My Second Life

My Second Life

Second Life is a game that simulates a virtual world. In Second Life (SL) you can do everything you can do in Real Life (RL) and more. Actually, you don't do it - your avatar does. An avatar can be everything from a human to an abstract notion, although most are barbies and he-men. Anyone can create a seductive pole dancer or hulking macho biker guy.

SL is wonderland laid out like an ancient map (here there be dragons) on a grid. The place names are whimsical (Delphi Vistano), realistic (Frankfurt Nord), esoteric (Gourdnak) and commercial (Freebie Heaven). You can wander down a re-creation of The Beatles era Liverpool and drop into the Cavern Club. Visit NASA and wander through a historical exhibition of space vehicles. Browse art created by a RL geisha in training. Some universities have SL-based courses. Yep. Go to college. Play a game. Get graded. Graduate. You can attend a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous or participate in a guided imagery circle meditation. You are limited only by your imagination, server lag and the amount of time you can keep your keister in a chair.

Flying is my favorite thing to do (much like in a dream except you don't have to put your arms out like superman or do that heavy air swimming thing). And then there's the dancing. I'm happy teleporting around playing the free game and doing free stuff (there's plenty of it). Others run their own sims (locations), have private islands and do and wear the best that money can buy. This interactive simulation is always on. At any given time there are around 47,000 participants. Over a million users have signed up. You can meet players from all over the world.

There are tons of interest groups (you're only allowed to join 25). There is an active community creating blogs and sites that focus on SL while linking it to RL. So, you can be offline while online. You can try something in SL you wouldn't dream of doing in RL. Musicians have gotten started this way. Some perform only in SL.

What else you find in SL? Eternal life, as in no one ever dies. Drink all you want and never get drunk. There are money trees where you can pluck free Lindens (the SL currency named after SL's founders). And, yes, free sex, heavy armory and animals that will eat you (if you like that sort of thing).

The catch is that you need a high end computer and high speed internet access to play. Really. That's it. Go play.

My Bad Eastern Promises

Okay. I was a little harsh reviewing Viggo in Eastern Promises, which goes to show me that I shouldn't review thespians I admire right after watching a performance. I have this way of expecting a lot of everyone and even more of those I like.

While catching up on the Google Analytics for this blog, I noticed a spike of interest in Viggo's "Time Waits for Everyone" between the 19th and 23rd of January (Analytics tells me how my pages are found and what search terms bring visitors to my posts). A little research reveals that was when the Oscar Nomination for Mr. Mortensen was announced. Why this drove searchers to look for "Time Waits for Everyone" is a question whose answer I am leaving to anyone who already knows. What I did find were lots of viewer comments that were nicer than mine. Including the one about the over 50 bunch getting their second wind. Doh! I should have caught that.

Time passes. I see things differently and it's not because of the nomination. His acting was good but I still prefer the gentler, more sensitive portrayals. A nomination should go to David Cronenberg for directing.

I'd better stop before this hole gets any deeper.

a new level of smooth in tv entertainment

ABC is back on my entertainment list with a player that really works. Unfortunately it is some type of proprietary player that wraps up Quicktime in a box of commercial ads. I had to download a browser plug-in which took about two minutes and automatically recognized me as a "Mac People." After the install confirmation I was seamlessly returned to the show I had chosen. Pretty neat.

The show played smoothly (except for that two minutes of smeary visuals) in high resolution. The ads play really huge (of course). Your days of opting out of commercials are numbered. Fortunately they can still be muted and there aren't as many of them as on "free" tv.

I watched two episodes of "Samantha Who?". I guess that means I liked it. I enjoyed seeing Christina Applegate in a new role that suits her. She was perky, believable and, well, smooth. I liked the writing, the dialogue is good, the costumes and make up are shinier than a new penny. The plot is entertaining in a "die hard" sort of way. There's a lot of action and one must suspend a fair amount of disbelief. One must also be enamored of formula and the amazing sheen of polish. I am reminded of the 50's as in "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it to Beaver." Gloss. Very glossy.

Back to real life.

Hello

I'm still here, in case you were wondering or even if you weren't. Having a bit of a mini-vacation at Mom's. Saw the musical "Man of La Mancha" last night. The creative director gave it a very interesting treatment. Fortunately he prepared us for it before the show. I thought at first, "Ugh! Modern dance." It was nothing like that. I actually enjoyed it. The way the story was told it was sort of dark. Mom didn't really care for that. It's a really excellent production. I recommend you see it if you can. Today is the last performance. Hie thee to the beach!

I also have made progress on the novel nearly every single day. Starting off as a mystical fantasy it has morphed into a romantic comedy. Well, the important thing is that I'm writing and having fun. The only way to learn how to write a novel is to write one. Just sit down and do it. I've read lots of books on writing and had more than one English class and survived a couple of writing intensive college-level Psychology classes. Novel writing is nothing like any of that. You just have to write. I remember Kurt Vonnegut saying something like that in the video portion of an online class I took. "Yeah, right." I thought. It can't be that simple. Well, it is. If you want to write, just do it.

The editing, clean up and making it ready to print. Well, that's another story.

Where in the world is Bob Dylan?

Proving yet again that I am indeed a drifting outsider, I announce my discovery of Bob on AOL Radio*. I didn't discover AOL Radio very long ago either. But it's really great: XM for free! The quality is excellent. It's like the performers are right here in the room with me. Well, as close as my speakers can get them. Did I mention I hooked up my computer to play through my 1995 stereo? (purchased over six weeks on layaway from Circuit City)

Anyway, back to Bob. He has this weekly show that airs beginning at 6 a.m. ET (this morning - I don't have a schedule, don't hold me to it). The show is "Theme Time Radio Hour." Bob as a dee jay. Wow. Not a thing that crossed my mind in 1969. Or 2007 for that matter. But it's cool. Bob read the Ages of Man from William Shakespeare and then said "Willy the Shake said it all. The rest of the show is just footnotes." Then he proceeded to play songs related to the ages of man from all sorts of genres together with his personal and historical notes. I wish I could offer up some details as illustrations but it's a great show. Believe me. It's nearly over (now playing Neil Young singing "Old Man") and I need to get going so I can get to the jobsite on time for a change. ... after I spread a little weed and feed over the yard.

Here's a juicy fact from Bob: the most common birthday is October 5 because of New Year's Eve. So watch out this New Year's Eve (those of you with the potential).

------------
* If you scroll down the page you can download an application for your computer which is what I use. It's excellent. Or you can listen online. I haven't tried that. It might be good, too. Oh. And you need an AOL account. Mine is free. I think you can just use one of those free email accounts. Or is AOL totally free now? I don't know. Anyway. Check it out. Definitely worth it.

The Amazing Googly Ball and other toys

Today I spent just over $3.99 (on sale!) for a Googly ball. It's a lot of fun. It warms up to body temperature and is about the size of a toy dog – lap dog without the dog! You can blow it up and googly doesn't mind. Happy little googly! I'm so attached to it already. I'm thinking of naming it Googly Bear (Mike Wazowski!). Such a lovely tactile experience. Very soothing for nervous fingers. It comes in other glowing colors but I decided to go all out and get the most obnoxious color there.

Other Toys
At the beginning of the summer I found this solar pool ball in some cheap store. I keep it on the deck in a notch of the stairs. It's comforting to have it out there. Sort of reminds me of Daisy's pier in The Great Gatsby. Not that I'm Daisy or have a pier or even that anyone except maybe the guy who lives across the alleyway can see it. Oh! And that atrocious dog-hating fellow next door. Anyway – I enjoy glancing outside and seeing it glowing. I'm wondering how long it will last and how it will look in the snow.

I've been confettied! It jumped into the keyboard but I'm pretty sure I got it all out. I even accidentally ate some when it got into my lunch. And my home smells like a head shop thanks to stanky KISS incense. Then there's the nice hogmother and child postcard and almost totally useless back issues of Fortune magazine. When my daughter changed her address, Fortune were the only people who thought she meant me and she hasn't lived with me for nearly two years! It took a month for us to figure out that my magazines were going to her. She was not amused when I inquired into the details of how she filled in the form. Mea culpa. I am a wretched Mom after all. It's my job. So, here's the care package from Kathleen with all the goods.

Moms just wanna have fuh-un!

I have a new Daemon

I like this one better than the Raven.

My iTunes Purchases

Wow! This is a great widget! Forgot to mention you can choose from three sizes and five color schemes. Love this one. I hope you will, too!

If I had to define my taste, I'd say "eclectic." And you?

My iTunes

Here's a nifty widget from Apple that shows you my iTunes favorites. It seems to be a list of the music I play or have played at least once using iTunes on my machine. Some of the names in small type don't look familiar to me, but I have a lot of tunes. The big, bold names are really the ones I play most often so if you want to know what I like, check those names. I thought I played U2 more often than the size of its name shows, but I realize now that I play them a lot in the car, and that's not reflected in this widget.

Downside? I had to partially break my privacy with the iTunes Store to do this. I had to agree to let Apple access my account but just for this widget. I don't know. I feel a bit squidgey about that but, obviously, not too much to not do it. Anyway, this is a trial. If it works then I'll be making this a regular feature. Let me me know if it makes my page way too long to load.

I'll be testing it myself this weekend when I shut down my machine. We'll see how it works then.

Nice blogger swag, btw.

I've been sorted

Actually, I did my own sorting. Back in the day when that cute little 13-year-old girl sold her Harry Potter fan site for $1million, I was sorted into Slytherin simply because I chose a snake as a pet. At that point I hadn't even read the books. After finishing the seventh book and reading the devilishly clever riddles a student needs to answer to gain access to the Ravenclaw common room, I decided I was in Ravenclaw. Good riddles = definitely cool. Now, I can prove it officially. Of course, I may have skewed the test, but then the other answers weren't for me anyway.


Sort me!

Here's my question. Why does all the official Warner Bros. Ravenclaw paraphernalia come up as silver and navy blue? Apparently the colors are bronze and blue, but I haven't seen any mention of the blue being navy blue. And where did the silver come from? Bronze is made by adding tin to copper. Could this be it? I will probably get around to rereading book one some day just to get straight on which shade of blue is the Ravenclaw blue.

Why do I care? I'd like an authentic Ravenclaw scarf. Lacking access to Diagon Alley, I'll be making my own.

Is it just me or is there really a general lacking of interest in all things HP since the seventh book came out?

Harry Potter and The Great Big Movie Machine

I'm rereading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to remind myself of how the story (as opposed to the movie) is really supposed to go. I'm wondering how they are going to bring back the Room of Requirement for the sixth movie after blasting it apart in the fifth. The Room of Requirement is a critical scene for a lot of what happens in the sixth Harry Potter book (... and the Half Blood Prince).

Come to that, I'm wondering how they will overcome the mistake of having Voldemort call Lily Potter a muggle in the fourth movie when her accomplishments as a talented potions witch figure quite prominently in sixth book.

There's a rather large and silly contingent in Hollywood that seems to think they can rob creative vehicles and mangle them any way they choose without regard for the internal logic of the source piece. I'm still reeling from a director's assertion that there won't be any mention of God in the making of the movies for His Dark Materials as God is a critical plot point of Philip Pullman's trilogy. (The Golden Compass soon to be released.)

I expect they'll come up with some lame nefarious device to pull it all together. Perhaps spit balls?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - some spoilers

I finished reading the book around 2 pm on Sunday. Wow! I waited until 4 pm to call my daughter so I could be relatively sure she had finished, too. Surprise! She had finished at 2 am, being still able to stay up all night. A thing I could no longer do at the tender age of 22.

Today at work I mentioned I had spent the weekend reading the final HP book and my manager asked me who died. She really wanted to know. She doesn't read the books but she wanted to know. So I told her, hoping she wouldn't spoil it for those who do read the books. As I was listing the dead, I noticed that at least one member of each genetic group died: politically correct dying (or killing). Also, it's not possible to get a sense of the books just from knowing who died. One character doesn't totally die. You kind of have to be there.

You can't really get a sense of the stories when I mention that the books have witches, wizards, werewolves, ghosts, elves, goblins and humans because the definition of each group isn't what you would expect. Neither is the application of the cultures. The list also leaves out Rowlings' fabulous plot twists, gadget inventions and original games. And you don't get to know her intriguing and entertaining characters.

So, READ THE BOOKS!! heh heh

My Mood Cafe

Entertainment for a geek: make this! Unfortunately, you have to reload the page to replay.


Suggested Activities:

1. Laze on the deck.
2. Listen to relaxed jazz like Neighborhood by Manu Katche.
3. Read a silly book.
4. Concentrate on the wind in the trees.
5. Watch shade patterns.
   

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (movie)

grumble grumble mumble mutter sigh
The movie is never like the book. The third movie was the best so far. They've got the characters right anyway. Luna is lovely (perfect actually) and Umbridge is awful (nearly perfect). I began to wonder how many kinds of pink one woman can wear. I was planning on waiting for the weekend, but I'm dying to dive into the site and see all there is to see. There is one little thing that really irked me but I can't really see how they could have translated it to the movie. I'll wait on that until I can be reasonably sure most everyone has seen it.

The Last Book
There should be a complete and total black out in all media until at least the evening of the 22nd. It is truly silly the shenanigans some people get up to just so they can spoil a surprise.

rat•a•too•eeeeeeee!

What a fun show! And what great blogger swag. A personal video player!

Have you seen it yet? I saw it with closed captioning. I didn't even know they did that.

If I were a kid, I'd definitely be getting my Mom to buy the Little Chef outfit for me and wearing it until way after Halloween.

Forget ABC!

Yes. ABC.com has paid some lucky hobbyist programmer to recreate something that already exists: a movie player plug in. Why not just stick with Quicktime which works beautifully on loads of platforms and has for years. YEARS! Where have they been? The new improved player is much like the new improved mail service at work: worse! The "improved player" has worse playback quality than the "old" one. The main result I see of the "improved" player is bigger commercials and a direct link to the developer's blog. Oh yeah. That's why I watch TV shows, so I can read developer blogs. NOT! I also see hampered interactivity (pausing the show restarts the commercial!!!) and time lost to installing this piece of crap which leaves the potential that I may not come back. And I won't.

I watch shows on abc.com because I like them and it's real convenient for me, especially for shows like "Men In Trees" which comes on late at night. And what episodes are currently available on the site (labled as 6/28/07)? Only the pilot!!! What happened to six months of episodes?

If you really want to see some innovative web programming, check out the iTunes/iPod site. And you if you want high resolution video playback with solid performance, try Quicktime.

My 15 Minutes

The article that mentions my name, quotes me a bit, and talks about Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo. The online version doesn't have the photo of me, but believe me, you aren't missing a thing.

things that bring tears to my eyes

1. The New Apple Mac OS X - Leopard. You must watch the fabulous tour and see the new Finder with stacks, Quick Look, Spaces, totally unbelievable Mail and outrageous iChat backgrounds. But my very favorite: Time Machine. Never lose a file again – ever! And find it easily, too. The only drawback: you need an external drive. No problem. I have one. I'm ready.
2. The New Improved iPhone. The darn thing isn't even released yet and already they've improved it! This tour shows you YouTube. I may throw my computer away, or at least my laptop. If I had one.
3. The Pantone home page flash highlighting 56 new spot colors. It's super "touch" sensitive. I don't know how they did it. It's not just a pattern, it's an algorithm. A new home page is not on the same order of magnitude as the Apple stuff, but even little improvements need to be celebrated. I love the whole Pantone site. It's very smart.
4. MirrorMask (2005) makes me wonder where I've been my whole life and why I wasn't first in line at the theater when this came out. The marketers stupdily missed my demographic completely. Fire the marketers! This is the most innovative movie to come out in this or any century. The story, the plot, the sets, the effects – it's all highly creative and like nothing else anywhere. I don't like horror and don't read Neal Gaiman but there's something in his collaboration with Dave McKean that catalyzes an entirely new reality. One which I not only wish to live in, but to die for and invest in. I may need a 3-day cooling off period.

I guess what's really going on is others knocking themselves out for me. It's so endearing. Ah, yes. I have put the "Queen" in alien drifter.

My Favorite Men

For those of you keen on knowing which actors and other famous men I would consider dating, here's the list. Now, not saying I'm ready to do more than have a first date, mind you. There is no regard for marital status. Here they are in no particular order.

• Viggo Mortensen Artist and poet, good looking, enjoys horses but he smokes. Still I would give him a shot. Especially if the date involved listening to him read his poetry. His acting surprises me. He's unpredictable and very private. Somehow I feel like only I have the key. Intriguing. Ah, sweet mystery!
• Paul McCartney You know I've always had it for The Beatles. And this one is available now, isn't he? A bit too much of a showman for me. I'm afraid I'd never know his secrets. Still, it just one date and I bet it would be fabulous. Especially if he showed me round his studio and played a bunch of instruments. I'd love to talk music.
• Harrison Ford Kind, considerate, collaborative, creative, handsome - what's not to like? I've enjoyed every role he's ever played. My favorites are Indiana Jones and Deckard. This man is deep but open.
• Pierce Brosnan This one had me from "Hello." One look on the small screen was all it took. He was robbed of his full Bond turn - too little, too late. And they hid his greatest asset, his smile.
• Bernard Hill Such rugged good looks and so healthy in an outdoors way. Here's a guy who means what he says and is firm but understanding - a rock. Also, great with horses. Just watch the documentary showing him "getting used to" his horse for LOTR. No doubt who and who's horse was in charge there.
• Nicolas Cage The word "fey" was invented for this man. It was "Moonstruck" that did it for me. Looks good in "National Treasure", too. His voice has such a wide range of expression. Being with him would be quite the ride.
• Hugh Grant This one is on the young end. However, having seen him in "Music and Lyrics" I can see he has the level of maturity I require. It's the posh voice, you know. Also, he must be a real nice guy when he can throw baked beans and everyone thinks its justified.
• Hugh Jackman Just a date. That's all. Nothing serious. He's a bit young but he might do. I think I would just sit and drool. A talented actor who can play some really strong quirky characters very well. I'd like to hear him talk about his acting career.
• Val Kilmer I couldn't take my eyes off of him in "Willow." Didn't recognize him in the next show I saw. Again, just a date. Just to have a conversation. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to keep up but I would learn a lot.
• Arnold Schwartzenegger Married, I know. But I'm so attracted to Germans. Okay, I know he's Swiss. Same thing. Sort of. Gentle giant. Forget the politics.
• Jeff Bridges A guy who will keep secrets. Sensitive. Lovely voice. Knocked me out in "Starman." He's so comfortable with feelings and very deep.
• Bruce Willis It was "Die Hard" and "The Fifth Element" and then he showed his sensitive side in "The Sixth Sense." And I lived in New Jersey for a year. Somehow that makes us neighbors. Yeah, I guess he is sort of the guy next door, the one that drinks beer and has all the guys over for football.

Back in the saddle again ...

 out where everyone's your friend, and the vegetables are so green you can ... oh, sorry. I am after proving yet again that I am totally daft. NaNoWriMo wasn't enough. I am now an instant screenwriter. As I write this, I am up to 1366 words. I was out earlier getting inspiration. Do you know that most of the alternative art galleries in Richmond are closed on Sundays? I ended up at Art Works. Not bad but I would have prefered something a tad more professional. Always gets me going.

Once again I am finding that having a clear goal really focuses my mind. All sorts of things are easier to do, like clean the windows and blog. I also get real eager to socialize. At least I'm writing in between. It is so nice to feel virtuous doing research watching movies and reading scripts. heh heh

That list of mature male movie stars I would like to date and the review of my new water heater will just have to wait.

Why I Love Bing

No, not Bing Crosby, Stanley Bing. That man with the best bull sh** job in the universe. He is a brand and a product. How much better could it be?

Here's just one example of why I love Bing. And, the chart shows why Bing is needed most of all on Friday afternoons.

Another is the sanctity he bestows on all bloggers. I'm ready for that huge book advance ...

Mistake: Pan's Labyrinth

Never see this movie. Never! Never! Never! Someone told me (I can't rember who now, but if I did I would call him up and yell at him) that this was a good movie for me to see. Obviously someone who wasn't my friend and knows absolutely nothing about me. It's a brutal and disgusting show. There was a part where I had to close my eyes. Yuk! Who wants to see blood, guts and an extremely sick man doing unwatchable things? On top of it all there's a child who gets shot. Good to know so that you won't be hurt like I was. Idiot! This has to be the suckiest movie ever made. And it's all in subtitles!! Well, I've learned never to take what's-his-names suggestions ... if I can just remember who it was.

Excellent Mother's Day Presents

Most of which you can provide by Sunday and some are free! Well, no monetary exchange for telling the truth and showing appreciation. My favorite: A Pool Boy.

bottom fishing

While trolling the networks for entertainment during my dinner break some days ago (and hearing experience shout "it'll never happen!"), I came across a segment of an "entertainment news" show that promised exclusive video of David Hasselhof in supreme debauchery. Staying tuned, I saw lovely photos of David in his Knight Rider and Baywatch days and other photos of him with his lovely family. Then a blurry, washed-out image filled the screen showing a paunchy man reclining on the floor surrounded by wrappers. Apparently he was eating something. The wrappers were empty or only holding food-specked cartons. There was no actual food that I could see, but that may have been because the video was lousy and the bright whites washed out the detail. Whatever.

This fat man moved his jaws and waggled distended cheeks. He wasn't totally fat, just paunchy like any self-respecting middle-aged man. He looked slightly woozy. He couldn't be bothered to answer the insistent questions of a child who apparently was holding the camera. He snorffled and snuffled as he repeatedly crammed his hands into his mouth. In the background was something that looked suspiciously like a beer bottle, although the label was turned so it could have been root beer. There was no condensation on the bottle (blurred out maybe). The contents, if there were any, were room temperature.

The "newscasters" came back into the picture deploring the ugly sight, expressing sympathy for poor David and acting as if he were doing something repulsive and quite possibly criminal. It was just a drunk man eating. How bad could it be? I've heard of messy divorces but I think they've taken it to brand new lows in California.

In my more lurid days during high school, I read the weird case of some psychologist's patient who could get very pregnant in a matter of hours. After some research he discovered she could consume about three grocery bags of food in a really short period of time and that this accounted for her distended belly. He gave her his brilliant analysis describing the complex psychological reasons why she did this to herself. She sighed in relief, miraculously recovered and lived happily ever after. uh huh. Nevertheless, I was impressed by her physical acrobatics. How the heck did she do that?

Mr. Hasselhof undoubtedly fits the category of acrobat as do many thespians. Acting is a very strenuous job. My guess is his first addiction is food and that alcohol just removes the barriers to gluttonous inhaling. I suspect these bouts are followed by periods of starvation and over exercising to get the physique he needs to keep working. Yes – that's sick.

While on the plane recently (and again desperate for entertainment) I watched a two hour condensed version of what the media considers news. At the end of this was a bite of fashion news showing a runway filled with models. Have you ever seen a widescreen movie shown wrong? It looks a bit like an El Greco painting, the figures pulled out of shape like images on silly putty. I thought for a second that there must be some technical difficulty and then realized that, no, this is how those women look. The baggy clothes did not help.

The real reason I've quit watching TV and most movies is that I'm tired of looking at food-crazed, half-starved psyches trapped in malnourished bodies. I get nauseated from seeing bones sticking out of places where flesh should be. I gawk with disbelief at the transparent efforts to cloak skeletal remains in loose attire. I can't keep my mind on the plot from wondering how they keep going from day to day and what they must be telling themselves and each other to keep it up. People are starving in Mexico and they refuse to eat in the land of plenty.

It's almost enough for me start a list of shows that have normal-sized bodies in them. Almost.

experiment

I'm experimenting with ArtRage a free painting program that sells for about $20 if you want the full version. It's very easy to use and makes, as you can see, images that look like paintings. It doesn't have filters (effects) and won't let me blur or smudge or blend unless I add color with a tool at the same time. But it is free (and cheap) and really easy so anyone wishing to try their hand, can. I don't have a drawing tablet at home so I can't quite do what I am able to do at work, but it's good enough for now.

Current Fads
Listening. four different radio stations (including WBAR.org and NPR); the winds of the summer sun
Watching. The Lord of the Rings (2002-2004)
Activity. staying awake
Gadget. iPod Shuffle (2nd Gen)
News Source. the news feeds in Safari
Reading. Neither Here Nor There - Bill Bryson; The Erotic Spirit - Edited by Sam Hamill; GD USA; Graphic Arts Monthly; Fortune (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)

iPod Puzzle Box

I got my new iPod shuffle. This, together with my recent G4 CPU upgrade to 1 GHz, is bringing me slowly but surely into the 21st century. Hey! Can't just jump in all at once. Mainly because it will take me about 10 years to figure out how to open the boxes.

I've seen pictures of the shuffle. Thought I knew how small it is. Well, the pod comes in a box about the size of a pack of cigarettes or a card game. Small. And the shuffle is smaller than that. I had mine engraved. I need a magnifying glass (almost!) to read the engraving.

Anyway, back to the box. I had to put my glasses on to figure out how to open the clear case. After trying various opening strategies (pushing, pulling, sliding, looking for the hinged side) and trying to find the tape (there was none), I noticed this very pale gray circular arrow, like the kind that might signify "replay." I saw that it was actually on a clear piece of plastic. Pulling on the plastic (in the direction of the arrow, of course) freed one end of the box completely. After that, it was a simple pull to get the cover to swing back. Okay.

Next step. Figure out how to get the pod out of the box. After finishing a rather lengthy marvel (which had started from the moment I saw the pod through the case), I noticed clear tabs apparently holding the pod down to a false bottom. After gently trying to extricate the tabs I finally gave a frustrated yank and the whole thing, pod, tabs, and a false bottom, came out of the case. Then it was easy to turn over the white cardboard false bottom and remove the tabs. Pod freed!!

The rest of the puzzle was easily solved by opening two white cardboard doors to the rest of the case. Inside was all the paraphernalia. Knowing how nifty new Apple stuff is I eagerly turned on the pod and saw the light come on. According to the booklet it was fully charged. So I plugged in the earphones and hit >. I was hoping for a nice message from Steve, like "Welcome to your new iPod and thanks for choosing Apple." or some such thing. After all, when you buy a new Apple computer you get a snazzy welcome screen and usually a short movie the first time you turn it on. No such luck with the iPod. Rats.

I have to say I have missed a lot in the music I've listened to using my home stereo speakers or the car stereo. Even listening from the computer with headphones, I have lost a lot of detail (high notes, subtle sounds) that I can now hear with my pod. And that's a lot.

Side Note: There is no help topic, either on my computer or the Apple site, that tells you how to open the case. I must be the only with issues. My iPod was FedExed directly from China. It's a little weird but fun to see it being shipped to me the night before I ordered it. The engraving apparently doesn't actually take 24-48 hours. Must be the mini-writing.

Totally Off Topic: I'm really glad to see that Mr. Mortensen has actually signed his entire name to a post on "In Other Words." Way to go VM! Also, I had no idea this anti-war thing was so massive. I wrote a bit about it in my other blog.

p.s. - You try typing iPod 15 times and see how many times you abbreviate it!
p.p.s. - This pod holds 240 songs! That's about 24 albums. In the four years I've been buying iTunes music I've only purchased 355 songs. Basically, removing the TV shows, videos, electronic booklets, etc. I could put everything I've bought on the iPod shuffle. I've no idea what I would do with a larger pod. Listen by album I suppose. ...

Being Here and Here

Last night I hooked up with some Richmond writers through a MeetUp. MeetUp has hit the mainstream, finally. I knew it had when my younger sister asked me last fall if the site was okay. Although I had no personal experience at that time, I had heard friends discuss earlier in the year how they were going to use it to start a MeetUp.

Last summer I played around with the idea of starting my own tea shop, mostly because the only real bubble tea shop around here closed suddenly. I still miss them. While I was doing research I discovered what I wanted to start was already here (mostly) as Cafe Gutenberg (even though they don't have bubble tea). I dropped in on the Objectivists Group which meets there. They decided that MeetUp would be a good way to publish events and get the word out about being logical. (heh) So, I had to get involved in MeetUp. I joined five groups right away.

All this is my verbose way of saying that the next big thing is here already. Websites that bring two worlds (meat and cyber space) together. Which is probably the real reason MySpace and YouTube exploded. MeetUp does that. NaNoWriMo does that. But they also let me keep in touch (or in sight) of those who aren't able to turn up in meat space.

I've watched my own personal cyber presence cross the barrier into meat space at an excruciatingly slow pace since 1996. Back in the day when I got 3 visitors a week there was no point talking in meat space about what I was doing in cyber space. No one had a clue. At yesterday evening's MeetUp, there was not only understanding of what a website is but demands for the address, summaries of what I offer and promises to visit. It's not unusual for conversations like that to result in real visits to my site and sometimes real feedback; as opposed to even two years ago when promises would be made and not kept.

I've loosely tracked DQ and MKWM (and their ilk) as they put together a nifty community that links cyber and meat space in a happy and useful way. In the 90's my extended family (which runs to Germany and at one point the United Arab Emirates and Guam) had an AOL Group which did the same sort of thing – but not really because we were all still wholly committed to face-to-face interactions. The group was just a stop gap ersatz temporary bridge to that. I suppose not fully engaging in the interchange of the two spaces had something to do with learning the language of cyberspace and how to translate everything that face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) offers into an online presence.

Apparently we've got there at last. I feel like planting a flag.

In other news, Blogger logged me in automatically when I browsed to their home page. I guess I may have actually asked them to do that. Next time I visit the home page I'll have to check my prefs. Scary though, since I know my ISP does the old random IP thing. But good, too. I'm clearly of two minds about being identified wherever I go. I'm attached to my anonymity.

The Opposite of Drama

... is me! There must be something in between. Very tempting to jigger the test and find out what it is.

You Are As Cool As They Come

Rational and relaxed, no one could accuse you of being dramatic. You roll with the punches, and nothing ever gets you too worked up. You are able to maintain perspective and see the big picture. And even if you're emotional inside, you don't let it show. You're great at keeping it together, and you're rewarded for that. People see you as an ideal friend, employee, and partner.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

Best of 2006

Here they are in the order (mostly) that I thought of them.
Searching: Google Still.
New Find: What to Rent If this site were a man I'd be married. Never have I known a stranger to understand my moods so well. Of course, it helps that I know my moods. Using this tool has made them bigger than life. I see more clearly what is me and what isn't me. Great service. The down side is finding the movies. But I'm surviving some how.
Best Way to Waste Time: 43things Who doesn't like sharing their preferences? I got lost in this web for 4 hours one day before I realized what I was doing. It's endless.
Advice: Tarot They nailed last year. I'm giving them another shot.
Place to Watch a TV Show: abc
Personal Service With Purchase: Perceval Press Viggo I'll never forget you.
Movie Site: Over the Hedge Stamps and games and posters, oh my!
Site That Changed My Life: NaNoWriMo Going from a wanna be to a be is a life-changing event. Kinda like the year I trained my first dog. It makes everything else more possible and me happier. What it's all about isn't it?
Innovative Site: Zeit Genossen (time enjoyed) Totally fresh. Check it out.
Answers: wikipedia Best revolution, also. Wiki wiki wiki. I don't care about the behind the scenes stuff. I think encyclopedias have always been that way.
News: The Beeb (BBC) Not just news. Background info, great related sites, photos, video, explanatory drawings. Unbelievable.
Best Way to Learn German: Tagesschau Video Podcast You even get the weather.
Podcast: Wait! Wait! Don't tell me! Makes time at work just fly by.
Lamest Thingy: Avatars on Yahoo! Okay. Okay. I'm just upset because they don't offer mature images. And I mean that age-wise. I was young. It was nice. I'm over it.

Current Fads
Listening. my iMix/Playlist My Favorite Love Songs From the Library (unpublished) 45 songs, 2.9 hours, 266 MB; whooshing of central heating
Watching. High Fidelity (2000)
Activity. sleeping and waking up
Gadget. thumb drive
News Source. BBC News Widget
Reading. Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist –M. C. Beaton; The Art of Fiction –John Gardner; The Erotic Spirit: An Anthology of Poems of Sensuality, Love and Longing –Sam Hamill (editor); A Wish Can Change Your Life –Gail Sasson and Steve Weinstein; The Wisdom of No Escape –Pema Chodron; 1001 Pearls of Wisdom –David Ross; Wired; MacWorld; Fortune (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)