tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-298505022024-03-13T15:48:56.373-06:00Why don't you write?But I do write!
Just not that often. What about? Well, whatever crosses the synapses, mostly. But hardly any poetry, 'cos no one goes for that.Talks With Cabbieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16219313758319603626noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-12305775424865577912013-04-21T11:28:00.002-06:002013-04-21T11:30:57.395-06:00At the Library<a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?465285" title="Work with schools : story hour... Digital ID: 465285. New York Public Library"><img alt="Work with schools : story hour... Digital ID: 465285. New York Public Library" src="http://images.nypl.org/?id=465285&t=r" title="Work with schools : story hour... Digital ID: 465285. New York Public Library" /></a><br />
Looking at items from the NY public library image collection<br />
<a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?t000611" title="Mytilus stagnalis. [Class 6. V... Digital ID: t000611. New York Public Library"><img alt="Mytilus stagnalis. [Class 6. V... Digital ID: t000611. New York Public Library" src="http://images.nypl.org/?id=t000611&t=r" title="Mytilus stagnalis. [Class 6. V... Digital ID: t000611. New York Public Library" /></a><a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?833677" title="Irish immigrants leaving Queen... Digital ID: 833677. New York Public Library"><img alt="Irish immigrants leaving Queen... Digital ID: 833677. New York Public Library" src="http://images.nypl.org/?id=833677&t=r" title="Irish immigrants leaving Queen... Digital ID: 833677. New York Public Library" /></a>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-18306157413530040592013-02-13T11:04:00.000-06:002013-02-13T23:08:04.718-06:00World Radio Day<p>I can't imagine my life without radio.</p>
<p><b>Earliest memory of radio:</b> Our local station, WNWI (call letters stand for Northwest Indiana) in Valparaiso, Indiana, broadcast during daylight hours when I was small. My parents often played the radio before dinner back then. We lived in a new development on the very edge of town, with few trees and few lights. I could always see the radio transmitter tower's red blinking light at night. I remember feeling scared when they would play the sign off music around 6pm (I'm remembering two tunes: "Sunrise, Sunset" and a somber piano version of "Mack the Knife") because if no one turned off the radio, the music would end and then there would be... silence. How do little children know to be afraid of the void like that?<br>
One of the programs was "Swap Shop" where people would call in to the host, "Gidget", and advertise items they wanted to buy or sell.</p>
<p><b>Pop music finds me:</b> When I was 9, I began taking the school bus and our driver would listen to WLS 89 AM from Chicago (call letters stood for "World's Largest Store," i.e., Sears). They had a phenomenally strong signal (I've caught them as far west as South Dakota). This was after the Barn Dance days and they played the top pop music all day and night. There was a lot of Elton John (meh, even though those were his best days), and lots of other things. We didn't listen to radio at home or in the car (could our parents have wanted peace and quiet?) I set up a tape recorder in front of a transistor radio and put a sign on my bedroom door so I could record my favorite songs when they came on the air. (I think this counts as piracy, but the sound quality was truly awful, especially when the 9V battery in the radio wore down.)</p>
<p><b>Country lovin':</b> For a while in junior high, I listened to a lot of country music, always on Valparaiso's WLJE (the call letters stood for the station's owner, <a href="http://www.inportercounty.org/Data/Biographies/Ellis400.html">Leonard J. Ellis</a>). "Uncle Len" was the morning DJ and did the show live, playing his "scratchy old records" and saying things like, "It's a brass monkey morning!" on really cold days. I learned that country music followed predictable formulas of rhyme and and melody, and discovered that I could harmonize along with it on my violin. That's when I first began to value being able to play music by ear.</p>
<p>NPR - I find love. In high school, I discovered National Public Radio in the form of WBEZ in Chicago. (Call letters stand for Board of Education, and it was still owned by them then. Started life as an educational service to children kept home from school with polio. Honest.) There are three programs I remember: <br>
- Présences Françaises was my first exposure to big swathes of French, which I'd just begun learning. Awesome. I taped all I could.<br>
- A radio dramatization of Star Wars with most of the original cast.<br>
- A funky new series from Britain: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was besotted.</p>
<p>What else?<br>
- Finally being old enough to have my own money and pledge to NPR<br>
- Shortwave radio<br>
- Radio Canada<br>
- Canadian Armed Forces radio from Baden-Baden<br>
- Auditioning for a job as a student announcer at the radio station at college<br>
- The Archers<br>
- Producing my own weekly radio show about Celtic music (in French) for a volunteer radio station in Villefranche-sur-Saône<br>
- Old-time radio like Jack Benny and The Shadow<br>
- Getting interviewed (in Irish) for Raidió na Gaeltachta<br>
- Having a radio in every room of the house.</p>
<p>Happy World Radio Day!</p>
stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-8533483150869717152011-07-13T10:24:00.000-06:002011-07-13T10:24:06.123-06:00Day 3 of no electricity<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A brief but powerful storm on Monday morning brought down trees and power lines all around Chicago and its suburbs. It's the first time we've lost power for more than a few hours. Now it's Wednesday and still no power.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here's how it stacks up for me:</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Doing without:</span></strong><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">electricity (most obvious)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">car (it's at the shop)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">internet at home</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">air conditioning (or even fans)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">hot water (our water heater is actively vented; if the fan can't blow, then it won't run)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">food from the fridge (after 48 hours, it's not even cool in there anymore, and most of the food must be thrown out)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">one of the bathrooms (it requires use of an ejector pump, which can't run with no electricity)</span></li>
</ol><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the other hand, I have:</span></strong><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">electricity at the public library</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">shanks mare (as my grandma used to say)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">internet at the public library</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">air conditioning at the public library (also the weather has cooled off, so we opened the windows)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">bracing showers, a good reason to conserve water, and an excuse for not taking a bath</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">an excuse to eat out :^)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">the other bathroom</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Still, I hope they can restore power soon. This is getting boring.</span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-40956818499182739232011-02-09T14:45:00.015-06:002011-02-09T17:33:36.994-06:00Live tweeting Super Bowl XLV<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm not much of a sports fan, but I seem to have a special block where (American) football is concerned. Even my ever-patient husband has thrown up his hands and pointed out that although I ask questions, I don't really seem like I <i>want </i>to learn that badly. He's right.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But that didn't stop me from live tweeting the Super Bowl on Sunday evening. I figured my fresh perspective might be just what people need.</div><b>17:37</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0p_f_ibVrNw/TVMkOaQc9EI/AAAAAAAADPM/3tC2Zpx44Gc/s1600/1737.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0p_f_ibVrNw/TVMkOaQc9EI/AAAAAAAADPM/3tC2Zpx44Gc/s1600/1737.png" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I never did choose a team.</span><br />
<br />
<b>18:07</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz0UEkHtI/AAAAAAAADOo/acK4fO41QLw/s1600/1807.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz0UEkHtI/AAAAAAAADOo/acK4fO41QLw/s1600/1807.png" /></a><b> </b></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently they're not called goals. Then why do they call them goalposts, huh? :^p </span><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
18:12</b> <br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz0zzWWpI/AAAAAAAADOs/zGw-m5t2kPU/s1600/1812.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz0zzWWpI/AAAAAAAADOs/zGw-m5t2kPU/s1600/1812.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The most enjoyable part for me was the tight uniforms until I was told it's nearly all padding.</span><br />
<br />
<b>18:24</b><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz1li56oI/AAAAAAAADOw/R7Sn7Kwl0RU/s1600/1824.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz1li56oI/AAAAAAAADOw/R7Sn7Kwl0RU/s1600/1824.png" /></a><b> </b><br />
<b>18:47</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVL7bRBI2AI/AAAAAAAADPA/A8Zbq0TqqIA/s1600/1847.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVL7bRBI2AI/AAAAAAAADPA/A8Zbq0TqqIA/s1600/1847.png" /></a></div><br />
<b>18:53</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz2CStyGI/AAAAAAAADO0/0HZGD-05A5k/s1600/1853.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz2CStyGI/AAAAAAAADO0/0HZGD-05A5k/s1600/1853.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's 3 or 6 or 7 points. I think the seventh point is judged on the dance performance.</span><b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>19:23</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz2aceJcI/AAAAAAAADO4/Cgp54xs4QGQ/s1600/1923.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLz2aceJcI/AAAAAAAADO4/Cgp54xs4QGQ/s1600/1923.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>20:17</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLzzQrZE4I/AAAAAAAADOg/-RcVmwktDpk/s1600/2017.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TVLzzQrZE4I/AAAAAAAADOg/-RcVmwktDpk/s1600/2017.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_1150554244"></span><span id="goog_1150554245"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm a little disappointed that I haven't received any offers to be a color commentator yet. :^/</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-21260622762953550432010-09-06T20:35:00.000-06:002010-09-06T20:35:05.708-06:00Back to Grandma's yard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TIWgx6x-KfI/AAAAAAAADBk/zjIpXeOkIKg/s1600/clothesline2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/TIWgx6x-KfI/AAAAAAAADBk/zjIpXeOkIKg/s320/clothesline2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Once we moved into our house, I unconsciously began reassembling my favorite elements of my grandma's house. It was built around the same time as ours, about seventy miles away. <br />
<br />
I planted the lilacs I remembered, and purple iris, four o'clocks with their small round seeds like little cartoon bombs, peonies and black-eyed susans and mint. I've had tomatoes some years, and chives, and geraniums that were her favorite shade of coral pink.<br />
<br />
Now that we have storm windows with screens, we can open the windows on days when it's not too hot and get a very satisfying and soothing breeze.<br />
<br />
I even found Sweetheart Soap, the smell of which takes me back to being four years old again.<br />
<br />
And now I have a clothesline (I suppose <i>we</i> have a clothesline, but it's mostly mine), an umbrella style clothesline that you take down when you're not using it. When I was little, we could hang a sheet from each of the four sides and I would have the best garden house (girl equivalent of a fort) you could ask for. I tried it out today for the first time, and yes, everything dried just fine and blew picturesquely in the breeze especially for my benefit.stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-13444761981753244952010-06-04T08:43:00.001-06:002010-06-04T08:50:33.203-06:00About to be enGulfedOn Monday I'll start a new job (a detail for six months) and I'll be working on communications about our agency's work on the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.<br />
<br />
The scope of this disaster is hard for me to comprehend. I found a widget from the Public Broadcasting System that shows how much oil has leaked since the incident began April 20. You can adjust the rate based on the various estimates available.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" marginheight="5" marginwidth="5" scrolling="no" src="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/oil-ticker/" width="310px"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/">If It Was My Home</a> uses Google Maps to show you the surface area of the spill superimposed on your part of the world. This is oddly effective, since you have probably visited places at different distances from your home and have a personal grasp of how far the spill reaches.stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-66525262092201112892010-03-17T09:49:00.004-06:002010-03-17T14:53:12.615-06:00Links for St. Patrick's Day<a href="http://blogs.vocalo.org/dolinsky/2010/03/happy-st-patricks-day-pass-the-corned-beef-hash-please/17965">Corned Beef and Cabbage</a> is not Irish. It is Irish-American, though.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://paddynotpatty.com/">Spell it right: P-A-D-D-Y</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://ocaoimh.ie/patricks-day-blarney/">Patrick's Day in Blarney</a> "This is probably the few times in the year that you’ll see this many locals near Blarney Castle!"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pix.ie/darraghdoyle/photos/goto/1564907">Celebrations in Dublin</a> - photos from Darragh Doyle <br />
<br />
And too many good things to mention from Irish KC. Here are just a few:<br />
<a href="http://irishkc.com/faiq-frequently-asked-irish-questions.htm">Frequently Asked Irish Questions </a><br />
<a href="http://irishkc.com/usa-ireland-little-differences.htm">Ireland-USA differences</a><br />
<a href="http://irishkc.com/ireland-ireland-the-alternative-irish-national-anthem.htm">Alternative Irish National Anthem</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/potd-7-layer-green-st-patricks-day-cake.html">7-layer St. Patrick's Day cake!</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/03/saint-patrick-would-be-shocked.html">Cake Wrecks has some fine items on display today as well.</a><br />
oh, but <a href="http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/03/im-looking-over-my-wrecked-up-clover.html">look at the clovers! </a>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-73719284970666230552010-03-11T11:21:00.000-06:002010-03-11T11:21:23.142-06:00Please leave...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S5klAocbuaI/AAAAAAAACs8/Za2IHq5gPSI/s1600-h/please-leave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S5klAocbuaI/AAAAAAAACs8/Za2IHq5gPSI/s400/please-leave.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I was walking past one of the <a href="http://chicagoloopbridges.com/tour/Bridges/rand2010-1.html">bridge houses along the Chicago River</a> this morning, and I noticed that I could see right into it, and there was a sign on the wall. (You may have to look at the larger image to read it.)stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-54924479514839507782010-03-05T15:00:00.000-06:002010-03-05T15:00:17.645-06:00Maps of France - chain of thought<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/mail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/mail1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This illustration is from a great blog I don't read often enough, <i>Strange Maps</i>: <a href="http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/07/31/159-squaring-the-hexagon-frances-rectangular-departements/">Squaring the Hexagon</a>.<br />
<br />
Which leads me to some other thoughts:<br />
<ul><li>I have never been able to see how the map of France suggests a hexagon. Maybe a kind of a star, the kind a little kid would draw, but not a hexagon. </li>
<li>When I was in college, I found a wonderful stained glass window in an antique store. I was told it had been pulled from an old building in Indianapolis. It was about four feet on a side, square, and it was a fine map of France, divided up into its old regions, not the modern <i>départements</i>. Its borders were small squares with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blason"><i>blasons</i> </a>of, well, I suppose dukedoms or something. It was the unimaginable sum of $400. Don't I wish I could go back and buy it now!</li>
<li>(That same antique store had a priest's kit for administering the last rites and a stuffed mongoose engaged in combat with a stuffed snake. Mercy!)</li>
<li>I also wish I'd gotten the ring I saw once that had a ruby flanked by two Indian heads back to back wearing feather headdresses. I would have been just as taken with it when I was seven.</li>
<li>And I can't omit (though I should) the idiomatic meaning of <a href="http://www.linguapop.com/article-3155316.html"><i>faire une carte de France...</i></a></li>
</ul>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-18941169242821296182010-02-05T08:51:00.000-06:002010-02-05T08:51:20.273-06:00Uh huh.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S2wv3SdU_FI/AAAAAAAACns/F1gLUeiFGwQ/s1600-h/fluke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S2wv3SdU_FI/AAAAAAAACns/F1gLUeiFGwQ/s640/fluke.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-54738446626774081932010-01-22T19:26:00.001-06:002010-01-22T19:26:30.939-06:00That's a fine new hat you have!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S1pQR68V67I/AAAAAAAACg0/-aFKbmLk1mg/s1600-h/2010-01-22+19.21.46-790940.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S1pQR68V67I/AAAAAAAACg0/-aFKbmLk1mg/s320/2010-01-22+19.21.46-790940.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429740569558903730" /></a></p><p>I have loved hats for as long as I can remember. When I entered my eccentric phase in ninth grade (not sure if that phase has passed), I would wear different hats to school on different days. My favorite was the red corduroy baseball cap.</p> stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-39487020523010227992010-01-13T08:56:00.000-06:002010-01-13T08:56:22.068-06:00The Naked Cowboy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S03ewXqCPoI/AAAAAAAACeQ/X0tHrAqLUaw/s1600-h/P1050800edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/S03ewXqCPoI/AAAAAAAACeQ/X0tHrAqLUaw/s320/P1050800edited.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">With apologies to <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mikado/The_criminal_cried_as_he_dropped_him_down">Pitti-Sing and W.S. Gilbert:</a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When the day is cold<br />
A cowboy bold<br />
Is a cheering sight to see;<br />
And it's oh, I'm glad<br />
He was barely clad<br />
And right within sight of me! <br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Saw <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Cowboy">the Naked Cowboy</a> in front of the train station this morning. He gets a lot of credit; it's only 23F/-4C out there. <br />
</div>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-28080493703735695422010-01-07T10:02:00.000-06:002010-01-07T10:02:47.329-06:00Is this Mentschlekhkeyt?Smoky-voiced cat lady caregivers<br />
<a href="http://www.sbjf.org/sbjco/schmaltz/yiddish_phrases.htm">Kvetching</a> about people<br />
<a href="http://www.sbjf.org/sbjco/schmaltz/yiddish_phrases.htm">Kvelling</a> about petsstwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-59568297030988099582009-12-01T07:40:00.000-06:002009-12-01T07:40:07.770-06:00Debunking the 2012 Mayan apocalypseThe other day I read a great column by <a alt="Jean-François Cliche" href="http://www.cyberpresse.ca/search/search.php?search_author=Jean+Fran%C3%A7ois+Cliche" title="Jean-François Cliche"><b>Jean-François Cliche</b></a>, a science writer for the Canadian newspaper <a href="http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/"><i>Le Soleil</i></a>. It does a neat job of debunking the 2012 Mayan apocalpyse. Since I've heard this debated by well-educated colleagues in the scientific agency where I work, I'm offering a translation of this excellent article in hopes of clearing away some of the silly mystique around this hoax.<br />
<br />
Original article: <a href="http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/vivre-ici/la-science-au-quotidien/200911/21/01-923879-lhalloween-en-decembre-2012.php">L'Halloween en décembre... 2012 | La science au quotidien</a><br />
<blockquote><b>Halloween in December...2012</b><br />
Jean-François Cliche<br />
Le Soleil<br />
<br />
<i>(Quebec) “I'm writing to you because I've got questions about the date December 21, 2012. We know that the planets of our solar system will be aligned on that date. Some people say that the poles will change position. Others say that storms will be much more frequent and more violent, and a number of others speculate that it will even be the end of the world. As far as I know, this kind of alignment already occurred 5000 or 6000 years ago, and we're still here. From a purely scientific standpoint, what can we expect?” </i>writes Michel Gagnon.<br />
<br />
With last week's release of the film <i>2012</i>, which paints an apocalyptic portrait, it's certainly a question people are asking. What's more, a plethora of New Age websites are predicting all sorts of spectacular events for this so-called special date. In itself, this isn't terribly surprising, because humankind has been seeing omens in astronomic phenomena for millennia, according to the physicist and popularizer Sébastien Gauthier, of the scientific communication firm Cosmagora. He recently gave a lecture titled “2012: how to survive the pseudo-scientific discourse” at the Collège F.-X.-Garneau.<br />
<br />
<br />
But the thing that's particularly astonishing in this case, says M. Gauthier, is that there will be no alignment of the planets on that date! Absolutely none, as you can see on this map of the solar system which shows the position of the planets (calculated by a NASA simulator) at high noon, universal time, on December 21, 2012. <i><a href="http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/">http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/</a></i> Unfortunately, this doesn't stop false rumors from circulating on the Web...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SxUcJT7-loI/AAAAAAAACZQ/eUOG_gVdozI/s1600/solar+system+20121221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SxUcJT7-loI/AAAAAAAACZQ/eUOG_gVdozI/s400/solar+system+20121221.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
(Anyway, even if all the planets did align, there wouldn't be the slightest consequence. A few small calculations show that the combined gravitational effect upon Earth of the seven other planets is 61 times weaker than the pull of the moon. So as far as this author is concerned, they can go ahead and align as much as they want.)<br />
<br />
According to M. Gauthier, the “popularity” of this date 12/21/2012 stems from the recent craze in New Age circles and other more or less esoteric groups for the history of the Mayans, that great pre-Columbian Central American civilization. In one of their calendars (the Mayans had more than one way to measure the passing of time), called the “long count,” this exact date will mark the end of a <i>baktun</i>, which is a 394-year period in this calendar that corresponds roughly to our millennia.<br />
<br />
Since the Mayans used a vigesimal (base 20) counting system instead of a decimal (base 10) system like ours, their calendar counted days in groups of 20, called <i>uinal</i>, which served as months, after a fashion. The next largest unit was the <i>tun</i>, equivalent to 18 <i>uinal</i> instead of twenty so that it would correspond roughly to a solar year – 18 x 20 days = 360 days. In turn, a group of 20 <i>tun</i> made a <i>katun</i> (which is 7200 days, or about 20 years), and the longest unit of time was the <i>baktun</i>, equal to 20 <i>katuns</i>, or 394 years.<br />
<br />
According to certain calculations, says M. Gauthier, this “long count” is supposed to have begun on August 11, 3114 B.C., which means that December 21, 2012 would mark the end of the 13th <i>baktun</i>. But remember that this date calculation exercise is subject to errors, and certain experts suggest instead the date of December 23, 2012, which is unfortunately too late for the end of the world to save us from last minute Christmas shopping.<br />
<br />
And anyway, what would that change? For the industry of all things esoteric, every temporal milestone is a business opportunity – let's remember the year 2000 – and its gurus are certainly delighted to have a new one at hand.<br />
<br />
Finally, let's point out that there's a Mayan monument in Mexico that refers to the end of the 13th <i>baktun.</i> The “catastrophists” refer to it abundantly, saying that its inscriptions foretell a catastrophe, but serious experts describe its inscriptions as “vague” at best.<br />
</blockquote>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-4844509546860894452009-11-24T06:06:00.002-06:002009-11-24T06:11:05.553-06:00Weighty matters<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"What is making my purse so darn heavy?" I wondered. "I know what I'll do. I've got that dandy electronic kitchen scale. I'm gonna weigh every last thing in my purse to find out the answer."</span><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I did. Here's what I found:</span><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The purse, laden, weighed 4 lb. 11 oz. (2.13 kg). Okay, so I wasn't imagining things; that's kinda heavy.</span><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="3" frame="void" rules="none"><colgroup><col width="184"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup> <tbody>
<tr> <td width="184"><span style="font-size: small;">camera</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="11" width="100"><span style="font-size: small;">11 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="310" width="100"><span style="font-size: small;">310 g</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">purse itself</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="8.5"><span style="font-size: small;">8.5 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="240"><span style="font-size: small;">240 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">Blackberry</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="7"><span style="font-size: small;">7 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="200"><span style="font-size: small;">200 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td height="22"><span style="font-size: small;">iPod</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="5.5"><span style="font-size: small;">5.5 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="160"><span style="font-size: small;">160 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td height="22"><span style="font-size: small;">moleskine notebook</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="5"><span style="font-size: small;">5 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="140"><span style="font-size: small;">140 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">wallet</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="4.25"><span style="font-size: small;">4.25 oz.</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="125"><span style="font-size: small;">125 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">medicine/makeup bag</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="4.25"><span style="font-size: small;">4.25 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="120"><span style="font-size: small;">120 g</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">agenda book</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="3.75"><span style="font-size: small;">3.75 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="105"><span style="font-size: small;">105 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">special red “ideas” notebook</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="3"><span style="font-size: small;">3 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="90"><span style="font-size: small;">90 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">keys</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2.5"><span style="font-size: small;">2.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="75"><span style="font-size: small;">75 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">phone</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2.5"><span style="font-size: small;">2.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="75"><span style="font-size: small;">75 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">Weight Watchers member book</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2.25"><span style="font-size: small;">2.25 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="65"><span style="font-size: small;">65 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">loose change</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="2"><span style="font-size: small;">2 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="55"><span style="font-size: small;">55 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">2 fountain pens + case</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.75"><span style="font-size: small;">1.75 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="50"><span style="font-size: small;">50 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">ID badge & lanyard</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.5"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="40"><span style="font-size: small;">40 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">loyalty cards on keyring</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.5"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="45"><span style="font-size: small;">45 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">hairbrush</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.25"><span style="font-size: small;">1.25 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="35"><span style="font-size: small;">35 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">earphones in a tin</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="1.25"><span style="font-size: small;">1.25 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="35"><span style="font-size: small;">35 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">gum</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.75"><span style="font-size: small;">0.75 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="20"><span style="font-size: small;">20 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">packet of tissue</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.75"><span style="font-size: small;">0.75 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="20"><span style="font-size: small;">20 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">lip balm #1</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.5"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="15"><span style="font-size: small;">15 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">lucky bauble</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.5"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="15"><span style="font-size: small;">15 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">exercise band</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.5"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="20"><span style="font-size: small;">20 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">tube of hand lotion</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.5"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="15"><span style="font-size: small;">15 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">ballpoint pen</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0.25"><span style="font-size: small;">0.25 oz. <br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="10"><span style="font-size: small;">10 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;">lip balm #2</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0"><span style="font-size: small;">0 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="5"><span style="font-size: small;">5 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td height="22"><span style="font-size: small;">2nd pair of earplugs</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0"><span style="font-size: small;">0 oz.<br />
</span><br />
</td> <td align="right" sdnum="1033;" sdval="0"><span style="font-size: small;">0 g<br />
</span><br />
</td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can see a few things that I can do without, at least for everyday commuting (<i>hello, <u>two</u></i><i> fountain pens?).</i> And I can certainly choose lighter versions of other things. But can I use this as an argument to get a different small camera? And if I got a smartphone, could I really bring myself to leave out the camera and the agenda book and the iPod? </span> <br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It makes me think of Steve Martin in "The Jerk":</span><br />
</div><blockquote><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Well I'm gonna to go then. And I don't need any of this. I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you. I don't need anything except this. [picks up an ashtray] And that's it and that's the only thing I need, is this. I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that's all I need. And that's all I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one - I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that's all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair."<br />
</span><br />
</div></blockquote>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-48703297865149451522009-11-20T08:42:00.002-06:002009-11-21T08:47:03.528-06:00Man struck down in crosswalk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/Swf8kRb3RZI/AAAAAAAACY4/ewoJRKe-nCM/s1600/fear-crosbothair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/Swf8kRb3RZI/AAAAAAAACY4/ewoJRKe-nCM/s320/fear-crosbothair.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I saw him for the first time this summer, in a crosswalk in Chicago. I wasn't sure if he was friendly, so I walked by without speaking to him.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/Swf8i0wNMtI/AAAAAAAACYw/fmlY1btidMc/s1600/fear-crosbothair2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/Swf8i0wNMtI/AAAAAAAACYw/fmlY1btidMc/s320/fear-crosbothair2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But when I saw him after they repaved the streets, he just wasn't the same man.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's a tough life on the streets.</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(I think this is some sort of </span><a href="http://thedailymeme.com/what-is-a-meme/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">meme</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">)</span></span></span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-41141062059617906082009-09-24T10:07:00.000-06:002009-09-24T10:07:27.219-06:00What would you tell 6% of all men?<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It started as an email discussion at work. We've encountered a user who has red-green colorblindness. Some of the colors associated with links in our website aren't distinguishable to him.<br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>M: </b>User L is color-blind, red-green (which occurs in 6% of males). L cannot distinguish between the "visited" state of links and regular text. The purple visited link is gray for him. While looking at a page with a bunch of visited links, he wasn't even aware they were links. Should we do something to indicate the visited state more clearly? <br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>C:</b> It seems that the default for all PCs and all browsers, unless you customize, is blue for unvisited and purple for visited. Why doesn't L just customize his browser?<br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>M:</b> I know about the default blue and purple. (...) And what, are we going to tell 6% of all men to "customize your browser, dude"? :D<br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>S:</b> Listen, if I could tell 6% of all men something, it surely wouldn't be that! :^) <br />
</div><hr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So if <i>you</i> could tell 6% of all men something, what would it be?</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> (Keep it clean, please!)</span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-29986652351159189412009-06-27T05:04:00.007-06:002009-06-27T06:08:23.141-06:00Favorite tools: Snagit screen capture utilityI don't intend to make a habit of endorsing products, but I do have a few favorites. Remember how <a href="http://www.douglasadams.com/creations/0345391802.html">Douglas Adams</a> described <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=babel%20fish&defid=1068621">the Babel Fish</a> as "mindbogglingly useful"? Well, <a href="http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/features.asp">Snagit</a> is like that for me. It does a simple thing better than any other utility I've tried: take a screen capture. (If you haven't heard the term before, it just means taking a picture of what's on your computer screen.)<br /><br />Yes, I know that my computer comes with that inscrutable PrtSc key (Print Screen), which I can use to copy a picture of my entire desktop onto the Clipboard (<a href="http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/general/ht/winscreenshot.htm">more info here</a>). But Snagit is better.<br /><ol><li>Snagit has a simple interface, even after countless versions (please heed this, Techsmith!)</li><li>You can easily choose what you want to take a picture of (the whole screen, just one window, a region that you draw with your mouse)</li><li>You can do the things you're most likely to want to do with the image you've captured: paste it into an email, save it as a file, print it.</li><li>You can even add stuff to your snapshot, like highlighter yellow or big fat red circles and the words "click THIS BIT RIGHT HERE"</li><li>There are some nice bells and whistles, too:<br />- capture a scrolling window all at once, rather than screenful by screenful;<br />- magnify or shrink what you're capturing<br />- choose what file format you want to save the image as<br />- automatically name a series of captures<br /></li></ol>Although I don't use it every day, it is exactly the right tool for some things.<br /><ul><li>Illustrating instructions for some process on the computer (e.g. saving Word documents without the prior edits available in them)</li><li>Documenting problems (error messages) or odd behavior of my computer ("See? My monitor has this line of <span style="font-style: italic;">schmutz</span> running across it. That's not right!")</li><li>Printing a web page exactly as it appears, so that I can do a <a href="http://www.alistapart.com/articles/paperprototyping">paper-based usability test</a>) or mark it up with edits<br /></li><li>Putting a picture of your website or software in a newsletter or promotional materials</li></ul>There are just enough post-production editing tools that you could get away without a fancier image editor. I've used Snagit for maybe ten years. The colleagues I've recommended it to are now acolytes.<br /><br />As of this writing, it costs $50, with discounts for education, nonprofit, and government. There's a free trial (fully functional, 30 days), so you can see if it becomes one of your favorite tools, too.stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-58165228181657891842009-06-20T06:48:00.006-06:002009-06-20T07:35:16.879-06:00Cupcakes: WTF?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Okay, I'm going to spoil a few minutes of my lovely Saturday morning (first honest to goodness warm sunny day of the year) and open the cranky gates. It's not so much dislike as honest puzzlement.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >What's up with cupcakes?</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I just don't get it. There are so many things that are nicer than cupcakes. They're not actively bad; they're just aggressively over-promoted. A few quick Google searches reveal the wrongness:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <b>8,780,000</b> for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=cupcakes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a"><b>cupcakes</b></a></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">5,730,000 </span></b>for <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">apple pie</span><br /></b></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <span style="font-weight: bold;">1,310,000</span> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%A8me_br%C3%BBl%C3%A9e"><span style="font-weight: bold;">creme brulée</span></a><br /></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <b>1,050,000</b> for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRIwuxqKyyk"><span style="font-weight: bold;">chocolate mousse.</span></a></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <span style="font-weight: bold;">657,000</span> for <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">chocolate fondue.</span></span></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">307,000 </span></span>for <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baked_Alaska">Baked Alaska</a>.</span></span></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">170,000 </span></span>for <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.stresscafe.com/fretless/buche.html">Bûche de Noël</a><br /></span></span></li><li>Results 1 - 10 of about <span style="font-weight: bold;">99,200</span> for <span style="font-weight: bold;">French silk pie.</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Ditto vampires.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I missed this whole bit: </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.buffyworld.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Buffy</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.annerice.com/">Anne Rice</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and now </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.vampires.com/true-blood-season-1-episode-1/"><span style="font-style: italic;">True Blood</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. I read </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Dracula</span> as a teenager and I was very nervous going into our basement for weeks afterward. Is that nice?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Bringing the 2016 Olympics to Chicago.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> All I can say is: </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.rio2016.org.br/en/">É a vez de Rio!</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reality_television_programs">Reality TV</a> of any stripe.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Real Housewives Dancing with your Big Brother to American Idol on Tempatation Island. One exception: I dig </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/deadliestcatch.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Deadliest Catch</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html">Maybe this is the reason why</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.) And if you've never seen any of the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_series"><span style="font-style: italic;">Up</span> documentaries (<span style="font-style: italic;">7 Up</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">21 Up...)</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, they're interesting.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Whip"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miracle Whip</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Give me the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.hellmanns.com/default.aspx">Hellman's</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> every time.</span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-2324953509298154152009-03-06T07:38:00.004-06:002009-03-06T07:48:41.090-06:00My Cranial Jukebox needs a refresh!<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Okay, this is getting serious. I usually have one or two </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm">songs that get stuck in my head</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> for a few minutes or hours, and then they're either replaced by something else or fade away altogether. If I'm desperate, I can tell someone else what's playing, thereby infecting them instead (not very nice), or I can ask my husband for a replacement song without telling him what I so desperately want to replace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">But I have been plagued by a small playlist of songs I don't care for the last few days and it shows no signs of going away.</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Little Old Lady from Pasadena</span> (Beach Boys)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">I Get Around </span>(Beach Boys)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Barbara Ann</span> (Beach Boys)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Witchy Woman</span> (Eagles)</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Gonna Tell You How It's Gonna Be</span> (Buddy Holly)</li></ul><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">It could be worse, but it ain't great.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So please, if you have something better to suggest, give me a new song to play in my head!</span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-83287455396747280002009-02-19T11:33:00.003-06:002009-02-19T11:41:35.627-06:00Web design and stuff<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As our workgroup deals with comments on a look-and-feel redesign, we get a number of requests for making navigation elements smaller or even eliminating them, allowing for much longer page titles, and expanding the number of items we allow in the "quick finder" table at the top of some pages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's making me think that in Web design, as in real life (as in Weight Watchers, for that matter!): </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you keep looking for more room to cram <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac">your stuff,</a><br />have you considered that maybe you have too much stuff?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">:^p</span><br /></div>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-71622402064673728152009-01-15T08:39:00.008-06:002009-01-15T10:02:14.526-06:00Favorite tools: Neoprene face mask and other stay-warm clothing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SW9d_LSec5I/AAAAAAAABxw/Be-Bni8rF6w/s1600-h/neop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SW9d_LSec5I/AAAAAAAABxw/Be-Bni8rF6w/s320/neop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291551427127047058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today is very cold. It was minus 18 F (-26 C) as I waited for the train. About minus 10 as I trekked the mile across the Loop to my office. But I was toasty warm, thanks to my four favorite tools to combat the cold (two old-fashioned, two from new-fangled materials).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Neoprene face mask - </span>Sure, I look like a bank robber when I wear it, but it keeps my face warm and lets me breathe. Yes, I could achieve all that with a tightly wrapped muffler, but here's the significant advantage: my glasses don't fog up and ice over. The design directs my exhaled breath down and away from my face, and I can proceed confidently instead of viewing the world through an admittedly artful icy haze. <a href="http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___47128">($11 from Campmor)</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Silk long underwear -</span> This stuff is fantastic. It is gossamer-like, as thin and elegant as a white lie. It lies unconspicuous beneath a pair of slacks or jeans, and your legs are miraculously warm. Much more comfortable than nylons.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Polarfleece -</span> Yum! I have a couple "fuzzies" that are stylish enough to pass as casual office wear. They're light and warm and wash with no fuss.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Down -</span> God bless the geese who gave their downy bottoms to keep me warm. (Down doesn't make me feel as guilty as fur does, though maybe it should.) I just got a very <a href="http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=ultrawarm-coat&categoryId=42359&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=503049&cat4=503042&shop_method=pp&feat=503049-tn&np=Y">long down coat from LL Bean</a>, and it is "ultrawarm" as promised. After a few blocks' walk, standing on the corner waiting to cross, I sense that I'm enveloped in a column of warmth.<br /><br />In French you could say "Je ne crains pas le froid," (literally, "I don't fear the cold") for "I'm staying warm."<br /></span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-2699588528282230932009-01-04T22:52:00.006-06:002009-01-05T00:25:56.859-06:00Free Irish Calendar / Féilire Lán-Ghaeilge saor in aisce<span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Sin é!</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> There it is!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEsb5GoI/AAAAAAAABw4/8uOM721YXrs/s1600-h/month06.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEsb5GoI/AAAAAAAABw4/8uOM721YXrs/s320/month06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287687838064253570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I finally finished the project I've been hatching for the last seven weeks: <span style="font-weight: bold;">an Irish calendar featuring photos from our most recent trip to Ireland.</span> When I say Irish, I mean </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >tá an féilire seo lán-Ghaeilge;</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> it's completely in Irish, right down to the little letters denoting the days of the week on the small inset calendars each month.</span> <div style="float: right;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEYSEnBI/AAAAAAAABwo/5YRI5c80PBs/s1600-h/month01.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEYSEnBI/AAAAAAAABwo/5YRI5c80PBs/s320/month01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287687832654355474" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />I'm really pleased with how it turned out. (I owe a big debt of thanks to Juliana Halvorson, who created the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=1389518">Adobe InDesign template I used</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.) I took the photos in Cork and Connemara.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />I took the file to </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://fedex.com/us/officeprint/storesvcs/hvp.html">Kinko's</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> today, and for just under $20 I was able to get the calendar printed on 60 lb. paper and comb-bound. (I had hoped it would be far less, but there you are.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://stresscafe.com/gaeilge/2009-photocalendar-iomha-na-miosa.pdf"><strong>2009 Irish Calendar</strong> - Íomhá na Míosa : Féilire Gaeilge 2009 ón mblag Íomhá an Lae (PDF)</a> (27MB, 28pp) <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yes, it's big, but it prints beautifully. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's a smaller version if you just want to see what it looks like: </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.stresscafe.com/gaeilge/2009-photocalendar-iomha-na-miosa-sm.pdf">lower-resolution version (PDF, 28pp, 3.7MB)</a><br /><br /><div style="float: left; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkFFj9ctI/AAAAAAAABxI/WatHcDiQcEM/s1600-h/month12.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkFFj9ctI/AAAAAAAABxI/WatHcDiQcEM/s320/month12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287687844808979154" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And if you have little or no Irish, well, I think you should take a look anyway, because a calendar is a calendar; it's laid out just the same as the ones you're used to, ah, go on, it's not hard at all... :^) Please let me know what you think.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkE_sbmyI/AAAAAAAABxA/aR9Px12Mpmk/s1600-h/month09.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkE_sbmyI/AAAAAAAABxA/aR9Px12Mpmk/s320/month09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287687843233897250" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEU0YLoI/AAAAAAAABww/iv9LVsh0F8U/s1600-h/month03.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SWGkEU0YLoI/AAAAAAAABww/iv9LVsh0F8U/s320/month03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287687831724502658" border="0" /></a>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-61381404615945606502009-01-01T22:56:00.003-06:002009-01-01T23:04:58.969-06:00Why don't you write, indeed<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Came across this terrific advice from </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.publicationcoach.com/" target="_blank">Daphne Gray Grant, the Publication Coach</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, via </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.lecraic.com/2008/12/21/get-a-life-get-a-blog-because-youre-worthless/">Le Craic</a> (merci to AJ). :<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><p>1) <strong>When you have words, use them</strong>. I’m a gabber. I usually talk a lot. I write a lot. And I read a lot. But I seldom see words as precious. They are. Write and speak as if you might never be given the chance again. Don’t waste time; don’t waste your words. Really communicate.</p> <p>2) <strong>Plan your time so you use each minute in the way you most want to</strong>. Sometimes you might need to be walking or running. Or other times, you might need to abandon making dinner so you can write a sonnet. (OK, I just made that up.) But do whatever it is you most need to do. Don’t compromise; don’t take second place. Think hard and act harder.</p> <p>3) <strong>Never forget every day is a gift</strong>. I’m grateful to be alive and I’m spectacularly grateful to my patient and thoughtful husband, Eric, and my wonderful kids, Claire, Duncan and Alison. They make my life interesting and challenging and engaging. I’m also grateful to you, all the readers of Power Writing — some of whom I know well enough to visit or chat with — others of whom I know only by their email name in my database.</p> <p>Life is a gift. Use it. Write with it.</p></blockquote><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So for 2009:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li>Write</li><li>Read</li><li>Do what you really want to do<br /></li></ul>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29850502.post-66862191720419840712008-12-29T15:03:00.013-06:002009-01-01T19:42:08.206-06:00The stealing presents game<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Every year I go to a couple parties where the guests are instructed to bring untagged gifts to participate in a gift exchange. Sometimes there's a theme; there's nearly always a price limit. You get your gift by participating in the present-stealing game (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant_gift_exchange">see thorough description here</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I grew up in a house where there were just the two of us kids, and there wasn't much competition between us for toys. We tended to draw out the gift opening as long as possible, with one person opening something at a time while everyone else watched.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So two years ago, this game was new to me. I was disoriented by the speed, the competition, the-- hey, wait a minute! You just TOOK that right outta my lap! But I really wanted to keep it!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This was a party with my sister-in-law (a truly delightful person who would never steal your gift if it weren't expressly part of the game) and a number of her friends (generally very nice, except perhaps when it comes to gift-stealing). The game began and I soon found myself holding a lovely duvet-style throw with snowflakes all over it. Perfect! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But it was not to be. I sat bewildered as the throw was whisked away and something not nearly as good was dumped in my lap instead. (Oy! Candles!) Getting into the spirit of things, I soon stole it back. It could not last, however, and the snowflake throw went to someone else, someone absurdly deserving who was planning to cuddle her toddler and infant son in it. It would be churlish of me to still want the throw, but I showed all the skill of a toddler myself in hiding my disappointment. (They even teased me about this the next year.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SV1wG7KBuuI/AAAAAAAABwM/yD1ggWpuiLw/s1600-h/snowthrow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2cHpQ_p0_Rw/SV1wG7KBuuI/AAAAAAAABwM/yD1ggWpuiLw/s320/snowthrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286504801864104674" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A few days later, opening gifts at my sister-in-law's, I was surprised to find a package for me from my mother, who wasn't even there. (Our two families get on fine, but live in different states, so we drive a lot around the holidays.) Yes, it was the identical snowflake throw, just for me! It seems my mom remembered my story of the duvet that got away, and had enlisted my sister-in-law as her shopping agent (Mama was the best shopper there ever was), who found another one to give to me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's the last Christmas gift my mother got me. Last year she was too ill to shop, and this year she's not here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now I play the present-stealing game with magnanimity. I cheerfully accept the ugliest candles-- although I do put up a good fight first, boldly snatching packages from laps. I know that sometimes, if you've been very good, and very lucky, you will get exactly what you want.</span>stwidgiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07163492735490090137noreply@blogger.com1