Ramblings of an Anonymous Coward

Yahoo! 360 -- A Complete Turnaround

as you may have heard, yahoo! 360 which was leaked early was released into beta this week. i got an invite a couple days ago and recently started messing around with it.

my first impressions are favorable. first, they are not being stingy with invites -- unless my account is special, accounts get 100 invites to send out. secondly, unlike linkedin you don't have to jump through silly hoops to "connect" with another user and you can limit access to information for up to 3-degrees away from you. in my case that means kevin bacon won't see jack about me, but friend and friends of friends and even friends of friends of friends can see bits and pieces. cool beans.

some quick things i like and don't like so far...

• dislikes
  • my contacts (or friends) identify themselves they way they want to be seen rather than how i would like to see them.
  • the blog -- it is much more a journal given the current lack of customization allowed. i don't see this replacing "blogs", but it is certainly a reasonable substitute for livejournal.
  • i would have rather seen them integrate flickr than y!photos.
  • short descriptions are too short. 100 characters? come one yahoo!
  • listing the number of places lived and worked is too limiting. five? sigh.
• likes
  • blasts -- a way to set a one-liner for the day. share a quick thought or emotion.
  • while i don't use it directly, integration with y!m
  • able to share reviews and lists with some tag-like features.
  • ability to send a message through 360 versus having to use email -- sort of an off-line instant message. and this is where i like that they limit the size of the message! :-)
  • comment on your friends... heh.

i have plenty more to mess with to get a more complete view of things, but this is an excellent first cut for yahoo! and i'm looking forward to seeing how it grows.

This Isn't A Useful Post

i get a thought in my head, let it rattle around a bit and then find myself questioning whether it is worth the troubles it could cause. it's not even serious stuff most of the time, just little thoughts here and there and seem to just want to get out. sitting here now, i honestly couldn't give more than a handful of examples -- they were clearly fleeting thoughts -- unimportant, yet somehow seemed worthy to write at the time. perhaps for the best.

i wonder if science can explain it? if not it can be added to the list of things it currently can't explain. slip it in right after the pioneer anomoly.

now i can explain why flickr is cool. things like this tag browser. these guys rock! warning, if you like pictures and navigating with tags, don't click that link. :)

Life Is All about Ass

you are either...

• covering it
• laughing it off
• kicking it
• getting it kicked
• busting it
• sitting on it
• kissing it
• trying to get a piece of it
• behaving like one
• or live with one

Harbored Time

saturday held an escape from the normal routine. finding ourselves in santa cruz for a lacrosse game later led us to the santa cruz beach boardwalk for lunch and an opportunity to enjoy the ocean.

the water was cold, very cold, but some time away at the beach was good for all. before long, i found myself out in the surf, camera phone in hand, snapping literally hundreds of pictures of the waves, but like i am with most things i have chosen to share but a few.

ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness.
so on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another.
only a look and a voice; then darkness again and a silence.
-- henry wadsworth longfellow

the day has passed and my hope is that it provides a lasting memory to those that shared the experience with me.

Don't Look At Me

i awoke this morning trembling nervously on the inside and senses in what i can only describe as a hyper-sensitive state. sounds were strangely loud and clear. colors vibrant, light brighter than usual coming at me in waves. the sweet scent of orange juice from the cup on my nightstand was as strong as when i gulped down the last drops hours before.

my senses have settled back to normal; however throughout the day i continue to get periods of nervousness for no apparent reason. while not debilitating, it has definitely been an unwanted distraction. if my ears were burning i would simply assume someone is talking about me, but these spidey-like senses leave me thinking wtf.

Beginnings And Ends

there is a bit of a joke about beginnings and ends around here, it started when we had french bread with dinner one night and my daughter asked for another piece. i put on her plate what most people would call "the end piece" and she wasn't pleased. "i don't want the end", she said defiantly. i thought for a moment, took the piece back and grabbed the other "end piece" and put it on her plate. "there. now you have the beginning."

beginnings and endings are all a matter of perspective -- what you see totally depends on how you look at them. i try my best to keep that in mind as time pushes on and when i only see ends coming towards my plate. success will be a matter of seeing what is not there yet.

At The Tone

At the tone, the time will be 1111111111

for the non-geeks in the crowd, time on unix systems (which includes apple os/x) is measured in seconds since 1/1/1970. today at 17:58 and 31 seconds (PST), that number will be 1111111111.

another meaningless post brought to you by yours truly. not interesting enough, then go do some brain teasers over at braingle.

Go Google, Go Google

yay google! they have just centralized their open-source projects and api's making it far easier to find things. see code.google.com.

Turning Green

happy st. patricks day

And Then There Was Anger

there are no excuses. it spewed out of me exactly how it felt at that second and at least for the moment i'll pretend that's a good thing. a release.

there are moments in time that i just want to jab a knife right between your eyes. times where i hate you more than any person on earth.

outbursts like that for me are very rare. anger and frustration got the best of me and i am sorry i expressed myself that way. it is hardly the worst thing i've done in my life, but it was wrong regardless of how i feel about things.

One If By Post, Two If By Link

the links are coming, the links are coming....

ok, that was silly, but afterall i am often a silly person. i've run across yet a number of other things i wanted to share. my audience may not be large, but i'll justify it by knowing it improves the google page rank for these things... yeah, that's the ticket.

• colorization: there have been so many times when i've wanted to do this, and it looks like they have made it super simple. a scribble here, a dot there -- badda-boom, badda-bing. now someone just needs to develop an easy to use tool.
  
• wanna bone up on your anatomy? not what you're thinking... there is an excellent interactive body flash app that give you a chance to test your knowledge. no simple multiple-choice, you have to rotate, drag, drop parts to where they belong. i did well on muscles and the nervous system but failed miserably on organs. go figure.
  
• love's complications via philosophers magazine. i read the article with the interest of getting a unique perspective. in that regard it did not disappoint; however, at the same time something deep inside had me hoping there were answers in there, but as promised by the blurb when i saw it on metafilter -- "I come not to bury love, but to complicate it", and that it did too.
• ajax is heating up. if you are developing web apps and aren't in tune, you had best dial in and see what the hub-bub is about. this isn't a passing fad -- at least the xml-rpc portion isn't.
  • usability and accessability with ajax
  • in defense of the back button
  • sync v. async -- some good thoughts.
• tim bray on web services -- good thoughts and even better links.

No Privacy In AIM

i had seen articles popping up in my aggregator regarding aol changing the "terms of service" for using aim. i kept over looking them figuring i would eventually follow-up, but they kept coming. so today i read this article on thrashing through cyberspace which quoted part of the tos.

if you use aim, either follow the link above or jump to any number of other "tech sites" where this issue is being discussed. in an effort to put a positive spin on the whole thing -- this might give jabber and similar technologies the boost they need to put aim to rest. microsoft and yahoo! must be lovin' it... it makes their respective products look better. i'm wondering if this becomes a good time for google to jump into the fray... to go with their voip product of course. heh.

One Over 243

1/243 = .004115226337448559670781893 (repeating)

that is such a cool number.

Word Association, Week 110

oh yes, word association time again. like pi, it may never end...

1. Shape up:: or ship out
2. New Orleans:: jazz
3. In the bedroom:: professor plum, with the lead pipe,
4. All the time:: everlasting
5. Philosophy:: modus tolens
6. Tyler:: steven
7. Disturbed:: down with the sickness
8. French kiss:: tongues
9. Solidify:: congeal
10. Furtive:: criminal

Burger Boy

this picture was found over at hedonistica.com. that is one big burger and why on earth is this guy wearing a helmet? i think the picture is much funnier that way, but still...

Cum And Get It

an idaho highschool student has admitted to providing semen-frosted brownies to a student to get back at him for a prank played on him earlier that was also food related. of course movies factor into the equation as 17-year-old got the idea from the film van wilder.

what they don't explain is how the fellow student and friends he shared them with found out. i'm sure uncontrolled giggles from the perpetrator and perhaps some bragging factored into it, but i have this silly vision in my head of these three kids sitting around the lunchroom table and the following conversation ensues..."

does this taste funny to you?
yeah... this does taste a little funny.
hmmm, i think i know what it tastes like...
really? what? hold on, i'm thinkin'
[rolls eyes] let me know when it comes to you...
that's it!
what's it?
cum! it tastes like cum
dude, i don't know if i want to throw up now or how the hell you would know that.

in tangential news, it has been reported that it is believed a single protein has been identified as being in control of the final factor in causing pregnancy. if proven, it can be a huge win in additional contraceptive measures including an effect male pill. funny how i saw both of these articles today and just minutes apart.

Marks For The Calendar

ottmar liebert has begun to release his 2005 touring schedule. i have missed seeing him several times for a variety of reasons. one time was because i didn't learn about the added date until it was too late, but that shouldn't happen again. his tour schedule is now via an rss feed. it isn't quite worthy of a snoopy dance, but i'm pleased all the same.

in honor of this, i have added a tune of his called "barcelona nights" to my radio blog over on the right. ac out. *snicker*

Pair Of Eyes

i got this rather amusing picture via jwz. enjoy.

Keep On Truckin'

oh... just some links.

• cool. there is now an archive of doctor demento shows on-line. it has been ages since i've heard the show.
• i remember watching a movie about robert crumb a few years ago. for those that don't know him, he is known for fritz the cat, the saying and cartoon keep on truckin' and a variety of strange habits and artwork. the uk guardian has story about him. he is still quite the character. speaking of which, you can see some of his work at the crumb museum including the famous keep on truckin' strip.
• jason kottke said: "There is absolutely nothing intentionally funny about this photo" -- i prefer to think the person that put that image together had a good sense of humor.
• for google suggest lovers, francis shanahan has developed zuggest which if nothing else is amusing to play with. i really need to get my arms around this new ajax approach to web applications. i understand it, but really need to whip up some code to feel comfortable with that fact.
• making a pbx for home would be a fun little project, but so far down the list that it will never see the light of day at my place.

Word Association, Week 109

word association...

1. Usher:: 50-cent
2. Cherish:: the life
3. Mistreat:: mean
4. Forum:: with michael krasny
5. Systematic:: procedure
6. Warning:: green day
7. Wash:: tub
8. I wish:: i may, i wish i might, ...
9. Candles:: flames
10. Metallic:: a

Teacher Freaks Out

someone pissed in this teacher's wheaties if you ask me. a student apparently took a video of a teacher getting upset with a student. in today's pc society, he definitely crossed the line. end result however -- teacher remains in the classroom (punishment if any unknown) and the student that filmed this was suspended for 10-days.

now i can appreciate that students should not be using cell phones to chat, take pictures/videos and what have you; however, to suspend a student for doing this when it clearly did not disrupt his studies ... thats nuts. give the kid detention and if occurs again ramp up the punishment. what? are teachers afraid others will see what is going on in their classrooms? it's not like the kid was filming up-skirts or something -- which would warrant a significant suspension if not expulsion.

Again It Is About Meme

before i get bogged down in code today, i stumbled across some memes i haven't take yet. one, thankfully, acknowledges that i am indeed a male seeing as a past meme said i write like a girl. for those interested, it is all tucked away in the extended entry.

Your Brain is 20.00% Female, 80.00% Male

You've got the brain of a manly man Feelings, schmeelings... tears aren't for you. You could break both legs and not get misty eyed. A great problem solver, nothing ever phases you.

You Belong in 1968

1968 If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

You Are 45% Left Brained, 55% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Ten Commandments

so i'm listening to npr this morning as i shuttle kids to/from school and they are talking about a current supreme court case which involves the state of texas having the ten commandments essentially posted in government buildings. the argument is whether they (the commandments) have both religious and secular significance and therefore should remain. if it is deemed to be soley religious, it presumably will have to be removed.

what i found particularly amusing is one of the speakers who was obviously in favor of having the commandments posted went on and on about how people didn't have to look at them. how them being there didn't make people do anything good or bad. and finally that clearly at least a significant number of texans support them being there.

the first thought that came to my mind was the bru-ha-ha years ago about a confederate flag being flown over the georgia (or south carolina) state capitol building. this same argument didn't hold water then, it will be interesting to see if it does so now. the conspiracy theorist in me notes that bush is still in office and he is from texas. if the supreme court lets them keep it, i shudder to think where the ten commandments and other religious documents will be tacked up next. the next battle, will be which version of the ten commandments will be supported by the governments.

which all brings me to another thought. reading the commandments can be quite amusing ya know. for example in #2 it is stated "for I the Lord thy G*d am a jealous G*d". Hmmm, if g*d is infallible, does that make jealousy a good thing? or does that make g*d not all good? i tend to link jealousy and envy together -- and envy is one of the seven deadly sins. well, since i am certainly fallible, i guess that could be a bad association.

then there is #3 " for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." and all i have to say is ... so much for forgiveness eh?

oh... i'll stop there. before i get myself into trouble.

Music Update

my radio.blog songs have not be updated in a very long time. tonight, i decided to wipe out what i have there and load up some different tunes -- starting with eight for good luck. i suspect few have heard each and every one -- click on the headphones in the upper right and have a listen.

• driven under by seether
  from their 2004 album "disclaimer ii", this tune is probably my favorite if we can ignore the more popular "broken" which lead singer shaun morgan does both alone and along with evanescence's amy lee. do you think i'm faking?
  
  
• such great heights (iron and wine) by the postal service
  this version is off the cd single with the same title and is completely different than the version heard on the radio and in my opinion much better. very soothing, much like a lullaby. Zzzzzzzz.
  
  
• this lullaby by queens of the stone age
  opening track from the soon to be released "lullabies to paralyze". while their song "little sister" is likely to be the biggest hit from the album as it is already getting plenty of air-play, this track provides a fitting start to their latest album which is sans drummer dave grohl of nirvana and foo fighter's fame.
  
  
• entwined by lacuna coil
  comalies was released in 2002 and provides the myriad of heavy and hypnotic sounds their fans have come to expect. entwined is an excellent example of their soulfully somber and stunningly enigmatic musical alchemy.
  
  
• you are here by sam bisbee
  the second song on his 2004 cd entitled "high". the music video was released as a quicktime video when it was first released and complemented the tune quite well. pictures here, pictures there... and you are here.
  
  
• inside the city of glass by katatonia
  it is the last track off their 2003 album "viva emptiness" and doesn't have the harsh vocals normally associated with tunes from this band. safe to listen to for the unsuspecting.
  
  
• you by evanescence
  an as of yet unreleased [in the us] track.
  
  
• you can't hide by maktub
  a catchy tune from their khronus release keeps the beat going and definitely gives off that sing-it-with-me vibe with their unique mix of musical stylings.
  
  

if you like any of this music, run (don't walk) and support these artists by purchasing their cds.

for those curious, previously on the playlist where:

• Dido - White Flag
• Eric Clapton - Change The World
• Finger Eleven - One Thing
• Foo Fighters - All My Life
• Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
• Hoobastank- The Reason
• Lenny Kravitz - Again
• Lifehouse - Hanging By A Moment
• Lunascape - Lane Navachi
• Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights
• Metallica - My Friend of Misery
• Nickelback - This Is How You Remind Me
• Norah Jones - What Am I to You
• Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
• Soundgarden - 4th of July
• Soundgarden - Fell on Black Days

all pretty well known stuff -- except perhaps for lunascape.

Marching Along

it is hard to believe march is already here. and 2005 no less. that could explain why i'm so tired. given my home and work frustration levels right now i'll avoid ranting about them and provide a small list of interesting links. i haven't done that in a while.

• in probably one of the best mash-ups i've seen (yes, seen, not heard) this guy took the soundtrack of the movie office space and tied it to some justice league scenes. it gave me an honest to goodness lol see it now.
• next up is swearasaurus -- a directory of curses in languages other than english. here's your chance to give 'em hell in yiddish! there is also alternative dictionaries.
• the geometry center has lots of fun things to see and look at. well, at least for geeks like me.
• some time back someone showed how to do a life poster on a mac using iphoto, this guy shows how to do the same with photoshop, now i can make a life poster too. well, if i had enough pictures that i wanted to do that with.
• last but not least, a series of comics about the lack of an nhl season. *frown*