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  • #2191691

    Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

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    by vaspersthegrate ·

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    • #3084446

      The Infant Blog Arises

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here is stopped where the why and the wherefore come into the forefront of the scene and the unseen, unsuddenly. It rises, slowly, if indeed, and with merit it arises, and the light it dazzles is shining for some to see.

      • #3267652

        The Infant Blog Arises

        by seasnail73 ·

        In reply to The Infant Blog Arises

        hello   Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

        i think that the link to this blog from your VTG blog didn’t work.  

        first i had to come over here and get a membership, which isn’t the end of the world, but that makes it seem like you have to have a techrepublic account in order to even read this blog…?

        that’s fine. just letting you know what my experience was.

        anyway, so i had to do a name search in order to find you….

        carrie

      • #3267538

        The Infant Blog Arises

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to The Infant Blog Arises

        The link to this blog, that is in my Vaspers the Grate sidebar, works for me. I click on it, and I arrive here, at my main page.

        When I made an RSS feed from my WordPress blog Corporate Blog Revolution, only the first few lines of the post appeared here, with a [….] indicating more. The text “this post originally appeared on an external site” (or similar) is a link to the original post.

        I’m still working on some bugs at this blog. I hope I can get all the issues resolved. For example, as I type this comment, I cannot view your comment, but I see my post above this form.

    • #3084334

      and you think I’m strange…

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      “Vowels”


      Arthur Rimbaud

      A Black, E white, I red, U green, O blue :
      vowels, I shall tell, one day, of your mysterious origins :

      A, black velvety jacket of brilliant flies
      Which buzz around cruel smells,
      Gulfs of shadow ;

      E, whiteness of vapours and of tents,
      Lances of proud glaciers, white kings,
      shivers of cow-parsley ;

      I, purples, spat blood, smile of beautiful lips
      In anger or in the raptures of penitence;

      U, waves, divine shudderings of viridian seas,
      The peace of pastures dotted with animals,
      the peace of the furrows
      Which alchemy prints on broad studious foreheads ;

      O, sublime Trumpet full of
      strange piercing sounds,
      Silences crossed by Worlds and by Angels :
      O the Omega, the violet ray of Her Eyes !

      Translated by Oliver Bernard :
      Arthur Rimbaud,
      Collected Poems (1962)

    • #3084333
    • #3084331

      How to get all your rebates

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog


      EDIT UPDATE: The link to Deb Shinder’s article is to a specific day of posts, and not the article itself–











      meaning: you get to the correct page in her blog, but you must *scroll down*
      about 3/4 of the way into the day’s posts.











      She did not understand that the atomic unit of the blog is the post
      , the individual article, and *not*
      a day page full of various postings. See Jakob Nielsen for more details.

      My wife and I bought an emachines computer at Best Buy about 3 years ago, with JASC Paint Shop Pro (highly recommend!), Star Office (it sucks!), and some other doodads and thingamajigs, and Symantec of course.

      I have never had a virus, Trojan, worm, unauthorized intruder (except for the single exception of Lonnie Leopoldi), DDoS, kernal rootkit whatchamacallit, spyware, adware, nothing…ever!

      Part of the reason is smart/safe computing habits.

      Another part of the reason for my (so far) invincibility, my super-hardened enterprise, is Symantic/Norton AV. I have other Hostile UFOs and Flaming Sword cherubots hovering around my network, but you will never know more than half of it. Sorry. That’s the way it must be.

      But, back on topic, my wife and I had a real problem, a series of problems, getting all our rebates from all companies, the worse if I remember right, was Best Buy itself, the middleman.

      You ever have rebate collection problems? Listen to this story by Deb Shinder:

      “I have a friend that always gets his rebates. If he believes that he is entitled to a rebate that the company has refused he writes a nice letter to the company asking for his rebate to be sent and why he believes that he deserves it.

      Then just to make sure, he requests that if they do not intend to send the rebate he requests their “agent for process of service” in his state
      (California). Most of the time they send the rebate…”

      Read the rest of this short, but profound “Bite back, dog!” strategy statement, and you too will know how to pull those refunds due you, out of the asshats of grudging, near-fraudulent corporations who fuck with you like you’re a freaking birthday cake!

      Rebates: Here’s an idea!”

      which, I’m sorry Deb, but I am a “Universal Continual Improvement Forever!” Deming addict…

      …could be titled, a bit better: “How My Friend ALWAYS Gets His Rebates”.

    • #3084332

      death of publishing is silly idea

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here’s another little window opened onto my private bloggy vortex:

      Blog Business Summit Archives

      The ongoing death of publishing

      07 Mar 06 by DL Byron

      [QUOTE]

      Just as we?re finishing our book, the ongoing death of publishing is a popular blog topic.

      Jason Freid proclaims himself the new publishing sheriff in town with 1700 downloads of their Get Real ebook. Note the ?how you like me now,? diss of pronouncing their success against the publishing industry, while running ads from publishers on their site!

      Steve Baker posts, if book publishing is dying, have I made a bad mistake? and the economics of books are being debated.

      I remember during the dotcoms that Bill Gates predicted that ebooks would eclipse hard copies in a few years. Books haven?t died and neither has Apple, despite being declared dead 48 times since April 1995. Doc Searls posted on the usual death of books in 2003 and The Observer observed last year that it?s the death of the book again and ?delivery systems evolve.?

      [snip–text deleted–visit BBS to read entire post]

      For publishers, it?s like debating global warming while the ice caps melt. The world is changing under their feet and they?re wondering what pair of shoes they should wear. Finally, it seems, they?ve figured out the appropriate footwear and are pulling up their bootstraps.

      Want a publisher offers is distribution. Google Publish and Prosper: Blogging for Your Business to see all the resellers, many of whom I?d never heard of, that are ready to sell our book.

      Now, to 37Signals credit, they?ve got a gazillion readers and can do well self-publishing. For us, we want that book to carpet bomb the blogoshere beyond our blog with good how-to practical advice.

      [snip–text deleted]

      Comments (2)

      Comments

      07 Mar 06 steven e streight aka vaspers the grate wrote ?

      Millions of issues flash through me as I read this cogent and coherent post. A consistently great read, this blog is the new Red Couch as far as I?m concerned.

      I want to sell ebooks on Vaspers the Grate, which I am slowly transforming into an ecommerce site/rich information hybrid site, a ?mashup? with multi media, and not just text and digital art.

      How to set up a ebook download mechanism, without any Adobe garbage involved. I am an Adobe hater, BTW, and have a PDF file stuck in my high speed Avant brower, which illness causes, somehow, all browser operation chrome be non-present, unobtainable, a browser window that acts as a mouse trap. That?s a new one.

      So what are the best tools for setting up a Paid Ebook Download on my blog?

      Printing out books, like the Reporters Without Borders ?Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents?, is fun. But no matter how many ebooks I download, I still walk to Barnes & Noble and get intoxicated with Old Books, those nice smelling, highly addictive, shiny new BOOKS.

      Do I get to review your book?

      07 Mar 06 steven e streight aka vaspers the grate wrote ?

      I love to plug those I love, and so, in love, let me tell your noble and devoted readers: I subscribe to this blog, but not RSS.

      I do use the Awasu RSS scraper/aggregator, but in this case, I subscribe to the email update.

      Why? I?m a usability wank, that?s why.

      So here’s my promo spot: I always click on the BBS email link and come here to read whatever the flavor of the moment happens to be. Rarely am I bored or able to ignore the vital topics, sharp thinking, contemplative brooding, and insta-linking.

      I always click on that BBS email link. What?s that tell you about blog post delivery systems?

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3084330

      Blogger problems with publishing entire blog

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Blogger is experiencing daily problems, and it has become a real pain in the ass to do anything.

      I’m glad I’m slowly but surely jumping ship…importing the best of Vaspers the Grate for business bloggers…into my WordPress blog Corporate Blog Revolution. Not much is there yet, but it’s expanding as I have time to work on it.

      I added some ads to my sidebar advertising section, and I cannot get this template changes, though saved, published and displayed on my blog. [Somehow, it finally worked, right after I posted this. The internet sprites and pixies are messing with me again.] I keep getting “There were errors: Connection Reset” messages over and over again.

      Here’s what Blogger says.

      Dashboard > Blogger Help > Advanced Use > Known Issues


      [QUOTE]

      Republishing an entire blog will sometimes get stuck part way through and not finish, though new entries can still be published normally. We are working on improving the database performance to fix this error.


      [END QUOTE]

    • #3084329

      Create your own custom search engine

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I’m testing and experimenting with the community driven customized search engine called Swicki. See my sidebar, right below my profile info. Type in a search term, like Blog Post Writing, and see what results you get.

      I pretty much guarantee that my self-created search engine is better than Google for various blog topics.

      Why? Because my search engine only crawls the reputable, smart, and safe sites that I entered into its commands. I entered my favorite, most trusted, most interesting sites in the area of blogs, blogology, usability, web credibility, and business blogging.

      Swicki also “learns” from your search behavior. This is an advanced search engine that responds to your search acts. It’s expert-configured and community driven.

      I tried to create a customized search engine with Rollyo, but to no avail. Although I succeeded in creating my own search engine, it only searched Vaspers the Grate blog, and not the 25 URLs I entered into it.

      In fact, I found the Rollyo site and functions to be all screwed up. I’m waiting for Rollyo’s reply to my two web enabled mail messages.

      Go to Swicki and set up your own configured and community driven search engine today.

    • #3084328

      advertisement poem: gastropoding

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      “I can blabber on and on forever about things I know absolutely nothing about.”

      CyberGal proclaimed over the Skype VoIP.

      Her Apple Computer was performing fine tonight, as always, as she sipped her Starbucks , while the HP printer spat out another document with no-smear ink. With Linux OS, Symantec Norton AV / Firewall, and Blog Revolution Search Engine by Eurekster/Swicki and Vaspers the Grate aka Steven E. Streight, the entire world was happily computing, networking, and frowzy gastropoding.

      I arched and advanced my broad, muscular (easy, ladies!) valvular ventral disk, and bellied up to the bar, er…computer module…in my Swedish bungalow office suite. To pass some unwanted time-gas, with Ambassador 21 speedcore, from Belarus and Minsk, screeching out of my Sony boomboxster, I gazed malingeringly, almost menacingly at these time-eating brain-enhancers:

      Gonzo Marketing (Chris “Cluetrain” Locke)

      Managing in the Next Society (Peter F. Drucker)

      Net Gain (John Hagel III, Arthur G. Armstrong)

      The Thurber Carnival (James Thurber, Harper & Bros., 1931)

      Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)

      Deming’s Road to Continual Improvement (Scherkenbach)

      Free Prize Inside (Seth Godin, Portfolio, 2004)

      New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (Sigmund Freud, W.W. Norton, 1933)

      The Confessions of St. Augustine (circa 426 AD)

      The Vedanta for Modern Man (edited by Christopher Isherwood, Mentor, 1945)

      The Road Ahead (Bill Gates, Viking, 1995)

      Attaining Manufacturing Excellance (Robert W. Hall, Dow-Jones-Irwin/APICS Series in Production Management, 1987)

      Competitive Strategies: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors (Michael E. Porter, Free Press, 1980)

      World Class Quality: Using Design of Experiments to Make It Happen (Keki R. Bhote, AMACOM, American Management Association, 1991)

      Guerilla Marketing for the Home-Based Business (Jay Levinson, Seth Godin, Houghton Mifflin, 1995)

      Nichomachean Ethics (Aristotle, Hackett Publishing, 1985)

      Webmaster in a Nutshell (Stephen Spainhour & Robert Eckstein, O’Reilly)

      Marketing the e-Business (Lisa Harris, Charles Dennis, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London, 2002)

      The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at M.I.T. (Stewart Brand)

      Between the Blinds: A Derrida Reader (edited by Peggy Kamuf, Columbia University Press, New York, 1991)

      Naked Conversations (Robert Scoble, Shel Israel: Vaspers URL w/quote by — p. 137 — that mentions FBI and CIA, and special gratitude acknowledgement — p. 234 — for hyper diaper dapper Blogologist Steven E. Streight)

      The Search (John Battelle)

      Flight Out of Time: A Dada Diary by Hugo Ball (edited by John Elderfield, University of California, Berkeley, 1974)

      Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work (Richard Carlson, Ph.D.)

      How to Work for a Jerk (Richard M. Hochheiser, Vintage Books, 1987)

      Talking from 9 to 5: How Women’s and Men’s Conversational Styles Affect Who Gets Heard, Who Gets Credit, and What Gets Done at Work (Deborah Tannen, Ph.D., William Morrow, 1994)

      Tao Te Ching (Barnes & Noble, 2005, orig. sixth century BCE)

      Remembrance of Things Past (Marcel Proust, trans. C.K. Scott Moncrieff, Random House, 1924)

      Blog Marketing (Jeremy Wright: Vaspers URL w/quote –technical abstract definition of “weblog” — by self-loathing Web Analyst Steven E. Streight)

      The Innovator’s Dilemma (Clayton M. Christensen)

      Kenneth Patchen: A Collection of Essays (Richard Morgan, forward by Miriam Patchen)

      Hacking RSS and Atom (Leslie M. Orchard)

      The Analysis of the Self: A Systematic Approach to the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders (Heinz Kohut, International Universities Press, New York, 1971)

      Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It (James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner, Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, 2003)

      The Reformed Pastor (Richard Baxter, 1656)

      Honest to Jesus (Robert W. Funk, Westar Institute, the Jesus Seminar)

      Reality in Advertising (Rosser Reeves)

      F’d Companies (Philip J. Kaplan)

      Selling Your Services (Robert W. Bly)

      Hidden Power of Electronic Culture (Brian McLaren)

      …and sadly smiled, with well-placed placebo yawns at my own boring personality.

      I turned the Pavement CD up louder to listen more attentively. To them, not her. No use. She grabbed me again, with yet another in what would shape up to be a long, unending series of sequential quotes to preserve as fast as my fingers could chop and chew.

      “I love staying in expensive hotels,” CyberGal stated somewhere along the line.

      I put down my bowl of curry Vietnamese vegetarian soysauced jasmine rice, and growled into the CyberAcoustics CVL-1066 Micro d’ ordinateur pour communication vocale sur Internet DNCT 4 Direct Noise Canceling Technology web mic. “You toss those quotes out like they’re nothing.”

      “The Argent is like a mini-museum, where people like the CEO of Standard Oil might stay,” she continued, oblivious to her funny one-liners, that rushed in tangential torrents, tightly focused and dispersed like lighting glue syncopes.

      I sipped my Starbucks and inserted a Clay’s Horehound lozenge candy in my open, blabbering mouth orifice.

      “Yeah.” I explained.

      “This…”

      “…whole 5 minute conversation about victim mentality, RSS scrape marathons, thorn nets, customized auto-generated self-configured search engines, hyper mediated ecommerce paradox energies…”

      “Yeah…” she whimpered mightily.

      “…could make an okay podcast. Also, please write me a few paragraphs on how Born Blind Folks have blind face, a curious lack lustre facial expression, based on no experience of sighted facial expressions.” I continued to beg.

      “Okay,” she agreed, as I had hoped.

      “I am super blogoid object debaser,” I chanted to myself with an anti-hypnotic marketing by Joe Vitale and Melvin Powers smugness that blew even me and the birds above away.

    • #3084327

      Training my new employee named Swicki

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      It takes a bit of work and time to train my new employee, Swicki.

      But Swicki learns fast, and is easy to get along with. Swicki is my new customized, community driven search engine aka Blog Revolution Search Engine.

      I train Swicki by typing in a key phrase, like “Blog Culture”. Then I examine the results page. I command Swicki to produce an unpaid “sponsored link” to my post “Blog Addict Early Warning System“, and it places this at the top of the search results page.

      If I want a link on the search results page to be moved up higher, I can tell Swicki to elevate the link. When I see a link that I don’t approve of, trust, or like, I can tell Swicki to delete it. Once when I did this, I got a message that the web site I deleted has also been flagged as an irrelevant site, by other Swicki users.

      This is very cool, this sense of community centered around the proliferation of customized search engines! You can do it, too. It’s very easy, based on the 1-2-3 step simplicity of Blogger, Firefox, and other fine software.

      You make as many custom personalized search engines as you wish. You just make up a title for it, and list all the URLs you want users to search when they type in a search word.

      For example, my Blog Revolution Search Engine lists such Vaspers Trusted & Approved Sites as:

      * Ensight
      * Tom Peters
      * Doc Searls
      * Jakob Nielsen
      * Slashdot
      * Edelman
      * Photomatt
      * Scobleizer
      * John Battelle
      * Blog Business Summit
      * Jason Calacanis
      * David Weinberger
      * Deming Org
      * Diva Marketing
      * Cluetrain Manifesto
      * Gaping Void
      * Ad Rants
      * John Hagel
      * Big Blog Company
      * Seth Godin
      * Joi Ito

      …and other reputable, good information sites.

      So, when you use my Blog Revolution Search Engine to locate articles on “Blog Culture”, “Blog Content Writing”, “CEO Blogs”, “Blog Psychosis”, “Blogosphere”, “Blogocombat”, “Blog Basics”, “Business Blogging”, or whatever you wish to know more about, you won’t get a results list loaded with spamdexing.

      You’ll see a list of links to authoritative bloggers who speak with great insight and proven experience. While the links will naturally vary in specific relevance, quality content, and timeliness, the blogs I trained Swicki to spider through are of extremely high quality and well written.

      Have fun. Try using my Blog Revolution Search Engine. It’s not very far down my sidebar on the right. Then go make your own custom search engine Swicki. It is really simple and easy.

    • #3084326

      Insight BB is second fastest

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      According to CNET Top Broadband Providers, the #2 fastest ISP is one of my sponsors on Vaspers the Grate, and my corporate internet service, Insight Broadband.

      There is only one other broadband company with a slightly faster connection speed. Beyond that, there is the T3 line option.

      [QUOTE]

      This list displays ISP performance based on average connection speeds and the number of submissions to the CNET Bandwidth Meter . To compare specific ISPs in this list, check up to 5 boxes next to a company name and click the “Compare” button at the bottom of the page. You can also filter results by type of connection (dial-up, DSL, cable, all broadband, or by weekly results).

      Compare
      Provider
      Type
      Speed
      Month

      1
      Shaw
      Cable Modem
      6714 kbps
      February 2006

      2
      InsightBB
      Cable Modem
      6458 kbps
      February 2006

      3
      Telus
      DSL
      6352 kbps
      February 2006

      4
      Optonline
      Cable Modem
      6207 kbps
      February 2006

      5
      America Online, AOL
      DSL
      6133 kbps
      February 2006

      6
      RCN Internet Service
      Cable Modem
      5674 kbps
      February 2006

      7
      Cable One
      Cable Modem
      5667 kbps
      February 2006

      8
      Charter Pipeline
      Cable Modem
      5476 kbps
      February 2006

      9
      Bright House
      Cable Modem
      5311 kbps
      February 2006

      10
      Videotron
      Cable Modem
      5229 kbps
      February 2006

      11
      BellSouth
      DSL
      5161 kbps
      February 2006

      12
      Charter Communications
      Cable Modem
      5132 kbps
      February 2006

      13
      Qwest Communications
      DSL
      4980 kbps
      February 2006

      14
      Rogers
      Cable Modem
      4974 kbps
      February 2006

      15
      Cablevision
      Cable Modem
      4763 kbps
      February 2006

      16
      CenturyTel
      DSL
      4745 kbps
      February 2006

      17
      Comcast
      Cable Modem
      4654 kbps
      February 2006

      18
      VerizonSmallBusiness
      DSL
      4565 kbps
      February 2006

      19
      Sympatico
      DSL
      4564 kbps
      February 2006

      20
      Cox Communications, Inc.
      Cable Modem
      4463 kbps
      February 2006

    • #3268019

      feeding cat steak to mice, part 2: intention deficit disorder

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      EDIT UPDATE: for my new TechRepublic readers, “feeding cat steak to mice” is a title of a Vaspers the Grate post, that Doc Searls liked and quoted in his blog. It refers to “training bloggers to overpower and outmode the MSM (mainstream media)”.
       
      Okay, now get this, pay attention to this post, because my intention is to blow your mind…to inform, amuse, and astonish you so good…

      (1) you’ll merrily waltz over Vaspers the Grate, the Atom feed spawner, and click on the ads to visit selected sites…

      and/or (2) go over to my Amazon Associates announcements of relevant books or product searches, and fling some cash at them…

      and/or (3) use my Blog Revolution Search Engine Swicki, which also enables my partners and I to make a few cents per click.

      Voila! Welcome to the Vaspers the Grate Ecommerce Blog.

      During the past few moments in time, I have installed several new features and functionalities on this blog, all of which are “live” and stand ready to benefit you, with the single exception of CoComment, which sits empty, like a tomb, like my statement that I’m done posting tons of rich, rare, relevant comments on massive numbers of other blogs.

      Nope. From now on, I will be extremely sparing in my criticisms and constructive comments on other blogs. Those days are pretty much grinding to a screeching halt.

      Now I will focus intensely on generating excessive torrents of content in my personal online platforms, like my new TechRepublic blog, to more fully express my intentions, and attract the attention of my intended audience.

       
      This is why I am creating new web sites, custom search engines, blogs, and other web objects…almost daily…as I also download every frigging trendy bloggy thing you never heard of, yet.

      A debate over attention vs. intention?

      I have not read the Doc Searls post “The Intention Economy” at Linux Journal on this, but after I tell you what my first reaction to this topic is, I will go read Doc and report back in a new post.

      Following the path from intention to attention” by Phil Windley.

      http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2687

      Interesting way to categorize and collate the data of what really boils down to Old Economy vs. New Economy, or Push vs. Pull, or better: me media vs. we media, me manufacturing vs. they manufacturing.

      Media and Economy are moving rapidly away from items made by Them and pushed via unilateral corporate advertising at Us. Now we are putting the “I” back into IT. We are individually deciding what we want, what the product will be that satisfies that desire, and the most accommodating delivery system and the ideal timing and frequency of the gratifiers, products, services, that we allow to enter our hyper-stylized Web 2.0/Blogosphere 4.0 life-way.

      If your intention is to bless, serve, help, teach, warn, encourage, entertain, educate, amuse, prod, goad, inspire, enhance, cure, empower a target audience or customer group, you will get their attention.

      Why so “you will” about this getting intention right, then attention will come naturally, nearly automatically.

      I offer the phenomenal success of the book that wrote itself, a business model I thought I had pioneered with my Secrets of the Blog Pros book, soon to be published in two versions (beta low cost version, then 1.0 public release with fancier price tag)…ladies and gentlemen:

      Post Secret

      The intention was to tap into the universal human need to confess sin, secret, subterfuge, subversion, sickness. The author set up the mechanism, the Post Secret blogspot blog, then he smartly got the hell out of the way and let the customers create the product they would soon crave.

      Intention is Superior to Attention.

      Attention for It’s Own Financial Sake is Soon Stolen by More Persuasive or Controversial Competitors.

      Intention for the Sake of Customer Benefit Will Generate Plenty of Attention.

      Your passion for humbly serving your fellow creatures of the adventure called life, this unbounded enthusiasm and radiant altruistic compassion will be your “spirit guide” to bring you to the “promised land” of ecommerce rewards.

    • #3266890

      What is User-Empowering Design Functionality?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Blog pioneer and software designer Joel Spolsky has another great article, this time on usability simplified. It coincides perfectly with my development of what I call User-Empowering Design Functionality.

      Snack on these excerpts, then go visit Joel’s blog to read more, and after that, hightail it on over to Jakob Nielsen to learn more immediately practical, er, usable, facts.

      There is a ferocious, ongoing war between the forces of Good Product Usability pitted against Bad Design Anarchy in the web design world.

      I have engaged in brutal combat in these battles, as on the Evolt and WDVL discussion lists, Design by Fire, Digital Web, User Interface, and elsewhere, until I got tired of all the arguing. I agued against Whimsical Narcissistic Design Anarchy and in favor of User-Empowering Design Functionality.

      User-Empowering Design Functionality states that all possible users must be accommodated, so that even the most clueless operator can get things done.

      Today I modify this statement, to add: “…or quickly find the email, web feedback form, and other Contact or Help functions/info needed to work around or fix a bug, provide missing instructions, explain a term, etc.”

      Whimsical Narcissistic Design Anarchy states that all adoring designers must be accommodated, so that even the most jaded web designer can be shocked at how clever, artistic, and complexly difficult the interface is.

      Usability in One Easy Step (First Draft)”
      by Joel Spolsky

      [QUOTE]

      Bad usability in the design of aircraft controls can result in what is cheerfully referred to as CFIT: Controlled Flight Into Terrain.

      The usability of your product may not be quite as critical. If you’re lucky, the mistakes you make in usability design will merely cause people to lose limbs, or, heck, even just thumbs. No biggie!

      In fact if you’re extremely lucky, your unusable design will do nothing more than make people sad. They’ll try to accomplish things, and either fail, or struggle, and for very real reasons this will literally make them unhappy.

      [snip–text deleted]

      Something is usable if it behaves exactly as expected.

      That’s it! That’s the whole story! As Hillel said, all the rest is commentary.

      [snip]

      The point is, does the UI respond to the user in the way in which the user expected it to respond?

      If it didnt, the user is going to feel like they can’t control the interface, and they’re going to be unsuccessful. That’s all there is to it. Something is usable if it behaves exactly as expected. Tattoo this on your forehead. Backwards, so you can read it in the mirror.

      If you follow along in future articles, you’ll see that just about everything I can teach you about usable design is going to relate back to this simple rule, so if for some reason aliens land in your garden tonight and whisk you away to the planet Kij8zxwrk, where you have no access to the Earth’s Internet because TCP/IP doesn’t work well when packets take hundreds of years to arrive, you already know enough to get a job as a pretty decent usability designer.

      About the Author: I’m your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I’ve been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site.

      For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz – the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot – the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.

      [END QUOTE]

      To wrap it all up, a design is not usable unless it simply, easily, and without a lot of thinking, Empowers Users.

      Users need to accomplish something: find info, activate a game module, install a web browser, subscribe to an RSS/Atom feed, scrape a site, burn a CD of Pavement songs, email a digital photo to a family member, whatever.

      Users use a tool, like a web site, not for the sake of the web site itself. They visit a web site, not to admire the intelligence of the designer, but to get something done.

      I beta test new software on a daily basis. I keep a check list of all my betas taped to my forehead or computer, with:

      __ sign up

      __ install

      __ use

      __ like/recommend

      • #3074162

        What is User-Empowering Design Functionality?

        by dearterry ·

        In reply to What is User-Empowering Design Functionality?

        At last someone who “gets it”.  I loved your post.  I think that more designers should embrace this mentality.  It is really not about the razzle dazzle of the design but more about the functionality.  A “cool” site may be in fact a “useless” site and there are those sites where people just go and admire but hey, when you’re designing for a specific purpose so the user can do something, your goal should be to design to get the user to do that thing as fast and easily as possible.

    • #3267598

      blogging, the new business tool

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here you’ll learn what blogs are, what they can do, and why your business needs one.
      Blogging is a new and effective way to increase sales, boost employee morale, and improve customer relations.
      Now, you too can take advantage of this communication tool that everyone’s talking about, but few really understand.

    • #3267597

      Treasury of my best blogology essays

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      My idea for this blog is to write new, original posts on Business Blogging…and to import the very cream of the crop of previous articles that I published at my Vaspers the Grate blog.
      Installing relevant archive categories at Vaspers blog is rather a pain in the bottom. So, my solution, rather clever if I do […]

    • #3267595

      Definition of ?blog?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      [NOTE: this post will be updated as I continue to add more definitions, or viewpoints, of what what a “blog” really is.]
      Blog = “web” +?”log”
      Blog = a frequently updated, author controlled, simple mini-web site.
      Blog = A “log” or journal, or better: series of entries (”posts”), that exists on the web.
      Blog = the democratization of web […]

    • #3267596

      How to Evaluate Your Blog: part 1

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      How to evaluate your blog is a big mystery.
      Try doing an internet search on “blog evaluation”, “judging a blog”, and similar phrases. If your experience is like mine, you’ll get just about nothing worthwhile from the search results.
      Even such phrases as “effective blogging” provide little in my searches. I just got back from a visit […]

    • #3267593

      How to Evaluate Your Blog: part 2

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      True Blog Value vs. Blog Peripherals
      We wish to judge the actual, intrinsic worth and benefit of a blog to its actual or intended audience.
      A blog reader generally won’t, or shouldn’t, care about blog peripherals. Blog peripherals (items on the outside, external to the blog itself) are irrelevant factors in judging a blog’s value.
      In other words, […]

    • #3267594

      Why your business needs a blogologist

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Your business needs a blogologist.
      Why?
      Because if you do your own blog, you could make serious mistakes that will adversely impact your business.
      Because a blog lets you tell your story the way you want it told, convey the exact message you want to get across, with no media filters or distortions.
      Because blogs are how many businesses […]

    • #3267591

      Example of recruiting talent for a blog satire network profitability empire

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here is the message set?I sent to Ray Chill, via the MySpace network message system. The last, displayed first, message did not make it through, even though I substituted “/reward/” for “make money” and “get rich” and “boringly wealthy”.
      This is simply a light-hearted, non-threatening, non-predatory Youth Marketing strategy that is working for me. You better […]

    • #3267592

      How to make a New Super Blog for Web 2.0

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      (1) Focus & Expand: get a dominant purpose, but go off on interesting or instructive tangents to keep readers in suspence and to spice up with exotic flavors that make you *memorable* and eminently *re-visitable*, perhaps even blogrollable and RSS/Atom feed subscribable.
      (2) Benefit your blog readers with more than just your charisma, personality quirks,?and goofy […]

    • #3267544

      Definition of ?blog?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      [NOTE: this post will be updated as I continue to add more definitions, or viewpoints, of what what a “blog” really is.]
      Blog = “web” +?”log”
      Blog = a frequently updated, author controlled, simple mini-web site.
      Blog = A “log” or journal, or better: series of entries (”posts”), that exists on the web.
      Blog = the democratization of web […]

    • #3267498

      Definition of ?blog?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      [NOTE: this post will be updated as I continue to add more definitions, or viewpoints, of what what a “blog” really is.]
      Blog = “web” +?”log”
      Blog = a frequently updated, author controlled, simple mini-web site.
      Blog = A “log” or journal, or better: series of entries (”posts”), that exists on the web.
      Blog = the democratization of web […]

    • #3267451

      sign the anti-media giants internet petition

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      My blog ally MaryBeth of The Desert Day by Day fame sent me the link to this:

      Media Giants to Privatize Our Internet – Support a Free and Open Network

      Dear [CEO],

      I support network neutrality, and I am dismayed by comments made by your executives recently indicating they want to see dramatic changes to the way the Internet operates.

      [your comment here]

      Net neutrality is the reason this democratic medium has grown exponentially, fueled innovation and altered how we communicate. For-profit interests should not be allowed to destroy the democratic culture of the web.

      I strongly urge you to oppose policies that permit network operators to block, impede or interfere with any lawful Internet traffic, now or in the future.

      Sincerely,

      [your name]
      [your address]

      You’ll see that petition signee #4,413 is steven streight. My message to the media conglomerate CEOafs is this:

      We will flee to Internet2, Interplanetary Internet, or Darknets, and bypass your commodity internet altogether, if you try to control and exploit it [the current internet]. Think very carefully about backlash and retaliation from less principled bloggers and IT guys. I hope you make the morally right decision.

    • #3267450

      unpaid beta testing and 7 sins of beta versions

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I’m about worn out. Why? Beta testing problematic new software, with no pay. This is hard, frustrating, boring, annoying work.

      Current Beta Tests:

      A = excellant quality, simple, high usability, gets all jobs done quickly, recommendable, deserving of unpaid passionate promotion, worthy of being defended and championed

      B = okay, nice, fairly easy to use, moderately fast, gets most jobs done, needs work to be really great and recommendable, almost ready for unpaid passionate promotion

      C = mediocre, barely acceptable, needs much work, but good potential

      D = failure, bad interface or incomplete documentation, hard to use, difficult to figure out, no Help page, Contact page is buried, worthy of disrespect, warnings, flaming, etc.

      F = so wretched, it will be uninstalled, flame them if they wasted your time and treated you shabbily, avoid like the plague

      * The Petition Site (no grade yet)

      * Skype (Grade: A+)

      * Odeo (Grade: C)

      * Awasu (Grade: B)

      * Krugle (no grade yet)

      * Squidoo (Grade: D)

      * Swicki (Grade: A, then C, pending fixes)

      * CoComment (Grade: D)

      * Jot Spot Wiki (Grade: A-, just a few improvements needed)

      * TechRepublic Blog (Grade: A-, a few things I need to learn, reminds me of WordPress somewhat)

      * Audacity (Grade: B)

      * Firefox (Grade: D)

      * Adobe Reader (Grade: F)

      * Avant Browser (Grade: A, then F, uninstalled, but will try a second time)

      * Bloglet (Grade: C)

      * Pollhost (Grade: C)

      * Frappr (Grade: D)

      * MySpace (Grade: D)

      * Easy Web Stats Visitors Online Counter (Grade: A)

      * MS Office Live (no grade yet)

      * iTunes (Grade: A)

      * Feedburner (Grade: C)

      * Sony AcidXpress Softsynth (Grade: F)

      Even software providers you respect commit…

      The 7 sins of software:

      (1) No clickable promo badge (Odeo does astonishing job at providing these)

      (2) Buried Contact info

      (3) No Help or Tutorial page, insufficient FAQ

      (4) Insufficient user content creation/management functions

      (5) Ability for users to commit Catastrophic Error, unrecoverable mistakes, with no Undo, Restore, Clear Edits, or Revert to Default options

      (6) Poor technical documentation, inconsistency in terminology, user manual unavailable, forums provided to avoid email or tech rep chat channels.

      (7) Poor beta tester relations, including expectation of profound and probing analyis…for free…when these software providers should just hire a usability analyst instead.

      Yeah, with all 7 of those dysfunctionalities, and more, beta testing is a chore and a bore.

      But somebody has to tell these engineers what they’ve done wrong. And for some reason, they will not hire a usability tester/analyst, they dump the job on early adaptors.

      Most early adaptor/beta testers just dump a product that doesn’t work right, without reporting back to the provider.

      Beta versions are getting more sloppy, buggy, and annoying, while the competition is getting more intense. If a user doesn’t like one product, it’s easy to find competitive providers simply by Googling the technology, like “VoIP” or “customized search engines”.

      • #3077151

        unpaid beta testing and 7 sins of beta versions

        by justin james ·

        In reply to unpaid beta testing and 7 sins of beta versions

        This is so incredibly true. Look at Google. They leave stuff in “beta” for YEARS. Open source software and “Internet time” make this even worse. OSS is typically beta forever. The whole “if it’s OSS, we’ll have millions of eyeballs looking at the code!” argument only applies to a select few peices of software. The rest of it no one ever looks at or contributes more than a few lines to. Instead what you have is software that gets maintained as a vanity project, with little incentive for the developer to fix bugs or make improvements.

        With the release cycles getting shorter and shorter, I’m finding that software gets worse and worse. What would have never been sent to beta, let alone gold even a few years ago is being put into production, in order to get new features in front of the audience, hoping that they will stick around until the problems get fixed. Personally, I would rather use software with 10 features that all work 100% correctly, than software with 100 features, out of which 20 work 100% correctly. At least then I’ll know for sure that my work or data won’t be destroyed.

        At the end of the day, every piece of code that I send to a customer, I treat as if it were software handling the details of my bank account. It either works 100%, or it doesn’t get sent. My company’s customers pay us the big bucks, because their own IT staff is simply incapable of doing things right, and neither are the other companies they outsource to. We work with data provided by other vendors of theirs, and we often find errors in the data before the vendor does. Ditto for data, information, and code provided by their internal IT.

        Thanks for your comments on my blog, BTW. It’s always nice to find someone else with the same feeling towards usability that I have.

        J.Ja

    • #3268154

      What is a good IT blog at TechRepublic?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Test. Test. I am still working on the IT focus of this blog. One way to do that is to look at TechRepublic discussions tag cloud, or “Top Member Links Tag Cloud” and at the Top 200 Search Terms at TechRepublic.
       
      I am a web usability analyst and web content writer, with strong interests in blogs, RSS, social media, and IT audit and control.
       
      I’ll try to pool all these factors into a useful, informative, sometimes edgy or controversial blog.
       
      What is a good IT blog at TechRepublic?
       
      I hope to answer that question here, in visible manifestation, for your viewing pleasure. It’s all about gaining marketable skills, right?
    • #3266307

      8 vital aspects of all beta versions

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      As a beta tester, one begins to notice how software differs in terms of alpha version work, culminating in a limited release or public beta. Some betas have far better usability, customization options, tech doc, and efficiency than others.

      You soon begin to wish all these betas met certain minimum standards.

      The vital aspects of any software beta version are very similar to essential characteristics of a web site, based on user research and personal experience.

      8 vital aspects of

      all Beta Versions:

      (1) Fast download…simple install…easy activate (icon for desktop, include in user’s Start menu).

      (2) Good tech documentation: instructions, labels, titles, URLs, graphic tags, image captions…including a complete Help page, FAQ page, Advanced User page, Buttons/Badges page, About page, and Upgrade/Pricing page.

      (3) Upfront contact info/feedback

      (4) Upfront company info, staff bios

      (5) Variety of ways the user can customize and manipulate the data and the task performance parameters

      (6) Fast, complete, authoritative replies to customer/beta tester questions, complaints, praises, and suggestions.

      Direct contact with lead engineer, CEO, or product manager…and not a freaking “user forum”. Those can be lazy cop-outs. While a discussion forum for users and developers can have its uses, generally they tend to be substitutues for staffing enough resident experts to handle direct questions from users and beta testers.

      Discussion forums are often poorly constructed, inefficiently categorized, vaguely moderated, chaotic messes of dubious answers to mostly goofy questions from totally clueless newbies, who prove their stupidity with such topic titles as: “got a problem”, “help!!!!!”, “check out my site”, “does anyone know?” and “Hi, I’m new here”.

      Users want specific and *direct from the horse’s mouth* answers to specific questions, which may concern proprietary issues, and are thus not suitable for public display or open discussion forums.

      (7) Code for a *variety* of different sizes, styles, colors, and wording for clickable promotion badges. By clickable badges I mean the company buttons or ads you see in my Vaspers the Grate blog sidebar…click on them, and you’ll navigate to their web site. (Buy something, sucka foo!)

      See Odeo or Firefox for a great example of providing various badges you can copy and paste the code for, and insert into your blog or web site.

      (8) User observation tests, prior to releasing the beta version.

      Do NOT trust your designers to “know” if something is usable. They know how to use it because they created it. But guess what? Even so, they still usually don’t know what the bugs are, nor can they guess what users will try to do.

       
       
      Remember the #1 Rule of Software Development: VOC > EOD
       
      (translation: Voice of Customer [loud and clear into the] Ear of Designer/Developer

      One thing I’ve learned from conducting user observation tests: users do unexpected, unpredictable things.

      A well conducted user observation test, by a web usability professional, should identify up to 90% of all possible bugs. And it only takes about 5 typical users. See Jakob Nielsen’s research.

    • #3074228

      digital fop is infantile slop!

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I solemnly assert…the
      Supremacy of Analog over Digital

      digital controls suck a gigabyte banana.

      digital = inexactitude. No finesse.

      let’s say it again, with gusto: “digital fop is infantile slop!”

      music is vividly analog. it does not lend itself to Off/On…or 0/1. A lot can, and does, happen between Off and On or Zero and One, between Nothing and Something.

       
      music is not electricity, it is (according to composer Busoni) a rarefied, refined, exotic form of air, air with mysterious waves repercussing through it like a metaphysical vibration.
       
      only silence vs. non-silence could be digitized, but didn’t John Cage teach us that silence is a sound? that even the human body, in a perfectly “quiet” room, makes a loud noise that a person can hear humming in his ears in soundproof booth!
       
      digitize feelings, if you think everything can be digitized.
       
      Record and playback your dreams, in digital format, try that!

      Home Experiment #1:
      The Boombox Test

      (1) Take a digital control boombox.

      Digital controls means you punch a freaking button a million times to get from dead Silent to Loud enough to hear Pavement, Ambassador 21, Stereolab, Bob Dylan, or Atari Teenage Riot decently.

      (2) Set it next to an old fashioned analog boombox.

      Analog controls means you simply slide a lever or twist a knob.

      (3) With a stopwatch, or by simple observation, notice how fast you can turn the volume up or down on that Pavement CD.

      (4) Next, notice how easily you can tune the radio to stations for best reception.

      Digital is a pain in the butt to tune, since the frickin’ controls actually *skip* portions of the spectrum. Try going from high on the dial to low, as fast as you can.

      Oh sure, you can maybe punch in a number value, and hope that it works, allows you to jump ahead numerically. I rarely can get that to work, but I’m mechanically challenged, maladroit.

      Having fun punching the buttons on your lousy digital control panel?

      A dandy, or “fop”, is someone who “pays too much attention to his clothes, thus dresses extravagantly, in a showy or gaudy manner”.

      Digital controls are “dandified” or “fop”: they look cool and don’t do shit. At least not the way you wish they would. Or need them to, especially when your lovely wife comes home unexpectedly…and catches you jamming “Perfume-V” by Pavement at full blast.

      “Turn that racket DOWN!” she shouts.

      “I’m trying to, I’m doing the best I can,” you whimper loudly as you punch the button hysterically. No shinshee shinshee tonight, you rock & role models moron!

      Home Experiment #2:
      The Wristwatch Test

      Even my laser-specialty Caterpillar engineer dad agreed here: digital wristwatches suck.

      Digital wristwatches have no sense of past or future, they’re stuck in the present, like some yoga zombie over-contemplating his lack of kundalini.

      (1) Take a digital wristwatch.

      Look at the time. All you see is the current time, right? Let’s say it “says” that it’s now 11: 33 AM.

      Quick…how much time do you have to hide your empty Fosters Special Bitter “oil cans” before your college dorm roommate buddy comes home at exactly 12 noon? Whom you told you were broke?

      Sure, that’s easy: 27 minutes. But did you mentally subtract 33 from 60? Notice how the digital display of “11:33” offers no visual help? It’s just numbers.

      No matter what Pythagoras said, life, love, music cannot be reduced to numbers. If life is a number, that number is pi, which is an infinite series of chaotic numbers with no discernible pattern. Ask any savant.

      (2) Now take an analog wristwatch.

      It will have “hands” (like a human), that point to the hour and the minute. What’s more, it is easy to see visually how much of a chunk of time has elapsed or is still to come, from a base time benchmark.

      Digital is impressivley imprecise, visually vague, and thus unclean, unworthy of mankind, and uncool to the nth degree.

    • #3074199

      spherical monitors, mental computing, all limb UI

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I read with amusement my TechRepublic brother-blogger’s post on things one mustn’t do with a computer, like don’t take your laptop into the bathroom with you, don’t eat melting ice cream cones over it, and don’t let your cat nap on it.

      Photos: convicted for endangering their computers?” by Bill Detwiler.

      (Be sure to click on the “Next” button to flip through all the funny photos of computers being treated shabbily by insensitive human animaloids.)

      I think a lot of these computer abuse problems will be solved by the following:

      (1) Spherical monitors suspended from spidey twine, that display web objects from every possible angle you can get yourself into, including lying flat on your back. See the Half Bakery for details.

      (2) Mental computing: electrodes and chip implants in the cranium, probing the brainpan, where the UI (if not Thought itself), is twitching, smiling, and snarky sneers — send email by simply grimacing.

      A musical instrument, I think it was called a WaveRider, enabled Pauline Oliveros, AMM, and other avant garde composers and bands, to trigger electronic instruments via electrodes attached to their skulls, that transmitted thought waves to sensor devices, and so on down the line. Oliveros has a composition called “Thought Patterns” that employs such a device.

      My secret technology for Dream Recording & Playback is another example of how the division between mind and machine is being further eroded.

      (3) “All Limb UI”, which Microsoft is already perfecting (foot pads), where both hands, feet, elbows, knees, nose, and whatever else ya got, come into play as you compute with your entire body, getting carpal tunnel in places you never dreamed of. 

    • #3074108

      certified web 2.0 compliant

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      AdBrite has a humorous Web 2.0 compliance test, with a nice little link button for those who pass the acid test. Ya gotta luvit.

      My flagship blog, Vaspers the Grate, earned a 69% compliance rating, while AdBright itself displays a 38% compliance rating. See my VTG blog to see this “Certified Web 2.0 Compliant” link button at the top of my right sidebar.

      Web 2.0 Criteria

      [QUOTE]

      Your website contains:

      (Check all that apply)

       

      Big fonts
      Oversized input fields
      Silly or misspelled name
      “Beta”
      AJAX
      Community content
      “Something”-sharing
      Bright colors and/or pink
      Rounded corners
      Use of Google maps
      Founder has a blog
      RSS
      Tagging
      Creative commons
      Wiki
      Podcast/video/mobile content

      [END QUOTE]

       

      My Recommended Suite of Blog Tools

      Now here are the features and functionalities that  I’m currently using, for Web 2.0 and Blogosphere 4.0 compliance, at Vaspers the Grate:

      (1)  Skype VoIP (user-blogger contact)

      (2) Odeo podcast (user-blogger contact)

      (3) Easy Web Stats visitors online counter & Site Meter (web analytics, referer log)

      (4) Silly or misspelled blog title (memorability, rare content)

      (5) Swicki custom search engine (user info foraging benefit, innovative navigation, with controlled, gatewayed destinations)

      (6) Pollhost (user benefit, feedback)

      (7) Bloglet (user benefit, site promotion)

      (8) Digg user ranked tech news feedroll (user benefit)

      (9) MoBuzz TV vlog (user benefit, multi-media)

      (10) Lockergnome feedroll (user info benefit)

      (11) Game (John Maeda “rapid roulette”) (user fun benefit)

      (12) Web 2.0 certified compliance badge (site prestige)

      (13) Graphic link ads (Starbucks, Apple, IBM, CNET, HP, Deming Org., etc.) (pre-surfed web, sponsor benefit/user benefit, site pretige)

      (14) Web scan format post text (user info foraging benefit)

      (15) Post text links (user info benefit, site prestige)

      (16) RSS/Atom feed (Feedburner) (user benefit, site promotion)

      (17) Email contact address in non-harvestable format (site benefit)

      (18) Amazon Associates ads (sponsor benefit, user benefit, site prestige)

      (19) Library Thing book cover display (sponsor benefit, user benefit, site prestige)

      (20) Word Verification (Character Recognition) Captchas, Comment Moderation w/Delayed Posting, and Email Notification of New Comments in Moderation (anti-comment spam/abusive comments)

      (21) Music Map (user benefit)

      (22) Tailrank (meme tracker, user benefit)

      (23) Tech MemeOrandum (meme tracker, user benefit)

      (24) WebMD link (user  benefit, health info)

      (25) MyBlogMap (user benefit, networking)

      (26) Dive Into Python by Mark Pilgrim Free Ebook download (user benefit)

      (27) Krugle programmer SE demo link (user benefit)

      By combining ecommerce, multi-media, enhanced interactivity, and blogging, Vaspers the Grate is being transformed into the New Super Blog of the emerging Social Media Revolution.

      Most of the site enhancements beefing up the blog are User Centric, plus some related to Site Protection and Promotion.

      Think now of the implications of this hot new trend in blog customization and user community involvement, for *your* organization’s CEO blog, business/PR blog, or intranet/project collab blog.

    • #3073971

      Absolute Switched On User Empowerment

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      From Autonomous Technology (MIT, Cambridge, 1977) by Langdon Winner:

      “…there are some very real dangers in the view that technology and science are autonomous. Such notions have in the past sometimes accompanied philosophies which were virulently antimodern and even fascist.” (p. 18)

      “Western culture…has long believed that its continued existence and advancement depend upon the ability to manipulate the circumstances of the material world. In a spirit that many have called Faustian, we believe that control is possible and that we must strive for it.” (p. 19)

      When you hear philosophers, historians, and futurists speak of humans “striving for control”, we must remember who they mean:

      super rich, super privileged cheese, those who can afford to waste time and resources “self-authenticating” in some Maslow/Adler power-trip delirium…

      …and who has typically been far removed from any strings of power:

      the average person, prole, foot soldier, housewife, child, disabled, feeble, elderly, student, entrepreneur, beta tester. Lollygagging around in self-loathing, we have been spectators, viewing the big rich and vastly better heads of state and industry strut around like the Powers That Pretend To Be, ad infinitum.

      The only pie we could hope to taste was in the sky, and probably moldy by now.

      Then came the internet, web, blogosphere, search & syndication, podland, P2P, legit but mystery drenched dark nets, Absolute Switched On User Empowerment…and we were set free.

      Once we break away from the physical completely, beginning with cutting the cord of mediated commericializable, domination system-networks, and moving into grimace UIs, for real inter-face, facing the computer face off to face on, with ethereal immaterial glee, we will certainly be free.

      When dream record and playback units proliferate, and we can archive or forage through our fantasies with the twitchings of an eyebrow, we shall indeed be totally free.

       

       

    • #3073968

      is music map alive?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      If you look at the Music Map “Pavement” similar band mapping, you see a pool of tags, band names, floating ominously, listlessly, around the core term. Not a static map, but a kinetic mapping, an action event, not a done deal. Creepy?

      Is this just an Ajax-like updating without refreshing trick? Or have I had one too many Starbucks?

      It seems as if the names Blonde Redhead, Army of Trees, and Sebadoh just sort of “appeared” and slid in with displayed “similar bands”…

      [I suppose the disturbed floating and appearance/vanishing of band names is due to other users “training” the search engine, imparting their “intelligence” to the program, the machine]

      Sonic Youth, Radiohead, Beck, Velvet Underground, The Breeders, Fugazi, Neutral Milk Hotel, the White Stripes, Built to Spill, Cake, Yo La Tengo, The Strokes, Preston School of Industry, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, The Vines, The Fall, Shellac, The Flaming Lips, Slint, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, Peaches, The Rentals, The Dandy Warhols, Sleater-Kinney, Belle & Sebastian, Beta Band, Delgados, Mogwai, Frank Black, Vulgar Boatmen, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, The High, The Jacobites, Luna, Starlight Mints, The Gentle Waves, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Modest Mouse, as I was scribbling the bands on an index card, I mean appeared out of nowhere, or wherever these band names came from.

      If, via Ajax, DHTML, or whatever, we have “living webs”, each octopus eating all the others, where and when will we fit in? We don’t and won’t.

    • #3073923

      poster #1 revolutionary army of the infant blog

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      revolutionary army of the infant blog poster with pretty girl and url to the blog

    • #3075272

      IT at MGM/Mirage, Las Vegas

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Web 2.0 Work Group > Pod Tech > Masters of IT > Laura Fucci podcast

      Laura Fucci is VP, Chief Technology Officer of MGM/Mirage, Las Vegas.

      #1 Challenge = Always On, no locks on casino doors, busiest during holidays when other businesses are dormant.

      #2 Challenge = Competition Right Next Door (like with internet marketing: competition is just a click away),  keeping customers Always Happy and Staying Within Your Properties.

      Redundant. Resiliant. Precise. Clear. Concise.

      200 proprietary, business model-specific applications, including monitoring health of dolphins at The Mirage. They leverage firewalls. Were too many different breeds. Speed of integration of acquired company: within 3 hours, email was being sent between them.

      Vendor network integrated with corporate network through a firewall. Single solution, single provider for ease of supportability and manageability. IT organized by specialty, expertise, recommendations and brainstorms.

      Disaster Preparedness Architecture, guest critical services, geographically separate redundancies, Project City Center, digital urban development, the Internet Enabled City of the Future, with ubiquitous technology.

      Web 2.0 Workgroup consists of these fine sites:
      Analysis & Trends Read/WriteWeb, Dion Hinchcliffe, Susan Mernit’s Blog, Web 2.0 Explorer, /Message, Ben Barren
      Companies & Products TechCrunch, SolutionWatch, eHub
      Design & Usability WeBreakStuff, Bokardo, ParticleTree, Emily Chang
      VC & Business Jeff Clavier, Nivi
      Podcasting PodTech, Web 2.0 Show
      Tech & Development Programmable Web, CrunchNotes, Librarystuff, Alex Barnett, Ajaxian
      Commentary Scripting News, HorsePigCow, Scobleizer, Micro Persuasion
      Mobile Open Gardens, MobileCrunch
    • #3076397

      CERT on Sysadmin and DDoS attacks

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      With Foxnews sounding the alarm about a DRDoS (distributed reflected denial of service), “Security Experts Warn of Devastating Web Attack“, with “overwhelming floods of amplified data”, I decided to take a look at what CERT/Carnegie Mellon had to say about DDoS attacks.

      What can an enterprise do? Anything?

      Results of the Distributed-Systems Intruder Tools Workshop

      [QUOTE]

      Suggestions for

      System Administrators

      With the increased sophistication of intruder tools, comes the critical need for action. The following table lists actions identified at the Distributed-System Intruder Tools Workshop, along with a suggested time frame for dealing with attacks using distributed- system tools.

      Table 1 ? Suggestions for System Administrators
        Immediately (< 30 days) Near Term (30 ? 180 days) Long Term (> 6 months)
      Protect
      • Apply anti-spoofing rules at the network boundary. (This makes your site a less appealing target for intruders.)
      • Keep systems up to date on patches.
      • Follow CERT/CC & SANS best practices.
      • Review boundary security policy to ensure outbound packets are restricted appropriately.
      • Establish reference systems using cryptographic checksum tools such as Tripwire?.
      • Scan your network periodically for systems with well-known vulnerabilities & correct problems that you find.
      • Evaluate & (possibly) deploy an intrusion detection system (IDS).
      • Identify a system administrator with responsibility for each system, who has the authority, training & resources to secure the system.
      • Deploy resources for host- based intrusion detection.
      • Provide security training for users.
      • If you do not have sufficient resources or support to effectively protect systems, lobby for them.
      Detect
      • Look for evidence of intrusions in logs, etc.
      • Look for distributed tool footprints as described in documents from the CERT/CC or your incident response team.
      • Enable detection of unsolicited ICMP echo replies & unusually high traffic levels.
      • Periodically compare systems to your reference system using cryptographic checksum tools such as Tripwire?.
      • Run host-based software to detect vulnerabilities & intrusions.
      • Develop a system for profiling traffic flows & detecting anomalies, suitable for real-time detection & prevention.
      • Create and practice a response plan.
      React
      • Report to a predefined list of contacts, approved by management.
      • Establish detailed, written, management- approved plans for communicating with IRTs, ISPs, & law enforcement. Include out-of-band contacts.
      • Obtain training & experience in forensic techniques required to analyze compromised systems & identify other hosts involved, such as the master hosts in a distributed network.
      • Ensure ability to capture, analyze, & collect forensic evidence accurately & quickly by developing a ?forensic toolkit? of tools & programs to assist in forensic analysis.
      • Work with your ISP to establish a good business relationship, with service- level agreements that identify the ISP?s responsibilities in tracking & blocking traffic during DoS attacks.
      • Work with management to ensure that policies are in place that allow appropriate measures against suspect systems.
      • Work with your ISP to implement improved security requirements & capabilities in your service-level agreement.

      Additional comments for system administrators:

      When you set up intrusion detection software, ensure that it is both fault tolerant and capable of maintaining logs on a highly saturated network. The definition of a highly saturated network varies from organization to organization. A good metric is the amount of traffic seen divided by the maximum bandwidth available to the organization. Expect to see near 100% capacity during a distributed denial-of-service attack.

      In setting up logs, have the ability to parse log information at a high rate. Workshop participants recommend attention be paid to searching based on host name/IP number.

      Be able to search at least packet headers for attack signatures. Finally, look to an incident response team for techniques and information for dealing with distributed attacks and the evolving attack tools.

      [END QUOTE]

      It all seems to hinge on preparedness, quick response, user training, quality prevention, detection, and forensics tools, proactive policies, good relations with ISP, and a highly proficient Incident Reponse Team, to whom we are to “look for techniques and information for dealing with distributed attacks and the evolving attack tools”.

      Thus, you need a core group of people who basically do *nothing but* study new attack vectors and malware technology, monitor and scan for intrusions, and think several steps ahead of the cyber criminals.

      You cannot say you “can’t afford” it.

      This is what may separate the devastated from the indestructible in the event of a predicted, soon to come Tsunami or Katrina of web warfare, a concentrated attempt to wipe out the entire repository of digital information and online functionality.

      Luddites or terrorists, thieves or vandals: we must prepare for sophisticated, catastrophic attack, by shielding, hardening, and surviving to fight back and triumph.

      The future wars are already being fought with keyboards, mouse clicks, and strategic flaming.

      My recommendation:

      Geographically Separated Redundancies (GSRs), Catastrophic Event Preparedness Architecture, and secret encrypted communications via hidden media on clandestine channels behind leveraged forensic firewalls, for emergency collaborations.

      Uncertain frequencies, random bouncing, private whisper-transmission modes, mute strategems, and invisible technology combine to reward the prudent enterprise with post-catastrophe dominance.

    • #3076195

      Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here’s what is probably the most powerful job seeking tip I know of, and it almost always works, sometimes too fast, with nearly any type of job, from CEO to janitor. Consider yourself pinged.
       
      THE TIP: Hang out there.
       
      That’s it. Yes. That’s all there is to it, and it works almost every single time. Let me explain in further, suspenseful, nerve-wracking detail.
       
      First, because there is always some sourpuss who hates good news and proven techniques, I must rush to state this: I am *not* advocating any form of systematic stalking, trollish malingering, or unprincipled lollygagging. But to get your sleepy, Starbucks-deprived butt in gear, I must always state my views and insights with extreme, theatrical, Dada-esque language.
       
      THE TIP (CLARIFIED): Hang out as a paying and good tipping customer,
       
      or…a free advice-giver, helper, usability analyst, beta tester, bodyguard, computer fixer, printer disjammer, hail-fellow-well-met, comedic relief, floor sweeper, human surveillance camera, jackslabber, whatever…at the place you wish to work.
       
      People like to deal with known quantities. Trust is the huge deciding factor in any employment. Liking the new hire, feeling calm and confident about the new addition to the team, the corporate family, is massively decisive.
       
      You can slip right on in there and start building familiarity, credibility, finesse, distinction in their minds…*before* you even approach any discussion of possibly working there.
       
      The best and fastest way to establish trust, become known, remove the “stranger” status stygma, is to show up. Repeatedly. Non-obnoxiously.
       
      Just let them observe you, get comfortable around you, even start to look forward to your wit and wisdom, your verve and vim. Let them see how goofy you don’t act, notice your manners and mannerisms, get addicted to your hypnotic, lightly applied cologne.
       
      If you want to have a blog in a certain network, for example, start your own independent blog, make it perfect and profound, then post tons of rich, relevant, rare content, in the form of comments, at some of the blogs in the network you want to get into.
       
      If you’re good at it, you’ll eventually get their attention, and an invitation to join.
       
      Finesse is mandatory here, as in all things really.
       
      If you do this in a clumsy manner, obviously fawning or self-congratulatory, too desperate sounding, massively panicked, you’ll accomplish little more than loathing and even banishment. But do it perfectly, according to Mentally Correct Marketing parameters, and you’ll do just fine. I promise.
       
      If you’re professional, controversial, unique, creative, innovative, charming, proficient, well-informed, up-to-date, smart, decent looking, clever, resilient, and ethical, you’ll do alright, I suppose.
      • #3075839

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by trafficjon ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Excellent advice.

        I’ve been a headhunter for about 10 years.

        The article above is up there with having a grammatically correct
        resume with no spelling errors, and working your contact manager to let
        people know you are in the job market.

        Jon Williamson

        Are you LinkedIn?  If so, send a connection request!  If not,
        visit my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/1b2/a68 for
        information.

      • #3075774

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by pshaw0423 ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        This is also an excellent way to remain employed when your objective usefulness to the organization has long since passed its use-by date. “Good old [insert name here]! — great [guy/gal], been here forever. How could we ever get along without [him/her]?”

        This is doubtless a pure coincidence, but I’ve been a government office worker for 38 years…. 🙂

      • #3075668

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by c6s ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Well written and thought provoking (reference to Dada is always impressive). Sounds like you’ve used this strategy before. I’d be interested in more of the gory details, such as “what to do when you are asked to leave by a burly security guard.”

      • #3074540

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by conceptual ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Your method has resulted in every job I’ve ever had. It’s inverse is responsible for the only job I ever lost. (I had to take a leave of absence for illness and couldn’t “hang out there”)
        Alfred Ingram

      • #3074469

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        I just got another client today, using my technique of “Hang out there”. It’s a nearby restaurant that wants to combine high tech and home cooking, including have free seminars running as people eat, with handouts to give to all customers. Stuff like that. He also wants to start a consultancy to advise other restaurants how to do marketing, blogging, email campaigns, etc.

        This is a restaurant that I hang out at. I suddenly thought, why not offer my services to him? I already like his product, so to be a champion will be easy for me. I will be taking digital photographs of his customers tomorrow. Lots of local celebrities and politicians eat there, but they have never taken photos of them. A missed opportunity. Photos will be posted to a new restaurant blog I’m going to create for him tonight.

        So my own advice works for me, like a charm. It is so obvious, but most people don’t think it through. Wonder if my local Lexus dealer needs any help?

      • #3074423

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by darter04 ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Let me give you a different version.
        I worked at a large cargo company for 2 yrs. in a clerical/admin position. I came on-board as a seasonal temp, and made it known that I was pusuing my certs, while planning to formalize that knowledge with a degree in IT or CS. Lacking any specific credentials, I was lured into a clerical job by management and told it would be a “great opportunity” to develop in that company.
        I was given a heavy load of paperwork and little contact with other departments or technologies, and stuck doing the exact type of manual work that technology is meant to eradicate! I introduced myself to the management of IT and explained my interest in the technology field. I applied repeatedly for positons at the help desk and was told I had “insufficient experience”. Today I feel I must be very selective. Unfortunately, once you have pegged yourself as a “clerical/office gal”, people find it difficult to remove that idea from their head. Even if you are bright and feel you have the skills to do the job. I also unintentionally alienated my dept. coworkers, who thought I was “too good for it or something”!?

      • #3074416

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by toronto ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        It’s almost painful not to jam my monitor into the shredder after wasting 10 precious seconds of employed life reading your tripe.  Clearly Jive Software has no Idiot Filter for people submitting “naw-lidge” like your sage submission.

        You need to let me know how to “hang out” at any organization that requires employees with education beyond elementary school, no past felony arrests, and a plausible reason (beyond idiocy, should you actually have the stones to explain your purpose) for hanging out, or what any organization would refer to as trespassing on their corporate property.

        Get off the shrooms, happy-face MDMA or whatever you managed to scrape up under the pop machine while “hanging out” to buy the mind-fragging drug that elicited this piece from your echoing brain pan.

      • #3074393

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by justin james ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        This is good advice, but you have to be extremely cautious about it. As one commenter stated (a touch harshly, in my view), most places aren’t too keen on having someone just walk in and start hanging out. If you already work at the company though, this technique is awesome, if you want to switch departments. To this day, I beleive that smokers get more promotions than non-smokers, because they have to opportunity to just “hang out” with people from other departments for a few minutes a day. I cannot count how many leads on inside positions I was given at a smoking area. I met a lot of different managers, got to know them and their departments, and found out a lot about what particular jobs were like without actually working them. Tremendous advantage. Granted, not every manager smokes, but hanging around the smoke area is alot better than running out to Wendy’s on every break, in terms of meeting people.

      • #3074358

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by coach ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Your simple tip requires a change of view to achieve a result.

        This is especially relevant advice to anyone who wants to career transition. Sometimes the most obvious advice is not thought of until someone says it and then ahah!

        The idea of just hanging out is not as simple as it seems of course. Most people need to change their way of thinking about job hunting and career development. Changing your thoughts sounds easy but with the jumble of ideas, voices and self criticism that many people have going on in their heads, it is often hard to work a plan let alone take a first step – find out where to hang out!

        It would seem timely for those who are looking to develop and enhance their careers looking for support and guidance from a career coach may be worthwhile, then there is someone to hold you accountable, mirror your concerns and help teach you how to get the result you want. coach@newstartcoaching.com

      • #3264978

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by mindilator9 ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        J.Ja is absolutely right. You can learn a lot about other jobs and whether you want them by hanging out in smoking areas and listening to people talk about their jobs. A few pointed questions will reveal a wealth of info about current opportunities.

      • #3264939

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by tpopoff ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        I’m sure this might work great in the retail industry or getting a job as a valet parker, but I’m afraid no CEO ever got their job this way. Could you imagine? I can’t.

        As well pointed out by another comment, hanging out on site at most corporations would be considered trespassing, even if you had a contact at said company, being invited on site more than a couple of times would get management irritated. I know, I see it in the IT industry all the time. Unless you offer your time as an intern, nobody wants a stranger hanging out around sensitive equipment and data. Sorry.

        I’m not saying that there isn’t a time, place or industry for this. However, it wouldn’t just wouldn’t work for a software, IT or technology related occupation. It might work in politics, though….

      • #3264735

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        All CEOs and everybody else gets their jobs this way, to some degree.

        Mediocres, chumps, under-achievers, and other losers don’t like good advice, and they try to “outsmart” it, to avoid making the sustained effort at a new and different approach.

        You hang out in literal, or metaphorical, manners. Hanging out can mean simply joining associations the future boss or employer is involved in, like PBS, St. Jude, and trade groups, social clubs, business networks. You could post smart comments at corporate blogs, or at blogs the CEO hangs out at, if any.

        I cannot take little children by the hand and fully explain every possible detail of every imaginable situation. To argue against my idea is an indication of laziness, immaturity, or a feeble attempt to “flame” me, Me, the KIng of Blogocombat, according to Google and probably Robert Scoble. Attacks and accusations merely indicate a narcissistic collapse of grandiose archaic ego objects in conflict.

        Especially top level jobs are won by “hanging out” somehow, in some way. CEOs don’t get their job due to a resume alone, or good interview skills, or $4,000 suits. How do you think a CEO gets hired? He or she is a known quantity, often a CEO at a competitor or supplier.

      • #3264733

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        It’s funny that no matter what disclaimers or cautions or explanations you give in a post, someone out there will misinterpret, which usually stems from not paying attention to what you typed. They forget or gloss over things, then show their poor reading skills by saying things like “you cannot hang out on site in any IT operation”.

        I never said that you must physically be present on site, in a building, and even gave a telling example, largely ignored, or suppressed, judging by the comments here, of posting comments on blogs in a network.

        If you thought I meant literally “hanging out” like a bum, corporate espionage operative, or controversial filmmaker, you need to read a bit closer before you sling your warnings and corrections around like cynical sludge.

      • #3100116

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by bobc511 ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        The advice makes sense and provides for a wealth of opportunities. Without limiting the imagination, “hanging out there” can be applied beyond the office building, and therefore cirucumvent the sticky security guard issue. Absolutely, talking with the smokers outside drops you deep behind the corporate veil to gain valuable information. Hanging out to eat lunch in a small park/garden nearby the company of interest has allowed me to speak with all levels of employees. You’d be surprised how many people get out to eat their lunch. Others join in and the network grows. Got a membership to one of the big gym chains? Hang out at one near the company, you’ll find people from the corporation running, spinning, whatever. Google the CEO, Chairman, VPs, even directors and look up what events they’re speaking at. Hang out at the event. Did they write a book? Are they doing a book signing? Hang out at that. Whatever you can find out about them on public record is good research. Research is research is research, but hanging out takes all you’ve read and put it into action, and that’s why it is a brilliant practice.

      • #3265273

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by godaves ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Good advice.

      • #3265217

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by Anonymous ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        That is *exactly* how I got my job! I am amazed someone else had thought of this as a good idea. It sure worked for me. 🙂 But in my case, getting the job was more accidental (though very much welcomed and needed). You see, I have a disability and it’s impossible for me to go job-seeking out of the house. And telecommuting work is very hard to find, if not nearly impossible. I had a web site hosted but after a steep increase in rent, I was worried I couldn’t afford the hosting. So the hosting company offered to let me do some piecemeal work for them. 7 months later, I was on their payroll as a web developer!

        I admit not all places do this, but I do agree that familiarity does NOT breed contempt in the case of gaining a job.

        I remember many years ago, when I had been able to work outside the home and had a full-time job, I would be a frequent customer at a local Radio Shack. I was good with computers of the day and often, if I was there and a customer had a question, the manager or worker would refer the customer to ME. At one point, they wanted me to apply for a job there! But, I already had a good job at the time so I didn’t apply, unfortunately.

        And, lastly, I used to be a paying customer on GEnie Information Services (back when Online Services were in their heyday). I got to know people, and due to my experiences and know how, was offered a staff position, where I would not have to pay for my service (got the service for free), in return for being a SysOp and staff member in a couple RoundTables. I even did beta testing for their interface that they were trying to make that would be trying to compete with AOL’s Windows interface (remember back then, most online services were text-only DOS interfaces). I never was paid though (well not in money amounts) for the GEnie work. But it is another example of what you’re saying.

        The old saying of it’s not just what you know but WHO you know is very true. But you can choose who you know if you place yourself in the right place at the right time. For those on limited income, it unfortunately would also mean spending money as a customer, though. But be there and talk to other customers as “like minded”, until the staff sees you as an asset. Someone they can’t wait to open the doors for. Not only do you buy stuff, you also KNOW your stuff! 🙂

      • #3265145

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by gardoglee ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Good advice, if one is bright enough to understand it.  Another aspect is also to remember that there are other people around who by the nature of their jobs are also ‘hanging out’.  While you’re trying to connect with people from a given company, remember that the people in the small stores, lunch counters, newpaper stands, McDonald’s or whatever else is in the neighborhood are also talking to the same people you want to meet on a regular basis.  As was said in a book I once had (and unfortunately lost) called “Never Confuse A Memo With Reality”, you can do yourself an unbleiveable amont of damage by discounting the less prominant people around you.  No one is so insignificant that you should talk down to them.  Even if you are the type of jerk who thinks he is better than the guy behind the counter, you should remember that the next guy in line behind you might be the hiring manager you’ve been waiting to meet.  One bad word from ‘that nice guy down at the snack bar’ could sink you for good.

      • #3265096

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        Recent comments here make me wonder why someone would seriously be opposed to “hang out there”.

        When I hear of forming relationships with the guy who polishes the target CEOs shoes, the waitress who serves the target CEOs entire family, the distributor who supplies the target company, the bartender who tends the target company’s sales gang, this is the ear to ground strategy that separates the sharps from the chumps.

        I laugh at references to self-destructive, social stygma behavioral communities, ie smoking, but it’s a brilliant twist on an already warped idea, so strange and surreal, as Tom Peters might echolaliacally affirm, it has to work…and it does, with zero heed to hyperbole.

        Hang out there implies hard work, unusual schemes, untested angles, and innovative approaches.

        It is the only guaranteed way to get a job. The only one I know of. It is general, not specific. Meaning: you will get a job, but not necessarily a certain job you have your heart set on. Other considerations determine who gets hired and when. “Hanging Out There” does not compel any given company or client to respond favorably to you. Like I already said, without finesse, this will backfire and transform you into an enemy, a hated and repulsed entity. It’s a two edged sword.

        DISCLAIMER: Of course, it goes without saying, but not without typing: you may have to conduct multiple (more than one) assault, in other words, approach several companies, but in short order, you’ll be hired for staff, freelance, or consulting, by somebody. The smartest company, thus the best to work for, will *generally* be the one that responds first, so I advise taking the first one to leap into your not-unknown.

        First responders reveal an eagerness to improve, a Deming orientation, a desire to react quickly to anything that seems likely to enhance operations, to compete with a stronger position. Those who are sluggish, full of barely relevant or clueless questions, who drag their feet, may be chronically, unfixably phobic about the future, and out of step with the now, the new, the emerging. Already dead, they’re reduced by their reluctance to being a bitter portrayal of vaporware walking.

      • #3263815

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by ammarcs ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        hi

        thanks very much on this great advice, really its true and it happened to me.

        i used to work for a client for about a year and i visit them more then 3 times a week, and i used to do any updates in the system, in the client site it self.

        and after a while when my company got liquidated, and employees started disappearing one by one.

        the news reached our client and he heard about what happened to the company.

        the client him self called me and gave me an attractive offer, without me even sending my CV or asking for a job.

        this is just similar to the Science of advertisment, you always buy what you see most because you feel familiar with it, its feelings that makes people decide..

        Regards

      • #3265578

        Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Most Powerful Job Seeking Tip I Know

        I’m glad that others have experienced the power of “hang out there”, which includes anything you can do to be noticed and remembered, positively, by the target company or CEO or future boss/client.

        This is a non-passive, highly active method. It takes a lot of imagination and intelligence to pull off effectively. You could make some huge mistakes. But generally, it’s pretty easy, fast, and reliable. I was inspired to write this based on my long history of using this technique, recent accomplishments, and a blog started by a guy who says he is at the end of his rope, cannot find any job anywhere.

        I got an email from the guy, and I visited his blog. I think it is “Help Wanted” on blogspot. Anyway, I told him to wriggle his way into the periphery of a company, by using the “hang out there” system.

    • #3076027

      catastrophic event control: rootkit detection mandate

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      It’s now mandatory to do rootkit detection network scans, and contact vendors to inquire if they have installed cryptoware on your machines.
       
      Danger? That a criminal will discover hidden rootkits, and exploit them to do as much damage as possible, in a Tsunami Katrina of devastation and identity theft.
       
      Reports are warning companies to stop strewing customer credit card numbers like confetti all over the digital landscape…and now this. The ticking timebomb of kernal mode rootkits. Phoning home with every operation. Compiling data for usage stats. And providing a massive malevolent gateway hole into your enterprise.
       
      As a Digital Rights Management (DRM) tool, a rootkit is unnecessary, based on false assumptions about the music market, and yet another instance of the old economy command and control mentality.
       
      For a company to be so de-boned as to inflict an alien control of the user’s product, and dictate new instructions to the operating system, even destroying or degrading a system if the DRM rootkit undergoes a user-initiated un-install, this is anti-user, panic policy. For corporations now to have to worry about rootkits, is a turning of the tables in many cases, a taste of familiar but bitter medicine.
       
      Some organizations are now facing the task of identifying invisible vulnerabilities and catastrophic compromise potential. From DDoS and multi-tasking malware, to phishing and frivolous employee email forwarding, the internal and external threat vectors proliferate, with few who fully grasp the seriousness of the doom that looms on these horizons.
       
      by Andrew Conry-Murray
      January 17, 2006
       
      [QUOTE]
       
      Enterprise software vendors beware.
       
      If you have included rootkit-like technology in your products, now is the time to step forward, publicly own up to it, and get rid of it right away. Otherwise some enterprising hacker is going to do it for you.
       
      Cases in point are the programmer Mark Russinovich and the research team at software vendor F-Secure. They are prowling the hidden paths of commercial products in search of rootkits. Both were involved in breaking the story on the Sony rootkit, and both have added Symantec?s Norton SystemWorks to the roster of products with rootkit-like technology built in by the vendor.
       
       (SystemWorks included a directory hidden from Windows APIs that stored deleted files that could be restored if a user wanted them. An attacker could potentially use this directory to hide malware.)
       
      [snip–text deleted]
       
      In fact, the real danger isn?t that a security researcher will find rootkit technology in commercial products, it?s that a criminal will.
       
      At least Russinovich and F-Secure will notify the vendor. If a bad guy can exploit a product?s ability to hide files and processes from Windows and from security software, he or she will keep it as quiet as long as possible to wreak as much havoc as possible.
       
      Companies that step forward now will look like responsible vendors correcting a foolish mistake.
       
      Symantec has already gone to the trouble of writing the media playbook: Issue a patch, tell customers that the technology was only included to help them, and assure everyone that it hasn?t been exploited.
       
      Companies that wait for hackers good or bad to go public will have to mobilize their PR crisis response team, sing mea culpa in the press, and suffer a loss of customer trust. They might even get sued in court. If your software is hiding files or processes, now?s the time to ?fess up.
       
      Posted by Andrew Conry-Murray at January 17, 2006 05:52 PM
       
      [END QUOTE]
       
      I agree with Andrew here.
       
      The best policy is to do the opposite of most politicians and corporate figures. They duck and evade and never express regret or admit fault.
       
      Thus, the New Economy corporation, riding on the waves of Web 2.0, will utilize the core values of blogging as weapons:
       
      * transparency: honest admissions, even when unflattering and embarrassingly human
       
      * authenticity: be who you say you are, or better
       
      * passion: super-energized maelstrom of enthusiasm of personal delight in the perfect product and its extraordinary benefits to users
       
      * credibility: using blogs and other platforms to speak publicly, humanly, sincerely with an appropriate and highly visible degree of professional humility, i.e., self-loathing
       
      …and so on through all nine values.
    • #3076757

      Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      My first impressions don’t go very far, because there are two errors in the registration process, one of which is fatal.

      When I signed up for an invitation to participate in the Microsoft Office Live Beta program, I filled out extensive information, personal and businesss.

      Microsoft Office Live Beta comes in three versions, Basic, Professional, Advanced, I think are the category tags. It promises FREE:

      * web site * design tools * domain name * company-branded email accounts * online applications to manage key business areas * shared sites to organize and share information [whatever that means??].

      While I’m a Windows user and have even gone back to IE quite a bit, due to problems with Firefox (very frequent crashing), Avant (very slow when typing blog post text, infrequent but interruptive crashing), and Opera 8 (cannot open the body text format tools of TechRepublic blog), I also still have this spoofing siege mentality.

      #1 LAW of IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION: Even trusted sites are suspect and must be tested, especially coming in via email. Never click on any link in an email message, unless it’s from a very close, wise, and security savvy friend. Read message, but manually navigate to the site and send a feedback form to the company, asking about the possible phish/spoof attempt. Conduct your business right there at the official site. Question any requests for intimate data they should already possess on file.

      I got an email informing me that Microsoft Office Live Beta is now ready. I’m told I must register. The amateurish “click here” and “to register” text links, that amateurishly go to the same page, turn me off. Being treated like a stranger off the street is also discomfiting. Aside from the salutation “steven…” at the top of the message, I was spoken to like I was found on some list.

      If Scoble wasn’t mucking around with the Dave Winer controversy, I would email him and ask for suggestions on how best to proceed with my complaints.

      The seemingly official, but suspect, Microsoft Office Live Beta message asks me to “choose the version best for you”…but see, I already done did that, when I signed up for the invitation.

      Very sensitive to every little nuance, my warning bells were tolling doom for this process.

      Is this a marketing ploy that hopes I forget the lower level version I originally, timidly opted for, so I might accidentally upgrade my sorry ass upon registration?

      I’m not in a good mood anymore.

      They have “forgotten” who I am, except for being a “lead”. Don’t treat your beta testers as leads, please. Even though we may be. Because we may also be jaded usability analysts who’ve been around the block head a few times, and have no interest in necessarily being a paying customer. We beta test you, so we have more books to write and seminars to run.

      I don’t like redundant information sharing. If I have given intimate information to a company once, I should *never* have to give it again. It’s the organization’s responsibility to steward and shepherd that information, protecting it from ID theft predators and other criminals.

      I don’t like links to registration screens actually being linked to a product choice screen, which I have previously completed successfully. I don’t want to enter my chosen free domain name, again, after I already completed that process, and was promised the availability of the name. Now I’m on pins and needles again, worrying. Not good.

      Then I was asked for my credit card number. The final straw in this obnoxious process. I do not give my credit card number to any company, TWICE. What is up with that? A valid email and password, with user name and encryption key, ought to be sufficient. Asking for a credit card number or social security number, is the Kiss of Death for Registrations. Adios, amigo.

      Credibility and professionalism take a slide with each disappointment. Once a certain dis-credibility threshhold is attained by accumulated violations, the user will bail out, probably never to return. You’ve made an anti-champion, either passive or aggressive.

      Don’t let bugs and annoying process redundancies turn would be champions into ranting opposers. Mandate user observation testing for every product, process, and upgrade.

      • #3263813

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by lastchip ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        Why on earth would they want a credit card number for a free beta test? Has no one explained to Microsoft – you are doing them a favour, not the other way around.

        I wouldn’t even look at it! Anything that wants more than a name and valid e-mail address, I walk away.

        Thanks for sharing your experience. It saves me the time and trouble of looking myself.

      • #3263788

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by wfs1946 ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        Ahhh, but Microsoft likes to charge you for the favour.  I beta tested Windows 98 for free but when I was asked to beta test Windows XP they wanted to charge me for the “favour”.  I never did test it.

        I guess I won’t be testing this either.  Thanks for relaying your experience.

      • #3263770

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by johnpaulm ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        Actually, after the somewhat confusing links I think it’s pretty good.  Any one wanting a domain name, hosting and web building package is going to have to give up there credit card #.  They do not charge you for the free site.  Your  own domain name, 5 e-mail addresses at your domain, web site building tool (needs some work but for a web presence more than sufficient), and web hosting.  No charge !  I have 1 I use as a test site for my works web page and another for a personal web page.  I think it’s great, if I ever need more power or find these sites generating income I can upgrade otherwise I have to web sites for nothing.

        Risk free!

         

         

         

      • #3265579

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        I still plan on trying it. I just have to discuss it with my wife, who is an accountant, and my business manager. I never transact any credit card info without her approval, and she agrees this looks phishy, though it may be legit, just clumsy.

        I like to test things, especially CMS. I’m considering Drupal as a test. I’m most pleased with Blogger/Blogspot for client blogs, like the one I’m working on for a local high tech/home cooking restaurant. I focus more on creating blogs for business, but I still have a lot of web site work too.

      • #3265364

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by mindilator9 ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        To answer johnpaul who sounds suspiciously like a paid M$ blogger, you only have to give your credit card information when you get a website that actually uses the credit card. It is outrageous to suggest that it is ok to give your credit card to anyone who has no intention of using it (at least legitimately). Anyone who thinks otherwise is a sorry sucker. When I get a free website at 50megs.com or the like I don’t have to give a cc number. So now justify microsuck’s need for your your most precious personal information. Maybe they’d like to know what my credit tradelines are like too, or what medications I take. Are they entitled? Hell no. This kind of BS is anathema to good business, good software, and ETHICS in general. But we already know bill gates could not possibly make enough money to afford some ethics.

      • #3265866

        Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to Microsoft Office Live Beta: some sins exposed

        I have to re-emphasize that I’m not a Microsoft basher, just a usability analyst and web developer.

        I agree that to offer a free service, but ask for a credit card number, this is outrageously stupid, pathetically inept, and entirely unnecessary.

        I’m very underwhelmed by this crap.

    • #3100210

      #1 priority of IT

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Without sufficient security, everything is lost. As the first duty of the fighter is to survive the fight, with winning a secondary concern, necessarily then, the IT function most honored and bolstered is security.

      IT is constrained, by its duty to protect its own interests, and those of the organization as a whole, from a hostile environment, to make security the top concern, over-riding every other consideration, including cost, ROI, and sales.

      Massive enterprise or lone entrepreneur, it makes no difference. Physical infrastructure, internal systems, network connections, web services, desktop applications, email, all components must be hardened against attack, and protected from employee abuse.

      Written policy, with strict, consistent, equal enforcement, is what is first required. Many companies fail in this regard. A seat of the pants, situationally intuitive approach is impractical, reactive, and patchy. You need a formal, specific, comprehensive policy manual, accompanied by complete mandatory employee training. And you need to stick to every single detail, relentlessy, for the policy to have any real effect.

      Behavior modification of employees, consisting of forbidden acts, enforced procedures, and swift consequences for violations, will separate vulnerable chumps from secure sharps.

      It’s no pretzel logic to see that frivolous forwarded email, shopping for shoes online, playing games, viewing objectionable sexual material, opening email attachments from friends, downloading software or music files, and other activities are inviting not only reduced productivity, but also cyber attack.

      Many firms are doing re-directs to “Forbidden Site”, “Fatal Violation”, or “Unlawful Activity” screens when an employee attempts to visit a dubious or blacklisted site, or to do something like download .exe or other files known to be used to import malicious code.

      Security competencies include management controls, site surveillance, password composition, security keys, digital signatures, LAN traffic analysis, WLANs, data scrambling, tunneling, digital certificates, VPNs, key recovery systems, data encryption, chipping code, hopping patterns, subchannels, wired equivalent privacy (WEP), user authentication, and verified physical access restrictivity.

      • #3265170

        #1 priority of IT

        by wayne m. ·

        In reply to #1 priority of IT

        Balance Is Required

        It is quite easy to create a secure computer system, just don’t use any computers.

        Just as that is a silly statement, it is not meaningful to try to rank concerns and say that “security” is the overriding concern.  Security is important, as is cost, functionality, ease of use, morale, and many other concerns.  It is also not an effective argument to try to push everything to an extreme.  It is a huge jump of imagination to assert that “frivolous forwarded email” is equivalent to “inviting … cyber attack.”  These types of statement only causes personnel to ignore all IT advice.

        User behavior is properly a management function.  It may provide support as needed, but activities that are reducing productivity need to  be addressed by the management chain.  As a manager, I usually find that having some purely frivolous activity benefits morale and increases productivity.  If someone overdoes it, it is my responsibility to reign him in. 

        The goal of IT is to provide comnputer resources to make the users more productive; it is not to protect the computers from the users.  To do this, one must practice balance and not over inflate the value of any particular quality.  Security is not an overriding concern.

      • #3265122

        #1 priority of IT

        by vaspersthegrate ·

        In reply to #1 priority of IT

        Wayne, while I appreciate your managerial perspective, in my experience and analysis work, I see a massive problem with managers who have no firm resolve on critical issues, including IT audit and control and network security.

        While I rarely name names when my analysis is bitter and harsh, as a grate, an abrasive, necessary to cleanse the wound, so the corporate healing miracle may occur, I will say that IT operations are being downsized (ignorance/greed), outsourced (inept, negligent), and protected against (multiple personnel required for sensitive activity and info access, rather than letting one IT dept. head hold all the keys and power), etc.

        Security comes first, for without it, there is nothing. How else could one define the very word, “priority” but that which is essential to basic survival, mandatorily at the top, first and foremost?

        For example, the priority for driving a car is being mentally and physically capable. If the mental (sobriety, sanity, awake) or physical (ambulatory, not paralyzed, sighted, not blind, not deaf) aspects are not correct, the whole things falls apart, fast, in an often fatal manner.

        Does your firm have a written policy and training in security issues and behavior requirements?

        By security I also intended to communicate “protection of customer online info”, like credit card numbers, PIN, account, medical, and social security numbers. Businesses now have the bad reputation of being Enron clones, and CEOs are among the most distrusted and disliked members of society, with compensation of 600 times higher than lineworker (should be only about 6 times higher), and huge payouts, even when they ruin a company. Consumers know the Old Economy is a nightmare mess.

        The trends are tipping toward customers in online communities advising each other on trusted businesses and reliable products. Or customers individually using search engines and linking from trusted sites, to discover reputable companies.

        New Economy companies put security first for IT and customer records. Next is astonishing service. Somewhere down the line is quality product, hopefully idiosyncratic, difficult to imitate or compete against. Way down the line of priorities, is sales. Sales should be such an afterthought, it barely exists.

        How to succeed without sales? Customers do your unpaid, unprovoked sales for you, but that’s another cool, calm, and collected story…or sermon?

        As far as morale goes, the morale will be more improved if a cyber Tsunami, coming soon, is unable to crash your servers and  wipe out all your data, including backups and geo-distant redundancy clone mirrors.

    • #3263874

      Root of the Fear of Change

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      More of the same is not the solution sleeping in your operations. What
      really needs to be awakened? Difficult, dutiful, disruptive change.

      Your business is declining? Your staff is slipping into bad morale? You’re worrying about the future?

      Then
      the stupidest thing you can possibly do is ramp up what has been
      ineffectual. To make everyone worker longer and harder is the kiss of
      death. You’re killing your business with such desperate and barbaric,
      non-revolutionary acts.

      You’ve read books, talked with experts,
      attended seminars, networked with colleagues, schmoozed with peers. You
      know all the right ideas. You get excited talking about what you want
      to do. But you don’t prioritize the necessary modifications.

      Your problem is that you’re paralyzed by fear. Fear of staff reprisals.
      Fear of risk. Fear of upsetting “indispensable” staff. Fear of being
      misunderstood and mocked. Fear of falling flat on your face,
      expensively. Fear of the relentless litany of naysayers, who secretly
      envy your plans and wish for your doom.

      You speak of valuing customer input, providing added value, letting
      customers determine your strategy, then you continue to do most things
      the exact same way you always have.

      You survey customers. You do
      a special promotion. You create a buzz. You get some publicity. Then
      you slink back into the cesspool of non-innovation. And you look like
      an idiot to your employees, peers, and the public. Eventually, your
      business dies with all its good intentions and sincere desires rotting
      alongside the outmoded traditions and status quo.

      Why does a business practice such fatal self-deception, commit such tomfoolery?

      A
      business will contemplate change, agree with change, and speak loudly
      of change, and still not change in structure, policy, or practices. A
      new coat of paint on a decaying fence is just a superficial gimmick.
      Asking customers what they really want, then allowing the sales force
      to treat customers like cash cows is no improvement.

      Your half-hearted show of “exciting new features” and “better customer relations” just makes things worse.

      Why is this the norm for businesses?

      Because the CEO and executive staff hate to admit that they’re wrong, stupid, old fashioned, greedy, and insincere.

      Because they want to change customer perceptions, rather than corporate culture.

      Because
      they’re afraid their reliable personnel, who are actually mediocre
      games-players, will be offended at any disruption of routine and
      comfort zones.

      Or because of simple arrogance, a habit of deceptive practices, or delusions of unwarranted grandeur.

      “I know we need to pay more attention to customers, and provide better service, champion their total and ongoing satisfaction, give out more samples and free advice, but I just don’t have time. I’m busy doing so many other things, I can’t seem to get to these vital, but unscheduled changes,” you whine unconvincingly.

      If you know you need to implement measures that will get you to where you know you need to be, but don’t, what are we to think of you? I think you can guess. Get ready to hear it a lot, unless you c-h-an-g-e. Now. As Tom Peters states in his book THE PURSUIT OF WOW, change is instant, not gradual. You stop smoking spontaneously, irrationally, impulsively. Then you struggle to resist temptation. Sudden, abrupt change needs to be maintained, and that’s where the hard work lies.

      Starting is easy and happens right now, or never, Tom Peters declares. You change on the spur of the moment, with no preparation and few resources. But it’s decision and persistence that wins.

      • #3075552

        Root of the Fear of Change

        by mike_g ·

        In reply to Root of the Fear of Change

        Great post.  One of my favorites of yours because you sound just like I do.

        Just curious as to your success in getting management to realize they are wrong and change the direction they have chosen.

    • #3286087

      How to Write Good Topic Titles

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      The writing of forum, discussion list, and blog post titles is another way to differentiate a newbie.

      Newbies
      write non-informative titles like “Got a question for ya”, “Help”, “Hi,
      I’m new here”, “What does this mean?”, and “This makes me so angry”.

      Newbies
      forget or don’t know that web users are (1) in a hurry, (2) impatient,
      (3) distracted by work or family or home (including television)
      environment, (4) self-centered, (5) goal oriented for a specific task,
      (6) not interested in playing games to try to figure out what the heck
      your topic actually is.

      Good topic titles are like good book
      chapter titles. They tell a reader at first glance exactly what the
      issue is.

      I subscribe to the Evolt and WDVL email discussion lists, the individual messages, and not the digest format. As I hurriedly, distractedly, etc. scan the list of email messages, I click a box next to messages I plan to Delete. I devote a fraction of a second to each message, in deciding Keep or Delete? I base my decision entirely on the title, or Subject line, of the message.

      Here are some Subject lines, some topic thread titles, from Evolt and WDVL, most of which are very well written, plus some poor titles I made up based on memory of what I’ve seen. Which titles convey information and which are vague?

      [text to appear later–there is no Save As Draft here at TR]

      * potential website
      * rewrite https:// to http:// ??
      * smearing graphics, happens in IE not FF
      * PDF page with close button
      * check out my new blog
      * problems with client web site
      * does anyone know…?
      * determining Linux version of my host
      * floating layer repositioning
      * this is driving me crazy!!!
      * WordPress – subscrib2 “fatal error”
      * Redirect 301 a scary history
      * what did I do wrong?
      * PHP and ASP.net

      Now, if you have some expertise, or similar experience, relative to a specific topic title, you may decide to view the message, to learn the solution to the problem, or to suggest a solution. But if the topic title is unclear, too broad, silly, or outside your field of work, you will likely check the box next to it, and then Delete.

      Sometimes writing a good title is the hardest part of the post or message. But good titles perform a difficult task for you: getting the attention, and help, of readers.

      This is especially true in RSS/Atom feed syndication, where the title stands by itself, and is the only thing promoting your blog or web site in a user’s feed reader.

      How can you improve your topic titles?

      Ask yourself, “what is my main question, specifically?” Let’s say I want to know how a web site can automatically refresh itself as a user views it, without the user activating the browser Refresh command. And let’s say I recall reading about an Ajax site that did this. My topic title should *not* be “cool web refresh trick”, but more specifically, “web auto refresh via Ajax/DHTML?”

      Or let’s say you need information about RSS. What information? Specifically? Is your question about finding a good RSS reader, or about site polling? Are you interested in creating a spreadsheet from an RSS feed, or are you wanting a basic introduction to the whole topic of RSS?

      Think of your readers. Know that they don’t care much about you or your problems. Then craft your title in a manner that recognizes the nature of web surfing and topic thread interaction. Write a pithy, precise, and pinpointed title that quickly conveys the essense, the specifics, the bottom line basis of your topic.

      • #3105441

        How to Write Good Topic Titles

        by dawgit ·

        In reply to How to Write Good Topic Titles

        Good info. Always useful. Now if I could just remember to do that…..

    • #3075295

      Metaphysical Explanation of Blogging

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Blogging is typing words into space, the digital effluvium.

      Talking is speaking words into air, the sonic medium.

      Publishing print books is inscribing a line-assembly of random ameliorization all over the beginning and end of a pulpy massacre of trees and terrasphere, to burn like fragrant censers into the air, joining the spoken syllables, or to rot and fade in drippings of unnatural tears, returning to the ocean of life.

      Only remaining is Mind, which pens its noise on the fabric and sand of the universe, etching nothingness into nothing much, mnemonic mulch for the flowering of new ideas.

      Thus, when someone described the “loss” of comments posted at other blogs, but expressed gratitude that commenting is a self-improving albeit self-sacrificial act, they don’t fully appreciate how all spoken, penned, typed, blogged, and other means of inscribing, all of them are transitory and ultimately “lost”.

      Then the flash of insight, the progressions occur–we see the words become repeated slogans, mental mantras, re-inscriptions, quotations, paraphrases, citations. Then the storm of understanding, the embodiments appear–we see the echoes of our original expressions take form, put on human or machine flesh, become actions, habits, behaviors, ideals, things to live and die for.

      We experience the Blog Revolution, the Rise of Individual Voice against the Information Hegemony, as we struggle with our blogs and the blogs of others, enhancing, debating, and contributing to what is known as a blogosphere, a temporary format, a residual platform of forgotten formalities and endless opportunities.

      Blog: the non-technical CMS, the author’s online publishing tool, the simple mini-website, herald of a hundred future deviations from unilateral, institutional, anti-social media.

      Blog: the global intercom system.

      Blog: the universalization of web content.

      Blog: the fastest mass adapted communications technology in the history of humanity.

    • #3271367

      Dynamic Experimental Blogging

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      A universally acknowledged fact of blogging, by that I mean real blogging and not social media hookuping, is that one must use brevity, transparency, relevance, multi-media, multi-interactivity, and conceptual aggressivity. Any other form of alleged blogging usually amounts to little more than a slow chat room, a typed time-delay telecommunication, “tele” meaning non-terra, i.e. into the digital effluvium. No matter what we may say or think, its inevitability always holds sway.

      Thus, we then determine and quarantine (for closer study and exasperation) the value aspects of new super blogs for Blogosphere 4.0, shake our hands and heads in re-marked disagreement about our ability to iron out the wrinkles via our miniscule cumulative efforts.

      One of the more important minutae of power blogging remains, uncontestedly, variety.

      Spice up consistency and focus–with the occasional unexpected diversion, a sudden, quicksilvery tangent, which, when handled correctly, results in secure competitive edge via memorable, beneficial differentiation.

      Your technical, CEO, or other professional blog, to be influential, quoted and beflowered, must bust butt to speed ahead of the noisome stampede. A berserk writing style, *occasionally*, for instance. Absurd? Unprofessional? Not according to best-selling and highly regarded business authorities in nearly every category of industry and operation.

      Using photos, digital art, cartoons, music mp3s, video, podcasts, design changes, new functionalities that enable users to easily accomplish relevant, desired tasks. These are just a few suggestions on what your site could use, permanently or sporadically, to jazz things up for enhanced idea promulgation, expanded reach of communication via citation, aggregation, syndication.

      Communication must first be noticed. Voluntarily and (necessarily) idiosyncratically perceived by an intended audience (but also including unintended receptors). Each sighting or ausculation of your hypermedia message must ring true with normalized digital realm reality: the over-generalized condition of unabstracted online experience.

      Part of that experienced reality is variety.

      Variation, within the context of undeviating unification of intent and fundament (core-derived mission), a single focused purpose, generates attention, commentary, debate: a mnemonic automation. The corollary is that relentless variation is not desirable. But also unwelcome is a strict, enforced command and control regimentation with no surprise or human personality, no community-driven commonality, a stale and stagnant pond unfit for viewing.

      As you already guessed by now, this post itself is a flimsy attempt at being an indisputably educational example.

      In sum, variety is a sure way to stimulate conversation. Some unexpected, misunderstood, under-appreciated variation could lead to an astonishing, breakthrough innovation. A dramatic improvement in productivity, clarity, and profitability.

      By exposing oneself to varied input, unusual predicaments, impossible problems, unimaginably horrendous disasters, one gains distinct, highly marketable, publishably insightful, competitive advantage over oppositional bloggers, repressive preventers, and ubiquitous competitors.

      “Real innovation is all about…FORCE. Forcing yourself into contact with those who will force *you* to move in a direction that is significantly different from your prior path to success.”

      –Tom Peters, Talent: Develop It, Sell It, Be It (2005, DK-Dorling Kindersley Limited, pg. 153)

    • #3158449

      pere ubu. slits. merzbow.

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

    • #3158450

      blogger vs. myspace

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Spacemen 3 “Revolution”

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvzRWA7Uqk

      I was, uh, talking with this lady, about blogging. She said she just started a MySpace “site” because her friend Don had one.

      Immediately I understood the following considerations:

      (1) She will refer to a published post as “blog”, rather than, per blogospheric norm, using “blog” to refer to the site itself. To “create a blog” to a MySpacer means to publish a posted update. Confused?

      (2) She will only use her blogging platform to “slow chat” with known friends [but will also link to friends of friends of friends, just be nosey about other people, which can lure her into dangerous shark infested waters] and to try to make her site cooler all the time.

      (3) She will somehow be tangled up with local musicians.

      I told her that you can do more and better with Blogger/Blogspot. I mentioned WordPress. I explained how I make my own digital artwork with Paint Shop Pro, and how I post an image, art or photograph, in nearly every post I publish. She thought that was nice.

      She’s excited about HTML and Copy/Paste operations. She enjoys Edit Layout and moving modules around (template tweaking).

      We spoke of slide shows and sidebars, of Flogger and Frappr, and unwanted bulletins. One of her friends list friends is Mud Vayne, a local band (see, didn’t I predict that?). In addition to this new MySpace site, she also has a personal web page at Geocitities.

      She started a MySpace blog, not to express, promote, or employ herself, but because her friend Don has one. Do you see what’s happening here? MySpace is a new way for friends and family to communicate. It’s like an extension of email, only more of an audience, and a few other big differences.

      I showed her print-outs of various POSTS (not “blogs”) of Vaspers the Grate (BLOG).

      Why are you laughing? What’s so funny? Don’t you all carry around print-outs of your blog posts with you wherever you go?

      Sonic Youth “Diamond Sea”

    • #3158451

      Tinbasher bolsters: Grasping Vaspers

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Grasping Vaspers” is the title of this post I magically transported from Paul Woodhouse’s Tinbasher blog, and surgically let it invasively inhabit this otherwise blank post, for I (have nothing to) say: “Nothing!”

      Yes, though, VtG is 2 years old this month.

      I, on my Vaspers the Grate blog, will celebrate my 24 month gruelling turmoil of enforced laborious blogging with a slew of music videos by some of the best bands that have ever existed, currently exist, or will ever in the future or in imagination exist.
       

      Grasping Vaspers

      (w/Vaspers comment added)

      [QUOTE]

      Good old Vaspers has just hit his second birthday.

      Now I think a blog is similar to a dog in that human years don?t necessarily count for the same when trying to age them.

      May I suggest that one single, solitary year of blogging as measured by the Gregorian calendar equates to ten blog years?

      You soon realise the original craft that is blogging soon makes way for the graft that is blogging until it becomes a discipline.

      Back to Mr. Streight: Whilst I have quite a highly honed sense of blog morality, I have to say that I?m thoroughly indebted to Steven for keeping me on the streight (sorry) and narrow. The man has rarely ceased in his battle against the banal, the befuddled and the corporate clueless.

      I regard him as something of a blog blood brother and something of a mentor.

      In fact, I?m almost a little apprehensive of meeting or speaking to the fella in case it doesn?t somehow live up to the billing (although I?m quite sure it would).

      So, in celebration of the fella?s hard work and unending gusto, I implore anybody who?s thinking of starting out in blogland and anybody who feels slightly lost in blogland to read his 20 insights from 2 years of blogging.

      Posted in Blogs for Business|

      Commentary

      Leave a response ?

      1. May 19th, 2006 02:00

      Aw shucks, you didn?t need to bolster me up that way up there above, greatly above, every other blogger who ever has or ever will live, until I am so exalted, worthily, contemptuously, above every other writer of any type of publication, above poets, above sacred scribes, above political speechifiers, above rap lyricists, above Aesop, above Allen Ginsberg, above Rimbaud and Dickens and Proust.

      But thanks in case you?re right.

      v[[-a,S;p/+E>r)S t;H’e %G,,r+aT^e

      [END QUOTE]



    • #3158452

      PC? No, SC: Semantically Correct

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog


      There is no such thing as “politically correct” anything, certainly not “politically correct speech”, so I propose Semantically Correct (SC) speech.

      [This is an exact replica, with different title, of a post I published recently at my Blog Core Values site.]

      Political means unjust domination. To be political means to manipulate the masses to gain power over the masses and become financially secure, famous, important. Thus, anything that’s political is always already corrupt.

      Semantics is “meaning in language usage”, or “the relations betweeen signs and the influence of these relations on human behavior”.

      In other words, good semantics is saying what you really mean, in a manner that will make sense to your intended audience, so they can autonomously adjust their actions if necessarry, for their own and others benefit.

      Severed Heads “Pilots Hate You”
      http://www.youtube.com/v/nvoYIVqd2Nk

      If I want a woman to help me or listen to me, I cannot call her “bitch”, for example, or “chick”, or “girl” or “you sexy witch”.

      If I want a native American to help me or listen to me, I cannot refer to him as “chief”, “how”, “Tonto”, “injun”, or “redskin”.

      To speak respectfully and optimistically seems to be the underlying basis of the Politically Correct speech movement. I think most of us can champion and applaud that. But to gloss over real phenomena, to downplay a heinous crime, to sugarcoat a grievous situation is a troubling, linguistically incorrect, mishandling of the original object of PC.

      Here is my comment posted to “Politically Correct” post at Mr. Angry:

      [QUOTE]

      I champion the underlying issue of Political Correctness, the desire to include everyone and to not make fun of anyone.

      When right wing evangelical whackos attack PC, they talk about how “innocent” it is to say “he spazzed out”, “fat guy”, “trailer trash”, “colored guy”, “those people”, “tree-hugger”, or “weaker sex”.

      All these things are said by Non PC twerps with prejudice and White Male Patriarchal Religious zeal, as if God was a White Male Republican, probably American too.

      So even though I hate all politicians and politics, as an Ethical Anarchist, I still applaud the sane aspects of PC.

      I hate the term “politically correct” which implies you belong to the Communist, Fascist, Demopublican, Labour, or whatever, party.

      It’s more *correctly* “Linguistically Correct” or “Nominationally Correct” or “Semiotically Precise”…??? Somebody help out here, not you, you white bread cracker.

      [END QUOTE]

      Semantically Correct speech is respectful and optimistic, but not deceptive in phobic glossings, criminal coddling, or political bias.

      To call an illegal alien an “immigrant”, gangsta rap “urban reality”, a static corporate web site “online presence”, or an occupying force “liberators” is Politically Correct and Semantically Deceptive.

    • #3158453

      chrome. soft machine. eno/byrne. pixies. blue cheer. zoviet france.

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Chrome “Meet You in the Subway”

      Chrome (1984) “New Age”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dbh2ZsK73VA

      Soft Machine (1967) “I Should Have Known”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZIjJCx5VVRk

      Brian Eno & David Byrne (1981) “Mea Culpa”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=8QLXTsviMxk

      Pixies “Debaser”

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=2mCoOlUjhlc

      Blue Cheer (1967) “Summertime Blues”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=_TkRT13L4GA

      Zoviet France “Shadow”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=5Torao9tv1g

      John Milton on censorship, excerpt from Areopagitica – Part 1.

      [QUOTE]

      I deny not, but that it is of greatest concernment in the Church and Commonwealth, to have a vigilant eye how Bookes demeane themselves as well as men; and thereafter to confine, imprison, and do sharpest justice on them as malefactors: For Books are not absolutely dead things, but doe contain a potencie of life in them to be as active as that soule was whose progeny they are; nay they do preserve as in a violl the purest efficacie and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.

      I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous Dragons teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men.

      And yet on the other hand, unlesse warinesse be us’d, as good almost kill a Man as kill a good Book; who kills a Man kills a reasonable creature, Gods Image; but hee who destroyes a good Booke, kills reason it selfe, kills the Image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the Earth; but a good Booke is the pretious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm’d and treasur’d up on purpose to a life beyond life.

      ‘Tis true, no age can restore a life, whereof perhaps there is no great losse; and revolutions of ages do not oft recover the losse of a rejected truth, for the want of which whole Nations fare the worse.

      We should be wary therefore what persecution we raise against the living labours of publick men, how we spill that season’d life of man preserv’d and stor’d up in Books; since we see a kinde of homicide may be thus committed, sometimes a martyrdome, and if it extend to the whole impression, a kinde of massacre, whereof the execution ends not in the slaying of an elementall life, but strikes at that ethereall and fift essence, the breath of reason it selfe, slaies an immortality rather then a life.

      But lest I should be condemn’d of introducing licence, while I oppose Licencing, I refuse not the paines to be so much Historicall, as will serve to shew what hath been done by ancient and famous Commonwealths, against this disorder, till the very time that this project of licencing crept out of the Inquisition, was catcht up by our Prelates, and hath caught some of our Presbyters. In Athens where Books and Wits were ever busier then in any other part of Greece, I finde but only two sorts of writings which the Magistrate car’d to take notice of; those either blasphemous and Atheisticall, or Libellous.

      Thus the Books of Protagoras were by the Iudges of Areopagus commanded to be burnt, and himselfe banisht the territory for a discourse begun with his confessing not to know whether there were gods, or whether not: And against defaming, it was decreed that none should be traduc’d by name, as was the manner of Vetus Com?dia, whereby we may guesse how they censur’d libelling: And this course was quick enough, as Cicero writes, to quell both the desperate wits of other Atheists, and the open way of defaming, as the event shew’d. Of other sects and opinions, though tending to voluptuousnesse, and the denying of divine providence, they tooke no heed.

      Therefore we do not read that either Epicurus, or that libertine school of Cyrene, or what the Cynick impudence utter’d, was ever question’d by the Laws.

      Neither is it recorded that the writings of those old Comedians were suppresst, though the acting of them were forbid; and that Plato commended the reading of Aristophanes, the loosest of them all, to his royall scholler Dionysius, is commonly known, and may be excus’d, if holy Chrysostome, as is reported, nightly studied so much the same Author and had the art to cleanse a scurrilous vehemence into the stile of a rousing Sermon.

      That other leading city of Greece, Laced?mon, considering that Lycurgus their Law-giver was so addicted to elegant learning, as to have been the first that brought out of Ionia the scatter’d workes of Homer, and sent the poet Thales from Creet to prepare and mollifie the Spartan surlinesse with his smooth songs and odes, the better to plant among them law and civility, it is to be wonder’d how muselesse and unbookish they were, minding nought but the feats of Warre.

      There needed no licencing of Books among them for they dislik’d all, but their owne Laconick Apothegms, and took a slight occasion to chase Archilochus out of their City, perhaps for composing in a higher straine then their own souldierly ballats and roundels could reach to: Or if it were for his broad verses, they were not therein so cautious, but they were as dissolute in their promiscuous conversing; whence Euripides affirmes in Andromache, that their women were all unchaste.

      Thus much may give us light after what sort Bookes were prohibited among the Greeks.

      The Romans also for many ages train’d up only to a military roughnes, resembling most the Laced?monian guise, knew of learning little but what their twelve Tables, and the Pontifick College with their Augurs and Flamins taught them in Religion and Law, so unacquainted with other learning, that when Carneades and Critolaus, with the Stoick Diogenes comming Embassadors to Rome, tooke thereby occasion to give the City a tast of their Philosophy, they were suspected for seducers by no lesse a man then Cato the Censor, who mov’d it in the Senat to dismisse them speedily, and to banish all such Attick bablers out of Italy.

      But Scipio and others of the noblest Senators withstood him and his old Sabin austerity; honour’d and admir’d the men; and the Censor himself at last in his old age fell to the study of that whereof before hee was so scrupulous.

      And yet at the same time N?vius and Plautus the first Latine comedians had fill’d the City with all the borrow’d Scenes of Menander and Philemon.

      Then began to be consider’d there also what was to be don to libellous books and Authors; for N?vius was quickly cast into prison for his unbridl’d pen, and releas’d by the Tribunes upon his recantation: We read also that libels were burnt, and the makers punisht by Augustus. The like severity no doubt was us’d if ought were impiously writt’n against their esteemed gods.

      Except in these two points, how the world went in Books, the Magistrat kept no reckning. And therefore Lucretius without impeachment versifies his Epicurism to Memmius, and had the honour to be set forth the second time by Cicero so great a father of the Commonwealth; although himselfe disputes against that opinion in his own writings.

      Nor was the Satyricall sharpnesse, or naked plainnes of Lucilius, or Catullus, or Flaccus, by any order prohibited. And for matters of State, the story of Titus Livius, though it extoll’d that part which Pompey held, was not therefore suppresst by Octavius C?sar of the other Faction.

      But that Naso was by him banisht in his old age, for the wanton Poems of his youth, was but a meer covert of State over some secret cause: and besides, the Books were neither banisht nor call’d in.

      From hence we shall meet with little else but tyranny in the Roman Empire, that we may not marvell, if not so often bad, as good Books were silenc’t.

      I shall therefore deem to have bin large anough in producing what among the ancients was punishable to write, save only which, all other arguments were free to treat on.

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3158454

      the void blue human ships in a few days

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

    • #3158455

      Chartreuse on “net neutrality”

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Chartreuse mentions

      [in “Is It Too Late To Dumb Down The Good Guys…?“]

      how the term “net neutrality” is an unfortunate coinage for what amounts to advocating a Net Equality, a level communication field, non-hierarchy.

      I don’t quite know how to say it either. But Chartreuse is right. This important issue needs a better name, plus a good slogan, logo, and music video.

      Music videos get the message out in a palatable manner. Make your message hip enough, in a genuine street savvy understanding of what’s really cool, with pure unvarnished intent, and the rabbit will pop out of the magic hat or head.

      What is meant is this: we want all players in the web to be equal, not privileged by entering a paid category for faster data transmission speeds and higher service priority.

      I’ve been involved in this fight for net neutrality/equality for some months now, with the “Hands Off My Internet” Common Cause button in the advertising sector of my sidebar.

      Chartreuse said, in the last half of his post:

      [QUOTE]

      If you are a normal person who doesn’t own a blog and only use the net to email your mom and look at porn what site looks like it’s speaking for you?

      Jeez.

      And who came up with the phrase ‘net neutrality’?

      It’s horrible.

      What the fuck does it mean?

      Why didn’t all us smart folks come up with something simple and grassroots like, say, hands off!

      You know why? Because most of us live in a bubble.

      We try to talk to everyone else like we talk to each other.

      Dude, that ain’t gonna work.

      The only way you can influence the hearts and minds of people is to explain your side in a way the people you are trying to influence will understand.

      In a world where people are bombarded with advertisments and issues it might help to make your shit simple.

      If we lose this it will be because we were too smart for our own fucking good.

      Here’s a tip for next time there’s a big issue you need folks to rally behind.

      It’s always about families.

      [END QUOTE]

      John Reuben (2004) “Do Not”

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=6i4wWa2V0wo

      Cabaret Voltaire (1982) “Crackdown”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=KKF_ir5Ok8w

    • #3158436

      electroplasmic world: Heliodisplay on transformed air

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Interact with your computer, your virtual world, via manually manipulating half-real objects, or representations, hovering on a plane of transformed air?

      Heliodisplay video demonstration
      http://www.youtube.com/v/XOSx7v87JCA

      From spherical computer monitors and all-limb multi-mouse selectors…to dream record and playback systems…and now: interaction with floating computer projections, hovering there, in the air just beyond your nose.

      Think touch screen…without the screen.

      You touch and swirl and mold…a electroplasm, I’m calling it, a substance projection, a movie that’s installed in space itself, wafting in the air. In the air, a vision. With music, which is a special case of refined air?

      Ladies and gentlemen, our computer interface is floating in space.

      As the Machine World invades our Human Sphere, you may expect more and more confusions between the real and the virtual, the actual and the digital.

      One day you’ll wake up, and not be able to determine where you stop and the machines begin, where they end and you start. There will be no significant division. Our artificial appendages are now exercising their upper hand in a slight of hand manner. Cup your clothes, I say, to confuse our electronic masters.

      Ectoplasmic TV, this is. The machine, the computer, projecting controls and intrusions into your livingspace, almost like an ethereal…Presence.

      Online Presence begins to stretch out and enter your environment. It grows loathsomely into a piece of furniture, a plant, a thing in your room, your office, your home. Your privacy and seclusion are doomed, with the tentacles of octo-brain reaching out to you, to touch and be touched.

      Some lonely, love-sick men may be quite surprised soon. Their porn babe may jump right out of the computer screen to arrive in their lap. Soon, like I just said.

      Making Something Out of Nothing

      By DAVID BERNSTEIN
      December 18, 2003, Thursday

      [QUOTE]

      IMAGINE a touch screen on which the elements of the image displayed can be moved around with a fingertip. Now imagine the same scene without the screen: the image can still be moved with a fingertip, but it floats unsupported above a quietly whirring gray box that is connected to a laptop computer.

      That describes what took place here when the prototype of a new device called the Heliodisplay was shown publicly for the first time.

      The Heliodisplay is an interactive technology that projects into the air above the machine still or moving images that can be manipulated with a fingertip. The images are two-dimensional, and they are not holograms. The Heliodisplay’s inventor, Chad Dyner, says the technology could one day replace conventional cathode-ray tubes, liquid crystal displays, and plasma screens.

      IO2 Technology, a company he founded, has completed a working prototype of the device, named after Helios, the Greek god of the sun. Mr. Dyner said he was seeking patents for the technology behind it and would not say much about how it works.

      A prototype shown to a reporter (and later to an audience attracted by a notice on IO2’s Web site) looked like a bulky breadbox. It displayed images over a field measuring 15 inches diagonally, including streaming video scenes of brightly colored tropical fish and soaring jet planes. Other images, including illustrations of a strand of DNA and a human skeleton, could be moved from one part of the display to another using one’s finger, while four colored circles expanded or contracted at a touch.

      Mr. Dyner, a 29-year-old graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, did not attend the demonstration in Lake Forest on Dec. 5 and said he could reveal little about the device.

      ”All I can say is that it’s a very simple system, using conventional air,” he said by telephone from Cambridge, Mass. ”Essentially, the device converts the imaging properties of the air so that the air is taken in, converted instantaneously, and then re-ejected out. Then we’re projecting onto that converted air.”

      Pressed for more detail on the nature of the conversion, Mr. Dyner referred to it electronic and as thermodynamic. After air is drawn into the machine, he said, it ”moves through a dozen metal plates and then comes out again.” No moving parts are involved, he added.

      He said the device works by creating a cloud of microscopic particles that make the air ”image-friendly.” The machine, he asserted, uses no harmful gases or liquids, but he would not say whether it uses water. ”The ambient air is bottom-projected and illuminated, generating the free-space image that floats in midair,” he said. At the demonstration, there was no odor in the air, and the area onto which the images were projected seemed dry to the touch.

      Not everyone is convinced that the Heliodisplay will do justice to its mythical namesake.

      ”Does it violate any principles of science? Absolutely not,” said Selim Shahriar, a computer science professor at Northwestern University, after reading about the Heliodisplay at the IO2 Web site. ”But extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.”

      Mr. Shahriar conceded that he had not seen a live demonstration of the device and thus could not offer a conclusive judgment.

      Mr. Dyner, an architect by training who spent a year working for Frank O. Gehry & Associates, has no formal education in electrical engineering or computer science. He is a first-year master’s candidate in the M.I.T. Media Laboratory’s Tangible Media Group, whose students pursue multimedia projects. Mr. Dyner said his work on the display technology and at the university were separate.

      Mr. Dyner built the first prototype, which had a five-inch diagonal display, in an apartment in Hermosa Beach, Calif. He founded IO2 in July 2002, and enlisted the help of two Chicago-area business consultants, Michael Morton and Bob Ely, in commercializing the technology.

      ”I’ve always been intrigued by electronics and fascinated about how things work,” said Mr. Dyner, who was born in Venezuela and lived there through high school. He recalled learning about consumer electronics at his grandfather’s electronics shop in Caracas. ”I’ve basically taken apart everything that I’ve ever owned, trying to learn how it works.”

      The Heliodisplay is not the first device to project images into the air, but its interactive capability, which Mr. Dyner described as a ”virtual touch screen,” sets it apart from a similar machine made by a Finnish company, FogScreen.

      Viewers can use a finger or a hand-held object — rather than a keyboard or mouse — to manipulate images in the display.

      Mr. Dyner said the Heliodisplay uses an optical laser-tracking system to follow the user’s movements. ”It can be a surgical knife, a pen, a pencil, a hand, a finger,” he said.

      At the demonstration in Lake Forest, Michael Fox, a Los Angeles architectural and design consultant who built the prototype on display, showed how the interface technology worked.

      Linked to an I.B.M. Think Pad, the Heliodisplay projected images of four colored circles onto a virtual screen in the air. Using his finger, Mr. Fox, 36, moved a floating cursor across the screen. When the cursor landed on a colored circle, it shrank. When he moved the cursor away, the circle returned to its original size. In another demonstration, Mr. Fox used his hand to move images of a skeleton and a strand of DNA around the screen.

      The cursor appeared to be quite sensitive to both light and touch. When there was too much light or when Mr. Fox moved his finger too forcefully, the cursor froze, and the image could not be manipulated until Mr. Fox tinkered with some knobs on the machine.

      Mr. Dyner envisions many uses for the Heliodisplay. He said it could be used for museum or trade-show displays or for advertisements, and would be ideal for collaborative work. ”I envision this in a conference-room setting, in the center of a large table,” he said. ”Everybody can rotate it, move it around and update it in real time.”

      Chuck McLaughlin, an independent consultant in Menlo Park, Calif., who specializes in display technologies, said the Heliodisplay sounded promising, but he questioned its commercial prospects. ”It’s so far out of the ordinary,” Mr. McLaughlin said. ”I don’t see what the market for this is.”

      He said very few new display technologies turn out to be feasible. ”I’ve seen a lot of these things come and go over the years, and a few of them have practical applications, but most of them don’t,” he said.

      Mr. Ely, the consultant who is working for IO2 Technology, admitted that he was initially skeptical, too. He said he had heard about the Heliodisplay last year when a friend of Mr. Dyner’s used the concept as the basis of an entry in an entrepreneurship competition sponsored by the University of Chicago. Mr. Ely was a contest jury member.

      ”The plan talked about this projector that projected into the air,” Mr. Ely recalled. ”I said to myself, ‘I don’t know much about physics, but I know that’s impossible.”’

      Then Mr. Dyner demonstrated the five-inch prototype. ”It was a real showstopper,” Mr. Ely recalled. ”There wasn’t a sound in the room.”

      Mr. Dyner is confident that naysayers will be impressed when they see the Heliodisplay. After issuing a news release about it in August, the company received dozens of inquiries, Mr. Ely and Mr. Morton said. The device has been shown to would-be partners and investors who have signed nondisclosure agreements, and Mr. Dyner said the United States military had expressed interest.

      IO2 does not yet have a manufacturer for the Heliodisplay, but Mr. Dyner says he hopes production will begin in 2005. The company’s Web site, http://www.io2technology.com, offers advance orders at a price of $22,500; but although several have been received, Mr. Ely said, none has been accepted.

      In addition to finding a manufacturer, IO2 Technology faces another difficulty: competition from FogScreen (www.fogscreen.com), whose similar device projects images onto a cloud of water vapor. FogScreen says it has been monitoring developments related to IO2. ”They haven’t published anything, so I cannot really tell anything,” Ismo Rakkolainen, the company’s research director, said by telephone from Finland.

      Mr. Rakkolainen said that FogScreen uses a laminar airflow process to project images onto a thin screen made of water and ultrasonic waves. Current FogScreen prototypes lack the interactive capabilities of the Heliodisplay, although Mr. Rakkolainen said the next generation of the device would behave like a touch screen.

      Mr. Dyner and his advisers acknowledge that the Heliodisplay technology is not yet ready for the marketplace. But they argue that the technology could one day revolutionize the way we look at air. As Mr. Ely put it: ”People looked at the first flight of the Wright brothers and said: ‘Only 120 feet? I can walk 120 feet. What do we need this thing for?’ Add 10 years and it’s a totally different world.”

      Please Do Touch:
      Manipulating Images
      on an Invisible Cloud

      THE Heliodisplay projects two-dimensional full-color images with a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels on what its developer, IO2 Technology, describes as a cloud of microscopic particles.

      The particles, whose size IO2 says is comparable to that of ink droplets from an inkjet printer, are created by using a proprietary thermodynamic process involving air.

      The device’s inventor, Chad Dyner, declined to describe the process further and refused to say whether it involved water. Images are visible from several angles over a total viewing area of 150 degrees, but they are best seen head-on.

      The Heliodisplay has no physical screen. Instead, Mr. Dyner said, it generates a cloud of microscopic particles that serves as a controllable imaging region. This cloud stream can be penetrated, but too much air movement within the screen causes distortion that renders it temporarily unusable.

      The current prototype uses an off-the-shelf projection unit, based on a Texas Instruments digital light processing chip, that Mr. Dyner says was optimized for the Heliodisplay.

      The images created by the device can be moved or manipulated. An internal laser-tracking vision system finds and follows a user’s finger or hand (or any other pointer), enabling it to move the floating image.

      [END QUOTE]

      What I like about this terrifying development is that finally I may be able to do all my computer work lying flat on my back. To accomplish great digital things by simply swirling a finger in the air, well my friends, this is like hocus pocus.

      You and I and all of us’ll have to rethink what “computer”, “world”, “reality”, “life”, and “person” mean. Soon.

      So many devices are invading, and re-inventing our human social interactions, as the devices themselves are impelled by The Technological Imperative, which states that whatever can be made must be made and must be automatically accepted and adopted by humanity.

      Will you allow yourself to be absorbed? Will you let The Technological Imperative, the Relentless Soulless Forward Lunging into Anything Goes Science, be your master?

      The future imagined by humans will nevertheless arrive as a non-human future.

    • #3158437

      sun ra. neutral milk hotel. bauhaus.

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      John Coney/Sun Ra (1974) “Space is the Place”
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=x0UVHsEWxYI

      Sun Ra live Chicago 1981
      https://youtube.com/watch?v=avUH5xb-6qo

      Neutral Milk Hotel “Snow Song, Pt. 1

      Bauhaus (1981) “She’s in Parties”
      http://www.youtube.com/v/haMjG9Ga_0c

    • #3158438

      dark truths of blogging: intro

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      monk: I saw His hand yesterday.

      leader: Really? What was it doing?

      monk: Moving against enemies.

      leader: How wonderful!

      monk: Tidying a few things. A few unmaskings and devarnishings. And later, writing.

      leader: Writing?

      monk: Yes. Typing into the digital effluvium.

      leader: Not…No, you don’t mean…

      monk: Yes.

      leader: B-b-blogging?!?!

      monk: Affirmative.

      leader: Through what blogger?

      monk: Not a blogger, in a comment. But there are blog conduits that beam in the…

      monk 2: Come now, Simeon! Time for contemplative gardening penance. The prayer bell rang over an hour ago. Did you not hear it? How is it you have forgotten your familiar obligations? What’s all this babbling about now?

    • #3161300

      7 dark truths of blogging

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Blogging has, like all things, a down side.

      Here are some of the pitfalls and disturbances, some of which you may not have been aware of, and some you will surely recognize instantly.

      Blogging can cause:

      (1) Bodily Harm

      Damage to wrists, neck, eyes, and back may occur, due to repetitive motions and inordinately large amounts of time spent in a frozen position.

      Lack of sunshine and fresh air makes you slowly transform into a freakish monstrosity.

      (2) Psychological Problems

      A. Emotional anguish due to hateful flames, IOFD (instantaneous online friendship dissolvement), blog audience depletion, negative posts by blog foes, unfair critique, or truth-telling comments.

      B. Obsessive blogging behavior, brought on by lovelessness, parental conflict, work dysfunctions, and inordinate need to express and exhibit self.

      (3) Social Dsyfunction

      Disharmony with others, due to being more comfortable online, and preferring chat, texting, blogs, forums, and email to telephony or personally present conversations with flesh and blood human entities.

      (4) Financial Disaster

      You spend too much time in the blogosphere, working on your own blog, commenting on other blogs, that you neglect to seek a job, or you avoid desperately needed overtime and call-in days, due to strong desire to express and exhibit self via blogging activities.

      (5) Sexual Anxiety

      You, or a textual formulation of yourself, falls in love with another textual formulation, calling itself Johnny or Jane, and you are desperately hoping it’s all true, they really look like the photo they post on their blog, fearfully dreading the realization that he is a she, or that the teen is an old predatory geezer, or that the single stud is an ugly married man.

      (6) Political Remorse

      You blurt out all your opinions about everything, then realize that you sound like a know-it-all piece of turkey jerky dipped in idiot sauce.

      (7) Mental Illness

      You can become so hooked on blogging, whether the social networking, dating hook-up, or professional type, that you think of little else.

      You begin to withdraw from normal activities like going to restaurants, theatre, and baseball games. You dislike cluttering your head with news about anyone who’s not in your friends list or blogroll. You expect everyone you know to follow your blog posts daily, without exception.

      You begin to think the whole realm of nature and the entire empire of technology revolve around your crappy little blogoid object. You argue about how you think blogging is the most important thing in the world.

      You hate spending time in bed or at the breakfast table. You avoid eating, dancing, and gossiping. You spend larger and larger amounts of time at the computer, snarling viciously at anyone who suggests you take a break or do something else.

      You are no longer able to distinguish your blog from yourself.

      You begin to enter your blog in a whole and perverse manner, becoming one with it in an unseemly display of a total loss of autonomy and discretion. Your mental blending in with the text and graphics of your blog causes you to feel negative comments as vividly as though they were glittering barbs of pain in motion.

      You seem vacant and unpresent when absent from your blog or the blogosphere in general. Your mind is represented as a roll of posts, rambling on forever, with senseless inscription machines dancing all over it, scrolling on and on like a sea of sand, flowing sluggishly and reliably toward its forward pull.

      You …

    • #3146948

      12 survival tips for new employees

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      (1) Master the core competency of the job fast. Get good numbers (sales, IPG, service problems solved, web site unique visitor count, etc.) entered to your credit, and print out reports to document your accomplishments. Worry about peripheral duties later. Figure out the real priority of your boss, and make that your priority, basing every statement and action on it.

      (2) Be aloof from others, maintain a professional distance, polite, but unyeilding, revealing next to nothing about yourself.

      (3) Learn all you can about your boss and the next few levels up, but be a dense mass of complex mystery to other employees.

      (4) If you must engage in small talk or gossipy chatter, speak only of the weather, nearby restaurants for lunch, The Apprentice (latest episode), and your eagerness to use your expertise to help achieve corporate goals. Brag modestly about past achievements at other jobs or on the football field.

      (5) Self-containment is vital for job security reasons: the more you reveal about your personal life, habits, marital status, children, friends, political beliefs, music tastes, etc., the more a corporate foe can twist and turn against you.

      (6) Demand, photocopy, or snag extra copies you find lying around, of documentation of corporate policies and performance forms.

      (7) Use corporate incompetence and mediocrity to your advantage. Do what the others should be doing, and set an outstanding example of obedience and competence. Do not allow the goofs and sandbags to corrupt you. All companies are rampant with lazy, disrespectful, insubordinate mediocres who bully the dickless patriarchal or raging bitch managers. This marvellous secret reality of business must be seen to believe. Hang it there. You should see it within your first few days at the job.

      (8) Carefully acquire and preserve all names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. of persons who handle sexual harassment, employee theft, and policy violations. Often, these problems will be handled by separate functions, not necessarily Personnel or Human Resources departments.

      (9) Be alert to sexual innuendos, bawdy jokes, inappropriate attire, lewd glances, or your boss singing loudly along with a dirty song on the radio, and making snide remarks to you, as you try to focus on your training and systems operations. Strike back at corporate unfairness, unlawful firing, territorial paranoia, mind games, negligence, and ineptness with your own finely honed office-politics weapons.

      (10) Employment is war. It’s you against mis-managing manager wussies, dopey mission statements, canned sales presentations, hysterical hype, customer dis-service, and shoddy products. You must protect the consumer from the evil intentions of the company…and you must try to protect the company from customer hatred and retaliation by being serious about customer relations strategy.

      (11) Be suspicious of all staff on your first day. Wonder who is working FOR the company and customer, and who is working AGAINST them by pursuing their selfish agendas. The people who smile and shake your hand are the same ones who will scheme against you and stab your back.

      (12) The day you quit or are fired is a better day than the day you were hired.

    • #3146219

      blogging is war

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Blogging is war against mind control, lethargy, selfishness.

      Blogging is war against religions, governments, and corporations that try to force you to think and act according to their manipulations.

      Blogs are individual war zones where you fight to express yourself, reveal truth, explain mysteries, share anecdotes, provide advice, proclaim warnings, give directions, offer instruction, present ideas, distribute inspiration, and display art.

      You fight.

      You work.

      You engage in combat via debates and discussions.

      You grapple with tough issues.

      You seek understanding and wisdom.

      You suffer discomfort as you struggle to express your self, your dreams, your ideals.

      You experience defeat, embarrassment, strategic blunders, shame, regret, triumph, satisfaction, frustration…all the normal ups and downs of any writer or champion.

      A blogger is just another type of writer, a new form of communicator, an aggressive social networker.

      A blog has very little in common with a print diary or paper journal. But few media and marketing people have figured out how a blog differs from a notebook of poems, prayers, and perfumery.

      Blogging is war…for democracy, freedom of speech, religious tolerance, radical beliefs, poetic individuation.

      You fight to find something brilliant or funny or enlightening to say. You fight to stay current with new technology. You fight your tendency to quit, give up, and abandon projects. You fight the darkness of laziness and apathy, replacing it with the radiant work of typing as best you can.

      This post originally appeared on an external website

    • #3147458

      pseudo blog: Blog Curry

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog


      Okay, you’ve heard me use the term “pseudo blog” and “blogoid object” with terrific scientific precision.

      Now I shall toss one of the slimey things at you and see if you’re tough enough to catch it as it oozes its putrid rotting sewage into the blogosphere.

      [EDIT UPDATE: I want you to also notice how there is no About/Profile/Bio, no Contact, and no statement of purpose in this Pseudo Blog. No info about who the hell this is, and yet it’s got the sheer gall to have a Register and Login function in the freaking sidebar.]

      Blog Curry: A Global Mix of News and Views – And Dip!

      Yeah? Dip this, dipshit.

      I caught this blog perversion as I checked my Technorati radar, one of my tracking tools that I use to monitor what companies and individuals say about me, Vaspers the Grate aka Steven Edward Streight. Blog Curry had linked to one of my VtG posts four days ago. I

      So I visit the crap ball “blog” and what do I see? I see a multitude of fragment posts, that’s what. I got tired of scrolling through the endless postings of day after day, and actually gave up looking for the link to my own blog.

      The tedious nature of this blog bored me to de-motivation.

      All those damned fragment posts!

      What’s that tell you, fragment posts?

      It tells you it’s a Pseudo Blog, that’s what.

      Both the excerpted nature of the deck (the wording a print magazine or newspaper introduces the article with, summing up, the gist) “posts”, which are NOT posts, and the numerous posts on each given day. No human writes even brief posts 30 times a day. It’s a blogbot app, not a person, who is the “blogger” here.

      Then I want you to look at the sidebar of this “blog” that is False.

      See the category Contributors?

      What is listed under Contributors?

      Google Blog Search: US politics, for one. Then there’s: washington post [dot] com

      This blog seems to be an RSS feed/Google Search results blog, thus no blog at all. It’s simply a software program pretending to be journaling news on American puh-luh-ticks.

      I suspect that this “James B. Allen” is name of an alleged, fictional person who “blogs”, but only via automated programs, he set up some syndication feeds, like parasites or vampires, to suck content off other blogs and web sites.

      Why would anyone do this?

      Think. You figure it out. Surely it’s not rocket science to see what’s going on. Think: drive traffic to other sites. Think: blog ad revenue. Think: slimey business model of mediocre loser asshole.

      So now Google this: James B. Allen.

      See what you come up with. I visited the Wikipedia site, and found this:

      [QUOTE]

      From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      (Redirected from James B. Allen)
      Jump to: navigation, search

      James Allen is the name of:

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3147459

      pseudo blog: Blog Curry

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog


      Okay, you’ve heard me use the term “pseudo blog” and “blogoid object” with terrific scientific precision.

      Now I shall toss one of the slimey things at you and see if you’re tough enough to catch it as it oozes its putrid rotting sewage into the blogosphere.

      [EDIT UPDATE: I want you to also notice how there is no About/Profile/Bio, no Contact, and no statement of purpose in this Pseudo Blog. No info about who the hell this is, and yet it’s got the sheer gall to have a Register and Login function in the freaking sidebar.]

      Blog Curry: A Global Mix of News and Views – And Dip!

      Yeah? Dip this, dipshit.

      I caught this blog perversion as I checked my Technorati radar, one of my tracking tools that I use to monitor what companies and individuals say about me, Vaspers the Grate aka Steven Edward Streight. Blog Curry had linked to one of my VtG posts four days ago. I

      So I visit the crap ball “blog” and what do I see? I see a multitude of fragment posts, that’s what. I got tired of scrolling through the endless postings of day after day, and actually gave up looking for the link to my own blog.

      The tedious nature of this blog bored me to de-motivation.

      All those damned fragment posts!

      What’s that tell you, fragment posts?

      It tells you it’s a Pseudo Blog, that’s what.

      Both the excerpted nature of the deck (the wording a print magazine or newspaper introduces the article with, summing up, the gist) “posts”, which are NOT posts, and the numerous posts on each given day. No human writes even brief posts 30 times a day. It’s a blogbot app, not a person, who is the “blogger” here.

      Then I want you to look at the sidebar of this “blog” that is False.

      See the category Contributors?

      What is listed under Contributors?

      Google Blog Search: US politics, for one. Then there’s: washington post [dot] com

      This blog seems to be an RSS feed/Google Search results blog, thus no blog at all. It’s simply a software program pretending to be journaling news on American puh-luh-ticks.

      I suspect that this “James B. Allen” is name of an alleged, fictional person who “blogs”, but only via automated programs, he set up some syndication feeds, like parasites or vampires, to suck content off other blogs and web sites.

      Why would anyone do this?

      Think. You figure it out. Surely it’s not rocket science to see what’s going on. Think: drive traffic to other sites. Think: blog ad revenue. Think: slimey business model of mediocre loser asshole.

      So now Google this: James B. Allen.

      See what you come up with. I visited the Wikipedia site, and found this:

      [QUOTE]

      From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      (Redirected from James B. Allen)
      Jump to: navigation, search

      James Allen is the name of:

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3156754

      Congress is another Enron

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Man, I love it. Today the news is full of Justice and Truth winning the day, as they must.

      The Enron crimnals, Lay and Skilling, are going to prison for 20 years. Now the monolithic Corporate Amerika is trembling, as they should. I hate those jurors who were “emotional” about the verdict, who were frigging weepy as the guilty verdicts were read. These bleeding heart jurors who were “pained” to deliver justice to the offenders, have they no tears to shed for the victims?

      Crime must be punished swiftly and severely, or it spreads. But those who were pampered as children, those who were never spanked, never told “NO!”, never given any rules or morals, these parasites weep for sadistic, life-wrecking criminals.

      Now Congress is refusing to honor warrants, but lets the government invade the privacy of citizens. Both Republicrats and Demopublicans are whining about investigations into criminal acts of government jerks.

      Even Instapundit , the conservative think tank blog, is sounding more anarchistic, in the refined sense of extreme cynicism toward all politicians.

      Glenn Reynolds (the Instapundit blogger) seems to be withdrawing support from the Bush Administration and the Republican Party. He’s proclaiming a dire need for a good alternative “third” party. But calling for a strong “third party” falls far short. I call for No Political Parties, in fact No Politics, period.

      Congress is another Enron.

      I think there may be a violent revolution in America. As a pacifist, I cannot participate in or advocate this bloody guillotine scene that I believe is coming. But I can cheer the ideals and goals of total transformation of the very fiber of America.

      The people are quickly rising to the awareness that hugging a tree is better than lying to the American people about weapons of mass destruction, or blaming Mexicans for the fact that scumbag corporations hire illegal aliens, which motivates them to come over here illegally.

      Burn, global warming baby, burn.

      The fucking “Christian” TV network CBN (Pat “I refuse to wear a wedding ring” Robertson’s hypocritical channel) made fun of Al Gore tonight, rather than discuss how spirituality means good stewardship of the environment, making the planet better for our children, and expressing love for all living things.

      All institutions need to be destroyed…immediately.

      All religions stink and their followers are evil.

      Turn away from The Powers That Pretend To Be. Use blogs to attack hypocrisy. Use every means at your disposal to ethically, but aggressively, defeat wicked corporations.

      I am attacking one corporation right now, and I’m going for the throat on this one.

      This company may be totally destroyed by one severe measure I’m about to take. It’s too early to tell today, but it looks like a certain corporation just a few blocks away from my house has been very, very naughty. And I am very, very angry about it. So I have launched a massive assault — legal, ethical, and really nasty. But see, they deserve it.

      All evil needs to succeed is for good people to do nothing.

      I don’t know how “good” I am, but I’m doing the best I can, in and out of the blogosphere, to fight mammonist Psycho-Capitalism and hideous Pseudo-Christianity. I have so many battles going on right now, it’s quite exhilarating.

      It’s great to be alive and in combat for the integrity and justice of the world in which we live.

      Oliver Wendell Holmes:

      “Some persons may even at this late day take offense at a few opinions expressed in the following pages, but most of these passages will be read without loss of temper by those who disagree with them, and by-and-by they may be found too timid and conservative for intelligent readers, if they are still read by any.”


      The Professor at the Breakfast Table, Preface to the New Edition (1894)

    • #3156755

      Skype upgrade not mentioned on website

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I love Skype, the premier VoIP service recommended #1 by such publications as PC Magazine.

      I use Skype to talk on my computer telephone to people, who can be anywhere in the world, for FREE, forever (so far)!

      It’s easy to download. All you need is an internet microphone (cheap as $10 or $20) and speakers for your computer.

      Last few days, I’ve been getting toolbar popups alerting me to a new version of Skype that reduces security vulnerabilities. I click out the box, to deal with it later. But now I am ready to download the new upgrade. So I go to the Skype website. I see nothing about any new version to download.

      I check “Announcements”, “Knowledgebase”, other pages in the site. Nothing. Mute.

      I don’t think the “new version” is a scam, like a phishing or spoofing. I think rather that Skype needs to address the upgrade on their website.

      [QUOTE]

      Hello. We?re Skype and we?ve got something we would like to share with you.

      Skype is a simple bit of software we want to share with you.

      It lets you make free calls to your Skype-using friends all over the world.

      It also lets you make free calls within the US and Canada to mobiles and landlines till the end of the year. International calls to landlines and mobile phones can be made with SkypeOut (as long as you call from within the US and Canada).

      International calls are not free, but they are pretty cheap.

      Skype in a nutshell.

      Our free software is quick and easy to get started with. Download, register, install, plug in your headset, speakers or USB phone and start calling your friends. The calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption. You don?t even need to configure your firewall or router or any other networking gear. It just, you know ? works.

      Bridging the gap.

      Logos for the platforms Skype works on: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Pocket PC.Skype works on Windows, as well as on Mac OS X, Linux and PDAs using Pocket PC, with a native look and feel for each platform. Talking, sending instant messages or even large file transfers between different platforms work like a charm.

      Calling regular phone numbers.

      You can make free calls within the US and Canada to both landlines and mobile phones until the end of the year. It?s really easy; there are no contract fees, no line rentals. All you need is Skype and a phone number you want to call.

      If that wasn?t enough, we have a little thing called SkypeOut which lets you make international calls to old-fashioned phone numbers. From landlines to mobile phones… it works with almost all of them. SkypeOut calls abroad are not free, but they?re pretty cheap, actually. Please read our Terms of Service regarding using this product.

      You can also forward your Skype calls to a traditional phone or mobile phone. Again, if it?s within the US and Canada then it?s a free service. If a call is forwarded to international number then standard SkypeOut rates apply.

      Make sure you?re on the same page.
      An ongoing Skype file transfer.

      You know how Skype-to-Skype calls are free and work right?

      Well, we?ve taken the same recipe and applied it to file transfers. Since most things you want your friends to see tend to be rather large, we made our file transfer work with all the file sizes your operating system can handle. For most people, that?s between 2 or 4 gigabytes. And remember, it works from Windows to Mac to Linux and the other way around. No platform problems here.

      All Skype calls are encrypted.
      Nobody?s listening in.

      When it comes to talking, instant messaging or transferring files, we?ve gone to great lengths to make it secure. Skype automatically encrypts everything before sending it through the internet. Likewise, on arrival everything is decrypted on-the-spot and presented as crystal clear voice, text or a file transfer nobody can intercept.

      Skype calls are in excellent quality, better than regular phones.

      Yes, you heard it right.

      All the security in the world wouldn?t matter, though, if you couldn?t hear the other person. With Skype, you can.

      We?re working with the very best in the industry to provide a sound quality far superior to what you?re used to from ordinary telephones.

      If you will bear with us for a moment here we?d like to share some technical stuff with you: with normal telephones you can only hear sounds from 300 Hz to 3 kHz. Not so with Skype; we?re all over the spectrum, from the lowest hum to the highest screech. In other words: ?F? and ?S? will sound like the two different letters they were meant to, and in the end you will be able to have a much more natural conversation.

      You and up to four other people can have a conference on Skype.Getting the words out.

      That also goes for conferences too. It?s completely secure for you and up to four others to get together to coordinate tactics in a game, make one of those important business decisions or simply have a chat, even if you?re all on different continents.

      Skype Global User Directory
      Needle. Haystack. Solution.

      Searching for those long-lost relatives or just somebody to have a quick chat with is also part of what Skype is all about. We have what we call a Global User Directory. It?s a giant phonebook of all the people who use Skype. You can use it to search for people you?d like to talk to, people who have the same birthday or people who just happen to live in the same street as you.

      Is anybody out there?

      When you find somebody you know or even someone you would like to know, you add them to your list of contacts. You can also write a little note to let them know who you are and why you want to add them to your list. Handy, if your separated-at-birth-twin finds you on Skype. When people are on your list, you can see if they are online, offline, busy… or perhaps out to lunch.

      You can send instant messages with Skype.
      When actual, spoken words fail you.

      Did we mention that you can also send instant messages with Skype? Well, you can. That?s nice for when you?re talking about a website and you want to send that really long address or if you?re writing a song maybe. Either way, you can send one of those little smiley faces along with your message. Smile to the world and the world smiles back.

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3155129

      Ken Lay’s fast track to hell

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Ken Lay, the CEO (Chief Evil Officer) of Enron, is insane…and now on a fast track to hell.

      I almost vomited when I saw this Corporate Hitler, who was dumping his own stocks while he lied to his employees and bullied them into buying more stocks in the company, on TV last night.

      This scumbag maniacally began to invoke “the Lord”, and stated that “God is in control” and this priceless gem, mis-quoted and mis-applied: “all things work together for good for those who follow the Lord”.

      The actual verse Mr. Numbnuts Ken Lay tries to recite, showing his craven ignorance, goes like this: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God [not filthy lucre, mammon, green grim reapers], to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

      Mr. Lay, you’re not one who “loves God”, nor are you “called according to His purpose,” you freaking moron.

      Ken Lay (Me Down To Sleep, I Pray the Lord My Soul to Keep):

      …you’re done, finished, through, and by invoking vainly and hypocritically the Name of The Lord, you’re double done, perfectly finished, and thoroughly through.

      You have brought down a powerful, inchoative curse upon yourself.

      Next time, don’t hide behind a Bible like it’s the refuge of scallywags, perverts, and highwaymen. Don’t run to “the Lord” like a lost potato of shit. He won’t have you. Why? You refuse to repent.

      One must needs

      — repent, regret, and reform —

      — make amends, “sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor”, sacrifice your life, fortune, and sanity for your betrayed and butt-wrenched employees and creditors —

      — for Dr. Phil fans: acknowledge, apologize, accessorize with new attitude — before “the Lord”, or public sympathies, or the Justice Department, will even deign to look your way.

      Incalcitrant, you doom yourself to massive incineration, burning and blurring like this planet, soul-bal warming disaster, your ineffable misfortunes have only just begun!

      Unlimited sorrows for Enron execs!

      ~~ this is my birthday present to you, you lucky “dog con” (dot comming his way to infamy with this Ken Lay dork schmuck personal web page).



    • #3158202

      blogging skills set

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Are you ready to blog? How you answer that question will determine if your blog succeeds in whatever metrics you set as its goal.

      Here I provide a lazy list of some random qualities that I consider, from actual experience, highlit by varied and intense blogocombat, to be absolutely mandatory for any would-be blogger.

      I will develop a more scholarly and professional list of blogger qualities at some future date, but for now, this slapdash sprinkling shall have to suffice to get the blogospheric buzz on this topic launched.

      Before you even start a blog, you should settle on whether or not you’ve got what it takes. I’m not sure if I am cut out for it myself, but time will tell.

      I think if you’ve been blogging pretty much daily for 5 solid years, then you’re A Real Blogger. And not until then. I only got 2 years in so far. I’m still an Infant Blogger, but the Blog Platform Itself is still just a lad, with a lot of growing up to do.


      Blogging Skills Set


      (or, What You Better Be if You Wanna Be a Real Blogger…)




      NOTE: This list applies mainly to Business Bloggers, but can be evocative for Personal, Art, Hobby, or Musician Bloggers, too.

      (1) Refined Writing Ability.

      (2) Deep, Original Thinking.

      (3) Inordinate Craving to Excel in All Things.

      (4) Over-achiever Workaholic Grandiosity.

      (5) Impeccable Moral Values.

      (6) Tolerance for Different Opinions and Passions.

      (7) Curiosity about Other Opinions, Beliefs, Methods, Faiths, Unfaiths, Political Agendas, Domination Systems, Powers That Pretend To Be, Fashions, Philosophies….why?…because almost every blog veers off into tangents of this nature, no matter how “focused” your blog is on a specific topic or industry.

      (8) Love of Ladylike/Gentlemanly Debate, Discussion, and Explanation.

      (9) Fortress-like Self Command, not easily angered or offended.

      (10) Passion for your product, company, industry, hobby, political agenda, religious cause, team project, or whatever it is you blog about…

      …for example, your mundane life and its bizarre twists and turns, if you’re a Personal Blogger

      …or a Corporate Blogger who wants to be Authentic and Approachable, for purpose of forming an online community of shared interests, revolving around your Product and its Benefits.

      (11) Love of interacting with customers, the public, and other people, and letting them honestly voice whatever the hell they want to say, in comments at your blog.

      (12) Physical and mental stamina to spend a minimum of 3 hours, an optimum of 8 hours, per day, on just writing blog posts, improving your own blog design and widgets, reading other blogs, commenting on other blogs, viewing stats and reports on blogs, inspecting lists of high traffic blogs, studying blogs that are more popular than yours, engaging in “slow chat room” live discussions with commenters, and so forth.

      (13) Willingness to learn some HTML, CSS, XML, digital imaging, and a few other computing skills to enhance and customize your blog.

      (14) Understanding of comment spam and other malicious events, and how to counteract and prevent them with character recognition, word verification, comment moderation, and even, in rare cases, site registration.

      (15) Openness to criticism, suggestion, complaint, praise, warnings, exhortations, and questions from your blog readers…coupled with ability to respond to each comment within 24 hours maximum lag time.

      (16) Ability to post a new entry to your blog every single day, or at least 3 times a week. Any less frequent posting converts a blog to a bulletin board that few will wish to interact with.

      (17) Constantly learning new things, so you consistently have things to blog about each day. If your life and company and product and mind are THAT boring, DO NOT start a blog, for crying out loud! Why would you start a blog, if you have nothing to say, or your product’s a dud, or you have no genuine enthusiasm for anything? Don’t “talk just to hear yourself talk”!

      (18) Willingess to be the Writer/Blogger, Editor, Publisher, Reader Relations Department, Salesperson, Marketing Specialist, PR Strategist, and Webmaster…all rolled into one, working in all these areas, in connection with your blog.

    • #3156296

      your blog is a book

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      You a blogger? Then you’re writing a book, though it remains for time to tell whether it’s any good or not.

      What’s the difference between a blog and a book? Not much. The disciplines are similar.

      I’m not saying you should convert your blog into a print version with hard covers and dust jackets. Some bloggers do.

      I try to make each post I publish as perfect as possible. Then, if I someday turn Vaspers The Grate into a book, containing my best, most popular posts, there won’t be a lot of editing or revising required.

      Your daily posts are like journal entries, and each post could also be considered a chapter. In the spirit of postmodernity, that old fashioned fad that died in NYC in 1983, we can say that there is disorder rampant in the mess.

      I mean: if you print out your entire blog, like I do (printing each post as I publish it), you might decide to staple the posts together in a different order than they were originally published.

      Post Secret is perhaps the most famous example of a blog being a book, becoming a book, that blogged its way into becoming a print version sold in bookstores.

      We must honor and study this marvel of blog work. The sheer genius, the unequaled zeal and ease of the project, the uncanny lack of, er, anything, beyond just setting up the blog, and laying out a few rules and legal notices, I suppose.

      Here’s a blog that had little to no writing by the blogger, and its one of the most successful blogs in history. You know next to nothing about the blogger.

      This super successful blogger does NOT express himself.

      He stands back and lets others express themselves.

      He’s gained fame by letting others be famous, though anonymous. Post Secret’s blogger is not an author, nor a designer (since the contributors make their own art to accompany their secret written on a post card they send to the blogger of Post Secret).

      Think of your blog not as [always functioning as] YOUR platform to express every niche and cranny of your private musing, your dreary surroundings, your uneventful mundane life. Unless you can, through hilarious or eccentric writing style, make even trivial, normal matters sound funny, like Seinfeld.

      Rather, try to see your blog as YOUR READERS’ platform to interact with, by posting comments at, your series of daily proclamations, whether personal or business oriented. See your posts as mere talking points, ice breakers, forks in the road.

      Your life itself is like a book, with each day being a new chapter. Your thoughts, important as they are, are like footnotes. The real action is what you do, what others do for or against you, and how you react, retaliating or making amends.

      Your blog is a textual/graphic mirror of you: your life, or your company, or your product, or your cause.

      As such, your blog functions as an ongoing record of what transpires: in your private environment, in your industry, in your progress as a firm, in your advancement as a consultant, etc.

      A coherent sequence of events, embodied in language, typed into the digital effluvium of the blogosphere, is, for all intents and purposes, a book. Even if you never print out your blog, even if you never publish any of it in a print version as a book, your blog is still very book-like.

      You may have thought you could never in a million years “write a book”. But look at you now. You write a chapter every day, in your perpetual work-in-progress, your blog. A blogger and an author share much in common: you both discipline yourselves to write something every day. You, for blog euphoria. The author, for publisher’s deadline.

      It probably wouldn’t hurt to start thinking of your blog as a book. And who knows? maybe someday, you really will take some posts and re-organize, reformat, revise, expand upon them, or merge them, into a book that will be a best seller.

      My main point is: your blog may come back to haunt you, in a good way!

      What chapter are you adding to your blog/book today?

      Will it merely record a random reverie, or will it contain real value (comedic, instructional, spiritual, economic, artistic) that can benefit or inspire your readers?

    • #3156088

      blogging vs. texting

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I have often thought that text messaging is a more successful, though less versatile, communication tool than blogs.


      Here’s why…

      Blog or die…or maybe text it instead

      by Paul Golding (UK)
      January 26, 2005


      [QUOTE]

      Everyone who knows of Tom Peters usually knows a quote from his work. The killer quote for 2005 is probably going to be “Blog as if your life depended on it” to be found, where else, but on Tom’s blog.

      The buzz this week is the Blog Business Summit, in part because Tom’s blog is giving it so much coverage.

      Can us Mobilists get Tom’s interest in text messaging perhaps?

      In a recent discussion thread with Tomi Ahonen, my attempts to advocate widespread use of mobile email (with push) a la Blackberry were given a rude awakening by Tomi’s insistence that mobile users prefer texting any day. His ever-so-heavy put down was:

      Today Blackberry has 2 million users (vs over 900 million SMS text messaging users). Wow, big deal.

      OK, so we can argue about the implications of this statement, but Tomi’s other statistic is perhaps more revealing:

      Of the 7 trillion person-to-person (non-Spam) messages sent in 2003 e-mail covered 86% and SMS only 6% (most of the rest was IM). Yet SMS delivered 94% of the 50 billion dollar global revenues generated by messaging traffic.

      The point is that if blogging is supposed to be an essential part of the business communications armoury, then texting deserves a consideration too. There are certainly many in the texting world who argue that marketing folks just don’t yet get the importance of texting as a potential marketing tool. Surprising, because it’s ability to enable news to spread is surely well known by now, such as during the SARS outbreak in China. Officials tried to deny it, but after 2 million messages had already been sent to the contrary.

      posted by Paul Golding at 3:59 PM


      [END QUOTE]




      Is text messaging a competing communication tool, a competitor of the blog platform?

      Blogging vs. texting is a fertile dichotomy that can reveal much about both.

      A blog post is written and “sent” (published to the web), with a mass audience and a specific readership in mind.

      There is also self-fulfillment and satisfaction in creating a good blog, with consistently high quality design, functionality, writing, thinking, and interacting with comment posters.

      The communication value is in the sender, how well it is written and how well it expresses the blogger’s opinions, perceptions, feelings, attitudes, or environment, plus–how well the blog establishes an online community of shared interests (from a product and its benefits … to a political agenda).

      A text message is generally utilitarian. It is not valued in itself, but only in what it accomplishes for both parties. The communication value is in the receptor, how it is received and acted upon.

    • #3157361

      continued excitement about dull blog

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I continue to be excited by The Dullest Blog in the World, which I periodically promote, having discovered it almost 2 years ago, in my early blogging days, as an example of jejune writing style, and ultra-realism sans emotion or personality.

      To understand something bad, it’s good to see the same thing, only worse. A blog needs a personality and a passion for something. But anything, including

    • #3157204

      net neutrality letter

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Some bloggers take their freedom on the internet, web, and blogosphere for granted. They assume their blog will roll right along, unhampered by obstructive forces.

      How stupid they are to have faith in such a Blog Fantasy. The blogosphere is under attack.

      There are many groups, from the United Nations to Islamo-fascism, who would love to censor, stifle, and regulate all digital communications.

      One of these groups are the CEOs who have banded together to create paid service hiearchies on the internet.

      Here’s a letter I emailed to my U. S. House Representative.

      Representative Melissa Bean
      U. S. House of Representatives
      512 Cannon House Office Building
      Washington, DC 20515-0001

      Dear Representative Bean,

      The Internet is a critical communications tool for me and millions of other consumers.

      Please don’t let corporate telecommunications giants block, slow or otherwise discriminate against information, services, applications offered on the Internet or charge new access fees to Internet-based companies that offer services that I want over the Internet.

      The Web is digital democracy, the equal and level communications playing field that allows innovative, but obscure voices to be heard. To privilege any voice or organization, in any manner, in the free and open internet is a blow against democracy and innovation.

      – Some phone companies have already blocked access to competitor telephone services offered over the Internet.

      – Those that are planning to offer video over their high-speed lines want to speed access to their own video services over those of their rivals, eliminating competitive alternatives that could help lower my cable bill.

      – And recently, two large communications companies said they plan on charging Internet companies for faster speeds to deliver services to their customers, even after they’ve already charged consumers for broadband service.

      If they’re allowed to do that, only the big Internet companies will be able to afford to pay and entrepreneurial start-ups that could offer consumers better, more innovative services will be shut out.

      Those companies that can afford the fees will just pass them on to me; I’ll end up paying more for broadband service that is already too expensive. Unfortunately, right now, nothing can stop these companies from doing any of this.

      The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has done little to stop this. Though it issued a policy–known as network neutrality–against this type of discrimination on the Internet,it won’t write the rules to prevent that behavior, nor will it enforce the policy.

      Weak policies are not enough.

      You need to step in to protect my Internet.

      Congress is now considering the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (COPE Act) in the House of Representatives. That Act not only does nothing to protect the internet from discriminatory tactics of network owners, it actually reduces the FCC’s ability to prevent discriminatory behavior.

      Instead of the weak provisions in the COPE Act, Congress should enact strong and enforceable legislation that would ensure that the Internet remains open and unfettered by the companies that control high-speed Internet lines and which prevents telecommunications and cable companies from charging Internet-based companies fees just to reach me.

      Please support legislation that would provide zero-tolerance for any network discrimination and prohibit the telephone and cable companies from charging fees to Internet companies.

      Legislation should not include loopholes that allow companies to block or impair the flow of information over the Internet under the guise of network management.

      Sincerely,

      Steven E. Streight
      1508 W. Margaret Avenue
      Peoria, Illinois 61604

    • #3157119

      Top 100 Tech Products of 2006 (PC World)

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Top 100 Tech Products
      According to PC World

      1. Intel Core Duo Notebook/Desktop CPU
      2. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Desktop CPU
      3. Craigslist.org Web Classifieds
      4. Apple iPod Nano Digital Audio Player
      5. Seagate 160GB Portable Hard Drive Portable Hard Drive
      6. Google Earth Satellite Imagery
      7. Adobe Premiere Elements 2 Video Editor
      8. Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera
      9. YouTube.com Video-Sharing Site
      10. Apple Boot Camp Mac Dual-Booter
      11. Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 Image Editor
      12. Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Web Browser
      13. Engadget.com Gadget Blog
      14. Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD Player
      15. Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600 Power Notebook Computer
      16. nVidia GeForce 7600 GT Graphics Card Chip Set
      17. Google Search Engine
      18. Sonos ZonePlayer 80 Digital Audio Streamer
      19. RedOctane Guitar Hero Video Game
      20. Yamaha RX-V4600 Home-Theater Receiver
      21. Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray Drive
      22. Adobe Photoshop CS2 Image Editor
      23. Citrix GoToMyPC 5 Remote Access
      24. Dealnews.com Online Bargain Tracker
      25. Palm GPS Navigator GPS
      26. MioNet Remote Access
      27. Ubuntu Linux Distribution
      28. Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 E-Mail Application
      29. Canon Pixma MP950 Multifunction Printer
      30. Yahoo Mail (Beta) Web-Based E-Mail
      31. TiVo Digital Video Recorder
      32. Avvenu Remote File Access
      33. Blogger Blogging Service
      34. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Advanced Digital Camera
      35. Apple Mac Mini Value Desktop Computer
      36. Apple iPod Digital Audio/Video Player
      37. Lenovo ThinkPad X60s Ultralight Notebook
      38. SideStep.com Travel Site
      39. Windows Live Local Online Mapping
      40. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card
      41. Alienware Aurora 7500 Power Desktop Computer
      42. NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LED Flat-Panel Monitor
      43. Apple iTunes Digital Audio Software
      44. Olympus Evolt E-330 Digital SLR Camera
      45. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Earphones
      46. Creative Zen Vision:M Digital Audio/Video Player
      47. Google Desktop Desktop Search
      48. Opera 9 (Beta) Browser
      49. Mitsubishi XD460U Projector
      50. Vonage VoIP Service
      51. StumbleUpon Browser Add-On
      52. NoScript 1.1.4 Browser Add-On
      53. Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5 Antispyware
      54. Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 Keyboard
      55. Western Digital Raptor X Hard Drive
      56. Yahoo Maps (Beta) Online Mapping
      57. Intuit Quicken Premier 2006 Personal Finance
      58. ATI Radeon X1900 XTX Graphics Board
      59. Javacool EULAlyzer Personal 1.1 License Analyzer
      60. Eizo FlexScan S2410W 24-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor
      61. Kosmix.com Search Engine
      62. T-Mobile SDA Cellular Phone
      63. Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard
      64. Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP 30-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor
      65. Meebo (alpha) Instant Messaging
      66. Corel Painter IX.5 Graphics Software
      67. Samsung LN-S3251D LCD TV
      68. Cerulean Studios Trillian 3.1 Instant Messaging Client
      69. Rhapsody Online Music
      70. In2M Mvelopes Personal 3 Online Budgeting
      71. Canon Pixma IP6600D Photo Printer
      72. EMC Retrospect Professional 7.5 Backup Software
      73. Yahoo Music Engine 1.1 Digital Audio Site/Software
      74. Network Magic Home Networking
      75. Z-Wave Home Automation
      76. BitDefender 9 Standard Antivirus
      77. Sage Software Simply Accounting Basic 13 Small-Business Finance
      78. Flickr Photo-Sharing Site
      79. Nero 7 Ultra Edition CD/DVD Burning
      80. Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Voice Recognition
      81. Kodak EasyShare Gallery Photo Printing Service
      82. EvDO Wireless Broadband
      83. LaCie d2 Hard Drive Serial ATA External Hard Drive
      84. HP Md5880n DLP TV
      85. Qnext 2 P-to-P Communications
      86. Salling Clicker 3 Presentation Remote
      87. Epson Perfection V700 Photo Scanner
      88. Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 Data-Organizing Software
      89. Microsoft Xbox 360 Game Console
      90. iRiver Clix Digital Audio/Video Player
      91. Fujifilm FinePix E900 Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera
      92. nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX GPU
      93. Del.icio.us Social Networking
      94. Serious Magic Ovation PowerPoint Add-On
      95. WordPress Blogging Tool
      96. Amazon A9 Toolbar Search Toolbar
      97. ThinkFree Office Online Online Office Suite
      98. Greasemonkey Firefox Extension
      99. NewsGator FeedDemon 2 RSS Reader
      100. Sysinternals Rootkit Revealer 1.7 Antispyware

      Also see: Best Tech Companies of 2006.

      (hint: Yahoo is good, Sony is bad).

    • #3166346

      Vaspers in Saudi Arabia

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      My blog is now being advertised in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

      Advertised in the form of a Saudi blogger promoting VtG, both specific posts (“Your Blog is a Book”) and my Swicki custom search engine (“hot searches” refers to the tag cloud associated with Blog Revolution Search Engine).

      Her name is Limoosh. Much of her blog is in English, with Arabic also.

      Stand Up and Say Something

      I discovered this link to Vaspers the Grate by accessing my Other Blogs That Link To Me page of Technorati (see my sidebar for the link).

      [QUOTE]

      Is your blog a book?

      Name:steven edward streight
      Location:Bentley Subglacial Trench, Antarctica
      Gender: female

      She describes herself as Web Analyst, Blog Revolutionist and Ecommerce Blogger besides many other labels .I’ve found her bloger kind of interesting and ?.

      Check it out

      your blog is a book

      Blogging Skills Set (or, What You Better Be if You Wanna Be a Real Blogger…)

      I like the HOT SEARCHES as well

      posted by Limoosh at Monday, May 29, 2006

      [END QUOTE]

      One mistake: “your blog is a book” text link goes to my Vaspers the Grate main page, rather than the specific post of that title. But she did embed the correct post URL in “Blogging Skills Set”.

      Here are two of her poems from her blog. The date stamps link to them.

      [QUOTE]

      Noble

      He’s a noble man
      Who needs to be shrined
      Without a sigh ,
      She could heal a scratch
      Slid there inside
      Wicked this world ,So heartless that girl

      Thursday, April 06, 2006

      Tender

      She is alway there
      I see her glories shine
      With a pure tender heart
      But ignoring is surely
      A skill of her art

      posted by Limoosh at Thursday, April 06, 2006

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3166138

      free computer music CD

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      First wave of mailings should arrive today, you poor misguided guinea pigs.

      My wretched compositions and bizarre balladry will string your notes up like chords of sonic sinews and crusts of acoustic threads.

      There will be no mercy. Either command me to mail it to you for FREE, or do without.

      Adios, amigo.

      VtG

    • #3165922

      blog creativity and Caroliner Rainbow

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Artist: CAROLINER RAINBOW
      Title: The Tee Pee Organs in Revlrie
      Label: P TAPES
      Format: 7″
      Price: $4.00
      Catalog #: P5

      Found a box of this old 7″ from the mid-90s. Comes in an oversized half-hexagon cardboard sleeve. Legitimately zonked space-out gusts of brat-appropriate voidal juice.


      Can you be creative, in a poem, business, marriage, painting, music band, or blog?

      Creative means different … in a good, useful, amusing, or entertaining way.

      While we could say a nuclear bomb is technically “creative”, due to the sporadic brain trauma and evil specializations of its painful artificial birth, we generally reserve the word to ethical, benevolent, or at least non-harming items, like a poem, painting, music composition, clothing fashion, gourmet recipe, or hairstyle.

      Creative people have deliberately cultivated curiosity momentum and exploration skills.

      Creative people are eccentric, don’t fit in, are almost universally known to be reclusive hermits and camera shy.

      Real creative people, unlike Hollywood film “celebrities”, shun publicity, have no wish to be immensely popular, and they even tend to disparage fame and fortune.

      Creativity is originality spontaneously outflowing from the residual catalysis of incalcitrant hard work on the basics and the unresolved questions still remaining in the art genre and media.

      To be musically creative, for example, one must listen to all the pioneering composers, and be familiar with all the bizarre tangents, like Varese, Ussachevsky, Xenakis, and…Caroliner.

      Caroliner is perhaps the most radically strange and difficult to explain musical ensemble.

      I provide a few details about the band sometimes known as Caroliner – The 1800s Singing Bull, I think, or maybe often, quite nicely often (since Googling “caroliner” by itself is a bad idea aid, so one must Google “caroliner rainbow” to get anything on ’em, same at YouTube) Caroliner Rainbow (mp3s of live performace on Cake And Polka blog), just to inspire you in whatever industry, business, hobby, artform, or specialized activity you pursue as a career or as an enjoyment.

      [QUOTE–from web site interview with band member]

      BS: Well the original Singing Bull was from back in the 1800’s, and the whole trip was uh … let’s see.

      To start off, this gal had a singing bull on a ranch. She took it around, it sang all these songs, it could pick up songs, you’d relay these songs to it and then it would get it back to you, it would sing it back to you … like a tape deck… right?

      And then, uh, so what she did is, she took it around, took it to all these mine camps, made a small little amount of money, you know, and entertained people. and took a [ ? ] took it back to the ranch [ ? ]

      Anyway she goes back to the ranch, there’s nothin’ to eat, everything’s gone to hell, there’s no food, nothin’, so she cuts up Caroliner and eats it, wraps it in its own skin and it keeps on singin’.

      And then all the songs are whatever, passed down, and I got ’em.

      They all got copywritten in 1983 when the band first formed, and we’re crankin’ out the albums as soon is everybody has the time to get together and throw ’em together. It’s really hard workin’ with a lot of people.

      The eighth record (“Rings on the Awkward Shadow”) is not gonna be that big of a deal because it’s only like one or two people per song, workin’ on a song, you know, the most being four people per song. So that should be coming out soon hopefully.

      [END QUOTE]

      Bennett Theissen, my junior high till now friend, who lives in Hollywood, says that this 8th album is his favorite, and that it was recorded on a “wire recorder”. Anybody know what that ancient tech is? Anyway, it’s a remarkable album, a double vinyl recording, a 2 record set.

      YouTube has videos by them, or actually, of them performing live in their elaborate costumes that they sing about sometimes.

      I remember several years ago playing “I’m Armed with Quarts of Blood” LP by Caroliner, and re-playing it, over and over, and now look at me. CompuMusik is like a high tech, super computer version of Caroliner and Morton Subotnick.

      Caroliner: a good example of artisitic synergy and focused creativity…and very weird sounds, banjos and electronic noise and high pitched hillbillyish singing. Addictive. Warmly wobbly bubble froth for Singing Bull fanatics.

      Caroliner Rainbow Fact Sheet

      downloaded from ANOMALOUS RECORDS and RRRecords Catalog on the web on oct 27 1995 http://weber.u.washington.edu/~isomorph/anomcat.html 369w


      ANOMALOUS RECORDS

      Caroliner Rainbow Fingers of the Underground & Their Unbreakable Bones “The Sabre Waving Saracen Wall” LP $6.99 strange and abrasive music in handmade cover. (U.S.) CARO 06

      *Caroliner Rainbow Grace Blocks “Rings on the Awkward Shadow” double LP $12.99 unmusical insanity recorded on a wire recorder. very individual hand painted covers. (U.S.) BSR 1

      Caroliner Rainbow Hernia Milk Queen “Rear End Hernia Puppet Show” LP $6.99 soundtrack for tortured Country Westerns played with electric fingernails on a blackboard, feedback, and apples that curse and spit when salted. authentic San Francisco garbage included in these one of a kind, hand assembled boxes. Subterranean Records (U.S.) CARO 01

      Caroliner Rainbow Open Wound Chorale “Rise of the Common Woodpile” LP $6.99 other dimensional cross of the 1800’s and modern noise. hand decorated 12″ x 15″ envelope cover. (U.S.) CARO 03

      Caroliner Rainbow Scrambled Egg Taken for a Wife “Banknotes, Dreams, & Signatures” LP $6.99 a horse named Old Eggwipe, a girl who ate salt pills sewn into her doll’s fingers,_ (U.S.) CARO 07

      Caroliner Rainbow Stewed Angel Skins “I’m Armed with Quarts of Blood” LP $6.99 amplified din mixed with country rant and noise. hand painted advent cover with built in grit. Subterranean Records (U.S.) SUB 69

      Caroliner Rainbow Susans and Bruisins “The Cooking Stove Beast” LP $6.99 abrasive, 19th century in a funhouse mirror with fiddles, banjos, screeching vocals and washed of tortured guitar feedback. (U.S.) CARO 04

      Caroliner Rainbow Wire Thin Sheep Legs Baking Exhibit “Strike Them Hard, Drag Them to Church” LP $6.99 hand printed cover. (U.S.) CARO 05

      Caroliner / Eeyore Ass Guzzler 7″ $3.99 two monsters of contorted psychodeathcountry. elaborate handmade collage cover. Eerie Materials (U.S.)

      from RRR catalogue

      SUBTERRANEAN (USA)

      * Caroliner Rainbow – Bead Trail Jarduin/Cooking Stove Beast – 7″ 4.00

      —————————————————————— ——–

      * Factrix – Scheintot – LP 7.00 * Faxed Head – Show Pride In Coalinga – 7″ 4.00 * German Shepherds – Music For Sick Queers – LP 7.00 * Psyclones – Psyclones – LP 7.00 * Z’ev – My Favorite Things – LP 7.00

      Caroliner Rainbow
      Customary Relaxation
      of the Shale

      “Sell Heal Holler”

      – Horse Cannons
      – The Superflous Snap Pipoes the Veteran Lung
      – My Books a Greased Gray Gift Given in Exchange for Passage Examination
      – The Air Blasted Earth
      – Fly Swarm Around the Angle Corpse
      – Surgur Ax Smiths
      – Damsels In Short
      – Sell Heal Holler
      – The Cellar with the Intestinal Relief

      c. 1995 (CARO 09)

      All Caroliner records have hand made covers and lyric sheets. Your cover may vary.

    • #3165890

      benefit vs exhibit

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      “It’s almost like there’s a record full of incomprehensible bullshit playing in your mind 24/7, and you put the needle down randomly and whatever it picks up, you just type it up…” Maddox, The Pest Page in the Universe.

      Let’s up hope that this is decisively not how you and I write up our blog posts, just typing up any random thing that pops into mind. For that is not a blog. That’s an online diary or digital journal. It’s not a blog.

      Any blogger knows that blogs are for posting information and proclaiming opinions, from the private to the professional.

      Blogs are not “Dear Diary, I did this today.”

      Blogs are “Hello everyone, now let me help you do this today.”

      Blogs can provide real value to our lives when the blogger makes us laugh, excites our curiosity to learn, helps us understand a different point of view, or shows us how to do something useful.

      Self in expression only services self, ego at low tide, and grows in shadows, a mossy moist missing, reductive, anecdotalized, delusional, a polluted mirror of gastrophobic flamboyance.

      You either think of what your readers can benefit from…or you think of what you wish to exhibit to your readers. Is the offer of self of greater value than the absorption of skill?

      Benefit vs. Exhibit: — In our blogs, at least, we hopefully remain forcibly present, while mostly invisible, quieted down, misty, reluctant to “say too much” and thereby communicate nothing at all.

      We need a bit of both, I suppose, Benefit and Exhibition.

      But when we exhibit excessively, the gazes tire and get worn out, jaded, jejune, undernourished, like bald tires rolling sleepily down the asphalt stretched out like eternal lanes to nextuarities.



    • #3164948

      blogocombat: Boing Boing vs. MSM

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      As a gut reaction, I’m cheering on Boing Boing in its battle against a “first blood” manifestation (i.e., the media rep attacked first) of the MSM (mainstream media).

      I’ll delve into this more deeply, but as hardcore bloggers, we must have certain trained reflexes when we leap into some juicy blogocombat zone. This Boing Boing vs. MSM story is really hairy. You can smell the stench of an Old Economy dying and flailing around in its filthy ugly death spasms. Good riddance, I say.

      Boing Boing’s hostile act against a mainstream media player is wonderful, charming blogocombat at its best. The frontal bluntal. Whoooosh. Done. Repercussion injurious, vainglorius, triumphus.

      That’s how you have to fight in blogo-land. Massive, lightning retaliation. As hateful and precise as possible, with no personal emotions, just a professional explosive saber of loathing and domination down upon the opposing, quivering side.

      To give you the big picture, I got an email from Dave today. Yeah, Dave Taylor emails me, and a bunch of other bloggers, when he’s on the soapbox, usually taking an extreme position that is untypical of the blogosphere, and I usually argue against him. That’s how we bond as friends, I suppose. See, blogo-land is vary different from the legendary, semi-apocryphal offline world.

      So to ease things up speedily, I’ll just quote Dave’s entire post, then my clever, alchemy comment in response.

      But my “fear and ignore” verbage comes from Dave’s email to me, in which he says he’s concerned about corporations being repulsed by Boing Boing’s hostile retaliation, since they already fear and ignore the blogosphere.

      Yeah. That’s always been our strategy. Make them fear and ignore us as we dominate the information field with our grassroots web democracy revolution.

      Baker McKenzie Tries to Protect FIFA World Cup So Boing Boing Attacks?

      [QUOTE]

      Let me get this straight.

      Infront Sports & Media, the company that owns the broadcast rights to the most popular sporting event in the world, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, is trying to protect its digital interests by having its law firm, the massive Baker & McKenzie, send out pre-emptive warnings to very popular Web sites about the copyright of said content, and the blogosphere is already turning on the attack?

      Exhibit A: Consider this sophomoric response by Mark Frauenfelder, part of the editorial team at Boing Boing, to what I will conceed is a rather heavy-handed notice: Hideous company sends Boing Boing a pre-emptive nastygram.

      Yes, the letter is heavy-handed, with threats like “you should be aware that Infront and its agents are actively monitoring your website and others to identify unlawful activity…” but I am again dismayed at the reaction to legal and corporate activity in the blogosphere, and from Boing Boing, one of the most popular weblogs on the Internet.

      What bothers me about this situation is that it’s just inevitable that this is going to prove a tinderbox and within 72 hours there’ll be dozens of bloggers following in the footsteps of Boing Boing, trying to humiliate and harass the Baker & McKenzie team, without anyone even bothering to ask what I believe is the key question:

      How do companies protect their content rights online?

      I know that there are organizations like the perhaps even more heavy-handed Motion Picture Association of America who like to sue old ladies and kids who haven’t figured out that illegal downloads are, well, illegal, but at least with the iTunes Music Store and others, there’s some effort in the online community and industry at large to figure out how to create legal movie and video downloads.

      But what of live broadcast? Between TiVO units – and the dozens of digital video recorders ranging from Mac and PC-based solutions to Dish Network and cable TV DVRs – and the seamy world of Bittorrent and the like, it’s usually only a few hours after something is broadcast that it shows up for free download or copying.

      Say what you like, it’s hard to deny that this is actively defrauding the copyright holders and if you had just bid hundreds of millions for the broadcast and later Internet rights to a major event how would YOU work to defend those rights and ensure that you could later monetize that content?

      (Oh, and if you’re like the editors at Boing Boing and just too Americentric to not know the staggering popularity of FIFA World Cup football (think the NBA + the NFL + the Superbowl), here’s just one number to think about: 215 different nations will be glued to their sets, watching the games).

      Maybe the letter from Baker & McKenzie was the legal equivalent of a bull in the proverbial china shop, but I am just plain disappointed that the Boing Boing people have returned fire with its daft threats back to the law firm:

      “Baker & McKenzie, be on alert: henceforth, Boing Boing will be actively monitoring your website to identify dumbass activity and will, if necessary, take appropriate action to point out instances of wasting clients’ money by sending out unnecessary and obnoxious warning letters.”

      In this situation, I am confident that I will be the lone business blogger with this particular viewpoint and that waves of other bloggers will no doubt aggressively attack my position. As a content producer myself, however, I believe passionately in the importance and legality of copyright ownership and want to retain rights to my own works, so I can completely understand the position of Infront Sports & Media.

      If you do disagree, let me ask you a question. What is it that you don’t understand about this situation that you think Boing Boing is acting honorably and appropriately in this situation?

      Posted by Dave Taylor at June 5, 2006 12:10 AM

      COMMENTS

      I want the corporate Enronish world to fear and ignore the blogosphere. I don’t want their wet pants joining the blogosphere and polluting our realm with their DRMs and copyrights and all that crappy Old Economy BS.

      Broadcast vs. podcast/blogcast/webcast.

      Broadcast is dead and is being eaten alive by the geeks. Let’s hasten it on and kick it while it’s down. MSM has lied and bullied people long enough. Now it’s time to destroy them while they’re weak and confused.

      Posted by: Vaspers the Grate on June 5, 2006 08:56 AM

      [END QUOTE]

    • #3164299

      CompuMusik Galaxies CD finished

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      CompuMusik by Steven Streight:

      “Galaxies Who Shaped Our Knowledge”

      Contents:

      [-1-] cherry moon till Vollensparkle (12:49)

      [-2-] return of the lost astronaut (4:00)

      [-3-] galaxies move through us (15:28)

      [-4-] mixed data receptivity with frequency blousing (4:26)

      [-5-] soup up the radioactive marshmallows (11:09)

      Total Time = 47:55

      Five brand-new noise concertos, in an elegant and radiantly new style. Some guitar. Lonely echo-cowboys floating in dark matter globules. Space symphonica. For blankets and horses and meteorites.

    • #3143731

      does your blog have enough hate?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      You are what you hate, but: do you accurately communicate that hatred to your readers?

      Stop. Sorry, but I want to avoid misunderstandings.

      You love some things, right? You love, let’s say, pizza, hot wings, Blue Moon ale, YouTube, Caroliner, and Seinfeld. Wow you’re just like me! So how are you and I differentiated from each other?

      Our uniqueness lies most likely in either our Chief Driving Passions, or in What We Abhor.

      Don’t think, “Hate? People are supposed to be nice. Vaspers is crazy, if not evil.”

      But…what about this? Justice hates unfairness and crime. Truth hates deception. Peace hates violence. Even love hates. What does love hate? Love hates loneliness, non-reciprocity, and betrayal.

      So think about what makes you “you”. It’s what your Chief Driving Passions are…and What You Rage Against, when the situation arises, or a bad memory re-plays itself in your reverie.

      My Chief Driving Passions include avant-garde music, philosophy, digital art, web usability, blogology, gardening, theology, poetry, deconstruction, business communications, and online marketing.

      My Loathings include war, domination systems, religious hypocrisy, user-hostile web design, pseudo-blogs, sexual predators, corporate corruption, and mainstream media.

      When we discuss what we “love”, we usually don’t say much. People either agree or disagree, and keep to their own tastes, no matter how much you rave about something. But when we discuss what we hate, people pay attention, and judge us more on these hatreds.

      We need to hate the correct things, not just anything. My point today is: be bold about it. Find out what needs to be hated, and start hating it. Start destroying it, with whatever you can ethically, legally, and morally do. Actually try to stop war, racism, bad web design, poor usability, whatever you legitimately hate.

      Like if you said you hated men, that would be far more significant than what music you like. Or if you hated Arabs, or Eskimos, or farmers, or politicians…your hatreds say so much more than your loves. Why?

      Because we tend to take for granted the people and things we love, but we’re always pissed off about the things we hate. And we tend to do more about what we hate, than what we love. In hatred, you’re always attacking the enemy. But in love, we rarely cherish, nourish, and protect sufficiently.

      What do you hate?

      How does your blog show it?

      What else are you doing about ruining those things that really deserve to be hated and opposed?

      “All evil needs to triumph…is for good people to do nothing.”

      (“I don’t want to make her angry, I don’t want to rock the boat, I don’t want to jeopardize my job security.” = the pathetic excuses of the gutless enablers of evil and error.)

    • #3143462

      IT strategy, computer cash registers, employee theft

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      IT strategy can do much to prevent employee theft and unauthorized computer cash register transactions. But employees can learn ways to abuse even the best enterprise integrity-monitors and audit-safeguard systems.

      Many companies today use till reconciliations, salesperson productivity reports, post void reports, returns verifications, DKA – double keyholder access (two people being required to enter certain rooms, safes, or intranet pages, which counts on the hope that two people are less likely to conspire than one is to scheme with no partner to quarrel and split booty with), and other measures to comply with stiff new audit rules and honest reporting of business financial data.

      As I relate this little parable, keep in mind the first rule of intranet security: a written policy that is evenly and mandatorily enforced.

      A company issues employee numbers and passwords to the sales clerks in their stores.

      However, this IT strategy, to safeguard and to identify the legal entity making transactions and entering commands to, the company intranet and computer cash register systems, was being hijacked.

      In one case, a store manager attempted to force a first assistant manager to let others use his employee number and password. The store manager had actually written everyone’s employee numbers and passwords on pieces of paper, and taped this list to every cash register in the store. Theoretically, even a customer, especially an ex-employee or a computer cash register-savvy shopper, could see a number and pw, and quickly gain access to “Open Cash Drawer” and other commands.

      Store manager: “You need to display your employee number and password on the cash registers. We do this, because when I reach my daily sales goal, I’ll stop entering sales transactions under my number, and start entering them under yours, to help you reach your sales goals. Why should I keep racking up excessive sales, when yours are languishing? Then you can also do the same for me, whenever you reach your sales goal for the day, you’ll start ringing up sales under my number.”

      But the first assistant manager, in his first few weeks on the job, had already achieved the highest sales and IPG (items per guest).

      The first assistant manager rebelled against this violative number and password sharing procedure.

      “Thanks, but no, I cannot engage in such tomfoolery. I don’t care if some day I get behind in sales. I don’t want you to give me any of your sales. And I don’t feel comfortable with other employees being able to conduct unknown transactions using my codes. This is strictly forbidden by the company policy manual, my initial training by the district manager, and good IT practice.” The guy knows he’s doomed now, a “whistle-blower”, shrouded. Nevertheless, he continues his speech.

      “I was given an employee number and a password to access the computer cash register and company intranet, and do it under my own name, and my name only. I cannot violate company policy and IT strategy, by allowing this display of my codes,” he said, as he ripped his numbers off the cash registers.

      The store was listed in the internal corporate directory as a “valvular branch”, meaning there was a suspicious starting and stopping of cash flow to the corporate treasury, as in the manually manipulated valve of a faucet, someone or ones, stealing money (mostly through FMRCR: false merchandise returns with cash refunds) and product (MUIS: massive unexplainable inventory shortages).

      When he suggested doing his own personal inventory of easily shoplifted items, he was sternly commanded to stop, as it was declared to be unnecessary.

      So he was very alert and sensitive to any other odd goings on. Being analytical by nature, he was easily and readily annoyed and troubled by ethics infractions, policy violations, customer disservice, and canned sales presentations imposed robotically, but theatrically, on every victim of Making Plan frenzy.

      The next day, his numbers were back up, neatly printed by a pen on shiny white paper scrap, and taped to the cash registers. The second assistant manager scolded him, presenting him with more information concerning this little ploy cabal.

      “We need your numbers posted on the cash registers, in case some customer walks in with an item to return, and you were the one who rang up the original sale. We use your employee number and password to ensure that the item is deducted from your salesperson productivity stats. Otherwise, I’d have to use my own codes and the item would be unfairly deducted from my sales.”

      Because the first assistant would not comply with this unauthorized cash register activity, he was fired. The district manager did verify that all this unauthorized cash register activity, including the returns deduction, were definitely contrary to written corporate policy and employee training.

      Now, how would you solve the IT strategy problem presented in clinical detail in the hypothetical instance just described?

    • #3144281

      blog: product of democracy

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      A blog is a product of democracy, not a derivative of the faux inevitability of The Technological Imperative.

      Now, let’s think together, though independently, about the Root of the Blog, its genesis, okay?

      What seed contained the nucleus of the blog?

      Where did the blog, and I mean the very concept, you know:the idea of an easily managed personal web site — where did this thought come from?

      Blogs did NOT come from:

      * technology

      * authority

      * government

      * narcissism

      * self-obsession

      * exhibitionism

      * diarist journalism

      * desire for self-expression

      * need to hook up with others

      * advertising

      * marketing

      * sales

      * religion

      * politics

      * photography

      * motherhood and babies exhibited like objects for kidnap or sale

      * computer gaming

      Nope. None of these things lie at the very bottom of the basis of blogging. So how did all these things enter the blogosphere?

      Well, let me explain this confused mess of ideologies we call the “blogosphere”.

      What caused it? That’s where we begin with any emotion, idea, government, faith, etc. We first inspect the underpinnings, the foundation, the catalyst that made it manifest itself.

      What caused The Blog? Democracy.

      Sure, The Blog needed a certain degree of technology.

      Computers linked, hooked up, connected, networked, relayed, redundanced, nuanced, and sleek with speed over Broadband. Software apps like WordPress, TypePad, Xanga, MySpace, LiveJournal, Metafilter, Blogger, Moveable Type, etc.

      But the cover image of Naked Conversations by my friends Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, which quotes me BTW, has finally made sense: two tin cans connected by a string.

      According to blogology experts, like Doc Searls, Dave Winer, and Rebecca Blood, the first “blog” was a web log, a log or journal of updates concerning the computer realm. The first “blog”: Tim Berners-Lee’s “What’s New” page at CERN in Switzerland.

      So far, it looks like Technological Imperative (that which can be invented, must be invented, and accepted by humanity) at work. But…

      Tim merely wished to share his knowledge with others. He used a frequently update web page to inform his colleagues about new developments in computer technology, servers, software, and other techie geek stuff.

      But did you see that little word “share”? That’s democracy. Authoritarianism has no wish to share anything, but may sell it to certain markets. Tim wanted to share, to communicate with individual human beings, who were necessarily on a level playing field.

      If you had a computer with access to certain networks, you could tool your way to truth, to Tim’s factual, unemotional, non-narcissistic, non-monetized, non-self-expressive BLOG.

      In fact, I think it began with him just trying to update his fellow CERN researchers on new developments on their mutual projects. Later, it branched out to updating anyone on everything computer/technology related.

      Soon, the facts were accompanied by aggressive commentary, despising certain things, raving about other things. Only slowly did a “blog” become defined as simply a personal diary online, which is a fundamental, but incomplete, way to understand the blog.

      But, as I see it, and you may see it differently, since the blogosphere is one big fat Universal Online Democracy…the blog sprang forth from Democracy, Share Economy, and Freedom of Information, borne on the wings of Computer Network Technology.

      Imagine what it would be like to have a computer and be able to visit web sites, but there were no blogs. You could interact only with corporations, religious institutions, governments, and other mythical domination systems — and NOT individual people.

      Do you see the blog in a new light? The blog could be used by a company using the CEO to blog about how great their products are, and try to build an online community around the benefits of a product…but, that’s going to be boring if the CEO has little imagination.

      A blog is really just two tin cans connected by a string, times 30 million or whatever the latest numbers are on how many blogs exist, and confounded by cross-connections and overlap.

      Tyranny hates freedom. Unjust Power fears blogs.

      Notice who in society attacks blogs, and who defends them. You will see a whole panorama of majestic aggression of Domination Systems snarling at the poor humble little weblog, as though a vast assembly of Goliaths needed to band together to squash this mouthy, microscopic blog.

      The last syllable of blog is “og” as in “ugh” or: “we’re not gonna take it anymore, so screw you.” The triumphant cry of Democracy: the Champion of Free Thought.

      “Every revolution has more or less the effect of releasing men to their own conduct, and of opening before the mind of each one of them an almost limitless perspective….

      Everyone then attempts to be his own sufficient guide, and makes it his boast to form his own opinions on all subjects. Men are no longer bound together by ideas, but by interests…”

      — Alexis de Toqueville, Philosophical Method of the Americans, Democracy in America, Volume 2.



    • #3144186

      Chelsea Hotel blog in Vaspers the Grate, then the NY Times

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      [Hotel Chelsea image from NYC Architecture dot Com’s file on Hotel Chelsea ]

      Anonymous Blogger

      to me

      More options 11:20 am(34 minutes ago)

      Hi Steven,

      The blog [Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea]was featured in The New York Times last Sunday. Thanks for being one of our early supporters.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/
      04/nyregion/thecity/04blog.html

      VASPERS/STEVEN: I ran a post about Chelsea blogging (July 2005), then the Living With Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog, around November of 2005.

      It’s a perfect blog in many respects. Its allegiance to the great things and thoughts of past art, of traditional venues, of ancient lore and contemporary power, Living with Legends has finesse and information, packaged soothingly in an adroit personal style.

      I stayed at the Chelsea Hotel once, with my girlfriend Vava Vol, when I lived in NYC. Always wanted to perform live music and release an album “Camouflage Danse (or now, CompuMusik) LIVE at the Chelsea Hotel”, but never did. Hope to some day soon. I love NYC, and Chelsea Hotel, and …

      …this blog. A personal/neighborhood/real estate/arts blog, a weird and wonderful mishmush of private thoughts and local action, within an historic building and delightfully eccentric, bohemian environs.

    • #3143424

      31 new tips on writing a blog post

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog






      31 new tips

      on

      writing
      a blog post:

      (1) Think…deeply…before you write.

      (2) Talk…frequently…about the idea or opinion, before you write.

      (3) Consider reading two or three posts by other bloggers on the subject, to have something to agree or differ with, if you can’t think of your own, spontaneous angle on a topic of interest.

      (4) React to something you saw on TV about blogs, bloggers, or MySpace predators.

      (5) Take a stand on some issue that everybody’s already talking about, not to grandstand and jump on a bandwagon with empty rhetoric and prefab sloganeering…but to use the controversy as a launching pad for your agenda.

      (6) Express your ideas and opinions in a confrontational manner, with a provocative post title.

      (7) Numbers in post titles are good, because they instantly convey concision, brevity, order, organization, intelligence, quick reading, fast absorption, enhanced memorability, and substance.

      (8) Vary your posts as to length: while blogs are good platforms for brief bursts of emotion or insight, some longer essays now and then, with a sidebar link to a defining category, like “Controversial Articles”, will add value to your blog.

      (9) Challenge yourself to do something new.

      (EXAMPLE: It felt very exciting the first time I published a photograph in a post. It was even more fun to discover how to reduce photos and art to sidebar size images, and make these images clickable links to external sites.

      If you need help doing ANYTHING with your blog, please email me or tell me in a comment here.)

      (10) Link to substantiating sources in your posts, other sites or blogs that are authorities on your topic, like a university or government agency.

      (11) Post an instructional how-to, step-by-step article on some skill you have, especially if it deals with blogs or computers.

      (12) Spend a whole day or several, learning about malware, viruses, network security, web services, Web 2.0, CSS, HTML, digital imagery, web design, email writing, safe surfing for children, or some other valuable information, and then write what you learned, or are even still confused about, as a post.

      (13) Invent the title first, then just fill up the post with whatever you can think to say, briefly, about it.

      Like write “16 Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts” with links to the products. Or “7 Ways to Graphically Enhance Your Blog” with step-by-step directions. Or “3 Things I Learned at Doc Searls Weblog”. Or “9 of the Best Blogs in the Blogosphere” with links to, and brief commentary about, each blog.

      (14) Write about an episode or aspect of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” show.

      (15) Write about your opinion of one of Dr. Phil’s remedies for a troubled guest.

      (16) Write about something that happened in your career path, that would astonish, warn, or amuse your readers.

      (17) Write about the characteristics your favorite blogs have in common.

      (18) Quote another blogger, part or all of a post at their blog — add your own commentary or analysis.

      (19) Quote a favorite or random passage from a book — add your own insight or summary of why it means something to you.

      (20) Go to the library or bookstore, find a book that you loved as a child or a student — quote a passage — add your own reflections and observations.

      (22) Go down your blog’s blogroll and visit a blog you list, but have not seen in a while. Quote something from their post — add your own remarks and reactions.

      (23) Ask your readers what they’d like you to blog about.

      (24) Publish a 2 to 5 question email interview with some other blogger who can tolerate your questioning.

      (25) Publish a photo of yourself, only distorted with graphic effect filters, and tell your readers you’re being transformed into a Post Historic Membrane Bluster. Ask for sympathy and link reciprocity.

      (26) Take the goofiest post by a blogger you dislike or disagree with, and write your own parody of it, linking to the original.

      (27) Write something about the history of blogging, from 1992 Tim Berners-Lee’s “What’s New” page to MySpace, with your own slant or viewpoint on the highlights or benefits of blogging.

      (28) Explain to new bloggers how to do some basic things that veteran bloggers take for granted, like sidebar enhancements, RSS, or comment spam prevention.

      (29) Write about why you started blogging, and what keeps you going at it.

      (30) Rave about some new blog you discovered, with images from it, and link to it. Email the blogger to tell them you are promoting them.

      (31) Read some A List, high traffic, or authoritative expert blogs, perhaps by famous authors or celebrities, then write your thoughts about some aspect of the blog, or something you read there.

    • #3143291

      we are the media, we are the content

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      There is much haggling about “new media”, “social media”, “hypermedia”, “we media”, and “me media”.

      Another controversy seems to be “consumer-generated content”, “pre-customized content”, and “content collaboration”.

      Giant media conglomerates and crappy little “blog media networks” are craving something they call “content”. They have a sloppy delivery system ready to screw things up, and now they seek “content” from “content providers” to sling forcefully at a starving-for-content audience.

      But the big explosion has already occurred, and the corporate schmucks didn’t hear the sound of it, nor can they ever make sense of it.

      We, the consumers/creators of content, are bi-polarized and ambivalent toward “product” that companies so desperately cling to and attempt to legalistically protect.

      Sure, we’d like to hear the new music CD by the Invisible Ink Erasers, but we could just download Audacity audio editor and a softsynth, and make our own music.

      Sure, we’d like to read the new novel by Will Self, but we could just create a new blog devoted exclusively, like Cosmos Blogmos, to our own fiction scribblings.

      Sure, we’d like to see the new movie starring Tom Confusin’ and Gina Lust Pruitt, but to hell with those smug fucks, we can get a web cam and webcast our own more clever, surreal, and suspenseful dramas.

      See: we are the media, via our blogs.

      See: we are the content, via our posts.

      We as media, as bloggers with a blog to blog in, sort of become the media, we merge with our blogs and the blogosphere. Other bloggers have worked this theme to death, so I move on.

      We as content, our lives revealed in digital diarist or disguised in fantastic fiction, are what we pump out as content.

      We Are Content:

      (1) Our opinions clever expressed.

      (2) Our research sufficiently source-linked.

      (3) Our comical, satirical attitudes.

      (4) Our “with it” hipness at the cascading tip of the glacial geyser that is digitalized infotainment.

      (5) Our snarly, burly blogocombat tactics and ideological venom.

      (6) Our resistance to opposition forces of political, religious, and commercial domination systems.

      (7) Our ethereal floatings and freezings in the digital effluvium all mortals call the web.

      (8) Our opposition to multi-tiered, hierarchical, unlevel playing-field internets.

      (9) Our zeal for new technology that helps us improve our communications venues (blogs) and expands our site options and benefits for our readers and commenters.

      (10) Our fanatic devotion to Truth, Mutual Understanding, Tolerance, and Cooperation, Self-Expression, Eliminating the Need for MSM, Exposure of Evil, Retaliation Against Enemies, Continual Product Improvement, Managerial Specialization of Web-driven Immaterialism.

      Everything is shifting, away from the MSM (morbid/mainstream media), away from monolithic mind controllers, away from government tyranny, and away from individual powerlessness.

      When we begin materializing our own content, through technological transformation of immaterial ideals and concepts, we are free.

      When we create, distribute, consume, and archive our own content, our own infotainment, what happens to the “celebrities”, the “stars”, the “rock gods”, the “anchors”, the “TV idols”?

      They vanish forever. Good riddance.

      The Current Future of Content:

      Any Content

      Any Amount

      Any Time

      Any Sequence

      Any Format

      Any Place.

      You shall be and have the content you “crave”.

      And where shall the big “content providers” be?

      Nowhere, that’s where.

      It will, if you wish, all be YOU.

      I predict Narcissism will triumph over Exhibitionism.

      Which do you prefer:

      “Let me tell you something about myself, that I’m quite sure you never knew before.”

      OR

      “Let me tell you something about yourself, that I’m quite sure you never realized before.”

      We are curious about other people, but we are most interested in ourselves.

      The subconscious drive under the desire to watch American Idol is the secret wish to destroy what we feel are boring, wretched losers, and to vicariously experience the fame and riches and glamour we suppose will shower down upon the winners.

      [photo at top: carrie snell by carrie snell, omnamaste]

    • #3143247

      banned from an archived web page!

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog






      I got banned, not only from a live site a couple years ago, but from a cached page of the site, as archived by The Way Back Machine .

      At The Way Back Machine, you can type in the URL of any blog or web site, and view what it looked like, the contents, from dates in the past.

      This [blog title deleted] was the first blog I ever visited regularly, and just about the only blog I posted comments on for about 6 months.

      [Blogger name deleted], by his example, taught me all about hardcore blogging and blogocombat, right in his controversial blog.

      It’s where I learned blogocombat, first against [blogger’s name deleted] foes, then, at the very end, against the blogger, my trainer, himself.

      It was a theology blog, and the blogocombat was intense, with trollers, lurkers, and flamers getting crushed on a hourly basis. I was awash in endless volleys of brutal clobberings and ideology demolition explosions.

      I hatefully attacked anyone who attacked my little mentor.

      At times, I “took over” his blog, and got scolded for it, too. But I ascended to the position of #1 commenter by volume. I posted more on his blog than he did, and often I was the only one to comment on a post, or the only one carrying a battle all the way to the bitter end in an argument thread.

      That’s back when bloggers were all tough, dangerous, superhuman. Back when you could type loudly and hysterically at someone for weeks, and yet consider them to be good friends, honorable debate opponents.

      But one day, I could see my guide fizzling out, drained emotionally by the collisions and invasions in his blog, he lived in his blog, and the walls were caving in from continuous bombardment. He got so nutty, he, I claim, invented a fictional comment poster, who complimented his every utterance.

      It was bizarre.

      To sink so low, you invent a fictional character, just to create the appearance of a reader who posts comments that support your opinions and appreciates your observations.

      Anyway, such was my accusation. I posted a comment, finally, when I could stomach it no more: “Why did you feel you had to invent Annie, to applaud your posts, even the ones that depict your hostility to the female gender?”

      See? That was the dead giveaway: this “Annie” post an approving comment, with an animated happy face character clapping happily, to his post where he was bitching about women in general. Not just “yeah some girls are like that”, but much more, excessive praise, not natural.

      So I got banned from even viewing his blog, about an hour later.

      I practically made his blog, and yet: I got kicked out.

      Later, in his “Farewell to Blogging” speech, the final post on his blog, which I was able to read only much later in a Way Back Machine archive, this blogger, who has had the biggest influence on me of any blogger since, he admitted to his life becoming so messed up, his sanity and his physical survival were now in question.

      Fine, I thought. But do you have to be an assneck about it?

      So, when I went to The Way Back Machine, that registry or museum of old versions of web sites, you can even see earlier designs of Vaspers the Grate there, here’s what I encountered, not in all the archived pages of his blog, but in one archive, I believe it was the September 2004 archive:



      [QUOTE]

      Your site/browser or robot has been banned from access to this site.

      This can happen for several reasons:

      • Using a spambot or other malicious bots that have been placed on our ban list.
      • Trolling or otherwise generally annoying behaviour that takes up our bandwidth needlessly.
      • Using an offline browser or a nonstandard browser with no identity. We block offline browsers in order to conserve bandwidth. If you were using an offline browser, you must use a traditional browser (IE, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla, etc.) in order to view the site. We apologize for this inconvenience, but it is necessary to cut down on expenses.

      All attempted access to this site is logged.

      If you feel this ban is in error, you must contact the site administrator by accessing the site using a normal browser, and use our Contact Form to see if the issue can be resolved.

      Otherwise surf elsewhere and bother somebody else.






      [END QUOTE]

      A nasty error message?

      A rude banned notice?

      From an archived web page, a directory of a now defunct blog’s own archives?

      Poor mean old Vaspers: flamed by an error message from an extinct site! Banned by an non-existent blog! That has got to be a First…right?

    • #3145016

      A Family Runs Through It: good example of daddy blogging

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      One of the few blogs brave enough to link to my old blog safety post from Spring 2005, “Dangers of Personal Blogging“, The Old Goat Trail sadly had to close, due to lack of time to maintain it.

      Now you can read insights from Phil of North Idaho, my favorite Daddy Blogger, in A Family Runs Through It.


      [QUOTE from post “Books I Read”]

      My kids are surrounded by books. On the shelves, on the floor, under the bed, they’re everywhere. Just as I planned it when they were young — to make the presence of books and a love for reading a natural part of their lives.


      [END QUOTE]



      Don’t forget to email a land address or PO Box, so I can send you my new CompuMusik CD (containing 9 noise concertos) for FREE: “the void blue human”.

      Also available for FREE:

      Camouflage Danse: “Inside” (available June 2006)
      CompuMusik: “Galaxies Who Shaped Our Knowledge”(available June 2006)

      CompuMusik: “Christian Noise Metaphysics”
      CompuMusik: “Assorted Sound Confusions”
      Camouflage Danse: “Our Sound”



    • #3145017

      content anarchy utopia

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Vaspers commenter and PR consultant Kami Huyse has a terrifically smart post on her Overtone Communications blog.

      Extremely well-written as usual, her post touches the rim of what I have christened the Content Anarchy Utopia, a revolution of freedom, equality, and super-creativity.

      If you read my blog, her blog, or blogs by such marketing gurus as Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Robert Scoble, Shel Israel, John Hagel III, you’ll already know what’s coming, both in this post, and in reality.

      To simplify, I put it this way…


      The 5 “A”s of

      Content Anarchy Utopia:

      * any content

      * any format

      * any amount

      * any time

      * any place

      This is the reality toward which we are racing, armed with blogs, Swicki custom on-site search engines, YouTube video player blog-post embeds, RSS/Atom, tags, trackbacks, email, texting, cell phones, and Google Everything [feel free to add your favorite technologies and companies].

      When I say “any format”, I mean to include any file type, communications device, or delivery system: PDA, PC, cell phone, Blackberry, podcast, mp3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, MPEG, print version book, appliance embed, etc.

      Consumers are now content collaborators, creators, promoters, archivers, and distributors.

      Your blog, for example. You create, promote, distribute your own self-generated content. If it’s good, someday someone will demand to shower you with fame and fortune if you’ll give them exclusive rights or permission to reprint. Or they may hire you to do a TV talk show. Or whatever.

      I distribute this blog via email notification subscriptions, RSS/Atom feeds, my comments at other blogs (not linking, just embedding Vaspers URL in my comment signature), and, very rarely, via a special email notice to select allies, about some earth-shattering grandiose idea I just posted.

      But we are blogging. We are displaying video and providing audio or mp3 links. We are making our own music. Our own movies. Own own CDs of our music. Our own e-books (a project I have to get back to soon).

      We are our own content, our own editor/producer, our own media, our own distributor.

      Soon, we will be able to create nearly everything for ourselves, by ourselves, with assistance from broadband and freeware providers.

      Then, when most things are self-produced and self-consumed, what happens to Psycho Capitalism (the Enron version of Free [albeit deceived] Market Economy)???

      It dies forever. I guarantee it.

      Listen now to Kami, an excerpt from her recent post, “Your Take: PR as Stakeholder Advocates“.


      [QUOTE]

      Right now, social media is mostly a channel disrupter.

      For instance, we can add the delivery of messages through new channels such as blogs, podcasts, wikis and other social media tools like YouTube, Flickr and del.icio.us to our regular lineup of online news, newspapers, radio, television and events.

      But it won?t always be that simple. As RSS starts to become seamlessly integrated with everyday business and online consumer tools, maybe as soon as Microsoft releases Windows Vista next year, a revolution of information will begin and tools such as RSS and OPML will disrupt the planning process as well as the channels, which I expect will continue to evolve.

      While we will need to understand the uses of RSS and other technologies, the average Joe won?t have to.

      Once the average Joe becomes used to collecting and sharing his own data, the job of public relations planning subtly changes to require that the goals of the customer and/or stakeholders become the goals of the organization. Why? Because in order to reach the stakeholder, we will have to be much more targeted in our approach.

      The PR Cycle of the Future?

      * We determine the goals and objectives of our CUSTOMER or STAKEHOLDERS,

      * We act as stakeholder advocates to bring these we create products and services to meet these objectives,

      * We deliver the product through open source channels that allow the consumer full customization,

      * We deliver information about the product/service through channels that allow customers to research our products and services.

      * We go back to the customer regularly (maybe through an automated system or research) to determine what needs to be adjusted,

      * We again act as stakeholder representatives get it done.

      The news tools and standards being developed by people like Steve Gillmor, will make this uber-specialization possible and it will push public relations to become more of a science or perish.


      [END QUOTE]

    • #3144974

      Free mp3s: Inside & Andy Warhol by Camouflage Danse

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Here’s the entire “Inside” session, and one of the very last performances, of me and Bennett Theissen’s old art rock band, Camouflage Danse.  Recorded “live” in June 10, 1987, at Koch’s Soho loft apartment, NYC.

      We began in the distant past in East Peoria, IL, with just Hawaiian wah-wah guitar feedback, acoustic guitars, and Leonard Cohen-esque lyrics…to conclude many aeons later, in a blaze of glory, as an electronic psychedelic industrial space rock jam band.

      Camouflage Danse: An experimental art band of some repute in the East Village/Loisaida art scene spearheaded by Mark Kostabi, Alan Vega, Joey Ramone, Rockets Red Glare, Richard Foreman, Michael Snow, Pyramid Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, WFMU (we did a 2 hour live concert at that East Orange, NJ college station that was favored by the experimentalists), et al.

      This material has just been unearthed, from some faraway vault of a hermit archiver, the original analog cassette tapings. Thus, this is the first time any of this has ever been heard, even by some of us band members. I dimly recall doing this session, and being pleased. Our personal lives were so messed up, we kind of moved on and forgot all about “Inside” session. Now, on the anniversary of its creation, it is my honor to share this with you all.

      Bennett and I consider it one of our best performances ever.  I’m very impressed with his unique ad lib ability. Our music, including lyrics and singing, were spontaneous, unrehearsed, and completely unplanned. Outside a few exceptions, we had no idea what was coming next, lyrically or theatrically, during our public shows and private performances.

      Camouflage Danse performed in New York City at The Knitting Factory, BACA (Brooklyn Academy of Culture and Art), The Brooklyn Armory, Gas, NoSeNo, ReCherChez, Cuando Latino Social Club, WGAF, WFMU (East Orange, NJ Upsalla College station), and various parties.

      Now, you brave guinea pig test subjects…

      Enjoy …

      the Content Anarchy Utopia.

      –you R content–DIY–

      <span >
      <span>FREE, LEGAL mp3s of
      Camouflage Danse:

      </span></span>
      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i01%20Inside%201.mp3″>Inside 1</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 3:36

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i01%20Inside%201.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i02%20Inside%202.mp3″>Inside 2</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 5:51

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i02%20Inside%202.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i03%20Inside%203.mp3″>Inside 3</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 4:48

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i03%20Inside%203.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i04%20Inside%204.mp3″>Inside4</a>&#8221; by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 3:40

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i04%20Inside%204.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i05%20Inside%205.mp3″>Inside 5</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 4:48

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i05%20Inside%205.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/i06%20Inside%206.mp3″>Inside 6</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 5:10

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      i06%20Inside%206.mp3

      <span >
      <span>BONUS TRACKS:</span></span>

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/14%20Andy%20Warhol.mp3″>Andy Warhol</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 10:35

      A free-floating art rock space jazz jam with chemo-tronic string-alongs on troubled soil. I have no idea why co-founder Bennett titled this jam “Andy Warhol”, when we have an actual song by that title.

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      14%20Andy%20Warhol.mp3

      “<a href=”http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/77405/04%20We%20Need%20the%20War.mp3″>We Need the War</a>” by Camouflage Danse.

      Time: 4:47

      http://www.filelodge.com/
      files/hdd4/77405/
      04%20We%20Need%20
      the%20War.mp3

      <span >
      <span >CAMO<span>U</span>FLAGE DAN<span>S</span>E</span></span> was:

      Streight/Vaspers: guitar + effects, synths
      Bennett Theissen: vocals
      Koch: bass
      John Furman: synths
      R. Dee Lloyd: drums

      <span ><span>HOW to SAVE mp3s: </span></span>

      On Windows XP using Firefox browser, I simply right click on the mp3 link, in this case the title “Inside 2” (in blue type), then Save To Disk. I then activate Tools > Downloads for a download monitor-manager so I can see how fast it’s downloading, and can, once finished 100%, click on “Open with iTunes”.

      Your system may be slightly different, depending on OS and music file storage/playback/CD burn system.

      Once you gather all the Camouflage Danse and CompuMusik tunes into your iTunes library, you can create a new playlist, then copy and paste them into CDs to burn.

    • #3145495

      Scoble on blogs and media storms

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog




      Robert Scoble, co-author of Naked Conversations book on business blogging, former Chief Technology Evangelist and Head Blogger for Microsoft, leaves Microsoft

      Robert Scoble suddenly leaves Microsoft, after using blogs AND the blogosphere, by interacting with everyone and anyone in the bizarre wild wild west of blogoland…to the benefit of humanizing and softening public perception of the firm.

      Scoble has proven that a huge corporation can seek, enjoy, and profit from Transparency, Integrity, Candor, Passion, Receptivity, Reciprocity and the many other core values of blogging. Blogging works. Companies who pretend to be clueless are suspected of having something to hide, and no desire to talk to the public about anything.

      I like how Scoble handles his online communications. His move to work for Podtech is good. He will do well.



      But before people start ganging up on Microsoft as Big Bad Business Brother, and speculating about what “really” happened, they should read Naked Conversations.

      That way, they’ll have a deep, insightful view of how Microsoft was served by blogging, by a person like Scoble representing them. By gaining and displaying expertise on business blogging, Scoble and Israel have produced the landmark text to guide and inspire the blogosphere.

      The Red Couch was the original, albeit placeholder, title of the vastly interesting and explosive blog that was blogging about blogging as well as about the book which was about blogs, that was later named Naked Conversations.



      I talked them out of calling it Blog or Die, by reminding them that in some countries, our fellow bloggers blog AND die.

      Now, at Podtech, Scoble will make a gigantic leap in a new and fruitful direction.

      [QUOTE]

      June 12, 2006

      MediaStorm

      [snip–text deleted]

      Yes, Technorati shows that people are indeed blogging too.

      Whew, my head is spinning, there’s so much commentary (mostly nice, but some nasty) that I don’t know what to react to, so I probably won’t for a while and maybe come back to it in a week after it all settles down.

      I am learning a lot about how media storms happen and what can be done about them when they happen (there are some things you can do, for instance by being available to answer rumors ? that’s one reason my cell phone is on my blog.

      Another one? Post fast, post often, and answer the most common questions.

      But, the biggest one? Learn how to hang out with, and talk with, and make friends with bloggers, podcasters, videobloggers, and virtual worlds’ influentials).

      [END QUOTE]



      Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, shown here, promoting their new book on business blogging and blog ethics: Naked Conversations.

    • #3141731

      how girlspoke blogs

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      I don’t know how I blog. I have so many different moods, issues, tirades, fires to put out, animosities to satisfy, and harangues to deliver, it’s hard to say “how I blog”.

      I know one thing: don’t blog with your mouth full.

      And don’t blog about your children, or display their photos on your blog, unless you filter them through effects that will make identification impossible. There are predators out there, stalking sites like yours.

      But how do I do it, blog? How to blog?

      It’s like: A Book on How to Read a Book. Or a phone call that explains how to conduct phone conversations. Or a pencil that’s imprinted with instructions on how to write with a pencil, sharpen it, make corrections with the eraser, and wield it as a weapon in a fight. Or a cow with slaughtering and cooking instructions branded on its hide.

      I give you tips on how to write a blog post, and things like that. But how does a blogger “gear up” to do the arduous chore of blogging? Is there a method? Or is your personality your method? Do you have a methodology?

      These dolls do.

      I suffer myself to deliver the entire post, for clarity, and to entice you to go to Girlspoke and enjoy it face to face. With or without makeup.

      It was Girlspoke, you may recall, that provided a photo, which I then abused, and posted as my “you WILL post comments!” poster, trying to light a fire under the Jack of…never mind. It’s ancient history, with no blog scorching involved.

      How I Blog: Girlspoke Edition

      by Meme, on June 2, 2006


      [QUOTE]

      I’ve been reading some funny stuff over at the Blog Herald, a series called “How I Blog” that asks people to outline their blogging techniques. Well, we here at girlspoke have unique methods that inspire our daily dish.typing.jpg

      For example, when Lo knows her day is coming up she prepares well in advance. Days prior she conducts field market research, usually at local universities and libraries (generally in the public restrooms, both male and female, sometimes in the janitor closet) and it seems this involves copius amounts of Chimay (try Duvel honey, it’s much better). After that she compiles extensive spreadsheets which she distributes at our weekly meetings with an impressive powerpoint presentation. We holler and hoot like the British parliment and she narrows down her topic to the juicy bites you get here every week.

      Now when Casey’s prepping herself she calls her mother then consults her Freudian interpretation manual and is pretty much good to go.

      research-library.gifAs for Jenna, she’s a pickle. Quite literally, she gets out a jar of pickles, consumes all of them in the sexiest manner possible and that’s when she knows she’s ready. It doesn’t end there cause every month she does her world-famous Horospoke? and until now it has been a deeply guarded secret but I am prepared to reveal all. To get herself ready for writing Horospoke? Jenna follows a strict routine: first she boils eggs, then she gently cracks them open?oh, I can’t tell you, but suffice it to say it reads like a chapter from Georges Bataille.

      Heather’s a newbie so we’re just beginning to learn her ticks, I mean habits. She does a funny thing where she puts on a yellow leather body suit and chants kaballah sounding stuff from a little red book (claims she’s channeling her inner-Britney/Mao), but I’m not so sure she does that to prep for writing persay, seems to be more of a pre-date exercise.

      stacks.jpgOh and Rizzo, she does so much research that she’s still researching her second post.

      It is rumored that Betty actually dictates her posts to her boyfriend who eagerly types away while shaving her legs, serving her chocolate dipped strawberries and constantly refilling her champagne glass. That’s what I heard, don’t quote me.

      As for me, well I’m a pretty simple gal. I get my laptop, queue up the girlspoke admin page, and get naked. Doesn’t take much more than that to get the proverbial juices flowing.

      And there you have it folks. This is how we blog. Thank you and good night.


      [END QUOTE]

      Now, has this inspired you to describe How [You] Blog?

      How DO you blog? In what mode or manner do you blog?

      How do you get up the verve and vim to post daily?

      Have you ever kept a paper diary or journal? How long ago?

      What is up with you and blogging? What made you decide to post something today? What is your momentum based upon? Where does your blog energy come from, from what does it derive?

      What is the source and style of your blog power?

    • #3164877

      of paralyzed browsers and vanishing script permission bars

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Here are the screwed up problems I’m dealing with today, which show my ignorance or how primitive this whole internet, web, and blog mesh is.

      Anybody know why,
      [Problem #1]
      when I start up my Internet Explorer (IE), Opera, and Avant browsers, they can’t find the servers for Vaspers the Grate, Chartreuse, or other quality blog objects? But my minimized Firefox rendering of Vaspers the Grate is fully alive, no disappearing server problem.

      Thus: Firefox can surf the net, but IE, Opera, and Avant are completely paralyzed?

      Why did I need to launch IE, Opera, then Avant browsers?

      Because
      [Problem #2]
      Firefox, which was worthless and crash-prone a few months ago, even though it’s behaving more reliably, suddenly decides it cannot read my Blogger/Blogspot word verification in the comment posting field. All I see is “visual verification” in text, no captcha box with letters in it. So I can’t post comments to my own blog, for a while, then I can.

      Next,
      [Problem #3]

      Firefox suddenly decides it can’t display the Script Permission Bar, which forbids or permits scripts from various sources on a web site. Why is this a big deal, that it does not display?

      Because
      [Problem #4]
      I can’t upload any mp3 files to Filelodge, their web site asks me to permit javascript, but my Firefox Script Permission Bar has vanished, with all scripts forbidden by default.





    • #3164878

      of paralyzed browsers and vanishing script permission bars

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Here are the screwed up problems I’m dealing with today, which show my ignorance or how primitive this whole internet, web, and blog mesh is.

      Anybody know why,
      [Problem #1]
      when I start up my Internet Explorer (IE), Opera, and Avant browsers, they can’t find the servers for Vaspers the Grate, Chartreuse, or other quality blog objects? But my minimized Firefox rendering of Vaspers the Grate is fully alive, no disappearing server problem.

      Thus: Firefox can surf the net, but IE, Opera, and Avant are completely paralyzed?

      Why did I need to launch IE, Opera, then Avant browsers?

      Because
      [Problem #2]
      Firefox, which was worthless and crash-prone a few months ago, even though it’s behaving more reliably, suddenly decides it cannot read my Blogger/Blogspot word verification in the comment posting field. All I see is “visual verification” in text, no captcha box with letters in it. So I can’t post comments to my own blog, for a while, then I can.

      Next,
      [Problem #3]

      Firefox suddenly decides it can’t display the Script Permission Bar, which forbids or permits scripts from various sources on a web site. Why is this a big deal, that it does not display?

      Because
      [Problem #4]
      I can’t upload any mp3 files to Filelodge, their web site asks me to permit javascript, but my Firefox Script Permission Bar has vanished, with all scripts forbidden by default.





    • #3164590

      Who are the Ursulines of Technology?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Who is carrying the towering torch, the enlightening lamp of universal web democracy and content anarchy utopia? Who defends the blogosphere from hostile forces and enemy combatants? Who educates and cares for new or younger bloggers?

      Who is the Perseus of the blogosphere?



      The one who cuts off the Medusa head of MSM information hegemony? Who does that? Who shows us how to do it? I’m hoping that I’m a blog Perseus in training, as we all should be.

      What group of computer specialists, video bloggers, and podcasters is forming in an unconventional order, a break from society, withdrawn, morose, scheming and dreaming?

      Who are our leaders? Our role models?

      Our stars, in the sense not of celebrity, but of guidance and inspiration?

      Who are the Usulines of technology?





      The Ursulines, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.


      [QUOTE]

      St Angela Merici founded the Company of St Ursula (Brescia, Italy in 1535) for the instruction, education and protection of young girls.

      Not a religious institute, it drew women who made a vow of chastity and lived together as a family (a novel arrangement for young women in those days).

      Of various canonical natures, these foundations continued as monasteries and congregations, and all claimed connection with the founder and called themselves Ursulines.

      Today, therefore, we find enclosed nuns (some living in centralized institutes, some not), sisters (living in about 60 religious congregations) and secular Ursulines (most of them living in companies of St Ursula, as in the 16th century).

      The Ursulines who came to Qu?bec in 1639 with the blessed MARIE DE L’INCARNATION were enclosed nuns. Having spread throughout French Canada, they now live in an institute which had 535 members in 1996 (down from 675 members in 1986). There are also the Ursulines of Chatham (1860), Prelate (1912), Bruno (1913), Tildonk (1914) and the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (1920).

      Author MICHEL TH?RIAULT


      [END QUOTE]

      I think of the blogosphere as an Urusuline-like grouping of people who have an almost spiritual devotion to blogging as a communication and collaboration platform. We gather as online communities, and we unite and act in unison. We pass messages back and forth in multiple channels, not just our blogs.

      So, like an Ursuline hermitage, we are strict about blogging practices, and yet we have no central faith beside a belief that blogging is good for us, our readers, and humanity in general. We do have an official blogger uniform, consisting of tee shirts and sweatpants…or, for the fundamentalist purists, blogger pajamas.

      The blogosphere is a type of enclave, a monastic idealism ringing through it like prayer bells and freedom chimes. It contains devotees, disciples, missionaries for the cause of the Open Information World with Absolute Switched-On User Empowerment.

      There is an immaterialism dimension to blogging that few blogologists discuss.

      We examine it here, at Vaspers the Grate, as a team, we peer into such things.

      A non-physical aspect to blogs, what could be more natural than that? It’s purely scientific, this notion of a digital effluvium, an ethereal something that connects you to your blog and the blogosphere, even when you’re away from your computer.

      There is that blogistical “pull” that makes you return to your blog, to post a new essay, or to reply to some comments. It makes you miss the blogosphere when you’re off camping, hiking, barbecuing, or gardening. That “gravitational force” or “centrifugal force”, the energy of the spinning sphere full of blogs, it has its hooks in you.

      Also: that strange sense of your blog being your surrogate, doppelganger, your twin, your double, a representative…of what? A part of one of you, perhaps?

      Who can help us understand such things? Who has the cloistered contemplative insight that will awaken us to the historic and metaphysical nature of blogging? Who can explain to us the energy of blogging and its effects?

      Who can predict the future of blogging? Who is sending healing harmonics through the blogosphere, balancing its wavelengths, cleaning its wounds, nursing it to health?

      Who are they then? The Ursulines of technology?



    • #3155687

      guide to writing forum topic titles

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Why do many forum topic titles suck?

      They’re too vague or emotionally upset (like “This SUCKS!!!!” — what sucks? calm down and communicate like a civilized robot, please).

      Forum topic titles that are atrociously mysterious, about as clear as mud, serving as headings for forum questions — these forum posts are going to be ignored.

      Poorly written forum topic titles lack information that could help a reader identify the exact problem. Thus, many experts will pass by the titles, not pausing to read and post a reply to solve the problem.

      Why are titles often poorly written? The reason? Narcissistic myopia. The author cannot see beyond his own understanding and needs. There is a massive failure to connect with other people and their feelings. The author of the title is too self-centered, and assumes too much, perhaps that others can Read His Freaking Mind?



      Few of us are qualified mind-readers. Craft your title carefully, so it makes sense to someone else. Put yourself in another person’s shoes, a complete stranger, for a minute.

      Stop and think: “How can I best communicate exactly what I’m asking here, so someone who knows nothing about me or my situation can attempt to provide a specific answer for me?”



      Sure, those who reply to your topic thread title may ask you more questions, to further refine your query or complaint. Always click on “Subscribe to Replies to my post” or “Notify me when someone answers my post” or however it’s worded. Then, you’ll get an email alerting you to the fact that someone just posted some reply to your question in the forum.




      Topic Title Writing Guide

      (1.) Write the topic any which way, in an outburst of prose, compose it as stupidly or clumsily as you wish.

      You need something to look at, something tangible and legible, to start improving.

      Thoughts are too mercurial and dis-memorable. Write anything, just to get the momentum going.

      How would you express the problem to a random person on the street?

      (2.)
      Ponder. Stare at that statement you wrote. Could any computer savvy stranger know instantly what you really mean?

      What is unclear? What is assumed? What is missing? How could this title be misunderstood? What basic background info would an expert need, like version number or model or brand?

      (3.) Keep topic title as short as possible, but still retain the core message and details.

      NOTE: If your title is too long, it may be truncated, i.e., chopped off at the end, in the forum topic thread display panel, so make sure the heavy duty info is at the beginning of the title.

      (4.)
      Compare your revised title with other forum titles. See how many are muddy, uncertain, vague, inexact, puzzling, completely idiotic, emotional outbursts, etc.

      (5.) Make sure yours shouts out exactly what the hell is going on and what your specific problem seems to be.


      A Real Life EXAMPLE:



      I’m at the MozillaZine forum, at the “Firefox bugs” topic page.

      My Firefox browser problem is: the “script permissions bar” has vanished, but all scripts are forbidden. I cannot Permit a script, for example, to Delete Post at my TechRepublic IT blog, nor can I upload music mp3 files to Filelodge, etc.

      I scan the titles of forum topic threads in this subsection of the MozillaZine forum. The first one I see is “JAVA not working”. That’s close. I post a reply and send a private message to 360 Bikers, the person who posted this bug question.

      But, to be aggressive, I start my own topic thread.

      Here are some actual topic titles currently at this forum, under “Firefox bugs”. Judging only from the title itself, how many of these could you provide the answer or solution to? Without even reading the post!!!???

      A good forum topic title could be enough in itself for an expert or experienced user to reply to with a good answer, but that can’t always be the case with complex issues.



      Which of these titles enable you to know, at least basically, what’s wrong?

      Which of these titles could be about a million different things?




      Actual Forum
      Topic Titles
      at MozillaZine:

      [A] Read before reporting bugs!

      [B] JavaScript permission bar disappears: scripts forbidden

      [C] JAVA No Longer Works

      [D] wide tables not display cells properly

      [E] STILL can’t download files when clicking a link!?

      [F] Memory consumption…

      [G] Unable to send talkback crash data

      [H] is this a firefox bug or an html problem?

      [I] proxy type

      [J] Function for install handler correct? Mozilla can read this?

      [K] No small update patches?

      [L] Couple problems I’ve encountered with 1.0.3

      [M] 1.5.0.4 cursor blinks

      N][ Tab Windows Disappears

      [O] Overflow

      [P] WMV plugin for Firefox breaks TMPG Enc. 3.0 XPress

      [Q] MacBook: Dual Display: Address Bar Problem

      [R] Linus select: focus css tag causes multiple clicks

      [S] Crash causes Firefox to lose bookmarks and not save changes

      [T] no response (hang)

      [U] can’t change the size…

      [V] inconsistency in context menus

      [W] strange behaviour with rss file?

      [X] Firefox has created a blank area on the bottom of my browser

      [Y] someone asserted me that this bug would be fixed in 1.5.0.4

      [Z] same problem, again…



      While most of these titles are fairly good, and some are superior, do you notice a few that say practically nothing?

      Which ones would you click on right now?

      Which ones are interesting, weird, funny, or may contain problems you also have, or know how to solve?



      Think deeply and hard when you write your micro-content: forum topic thread titles, email subject lines, blog post headings.

      And make the first sentence of the text ZOOM right in on the core issue, the root, the actual problem as it presents itself now.



      If you don’t know the correct term, make up something that communicates the idea.

      Like “script permission bar”. I think the actual Firefox Extension is called “No Script”.





    • #3155688

      guide to writing forum topic titles

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Why do many forum topic titles suck?

      They’re too vague or emotionally upset (like “This SUCKS!!!!” — what sucks? calm down and communicate like a civilized robot, please).

      Forum topic titles that are atrociously mysterious, about as clear as mud, serving as headings for forum questions — these forum posts are going to be ignored.

      Poorly written forum topic titles lack information that could help a reader identify the exact problem. Thus, many experts will pass by the titles, not pausing to read and post a reply to solve the problem.

      Why are titles often poorly written? The reason? Narcissistic myopia. The author cannot see beyond his own understanding and needs. There is a massive failure to connect with other people and their feelings. The author of the title is too self-centered, and assumes too much, perhaps that others can Read His Freaking Mind?



      Few of us are qualified mind-readers. Craft your title carefully, so it makes sense to someone else. Put yourself in another person’s shoes, a complete stranger, for a minute.

      Stop and think: “How can I best communicate exactly what I’m asking here, so someone who knows nothing about me or my situation can attempt to provide a specific answer for me?”



      Sure, those who reply to your topic thread title may ask you more questions, to further refine your query or complaint. Always click on “Subscribe to Replies to my post” or “Notify me when someone answers my post” or however it’s worded. Then, you’ll get an email alerting you to the fact that someone just posted some reply to your question in the forum.




      Topic Title Writing Guide

      (1.) Write the topic any which way, in an outburst of prose, compose it as stupidly or clumsily as you wish.

      You need something to look at, something tangible and legible, to start improving.

      Thoughts are too mercurial and dis-memorable. Write anything, just to get the momentum going.

      How would you express the problem to a random person on the street?

      (2.)
      Ponder. Stare at that statement you wrote. Could any computer savvy stranger know instantly what you really mean?

      What is unclear? What is assumed? What is missing? How could this title be misunderstood? What basic background info would an expert need, like version number or model or brand?

      (3.) Keep topic title as short as possible, but still retain the core message and details.

      NOTE: If your title is too long, it may be truncated, i.e., chopped off at the end, in the forum topic thread display panel, so make sure the heavy duty info is at the beginning of the title.

      (4.)
      Compare your revised title with other forum titles. See how many are muddy, uncertain, vague, inexact, puzzling, completely idiotic, emotional outbursts, etc.

      (5.) Make sure yours shouts out exactly what the hell is going on and what your specific problem seems to be.


      A Real Life EXAMPLE:



      I’m at the MozillaZine forum, at the “Firefox bugs” topic page.

      My Firefox browser problem is: the “script permissions bar” has vanished, but all scripts are forbidden. I cannot Permit a script, for example, to Delete Post at my TechRepublic IT blog, nor can I upload music mp3 files to Filelodge, etc.

      I scan the titles of forum topic threads in this subsection of the MozillaZine forum. The first one I see is “JAVA not working”. That’s close. I post a reply and send a private message to 360 Bikers, the person who posted this bug question.

      But, to be aggressive, I start my own topic thread.

      Here are some actual topic titles currently at this forum, under “Firefox bugs”. Judging only from the title itself, how many of these could you provide the answer or solution to? Without even reading the post!!!???

      A good forum topic title could be enough in itself for an expert or experienced user to reply to with a good answer, but that can’t always be the case with complex issues.



      Which of these titles enable you to know, at least basically, what’s wrong?

      Which of these titles could be about a million different things?




      Actual Forum
      Topic Titles
      at MozillaZine:

      [A] Read before reporting bugs!

      [B] JavaScript permission bar disappears: scripts forbidden

      [C] JAVA No Longer Works

      [D] wide tables not display cells properly

      [E] STILL can’t download files when clicking a link!?

      [F] Memory consumption…

      [G] Unable to send talkback crash data

      [H] is this a firefox bug or an html problem?

      [I] proxy type

      [J] Function for install handler correct? Mozilla can read this?

      [K] No small update patches?

      [L] Couple problems I’ve encountered with 1.0.3

      [M] 1.5.0.4 cursor blinks

      N][ Tab Windows Disappears

      [O] Overflow

      [P] WMV plugin for Firefox breaks TMPG Enc. 3.0 XPress

      [Q] MacBook: Dual Display: Address Bar Problem

      [R] Linus select: focus css tag causes multiple clicks

      [S] Crash causes Firefox to lose bookmarks and not save changes

      [T] no response (hang)

      [U] can’t change the size…

      [V] inconsistency in context menus

      [W] strange behaviour with rss file?

      [X] Firefox has created a blank area on the bottom of my browser

      [Y] someone asserted me that this bug would be fixed in 1.5.0.4

      [Z] same problem, again…



      While most of these titles are fairly good, and some are superior, do you notice a few that say practically nothing?

      Which ones would you click on right now?

      Which ones are interesting, weird, funny, or may contain problems you also have, or know how to solve?



      Think deeply and hard when you write your micro-content: forum topic thread titles, email subject lines, blog post headings.

      And make the first sentence of the text ZOOM right in on the core issue, the root, the actual problem as it presents itself now.



      If you don’t know the correct term, make up something that communicates the idea.

      Like “script permission bar”. I think the actual Firefox Extension is called “No Script”.





    • #3155637

      vaspers is topic at 1938 Media vlog

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      “The Australian Blog Mafia and Vaspers the Grate”

      by Lauren Feldman of 1938 Media.

      * “one of the trippiest blogs I’ve come across…marketing…electronic music…”

      * “he sees blogging as life-changing, life-affirming”

      * “It’s wild. Truthfully, half the time I can’t understand what I’m reading. I like it though, I like it a lot. It’s got passion and great terms like blogocombat…it’s

    • #3155384

      Krugle, programmers search engine, is now LIVE

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      From my inbox, a communique from the Other Side, the Cluetrain Gonzo realm of Christopher Locke, disguised as his Entropy Gradient Reversals newsletter.

      The announcement: Krugle Goes LIVE!

      [QUOTE]

      Valued Readers,

      When I’m not thinking up weird stuff to jam into your Inbox or posting to Mystic Bourgeoisie, I earn a living thanks to two wonderful patrons.

      One, who has been exceedingly patient with my glacial level of output lately, is J.P. Rangaswami of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, who is not half as confused as he lets on. Check that link if you don’t believe me. Or even if you do.

      The other is Krugle, the fantastic group of folks (they truly are) who have created a new search engine for open source code. Big news from there today. As of 5:47 this afternoon, Krugle search is up and running. If you do anything at all with software at the code level, you’ll definitely want to check it out. Or even if you don’t.

      Please tell your friends about my friends. That way I can afford to keep jamming your Inbox with weird stuff.

      Thank You,

      The Management
      cc: clocke/RB

      [END QUOTE]



      What are you waiting for geek?

      “Krugle is unique in that it finds code in repositories, archives, and online documents.

      It’s a new way for developers to find and share technical information about code.”

      Give it a test spin now, while I finish the rest of your pizza for you. You’ll thank me later, when you’re in a programming code jam.



    • #3154861

      4 blog sidebar tips

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      (1) Wise Up and Get In.

      Learn how to go to your blog platform’s Dashboard, or Control Panel, or Administrative Page, or whatever they call the content management functions. Where you can create new posts, edit posts, upload images, and do other maintenance on your blog.

      Look at the part of the Template that says Sidebar Content, or similar. This is your work location, I hope you packed a lunch.

      Delete those stupid “Edit-Me”s in your new Blogger blog. Go into the Change Settings, then Template, find the code for those “Edit-Me”s, highlight that code, and backspace or delete it.

      Once you get into this command center, and know how to do such simple basic coding, we’re ready to go.

      (2) Make a Sidebar Wish List.

      Start by making notes on what you ideally want to have in your sidebar, even if you have no idea how to find or add them to your blog. Just make a list, first. The list will enable you to collect your random concepts and memories of what you’ve admired at other blogs.

      Email me and I’ll help you do what you want in your sidebar. Plus, there are books and blogs and web sites that have advice, tutorials, and instructions for HTML, CSS, web design, and usability.

      (3) Strategize Your Sidebar.

      What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?

      I make my own sidebar graphic “badges” and images to try to convey my expertise, usually in an absurd, playful self-parody (“blogospheric Perseus”).

      You could use your sidebar as a side show, a film almost, like a movie, but it tells a marginal story, a river of symbols and statements that you wish to have permanently in view of all readers, as they scroll down to see it.

      Begin with your total blog purpose, which revolves around your passion, product, or personality… your issue, cause, or line of business.

      Is this purpose clearly stated in your blog sidebar, do you say you’re an auto manufacturer, media network consultant, gardening expert, blogologist, marketing pro, artist, poet, musician, or whatever?

      Make your sidebar be an alternate salespitch, catalog, or showcase.

      Mostly, you’re selling yourself first,

      and only secondarily what you know or can do.

      (4) Prioritize the Sidebar Elements.

      One simple ordering of sidebar elements might look something like this:

      Blog or Your Name, visitor counter, slogan or single sentence description of what your blog is all about, feedURL, contact info, profile/about/bio statement, recent posts list, archives list, issue badges, photo gallery link, links to your other sites, special blogroll, glossary link, controversial posts list, RSS/Atom/Email subscription functions, feedrolls, general blogroll.

      You have to figure out your own unique strategy: what should come first in your sidebar, what’s most important for your readers to know, to view, or to do.

      Look at a lot of high quality blogs, and jot down any ideas you like. Ask yourself why they do what they do in their sidebars, what they may be trying to accomplish, and if you could learn from what they do.

      Do you want CoComments, feedrolls (like Digg or Lockergnome), RSS/Atom feed subscriptions buttons, a blogroll (not all blogs have them), any political causes you want to promote in a badge?

      If you have a blogroll, what will determine who you put on it? Your friends only, or even competitors and “the other side”, because they could benefit your audience?

      Learn a bit of HTML …

      so you can make saved, sized images clickable links, like I do with many of my images. This makes them graphic links, that are easier to identify and click than plain text links.

      NOTE: The most important thing you can do in your sidebar is appear legitimate.

      You do this, you gain precious credibility with your audience, by having your real name, a direct contact method (like email, Skype, land address, PO Box), and some biographic credentials, who the hell are you…and why should we care?

      Establish trust, user orientation, blog purpose or personality, and content description…right off the bat, up front.

      Web users judge a new site in a few seconds…by the first quick impression it makes visually. Then, if they feel comfortable, or recognize your name or logo, they may inspect your text, looking for relevant information or satisfying entertainment.

      Your sidebar can help keep new readers in your site, long enough for you to make a lasting impression on them, when you follow these simple rules.



    • #3154862

      4 blog sidebar tips

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      (1) Wise Up and Get In.

      Learn how to go to your blog platform’s Dashboard, or Control Panel, or Administrative Page, or whatever they call the content management functions. Where you can create new posts, edit posts, upload images, and do other maintenance on your blog.

      Look at the part of the Template that says Sidebar Content, or similar. This is your work location, I hope you packed a lunch.

      Delete those stupid “Edit-Me”s in your new Blogger blog. Go into the Change Settings, then Template, find the code for those “Edit-Me”s, highlight that code, and backspace or delete it.

      Once you get into this command center, and know how to do such simple basic coding, we’re ready to go.

      (2) Make a Sidebar Wish List.

      Start by making notes on what you ideally want to have in your sidebar, even if you have no idea how to find or add them to your blog. Just make a list, first. The list will enable you to collect your random concepts and memories of what you’ve admired at other blogs.

      Email me and I’ll help you do what you want in your sidebar. Plus, there are books and blogs and web sites that have advice, tutorials, and instructions for HTML, CSS, web design, and usability.

      (3) Strategize Your Sidebar.

      What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?

      I make my own sidebar graphic “badges” and images to try to convey my expertise, usually in an absurd, playful self-parody (“blogospheric Perseus”).

      You could use your sidebar as a side show, a film almost, like a movie, but it tells a marginal story, a river of symbols and statements that you wish to have permanently in view of all readers, as they scroll down to see it.

      Begin with your total blog purpose, which revolves around your passion, product, or personality… your issue, cause, or line of business.

      Is this purpose clearly stated in your blog sidebar, do you say you’re an auto manufacturer, media network consultant, gardening expert, blogologist, marketing pro, artist, poet, musician, or whatever?

      Make your sidebar be an alternate salespitch, catalog, or showcase.

      Mostly, you’re selling yourself first,

      and only secondarily what you know or can do.

      (4) Prioritize the Sidebar Elements.

      One simple ordering of sidebar elements might look something like this:

      Blog or Your Name, visitor counter, slogan or single sentence description of what your blog is all about, feedURL, contact info, profile/about/bio statement, recent posts list, archives list, issue badges, photo gallery link, links to your other sites, special blogroll, glossary link, controversial posts list, RSS/Atom/Email subscription functions, feedrolls, general blogroll.

      You have to figure out your own unique strategy: what should come first in your sidebar, what’s most important for your readers to know, to view, or to do.

      Look at a lot of high quality blogs, and jot down any ideas you like. Ask yourself why they do what they do in their sidebars, what they may be trying to accomplish, and if you could learn from what they do.

      Do you want CoComments, feedrolls (like Digg or Lockergnome), RSS/Atom feed subscriptions buttons, a blogroll (not all blogs have them), any political causes you want to promote in a badge?

      If you have a blogroll, what will determine who you put on it? Your friends only, or even competitors and “the other side”, because they could benefit your audience?

      Learn a bit of HTML …

      so you can make saved, sized images clickable links, like I do with many of my images. This makes them graphic links, that are easier to identify and click than plain text links.

      NOTE: The most important thing you can do in your sidebar is appear legitimate.

      You do this, you gain precious credibility with your audience, by having your real name, a direct contact method (like email, Skype, land address, PO Box), and some biographic credentials, who the hell are you…and why should we care?

      Establish trust, user orientation, blog purpose or personality, and content description…right off the bat, up front.

      Web users judge a new site in a few seconds…by the first quick impression it makes visually. Then, if they feel comfortable, or recognize your name or logo, they may inspect your text, looking for relevant information or satisfying entertainment.

      Your sidebar can help keep new readers in your site, long enough for you to make a lasting impression on them, when you follow these simple rules.



    • #3154779

      remove

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      remove

    • #3268622

      remove

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      xxx

    • #3268535

      slits. spacemen 3. tangerine dream. the fugs. 13th floor elevators.

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      The Slits
      “Jubilee” (1978)

      You wanna see real, authentic, oldschool Grrrl Punk? Here it is. Back when girls had guitar power and got freaky with it. Lov watching the ladies destroy the car, but: the demolition sounds are a musical performance. Those smashing and wrenching sounds are a song! I said so!

      Spacemen 3
      “Walking With Jesus”

      A more contemporary Velvets like band.

      Tangerine Dream
      “Structural Ambientalism”

      One of the early electronic music pioneers, Tangerine Dream. A band whose first few albums, IMHO, are pretty good: especially “Zeit” and “Atem”. This is from a very early period, probably 1973.

      The Fugs
      “Crystal Liaison” (1968)

      The East Village hippie satire band. Swedish television performance. Very sarcastic anti-New Age anti-Mysticism for Profit protest song.

      13th Floor Elevators
      “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (1968)

      Nice performance by acid casualty Roky Erikson and his band, which was strange psychedelia, aside from this more commercial type song.

    • #3268533

      silver jews. rene vis. chenard. suburban kids with biblical names.

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      The Silver Jews
      “How Can I Love You
      (If You Won’t Lie Down)?”

      This is like Pavement meets The Fugs. Another therapeutic band. I wish all music videos were this insane.

      Begins with “fast cars, fine ass, these things will pass” and “time is a game only children play well”. That lady is boss! With distortion pedal banjo?

      The flagellant bit at the end is effete psychology. Let’s muscle up another poem, dill boy! This band may be dangerous. I’m addicted to this Perfect Music Video.

      Silver Jews
      “Sleeping is the Only Love”

      Uh oh. I see a trend, a train of thought, a logical conclusion: 1. Lie down and let me love you, 2. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, 3. “How was it for you?”

      You will not live until tomorrow, unless you watch this now, that’s how vital and upsetting it is! A charming country bar love ballad by a lazy, drowsy bloke.

      “a box of candy or a foot massage, some people don’t take the time”. Blushy stuff.

      Silver Jews
      “Punks in the Beerlight”

      With lyrics like “let’s not kid ouselves, it’s really really bad” and “I loved you to the max”, plus sloppy theology like “Adam and Eve were Jews”, this satire rock band may make even Tuli Kupferberg and Ed Sanders laugh until they tinkle in the dinkle.

      FREE: short length version of full length nuclear weapon wild west post-apocalyptic “action” movie, with lust and trust! Must be seen to be unbelieved! You heathen dork!

      Rene Vis
      “Back to Radio”

      A music video that says “let’s get back to radio” and “music’s made to listen to”. Will internet radio kill the commercial video stars? Let’s hope so.

      From the Netherlands. Pass the honey-roasted hope stars, please. Kick em to the cul-de-sac curb, Rene!

      Chenard Walcker & Roy Chicky Arad
      “Maayan” (in a Jerusalem pub, Israel 2006)

      Someday, I’ll make cut & paste lounge trip as good as these guys. Chair dancing at its finest! Disgrunt?

      Suburban Kids with Biblical Names
      “Rent a Wreck”

      A battle of the Pseudo Religious Bands: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names vs. Silver Jews vs. Spiritualized vs. God Street Wine vs. The Sicilian Vespers vs. The Part-time Christians vs. Nirvana vs. Bardo Pond vs. New Bible Heroes vs. Jesus & Mary Chain vs. Ministry vs. Judas Priest?

      Talk about multi-tasking: eating a bowl of cereal while ironing? Shaving in the shower while brushing your teeth? And I thought I invented these skills. Must be seen before you die, or you’ll be forced to watch it in hell for all eternity!

    • #3268534

      crypto blogging, er, blobbing

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      Crypto blobbing is to deviate from mutual understanding in the interest of an elite corps of insouciant intelligentsia, the carefully self-chosen few, who can noodle a bit a two-banana, and decode the communique.

      For others, who will be annoyed and impatient, the text just sits there, like a blob. Meaning-free and floating randomly like crazy. “This is stupid,” they say. “If your right hand offends you, cut it off. Desire is desire of the Other. Makes no sense. Nuts,” they proclaim boisterously.

      And they leave, thinking you can’t talk very well, and thinking they’re smarter. So you are spared a Judas or sandbag mediocrity who hates poetry, rigorous imaginative mind training, and hermeneutics.

      Crypto blobbing is to use a blog for muddying the communication waters and wires, until the truth that needs to hide and move under the radar can be revealed in a clandestine cloister for a small circle of fully indoctrinated devotees.

      Crypto blobbing is writing in a deliberately befuddled, evasive, implicit manner, in a blog post, to send a signature event to loyal flagellites.

      Like parables, or esoteric whisper-transmission teachings.



    • #3270720

      cutting a path with your blog

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      Wild. Tangled. Hostile.

      Those words describe both the natural wilderness of unmolested forest and desert regions … and the digital landscape of the blogosphere.

      The blogosphere is so Wild, Tangled, and Hostile, many business leaders and CEOs are scared of blogs.

      They fear flamers, hard questions, complaints. They want sales, not suggestions. They want product orders, not improvement advice. But the reality is this, amigo: you can’t and shouldn’t trust any company that has no blog, no wish to enter into candid conversations with consumers.

      They’re idiot cowards who will not be around when Absolute Switched On User Empowerment is fully installed in this saha world.

      So…if you’re active in the blogosphere, you’ve got balls (or castration blades, ladies!) … whereas the CEOs who shun the blogosphere are dickless blunders.

      I sporadically study the history of the concept “wilderness”, with Wilderness and the American Mind, a book by Roderick Nash, as my guide.



      In biology, wilderness represents an archive of unmoderated ecology and rich genetic material.

      In philosophy, wilderness symbolizes the peaceful, quiet refuge of the deep thinker.

      In religion, wilderness is the place of training, testing, and purification.

      In leadership, wilderness stands for an escape from the imbecility of the crowds, the mass hypnosis of media, and society’s pervasive antagonism to change and innovation.

      My relatives, Tyler age 8 and Andrew age 5, spent a few days here at Vaspers Headquarters. When they visit other adult relatives, they tend to gravitate toward the boob tube or dorky video games. The adults often want to “stay inside” and soak up the sissy air-conditioning.

      But I teach them how to cut a path in the overgrown woods behind our house. I used a military machete, and they used hard sharp sticks. We chewed a hole that stretched a full city block. It looks like a tractor went through there. Then we followed the creek to the bitter end, halting at a fence where the interstate highway begins.

      While we were tromping through the woods, I taught them how to identify poison ivy, how to handle sharp sticker branches, and how to crawl over huge fallen tree trunks.

      Toward the end of the stream, we saw a Mystery. A little chipmunk, sitting still. I touched it gently with a stick. It didn’t move. It was freshly dead. In its face was an iron rod that was poking up out of the ground. The rod was right next to his hole. He must have jumped out and, in a hurry, forgot about that stupid rod, its destined death trap. This was very sad. Chipmunks are so cute.

      When we got to the end of the creek, we hiked up a steep hill and re-entered civilization, a street, Dries Lane.

      When we got back home, they wanted to go do it again. Last Thanksgiving, they cried when stickers cut their ankles, branches whipped at their face, or burr pods stuck to their socks. This time, there was no crying, no fear, no frustration. They have been successfully processed.

      When young relatives come to visit, it’s training time, not just toys, Kool Aid, and cartoons. They learn by doing. They learn about God and nature and computers when they hang around me. I’m pretty popular, because I talk to them like they’re intelligent, sophisticated colleagues. They like that.

      And I almost never yell or scold. I try, instead, to inspire and instruct. I ask them questions, from philosophical to mathematical.

      I am the Anti-Ritalin. I speed their brains up, not to wear them out and make them sluggish and docile, but to make them think faster and more clearly.

      You know that ADHD is a largely a ridiculous myth, right?

      You find ADHD diagosis by crooked physicians trying to scam money out of single moms who cannot control their energetic boys.

      Attention Deficit is another term for “multi-tasking”, “rapid spontaneous focus shifting”, and “active, non-binding curiosity.”

      Hyper-activity is another term for “being a boy”.

      I have the cure for the alleged ADHD disease: discipline, deprivation, and chores. One of the best corrective measures is to send a child to a study hall, not to a playroom. To lock a child in his own room, a paradise containing toys, games, music, television, telephone…this is no punishment.

      Cutting a walking trail through the woods is similar to what we’re doing with our blogs.

      Your blog is cutting a pioneering path.

      You encounter sticker bushes and quicksand. Snakes and bumble-bees. Thickets of overgrown weeds and bramble. Yet, you march on.

      You experiment with various add-ons and blog functionalities. Some work well, others are abandoned as failures.

      You experience frustrations and defeats. You waste time on blogs you thought were going to be informative or entertaining. You discipline yourself to post valuable, beneficial material to your blog. You spend time visiting other blogs and posting comments at them.

      The blogosphere is a wilderness, an anarchy of ideologies and beliefs, a hodge-podge of pleasures and vendettas, a swirling, whirling mass of personal and corporate communications.

      Hold your free speech machete high…and chop down the barriers to Universal Democracy. Use your blog as a blade that cuts through the layers of deception and the malaise of mediocrity.

      You, as a blogger, are a pioneer.

      Cutting a path. Paving a road. Blazing the way for future generations of Free Communicators.

       



    • #3270696

      Kaukasus blog: beauty in wilderness

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog



      In contrast to many falsely named “Christian”, actually “churchian” groups, I promote the appreciation of nature, especially untamed, wild country.

      I have a passionate hatred of Christianity. I advocate a true spirituality, which is necessarily a private, inner reality. Not a banding together of like-minded brainwashed chumps groveling at the filthy feet of a CEO Pastor wanker.

      I didn’t say I hated God, or Christ, or faith. Or true, sincere seekers.

      I hate what stomps around as “Christianity”, the televangelists, the pastors, the churches. Religious hypocrites who parade around with their own pet hostilities, pounding their impudent pulpits with purpose-driven zeal. I abhor them all, with very few exceptions.

      So-called Christianity (read: churchianity, worship of the church and its dogmas and rules) has historically been opposed to nature. Nature has been viewed negatively, as a seductive entity that distracts the mind from proper reverence for the soul and it’s idiotic strivings for superiority and dominance. St. Francis is a notable exception. St. Augustine was stupid in this regard.

      I guess I’m sort of a pantheist in a certain sense: I see nature, animals, birds, mountains, jungles as correspondences (ala Swedenborg), or symbols of immaterial realms and realities. In a certain sense, I think it is painful to God when a bird dies. It is sacrilege when a human steps on an ant. It’s blasphemy to say that mankind can exploit nature, and not be a good steward of the environment.

      God-haters (including a good number of “pastors”) can’t attack God directly, so instead, they oppress people, abuse creatures, and defile nature.

      They use the Bible as a weapon and fanaticism as a badge of authenticity. They act like the only sins are homosexuality and abortion, maybe alcoholism. They never criticize gluttony, hypocrisy, gangs, war, gambling, the occult, or even dangerous drugs, like Ritalin and crystal meth.

      I’m a tree-hugger. I’m an animal-communicator. I’m a flower-kisser.

      So I enjoy very much the Kaukasus blog of my friend Hans. Just look at all those amazing photos. Let Hans take you on a tour.



      A humble abode: Armazi’s house in Arkhoti.



    • #3141988

      Forbes 100 Most Powerful Celebrities

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      Forbes has yawningly announced, via their email newsletter and web site, the 100 most powerful celebrities, based on both earnings and buzz.

      The Forbes Celebrity 100

      Go read the flaccid article, which has lots more unimportant details about what makes a meaningless celebrity buzz-worthy (babies, break-ups, bashings, etc.) … and other boring details about these jejune and insignificant individuals.

      If you’re fascinated with empty persons who contribute very little to society, unless there’s plenty of fanfare and media coverage about it, go check out this blase and anti-climactic report.

      It’s more effective than a phone book for putting you to sleep.

      zzzzzz: they’re [most of them, especially actors] entirely and eternally irrelevant.

      They won’t help you accomplish anything in life, except they might goad you into getting up and doing something. Like buying more of their product or sponsor’s products. But some of them mean well, apparently, like Tiger Woods (a true hero and super achiever) and good old Dr. Phil, who is way too soft on screwed up, pampering, vice-enabling parents.

      Howard Stern sucks. An immature junior high humor schmuck. Claims he’s “hung like a pimple”. I can certainly detect his inadequacies and insecurities quite clearly.

      I’ve put in red type the so called “celebrities” that I like a little bit. Why anyone should care, I have no idea. Which ones do you like? Any at all?

      1. Tom Cruise
      2. Rolling Stones
      3. Oprah Winfrey

      4. U2

      5. Tiger Woods

      6. Steven Spielberg
      7. Howard Stern
      8. 50 Cent
      9. Cast of The Sopranos
      10. Dan Brown
      11. Bruce Springsteen
      12. Donald Trump

      13. Muhammad Ali
      14. Paul McCartney
      15. George Lucas
      16. Elton John
      17. David Letterman

      18. Phil Mickelson
      19. J.K. Rowling
      20. Brad Pitt
      21. Peter Jackson
      22. Dr. Phil McGraw

      23. Jay Leno

      24. Celine Dion
      25. Kobe Bryant

      26. Michael Jordan

      27. Johnny Depp
      28. Jerry Seinfeld

      29. Simon Cowell

      30. Michael Schumacher
      31. Tom Hanks
      32. Rush Limbaugh
      33. Denzel Washington
      34. Cast of Desperate
      Housewives
      35. Jennifer Aniston
      35. Angelina Jolie
      37. The Olsen Twins
      38. Nicole Kidman
      39. The Eagles
      40. Rod Stewart
      41. Shaquille O’Neal

      42. Jerry Bruckheimer
      43. David Beckham
      44. Jessica Simpson
      45. Andrew Lloyd Webber
      46. LeBron James
      47. Neil Diamond
      48. Alex Rodriguez
      49. Will Smith
      50. Dick Wolf
      51. Dave Matthews Band
      52. Tom Brady
      53. Ronaldinho
      54. Jodie Foster
      55. Ray Romano

      56. Paris Hilton
      57. Adam Sandler
      58. Derek Jeter
      59. Jennifer Lopez
      60. Rick Warren
      61. Scarlett Johansson
      62. Katie Couric

      63. Maria Sharapova
      64. Valentino Rossi
      65. Halle Berry
      66. James Patterson
      67. Leonardo DiCaprio
      68. Kiefer Sutherland
      69. Jim Carrey

      70. Cameron Diaz
      71. Gisele Bundchen
      72. Renee Zellweger
      73. Carson Palmer
      74. Michelle Wie
      75. Reese Witherspoon
      76. Bill O’Reilly
      77. Kate Moss
      78. Diane Sawyer

      79. Sean (Diddy) Combs
      80. John Grisham
      81. Rachael Ray
      82. Dave Chappelle
      83. Larry the Cable Guy
      84. Tyra Banks
      85. George Lopez
      86. Regis Philbin
      87. Serena Williams

      88. Ryan Seacrest
      89. Wolfgang Puck
      90. Venus Williams

      91. Annika Sorenstam
      92. Matthew Broderick/
      Nathan Lane
      93. Mel Brooks
      94. Emeril Lagasse
      95. Nicole Richie
      96. Heidi Klum
      97. Mario Batali
      98. Eric Idle/
      Mike Nichols
      99. Adriana Lima
      100. Ty Pennington

      What about Bill Gates, the Google Twins, or Subservient Chicken, who now does dangerous bicycle stunts in commercials?

    • #3141870

      Thrift Barter Buy blog by marybeth

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      My long-time blog friend, marybeth, has a new blog devoted to thrift store shopping.

      Thrift. Barter. Buy.



      [QUOTE]

      I am currently using my passion for thrifting to set up a growing circle of bartering for items-preferably OLD VINTAGE RETRO USED RECYCLED INDIE HANDMADE, to encourage a sustainable Bartering community filled with fun, Joy, Sharing and Friendship.


      [END QUOTE]

      Check it out.

    • #3141753

      vaspers country share June 2006

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

    • #3144002

      Antarctica blogs take you there

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      To me, the continent of Antarctica seems like a different planet. It’s so alien, desolate, and strange. A frozen wilderness that excites the poetic and plastic imagination.

      Antarctica is a paradise for those who like frigid beauty, cold landscapes, chilly vistas. Those who work here are among the most rugged and determined human beings on Earth. I’m happy to report that there are many women who

    • #3144003

      my blogging days are numbered

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I just want to thank everyone for reading and interacting with my blog. My neck is so messed up, I may have to leave the blogosphere someday soon. Or maybe I’ll blog until my head falls off. At any rate, I will continue for as long as I can. This blog is my primary Web Consultant businesss generator, my showcase for my web analysis and blogology thinking. I guess you need a strong (and sometimes

    • #3143938

      Is your blog a role model?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog





      You’ve been blogging a while, and feel you’re pretty slick at it.

      But is your blog a role model, an example that other bloggers could learn from? Do you have any blind spots concerning your blog? Things you know you need to do, but have not learned how, or have not allocated the time to get them done?

      What got me thinking about this was a blog by Kaye Trammell: so this is mass communication?

      [QUOTE]

      Kaye Trammell is an assistant professor of mass communication at Louisiana State University. She researches blogs.

      Kaye’s doctoral dissertation dealt with celebrity blogs.


      [END QUOTE]

      She teaches blogging and other web design topics. She attends the important blog conferences. Since she uses her blog to discuss blogging techniques, it’s a “meta-blog” (a blog about blogs). Like this one, except Vaspers is a mixture of business blog, meta-blog, and personal/music blog.

      She admits, in “Designing Better Posts,” that she has a poorly designed blog (a generic Blogger template), and does not implement all the techniques she knows and teaches to others.


      [QUOTE]



      The next natural thought is about me living in a glass blog, right? I want my students to have great CSS, when my own blog is a mess.

      Well, I am planning a redesign of my own site — I just don’t have the time to actually do it yet. Alas, someday …


      [END QUOTE]

      Yeah. I admit that I don’t always practice everything I preach, either. For example, I don’t engage in Reciprocal Commenting (posting a comment on the blog of someone who posted a comment on my blog) as much as I really should. I try, though.

      And since I try to use Zero Budget Marketing as much as possible, to prove that you can do a lot for no, or nearly no, money…it’s hard to find good, free blog design templates. (I’m about ready to do a new design soon myself, in fact.)

      You have to hate your blog, in the sense of not gazing dreamily in awe of it. You have to get annoyed with your beautiful blog and slap it around a bit. You have to look at it critically and figure out what can be improved and how to do it.

      Blogging, on a Deming-inspired Continual Improvement Eternally basis, is hard, time-consuming work. No wonder many successful blogs are group or team blogs. They pump out multiple posts every day, because they have team members, interns, or staff to work on it. Many PR blogs are done this way.

      On the reverse side of the coin, I generally expect other bloggers to see what I’m doing and, if they like it, to adapt it to their blog: post titles worked into graphic images, photos sprinkled into posts, Swicki custom search engines, Skype, prestige ads, music mp3s, YouTube video player embeds, feedrolls (Digg and Lockergnome), etc.

      But…sometimes you have to spell things out. You can’t assume that people really notice or know how to do what you do. Providing links to tutorials, or writing posts that reveal your blogging secrets, is a nice touch that benefits other bloggers.

    • #3110827

      IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      A successful IT strategy must be implemented all the way from executive suite to the sales clerks operating computer cash registers in your merchandising outlets. If the store clerks are ignoring, bypassing, over-riding, or otherwise violating procedures and policies, how will you know?

      You may need a special internal affairs help line. A number an employee can call to alert corporate headquarters that some foul play, inside theft, till robbery, false returns, sexual harassment, and other problems are happening at a store. Events that can be investigated by a group that cuts through the chains of command and points the finger at any guilty parties, regardless of management level.

      I’ve seen a situation where employees are engaging in unauthorized activity on the computer cash register, which results in bad data via skewed salesperson productivity reports to the home office.

      When one employee reached Plan, the sales quota for the day, they were bullied into ringing up sales under another employee’s PIN number and password. Lists of all employee (even former employee!) PINs and passwords were actually taped by each cash register in the store.The reason given was, “So no one person has excessive sales, making others look bad.”

      This is just one glitch in an IT audit and control strategy. What other things could be done via “PIN and password sharing”? If the employees are flippant about such acts, there are probably other ways in which such sales clerks are violating corporate policy.

      What system do you have in place to catch such fraudulent practices?

      How can an employee blow the whistle on such behavior?

      • #3167131

        IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        by michael.tindall ·

        In reply to IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        Most companies have a Loss Prevention department, who will gleefully send someone in to catch ne’erdowells…and they are MASTERS of their “trade”.  Either by reviewing and auditing books, or by showing up undercover, they will root out the problem, then trap the guilty in their own lies, without “entrapping” them in the legal sense…but I’ve watched them BREAK even the toughest and smartest of liers and thieves.  

         

        tip: “Beware of a Smiling Loss Prevention Manager”

      • #3167113

        IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        by michael.tindall ·

        In reply to IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        addendum:  The work environment you have described is also incredibly unfair for new employees…in order to fit in/not get fired (by a manager that obviously condones, and seemingly requires employees to commit acts (however minor) which are terminable offenses…

        I’ve seen where this typically goes.  Once said employees have committed such an act, they are part of the crime, and CAN’T blow the whistle without losing their job, and the jobs of all their co-workers…everyone now HAS to cover for each other…and the convoluted situation of no ticket belonging (with any assurance) to the rightful cashier, makes it VERY SIMPLE to ring up false tickets…and false refunds are a CLASSIC way of embezzelling, but only works in the long run if someone else can be blamed, since they will EVENTUALLY show up as inventory shrink.

        Most retail managers, paid on profitability, HATE THIS KIND OF THING….unless…the MANAGER encourages this to cover their own malingering.  How better to get away with bigger embezzellment, than to have an employee take a fall?  If the manager is the one doing the firing, with no outside investigation, their crime could go on for years.

      • #3166908

        IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        by oresky ·

        In reply to IT, sales clerks, PIN and password sharing

        I shopped at one place that had the card swiping machine so that only the clerk could reach it, not the customer.  I purchased something and handed the cashier my debit/credit card.  She swiped it and handed the card back.

        Then she asked me for my pin number.  My jaw dropped.

        The clerk was suprised when I refused to tell my Personal Identification Number.  The clerk said no one had refused before.  I told the clerk I wanted to pay by credit card and have not been back since.

        I think this is a case of poor practises going on right in front of everyone but no one really questioning it.  It shows the need for an audit to ensure the policies in place and are being followed. 

    • #3168415

      Celebrate the Death of Ken Lay

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I’m so happy to hear about the death of Ken Lay, the CEO who lied to his dying day. His last lie was that he was broke. He owned property, condos. All of Ken Lay’s assets and properties should be sold and the money distributed to the employees he screwed.

      This is a case of karma, reaping what you sow. Ken Lay disgraced his family, his country, and the energy industry. His arrogance, theft, and deception was enormous. Evil CEOs take notice. Instant Karma is coming to get you! And I will dance a jig on your graves.

      Ding Dong, the Bitch is Dead. Long Live Sarbanes-Oxley!

      • #3167185

        Celebrate the Death of Ken Lay

        by ejhonda ·

        In reply to Celebrate the Death of Ken Lay

        You’re wrong – he got off way too easy.  Permanently checking out while on vacation, in your ritzy vacation home, is hardly justice served.  No prison term, no reckoning, and now some are saying it will be more difficult to obtain civil judgements against his estate to recoup some of the money (although the way I understand it is that the money would go to the government, and not his victims).  Ask any Enron victim and they’ll tell you this isn’t the best case scenario for them. Ken Lay has cheated them once again.

        Real justice would be to have his wife, Linda, serve out whatever sentence was to be handed out. She’s reaped the benefits of Ken’s ill-gotten gains, and thus she should be next up.  Now that would be instant karma.

    • #3110547

      10 Commandments of IT Blogging

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      IT, CEO, or any business blogging can be improved by keeping in mind these guidelines. Much more could be, and should be, said on this vast topic, but let these zingers sink in for now, and you’ll be ahead of the curve.

      10 Commandments of IT Blogs

      (1) Thou shalt be thyself, in all transparency, authenticity, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliancy.

      (2) Thou shalt NOT use ghost bloggers, or delegated teams, or paid enthusiast buzz agents.

      (3) Thou shalt NOT worry about spam, abuse, or troll comments, flamers, or player haters, but shall enable comments for candid two-way conversations, with comment moderation for filtering out spambots and off topic lunacy.

      (4) Thou shalt NOT be a blog island unto thyself, but shall visit, post comments at, and blog about other blogs, especially industry and consumer related blogs.

      (5) Thou shalt NOT use a blog for brochureware, product vending machine, recycled press releases, or an excessively self-serving pulpit.

      (6) Thou shalt NOT be predictable, but shall use variety, experiment, and surprise.

      (7) Thou shalt NOT be boring, but shall be relevant, entertaining, informative, helpful, enlightening, and idiosyncratic.

      (8) Thou shalt be charismatic and visionary.

      (9) Thou shalt NOT bullshit thy audience.

      (10) Thou shalt NOT abandon, disgrace, misuse, or delegate thy blog.

      Learn more about the proven rules for successful corporate blogging: reciprocal
      commenting, Sarbanes-Oxley transparency, flames vulnerability, blogos
      participation, digital charisma, non-abandonment clauses, etc. by occasionally reading Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog.

    • #3214660

      web dev plus sales expertise — a rare combination?

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I went to an executive employment service yesterday, to see if they could drum up some new clients for me. I have never done this since I started my consulting business in 1999. I just thought I would experiment and see what advice they could give me, what contacts they might have for me.

      “There’s nobody in Peoria with the skills you possess,” she said. I just told her about my background in direct marketing, web usability analysis, web content writing, and so forth.

      Now, I know Peoria is a hick town with nothing happening. I’ll admit it: I’m ashamed of living here. It sucks.

      But this encounter got me wondering. Am I all that special?

      The nice lady at the executive employment agency is going to hook me up with some web development group. The last sales person they employed was a former car salesman. Can a car salesman, with high pressure, bullying type sales manipulations, be effective in selling web services? Apparently not, in this case anyway.

      Is there a wide open market for those who know a lot about web development…and about modern consultative sales techniques?

      In Peoria, Illinois, the answer seems to be “Yes.” 

    • #3212947

      beta means screw the users

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      #1 User Reality: users are always in a hurry. Users don’t have time to learn entire new skills sets just to operate a simple web service.

      But most web products totally ignore this #1 User Reality.

      For example, let’s look quickly at Video Uploading, Hosting, and Player Embedding.

      I don’t like the fact that when I upload my videos to YouTube, I lose all my rights to the content. YouTube could make a major Hollywood movie based on one of my videos (fat chance), and I would never see a penny. That sucks.

      But guess what? So far, two of the alternatives that I have explored have horrible, lousy, inexcusably rotten usability. Broken functionalities. Confusing instructions. No sense of how users want to interact with the product. No comprehension of how the competing products, like YouTube, are kicking their stupid asses.

      <span ><span>REAL Definition of “beta” = junk.</span></span>

      I don’t know about you, but when I see “beta”, I cringe.

      You know what “beta” means? What it REALLY means?

      BETA version means JUNK that will PISS YOU OFF and waste your time.

      <blockquote>”We know our product is annoyingly dysfunctional, but we refuse to find and fix all the bugs.

      Instead, we are going to exploit our users, and force them into the role of Free Usability Analysts.

      We’ll let the users find and offer solutions to our screwed up product.”</blockquote>

      Folks, this is just plain WRONG.

      A huge backlash is already occuring, it’s not just crabby old Vaspers the Grate who is angry.

      Now, when I see that cursed term “beta” on any web service site, I know the providers are likely to be cheap, lazy, and exploitive of users.  I don’t have time for all this Broken Web 2.0 BS. I have work to do. I have projects to complete. Lemonade to drink.

      Other IT bloggers at ZDNet and elsewhere are on my side, and are hatefully lashing out at all these lame ass companies pulling this crap on us.

      Free and Full of Unfixed Dysfunctionalities is NOT acceptable.

      <span ><span>Example of Bad Beta:
      <a href=”http://www.bliptv.com”>Blip.tv</a></span></span&gt;

      I successfully uploaded my latest Vaspers video, “Blog Residue”, to Blip.tv

      But unlike YouTube, there is no clear path to HTML code for a link to it, nor to a video player embed that I can paste into a blog post. I made a wild guess, after clicking on various dead ends, and discovered that “Sidebar” page contains HTML for a clickable button to take users to my Blip.tv videos.

      But when I pasted that code into my blog template, it did not work.

      Blip.tv claims to have an application that will access your blog’s administrative panel or “dashboard”, and use your private password to enable posting a Blip.tv video to your blog. That doesn’t seem to work either.

      It’s a wreck and a mess.

      Remember, I’m not being leisurely or patient with all the time in the world for methodical minute inspection of every tiny aspect of Blip.tv because I don’t have that luxury.

      Like most other users, I’m in a hurry.

      Why can’t web developers and service providers get this through their freaking thick skulls?

      <span ><span>User Realities That
      They Arrogantly Ignore:</span></span>

      We’re rushed.  We’re multi-tasking. We’re distracted by our environment (kids yelling, phones ringing). We’ve got project deadlines to meet. We have other things to do. We cannot spend huge amounts of time figuring out work-arounds for bugs in releases that should be withdrawn.

      Corporations and IT departments are troubled by the unreliability of these shoddy services and products.

      I beta test software constantly. I’m not an inept newbie. So what is up with all this user-hostility? It’s the plague of mediocrity.

      It’s the Guy Kawasaki Marketing Theory: “Don’t worry, be crappy” (proclaimed in his stupid book Rules for Revolutionaries, a book that’s not even worth the Bic lighter fuel to burn it with).

      It’s “ship shoddy, but ship first” mentality of Silicon Valley.

      Boycott them.

      Generate negative buzz in the blogosphere.

      Expose the irresponsible service providers.

      Teach them a bottom line lesson they will never forget.

      ;^)

    • #3230096

      82 new IT blogger tee shirt sayings

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      <a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3806/428/1600/rimbaud%20tee%20shirt.0.jpg”><img src=”http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3806/428/400/rimbaud%20tee%20shirt.0.jpg&#8221; alt=”” border=”0″ /></a>
      <a href=”http://angryaussie.wordpress.com”>Mr. Angry</a>, my online sedative, makes tee shirts with fabric painted sayings on them.

      Here are some ideas for him. As you hurriedly skim and scan my list, think of your own witty and fiendish blogger tee shirt sayings, okay? Then post a comment here, telling us what they are, please. Thanks.

      (0) Proud Member of the Absolute Improved New Reformed Insane Blog Media Network
      <p>(1) ?I?m a blogger, therefore I will flame you in my next post.?</p><p>(2) “She-bloggers eat lumberjacks for lunch and spit nails.”</p><p>(3) “Your _____ will be exposed in my next blog post.”</p><p>(4) “Naughty blogging is for sexually diseased losers.”</p><p>(5) “Mommy bloggers put their children at risk with predators.”</p><p>(6) “Political blogs make me want to vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE.”</p><p>(7) “Personal blogs are digital puke.”</p><p>(8) “Blog = Boring Lame Obnoxious Gushings”
      </p>  <p>(9) ?You don’t blog? You don’t exist!?</p>  <p>(10) ?Blog until your head falls off and utters obscenities about my ex-boss.?</p>(11) “Feed my RSS scraper, baby!”

      (12) “Ping me!”

      (13) “V is for Victory over the MSM!”

      (14) “MOUSE = Multi Operational User Selection Enabler”

      (15) “I blog, therefore I am (a blogger–doh!)”

      (16) “Blog: ugly word with a lovely future.”

      (17) “Post videos and podcasts — or delete your blog!”

      (18) “What would Kurt Cobain blog? Oh, stupid lyrics, that’s right. Never mind.”

      (19) “Friends don’t let friends blog <strike>drunk</strike>.”

      (20) “Blogrolls are the new RSS” — Evan Williams.

      (21) “Blog = an email to the world” — Doc Searls.

      (22) “Only sissies avoid blogocombat joys.”

      (23) “She-bloggers are prettier than half-males.”

      (24) “Varnish eaters, unite!”

      (25) “Embed my link in your name, baby!”

      (26) “Reciprocal commenting: the new online <span>high</span>.”

      (27) “There is <span>no</span> offline reality.”

      (28) “My <span>monetized blog</span> paid off my student loan!”

      (29) “Build your dream house for $1.49”

      (30) “Web 2. Oh No!”

      (31) “I’m an auto-refreshing page boy.”

      (32) “<span>Ajax:</span> not just for sinks anymore.”

      (32) “<span>XML</span> is my feed size. Here it comes.”

      (33) “I want to Trackback you.”

      (34) “<span>WARNING:</span> I drank the Koolaid.”

      (35) “Meet me at my sidebar” OR “sip my parsing syntax” (not sure what this means…)

      (36) “Push Button Publishing made me rich!” — Post Secret.

      (37) “Make millions doing next to nothing.” — Post Secret.

      (38) “Let users create ALL your blog content.” — Post Secret.

      (39) WEB INFORMATION UTOPIA: Any Content. Any Time. Any Amount. Any Format. Any Where.

      (40) “Markets are now smarter than the companies that serve them.” — Christopher Locke

      (41) “Sneak my Easter Egg into your Office app.” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 49)

      (42) “Up with Thick Description!” –Christopher Locke (Gonzo 45)

      (43) “New Ideas create New Markets”– Christiopher Locke (Gonzo 41)

      (44) “What would a digital journalist do?”

      (45) “What to blog about today? Your annoying defects and irrational masochism!”

      (46) “Doug Engelbart rocks!”

      (47) “Happy information trails 2 U” — Vannevar Bush

      (48) “/qw=e don’t need no thot kontrol!”

      (49) “typos R mandytory”

      (50) “Jurgen Habermas was right!” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 156)

      (51) “So was Jacques Derrida!” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 156)

      (55) “Vin~t Cerf > ce]rtifie[d T\ech-nic^ian”

      (56) “My dad is Charles Babbage and Konrad Zuse”

      (57) “There is no one unaffected by the computer technology explosion.” — Steven Levy

      (58) “Computer Literacy Tutor”

      (59) “Multi Hyper Media Tycoon”

      (60) “Help! I’m stuck in Arpanet!”

      (61) “digitized appetite hunger strike”

      (70) “World Wide Web Whiner”

      (71) “Wanna Wiki?”

      (72) “My blog speaks Python” (partially sure what this might mean)

      (73) “I got your Up-skilling”

      (74) “CPU first, RAM second” (may be fading in relevance)

      (75) “Dating a data warehouse wife”

      (76) “Debugger…for girsl and half-males only” (intentional typo, see 49)

      (77) “dot matrix guitar player — Resonance FM”

      (78) “Ooops. Was that <span>your</span> social security number? Sorry. Sold it.”

      (79) “Thwart and stymie and deter identity theft. De-entitize yoself.”

      (80) “Gmail,  not Fee Mail”

      (81) “Net Neutrality stole my girlfriend. Have you seen ‘im?”

      (81 1/2) “Technorati Illuminati”

      (82) “Please call me Macro”

    • #3230095

      here ya go: IT blogger tee shirt sayings (82)

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      (0) Proud Member of the Absolute Improved New Reformed Insane Blog Media Network

      (1) ?I?m a blogger, therefore I will flame you in my next post.?

      (2) “She-bloggers eat lumberjacks for lunch and spit nails.”

      (3) “Your _____ will be exposed in my next blog post.”

      (4) “Naughty blogging is for sexually diseased losers.”

      (5) “Mommy bloggers put their children at risk with predators.”

      (6) “Political blogs make me want to vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE.”

      (7) “Personal blogs are digital puke.”

      (8) “Blog = Boring Lame Obnoxious Gushings”

      (9) ?You don’t blog? You don’t exist!?

      (10) ?Blog until your head falls off and utters obscenities about my ex-boss.?

      (11) “Feed my RSS scraper, baby!”

      (12) “Ping me!”

      (13) “V is for Victory over the MSM!”

      (14) “MOUSE = Multi Operational User Selection Enabler”

      (15) “I blog, therefore I am (a blogger–doh!)”

      (16) “Blog: ugly word with a lovely future.”

      (17) “Post videos and podcasts — or delete your blog!”

      (18) “What would Kurt Cobain blog? Oh, stupid lyrics, that’s right. Never mind.”

      (19) “Friends don’t let friends blog drunk.”

      (20) “Blogrolls are the new RSS” — Evan Williams.

      (21) “Blog = an email to the world” — Doc Searls.

      (22) “Only sissies avoid blogocombat joys.”

      (23) “She-bloggers are prettier than half-males.”

      (24) “Varnish eaters, unite!”

      (25) “Embed my link in your name, baby!”

      (26) “Reciprocal commenting: the new online high.”

      (27) “There is no offline reality.”

      (28) “My monetized blog paid off my student loan!”

      (29) “Build your dream house for $1.49”

      (30) “Web 2. Oh No!”

      (31) “I’m an auto-refreshing page boy.”

      (32) “Ajax: not just for sinks anymore.”

      (32) “XML is my feed size. Here it comes.”

      (33) “I want to Trackback you.”

      (34) “WARNING: I drank the Koolaid.”

      (35) “Meet me at my sidebar” OR “sip my parsing syntax” (not sure what this means…)

      (36) “Push Button Publishing made me rich!” — Post Secret.

      (37) “Make millions doing next to nothing.” — Post Secret.

      (38) “Let users create ALL your blog content.” — Post Secret.

      (39) WEB INFORMATION UTOPIA: Any Content. Any Time. Any Amount. Any Format. Any Where.

      (40) “Markets are now smarter than the companies that serve them.” — Christopher Locke

      (41) “Sneak my Easter Egg into your Office app.” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 49)

      (42) “Up with Thick Description!” –Christopher Locke (Gonzo 45)

      (43) “New Ideas create New Markets”– Christiopher Locke (Gonzo 41)

      (44) “What would a digital journalist do?”

      (45) “What to blog about today? Your annoying defects and irrational masochism!”

      (46) “Doug Engelbart rocks!”

      (47) “Happy information trails 2 U” — Vannevar Bush

      (48) “/qw=e don’t need no thot kontrol!”

      (49) “typos R mandytory”

      (50) “Jurgen Habermas was right!” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 156)

      (51) “So was Jacques Derrida!” — Christopher Locke (Gonzo 156)

      (55) “Vin~t Cerf > ce]rtifie[d T\ech-nic^ian”

      (56) “My dad is Charles Babbage and Konrad Zuse”

      (57) “There is no one unaffected by the computer technology explosion.” — Steven Levy

      (58) “Computer Literacy Tutor”

      (59) “Multi Hyper Media Tycoon”

      (60) “Help! I’m stuck in Arpanet!”

      (61) “digitized appetite hunger strike”

      (70) “World Wide Web Whiner”

      (71) “Wanna Wiki?”

      (72) “My blog speaks Python” (partially sure what this might mean)

      (73) “I got your Up-skilling”

      (74) “CPU first, RAM second” (may be fading in relevance)

      (75) “Dating a data warehouse wife”

      (76) “Debugger…for girsl and half-males only” (intentional typo, see 49)

      (77) “dot matrix guitar player — Resonance FM”

      (78) “Ooops. Was that your social security number? Sorry. Sold it.”

      (79) “Thwart and stymie and deter identity theft. De-entitize yoself.”

      (80) “Gmail, not Fee Mail”

      (81) “Net Neutrality stole my girlfriend. Have you seen ‘im?”

      (81 1/2) “Technorati Illuminati”

      (82) “Please call me Macro”

    • #3281870

      Goodbye Everybody

      by vaspersthegrate ·

      In reply to Revolutionary Army of the Infant Blog

      I got the email saying the individual TechRepublic blogs, like this one, will be deleted tonight. Sorry to hear that. I had fun reading the blogs here, posting comments, and publishing my own blog. I used this blog as part of my credentials in seeking clients and work.

      I’ll continue visiting this site in its new incarnation.

      Thanks for the experience.

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