Libby Says...
This is mostly a closing links kind of post - been sent a few good ones the past day or two... Eunoia is apparently the shortest word in English that uses all 5 vowels; it is also the title of a book that the BBC mentioned today (thanks for the link, Richard). In the book, the author writes fiction wherein he uses only one vowel per chapter. Funky, crazy... but also kind of interesting for those language or poetry geeks among us. While the writing is fiction, because of the only one vowel at a time limitation, the excerpts come out feeling much more like poetry to me. I found A and U painful, E and I lyrical, and O, well, sort of... rotund. :-) And while I've found it on Amazon (published in 2001?!), I much prefer the cover shown in the BBC page... Maybe one of my UK pals can help me out with that. Next up, a moment of politics. Election day is, after all, next Tuesday, although Philip and I have already voted. This comes to me via my friend Allison who says she shamelessly stole it from Bill in Portland, Maine (Daily Kos): Closing Appeals I know that not everyone who reads my blog has my political leanings or is even from the States, and I know also that this is biased, and simplified, and generalized, and satirized. But it made me laugh and Philip channel his inner goblin bringing it to life, so... Vote! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As my friend Cindy will tell you, I'm not a particularly sophisticated music listener. I like what I like... 80s music, top 40 (sometimes), and CW that I can dance to. I also like "old" favorites like Billy Joel, Elton John, Johnny Mathis, the BeeGees, and Barbara Streisand. And then I like even older favorites like Bobby Darrin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra, courtesy of my grandfather. I guess my tastes are somewhere between opportunistic (if I happen to hear it, I'll probably like it if it's good) and eclectic (after all, my iTunes shows recent play for everything from They Might Be Giants to The Frames to Linda Ronstadt, Erasure, and Jim Croce). On the other hand, someone might describe this as indiscriminate. Either way... Today is the first day since I've been home sick that I could bear to listen to much, either television or music (the headache has been too painful), so I watched a movie called Once. The movie was okay, but the song, Falling Slowly, is now permanently embedded in my brain. It reminds me very much of Split Enz (maybe think about "Charlie" or "Stuff and Nonsense") in the melody, and even a little in the words. Anyway, combine my search for the song with a couple of timely Neil Gaiman posts (one of the few blogs I read all the time - I feel like I know the guy, I read about him so often), and I'm now a member of Last.FM, social music networking. It's got no business value to me, that I can see, and I may be the last one of you on board here (although a quick search through my Google contact list implies not), but it's COOL. Want to hear a song before you go buy it? Want to hear songs in the same genre or tag cloud? Want to hear similar artists to a favorite artist? Want to make (or listen to a friend's) radio station of favorite songs? As Gaiman describes it: "I'm playing with Last FM whenever I'm in front of the computer. I love having Radio Me -- the idea of a radio station that magically plays only stuff I like when I'm away from home or away from the iPod. And I was surprised to discover there are people out there with musical tastes so scarily close to mine (which is, in my head, so all-over-the-place as to be uncategorisable) that I've started checking out things they like too. Gave in on the friending people thing, because, as someone pointed out, it made it easier for people than just bookmarking my page". So, I'm not suddenly an expert at amazing music, but I'd love to hear what you're listening to and get to know some more cool music, and you, through your music. Looks like some features are free - joining, listening, etc., but if you want to have your own personal radio station, made of songs you've "loved," you have to shell out US$3 for a month. Haven't yet decided if I'm up for that, but we'll see... (By the way, if you know Cindy, ask her nicely to share her playlist for Radio Free Cinzia - I've got the songs on my iTunes now and on a CD and they're some of my favorites.) Right. Off now for more cough syrup and couch snuggling. I'm so tired of this damn fever! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I subscribed to the Unshelved strip after my friend Shelly sent me a strip one time. (At least, I think it was Shelly - she's my librarian (archivist) friend, so it would make sense.) The comic often resonates with me as a reader... and as someone who's thought about a career in a library - after all, what do I like better than books?! Every Sunday, they have a "book club" issue that has their characters give the high points of a book they've recently read. They've covered some great books, from Neil Gaiman's Coraline to A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (look for these and others in their archives). In any case, this strip had to be shared - I think most dedicated readers have had this happen to them: Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I was doing some blog reading this morning, allowing myself the luxury of reading more than just a quick browse through the blogs on my daily read list in Bloglines. As I do sometimes, I had my attention caught by an entry on a blog I don't read all that often, and followed links from there. It makes for a topically related walk through other people's brains. Today's voyage was primarily about science-fiction and fantasy. I've loved sci-fi/fantasy since I was first a reader - I remember reading the Lloyd Alexander Prydain books and the Tolkein's The Hobbit around fourth or fifth grade and got sucked in completely. I was already a reader, but I think that these books made me the unstoppable, want-to-read everything person I am today. Anyway. I digress. My point was that in my blog-wander this morning, I found some interesting things you might want to peek at: When I taught "The Tell-Tale Heart" this year, we did a great "Producing Poe" exercise (based on this PBS lesson plan), where the kids decided how they would produce a movie of the story, from music to lighting and actors. They were focused on picking a mood and evoking that mood through all their choices. Perhaps next year, a nice capstone to that lesson would be to show this video of the 1953 animated version of the story. Eerie and spookily done. (via SFSignal.com) The Internet Review of Science Fiction (IROSF), where they're trying to create a true literary magazine dedicated to SF (currently free). One story from the current issue that caught my eye -- "Telling Stories of Your Life: The Use of Second Person Narration in SF," an essay about point of view in science fiction, especially second person. This topic is of interest to anyone discussing point of view in literature - and might be a good hook if your students like science-fiction (or if you do!). An earlier related article discusses voice in more general terms. An amazingly cool online exhibition of science fiction at the University of Delaware: From Verne to Vonnegut, A Century of Science Fiction. This annotated, illustrated list is the best in sci-fi, categorized for your reading inspiration. Two wide-ranging discussions (by wide-ranging, here I mean appearing on blogs across the blogsphere), one on how and what to suggest to kids who have been hooked into reading through the Harry Potter books (Here and here). Harry will be done this summer, and it would be a true shame to let those readers go - so these bloggers have started categorized lists of suggestions. Here are a few of mine: SCIENCE FICTION 12 AND UNDER: YOUNG ADULT: Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card; Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant series; Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide books; Glory Road, Starship Troopers, and most everything else by Robert Heinlein ADULT: Old Man's War/Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi; David Weber's Honor Harrington series; Dan Simmons' Illium and Olympos; Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky; most anything by Spider Robinson, although I particularly like the Callahan books FANTASY 12 AND UNDER: The Dark is Rising sequence, by Susan Cooper; The Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander; Watership Down, by Richard Adams YOUNG ADULT: Summerland, by Michael Chabon; Old Kingdom books, by Garth Nix; Heir of Sea and Fire books, by Patricia McKillip; The Belgariad series, by David Eddings; Robert Silverberg's Majipoor Chronicles; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn books, by Tad Williams ADULT: A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin; Anne McCaffrey's Pern books ALL AGES: Neil Gaiman books, like Stardust, Good Omens, and American Gods; C.S. Lewis' Narnia books; JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books; Orson Scott Card's Enchantment; Robert Aspirin's MYTH books are a serious giggle The other discussion was on how sci-fi had been ghettoized as a genre and how it's breaking out now (here, here, here, here, here, and here). I've never thought sci-fi fantasy was a ghetto, but I know that many people have looked askance at my reading it over the years. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thursday was a good media day for English teachers and other language geeks. I know you're always looking for clips to play in class to enhance the multimedia experience for your students. This morning on they way to work, I was lucky enough to be running a few minutes late. When I run late, I sometimes get to hear my favorite NPR show - Engines of our Ingenuity. Today's Engine's episode (transcript or audio of episode 1926) was a discussion by guest Andrew Boyd on the topic of rhetoric. Rhetoric's original meaning is persuasion, although it has come to mean any complex writing. English, humanities, history, and philosophy teachers probably have a good background in discussing rhetoric's origins - popularized by the sophists in ancient Greece, sophist rhetoric was attacked by Plato as not leading to truth. Take a listen to this episode and consider Aristotle's belief that "logic is required to find truth but rhetoric is necessary to communicate truth." This clip would be a good introduction to rhetorical writing or speaking, dissecting persuasive writing (ads or marketing), or convincing students that "persuasive communication isn't an unpleasant afterthought, it's a vital part of bringing ingenious ideas to life." Then on The Colbert Report - the Colbert versus Sean Penn "Meta-free phor all; Shall I Nail Thee to a Summer's Day?"(video)... Who does metaphor-offs? I love Colbert! "Love is a full-length mirror?" lost out to "love is a battlefield" in the human emotions category. Of course, if you want to show this clip, you'll need to be comfortable showing/discussing George Bush's dirty and blood-soaked underwear and its metaphorical meanings, because that was Penn's metaphor-of-choice for the evening. Still, he beat Colbert 10,000 to 1 in the contest, moderated by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky. Giggle. Colbert closed with promises of a hyperbole-off with George Clooney in the future. I can hardly wait! Some links of interest regarding rhetoric or metaphors: Read Aristotle's Rhetoric as hypertext. Then, take a look at some links for rhetoric and composition - from definitions to blogs and writings. You might also want to familiarize yourself with some rhetorical terms, from alliteration to zeugma, with examples. If you're thinking about producing some rhetoric yourself, you might look at some examples, first, from this archive of speeches, sermons, lectures, debates, etc. What's a metaphor? Here's one answer. And some suggestions for using metaphors in creative writing. Some metaphors we live by and with. And some metaphor poems: I taught Fog and Fire and Ice and The Eagle when taught metaphor and simile in poetry a few weeks ago. So much fun! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Heard a story on NPR while getting ready this morning about the discussions of longer school days for kids. KIPP was mentioned prominently. KIPP schools have longer school days and longer school years, both in the middle schools and high schools. I'm not sure whether a longer school day by itself is the only answer, but more time for tutorials and less time unsupervised are definite plusses for our kids. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
One of the many ways I merged my two career callings was to write technology-related haiku in all my copious free time way back when. My good friend Rocky Oliver has, a few times, started haiku threads on his blog - sometimes just for kicks and sometimes in an effort to cheer me up as he long ago asked me to cheer him by sending some haiku (long before we had blogs...). In the last few days before Lotusphere, Rocky's at it again with a Lotusphere-related haiku contest... and he's calling the awards "The Libby." Rocky, I'm truly touched! I'm knee deep in finishing a paper for grad school and finishing an application for a loan for the possible new house tonight, but I'll try to put up a few haiku as the week goes on, just to keep my hand in! For now, I leave you with... Everything changes But our friends are the constant Like trees in the wind Yearly conference Work? Renewal of strength and Imagination. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I happened to read John Scalzi's blog today, where he was pointing out his thoughts on the thankfully-outvoted marriage amendment. I know some of my readers and friends agree -- and a few disagree -- with my beliefs on this matter, and I respect your right to your beliefs. Thanks for your comments on my earlier post. Here's a short excerpt, where Scalzi captured my thoughts very well; I hope you read what he has to say: Look, am I mad or something? I look around and about at people talking about same-sex marriage, and it seems that everyone is accepting the discussion on the marriage bigots' terms, rather than reality. Come on people, let's get a grip: Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
My friend Cindy sent me this and I just had to share. Consider it my good deed (public service announcments count!) for the week. You'll have to click through an ad or two if you're not a Salon junkie like me, but this French AIDS-prevention PSA is worth it. If you'd rather find it elsewhere, just Google "Wilfred Brimo" and look for references to "Sugar Baby Love." Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I'm off for a few days to help my friend Margo (Philip's sister-in-law) drive from Baltimore to Houston as she moves back here. So, expect some radio silence as we try to do the trip in as few days as possible. I've been thinking about Fibs since my post the other day, so here's one for the road (remember, the format is 0-1-1-2-3-5-8...) Drive Through. Without a real stop. Not to see the world, But to help a friend to come home. Okay, boring? Here's another. Work. School. Yoga. I'm breathing, Hoping to finish With my sanity and a smile. Here's hoping you'll leave some for me while I'm gone... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As long-time readers know, Rocky and I have had a long-running Haiku relationship. Reading today's NYTimes, I saw not one, but two articles that link to a fun kind of related poetic form that sparked some interest in my brain: the Fib, which refers to a poem that uses the Fibonacci sequence to determine its syllables. Apparently, blogger, poet, and children's book writer Gregory K. Pincus started the current Fib craze with a post about his use of the the Fib as a writing exercise. It happens to have sprung to even more widespread popularity thanks to a post on Slashdot.org. And so, in honor of the intersection of National Poetry Month (something we celebrated quite late around here last year) and Mathematics Awareness Month, here's my post linking you all to the fun. :-) According to the NYTimes, here's how the Fibonacci sequence (mathematicians should feel free to elaborate) and the Fib form work: The Fibonacci progression is a mathematical formula that starts with 0 and 1 and then continues to add numbers that are equal to the sum of the previous two numbers. Thus, the first seven numbers in the sequence are: 0-1-1-2-3-5-8. To write a Fib, a more complicated version of the classic, highly constrained haiku, the poet composes a six-line poem that has the correct number of syllables in each line corresponding to each digit in the sequence. (The real first line of each Fib is silence.) So... here's my first crack at a Fib:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Giggled when I ran across this discussion of kissing-as-greeting etiquette in the NY Times. For most of us in the US, kissing-as-greeting is fairly uncommon and restricted to close family or friends. On the other hand, if you do business with or have friends who are European (or Canadian), kissing is much more common. I actually really like the custom -- it feels so warm and friendly. You can see a guide to who to kiss when in European customs at Blistex. Knowing who to kiss, when to kiss, and how to handle the kiss can make you look very smooth and well-traveled... (or the opposite, of course...) When do you kiss? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ran into this fantasy novelist's exam recently (I think it was via Will Shetterly, but I'm not sure anymore) and since I know that I'm not the only one around here who loves to read SF/Fantasy, thought you might be interested in this exam. All fantasy writers should take this exam as they're planning their story -- it might be a good way to avoid some of the more obvious derivative plot devices that sometimes sneak in. I'm not quite as snarky about the rules as this exam is -- I admit to reading and even enjoying many books that wouldn't have passed this exam, but avoiding these problems is still a good way to write a better book. Beyond this, it's a good thought process to improve your writing for almost anyone, whether writing a creative story, novel, poem, or even essay (or blog entry?!) -- can you trace your ideas? Are you just following someone else's pattern, or have you modified the ideas so that they are not only your own, but also not a too-used cliché? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thought Dvorak's column on why academia isn't looking at "phenomena" like MySpace.com or LiveJournal is pretty interesting. Heck, we're computer folks and we found at Lotusphere that a lot of folks don't know about even "mainstream" blogs or blogging. Since the appearance of the desktop computer, very little academic analysis has been done on it and how people use it. Yes, there are a ton of surveys done to show that people use computers for e-mail and entertainment. These are usually done on behalf of advertisers looking for an edge. They are not helping us understand the overnight successes of experimental mechanisms. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Occasionally, someone else will say what I've been unable to articulate quite as clearly. In this case, Will Shetterly captured what I've been wanting to say about the riots over the cartoons of Mohammed: The people who first published the cartoons mocking Muhammed are within their rights. In a free society, you have the right to be an asshole. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
There's a reader editorial in today's NYTimes that suggests that (based on research) we better absorb food that we enjoy, assuming it has nutritive value in the first place. So perhaps it's a good suggestion to eat healthy foods, but flavorful, interesting, enjoyable healthy foods. And that one of the keywords in that sentence should be "enjoy." The health writer Lawrence Lindner tells of a committee that gathered to hammer out the wording of the United States Dietary Guidelines in 1995. One committee member suggested that the first guideline read "Enjoy a variety of foods" — language that was rejected as "too hedonistic." (In the end, Mr. Lindner wrote, the committee "opted for the apparently less giddy 'Eat a variety of foods.' ") So let's vow to enjoy our food, not wolf it down in the car with a heaping order of guilt. Call it Slow Food, conscious eating, or eating the French way, the point's the same: eating well and with pleasure is more than hedonism — it's good nutritional policy and practice. Bon appétit! from Go With Your Gut by Harriet Brown, in Feb. 20, 2006 New York Times Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I hate to even admit that I did this, but the results aren't too embarrassing, so I guess I'll come clean. Via Rob, I happened to see a link to egosurf your name. I egosurfed Notesgirl and got approximately 12000 ego points. Well, then. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
The Johari window is going around the blog world right now -- thought it was kind of interesting... Wanna participate -- tell what you think? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, I can certainly see that when you spend so much time at an office that having a friend/confidante/partner could be a good thing... From CNN Money:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've been playing with the Blogger feature "Blog This" and I have to say that if this blog software did that, I'd be blogging so often you wouldn't know what to do with yourselves! I often have 5-10 tabs open waiting to be blogged, but then I have to reboot or Philip closes some windows or whatever, and it doesn't happen. So. While I don't want to keep up two blogs permanently and I don't really want to leave my Notesgirl.com site, I may, from time to time, play over at http://thelibby.blogspot.com/. It would be coolest, of course, to be able to post directly to this blog from there somehow, but.... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Enjoying a visit to chilly Portland, visiting my mom for an "early" Christmas. We've mostly been talking (we're particularly good at that In other news, I quite like this comic strip story line (via NeilGaiman.com):
Finished reading the Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus, by Margaret Atwood -- wrote a short review of it on Amazon, but basically, I really enjoyed it. It was, however, too short. And I'm not sure I agree with all of the characterization, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it! :-) Now I'm rereading Emma, but I have to admit I bought an entire bag of books yesterday at Powell's -- I can't wait to delve into them. :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
A friend who just had a baby (congratulations to Chris C and his family) linked to the Baby Name Wizard, including the Voyager in his baby blog. How fun to find out how popular (or unique) your name has been over time. Here's mine -- nice to know that not only was Libby popular some time ago, but it has had a resurgence in the late 90s and early 2000s! :-) Not my doing, I'm sure, but still... :-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Handstands in yoga for the past two days. Yesterday afternoon, one handstand, kicking up with the right leg. Stayed up for 2 minutes or so, I'd guess. Nice graceful dismount. This morning... 2 handstands, kicking up from each leg. I'm very pleased and excited about this. Handstands are partially about strength and balance, for me, but they're mostly about confidence and guts. And providing a new perspective on things. A new perspective is always good -- be inspired to think about something in a new way. In other news... Prop 2 passed. Sadness. The Mom is going to college to become an ESL instructor -- reinventing herself -- YAAAAAAAY for Mommy! I'm very proud. And I'm going to visit the Mom for an early Christmas/late Thanksgiving. Pride and Prejudice opens today. It has an uphill battle with me in some ways because I like the 1995 Colin Firth version so much, but... I also just like Jane Austen, so I'm hoping to like this interpretation, too. Planning to see it tonight with Philip and Aaron and Ange... In general, I tend to like literary movies... as long as I can remember that they are a different, additional interpretation of a thing I love -- not replacing the thing (book) I love. It's like NSF and DB2 -- you're not required to use it (DB2), you can always go back to NSF... or use both together... But now you have a choice! (That's just a metaphor as a sop to the Notes geeks here who're wondering if I'm ever going to talk about Lotus-related stuff again...) In Houston? Like Belly Dancing? Support Eclectic Belly Dance at Helios on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. I won't be there this month, as I've got a paper to finish, but Philip will be there helping out, as usual. Happy Birthday to my friend Julie (11th) and happy anniversary to my friends Julieana and Mike (8th)... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Do I need to say more here? Where are the comments saying Happy Birthday to Libby? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, yes, once again, I've been a bit MIA and it's not actually stopping quite yet. On the other hand, you should probably expect some serious changes around here in the next few weeks. For today, let me point you to a link of interest, in case you've not seen it yet: Layer 8. Layer 8 is a blog on the NWFusion site that promises "The Best of Fusion and the Not-Just-Networking World." Some blog entries that caught my eye: Best cell phone for spies, which is a review of the gadgetry on Alias, and Tivo starts pop-up ads, which tells me that in addition to TiVo DVRs beginning pop-up ads, I've been watching too little TiVO lately, because I hadn't noticed. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Since I was fluff-headed enough to forget my CD case when packing for Copenhagen, it means I forgot to bring any movies... (Of course, it also contained the music I'm currently listening to: They Might Be Giants, Loreena McKennit, Santana, Depeche Mode... so I'm without that as well) So, that meant that while I was having my insomniac night, I wanted something else to do. I read a little (currently reading: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (recommended both by my Mom and by Neil Gaiman -- how can you go wrong? My book club aren't so sure, but hey, I'm liking it...), but it was too bulky, so I left it at home. Instead, I'm trying to get into one of my airport book buys...) , but what I really wanted was a movie. A quick online search brought me to Movielink. They have fairly decent prices (similar to what you'd pay to rent a DVD or video at Blockbuster) and you can download and watch the movies on your laptop. The download took quite a while (over an hour), so you wouldn't want to decide you want the movie immediately as you're ready to watch it, and the selection is a little anemic (heavy on the anime, 80s, and current fluff), but there were a few things that I was interested in, so it was worth it to me. You don't have to pay any fees other than the "rental" which is how I'd prefer to do this (although at home, I'm a big fan of Netflix). Anyway, the point is that it's pretty cool if you're one of those people who wants to pay for the movies you download. Ah, one other warning -- it doesn't work outside the U.S. right now, I'm afraid. (So, you ask, how'd you use it? Weren't you in Copenhagen by this time? Ah yes, I was -- I didn't even realize it, but of course, I was logged in via my VPN, so there you have it, I was "virtually in the U.S.). Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
For those of you who are Firefox fans: A new preview release (version 0.9) is out and available for download!
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I'd like to extend a warm welcome to a newly available blog written by, uh, well, ok, me. This is e-Pro's new soon-to-be-group blog, The Lotus Informer. I'll be main correspondent there, although I'll also have coverage from our other technical editors and authors (and you, if you'd like to contribute!). The blog does accept comments, so hopefully you'll consider it a "real blog," unlike how you sometimes feel about other "corporate blogs." In fact, I expect to be even more opinionated there about all things Lotus and related technology than I have been here. You'll also find links to other blogs, with some commentary, and some technical tips. In any case, I hope you'll stop by, plan to visit regularly (yes, RSS is coming, although it's not configured yet), and participate as much as possible. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
From this week's Computerworld, a few articles that might be of interest to you guys. A Sunny Forecast for Open-Source uses weather.com's move to all-open-source as a leaping-off point to talk about how open-source is improving as a true alternative. Interestingly, this is one example of a move from WebSphere to Tomcat, and they're in the process of moving from Oracle to MySQL. Mills on CA: Steve Mills has some opinions on the things going on with CA and Sanjay Kumar's stepping aside as CEO. There's also a tidbit about what it means that IBM acquired Candle. CA's Barrenechea responds to Mills in a... ummm... fiesty way. I don't think most of the folks in our blogsphere fit this description, but some of you may work with or manage folks who do, but there's a Q&A with a communications consultant on working with Introverted Technologists, and what they might need to do to "survive in an extroverted world." If you do think you might be considered an introvert, there are also some tips for dealing with those of us who are the extroverts. Annoying finks that we are. ;-) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
You've probably already seen it, since Ed introduced it already, but I promised earlier that if Kathleen would finally start blogging, that I'd link to her, so.... Welcome to blogging, Kathleen! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
If you haven't read Eric's blog about cooking the chicken, you should. It's a great reminder of how our work should be done to give the best customer service. I think we all forget, me included, to do this (or its equivalent) when we get busy or bored or whatever. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
In the comments for my blog on Blogging Boundaries, Lisa Williams linked to her Blogging Principles, which while it doesn't completely cover all the issues I was considering, certainly is a nice start on thinking about what kind of blogger you want to be. Great blog, in addition to interesting principles. One thing I particularly liked was the discussion of "citizen journalism." Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Some days I get 10-15 browser windows open, with things that I want to share. Some days, they get blogged. Some get closed. Some days I just give it up. Today, you get the list:
Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
This list is a 20th Centry list of greatest hits -- that is, the books that SDSU English Prof Larry McCaffery thinks you should read from the 20th century. I found the list at listofbests.com (which I've blogged before), but you can see more info about the list at the literarycritic.com site. The cool thing for me is that while there are a lot of "classics" in the more traditional canon sense of the term, there are also other kinds of classics from broader genres. I've read: 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 36, 44, 45, 50, 54, 57, 59, 60, 63, 70, 78, 79, 93, 96 Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I'd like to hear what you think about klipfolio. This is software not too different from a simple RSS reader, but it combines an RSS feed reader technology with providers who push content and tools via "klips" available at klipfarm. Some examples of klips include an RSS reader, a UPS/FedEx tracking tool, and feeds/headlines for sites like Slashdot, cNet, Wired, etc... Consider the implications of this technology and RSS in general as compared to e-mail newsletters or going to Websites to read articles and other content. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
So many folks posted the new download to Firefox over the last few days, and mentioned that the name had changed from Firebird, but nobody was saying *why*. Until today (NY Times site -- registration required). Thanks, Hubby! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ok, while the link I'm about to post will make you think otherwise, I really am a romantic. Really. Mushy, flower-loving, card-giving, jewelry-hoping-for, lots of pink-wearing, chick-flick-watching romantic. I try to pass myself off as one of the guys in that good geeky way that I have, but now you know the truth. That said, I'm also someone who loves good snarky humor. Which you will find in these cards, via Neil Gaiman (yes, again with the link via Neil, what can I say? If you're not reading his blog yet, you're really missing out -- he's got some of the funniest stuff, I'm telling you.) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
My geeky husband has not one, but two, blogs. The newer of which (ok, older actually, but it died for a while and has just been reincarnated) you all might be interested in, as it is quite geeky in nature -- starting with his first (new) blog on how to make a laptop go dual-monitor mode, using its own screen and a second monitor. Nice. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I should definitely and undoubtedly have been either working or sleeping; however, I happened across this blog tonight, thanks to slashdot. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors -- if you like clever books, and you haven't read American Gods or Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), well, you're missing out. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via Justin -- this is just too cool, especially since I have a thing for tapestries! (updated -- made this a bit smaller... sorry!) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 Which Historical Lunatic Are You? From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.Well, I guess I'm a sucker for silly quizzes. This one, via Bob Congdon thinks that I'm a bit like Caligula, apparently. Scary. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via vowe.net: Guess I'm not quite as girlie as I like to think! The Gender Genie tested my writing and guessed male in over 10 tries. I used a couple of blog entries and a couple of columns,and even some fiction... I tried marking blog entries as fiction, non-fiction, and blogs... All came out the same. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
A man drove a car through a double security fence at San Diego's main airport Wednesday, then jumped out of the moving vehicle before it crossed an active runway and crashed into another fence, airport officials said. Hmmm, Libby sure is lucky that United Express flies into that tiny little airport in Carlsbad -- avoid the, uh, congestion at Lindbergh Field :) More > Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
You've got to go, right this minute, over to Volker's blog and Wiki, where they're currently casting for LotusWars. I'm still laughing. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As we get sooooo close to the end of the baseball season (Sunday is the last day of the regular season), it's time for some baseball blogging -- here are some links you might enjoy. The Baseball News Blog Aaron's Baseball Blog The Astros, Cubs, and Cardinals are still all in it in the NL Central -- I've gotta tell ya -- it's kiling me! Astros dropped two of three to the Cardinals (I don't want to hear a word from you, Mr. St. Louis) and then lost a heartbreaker tonight to the Giants. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Welcome to the Domino blogsphere, Andrew! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
More later, but for now... you absolutely must go giggle at the recent blogjacking over at Ed's blog.... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I won't actually say anything about relationships myself (waaaaaay too dangerous), but I do just have to link you to Davezilla's take on 60 signs you're in a capital "r" relationship... Laugh out loud funny. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via Laurent deWalick -- One company's story of chosing Domino over Exhange in ComputerWorld Hong Kong. It's not all about cost -- it's more about platform flexibility, apparently. They're also smart enough to be excited about the "more than messaging" that is Domino. Yay! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ah, the lost art of the insult. Via Don Park, via Dave Winer... Not that I spend a lot of time looking for ways to insult other people, of course, however, if you *are* going to insult someone or something, you should at least do it with panache and style, right? One way to do it with some style would be to take a page from Shakespeare's Insults -- the Bard knew how to make someone cringe. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
There's a new Diet Coke commercial that I keep seeing that I love -- it's part of their new "movie" theme, I guess -- I'm not sure I'll love all the movie themes, but this one happens to use Casablanca, which is one of my all-time favorite movies! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
We've all been talking so much lately about RSS feeds for our blogs. That's nice and all, but what about RSS feeds for more traditional news sources? I'm happy to announce the first release of an RSS feed for the news section of e-ProMag.com! Yeah! While it's only got title and link right now, we're looking at adding an abstract as well, in the future. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ok, so yesterday's blog was some links... Is it so bad if today's is too? These were just interesting and I guess I'm feeling a little referential ;-)... First up, from the 50 Cups of Coffee site (via Chris and Ned), off the Demitasse page: She used to collect other people's 7 Things, which I found so cool. How about it? What are your 7 Things? 7 Things to Do in Southern California on a Nice Weekend: 1. Yoga on the beach 2. Beach interval/strength training workout 3. Drive to LA to see a Dodgers game 4. Bocce ball (on the beach, where else?) 5. Hike in the hills 6. Make smoked brisket in the back yard 7. Curl up in a hammock in the sun and read In the same vein: from Jess and Matt's blog (btw, Matt -- you're falling down on the blogging job again -- we haven't seen a "posted by Matt" since you got back from Japan, I think! I'm going to change my link back!): The Soundtrack to your life... I have to think for a while about what mine would be, but I know it would include:
From the Fishbowl, some interesting thoughts about pundits, J2EE/Java, and WebSphere. To sum up:
For those of us with an interest in IBM Software group brands, I think that if this is accurate, it's a good thing. However, it seems that if the J2EE brand loses too much importance, the push to be all about the "standards" may lose some traction. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Recently, Ed suggested that we each introduce our Domino-blogging friends to some of the other bloggers we read. If you've examined my blogroll, you can see that I already have a few non-Domino bloggers over there, such as my friend Chris Noessel. Chris is a very close friend of mine from college who is now in Ivrea, Italy at graduate school. His blog, Bonebox, is one that I read fairly often (although Chris only updates about weekly). When he does, however, he is quite amusing, more often than not. So, root around over there on the links list and you'll find some fun stuff. Well, I think it's fun, anyway! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
| :: Finding Libby :: |
| •Send me e-mail |
| •IM Me at AOL: LibbyNicoles, MSN: LibbyNicole@hotmail.com, YahooIM: LibbyNicoles, or Sametime via YellowBleeders |
| •RSS Feed |
| ::Currently Reading (or Watching or Hearing):: | ||||||
|
| ||||||
| ::Other Stuff:: |
| • Photos: Flickr |
| • Photos: Yahoo! |
| :: Referrers :: |
