Pet Sounds
Erica’s already posted this, but I just couldn’t resist. Enjoy Zora telling us what sounds animals make!
25 April 2008
24 April 2008
Diapers, etc.
Sorry for the lack of posts recently. There’s a ton of stuff to do around the house—especially now that I’m starting a new job on Monday. I’m contracting with Tanagram Partners, a small firm of “information artists.” (That’s an apt and fabulous descriptor for what they do.) This prep has also delayed the rollout of this site’s new design and back end—which might have to wait until a couple things are “Newforms Admin” is incorporated into the Django trunk.
Erica and I have also switched Zora’s daytime diapers. We’d been using disposables, with some sense of environmental guilt. It’s a new parent’s catch-22: If we use cloth diapers, we consume extra energy & water cleaning them; but if we add to the landfill problem with trash that won’t biodegrade.
Yesterday we received our first shipment of gDiapers, which have flushable or compostable liners. We had picked up some from the Clover, a “green” store in Batavia, on discount. (The store, alas, just went out of business. It was next to the Trader Joe’s, but ironically in a strip mall whose only real access was by car.) They’ve held up well with most of Zora’s regular daytime waste, though we’re doubtful they’d hold up overnight.
We have at least one remaining concern about them. In the next few weeks, Zora’s going to be in daycare part-time. Since they’re a bit messier than disposables, will childcare professionals be willing to use them?
18 April 2008
Earthquake
Did this really happen? I had no idea.
7 April 2008
Key quote from a Times “article” on death by blogging:
At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong.
Some wonder how many “some” must be in order to be a reputable number of “experts.” In the case of this article, some wonder how close that number is to 1.
4 April 2008
An adventure in usability
Last Friday Zora and I went to the Secretary of State office in Elgin. (I’d been lax in renewing our motor vehicle registration.) When we arrived, we were greeted with two doors to adjacent rooms and a very long line that didn’t lead to either room.
The rooms were poorly identified, but it was clear that the room for driver’s licenses wouldn’t be the right choice. The next room was for titles & registrations. I went in, took a number, and we waited our turn. Zora charmed the heck out of everyone waiting.
While we were waiting, one of the workers kept exasperatedly reminding people that if they were there for titles, they needed to fill out the forms by the wall. There was no other mechanism for informing people about this necessity, and the location for the forms was poorly identified.
When our turn came, I went to the open desk, helped Zora into a chair, and took out my (already completed) paperwork. The man helping me informed me that the long line outside was for sticker renewals—but since I’d already waited, he would process the renewal for me. Thank goodness for cute babies & helpful people!
So, a few words of advice when visiting a facility headed by Jesse White: Don’t trust signs (if there are any) and be sure to ask for help. It’s a good idea to be understanding toward the employees—they deal with the space far more frequently than we do and probably have developed habits to work around usability issues. Most important, though, is to bring a cute toddler with you. Erica & I may even consider renting out Zora for the trip. (But probably not!)
3 April 2008
‘It’s afternoon somewhere’
Four people got on the train at Wheaton, decked out in Cubs gear. They were getting ready for today’s game by downing can after can of beer. I’m not sure which is sadder: that they were drinking Busch Light or that it was 8:40 a.m.
27 March 2008
Paul Krugman wonders if we’re in the age of the “anti-Cassandra” because
our public discourse is dominated by people who have been wrong about everything—but are still, mysteriously, treated as men of wisdom, whose judgments should be believed. Those who were actually right about the major issues of the day can’t get a word in edgewise.
I think Krugman didn’t need to create a new term for this phenomenon. As he notes, the people who have been right still are ignored. To all our detriment, the age is still one where Cassandra goes unheeded.
25 March 2008
The new Textivism is online. Let me know, via its contact page whether it works for you. And as is habit, apologies to Dean Allen.
Next up—this place. Only the job hunt & Zora can get in my way!
Oh, and regarding the upcoming site design (as if you cared!): I’ll be mailing it in.
24 March 2008
I shouldn’t promote vaporware, but I’ve got a few essays in the pipeline that I’ll be unrolling in the next couple weeks, including thoughts on writing, site design, and Good Friday. With any luck, I’ll have this stuff up well before the Orthodox Church celebrates Easter!
29 February 2008
Leap Day
John Gruber thinks today is the worst possible birthday. Maybe I like peculiarities, but I think Feb. 29 would be an AWESOME birthday. (Or I may just want to be 8-ish again.) I hear Christmas is not as fun—just ask Jesus!
22 February 2008
Updates
Regular blogging will resume shortly, as soon as I get the new site structure up, which I hope will be soon. As part of my “career development” I’ve been playing a lot with Django and Python and should have some cool things coming down the pipe. (Though, alas, only on the “personal” front at this point.)
In the meantime, I’ve come across a few things that have made me love the fluidity of English even more than I already did. I heard someone on NPR ask for someone to “give a for instance.” Awesome! I’ve also been encouraged to be “planful” as I pursue a career objective or two. (That’s actually a useful word, I think.) And finally, I’ve been introduced to the word keming, which should be obvious to the typophiles out there.
On a different note, this Sunday is the church’s annual chili cook-off. Last year I won the award for “hottest chili” with a variation on Chili Nation‘s “Seattle Coffee Chili.” This year I’m a judge. As Erica recently noted, I’m a sucker for roasted New Mexico (AKA “long green”) chiles. If you’re looking for an edge, you can ply me with a bunch of those.
Or, you know, you could slip me some cash.
5 February 2008
Official
I have voted, though I decided not to vote against Jim Oberweis in the special election to finish Denny “Torture Is Fun!” Hastert’s current term. (Though I was tempted—his “brown people are evil” campaign is about as repugnant as they come. I ended up just doing the Democratic ticket thing.)
4 February 2008
Obama, for the record
I’m voting for Obama tomorrow in the Illinois primary, because I think he’s the best candidate out there—and I’m looking forward to feeling good about my vote. (See the Morning News for more about this!)
If Obama doesn’t get the Democratic nomination, I’ll be faced with a quandary: none of the Republican candidates are even remotely appealing. But I don’t know if I could bring myself to vote for Hillary Clinton, whose campaign would have won the nomination in no small part because of race bating.
So: GO OBAMA!