Saturday, July 29, 2000

Weighing in the balance today:

1. Nasty little message from someone who fancies themselves an 3l33t a0l hax0r, threatening all sorts of nastiness should I continue to report fraudulent password phishing web sites.

2. Kind words of thanks from a few folks that I helped to unravel what were really quite trivial web page problems but had them rather bewildered.

Gosh, I'll have to consider this one for about... never mind.. done :)

Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind that the benefits outweigh the PITA idiots. True, not many take a moment to even say "Thanks for the help" but those that do always seem to time the arrival of their message for that crucial time when I am asking myself why I even bother to get online somedays. I'd say it was a coincidence but sometimes the word "coincidence" means that you were not paying attention to the other half of what was happening.
6:28 PM ::link::

Friday, July 28, 2000

Just the thing to stretch your mind after a long week at work, a silly little word quiz. Go ahead, give it a try. TGIF :)
5:44 PM ::link::

Dreams...
Do I spend too much time in a dream state? Are my hopes for the future based on things that never will and never can happen? No... not winning the lottery ;-P Just putting too much trust and faith in words of others, when their actions, or lack of action seem to be at odds with their words. Maybe I am a naive fool but I trust people and general expect them to behave in a manner which warrants that trust. Makes the disappointment greater when my eyes finally open.
3:44 PM ::link::

I've always used my trusty Pentax 35mm to gather my graveyard photos but there is a part of me that would love to try using a field camera. It would be quite a change to move from carrying a lightweight SLR and a few lenses to lugging along all the equipment that using one would require. Still, there's just something about the romance of a large format camera that calls to me. Seeing the world upside down and backwards through the lens of one of these beauties would be a thrill.

Just a dream though.... if and when I turn in my 35mm, I'll probably end up with a digital of some sort. Dreams can be fun, no reason to base them on reality at all.
3:19 PM ::link::

A Portrait of the Artist as a Science Major

From Civilization magazine, a story of Eadweard Muybridge, who devised a way to capture the motion of a galloping horse using the still camera technology of the late 19th century.
2:58 PM ::link::

Would it be illegal to say that this law sucks?
12:37 PM ::link::

Please don't misunderstand my stance on this issue. I'm not against the free sharing of information, if the parties involved in the creation of the intellectual property are willing to do so. I applaud the efforts of the Open Source community for their efforts to encourage a cooperative environment for the development of software.

I just happen to feel that the artist, innovator or creator of a work has the right to decide in what manner that work should be distributed. I have few objections to sharing anything found on this site and have happily done so in many cases. Just ask first, okay?
10:01 AM ::link::

On the other hand, the restrictions imposed by claiming ownership of ideas can have a deleterious effect on innovation. It seems to be a fine line between an idea and an invention when considering a business method. Stepping back in time a bit, what if the idea of using a cash register had been patented? Will the patent restrictions on e-commerce methods cause a new wave of other methods to emerge or will it lead to a stagnation of the digital economy?
9:33 AM ::link::

I do not use Napster and have no intention of doing so. The moral implications of "sharing" music, art or other intellectual property are examined in "The Future of File Sharing and Copyright", an article by Alexis Gutzman.
8:56 AM ::link::

Thursday, July 27, 2000

Does this mean we need mouse condoms?
3:44 PM ::link::

A bigger web than we think? Given the inability of most search engines to plumb the depths of dynamically generated sites, this shouldn't be too big a surpise. When faced with a URL which includes a "?", most search engines stop right in their tracks, which may be a good thing for your day to day user but with the increased use of sites that have most of their content stored in a database, this means that only a portion of the web's content is being indexed. I've noticed this myself by seeing how my older static pages are listed in some search engines but the new version of the site only turns up the few static pages remaining.
1:18 PM ::link::

Although lacking a long tail and beady little eyes, I am pretty sure that I have something in common with these mice. I drive my wife crazy by eating all I want and never gaining a pound. She does appreciate the extra heat output in the winter though, like snuggling up next to the furnace.
10:51 AM ::link::

Wednesday, July 26, 2000

More uproar over copyright issues on the web.

While I certainly agree with Chernin's statement, "Content creators must be permitted to take appropriate steps, such as watermarks, digital labels and other copyright protection measures, to safeguard digital content," I am not quite as happy with the idea that "The law must ensure that every broadband and network device, including personal computers, respects and responds to these copyright protection measures."

Trying to legislate a change in behavior by addressing the technical side of the equation in this case is going to be as successful as the "V-chip" thing that was going to solve all the problems of minors being exposed to violence or sexually explicit shows on television. Theft of intellectual property is done by people. Don't blame the devices that they use.
1:58 PM ::link::

Not sure what meanderings of my mind brought this up, maybe the Concorde crash, but I've been thinking about my old plane. It was a 1946 Cessna 140, a two place aircraft with a whopping 85 horsepower motor. Flying has always been an adventure for me and trying to learn how in an aircraft that was considerably older than I am made it even more special. I soloed but never went on to get my license, time and money becoming in shorter supply than my desire to become a pilot.

11:37 AM ::link::

I got a nice e-mail from Pandora, alerting me to the addition of even more photos from her recent swing through New England. In addition to her wonderful photos of these old stones, which is reason enough to stop by, she's also added some new paintings to her gallery.
10:37 AM ::link::

So where is all that leading my wandering mind this morning? Is my photography of graveyard statues and carvings art, craft or or just crap? At times I feel it is a combination of all three, with the emphasis, I hope, on craft. I am not creating something new from my mind, merely trying to document and communicate that which I find beautiful or interesting. The true artists, to my way of thinking, where those who started with that rough blank bit of stone and transformed it into the objects which I try to share with you here.

Maybe I should be more experimental in my photography, try some new techniques to express the feelings that a particular stone imparts to me. But on the other hand ( gawd, but I am so indecisive...) I feel that I have accomplished my goal of sharing the beauty of these old gravestones if I can provide a technically correct view that allows you, dear visitor, to enjoy them as they are. Perhaps another section with a more "artistic" quality to the photos? I don't know yet but opinions are welcome.
10:11 AM ::link::

How do we really see? Gain an understanding of how the brain and eyes work together to produce what we perceive as an image.
9:31 AM ::link::

Arts and Crafts and Engineering

What's the difference? Look in the "Notes From the Field" section for an article exploring that question.
9:14 AM ::link::

debrahill gallery
Insightful collection of photos... covering a number of cemeteries, a good look at our place in history and our lives.
8:36 AM ::link::

Tuesday, July 25, 2000

Can a Mac user successfully transistion to the "/etc/bin/another_directory_here" world of Linux? The folks at YellowDog seem to think so and having it preinstalled on a hard drive for under three hundred makes it look even more attractive. Even so, I think I'd prefer to scrounge up a "spare" box somehow, rather than take any chances at all with my trusty Mac. Call me a techno-chicken. I'd like to get my feet wet with it but not ready to plunge into the pool yet.
2:53 PM ::link::

please...

If you are going to use tables, doublecheck your code to be sure that you have properly closed each cell, row and table. There's few things that are as frustrating as following what sounds like a very interesting link to find a blank page staring at me. Yes, I know, it's my own fault for using a web browser that is "picky" about proper HTML syntax.
2:13 PM ::link::

But then again, if you try a search at Hotbot.com using the keywords "World domination" and check the the number eight listing....
12:59 PM ::link::

Quote:

"Saying Windows 2000 is the most powerful OS in the Microsoft family is like saying Moe was the smart Stooge.-Kevin Barkes

from The KGB Report
11:02 AM ::link::

Raven Lunatique has moved into her new home.
Looks great, Raven.
9:39 AM ::link::

American Photographs: The First Century
Online exhibition at the National Museum of American Art.
9:01 AM ::link::

This might be a way to fill the warm fuzzie basket if the gig with the large and unnamed online service provider gets to be too unbearable. If you are looking to give something back to your community and even feel good about wasting so much of your day online, then this might be for you. After all, if you have the time to be reading this, you really should think about it. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. ;-)
8:52 AM ::link::

Monday, July 24, 2000

Would you want to live in space?

Having been an avid SF reader for years, I could see myself as an asteroid miner but would probably be pretty unhappy if confined to something like a space station. I think I'd need some room to wander.
10:47 AM ::link::

Monday morning mind stretch

Nothing like an essay on theoretical physics and time to clear the cobwebs and turn your mind into a plastiform, wrapping itself around concepts that make the start of another work week just a bit less painful. Reality as a flip card movie? Probability cloud of possible moments?
10:08 AM ::link::

Sunday, July 23, 2000

So, why do I keep doing this volunteer gig if it is such a large PITA?

Because... It is what the web is all about, or should be all about, if I was the "Emperor of the Internet". Sharing knowledge, giving freely to others of the lessons that you have learned and that others have taught to you.

Because... There is nothing so wonderfully satisfying as seeing the "lightbulb" come on as someone finally grasps a concept, a concept that you have taken the time and energy to slowly and carefully explain.

Because... I get the opportunity to work with a group of likeminded individuals. They are a truly amazing crew, each with their own fantastic talents and specialties, blended together in the cauldron of hell in which we slave to make a team. I love 'em all.
9:39 PM ::link::

Being screwed with by the same group that you are ostensibly busting your tail to help out can sure put a damper on your day. Interim "manager" of my volunteer group at a large and unnamed online service provider must think we are as dumb as stumps but the truth is we do not trust them as far as we can throw them. It's bad enough that they set up standard procedures to deal with a situation, but the standard procedures do not work and all the higher ups seem to be playing a game of "The Emperor's New Clothes".
7:15 PM ::link::

and since I seem to be ina cultural mood this morning...

Widespread searchable database of all sorts of art and artists.
11:46 AM ::link::

Project Gutenberg

Life is good. A free source of some of the best classic reading material in e-text format. I generally loathe reading large amounts of text online but this may be an exception. Novels, poetry, history. Bliss. :)
11:31 AM ::link::

Quote:
"A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: 'Inside of me there two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.'

When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, 'The one I feed the most.' "
---Unknown

Found at PhotoDude's July 22 blog.
11:13 AM ::link::

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