The concept of alternative user interface for writing at mpomy.com only makes sense because I crave diversity. There is really nothing wrong with WordPress 3. I just want to see if this works. If it does, we’ll go from there.
The way this theme is set up, the Twitter feed was hard to follow; every time there was a mention or a hashmark, I got one of those gray squares, and it was impossible for the reader to tell where one post began and one post ended. I decided the answer was a flash-based widget and just auditioned every got damned one out there. They all suck. I have temporarily settled with the ‘official’ badge, which looks more like an advertisement – that thing is not staying.
I either have to find a way to monkey around with the code for theme (there is an update, but I’m afraid to loose my customization), or I can go back to the old way, or I can just bag the whole thing.
The Twitter profile does not really serve any useful purpose, other than to give the visitor an idea of how often I update and what kind of garbage gets dumped there.
This idea of broadcasting updates is going to need its own post, as I have been asked again (for the first time in a while, actually) why I am not on FaceBook. The short version is that there is no ‘good’ answer – but more on that later.
Tonight Em and I consoled each other after a Phillies loss with a classic episode of The X-Files – Jose Ching, of course!
As Emily begins to take flight and FBdN spreads its wings to fly in a more individual direction, I am compelled to revert to the meta-post. A rumination on blogging will hardly display the intense compactness and focus of one of Em’s entries, or the articulate and erudite humor routinely found at FBdN. In the latter’s case, there can be no dispute that a profession in writing was inevitable.
No, the meta-post (the one that seems like it’s never going to get started – this one!) is boring to others and extremely self-indulgent. But, since so few people read this blog (or even know about it), I am safe from any real consideration of audience. Or am I?
It is not a child’s journal, hidden safely in a closet or under the bed. This is a more public space. Family and friends presumably know that you’ve staked a claim to a certain corner of the virtual universe. They are not barred from reviewing you innermost secrets, should you choose to share.
An that’s the funny thing about writing. It reveals so much, often without meaning to. So while I’m posting pictures of vacation, promoting a political point of view, or suggesting a new collection of Brazilian music, I may let my guard down. I may want to.
F1 racing – is getting ready to tear itself apart. Teams refuse to be subject to standardized technology and budget caps. To make matters worse, the proposed changes are voluntary, meaning that the 2010 Championship is expected to be a two tiered affair. I’m very much in favor of some measure of fiscal control on the sport, but standardized technology takes away a key element that is really integral to the tradition and definition of F1 racing. And a two-tiered championship is absolutely unacceptable.
Phillies – pulled out a nice squeeker tonight. Hamels gets the win, although it seems he’s not quite as sharp and dominant as he was last year. Same with Lidge – BIG TIME. But he did get the save tonight and was a damned entertaining game to listen to. Franzke is coming into his own (as Scott Graham did, a few years back) on those exciting calls at the end, particularly Lidge’s strikeout for out number two with two on in the bottom of the ninth. Nice job.
John Scalzi – is a fine SciFi writer, a real professional. He’s been blogging prolifically since 1998. That’s some pretty good output for one guy. Getting the benefit of really good writing on a daily basis is quite a treat. But when its Scalzi’s twisted sense of humor, well then it’s priceless. And, hey, it is priceless, totally free! He recently featured an interview with a stick of butter, and today confronts his inner geek as he contemplates the purchase of a new computer powerful enough to play fancy new games:
As an example of this problem, note the picture above, of CyberPower PC’s “Lan Party Commander.” Leaving aside the name of the PC, which screams “I am encrusted in the residue of Cheetos and Mountain Dew,” this rig is one of the more subtly-designed of the gaming rigs CyberPower puts together, and it still looks like a cooling tower at Chernobyl. If I walk into a room and something is glowing like this thing is, my first instinct is to dive toward the lead shielding.
Read the entire post here. I particularly like image of him encrusted in the residue of Cheetos.
WordPress – is ready to getting ready to go to 2.8 and only just installed this version (currently I’m using 2.7.1) on March 26. That’s less than two months ago! But it’s a dilemna because the last update (that I just installed) was terrific. Fortunately, it’s still in beta testing, and I’m not feeling that adventurous at the moment.
She ripped off Josh Marshall, the founder of Talking Points Memo, and one of the top two or three most influential web journalists in recent history. This guy’s investigation of the Bush Administration’s overly politicized Justic Department actually led to the firing of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. Marshall is a modern day Woodward and Bernstein and he’s read by hundreds of thousands of people. Did she think no one would notice? How stupid can a person be?
Like it or not, newspapers will soon be gone forever. This kind of insanely stupid behavior is one of the reasons why.