April 30, 2003

My Mom's Guide Seminars in Dover NH

On May 22 and June 4 I'll be presenting my beginner's seminar "The 4+4 Most Useful Features of iPhoto 2". This 90 minute session is a patient and fun exploration of the features that iPhoto beginners use most often. The unique "4+4" format presents four features chosen by me, plus four "requests" from the seminar attendees. More info.

Posted by jghiii at 10:21 PM | Comments (1)

April 29, 2003

"enlightened"

Wired.com: "DURHAM, New Hampshire -- A land where white pines easily outnumber wireless computer users, New Hampshire may seem an unlikely haven for the free networking movement... But the state, known for its Live Free or Die motto, could become the first in the United States to provide legal protection for people who tap into insecure wireless networks."

Posted by jghiii at 11:50 PM | Comments (6)

April 28, 2003

On Sale Here!

I'm happy to announce that the My Mom's Guide booklets are now being carried by MacEdge Computer Store in Dover NH.

Posted by jghiii at 07:29 PM | Comments (0)

708

The Soulmate Calculator -- "This Soulmate Calculator will calculate the number of American singles you must meet to find your soulmate. It uses the latest statistics from the U.S. Census and the National Center for Health Statistics." Thanks to Al's Morning Meeting and his reader Pam Franklin.

Posted by jghiii at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

Isn't this how the Terminator Movies started?

NewScientist.com: "A battalion of 120 military robots is to be fitted with swarm intelligence software to enable them to mimic the organised behaviour of insects."

Posted by jghiii at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2003

Odd Todd News

Odd Todd news. He has posted a new movie promoting his new book. And, drum roll please, he's gotten a development deal with Comedy Central to do his thing for them.

For those who are new to OddTodd. Here's the original movie. More Odd Todd Movies.

Posted by jghiii at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2003

No tricks

The Accord car commercial that I pointed to a few days ago, would have been cool even if it used computer graphics and trick photography, but it didn't! It was all real, and it only took 606 takes.

One of the more surprising things about the ad is that it was not a cheat. Although it would have been much easier to fiddle the chain of events by using computer graphics, the seesaw and shunt of events really did happen, and in one, clean take.

Posted by jghiii at 06:02 AM | Comments (0)

Score one for rationality

This could be big. "A federal court denied a request to shut down Internet song-swapping services Grokster and Morpheus on Friday, handing a stunning setback to the record labels and movie studios that have sought to curb unauthorized downloading of their works."

Posted by jghiii at 05:20 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2003

Snow Geeks

This is mostly for my brothers, who are major snow ski nuts...

These are the best descriptions I've ever seen of the various types of snow.

http://www.frankiehots.com/archives/2003_03.php#000042

Posted by jghiii at 08:53 PM

Amen

I can't find a link for this, but it's a condensed version of the Lord's Prayer, to fit on a 160 character text pager [thanks The Shifted Librarian]:

"dad@hvn,ur spshl.we want wot u want&urth2b like hvn.giv us food&4giv r sins lyk we 4giv uvaz.don't test us!save us!bcos we kno ur boss,ur tuf&ur cool 4 eva!ok?"

Posted by jghiii at 12:30 PM | Comments (1)

Missing Link

I know my postings here have been pretty sporadic lately. I've been wrestling with how to change that.

I really like the weblog form of expression. I think that its "discovery", and ongoing evolution, is the most powerful concept that's appeared on net since the it became a mass medium in the mid 90s.

I read about a dozen weblogs on a more-or-less daily basis. They are a valuable resource for me for news, tech insights, social commentary, and entertainment.

I think that I have something to offer in at least some of these areas. But for some reason, I've been unable to be consistent.

I think that the main problem is that I've never managed to develop a "voice" for the blog. Good examples of ongoing communications -- and blogs are a new example of this -- have a consistent theme and tone.

"Theme" would be some subject or crusade that is central to the site. Scripting, technology, gardening, country music, child-rearing; the list is infinite, but a good weblog needs a theme that it regularly returns to, and attracts its core readership.

"Tone" is the attitude or manner in which it is written. It might be serious like Walter Cronkte, or bad boy like Dennis Miller. It might be Bobcat Goldthwait, Ellen Degeneris, Jon Stewart, Dan Gilmor, Rageboy, or Ihnatko. Twisted, Chagrined, Cynical, Outspoken, Profane, or Mischievous.

Gone East has no consistent theme or tone. And I think that makes it hard for me to find daily subjects to write about. And it gives all but the most devoted readers, little reason to return on a daily basis.

So I'm considering what they might be.

Possible themes: Tech stuff... Macintosh... Geekdom... Helping beginners... Living in NH... Living in the country... Return to family... Being an uncle... Sailing... Shared experience development... Older than I ever intended to be... something else...

There seem to be fewer possible choices for tones: The tactful, diplomatic wimp (which is the most common up to now)... edgy/mischievous is appealing, but I don't know if I can pull it off consistently... "Plainspoken, jerk" works for alot of people, but probably not for me... Tone is tougher, I'll need to think about it some more.

Your advice is welcome.

Posted by jghiii at 11:12 AM | Comments (5)

April 19, 2003

Male bonding

We have this cat living in the house. He belongs to my roommates. A couple days ago he went to the vet to get "fixed".

Last week I was pretty annoyed with him cause he broke my favorite coffee mug. But recently I'm kinda feeling sympathetic for him. Must be a guy thing.

Posted by jghiii at 06:45 AM | Comments (1)

A complex issue

I don't oppose the war. But I'm frightened by the political tactics and environment that are being used to support it. Much of what Tim Robbins says in this speech is right on. He says, "A Chill Wind is Blowing in This Nation..."

Posted by jghiii at 06:43 AM | Comments (3)

April 18, 2003

Anya's Revenge

Chocolate Bunnies. Click pic for the joke.

Posted by jghiii at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

Me and Sabrina!

Is today a special day in your life?

Posted by jghiii at 08:12 AM | Comments (1)

This is really cool, Rube.

I found this Accord intro video from Joshua by way of the legendary Charles Laquidara.

Posted by jghiii at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2003

75 degrees

75 degrees at noon!!! Now we're talking SPRING.

I was just out paddling, and the ice-pack is broken up all across the lake. As recently as two days ago open water was limited to along the shore and in some of the narrow coves.

It's looking like tomorrow will be ice-out.

Posted by jghiii at 12:13 PM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2003

Bambino's Curse

It's not often that I get mentioned in a major-league weblog. Over on Bambino's Curse, a comment of mine triggered an essay on the metaphysics of baseball. He may be right. Ed Cossette: "...baseball is all about repetition and the rhythms of the seasons and the relation therein to our own lives and dreams."

Posted by jghiii at 04:47 PM | Comments (1)

Nice

They say it's raining down in Boston, but not a drop here in S NH. And the Sun is out!!!

We're in the midst of an "ice-out" contes here. People guessing when the lake will reach "90% ice free". It had gotten up to 19% when the little ice age started. Then it dropped back to 5%. But it's been warm for a couple of days now and the open water is 30-50% greater than it was before the freeze.

Posted by jghiii at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2003

Paddling

I went out paddling today. The first time in over a week. We've had this weeklong spell of cold snowy weather here in springtime new england. It may be (knock on wood) over now. Forecast is for 50+ temps for the foreseeable future.

The new ice, that has replaced almost all the open water of a week ago, is really just firm slush, with lots of air bubbles in it. It breaks up very easily. I predict that, by the time the weekend is over, we'll be back to the amount of open water of a week ago.

Posted by jghiii at 07:52 PM | Comments (1)

Theodore Roosevelt

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we
are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and
servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

-- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (1858-1919)

Posted by jghiii at 05:55 PM | Comments (1)

April 06, 2003

War Reporter Dies

My favorite embedded journalist has died. Like so many other viewers, I had been intrigued by the "live from a tank rumbling across the desert" reports of David Bloom. Since the earliest moments of the war I've watched for his reports. Almost single-handedly he made MSNBC the first channel I tune in to for war reports.

About 12 hours ago, on the outskirts of Bagdad, he collapsed from what is reported to be a pulmonary embolism. [Story] He was evacced to a hospital where he died.

To me he was the epitomy of the 21st century live-by-satellite journalist, reporting this war direct from the battlefield -- clinging to a rumbling tank, standing at the edge of a battlefield, peering into the camera through the sandstorm. There are many reporters like him, but for some reason he caught my attention.

I saw a report from him a day or so ago and commented on how he looked. Hair chaotic, face dark brown from dirt and/or sun. His appearance was not neccesarily related to what killed him, but these people are clearly going through an ordeal.

Another embedded reporter, Bob Arnott, who I've been watching-for over the past few days, said about Bloom, he was "... a great adventurer, a tireless reporter..."

Posted by jghiii at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2003

Belated April Fools

My Mom and I were talking about Urban Legends the other day. She had gotten an email forwarded about the Civil War origin of the song Taps. I suggested she look up "Urban Legends" in Google and see if there was any info about this story's accuracy.

Later that day she sent me email that she's found one of the urban legend debunking sites, and that the Civil War Taps story was probably false.

My Mom is good with Google.

This is not about Urban Legends, but it's fun anyway. The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time.

Posted by jghiii at 07:10 PM | Comments (1)

I'm still here

I've been keeping pretty busy lately, writing in the Pawtuckaway Lake weblog pawtuckawaylake.com/d/ice-out/ and working on the My Mom' Userguide Series.

The latter is going pretty well. Actually better than I'd expected. People are really responding the the "mom" concept. I'm working on making some enhancements to the iPhoto Guide. I'm also gettting started on an iTunes Guide. I've started a weekly Apple iApps newsletter, and I've submitted a proposal to a regular book publisher to do a slightly more conventional version of the iPhoto Guide.

So I'm keeping busy.

Posted by jghiii at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)