get it?) This is a significant and alarming gap in my record of achievement, and perhaps the last time in my life that anyone drew a blank when considering my appetite.

Got to lose 'em before we can save 'em...

We made a quick trip to Fort Stockton for my brother's birthday (which is my excuse for not responding to the multitude of comments you were kind enough to leave) and I think we set a new record for packing, if you think of it in terms of pounds packed per hour away from home. Without belaboring the point, I'll just posit that had we packed in similar fashion for our trip to Tahoe, we would have required a C-40 transport plane to get our stuff to our destination.

We returned to Midland to the pleasant sight of almost an inch of rain in the backyard gauge; we're under a severe thunderstorm watch as I type this, so perhaps we'll get some more. Unfortunately, Fort Stockton got only a trace of precip.

As is our habit, we went to church this morning to sit with my parents and my wife's dad. This is the church where we were married almost 33 years ago, and where I was baptized over four decades back. Lots of memories, in other words. Anyway, the preacher threw out a line that I can't believe I've never heard in all these years of listening to sermons, but if I had, I somehow misplaced it. He said something along the lines of this: "the biggest obstacle to getting someone saved is getting them lost."

What he meant was that until someone recognizes and admits he needs to be saved, he'll never accept that free gift. And we're so full of pride and so hard-hearted that we don't want to admit that we're sinners in need of a Savior.

Of course, we -- meaning us human beans (as Pogo would put it) -- can neither "get someone lost" or "get someone saved." Only God can work this miracle. But for some strange reason, He's decided that people are going to be His primary delivery method for the good news. This fact bears thinking about from time-to-time, as we consider whether or not we're effective "carriers."

OK, that's it for the sermon. You might want to check back here later this week as we're working on a new music quiz that I predict will have your head rattling. How good will it be? I'm actually spending some money to create it!

Later, amigos...

Dinosaur Jobs

Fellow west Texas blogger Reagan Lynch emailed a link to an article entitled Six Jobs That Won't Exist in 2016. The jobs listed included "gatekeepers" (which are positions designed to control our access to or consumption of data), bloggers, "advertising creatives," auto mechanics, US high tech positions, and Indian call-center operators.

This list is obviously tongue-in-cheek. First, there's no data to support the claim that "blogger" is a job that exists even today. Second, those who believe that auto mechanics will be replaced by programmers are obviously not acquainted with fundamental concepts like friction. Third, the vanishing of Indian call centers is a pipe dream, given that the only accurate prediction of the bunch is the elimination of US tech jobs. You don't really think that once all those tech jobs are relocated to India that that country will relinquish its call centers, do you?

But it is an interesting exercise, predicting the next buggy-whip manufacturer or zeppelin engineer. Any thoughts?

Fed Ex Does Time

Need a creative virtual "clock"? Try this one, commissioned by FedEx.

Tip o'the hat to Advertising/Design Goodness

We Get Mail

The Gazette is fortunate to have attracted a fairly active cadre of commenters, the contributions of which enhance the livability of this space in every important way, but we also receive a fair amount of email from good folk who -- for various reasons -- prefer not to entrust their communications to the comment section. Since I'm still recovering from last night's four-hour Passion Play rehearsal and can't generate anything worth posting on my own, I thought I'd dip into the mailbag and share some of the messages we've recently received. (This should be a cautionary reminder that unless you explicitly tell me otherwise, all email related to the Gazette is fodder for posting, although I'll always respect the sender's privacy to the extent it deserves respecting. Whatever that means.)

• Larry wrote to suggest a meme, one that has possibilities but which is also too challenging for my feeble capabilities. He suggests that the fact that there's nothing in the English language that rhymes with "orange" is due to a lack of trying, and that a properly motivated and creative readership could surely come up with "orange" rhymes by combining other words with the "-range" suffix. He even provided the first example: "scorange" as in "The range or distance from which a score or point is made in a game, e.g. 'He shot from the 3-point scorange.' (basketball)." Setting aside the definite possibility that Larry has perhaps too much idle time on his hands, I'm sure some intrepid Gazette readers could run with this idea.


• Abbye's recent loss of vision has generated several encouraging emails. Tammy wrote to say that her nine-year-old dog Raymond lost his sight to diabetes, but regained it after a lens transplant. Jennifer forwarded an excerpt from an online journal written by a woman who is dealing with a puppy that was born with extremely limited vision. She shares several tips that have helped dog and owner adjust, including the creation of a bandana (for the dog) that reads "I'm seeing impaired, please ask before you pet me," which is designed to keep the pup from being surprised when a strange hand descends upon him. Aside from the practical value of these suggestions, it's very touching to know that people are moved to share them in the first place.


• Some of you may recall a recent post with the theme of "Grits and Grace". Our friend Sherry had shared something related to that discussion which we included in a second post called "More Grits." As a follow-up to her follow-up, she wrote earlier this week that her friend's father -- the focus of her "More Grits" story -- lost his battle with his health problems. Of course, sad as that is from one perspective, it's also a story of winning a much more important war, and so we can imagine that there's a good bit of rejoicing going on in that family as well.


• Our musings about the challenge of offering charity to strangers who we might think don't deserve it struck a chord with a self-described social worker living in Dallas. She wrote "Reading your account of your day in benevolence brought back so many memories of Midland. You impressed me with your sensitivity and insight into the Catch-22 of providing financial or other assistance for a population largely unknown to us and whose use of our assistance may be totally off center from what we would want or expect." I don't know that I have any special insight, but it's encouraging to know that even the "pros" sometimes struggle with these issues.


• Last, but far from least, regular commenter Gwynne has been asking a number of questions that seem to indicate that she's being lured by the siren song of the blogging, um, siren. I've tried my best to dissuade her -- the last thing I need is yet more competition from someone who actually has something to say and knows how to say it -- but seeing as how she is still intent on definitely considering the possibility of perhaps someday thinking about getting serious about planning an approach to blogging, the best advice I can give her is to watch what I do here...then do just the opposite. And never delete any emails.

Passion 2006

We started filming last night for this year's edition of our church's biannual Passion Play, and as was the case two years ago, MLB and I are working behind the scenes as part of the video crew. She's the technical director (aka "the switcher") and I'm operating a camera.

We're taking a new approach to the filming this year. Instead of running through (or trying to run through) the whole production each rehearsal, we're instead focusing on just one or two scenes each night. Once we've got enough usable tape in the can, the rehearsal is wrapped. This should, theoretically, prevent the kind of marathon, life-sucking ordeals we endured two years ago. We made it through one scene last night in about two hours. It was a pretty complex scene and we had the usual amount of startup technical glitches and blocking challenges, so we ought to get faster as we move along.

As before, we're using four stationary cameras and one boom-mounted camera for the rehearsals. During the actual presentations, additional footage will be captured via at least one shoulder-mounted camera.

As usual, while the basic story remains the same -- some plots simply can't be improved on, you know -- some of the elements we've picked up for this year's presentation are new. For example, God Himself appears in a cameo role. (It's non-speaking; I'm pretty sure we couldn't afford union scale for Sovereign Ruler of the Universe.) This has, of course, given rise to all sorts of tech crew headset hilarity, especially directed to the camera operator who has the responsibility of capturing God on film ("Are you sure you're focused on God?"; "It's too dark; I can't see God!" And so on. We crack us up.)

MLB and I will be working three more rehearsals, then we'll hand over the reins to the second crew (another improvement in the process) which will work the remaining four rehearsals.

The end result of all of this will be a presentation that will be seen live by several thousand local folks, and the production of a DVD that can be purchased by anyone interested in this interpretation of The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Dan Brown's Inadvertent Writing Lessons

Novelist Dan Brown is currently defending himself against charges of plagiarism surrounding his mega-selling novel The Da Vinci Code (which, I must confess, I haven't read). This civil lawsuit is taking place in London and under British law witnesses are permitted to submit their testimony in writing rather than undergoing public examination.

Thanks to the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog, [Oops...wrong link. Here's the correct one.] we can read Brown's written testimony via this 75-page PDF document (a tidy 3.5mb download, for those of you on dial-up).

While this trial is yawn-inducing -- unless you're a Larry King-caliber lawsuit junkie -- a quick scan through the document will uncover an unexpected benefit for those who have aspirations of becoming a novelist, because Brown reveals a number of details about his approach to the discipline of writing, as well as plot and character development. This is a rare opportunity to get some advice from a guy who's sold a gazillion books.

For me, though, the most interesting issue presented by this document is the idea of giving an accomplished novelist free rein with written testimony. Isn't that akin to giving, say, Gregory Peck* the right to present the defense's closing argument in front of a jury? What is a novelist, after all, but an actor whose stage is the page? This guy's profession -- his livelihood and his gift -- is presenting people with his own version of reality in such a way that they make it theirs as well.

I wonder if his reaction upon hearing that he was to provide the court with this written testimony was something like, "oh, no...don' t'row me in dat briar patch!"?

*I tried to think of a contemporary actor to use as an example and came up empty-handed.

Quiz Answers

Yesterday's quiz attracted responses which were absolutely incorrect...but also much funnier and more creative than the right answers. (And isn't that what today's educational philosophy is all about?) The correct answers are shown on the original post in blue (and immediately following each acronym if color isn't your thing).

Thanks for playing (and I use that term in the strictest sense of the word!).

Reading for the fun of it

I'm a couple hundred pages into Neal Stephenson's epic Quicksilver, the first volume of his Baroque Cycle trilogy (or is it a quadrology?). This ground has been trod by Jim at Serotoninrain, who's well into the set, and Patti over at White Pebble (based on her photo montage).

Stephenson is one of those writers who can make the mundane fabulous. He can make eating cereal seem exciting (which, in fact, he did in Cryptonomicon). You can read him for his intricate plots, or you can read him just to enjoy the prose. Or, best of all, both.

Anyway, I ran across the following passage last night and felt compelled to share it in its entirety, as it perfectly embodies Stephenson's way with words. (And it's not totally irrelevant, seeing as how we've quite recently discussed Jen's pregnancy...not that the following sets any sort of expectation whatsoever.)

This part of the novel is set in London in the latter part of the 17th century. That's all the background needed to apprehend the general context of the passage.

If I had any standing to quibble with this passage--which I don't--it would be the second occurrence of the word "primal," but that's not something most people would catch on the first reading (I saw it the third time through).

Technorati tags: Quicksilver | Neal Stephenson

A modest little quiz

Something to help you get over the mid-point of the week, unless you're in, say, New Zealand or Singapore, in which case you're either going to make it or not.

For much glory and honor (but no stuff), tell us what activity the following US-based organizations are designed to promote (Update -- All of these groups were created to promote the same activity):

Answer: All are tandem bicycling clubs.

• P.I.G.S. Paired Iowans Going Somewhere


• C.A.T.S. Chicago Area Tandem Society"


• H.A.T.S. Houston Area Tandem Society


• D.A.T.E.S. Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts


• G.R.I.T.S. Greater Raleigh Intrepid Tandem Society (Raleigh, NC)


• E.T.C. Evergreen Tandem Society (Puget Sound area)

No googling or yahooing, unless you absolutely can't help it...in which case you should say so when you post your answer so we can be suitably unimpressed. For extra credit, explain the meaning of each acronym.

This just in: Steelers win Super Bowl...and Jen is pregnant

Not that those two events are related in any way whatsoever. My point is simply that I'm apparently the most clueless person in the galaxy (OK, OK...the universe) and I'm just now discovering that Jen of Lintefiniel Musing and Beau are expecting their first baby. You can follow Jen's Adventures in Baby Getting at her (relatively) new side-blog, Whiny Complaints.

And if you're pretending to be even more clueless than me, feel free to pop over and give them your congratulations and blessings.

Blogathon 2006: Return of the Ka-Ching

I see that Blogathon 2006 is scheduled a bit earlier this year, starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 29. Unless you observe a Saturday Sabbath, in which case you'll get an alternate schedule.

Whaddaya think? Should I? ;-)

Technorati tag: Blogathon 2006

Odessa FutureGen Site Proposal Makes State Cut

I just noticed a news release announcing that Odessa will be one of two recommended by the state of Texas as the site of the DOE's $1 billion FutureGen project. The competing site in Texas is in Jewett, which is just west of I-45, about halfway between Houston and Dallas.

According to the release, the Jewett site is actually near a lignite coal mine, which makes sense since FutureGen will be an attempt to construct and operate a near-zero-emissions coal-gasification electricity generation plant.

It's not clear as to how the state will promote these two sites in the national competition for the project, but the fact that our local proposal has made it this far is great news. The state's final proposal is due on May 4, 2006.

Technorati tag: FutureGen

Lenten Devotional Reminder

There's no sin in repitition when what you're repeating is worth hearing again, and thus I gladly remind you to go read Jim Jannotti's daily Lenten devotionals over at The Brew on MyWestTexas.com. Today's post about the discipline of submission is of print-and-stick-on- bathroom-mirror-for-daily-consideration caliber.

And, yes, I do realize that I've referred to bathroom mirrors in two posts today. Thanks for paying attention.

Technorati tag: Lenten devotionals

No staffers were harmed in the writing of this post

My fellow Midland bloggers over at Jessica's Well are having fun with U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway's blog.

I would never begrudge them the opportunity to haul out their impressive Photoshopping skills, and any elected official's attempts at blogging is fair game, albeit only slightly less challenging than shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. At the same time, there's no small irony in a collection of anonymous bloggers giving grief to Conaway for letting his staff write most of the posts on his blog. Someone should perhaps break it to the JW folks that Dubya doesn't actually write all of his speeches.

Then there's this pronouncement from the previously linked JW post: "Using Movable Type (or whatever) to post press releases does not a blog make." Really? I hope they'll pop over to Wikipedia and correct the obvious shortcomings in that site's definition of blog, which is apparently off base, beginning as it does, thusly: A blog (a portmanteau made by contracting the phrase "web log") is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. Regardless of your opinion about the quality or origin of the posts on Conaway's blog, as far as I can tell it still meets every aspect of that definition.

Still, lest you think that I have naught but criticism of JW and its pounding of the congressman's blog, let me go on record as saying that I wholeheartedly agree with its take on Conaway's proposed bill to require US congresspersonages to read the Constitution each session.

MiscTecNotes

Don't you despise the affectation of concatenating illogical truncations of terms in a pitiful attempt to look and sound cool and/or competent?

Here are a few Random Observations™ from the wacky world of technology, defined as anything I can't explain (see also, Magic):

• Samsung is introducing a cellphone with a built-in 10 megapixel camera, which is good news in that we can now look forward to wall-sized posters of people photographing themselves in bathroom mirrors.


• Apple has issued another security update for OS X. This one "addresses a number of issues with apache_mod_php, CoreTypes, LaunchServices, Mail, Safari and rsync, according to notes from Apple. This update also includes the previous Security Update, which fixed security issues with apache_mod_php, Automount, Bom, Directory Services, iChat,
IPSec, LaunchServices, LibSystem, Loginwindow, Mail, Rsync, Safari Syndication." This action has sent reverberations through the Mac community, as evidenced by this comment thread on Macworld's coverage of Apple's announcement, said thread primarily focusing on the difference between "affect" and "effect." Watch for an upcoming announcement about a new Mac-related "virus" and a firestorm of a discussion about the proper usage of "peak," "peek" and "pique."


• According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC has signed off on a proposal to allow cellphone usage on commercial flights, and the FAA is heading toward similar approval. The FCC's prior concerns were related to the way high-altitude cellphone usage disrupted ground usage of the frequencies and potentially created disgruntled users. The FAA's concerns were related to the way cellphones disrupted navigation instruments and potentially created crashed airplanes. In the meantime, most passengers are more concerned with the possibility of having to beat senseless the inconsiderate "road warriors" who will raise the bar on how annoying they can be once they're freed to conduct their important business at 35,000 feet.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming. Up next: the secret lives of baby squirrels.

It's going to be one of those weeks

I hate to let a Monday dissolve without posting anything, so consider this: yesterday afternoon around 5:00 p.m., according to The Weather Channel, the relative humidity in Midland, Texas was 6%.

It's a wonder we haven't all spontaneously combusted.

You can hope that things around here will improve after today, but I wouldn't count on it.

More proof that we live in an age of lowered expectations

My wife ran across this "help wanted" ad in today's newspaper:

There's so much about this ad that's sadly ironic, not the least of which is the identity of the organization with the job vacancy: the Midland Independent School District.

Technorati tags: Certified But Not Qualified | Lowered Expectations

"16 Blocks" and an Alternate Universe

16 Blocks, starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def is an enjoyable movie, but only if you're able to suspend belief to the extent that you can accept, say, that The Matrix is a documentary about computer networking.

Richard Donner, the director, is not above springing silly little tricks on the audience, and if you aren't a good sport about playing along you'll likely feel that the movie was a waste of time. Using the "magic of Hollywood" to fill in gaping plot holes is nothing new, but Donner falls back on the techniques a bit too often. Regardless, if you can become a cheerleader for the unlikely pair in yet another odd couple action drama, you'll find enough satisfaction to make it worthwhile.

Bruce Willis has the cynical, inner-demon-battling-yet-incredibly-competent cop part down cold (see also, Sin City, Hostage, Die Hard 3), Mos Def is the most gifted rapper-actor of our generation (take that as you like), and David Morse makes gum chewing seem sinister. It's a good ensemble.

Ant Rating:

Technorati tag: 16 Blocks

Another reason not to be green

I've just been notified that I've fallen behind in my assigned quota of frog movies, and the consequences could be dire. Thus, this.

Tip o'the hat to Norman, who, if he had a website, would probably have that one.

Little known Fire Ant facts

I'm hungry and MLB has a meeting this evening and so there's no relief in view. I had no choice but to pop over to see what the enchanting Bakerina has been cooking up, and she did not disappoint.

Not having the wherewithal to bake a cake, however, I'm doing the next best thing, and borrowing one of her links. If I cannot satisfy my hunger, I can at least provide you with mental nourishment by telling you some little known facts about nature's perfect creation. To wit...

Funny, but the Bakerina always seemed shorter to me.

CAF AIRSHO Gallery

The Commemorative Air Force and its American Airpower Museum are two of the more significant assets to the Midland-Odessa area. The CAF's annual AIRSHO attracts thousands of people of all ages, and never fails to instill respect and awe for the achievements of American military airpower.

There are many places on the web where you can view photos of past AIRSHOs, including this humble blog and that of my pal Wallace over at Streams. But this site by CAF newcomer Max Haynes is one of the best I've found for getting an in-depth introduction to the spectacle. In additional to spotlighting the aircraft, he has a separate photo gallery devoted to The Blastards, the intrepid and probably insane group of volunteers whose task it is to orchestrate the detonation of plastic bags of gasoline and other incendiary devices in the re-creation of events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor.

If you're a fan of old warbirds, I recommend a visit to this part of Max's site, and his main site has many more similar links.

Tip o'the aviator's hat to my mom [how many of you bloggers have been able to say that?]

Technorati tags: Commemorative Air Force | AIRSHO

Simple Browser-Based Image Editor

Pixoh is a free and simple-but-evolving web application for editing photos. At this time, it allows you to crop, resize and rotate images, and save them in a variety of formats, including JPG, PNG, PSD and TIFF. You can import images from Flickr, from any URL or browse your hard drive, and you can export the edited images to Flickr or back to your computer.

Pixoh provides the option of exporting edited graphics as low or high resolution but in my test I couldn't find any difference in the resulting images. Complete documentation is one of the weaknesses of the website.

If you don't keep Photoshop or a reasonable facsimile thereof constantly open, this might be a useful resource for doing quick on-the-fly image editing, especially when some more advanced features get implemented.

Tip o'the hat to Morfablog

Technorati tags: Pixoh | Browser-based Image Editor

Geek Dreams

This is my kind of software: pzizz..."the ultimate power napping solution."

The company claims that its approach is far superior to other napping technologies:

Are these great times in which we live, or what? Imagine having a system that will create and optimize a nap for you, instead of your having to, well, lose sleep worrying about whether you're doing right or not.

As exciting as this is, I think I'll wait until they start offering customized dreams to go along with the nap.

*This raises the question of what happens if you don't nap on your back or stomach. After all, "binaural" means listening with both ears. This seems to me to be a serious issue that merits further research.

Let me know what you find out.

Technorati tags: pzizz | Power Napping

Surgical Update

Many of you have expressed concern about my friend, Tom, who was the victim of a skiing mishap a couple of weeks ago at Lake Tahoe.

I'm pleased to report that he's just come out of surgery and the doctor said that it went well -- although it was more "tedious" than he expected -- and the prognosis is good.

On behalf of Tom and his family, thanks so much for your kinds words, thoughts and prayers. The rehab will undoubtedly be painful and lengthy, but at least the recovery phase has now begun.

I, Cheerleader

Am I the only person who -- after watching the ubiquitous video of injured Southern Illinois cheerleader Kristi Yamaoka continuing her rhythmic arm movements to the school's fight song while being carried off on a stretcher -- had the following thought: "whoa...Stepford Cheerleaders!"?

I commend the lass for her spunk in spite of a chipped circuit boa...er, vertebra, and hope she gets back on her bipedal platfor...um, feet very soon.

Technorati tags: Kristi Yamaoka | Robot Cheerleaders

Email Address / Trackback Ping Update

Having just received a spamburst of more than 200 messages touting an online pharmacy, with each message addressed to a made up name @ericsiegmund.com, I've finally reached the limit of my patience with such tactics and have disabled the catch-all feature that routes such emails to my mailbox.

What this means is that if you've been in the habit of send email to me using something other than info *at* mydomainname.com [that means you, Jimmy], it will no longer work...and you won't even get a message that it doesn't work. Stick to the script and we'll be fine. More or less.

If you haven't the faintest idea about what I'm saying, then this doesn't affect you anyway.

And as long as we're on the subject, I should point out that I've disabled the incoming trackback ping function on new posts. While I rarely get comment spam anymore, trackback spam continues to be a big problem. I'm not going to toggle off the "allow ping" status of 2,500 previous posts, but I'm also not going to give the spamming lowlifes any new targets. I apologize to those who are so desperate for content that they need to link to the Gazette, but that's life in these here modern times. If you do link to a post here and want me to know about it, feel free to email and let me know. Just make sure you use the right address. ;-)

Charity, Grace, Redemption

I spent a couple of hours this morning at our church's Missions Office interviewing people who were requesting financial assistance for various needs in their lives. This is a new experience for me -- this was my second assigned meeting time and my first time to lead the interviews -- and I'm dealing with a variety of different emotions and reactions.

First is a feeling of inadequacy. Who am I to decide whether or not someone who is asking for rent money is telling the truth about their situation? How can I assess if we're helping the situation or simply enabling people to avoid the consequences of their bad decisions? Lord, grant me wisdom and discernment.

Second is sadness at seeing the difficult realities of life. It's been a long time since $20 made a difference in my lifestyle, but there are people all around us for whom pocket change may mean the difference between eating today or waiting until tomorrow. Lord, give me a generous spirit.

Third is gratitude for a church who makes benevolence a priority, and not just with lip service. Our earmarked funds for these purposes is measured in the thousands of dollars per week. Lord, let me not forget your tender mercies that are renewed morning by morning.

Fourth is joy at being able to tell a single woman who is nine months pregnant that she and her new son (who will be born later today) can stay in her apartment for another month because we will pay her rent. It's hard to see how that could be a bad decision; if we err, we're going to err on the side of generosity. Lord, give me a soft heart and take away my pride.

Fifth is the awesome feeling of being able to talk openly to these people about their spiritual condition, after we've finished talking about their physical needs. (We do it after so that they don't feel any pressure to give the "right" answers, thinking that's how they qualify for our help.) There's not a single problem we (or they) encounter for which God will not provide the solution. Lord, please accept the praise of my heart.

Sixth is...well, I'm back to frustration again, and sadness. It's so easy for us to perceive the bad decisions that people have made. A young woman has three young children by three different men, none of whom she's married and none of whom are now in her life. A man can't pay his electric bill because he's got a $350 a month car payment. And those are the easy examples. We try to counsel them, gently, non-judgmentally, offering concrete alternatives to consider (not just, "you've got to get your act together!"). And almost universally they'll nod in fervent agreement...but you know -- somehow you just know -- that when they walk out the door, nothing is going to change. Lord, let me see others through your eyes.

OK, it's not our job to change people, or to change their hearts. I don't think we could do it even if it was our job. Only God can do that, and the best we can hope for is that we've either pointed them to Him, or modeled Him and His love in the way we've treated them and spoken with them and prayed for them.

A man I respect greatly always reminds me that God's purposes are redemptive. There's great hope in that realization. My prayer is that we're not only giving money to people in need, but we're bringing that hope to life for them.

Lord, whatever I do...whatever I say...let it be to your glory. Amen.