Halloween Forecast

Today it is raining; tomorrow it is supposed to be clear. That bodes well for all the carefully, and not so carefully, constructed Halloween costumes.

With the economy in bad shape, creative types have thought of cheap and easy ways to join the fun without a big expenditure of scarce money. Hand-me-down clothes, sized to fit, might do the trick and be a treat for Mom and Dad's pocketbooks.

Kids are funny about such things, however. They want to wear WHAT THEY WANT TO WEAR. Storm clouds will brew if parents stray too far from the kids' fantasies or the current fashion among peers. And adults can be just as picky. Often there is a lot at stake at the Halloween party, or parties. The little kid part inside of us still wants to be the coolest one there.

I say all this with very little actual knowledge. What I have is the history of the holiday from past years. I am sure that the couple of bags of wrapped candy bars will mostly go away as the bunches of kids who know this neighborhood parade through. Big and little, they are all adorable, polite and happy to be out and about. That does not change. And I can't wait to see what this year brings to our front porch. I hope it is not rain.

Yes, we'll have the light on for you.

See "Behind the Links." for further info on this subject.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: halloween holiday

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• Giveaway: tickets to a Halloween party and concert (timesunion.com)
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Having a handy husband

When the fence fell down, my very talented husband was able to fix it with what he called "stand-offs." He set another post near the failed one, hooked them together and encased the two in new palings. It works like a charm and adds interest to the walk leading to our postage-stamp back yard.

It is handy to have a "handy" husband. Recently we collaborated. He, the worker-bee and I, the designer, decorated the stand-offs with antique iron barrel rings flanking each post. They were re-purposed after our half-whiskey barrels (for "annual color" posies) fell apart.

This is how we do things after fifty-plus years of marriage. He's always been handy and I have always had a flair for decorating with re-purposed items.

Today he is breaking out, however. He's going to Walmart to buy the bed linen set on sale for a ridiculously low price. We just had a class on choosing colors and style to match the master bedroom's existing theme. He's so excited to have been promoted from "handy" to decorator.

He will do just fine. It is never too late to move up in the world.
He survived my joining the women's movement in the 60s and 70s. And we are both surviving retirement together.
Y'all have a good day, too.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

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Lift Off Successful for Ares 1-X

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Ares 1-X solid rocket flew beautifully on its second day of trying to find a little weather window.  Long, slim and powerful, this rather new machine made its originators proud.  I have been watching the camera replays with fascination, including two on the vehicle itself.  The control rooms broke out in applause, handshakes, high-fives and general celebration over the feat.  After they all settle down a bit (at 1:30 PM Eastern time), there will be a news conference by the principles on the NASA channel.

The next few days, weeks and months will be devoted to analyzing the data that was fed back to the control room from more than 700 sensors on the rocket.  This launch feels very different than the test launches of decades ago.  It will be interesting to see the next generation learn to do all this their own way.  I wish them well.

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Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too.

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

Mission: Ares 1-X

NASA Targeting 11 A.M. for Rocket Launch
28 October 2009, 9:50 a.m. EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is now hoping to lift off its Ares I-X test rocket at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Weather officers are still looking toward a break in the clouds that looks to reach the launch pad around that time.

The flight has been held on the ground by cloudy weather since its launch window opened at 8 a.m. EDT.

Click here to read the launch preview story.

Click here for SPACE.com’s NASA TV feed.

via space.com

Space.com has a very good page on the Aries 1-X project. It has been interesting to contrast this rocket test mission with the Shuttle missions. There is a huge difference between manned and unmanned rocketry. There is also a lot of difference between going into low earth orbit and going up for just a couple of minutes and parachuting the vehicle back into the ocean.
I wish this great bunch good luck and Godspeed today. I am a space junkie and still love to watch the big booms.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Amelia Earhart's scarf flying to space - Space.com- msnbc.com

As a new major motion picture about famed female pilot Amelia Earhart prepares to launch onto movie theater screens this weekend, a scarf she wore is being readied for its own liftoff, flying on the space shuttle with the astronaut grandson of her personal photographer.

Randy Bresnik, whose grandfather Albert was recruited by Earhart in 1932 to be her only authorized photographer, is set to take the scarf on shuttle Atlantis when it departs with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station (ISS) in November.

"We are flying Amelia Earhart's favorite scarf that she unfortunately did not take with her on her final mission," revealed the STS-129 astronaut during an interview with collectSPACE.com. "Fortunately, she also decided not to take her photographer with her otherwise I might not be here today."

Story continues below ↓

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As the film "Amelia" starring Hilary Swank in the title role recounts, Earhart, who made the first transatlantic solo flight by a woman in 1933, and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean during an attempt in 1937 to become the first female to fly around the world.

via msnbc.msn.com

I have always had a special place in my heart for Amelia Earhart. She disappeared the year I was born.
It is amazing how much Hillary Swank looks like her. And Richard Gere is also in the new film. How can we lose?!

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Maud Newton: Blog

All week someone’s been searching my archives for the old design of this site, so here it is. I liked it better the original way, honestly, even though the paint spatters gave everyone else a headache.

**********

This seems like a good time to mention that we’re gearing up for a complete redesign. This header’s gotta go, the color scheme has to change, longer posts will need to shift to the left, etc., etc. I hope to have everything figured out and switched over by the end of the year, because I’m not sure how much longer I can bear to look at these cut-out letters.

via maudnewton.com

Maud Newton's one of my favorite writers. Her blog has been on my list of favorites for several years. Her personal family stories are just great; her literary critic's eye is flawless and her sense of humor is unique.
This is a recommendation that you stop by and catch her stuff . . . and you don't have to wait for the redesign. Enjoy it today!

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Branded "virtuous" -- a tale of our city

My roommate/husband/sig-other/spouse passed his garbage/recycling inspection with flying colors. My sweetheart recently recounted the momentous event as it occurred at our house, describing how he was so was happy to receive the Head Inspector's "Good Job!"
 
He had been near the street when the team of four city employees began their march up our boulevard. The identically uniformed crew consisted of one citation writer, two workers to sort and bag the offending items, and a supervisor. Their appearance set his heart to racing in panic, as the potential fine is very steep for a couple on Social Security.  Not to mention the threat of abject shame involved as the squad poked through the big brown bin, looking for illegal garbage.
 
To forestall such a disgrace, my roommate surreptitiously removed a short length of wire that he suddenly remembered was on the forbidden list of items that can be recycled before the team got to him.  Whew!  Just in the knick of time to avert those frowns and fines.

Happy to be able to report that his virtue had been affirmed, he took me to the window to see all the little bags of shame strewn up and down in our neighbors' yards.  Citations given out, the squad  had done well in our neighborhood, easing the plight of our strapped city coffers for another day.

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

SPACE.com -- White House Panel's Human Spaceflight Report Due Soon

"What's really at stake in the short-term is Ares I, and all of this push for commercial crew I would think is viewed as an alternative to a government-run program like Ares I," said John Logsdon, a space policy expert professor emeritus at the George Washington University here. "Long-term, it's whether in fact there is going to be a meaningful space exploration program beyond the International Space Station."

The Ares I is based on the space shuttle's giant solid rocket motors built by Alliant Techsystems of Edina, Minn. Alliant Techsystems is the lead contractor on Ares I.

Sources in the administration and on Capitol Hill say it remains to be seen when or how the White House responds to the report. But sources both within the administration and close to it say an increase along the lines suggested by the Augustine panel is being weighed. Such an increase would add almost $1 billion to the space exploration budget in 2011, ramping up to about $3 billion annually by 2014.

"I think the $3 billion figure has been widely misunderstood," Logsdon said. "The actual proposal from the Augustine committee is a gradual increase to that level over four years through 2014, with only a little less than $1 billion proposed for next year."

Congressional sources say lawmakers are anxiously awaiting the administration's response to the Augustine panel's final report, though some question whether Congress would support the flexible path exploration option.

Augustine was pressed during a September congressional hearing to offer a compelling reason to abandon NASA's current exploration program rather than fund it at a higher level, for example.

However, the Augustine panel indicated during public meetings held over the summer that in order to keep Constellation on track for a first flight of Ares 1-Orion by 2015 and a return to the moon by 2020, NASA would need a total of $50 billion above current projections over the next decade.

"If you really want to do Constellation and keep it on the current schedule, or close to it, that's what you're looking at," one administration official said.

via space.com

The excerpt above republishes the conclusion of the story. The introduction lays out the panel's recommendations around several options for next steps for Congress and the Obama administration, based on its finding that NASA is currently underfunded to carry out its stated mission. . . by about a billion dollars a year in the coming years. Among the options the panel seems to lean toward "the flexible path" idea. It posits that, rather than a return to the moon or Mars in the immediate future, the US space program should start to explore the nearby areas of space as a way on gaining the learning and technology to eventually get to Mars. The panel did not recommend any one option, but a series of plans that could be carried out with about $3 billion in additional funding. Without adequate monies, the panel concluded that the US space program will not be able to leave low earth orbit any time soon.

Finally, here is the Augustine Committee/NASA press release on the subject.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Online health sites tap into social networking - washingtonpost.com

Debgupta, a former senior director at the Corporate Executive Board in Arlington, is launching a Web site called WiserTogether (http://wisertogether.com) that allows expectant parents to gauge the experiences of other people in their age group and circumstances who face a range of pregnancy-related issues, including abdominal and back pain, gestational diabetes and hypertension, mood swings and urinary tract infection.

WiserTogether is among several online health sites that began in or have a presence in the Washington area, including HealthCentral, Everyday Health, Revolution Health and Inspire. With the health-care reform debate centered in the nation's capital, experts say they think more sites will start up in the region.

Online health sites have been booming in the past five years, experts say, driven by the popularity of social networking and patients' desire to become more empowered in the increasingly complex medical field. Many of the sites have recently experienced heavy traffic from users seeking information on the H1N1 virus. Officials of the Health 2.0 Conference, which tracks the industry, estimate that the number of such sites climbed to nearly 500 from about 35 four years ago.

The sites generally have evolved from the encyclopedic-styled WebMD, becoming more interactive and case-study- oriented, such as Inspire, PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether.

via washingtonpost.com

With the health care reform debate alive and well in the Nation's capitol, more people are thinking about the subject. And the article says that a lot of the questions people ask have to do with the H1N1 flu.
What a great time it is to have the Internet around to help keep us all healthier than we might be otherwise. Be well. . .

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

International Photography Contest 2009 - National Geographic Magazine

Enter Your Photos to Win

Every year, National Geographic's International Photography Contest draws thousands of spectacular photos from users around the world. This year could be your year—send in your photos for a chance to win a digital camera kit and have your image published in the magazine. Winners will be entered into the Worldwide International Photography Contest.

You can submit up to six photos in three categories—People, Places, and Nature—between now and October 31, 2009. Winners will be announced in early December. There is an entry fee of U.S. $12 for each photo. All entries received after October 15 will be subject to an additional fee of U.S. $10.

Think you have a winning shot? Show us!

via ngm.nationalgeographic.com

Click the link to go to the NatGeo website and submit your photos. Go there anyway, even if not entering the contest, because there are some spectacular photos to see.
For decades we have been big fans of the lovely photography in the National Geographic Magazine. I call it "eye candy."

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

They admired it so much . . .

What draws us to those who write or post online? What is it about the things we read that make us want to read words again from that writer?

So terrific they were re-tweeted -- A RT [re-tweet] is a compliment to the original author. The examples from Twitter that follow illustrate what it may have been about the original poster's words that merited posting it again, so others could also share it.

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Experiences with which we identify: Haven't we all done something dumb like this, regret it and vow not to repeat the mistake. Ron is willing to forgive himself, however, as the last sentence makes clear.

"RT @Ron: Note to self: Never become a professional rock landscaper. Muscles threatening divorce. Buy chocolates & apology card. | !!!," is from Alex Goodall (10/16/09).

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Ironic lament: Karen Tumulty has posted in the past about the threatened demise of newspapers. She picks up on the clever words of Wee Laura and The Onion, filled with irony that shows her concern.

"RT @WeeLaura RT @TheOnion Report: Majority Of Newspapers Now Purchased By Kidnappers To Prove Date http://ow.ly/15UTcC," is from Karen Tumulty (10/14/09).

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Inspiring wisdom does not grow old: British professor of history, Alex Goodall often does RTs of Pierre Paperon's work. These quotes are profound and timeless.

"RT @PierrePaperon: Anais Nin: 'Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.' + 'People living deeply have no fear of death.'," is from Alex Goodall (10/4/09).

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Maybe the best writing on the subject: The New Yorker article by Lizza is an excellent essay on the story of Summers and his rise to prominence in the current administration. It is also a wonderful history/analysis of what happened during the economic crisis.

"DC's buzzing about the article by the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza on Larry Summers and the Obama economic experience.http://j.mp/2RA4WR," is from Marc Ambinder (10/4/09).

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Wonderfully snarky smackdowns: This double RT is worth reposting. Another reason for its excellence is the juxtaposition of two current hot button topics.

"RT @chrislhayes: RT @Atrios early stages of potential flu epidemic prbly excllnt time to make sre illegal immigrants dn't hve #healthcare," is from The Nation Magazine (9/10/09).

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A clever editorial with focus on injustice: Yglesias is a writer who often posts similarly effective ideas. Evidently he wants to credit his peers for this piece of wonderfully pungent humor.

"RT @glenngreenwald: RT @markosm Michael Vick should have tortured people instead of dogs so Americans could forgive him and look forward," is from Matt Yglesias (8/19/09).

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Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news writing blogging twitter

Join the Discussion - OpenInternet.gov

Today, we are expanding the ways people can use OpenInternet.gov to participate in this discussion by launching the site’s blog. Visitors to this blog will be able to find expert commentary from FCC staff on how best to preserve the Internet’s openness and questions that arise during this debate. Our staff hopes to use this forum not only to share ideas but also to receive them. We encourage all visitors to weigh in with their own thoughts and engage in an open dialogue.

The blog will also offer timely information on the FCC’s latest activities to preserve an open Internet. On that front, we have an important announcement to make. Next Thursday, October 22, my fellow Commissioners and I will be hosting a meeting at the FCC’s headquarters to begin the process of establishing rules to preserve the Internet’s openness. These proceedings will be open to the public and streamed live on this site. Please check it out, and let us know what you think.

via blog.openinternet.gov

New FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is a breath of fresh air, after a very lackluster period for the Federal Communication Commission under the Bush administration. His commitment to net neutrality serves us all well. Take this opportunity to join in their new blog discussions.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

ProPublica: Two-Years-Old—and More Than 100 Stories Partnered - ProPublica

Two years ago today, the formation of ProPublica was announced [1] in The New York Times. Since then, we’ve published more than 100 partnered investigations, posted hundreds of pieces on our Web site and created tools for other journalists to use (such as ChangeTracker [2], our Bailout Guide [3], and Recovery Tracker [4]).

On this occasion of our “birthday,” we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the newspaper, TV, radio and online outlets that have helped us in our mission to hold those in power accountable for their actions. We literally couldn’t have done it without them.

And while we’re celebrating our second year of life, we would also like to remind everyone that our stories can be used for free under the terms of our Creative Commons [5] license. All we ask for is proper credit, a link back to us, no edits and no selling it on your own.

via propublica.org

Happy Birthday to ProPublica. This great idea has been a special resource for my blogging since its inception. I especially like their spirit of helpfulness to ordinary citizens and their fiercely nonpartisan investigative journalists. Kudos and many more good years to come!

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

NASA and Space - a Roundup

Pictured: Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

Today's post is a collection of my favorite tweets from those I follow at Twitter.

"Politifact updates two Obama space promises as "kept" and "in-the-works" - http://bit.ly/DSSLA & http://bit.ly/2DinS," is from Florida Space Report (10/6/09).

"NASA and Russian Space Agency Administrators Meet http://bit.ly/5czIs http://bit.ly/sivZ8," is from waybis (10/5/09).

"Strapped NASA might need global space partners http://j.mp/50TYe http://bit.ly/1465qC via," is from waybis (10/3/09).

"Panel’s report threatens NASA’s mission: A report suggesting NASA’s space travel goals are too ambitious is jeop.. http://bit.ly/325hF3," is from The Hill (9/10/09).

"The full Final Report is still being prepared and will be released when complete," is from the NASA HSF [Augustine] Committee (9/9/09).

"See the NEW Hubble images online now: www.nasa.gov/hubble," is from NASA (9/9/09).

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Nobel Committee recognizes President Obama -- Peace Prize

(Image by Wordle.net)

Reference: The Nobel Committee announced that President Barack Obama is their selection for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. To quote in full:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Oslo, October 9, 2009

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

Mount Rushmore - I did not know you well.

I never got to see Mount Rushmore. But I know I would have loved it. In place of a visit, today I'll do a little post.

According to Wikipedia:

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, near Keystone, South Dakota, is a monumental granite sculpture by Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941), located within the United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States of America with 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (left to right): George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).^[1] The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km²)^[2] and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.^[3] It is managed by the National Park Service, a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. The memorial attracts approximately two million people annually.^[4]

Leadership is not always recognized during the person's lifetime. The leaders depicted at Mount Rushmore achieved their popularity only after the lessons of history were learned and their achievements came into more realistic perspective.

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CBO Says Finance Health Reform Bill Will Save $81 Billion in a Decade « The Washington Independent

The Senate Finance Committee’s health reform bill will save the federal government $81 billion over the next 10 years, according to the much-anticipated Congressional Budget Office estimate released this afternoon. CBO found that subsidizing the coverage expansion will cost $518 billion over a decade, partly offset by taxing high-cost insurance plans ($201 billion), trimming Medicare rates “for most services” ($162 billion), and cutting subsidies to the private insurance companies that cover Medicare patients ($117 billion).

via washingtonindependent.com

Good news for several reasons: gives cover to moderate Dems who can now vote yes; gives others some funds to add to the bill where needed, cuts Medicare subsidies to insurance companies. However, it only reduces the uninsured by some 29 million people. But that is a huge start. Now on to the committee vote.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Part of the Metroplex

Image via Wikipedia

The picture to the left is of the Dallas skyline. Dallas is a lovely and vibrant city, but it is not my home town. We who live in Fort Worth, "where the West begins," are a little sensitive about such things.

Fort Worth is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is located in Tarrant County.

The Dallas Cowboy's new stadium is not in Dallas (or Fort Worth, for that matter). It is in the mid-cities city of Arlington. Unfortunately too many people, not familiar with the facts, simply say Dallas for short.

So today's post is just so you'll understand.

See "Behind the Links." for further info on this subject.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

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Filling an empty blogging bucket

It begins with reality -- Much of the following was news to me, though you may be ahead and already know these things. I found out because I have spent the morning trying to break out of a non-creative box which leaves me without inspiration to write.

Dry spells -- Others have said the same thing and I had been reading about the decline of political blogging. I had been having the feeling that my blogging stats are down and I wondered it it were just me. I knew my Site Meter statistics had been down since June. So I checked at Technorati. In addition to my stats, which had changed, I found out that Technorati.com is going to be completely rebuilt very soon.

Breaking out of boring -- So I will save some time towards more creativity by temporarily omitting the Technorati tags I have been using at the ends of posts. While I was there I checked the Too 100 list to see whether there were good writers whose work I was missing, who could be inspiring me again.

Reading the best -- Using the list, I rejuvenated my Google reader via its Power Readers index. I began with The Strange Death of Liberal America (see "the decline of political blogging" above); and "44" at the Washington Post. This article on the hot New Jersey race shows why "FiveThirtyEight" became another of my feeds. He is an absolute whiz at predicting outcomes.

A picture is worth 1000 words -- I then subscribed to Andrew Sullivan, who had linked to The Big Picture (featuring a fabulous photo spread on Afghanistan). Much of my random surfing focused on imagery, Time Magazine's pictures of the week, for example. I concluded with Rachel Sussman's groundbreaking portfolio of The Oldest Living Things in the World.

Is social media on the web to blame for my empty bucket? Possibly, though I regularly cull my list of those I follow on Twitter. I want nothing inane. Tweets like the following example keep me involved with material that seems substantial. Rachel Maddow: "Read the godawful news of 8 US troops just killed in Afghanistan immediately before going on set for MTP this morning." My FaceBook account includes only people I have invited, plus it remains private. They are relatives, in-person friends and blogfriends. No empty bucket there.

At the end of the day -- This is what I have learned, or relearned. Creativity is about breaking the rules. The amount of political blogging has actually declined, probably for natural reasons. Regular and vigorous weeding out of one's surfing or feed-reading material is essential. Tomorrow I plan to go through my regular Email newsletters unsubscribing to several that are not useful or interesting. Imagery is an essential break from a words only regimen. I works on a different part of the brain. And social media is worthwhile for its connectivity, something else needed for an empty bucket.

(Image by Wordle.net)

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

FT.com / Media - Magazine publishers plan digital store

Publishers fear repeating the mistakes of the music industry, which delayed exploiting digital businesses until Apple created iTunes, now the world’s largest seller of digital music.

The creation of the store comes on the heels of a devastating advertising decline for newspapers and magazines as consumers migrate to the web, where material is available free of charge. Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader device and service has also emerged as the frontrunner in digital book sales, creating unease among publishers.

John Squires, an executive vice-president at Time overseeing digital development, has met publishers in recent months. He has also met about a dozen digital device makers to discuss the store.

A person who has seen demonstrations of the products said they do not merely reproduce the website or the print edition but allow readers to personalise the material and dive more deeply into subjects.

Publishers including Time have held separate talks with Apple about placing magazines on Apple’s forthcoming tablet device. The publishers’ product is designed to be technology “agnostic”, but it is unclear if or how the venture would work with other systems developed to charge for content.

via ft.com

We who love the (mostly) free web are witnessing a very painful transition for magazines and newspapers. Their damned-if-they-do/damned-if-they-don't dilemma is how to avoid disappearing altogether from revenue losses.
I predict that in a couple of years we will be able to subscribe to our favorites online for small fees at one convenient location. Publishers just can't get organized and can't decide what the market will bear. Many are gone already. The rest had better not wait too long.
Meanwhile net neutrality will remain and much free original material will remain. Do not despair. It can be a win for both sides.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

On my way to Saturday, stopping off at Twitter --

Twitter is an increasingly popular phenomenon. And I have succumbed. Beginning my session with TweetDeck yielded a treasure trove of items I want to share.

Reading tweets sometimes breaks me up -- I am drawn to writers and reporters who have the capacity for humor. My favorite is pourmecoffee, who said this, "After a day's reflection, the bitterest pill to swallow: Chicago eliminated in earlier round than Tom DeLay." (10/2/09).

I just started following this well known pundit, who gave me a grin with this. Howard Kurtz says, "Just finished Letterman stories. Anything else going on in the world? How'd that Olympics thing turn out?"

It is a small world -- The Internet has shrunk the globe in profound ways. It allows us to "meet" people that we would never encounter otherwise. Professor Alex Goodall lives across the sea in the United Kingdom and knows how to make my mouth water this morning: "Weekend bliss = almond croissant (from local Pâtisserie Pascal - 60 secs walk from my house) + freshly-brewed coffee. Mmmmm!!"

During our times nothing quite unites us like climate change, or my preferred term, global warming. "Walruses Suffer Substantial Losses as Sea Ice Erodes," is from the New York Times (10/3/09).

And over the years The Huffington Post has evolved from a single individual blogger to a powerhouse news source. One of the ways they are succeeding is by adding features that are found in traditional newspapers and capitalizing on celebrity news. This tweet melds celebrity and political activism. "Brad & Angelina In Syria http://bit.ly/1QLaFJ," is from The Huffington Post (10/2/09).

These are good-hearted folks -- Each of these writers/journalists has what I would call emotional intelligence. None is afraid to show sentiment. Libby Spencer, a blog friend of many years, is a fine writer (even when given only 140 characters): "Full moon in my little window of sky is lighting up a line of passing clouds. They look like a herd of charging elephants." An earlier tweet: "OK, hair looks great tonight. Guess I'll drive out for Chinese for dinner so somebody besides me gets to see it."

Blogger emptywheel, who is a teriffic investigative journalist writing at Firedoglake, retweeted this great item:"RT @chrisgeidner Deep THought: The late-night comedian went to the prosecutor; the senator had his parents pay the money"

Mark Knoller, CBS Radio WH correspondent, sent a TwitPic "Hand in hand and disappointed, Obamas return to WH from Copenhagen." He also sent a fine WH pic explaining, "Obama confers aboard AF-1 today with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, top US commander in AFghanistan. . . The Obama/McChrystal photo a rare view of Pres office cabin aboard AF-1. He has a sleeping cabin w- 2 beds in the nose of the 747." Earlier Knoller mentioned helpfully,"Avoid CopenHAYgen or CopenHAHgen problem. Just call it the Danish capital."

John Dickerson says to his fellow journalist, "Congratulation Tapper and the whole family RT @jaketapper: say hello to Jack Raymond Tapper, 9 lbs 10 oz." Chuck Todd did a RT (retweet) saying, "Mazel Tov!"

Scanning the regular hard news is so much more fun if it is characterized by great writing -- Intellect, passion for the work and a commitment to quality are shared by these news sources. "As Senate panel winds up, historic health debate to start," is from McClatchy News (10/2/09). Also this good analytic piece on Iran, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine: "Obama faces a world of troubles; none will yield easily http://bit.ly/AcvcN." The Nation reported on "Obama's Deal with Iran http://bit.ly/2Z46FK."

Steve Clemons, (10/2/09) of The Washington Note and the New America Foundation is someone I have been reading and listening to since 2005. He posts that he, "Is trying to figure out what stash of funds Mitch McConnell dipped into to pay for a DoD plane for DeMint to go to Honduras over Kerry veto."

Chuck Todd at MSNBC tweeted this insightful item: "Something to ponder: Cong Dems tell me they are simply exhausted from health care debate. Bad sign for PubOption." He also posted this item which sounds just a bit cynical: "So the Cong. record is now officially printed on 100% recycled paper. Um, hello? What took so long? Feels so very '90s. http://bit.ly/2". Chuck can also be a bit shallow at times, but is still a great political analyst. To quote: "More Obama (who didn't cinch his tie, btw): Proud to have made case in person; "always a worthwhile endeavor" to promote America."

Issues of particular interest to me are easy about which to stay informed by judiciously following others who keep up with the same subjects. A couple are currently in the news:

1. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act/Patriot Act legislation -- From Get FISA Right: "Misleading on PATRIOT Reauthorization." From ACLU "Patriot Reauthorization Begins. Badly." (10/2/09). Importantly, Senator Chris Dodd tweeted that he has ". . . Introduced legislation to repeal retroactive immunity for warrantless wiretapping: http://bit.ly/qd20T."
   
2. Augustine Committee on a plan for next steps at NASA -- From Florida Space Report: "New Augustine Panel mtg on Oct 8 is solely to "score" the 8 options already identified in Summary Report. And timed to allow budget action." From the Human Space Flight (Augustine ) Committee: Meeting details pdf. Regarding a public teleconference (300 call-in limit).
   

References of a more general nature conclude this post:

1. "Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals," is from The Kaiser Family Foundation.
2. "RT@HuffPostTech Most Twitter users Tweet only about themselves. But is anyone following? http://bit.ly/c1vQG," is from The Huffington Post (9/30/09).
   

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

Geek or no?

"Killer Apps" available on my computer seem to be multiplying exponentially. Is my use of the phrase "killer apps" now outdated? If so what is the correct new one? When I find an application that seems safe and interesting I will sometimes download it, only to remove it shortly thereafter. Does this disqualify my "geekdom?"

Here are a few applications that have proven to be keepers. Posterous is a web hosting site that is unusually fascinating. People simply post via Emails. And a great feature is their distribution service to my other websites and my social networking sites. Their Posterous Bookmarklet is a dynamite tool, an amazingly quick and fun way to post on single subjects. TweetDeck is one way to keep up with Twitter and Facebook. It is powerful, freestanding and easy to use. Digsby is a way to keep up with Twitter, FaceBook and several Email accounts, all at the same time. It takes a lot of memory and can get clunky pretty easily, ho. But it is a fantastic way to keep up with tweets. It also will handle Instant Messaging, which I do not do. Does that disqualify me as a real geek?

My time on the computer also seems to be increasing. I have been spending a lot of time deleting unnecessary stuff from my hard drive and on my websites. It makes me crazy when my computer hangs up or gets what I call clunky. I am writing and posting at more locations . . . more but not necessarily more effectively, I fear. And I am feeling more tired. All this surely qualifies as a geek thing.

References: Mozilla Firefox is my standard browser, though Google Chrome is much faster and simpler. I use Google and Yahoo! for Email. I maintain blogs at Blogger and Word Press. Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites. I earn money by posting at RedGage. I use AVG AntiVirus Free 8.5 and Malwarebytes AntiMalware, also free. LastPass is an online password manager and form filler that saves me a lot of time and provides more security.

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