Archive for January, 2006
Catching Up In The Blogosphere
James and Oprah
When I read an account like this one about James Frey and Oprah I wonder what people expect from this guy. I’m as concerned about truth as the next person, but I think we’re looking for it in all the wrong places now. This man was so messed up that he was one of the hardest cases in rehab. Is it so important that he recount his background perfectly, or what happened after? The entire situation was a horrible mess. I think this book would have done just as well in the Fiction category. Can imagine what it would be like to have a studio audience sitting there in judgement of you based on your retelling of how an ex-girlfriend killed herself? I can’t.
Why I Read Blogs
Art DeVany is an economist blogger, but that’s not why I’m writing about him today. Not often, but every once in awhile, in the span of a few days, you feel like you can learn everything you need to know about a person.
His span of posts (1, 2, 3, 4,
5) about the the final arc of his wife of 50 years and the death of his mother is devastating to read, but it is easy to sense his attitude is already appropriate. There is nothing that can ease the pain of grief, but there are elements in ourselves that can make the problem an intractable one. I know this won’t be the problem here.
Google, You Aren’t Half Smart
Censorship of the Internet is doomed to failure. Don’t get so worked up, guys.
A Favor
No matter how you know me or have come to find this page, I would appreciate it if you would take this brief survey. It’s about an organization for which I care very deeply, CISV.
CISV is a wonderful organization with a clear mission: to create peace through the education of children aged 11 to 18 by exposing them to different cultures in neutral environment and caring guidance from adult leaders. I have been a part of this organization since I was 11 years old. The world needs our organization more than ever before, and I’d appreciate it if you could help us get a better idea of how to present our organization to those that have never heard of us before.
Purity Test
| PURITY: 38% sex, 15% substance, 50% moral [36% total] |
| Well done! The higher your scores, the more “pure” you are. The lower, the more you’ve experienced.
This test was about done deeds, so your numbers will never climb. [It’s interesting to think they all started at 100%.] But will your purity continue to fall? Will you OUTGROW or will you OUTDO your past experiences? It’s up to you. Advisory:
Note: as for the “TOTAL” purity value – that’s a weighted combination of your scores, indicating what a typical purity test might say about you. |
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The 3-Variable Purity Test written by chriscoyne on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
How To Succeed Without Even Really Trying
- I notice that my readership has almost doubled without my even doing anything. Congratulations to you all for your delightful lack of taste.
- I’ve changed around the sidebar. Big whoop. I’m almost done tagging all of my old posts (did you notice the increase in linkroll traffic?)
- My family is with my sister, helping her to settle in her new environment down in Florida. She’s preparing to spend this coming semester at New College of South Florida. She’s excited and at the beach—that’s a pretty good combo.
- I realized that Megan and I saw Mos Def and Talib Kweli this year and didn’t even blog about it. I should have my privileges revoked.
- I am doing a lot of writing at work which is sort of dampening my enthusiasm for writing here lately. Too bad, because a lot of things have been happening.
- I am trying to help put the finishing touches on the first major web application written for CISV. It’s being written in Ruby on Rails, and I feel it’s been going well. We just need to put some largely finishing touches on it and we’ll be in good shape.
- Megan and I once again had a blast at a show featuring her friend Chris Eldridge. He is part of The Stringdusters who, as I understand, have been signed to a major label. They play “newgrass”, they say. Whatever that is.
- I feel like I’ve really found a good place at work—I seem to be just the kind of person that the company is looking for, and they seem to be the company I’ve been looking for. I would be surprised if this wasn’t my last job for a long time. After this, I go out on my own in one way or another. (I may have this job for quite some time.)
- I’m working on a secret project at work, so OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH aren’t I special?
- The Notwist are good.
- I’ve become part of some sort of nutty geek order; we’ll see how that turns out.
Did You Know?
Normally this would be a linkroll post. (Are you reading the linkroll? Megan is!) In this case, however, I’m going to make an exception.
Did you know that the United States requires 2 billion dollars a day in foreign investment to continue its current rate of capital consumption. And that, for some reason, it’s creditors are willing to put up with a relatively low interest rate and devaluation of the dollar on top?
I don’t read all the economics blogs, but I can tell you, not even they know what this means.
What I will say is that if you are typically inspired by the behavior of the US, go get that stove on credit!
2005: A Year In Review
2005 was a really big year, and if 2006 is anything like it, my 27th year on earth will see quite a lot.
Geek Stuff
I’m a gigantic nerd, so it’s not too much of a surprise that this section is pretty busy. I
got my first #1 ranking on Google, even though the current search yields no love.
I started to really work with open-source operating systems, a trend which continues to the current day. I’m posting this from Ubuntu, which I hope to write about soon. (OK, I’m not—but I could have been.)
I drank the Ruby On Rails koolaid, even though I don’t really see my opinions on it represented on the blogosphere. I know that because I entered it during 2005.
I anted up for a lifetime of shared hosting at TextDrive. I should reach break-even next year at some point. I made that move, in part, to move to a new blogging platform.
And even though it’s probably of more personal interest, I’ll include getting my new job under this section.
Personal Milestone
Beyond the new job, there was the new house with its ridiculous listing. There were many trials and tribulations; so many, in fact, that I stopped writing about them in the middle, although the concerns are minor in the grand scheme of things. I couldn’t be happier with my house, even through all the little nits and picks. For those of you interested in buying a house, I highly recommend it, especially if there’s an IKEA nearby to fleece. Just be prepared for a lot of the unexpected.
While buying the house was not a direct outgrowth of my desire to increase my financial literacy, my exploration of the real estate market certainly was. So was starting my first business.
Also, I celebrated my first anniversary of dating Megan with a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
And, Finally…
I got a digital camera. Hooray!
Happy New Year!
Our Party
Our Not-A-New-Year’s bash went swimmingly! Megan was a superstar in getting the place cleaned up and everything ready. I pitched in with an assist on some things and helped keep her calm. Friends mixed and mingled and appeared to have a great time.
New Year’s Eve
We went to Fredericksburg for New Year’s Eve. We hung out with Marta, one of Megan’s friends. After having a nice dinner, we went back to Marta’s place for cookies, South Park, sample questions from her brother’s multi-state Bar exam prep book and some questionable champagne.
We walked to downtown Fredericksburg to watch the pear drop, but apparently the pear doesn’t drop anymore; they just have a laser light show and a ton of confetti. I really enjoyed that part of the evening. We spent the night back home in our bed.