Saturday, April 12, 2008

Open Standard, Double

While I do not support HRC for the Democratic nomination as candidate ... I do respect this presenter's right to ask difficult questions.



Brava!



(Now forming...the committee to not re-elect Presidents Clinton)
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Surge, Redux




(Now forming...the committee to not re-elect Presidents Clinton)
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Admission: Hi! My name is Papa...

Denial:
I am not disenfranchised. My vote counts! I am a thinking, feeling constituent and I make a difference.

Anger:
I'll kick you &ss if you suggest that I am disenfranchised. It is the power elite that are corrupting the electoral process. They are just trying to buy their way to office.

Bargaining:
If I get disenfranchised then I won't vote, so there! If the candidate that I don't want steals the nomination then... I won't vote. Or just for spite, I will vote for the other 'worst evil.'

Depression:
I am sad, I am bitter and I am tired! Just leave me alone...

Acceptance:
Yeah, if that is what the country wants, let them vote for Billary or McBush


Hi. My name is Papa and I am a disenfranchised American...

... to which the American Chorus responds, "Hi Papa..."

(Now forming...the committee to not re-elect Presidents Clinton)
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Bitterness

I am bitter and I am tired! I am tired of disingenuous politicians. I am tired of the likes of Billary and McBush. I am tired of politics that listens to what a shyster wants to hear instead of what a man actually says.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Open: Not PC, NSFW

Support for Hillary

Open Secret: MicroNovell

Gartner Disses Windows, But Where's The Breakthrough OS?

Open Meme: Greenwashing

Writing for The Huffington Post...

Linda Cronin-Gross

. . .
The current focus on "greening" is bringing real change, but it's also bringing out "green washers" - people and organizations who are getting on the green bandwagon to simply get ahead, but whose commitment to environmental change and environmental justice is less than skin deep.


We can expect to be fully greenwashed, soon and often . . .

Open Future, Back to, again

Winston at NobodyAsked - The Center for Artificial Indifference
reminded me of this excellent visionary tale...

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Open Stone Brilliant

Nina Hachigian


A. M. Homes


Audre Vysniauskas





Sasha Cagen

Shannon Moffett



Shelley Batts




Karen Abbott













Egregiously stolen from the pages of The Six Thousand - "6000 intriguing people you want to meet online before you die.
Who will make the list tomorrow?" (Edited by Cliff Pickover)

Open Danger Will Robinson!!!

Microsoft Said To Be In Talks With News Corp Over Joint Yahoo Bid

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is in talks with Microsoft about joining in its contested bid for Yahoo, according to people involved in the discussions.



This has BAD written all over it. Time to find another planet!

Open Closet Doors?

Open Terror-izers

Turkeys terrorize Wis. mail carriers

MADISON, Wis., April 8 (UPI) -- A post office manager in Madison, Wis., says delivery workers are being terrorized by wild turkeys in a West Side neighborhood.

Mara Wilhite, manager of the Hilldale Station Post Office, said between five and 10 large male turkeys have been pecking at postal carriers and occasionally attacking them with the spurs on their legs in the Parkwood Hills neighborhood, the Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) reported Tuesday.

Wilhite said one turkey barged into a mail truck's open door and scratched the surprised driver.

Eric Lobner, regional wildlife program supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the turkeys' aggression is likely tied to the mating season, which started recently and lasts until mid-May. He said the red, white and blue coloring on the mail trucks could be raising the ire of the birds, whose heads change color between blue, white and red during the mating season.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Open McCarthy-ism


Change for Equality: April 8, 2008; On the morning of April 8th, security police forcibly entered the home of Khadijeh Moghaddam, women’s rights activist and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign and arrested her. Khadijeh Moghaddam who is a member of the Mother’s Committee of the Campaign was transferred to Eshrat Abad Security Police, where she was interrogated for several hours, and then transferred to the Revolutionary Courts, where she was interrogated by the Mr. Sobhani the Investigative Judge in charge of her case and charged. A temporary arrest order was issued and a bail amount of 100 Million Tomans (roughly $110,000) was set as a condition for her release. Moghaddam was then transferred to Vozara Detention Center.

Khadijeh Moghaddam’s friends and family members had an opportunity to visit with her while she awaited the processing of her arrest order. During this time, Khadijeh spoke of the poor treatment she received from the Security Police officers who had come to her home to arrest her. “They rang the bell to our apartment at 11:00 am. I was home alone and speaking on the phone with my sister. I was still wearing my pajamas. I looked through the peep hole and saw that there was a woman behind the door. I opened the door slightly. The woman announced that she was a police officer. I asked her for identification and a court order to enter my home. But instead of presenting identification, the woman and two men, pushed the door open and entered my home forcibly. They entered with such force that I was unable to resist. Apparently they had entered our building through the parking garage! My sister, who was still on the phone, had heard my exchange with the intruders, and she quickly came to our home. The Security Police treated me in a despicable manner and after 20 minutes of arguing with them and objecting to their treatment of me, they finally agreed to show me their court order. They told me that they had come to our house on 5 different occasions over the past month, but that I had not been home. They claimed this, despite the fact that I had been home for the past couple of months, because my husband has been ill and I have caring for him. I told them that until I have the chance to speak to the prosecutor I would not leave with them. I was yelling so that the neighbors could hear that they were taking me from my home by force. Finally they allowed me to make a call.”

In relation to the reason for her arrest, Khadijeh Moghaddam explained that: “they were objecting to the fact that I had hosted meetings in my home, to which I replied that I have the right to hold meetings and parties and weddings and memorial services in my home, my private residence…the investigative judge at the Revolutionary Courts asked that I identify 7 or 8 members of the Campaign who had participated in the gatherings in my home. I refused to do so, and explained that I do not believe providing such information to be ethical. I also explained that we are not engaged in any sort of covert activity and that the security officials know the identities of Campaign members.” Moghaddam explained further that the charges against her were: “spreading of propaganda against the state; disruption of public opinion; and actions against national security and that an order for bail amount of 100 Million Tomans was issued for my release (roughly $110,000). I explained that I am unable to provide such a heavy bail amount for my release, and the investigative judge told me that I will be transferred to prison for a week, after which I will provide the names of Campaign members and also the bail amount. When asked to provide my last defense, I explained that my way of life is my defense and also told the investigative judge that it is in fact the security authorities with their actions who are endangering national security.”

Emphasis is mine.

Open ly sha king hi shead

The sound of giants... What is Microsoft thinking????
How in the world can Google compete with "Backup singers"?






Microsoft creates 'instant backing band' for singers

# 13:24 07 April 2008
# NewScientist.com news service
# Paul Marks

Whether you're a frustrated songwriter or a shower-time crooner, you may long to hear your lyrics put to music. New software from Microsoft promises to provide just that – instant musical accompaniment to singing.

The software, called MySong, was developed by Dan Morris and Sumit Basu at Microsoft's research lab in Redmond, Washington, US, and Ian Simon at the University of Washington in Seattle.



Google Cloud Now on Tap for Web Developers

Stacey Higginbotham, Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:30 PM PT

Google, with its new Application Engine product, has taken aim squarely at the web services market — and companies from Amazon.com to Bungee Labs should be running scared. The search giant’s Application Engine allows developers to build a web application “in their garage” and then host it for free on Google’s existing infrastructure. Take that, Jeff Bezos!

The App Engine will run in the same Google data centers that host GMail, Google Docs and other online programs. Initially up to 10,000 developers will have access to the preview edition of App Engine. Every developer will be able build up to three applications, each of which will have 500 MB of storage and the CPU cycles and bandwidth to support about 5 million page views a month. All of this will be free, and when the service is out of preview Google will announce the ability to buy more storage, bandwidth and CPU cycles.


Who ever gets paid for "Backup singers" - I want a piece of that!

Monday, April 07, 2008

Open Scrabbling

For Real? No Deal With Scrabulous?

Stacey Higginbotham, Monday, April 7, 2008 at 10:00 AM PT

As sad as it might be for the 600,000 users of Scrabulous, this is a clear-cut case of infringement. Mattel and Hasbro could have done the easy thing and bought Scrabulous and its user base, but they’re well within their rights to launch Scrabble online.

Being neither a Scrabbler nor involved with Facebook I should take the high ground and say, "My dog isn't in that fight" and leave well enough alone.

Not gonna do it!

Mattel and Hasbro, IMHO, have cut off their respective noses and then tried to thumb them at us... er, well, you understand.

So it is our turn. It is time to BOYCOTT any official Scr*bble site that the two might try to field.

When it comes to re-aligning BIG Business' self-centered-egotistical demands I believe that our only recourse is hit them in the wallet. If a company, or two, is going to be so insensitive as to insult their buying public then I think it is only fair that we oblige them. Give Mattel and Hasbro just what they have given to us... NOTHING!

Open Headrinds

Rind: Thick, often pithy, skin covering soft mushy fruit.

Google Faces Damaging Loss Of Talent


So I suppose I should run right out and dump my 2 shares of GOOL in the face of this most damaging loss.

Google searchers could end up with a new type of bug

By Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
... an article that I had to analyze and then offer assurances to Management that a.) this had more to do with people's choosing than it did with Google and b.) we are taking every precaution to protect ourselves from malware.

There is a full 60 minute hour of my life that I will never get back ... thanks to a thick, pithy skin covering a bunch of mush!

I so wish people would stop buying such trash but I suppose they can't get it through their thick headrinds. Oh well...

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Open Pocket

Poem In Your Pocket Day

Celebrate the first national Poem In Your Pocket Day!

The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends on April 17.

Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores. Create your own Poem In Your Pocket Day event using ideas below or let us know how you will celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day by emailing npm@poets.org.

Open Church

These guys, Joe & Eddie, sang my church when I was a kid. No, that is not a typo. Regardless of their setting, on white-bread TV or LPs, these two men sang my church. I knew then as I know now that their belief, their faith was in their blending soaring voices. When they sang they called me to believe, to have faith.

So it is entirely fitting that you get to hear a little of the church they sing... ignore the vestments, the trappings, just listen to their gift...




Joe & Eddie/Children Go
(Embedding disabled by request)

jguth3 posted the above clip of Children Go

Danny Kaye presenting Joe & Eddie performing, "Children Go". (arranged & adapted by them). I was there! They brought me along for moral support. Ha! As if they needed it. THEY WERE GREAT!
I lived and worked at Doug Weston's Troubadour from 1962-1969, and I can say that Joe & Eddie was the most dynamtic duo that ever played the club. Joe was killed in a car accident, August 6,1966. Joe is the one on your left singing tenor, off time, on time and weaving around Eddie like three gospel singers.
Of herself jguth3 says...
Mother & grand mother of a bunch of folk singers. Artist & love working in the multimedia world. I married that wandering folk singer 38 years ago.

Open Blogosphere

An interesting effect is being seen in the blogosphere. ROI is beginning to take its toll on the community of bloggers.

Recently I took some heat, very little heat, for uttering (twittering actually)

#Conversation is time expensive. Only those monetizing it can afford it.

Then Huge MacLeod of gapingvoid declared (twittered actually) ...
@armano The truth is, I'm too freaking busy to keep the Blogosphere happy, all the time, day in day out, for years on end.

Sorry, Gang, I just don't think I can do the "Blogosphere" thing any more. Gonna do something else. Already doing it, actually.
... today I read Doc Searls, he says
... Blogging today ain’t what it was when Dave started it, and when I followed in his footsteps. The kind of writing we both try to do — what I once called “making and changing minds” (including our own) — is an ever more narrowing slice of the whole, even if the amount of it is still going up.

So I want something new. Something for which the making of money is at most a secondary or lower priority. Not sure what that should be, but I am sure, if it ever happens, it won’t be called blogging.

"...Making and changing minds..." is the very heart of conversation. Open and free sharing of view points and perspectives. Engaged, often heated exchanges of opinions laced with supporting facts and figures. Gentle consoling graced with empathetic affirmations. Fond remembrances. Touching eulogies. And too, just a bit, of breaking news.

The the teeter-totter turned - all marketing (monitizing) became conversation. The cart was now before the horse. Fortunes were made and lost at the turn of a ...blogged... phrase. Readers became our currency. Blogrolls displayed the stuffed heads of our trophy prey - the untold a-list secret: "You blogroll me and I will scratch you back."

"So now I want something new."
Doc, I don't know you to say "Hello" on the street should we pass but what "new something" do you, would you want? Ennumereate the 'New' somethings that have come and gone since you started blogging. Go have a look at YASNS.
This is an attempt to document just social networks. Note their prolific rise in the time frame you site. Further I would acknowledge in the same breath how quickly they have become passee, just how soon the rock came tumbling back down the hill.

[Side note: I find it interesting that there is no mention, as of this writing, on the YASNS site of The Well. Probably one of the original SNSs. Also there are no mentions of Internet Relay Chat, MMORPGS, or howard rheingold's Brainstorms (one of the original walled-gardens.)]

So here is the dilemna I face. I don't have the time to follow every twittered tweet. I cannot afford the inanities of who had what for breakfast or where so-n-so is staying today and whether the wireless access is any good. Call it 'sour grapes' but I cannot stand the thought of another shiny-sparkly-friendly-river-book that will fill up with the tired, the poor, yearning to be ... to belong to the next shiny-sparkly-fried...

I can afford and do relish the few minutes each day when I can sit with my RSS reader and drink in the fine steeped brew of the internet.

As to the conversation let me leave you with this thought. Do not respond to this post - do not leave me a comment. Instead, take the time to let your day dribble, trickle, flow, meander, gush, or even flood from you finger tips into your own weblog. Let me find you there.

. . .