Creativity to the People

“I said out loud: 'There it is, that's the moment we're reversing now. It was a mistake to believe that creativity was something you could delegate, no matter how much better they were than you, because it's an important human activity, like breathing, eating, walking, laughing, loving.'”

Dave Winer's insight after quoting a lady on "Empire of the Air"; she said there came a point soon after she started listening to radio when she realized she could stop practicing the piano, because she would now get her entertainment from better musicians.

For myself, it’s my New Year resolution to produce more creative output. Of course that was for 2006. But I renewed it. Can you do that, like a library book, without getting fined?

Lapsing into a Review

Another book review

A favor

Because we owe it to the requester:
Penn Jillette

Just Lunch

Lunch was a little too good today at work. It was "just leftovers", things we'd prepared at home over the long MLK weekend (Martin Luther King -- I caught part of an interview with him on one of the talk shows from back in 1969 or so, Dick Cavett I think, amazing man; smart man, two (white) interviewers tried to get him riled up but he gave thoughtful, complete-yet-concise answers that were difficult to argue with to tough questions like why it wasn't an affront to the parents of black soldiers when his movement protested the Viet Nam War; no real mystery why some wrong-thinking folks considered him dangerous). Back to lunch: leftovers, but pretty good ones: brocolli with cheese sauce, about 4 oz. of NY strip steak (this thicker portion had only been grilled to about medium rare so I was able to microwave it until hot and yet it didn't cook beyond medium well -- usually you have a choice of having leftover steak either cold, or well done), a can of Fresca, and for dessert, creme brouillet. Very tasty, but it does make me feel a little guilty in the world of "Babel" (awarded best film drama at The Golden Globes last night).

Two Book Reviews, One Real, One Audio

Imagined Worlds


Anansi Boys

New AudioBook Review: Lazy B

Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest***

Merry Christmas and all that...

I've posted this year's Xmas Note and photos!

2006 Xmas Note

Baby Bunny in my Garden

Last night this young rabbit was inside my fence and under my tomato plants.

Apparently he chewed a hole in the fence; it's only plastic.

A Green Spider...

on my tomato plants. I refused to photograph the 3 large hornworms I pulled off today, then I Sevin dusted. Unfortunately the spider probably got caught in the dust, too. But the horn worms are miserable blighters, I refused to take their picture.

Vincent Wood

Added some scanned image links to signed trading cards and a print. The artist, Vincent Wood, signed our cards at a dinner and later sent us the print: The Charles R. Patton Jr. and Family Page. His twin brother custom painted us a willow tree some years earlier, also shown on this page.

Tree Damage

A couple days our neighborhood had some wind damage during a thunderstorm. We lost the big half of the only tree that wasn't planted by us or the builder, a persimmon that was 6 or 7 feet tall when we moved in. It was probably 16 or 17 feet before the break:

More from Caralyn on the Other Art Page

I added three things from Caralyn to the Other Art page:
Houses under the Moon
Comic Girl
Do You Want To Dance?

Neverwhere Reviewed

I posted a short review of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

the show: 07-11-06 - zefrank

Ze Frank continues his amazing run of one man videos: the show: 07-11-06 (Warning: Contains bad words !)
This show is a classic !

IT Conversations: Retooling Developers for Geospatial - Where 2005

I received my first byline today for my volunteer work on The Conversations Network. It was on the IT Conversations "channel" for Retooling Developers for Geospatial - Where 2005.

They have been publishing audio content from conferences, lectures, interviews, etc. for a couple years now; some of it is pretty interesting -- if you have an interest in the subject matter.

As a website editor I write the short description (for the front page) and the longer description here. Find and tailor the bios and put a picture together. That's about it, but they have some pretty high standards for form and content.

Other Art Page Updated

Added Caralyn's "Vacums" drawing

Nathaniel Gets Award

May 2006: Nathaniel gets the Madison Mayor's Scholarship!

David Rawson Best of 2005's added

The Chipster Zone Reviews Page

Good Guys at Grass Gator

We had put one of those plastic blade attachments on our "weed eater" a couple years back and it finally wore down to the nubs at the end of last summer. We had replacement blades but I couldn't get the housing off. I finally called the 800 number at CMD Products for the Home and Garden: Grass Gator, Xcalibur, pestNOmore, and BagClips. I expected no help or to talk to a sleepy person in India, but a very suburban america sounding man answered the phone at 7:00 PM my time. "Hold the line spool housing and turn the grass gator to unscrew the set nut," I was told. "Tried that," I said, "The plastic Grass Gator spins around the nut rather than turning it." "Okay, spray it with some WD-40 and try again." I let him know I'd tried that a couple weeks ago, twice. "Okay, I don't want you to mess up your trimmer -- cut the plastic on the Grass Gator, I'll send you a new one, no charge."

Sure enough a new one was in my mailbox 3 days later from California. I used a Dremel type cutter wheel to get rid of the plastic, then a standard socket wrench and 2 people's worth of torque to remove the screw. This new 'Gator is made of a harder plastic so hopefully it will do better at removal when the time comes. But they sent new blades on the new Gator so I'm all set for now. Thanks.

Smoke and Mirrors Reviewed

Smoke and Mirrors Reviewed