MuddlingThrough

Greatest Joy

2011-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Few of us experience our greatest joy. For fear of annihilation.
Later we may be able to deal with it. But, not then when it is offered.
We aren't brave enough or experienced when it's offered.

Be A Good Listener

2011-07-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

Yep, just like they say in all those movies on the topic of relationships, ya gotta be a good listener. What they don't tell you is that you should be listening to yourself.

I'm not suggesting to ignore others. I'm simply saying it's about time that you started paying attention and listen to what you are saying. Start doing this and you will be in for quite a shock.

Just in case it isn't totally clear, "listen to yourself" is not an euphemism for take your own advice, or be your own boss. I mean actually listen to what you are saying. And not just listen; listen with the same intensity to detail that Sherlock Holmes would bring to it.

When you do this, you'll find that you can hear in your voice when become ingenuous. You will hear the lie upon your own lips. As that happens, take a quick turn and get back to the truth.

Another thing you might notice, is that you know a heck of a lot more than you give yourself credit for. You'll find yourself blurting out the truth about situations. You'll also hear yourself blurting out half-truths about situations. When that happens, pause, backup and try to find the fuller truth. For example:

"Dam, that angers the hell out of me." -- nah, it doesn't really 'anger' me so much as...hmmm.... annoy? nah, ... ah, frustrate, that's what it does it frustrates me, thus changing your declaration to -- "That frustrates the hell of out me." Seems about the same, but is most definitely quite different. Does that mean being frustrates is better than being angry? No. It simply means that knowing the fuller truth about you is better. The moment you recognize that you are frustrated rather than angry it opens the door to the question: "what about this is frustrating?" Which leads to a mini inner conversation: Well, cause he's always getting all the breaks. All? All the breaks? Get a grip. You know that's an exaggeration. Well, he gets more breaks. How many more? Well, some more. So you're gonna allow someone else getting a few more breaks to frustrate you? Laugh... Yeah I guess so.

Does this mean that we should be psychoanalyzing our selves? No, it's just that you can't deal with what you don't see. It's like trying to clean a baking dish without being able to see or feel the bits of baked on crud.

Does this mean that we should be trying to clean ourselves like a baking dish? No. Enough with the endless hunt for rigid rules of conduct. Just start to pay attention to yourself. Actually see who you are for awhile. Then worry about sorting out what to do (if anything) about that.

Things to do until you die.

2011-07-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

These are not things to do excessively to bring about de-de-death. These are things to do during that time period following the irrevocable realization that your life as you knew it is over.

There comes a time when the cosmos plays a particular dirty trick on you. Not a particularly dirt trick. Lord knows the cosmos has plenty of equally dirty tricks up its sleeves. This particular dirty trick is a certain specific trick. It might look like the following.

Consider what it's like to lose a life partner -- husband or wife. Then, shortly there after you finally have to confront the fact that your reflexes, vision, or other capabilities have been compromised to the point that you can no longer drive. Then, your favorite television show is cancelled. Followed by the further depressing news that a lifelong pet is terminally ill. And to top it all off your favorite restaurant no longer serves that nice rice pudding that you enjoyed so much. You know the one with the special topping.

You've heard of the one-two punch. Well this is like the one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-etc. punch. The blows just keep coming. Anything that seemed to give your life value, purpose, or merit is stripped away.

"Why now, of all times, am I being battered down -- further and further. What kind of universe would do this? What the bleep is going on anyway?"

Consider the following answers:

What kind of universe would do this? A compassionate universe.

Why now, of all times? Because time is short and you have some work to do.

What the bleep is going on? You are being given an opportunity to get to work -- to shift your attention to a task that has been a hair's breadth away your whole life.

What is this work? What is this thing that is only a hair's breadth away?

Rather than answer this directly, let me throw another something into the mix. Today, I happened to be walking down a dirt country road. Nothing unusual in that. I do it several times a day -- seven days a week. The thing that was unusual today was a thought that imposed itself while I was walking down said road. This thought goes something like the following: finding out that today might be your last day of life has a way of draining significance from most all activities. What's the point of going to work to make a paycheck that you will never collect? Why practice piano for a recital you will never give? Why set an alarm clock that you will not hear ring? How important is it to put the dinner leftovers in the frig when there will be no one to warm them up the next day. The certainty of no tomorrow drains away all apparent value from the hubbub of daily activities that we normally take so much for granted.

Yep, that was an odd thought. But wait, and even odder thought was coming right on its heals. What about the situation of someone that discovers they have an eternity of tomorrows? Wouldn't an endless procession of tomorrows have the same effect? What's the point of practicing piano today? I could practice tomorrow? And if I do practice day after day, won't the practice become bone grinding monotonous? The endless future repetition of anything I do today weighs on me like a lead blanket -- pressing out any enthusiasm.

A single day and an endless number of days have the same effect -- actions lose their ordinary value leaving one with the slap in the face stinging realization that nothing one does much matters any more. The kids don't call or write. The boss won't notice if I come into work or not. In fact, I've been retired so long it's hard to remember what it was like to have a job with significant tasks calling to me -- even on the weekends.

What about a nice hobby? One could take up a hobby. Aren't there all of those hobby things that I promised myself I'd get to when I finally had the time? When you say the word enough, the word hobby takes on a very odd sound -- hobby ha-bee haaabeee. Very odd sound to it. But that is nothing to the reaction I get when I contemplate actually doing a hobby. Weird, just plain weird.

Well, this doesn't seem to be getting us any closer to a solution for this getting beat down continued stripping of opportunity for apparent value from our lives. Really how many hours of day time television can you watch without going stark raving looney?

When you find yourself thinking: "given the way things are going I just don't see the value in living" there is a solution -- a simple solution. A solution that a compassionate universe is trying to help you find. That solution is to realize that living your life for you is not the best way to extract value.

Perhaps you have heard of folks that set off on a spiritual quest looking for god. Well god is not playing a game of hide-n-seek and the phrase "look for god" should not be interpreted as seek for god but rather as "see for god." To see the Kingdom of Heaven it is necessary to see with the eyes of god. The Kingdom of Heaven (sometimes called the Crystal Palace) is here -- all around us, all the time. It is just a hair's breadth away.

As you let god look out through your eyes you will have the vicarious experience of seeing as god sees. Now there is value. There is value in the seeing and there is value in the being seen. There is value in god seeing creation. And there is value in the creation being seen by god. A job that we as human beings can do is to act as a kind of portal -- a knot hole in the fence of creation -- letting god take a peek at creation.

Making that cup of tea and sipping it on the patio while watching the birds play in the bird bath is important. Not necessarily important for you. But it can be important for god and it can be important for creation. Yeah, you've seen a bird a zillion times so it is no big deal for you. But when your vision shifts revealing the Crystal Palace it is a big deal. It is not just you seeing. And, it is not just you being seen. Really, it is not all about you.

The fact that it is not just about me is hard to see when "me" is doing well. When "me" has many friends to see, and "me" has many places to go, and "me" has many important accomplishments to accomplish. When I have too much "me" going on it clouds my vision.

The universe has a cure for too much "me". It's called the grinding deprivations of old age. Day after day, yet another part of me is stripped away. Not stripped away by a cruel and heartless universe, stripped away by a compassionate universe that is providing an opportunity to look past me and see the Crystal Palace -- to look on behalf of god.

But why couldn't this have come to me years ago when I had energy and ankle joints that moved without coaxing? Maybe it did and you were either too busy, or had too many competing responsibilities to see it. Now, you have the time, and let's face it there just aren't that many responsibilities competing for your attention. So now is the time to do what you can do to live in the Crystal Palace.

There are many possible interpretations of "Die before you die." One interpretation is to visit the beautiful Kingdom of Heaven now -- don't wait until after you croak, take a little trip each day. If you can get it together to visit once a day that would be a great accomplishment. Perhaps you can visit while weeding the garden, or perhaps you can visit while taking up a new hobby playing the bongos. It doesn't matter. All vistas in the Kingdom of Heaven are equally grande and are calling out for someone to give god a peek.

Clown Character Types

2011-01-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

Below are eight clown types. These are notes I made in 1980 on an old Altair computer -- one of the very first personal computers. We had to flip switches on the front panel to input binary code to boot the computer.

I don't recall where precisely I found the inspiration/source for this material those 30 some years ago. But here they are for your edification.

Bureaucrat

Definitely a company person, this clown's view of the world is restricted to the unspoken rules and regulations that crop up in any society. By confining himself to this narrow point of view, this clown exempts himself from thought or feeling. He does not have to consider how his actions affect his fellows because he always acts "properly." The blind spots that are established by this character serve only to point up the absurdity of this position.

Demagogue

The figure of unbridled authority operates on this own set of rules with a narrow-mindedness that excludes variant opinions completely.

Dummy

This character is not really dumb -- he is just overly logical. When another clown gives him a job to do, he does it to the letter. If asked to shake he does shake -- but all over. he is so literal minded that the other clowns must take care in what they say when he is around, or they will find their very own words turned against them. The dummy seems dumb through all of the insanity he creates because he cannot understand why everything is going awry.

Egotist

This clown is always right, whether he is or not. He pushes the other clowns about to fit his own conception of the way things should be and is always ready to take credit where none is due. When this character gets slapped down, the audience enjoys seeing this guy get his for a change.

Narcissist

Filled with a sense of his own beauty, this character is always a trifle removed from this situation because his attention is centered on himself. Like the egotist, he has little of which to be proud.

Poor Soul

The luck of this character always seems to run against him. That he actually is the author of a major portion of his own misfortune never seems to occur to him. He remains constantly resigned to what he believes is his inevitable fate.

Timid Soul

This character would be afraid to ask for water even if he were dying of thirst. his insecurity is painfully evident to the audience. The least boisterous of all the clowns, he is often the butt of the pranks of his fellows. But, like the fool, he seems protected by God, for he always seems to come out on top. Through this shyness and uncertainty he man ages to turn the tables on his detractors.

Tippler

The clown uses this character to poke fun at overindulgence. This is not the chronic drunk.

Escape Velocity

2011-01-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

Over the course of this winter some very good friends are working on creating lists for themselves by addressing the questions "What did they hope to accomplish with their life?" and, "What will they regret not doing if they should die without doing it?"

Reading emails from a couple of these friends I was reminded of something.

The thing I was reminded of was those moments right after the realization that nothing else will be done. This realization can come shortly before organic death, or it can be minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even longer. Whatever the timing, there will come a moment when we realize our capacity for getting any real work done is kaput.

I believe that when this time comes it is important to assess with a clear heart the results of one's life. Accept with gratitude that which one has been able to accomplish. And, take onto one's self a clear vision of that which one has not accomplished.

Let's assume that one has on their list of wishes something along the lines of "be with others with a caring and open heart."

Let's further assume that on your death bed your assessment is that you fell short of this goal.

I am suggesting that if you can hold a clear vision of this wish along with guiltless regret that you did not accomplish it, that you can use this as fuel to thrust you in the direction of a next incarnation that will be on the path toward achievement of that goal.

Reviewing the above, I come across the statement: "Whatever the timing, there will come a moment when we realize our capacity for getting any real work done is kaput." It occurs to me that this sentence holds both a truth and a lie. The truth is that there will come a moment when we realize our capacity for getting any real work done is kaput. The lie is that we cannot get any real work done at that time. Who is to say how much work can be accomplished even though you haven't the capacity.

In the words of Commander Peter Quincy Taggert: never give up, never surrender.

Drumming Survival Guide

2010-12-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

or How to fake your way until you stumble into a groove.

I am not a drummer. I like drumming. I have fun drumming. I even have a close friend that is a drummer. But, I don't happen to be a drummer.

I drum by inspiration. In fact, the friend mentioned above is one of my PUPs (Parallel Universe Personaes) that knows how to drum. Once upon a time folks would talk about coming under the influence of the Muse -- being struck by inspiration. Using the language of parallel universes this can be understood as tapping into one's PUP from some universe or other.

You might prefer to think of this as tapping into a PUP, divine intervention from one of the Muses, chance inspiration, or just getting lucky and falling into a groove. Whichever way you think of it, there is that time period before lightning strikes in which it is just you a drum and no inspiration.

If someone else is responsible for setting the starting rhythm then no problem. Just hang back and follow whatever is laid down.

If for whatever reason you are called upon to "start us off with a beat" then you need to:

Be a real drummer -- in which case you know real drumming stuff that you can call upon
Be able to tap into your inspiration instantly
Have some way to bide the time until inspiration hits.

This article is for folks that fall into category 3.

Here are a few experiments you can play with that can give you sometime to do while waiting for that elusive lightning to strike.

Here are a few truths about hand drumming.

Hand drumming involves hitting a drum with your hands.
If you hit the drum so that every beat is the exact same sound it will sound like garbage.
If the interval between beats is the exact same it will also sound like garbage.
If you are a non-drummer (like me) then it is pretty much impossible to strike the drum with different tones and varying intervals on purpose.

So what is to be done? I trick myself.

To make different tones I strike the drum in different places. Since I use a djembe and/or doumbek there are two very distinct places to strike the drum head

In the middle of the drum head
Near the edge of the drum head

Be advised for a real drummer the middle of the drum head can mean many different things, and the edge of the drum head can mean several different thing -- knuckle here, palm there, thumb over, hands at 45 degrees, elbows in/out, slappity, bongity, and bang. Basically tons of possibilities.

Relax, for us dummies that just need a way to get through the next five minutes without imploding there is the middle and the edge. That is enough to get started.

I guarantee if you hit the drum head in the middle it will sound different then if you hit the drum head on the edge. Also because we are untrained beginners, hitting the drum head in the middle with the right hand will sound different than hitting the drum head in the middle with the left hand. Same goes for the edge.

Thus you are pretty much guaranteed to have at least four different tones.

Now what about making sure that we do not beat the drum with the exact same interval between strikes? That is handled by striking the drum in the two different parts of the drum head. Because it is necessary to move one's hands (and arms) in order to strike the middle versus hitting the edge you are again pretty much guaranteed to have different intervals. Later when you are a practiced real drummer you might be able to move your hands all over the drum head and maintain a constant interval. But as a beginner that little extra distance will add and/or subtract a little time from the interval.

Thus if you use a pattern that involves hitting the drum in different parts of the drum head you will get different tones and non-equal intervals between strikes.

To make this experiment/exercise work we will use a pattern of Right Left Right Left Right Left ad infinitum.

Let's use a O to indicate middle of drum head (a bass kind of tone).
We will use a _ to indicate edge of the drum head (a higher pitched tone).

Check out the pattern _ _ O O (sometimes called mama papa).

This is a very simple rhythm. Right edge, left edge, right middle, left middle, rinse and repeat.

Play this rhythm and allow it to evolve into a groove. Make no effort to have the interval constant. Allow the hands to do their thing. Just keep up the right, left, right, left, right, left alternating hands. And concentrate on edge, edge, middle, middle. This will make a rhythm.

But what if you want to try for a different rhythm? There are a few things you can try. Just for the fun of it, let's try the following: O O _ _ -- that's right. This time it is middle, middle, edge, edge.

Because of how we are, the #1 beat sounds different than the 2, 3, & 4. So if the #1 is edge then you will be lead into a different groove than if the #1 beat is a middle. There are other alternatives you can try as well. Such as O _ _ O, or _ O O _ . And, if you start with left rather than right you have even more patterns.

Above I mentioned there are a few things you can try to get a different rhythm. The first experiment was to begin our same pattern in different parts of the pattern. Another thing you can try is a different pattern. For example: O _ _ O _ _

Try this new pattern. Be sure to alternate hands -- right, left, right, left. You should have a pattern that looks like this: Right middle, left edge, right edge, left middle, right edge, left edge, back to beginning.

Hopefully this will give you something to do while waiting for that elusive inspiration.

I put links to a few books that you can check out on Amazon. I don't recommend books. I've purchased books, I've tried using books, I've started and stopped with different books. And every time I work with a book I do get a little something out of the book. But, it is a very little (almost tiny) something. The only place I seem to actually learn anything about drumming is from being in a drumming circle. However, I still keep a few books (I like the kid's books best) around. And, I work with them periodically. I just don't recommend it. The thing I do recommend is getting into a drumming circle. From that you will draw your necessity and inspiration.

Share The Wins

2010-11-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

We live in a crazy time. Apathy, confusion of focus, overwhelm, and an abiding sense of hollow abound.

It's weird. We are being pulled a million different directions. And as Harry Nilsson says in his script The Point "A point in every direction is a point is no direction at all."

Social networking sites give us points of "contact." But, often the contacts are unsatisfying or a bit hollow. This is were sharing a win comes in.

Any time you can contact someone that participated in a project (on any level) and tell them about a "win" for the project you are giving a bit of focus and helping point the way to some value in their work.

"Hey, thanks for giving me that lead the other day it looks like I'll be sitting down with them for some serious conversation." This shows you to be a winner. This shows the person you are contacting that you appreciate their help. This shows that person that what they do matters. And, encourages them. Everyone can benefit from a little encouragement.

So share those wins.

Through The Indulgence Of Strangers

2010-08-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Your business and productive life is not something you want to trust to the indulgence of strangers.

Unfortunately that is the situation that many of us find ourselves in. This came to me in sharp, unavoidable clarity after my iMac hard drive was toasted this past week.

I purchased my iMac because I needed a system that would provide a hospitable environment for both OS X and for WinXP. The iMac as advertised as doing this. That is not quite true. Sorta true, but not really true.

The iMac is very hospitable to the OS X, but it only tolerates (marginally) the WinXP. Windows is treated like an unwelcome but tolerated guest on the machine. Some Mac users will take exemption to this statements. Most Mac users will wonder what kind of idiot would bother putting WinXP on a Mac when they have a perfectly (and superior) operating system already installed OS X.

Actually I agree that OS X is a superior operating system. I like it. But alas, several key programs that I require for my work are not available in any flavor on the Mac side of bootcamp. Bootcamp is the program that allows me to switch back and forth between the two operating systems. I think of them as two sides of the computer -- the mac side and the windows side. But really there is not windows side.

Near as I can figure it, bootcamp works with a huge file area that is set aside for use by the Windows OS and software. So Windows is a guest of the OS X.

Now that my WinXP install is toasted as a result of a hard drive crash I have zero access to my files. If the system was a PC desktop, it would have been easy to remove the hard drive and put it into an external drive case and salvage parts of the file system using any number of software tools.

But since the file system is not really a hard drive file system (it is a pseudo file system) these third-party programs are not capable of accessing the information. Thus I am unable to salvage even bits and pieces of my previous data.

Fortunately most of my data was backed up. I think I may have lost a week of work. Some of which can be redone, some of which is beyond reclamation.

But this got me to thinking about guest systems, or systems that rely upon layers upon layers of drivers and interface.

There was a time when a word document was only readable in the Word program. Many years ago a client sent me a proposal that was in word format -- rather than the request rtf interchangeable format. It took me quite some time to find a means to read that file. I finally had to write a program of my own to dump the text data so that I could at least read the ascii portion of the letter. This may sound strange, now that we have so many programs that are capable of importing Word documents. But at the time there was not a competing program that could import the new word format I was sent.

Yes, that is ancient news. But, today there are many examples of similar situations. Try to get access to a 3DS Max model if you do not have the program. Deep Exploration can import and export dozens and dozens of model formats -- no problem. But, they are not allowed to import and export Maya or 3DS Max models. Not because they are incapable of writing the plugins. They are not allowed by the manufacturer.

This means that any model saved in a maya or max format requires access to a working copy of the program. If the program stops working -- or they upgrade program without allowing for compatibility with older versions -- you are sunk. But, they would not do that. That is true. But, they could.

I really like Maya. It is a great program. I would continue to use my copy of Maya forever -- even if the company went out of business. But, I can't use Maya if the company goes out of business. If they go out of business how am I going to get an activation code when it comes time to re-install Maya because yet another hard drive was toasted.

Any program you have that requires internet or phone activation also requires that the mother company continue to do business. We saw recently major financial institutions go belly up. How is it impossible to consider the folks supporting Maya to not go under? Admittedly, they are big enough I don't worry about them. But what about the folks in Finale that put out PrintMusic. They are not so huge. They could easily call it a day. Then my software, for which I purchased a perpetual license, would not install because there would be no on available to activate it.

Something the hardware and software manufacturers are discovering (much to their chagrin) is the fact that some of us like to keep our working (and expensive) software.

All of this is beside the point. It is germane, but not on direct target. The issue is, we are functioning at the indulgence of strangers. I suggest making audits to make sure you have data backed up on ways that will allow access -- should anything go wrong.

The easier it is for me to get my grubby little fingers on the data the better I feel about it. Take this blog for example, if one uses the export feature of blogger the data can be saved in an open xml format. I can totally access to my words. Meaning that if google had a hiccup and wiped my blog clean, I have a backup. AND, that backup can be accessed directly by me -- not just by an import filter proprietary to google.

Unfortunately, that is not true of everything. So I am auditing my involvements to see where I am at most risk and see what I can do about minimizing those risks.

Yearning

2010-08-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Yearn, long, hanker, pine all mean to feel a powerful desire for something.

Yearn stresses the depth and passionateness of a desire: to yearn to get away and begin a new life; to yearn desperately for recognition.

Long implies a wholehearted desire for something that is or seems unattainable: to long to relive one's childhood; to long for the warmth of summer.

Hanker suggests a restless or incessant craving to fulfill some urge or desire: to hanker for a promotion; to hanker after fame and fortune.

Pine adds the notion of physical or emotional suffering as a result of the real or apparent hopelessness of one's desire: to pine for one's native land; to pine for a lost love.

Desire, craving, longing, yearning suggest feelings that impel one to the attainment or possession of something.

Desire is a strong feeling, worthy or unworthy, that impels to the attainment or possession of something that is (in reality or imagination) within reach: a desire for success.

Craving implies a deep and imperative wish for something, based on a sense of need and hunger: a craving for food, companionship.

A longing is an intense wish, generally repeated or enduring, for something that is at the moment beyond reach but may be attainable at some future time: a longing to visit Europe.

Yearning suggests persistent, uneasy, and sometimes wistful or tender longing: a yearning for one's native land.

New Blog Started

2010-08-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Based on some of the feedback from yesterday's blog about sprouts I decided to start a sprouting blog. It is up and running on WordPress.com Kitchen Counter Gardening.

In case you are wondering, "why put the blog on WordPress when you already have your other blogs on blogspot?" Several of my web design clients have been asking me for help with their WordPress sites. It is true that one can learn quite a bit about a CMS using a local server installation such as WAMP. I have a windows apache mysql php install on my desktop so that I can test Joomla, wordpress, and other CMS systems. All part of my php programming adventure.

However, to really stumble upon the little tricks and traps of a CMS (content management system) one really needs to use it in earnest. Nothing like really wanting to accomplish something to run you smack dab into pot holes and speed bumps. For example, every time I want to monkey with the settings for the front page it takes me forever to remember that the front page settings are under Appearance/Reading. When I find it, it makes sense. But when I am poking around in the menu system it just doesn't jump out at me saying click here.

In any case, I needed a real-life project to get into the nuts and bolts of WordPress so that is why the Kitchen Counter Gardening blog is on wordpress.com

Sprouts -- The Miracle Poverty Food

2010-08-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a sprouting expert. Can't sprout a zillion different seeds and beans. Basically I sprout a few items that I have found over the years to be easy and reliable to work with -- mung beans for example.

Even so, I am a total advocate of sprouting. I wish it could break away from the reputation of hippie new age kitchen practices and enter into the main stream. Mostly because I believe sprouting can easily improve the quality of life for many individuals living on a budget.

While it is true that I have had the good fortune to make a nice piece of change with programming, it is also true that I have spent a good part of my life living on the financial edge. When buying food on a budget, fresh vegetables are the first causalities.

This is unfortunate. Fresh living food is important to attitude and sense of well-being. Poverty is not the time to let your attitude go.

Faced with the prospect of not enough money for fresh vegetables, I would resort to rice and beans -- good foods but lacking in the things that fresh living foods can provide.

Sprouting to the rescue. One day I discovered (actually re-discovered) that if I put those beans into a jar I could convert those dried high-starch nuggets into living vibrant fresh vegetables.

It takes some planning. It takes some discipline. It takes some grunt work. But with not too much extra effort one can get started on the path of kitchen counter gardening and really stretch your budget.

Things You Would Not Expect

2010-08-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

While working on an SEO posting for my other blog it became necessary to find a search expression that would return only a few results. I wanted to find a search phrase for which there would only be a few pages that matched.

Silly me, for some reason I figured "tattooing pigs" would yield few, if any, results. Did you know that tattooing pigs is a huge endeavor on this planet. Artists all over the world are using our swine buddies as canvases for their art. Go to google, type in "tattooing pigs" and press the search button. You will find somewhere in the neighborhood of 723,000 pages on the topic of tattooing pigs. That's almost a million pages on the topic. I would have lost that bet. Tattooed Poultry is even worse -- 3,730,000 results.

A "left-handed monkey wrench" has only 12,000 search results. Turns out that this is an unusually low number.

When I started this hunt for search terms with low results I had no idea how truly weird the situation had become. Alas, I need to find a nice corner and go catatonic for a while.

At least good ol' "morphotony" still only had 64 results.

p.s. If you want to see the end of this hunt check out "Walk In Traffic" on my SEO blog

Why I Love Pong

2010-07-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

It is simple to play.

It is not occult. No hidden features to unlock or special moves to learn.

Every game is unique. Pong has endless possibilities.

Pong rewards dedicated play: it has a gradient of mastery.

It is an elegant representation. Pong is a depiction of Ping Pong. The similar nature to a physical
representation provides linkages to stored associations to the represented game.

It is social. Pong is a game of interaction and spectatorship.

It has a cool sound. The pong sound made when the square (ball) is hit by the line (paddle) is satisfying. The sound is not unpleasant. It is positive feedback that one has succeeded in positioning the paddle. It signals a brief reprieve while the ball is in their court.

It is fun.

What Is A Game?

2010-07-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Humans love to find patterns – we are pattern finding machines.

In Half-Real Jesper Juul defines a game as thus:

"A game is a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable."

I would modify this definition slightly:

"A game is a rule delineated system with a variable and knowable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different significance, the players' efforts influence the outcome, the player is identified with the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable."

rule-based system -> rule delineated system : In a rule-based system, the system is based upon the rules. In a rule delineated system, the system may be partially based upon rules and the system may be partially based upon non-rules (whatever that may be). The rules become a fence which can serve to delineate and define the game. While the game may be made of more than the rules, the rules will serve the purpose of providing a guideline to indicate when one is within the confines of the game and when one has slipped from the confines of the game.

quantifiable outcome -> knowable outcome: The outcome of most games will tend to be quantifiable. However, there is no reason to limit the nature of outcomes to be only those which are quantifiable. It is possible to include non-numeric measures into the definition of an outcome. However, it is necessary that the outcome is knowable – whether it be through quantitative measure or not – it still needs to be knowable. In addition, the outcome needs to be variable. If the result is constant independent of the play of the game, then the player participation is undermined.

the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome -> the players' efforts influence the outcome: In addition to players exerting effort with the intention of influencing the outcome, it is important that the outcome can, in fact, be influenced by the players' efforts. If the outcome were determined randomly after a predefined duration of making lively efforts, the nature of the activity as a game would be undermined. To engage the player, the possibility of a player's efforts influencing the outcome is necessary.

the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome -> the player is identified with the outcome: There are more ways to be attached and invested in the outcome other than merely emotionally. Identified, as used in this context, implies a vested interest (often, but not always emotional) in the outcome.
outcomes are assigned different values -> outcomes are assigned different significance: Values implies a numeric, or quantifiable measure. Once again, we need not limit ourselves to quantifiable measures of the outcome. Qualitative measures are possible.

the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable (stat): This phrase remains unmodified in so much as it is bang on. To be a game, the outcome of the game should also contain a portion of non-obligation. Gambling is a form of gaming, but it is not a game – for just this reason. There is no measure of voluntariness in the acceptance of the outcome, nor is the outcome negotiable. If you lose $20 on the hand of Black Jack, it is lost whether you agree to the consequences or not. And if you think you can negotiate with the pit boss about the payment, you have not met any of the same pit bosses I have.

One of the results of this definition of game is that some activities which one may have previously thought of as a game, may now fall outside the province. And, perhaps, new activities may present themselves as possibilities.

Zoom Vs. Font-Size

2010-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

There is quite a debate amongst web designers about the relative merits of using zoom vs. using font size to make a page more accessible. Many folks lobby for font-size as the option of choice. Others suggest that zoom is a better representation of page content since it preserves the original layout -- just larger or smaller.

My mother has severe Macular Degeneration. I have watched how she works with her various magnifying tools. She is quite used to scrolling both vertical and horizontal. It has become part of her life style.

However, zoom as it is implemented is missing one very significant feature. I call it the "photoshop hand". Photoshop just happens to be the first place I was introduced to this UI tool. By combining a keyboard shortcut with the mouse one can "grab" the canvas and move it around. It can be moved up, down, left, right, and at any angle. This is very convenient for navigating an image that is larger than the view port.

I have not found this movement tool in the Firefox Zoom feature. If there is one please let me know, my mother will be most pleased. As it is the keyboard arrow keys to some good effect.

If Zoom is designed for use by the visually impaired then it would make sense for it to duplicate the look AND feel of the equipment already in use -- such as the table top overhead project type camera and screen. Or, at least for the UI (user interface) designers to study those tools for a bit.

Obviously computer browsers could have expanded functionality beyond the mechanically limited user interface of desktop camera systems. For example, a simple button to jump from h? to h? within a page might be nice. These are semantically the deliminators of distinct areas of a page. Whether or not this would truly be a good idea is left to testing. And testing is something that seems to be missing from many of the accessibility features at the moment.

Pattern Finding And Jazz Art

2010-07-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

Previously I discussed our love for finding patterns. In this blog-article I'd like to continue that discussion by relating it to Jazz Art and the role that visual media can play in context with music.

Please be clear, I am most definitely not trying to indicate that our love of finding patterns has anything to do with the who, what, where, of how of jazz. Rather, I am simply pointing out that while we are listening to jazz, our brains continue with their pattern finding mania unabated.

Our love of finding patterns does not stop just because we are playing jazz. Before jazz we find patterns, after jazz we find patterns, and during jazz we find patterns. Let's face it, we find patterns all the damn time. That is what we do.

Hence, while jazz is happening so too does pattern finding.

I think it is easy to appreciate how perceptual data influences the patterns we find. For example, the visual data presented by an orderly array of trees in an orchard will give rise to very different patterns than the visual data provided by an accumulation of trees in the forest. It should be easy to appreciate how the data (in this case the trees) effects the patterns we draw.

All of this, brings us finally to the topic of this paper – Jazz Art. Jazz being the music, and art being associated visual media.

In Jazz Art, the music and visual media have a symbiotic and synergistic relationship. Both draw life from the other – the mixture of jazz and art being far greater than the sum of the parts.

As we listen to music, the process of pattern exploration continues. The music supplies audio information forming the bulk of the raw data from which we explore patterns. But, this audio information (a.k.a. music) is not the whole of it. The set and setting also contribute.

In terms of set, how we approach the music is important. Are we harried, have we just gulped down five espressos or half a bottle of wine, did we come from a hectic drive through mid-town traffic, or a pleasant evening with friends. All of this contributes to the set.

The setting would naturally be the audience, layout, decor, and even smell of the venue. Believe it, listening to music in an adrenaline filled beer saloon is very different than a small jazz club around the corner. The setting matters.
When it comes to set and setting, they should, for the most part, be a kind of static background used to predispose one to a positive listening experience. There is one area in which this non-interference rule should be broken – that is the stage. The setting of the stage is a part of the performance. This includes everything from how the instruments and musicians are arranged on the stage, to the lighting, to the stage decoration.
It is in the stage decoration that Jazz Art takes its place. Apart from the shear utilitarian function of acting as sound baffles to help sculpt the sound, Jazz Art adds visual data supplementing the audio information.

This is most easily demonstrated through experience. For me, E.J. Gold's monumental entitled Milt Green is an excellent case study. The picture by itself is a beautiful, partially abstracted portrait of Milt Green – hence the title . However, place this portrait anywhere within easy view while listening to jazz and something wonderful happens. Not only is the nature of the artwork mutable through the effects of the music, the music is also susceptible. Or, perhaps more correctly, my experience of the music is susceptible to the juxtaposition with the artwork.

Obviously the notes do not change in the recording. The CD is the same, colors don't reach out from the painting into the gold foil of the CD changing the music as it is recorded. But, somehow, the process of being with the portrait savoring the visual experience brings out a variety of different aspects within the music.
Jazz, is not fluctuations of density in the atmosphere. Pressure waves are merely the means by which sound is transmitted through the room. It takes a human ear to transform a room full of wiggling bits of air into jazz. The ear contributes to the experience of jazz. The ear is not just flesh and bone. The ear is also the accumulation of experience which has served to educate the listener – preparing them for the present performance. There is a reason that musicians appreciate certain audiences.

Now comes the truly magical part of a live performance. Not only is the perception of the audience altered by the presence of the art, the experience (and performance) of the musicians can be altered by the aesthetic of the stage. While it is true that art cannot reach into a CD and change the music, that is not as true with a live performance.

In a live performance there are feedback loops between the performers, the audience, the audiences' perception of the music, the audiences' perception of the art.

How and why does this operate? Fortunately, as an audience member it doesn't really matter whether or not I understand why I like jazz or how the presence of Jazz Art can contribute to my listening experience. It only matters that the musicians know how to do what they do, and that the artists know how to do what they do. In the case of the musicians and artists, it matters a great deal how well trained they are in their respective crafts, and how well they are able to bring themselves into the task.

The fusion of jazz and art is something which works. Everyone that experiences the results of this fusion is so impressed with the positive contribution of the art to the music that it is a mystery why art has not been an integral part of jazz performances.

But don't take my word for it, do the experiment. Plunk yourself down somewhere, somehow so that you can give a listen to jazz while viewing Jazz Art. You tell me whether the art contributes to your experience of the music. You tell me whether your experience of the art is modified by the music.

Knock Knock

2010-06-30T00:16:00.001-07:00

A-Bot Tells Kaku a Joke

2010-06-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

We Love To Find Patterns

2010-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Humans love to find patterns - we are pattern finding machines. Don't believe me, sit in front of a vintage television tuned off-station. Watch the television snow - the visual chaos of buzzing color dots. After a surprisingly short time, you will begin to see images emerge from the visual static. Some of these images will be so detailed and so specific that you will become convinced that somehow a nearby channel has shifted frequency and the television is now displaying a partial transmission. Even with no antenna, no cable, no signal input of any sort, you will not be able to shake the notion that the television is somehow picking up images from some source - they can become that sharp in detail.

You are correct to assume that there is a source of origin for these images. However, do not look to the television or satellite as the source of these images. There is a source. That source is you. Somehow, somewhere lurking amongst the lumps of neural circuitry that passes for your brain is a little something or other responsible for these images emerging.

If you feel inclined to be impressed by your ability to create a detailed image of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco from the stuff of television snow - go ahead, be impressed. But don't be surprised. After all, are you not able to create amazingly detailed, fully tactile hallucinations at night? The same salt-water bioware that creates these dreams could easily make a horse and cowboy from television static.

Not only is the human brain eminently capable of finding these patterns, it wants to.
Humans love to find patterns - patterns in sights, patterns in sounds, patterns in actions, patterns in intentions, patterns in behavior, patterns in movement. patterns in just about everything. In fact, every form of data perceptible by the human is subjected to this pattern finding mania.

How did we come to do this? The answer to this is an interesting study in evolution, and the anthropology of humans.

How do we do this? The answer to this is a thoroughly engrossing adventure in biology, chemistry, neurology, and every other aspect of human biophysics.

What comes of this pattern finding? The answer to this could lead us into the deeper recesses of human psychology.

Where we do this? The answer to this can provide a handle on the engineering of entertainment and the human environment.

The above questions while full of potential, are beyond the scope of this short discussion - remember it's supposed to be about Jazz Art. For the moment, the fact that this mania for pattern finding exists is enough.

Take it as given that we love to find patterns.

You'll notice that I've said: "we love to find patterns." A simpler formulation of this might be "we find patterns." But that would overlook the essential element - we love to find patterns. Not only are we good at finding patterns, we take pleasure in doing it.

An unexamined life is not worth living

2010-06-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

The text below is extracted from a book I'm currently working on.

Perhaps you have heard the quote “An unexamined life is not worth living.” While you may attribute this to Johnny Depp or yet another Hollywood celeb, the quote actually comes to us from a friend of Bill & Ted – Socrates.

It was during the punishment phase of his trial, that Socrates uttered these words: An unexamined life is not worth living. He was convicted of being an interloping old fart – and generally a nuisance to the state. You see, Socrates had this habit of poking and prying and generally seeking after truth. The state took a dim view of this behavior.

When asked during the penalty phase whether he should be killed, exiled, or imprisoned Socrates suggested he should be given a reward for his selfless contributions to Athenian society. For some reason this suggestion did not sit well with the judges. Ultimately, Socrates chose death as a final punctuation mark for his stated view that participation in conversation whose goal is the search for wisdom is essential for the nurturing and growth of a soul as well as for the health and welfare of the state. And this is how a hemlock frappuccino became the exclamation point of Socrates life.

While we certainly aren't suggesting a hemlock frappuccino, we definitely advocate participation in conversation whose goal is the search for wisdom and nurturing the growth of a soul – i.e. living an examined life. There are many ways to go about this. Socratic Debate is one method, journaling is another, and the RPS (Roll Playing Safari) Game is yet another.

Some thoughts on response in communication.

2010-06-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article by Jakob Nielsen on Website Response Times, when an odd thought crept into my the edges of my awareness. What if we applied these comments to communication response rather than browser response?

When a user clicks on a link in their browser they expect the browser to respond by fetching the page and rendering it in the browser window. Not only do they have an expectation that this event will occur, they have very definite expectations about how the event will occur.

They expect the returned page to be the one they clicked on. They expect the page to be rendered rapidly. And, they expect the page to be rendered well.

Jakob points out in his excellent article, two of key reasons for the need for speed is: 1) As we wait for response the inevitability of short term memory erasure causes us to suffer the decay of information. 2) We like to feel in control of our destinies rather than subjugated to the whims and control of something else. And when companies make us wait instead of providing responsive service they seem arrogant or incompetent.

These comments work equally well whether talking about response time from clicking a url on a web page or or a customers communication through email, phone, or what have you.

When a customer contacts you it is important to do the following:

Reply promptly.
Reply in a fashion they recognize as related to their question.
Reply well.

It is more important to reply promptly then correctly. If you don't have the answer to a customers question, or if you know you cannot give the customer the answer they want, still reply quickly. Even if it is only to say, we got your question and will answer it soon.

Within the first sentence of the first paragraph you need to say something that tells the customer you "got" their question. If you do not in some way duplicate back to the customer their question, they may think you did not receive the original question. Or, they may think you are too stupid to understand the question. Or, worse yet, they may think you have no regard for their question as written -- and by extension, no regard for the customer. So at best you will look incompetent, and at worst you will look callous and uncaring.

And it is important that your response is rendered well. Start with spell check and grammar check. But, don't stop there. Actually re-read your response to see it from the perspective of the customer. Is the answer well handled. This will reflect significantly on you and your company. Unfortunately you have more opportunity to lose points than to gain points. Customers expect a well formulated response. So if you answer well, that is par for the course -- no extra points for doing your job as expected. But, if you respond poorly, you will lose points big time.

All of these points make sense, and have been covered before separately -- and perhaps even together. The thing which struck me today was a new rationale for why this makes sense. It goes beyond following protocols that have been proven in the past to have good results. It gets right down to the meat of the matter.

These suggestions are made because they 1) Get back to the customer at a time when they still remember why they wanted to contact you in the first place -- while it is still new business. And, 2) It allows to feel in control rather than subjugated to your whim.

When the customer initiates communication they are predisposed to communication -- maybe not purchase, but certainly communication. You have their interest, and you have their attention. Having a customer's attention is paramount. Without it nothing is possible. So act while you have that attention.

Allowing the customer to maintain that sense of control will keep thing flowing. Make the customer feel like they are at your whim and under your control and you lose their willing participation. You might be able to trick them to do what you want in any case. But it is so much better to have a willing participant in any interaction.

If you are the kind of person, or the kind of company, that allows the customer to have a sense of control, you will go much further -- and have a better time getting there.

You will note, however, that I have been careful to say "allow the customer a sense of control. It is possible to control the flow of communication and get your business done while allowing the customer to feel empowered.

And this brings me to the something I was hoping to communicate. I know businesses want to do their business. If they are in the business of selling cars, they want to sell cars. If they are in the business of selling cable services, they want to sell cable service. But, here's the thing. If they just change how they do their business they can contribute to the healing of the world and still do business.

It is totally possible to sell cable service and deliver that service without at the same time making the customers feel powerless and at the whim of uncaring forces over which they have no control and can expect no mercy. I believe there is a model of business that will still get the job done and treat the customers with dignity.

The simple act of treating customers with dignity could go a long way toward healing the deep wounds from which so many suffer. I know this runs counter to the abusive "me: tyrannical feudal lord" and "you: serf" attitude so prevalent amongst power possessors in our corporate culture. Still it would be nice.

Why Go Through All The Effort To Create A Keywords List

2010-06-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

On one of my other blogs SEO Made Easy, I have outlined a rather involved and perhaps tedious process to brainstorm, organize, expand, and refine a websites keyword list. Lord have mercy the process looks daunting -- even to me.

Question: So why go through all of this effort to find keywords and keyword phrases?

Answer: Because you are looking for lightning to strike.

You are hoping that somewhere during the process of hunting up keywords you will stumble across those total gems that will completely alter your website and marketing of it.

I'll give you an example. A friend was working on his website devoted to astral projection. When going through the process of creating a list of keywords he was suddenly reminded of the phrase astral travel. This might seem like such an obvious phrase to include. But, for some reason he was temporarily blinded to it. Doesn't matter why. What matters is that through the simple process of gathering keywords he was in fact reminded of it.

This may seem like a small thing. However, when you consider that 30% of the traffic in this niche is generated by interest in astral travel, you realize how important this little reminder was.

Perhaps not the most dramatic example. But, it should give you the idea of what is meant by looking for lightning to strike.

Six Phases / Steps In A Sales Cycle

2010-06-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

By my reckoning there are six steps (or phases) in a sale. I know that many folks talk about "The Four Steps To A Sale." I like to consider the full range of six. Yes, these can be broken down even further. But for me these fit the bill.

Below are the six steps to a sale:

Need
Awareness
Consideration/Research
Decision
Purchase
Post Purchase Valuation

1 Need

The first step in the sale is a need. There is always a need first. Even in those mythical sales of snow to an Eskimo there was a need. The need was not for snow. But there was a need for something. You can't make a sale without the interest of your customer. And, you can't get the interest of a customer unless it is of personal interest to them -- in a way they understand. That type of interest comes from need.

2 Awareness

This is not awareness in general, although that might be nice, this is awareness of the possibility of a solution to the need. Walking around with a need is one thing. Walking around with a need and stumbling upon the prospect of handling that need is something all together different.

What if the need is for this gosh darn abscessed tooth to stop hurting. Well, believe it life will be much different the moment that individual learns of the existence of something known as a dentist.

So part of the sales process is communicating the existence of a solution to a need. Yelling the word "dentist" will not really get the point across. It would be better to put the word into context so that the connection between dentist and the blissful release from pounding, agonizing tooth pain was made.

3 Consideration/Research

After the customer is made aware that there is the possibility of solutions to a need, they may go into the consideration and research phase of the sale. This is the time when they find out what options they have, weigh the pluses and minuses of the different options, get advice, seek opinions, you know -- do research and consider.

4 Decision

At some point in the process of consideration and research the customer makes the decision to buy. A little alarm goes off in their head and they transition from thinking about maybe perhaps getting ready to possibly buy to "yeah, let's get this."

5 Purchase

Now we get to the part that sales people like, the purchase. Something that some sales people forget to do is "ask for the sale." What I mean by that is the following: when you can tell that your customer has made the decision to buy speak up and ask for the sale. "Will that be Visa or Master Card?" "Will you be taking that with your or shall we have it delivered?"

6 Post Purchase Valuation

Some folks like to think that the sale is over when the customer walks out the door with the item. This is far from the truth. After the purchase there is the part where the customer figures out whether this was a huge mistake or the greatest purchase they ever made. If they figure it was a huge mistake, they may attempt to return the item. If they figure it was the best purchase they ever made, they may tell their friends and family to go buy one too. This is where word of mouth advertising comes from -- from happy customers, not upset folks that regret the day they heard about the product.

What to do about the above steps

Each of these steps offer unique opportunity for a sales person to move the process along -- influence, help, and guidance can be offered at each step. Just ascertaining which phase a customer is in when you speak with them can help you orient yourself.

For the moment, just start by acknowledging the six steps (or phases) to a sale exist. Then start paying attention. Once you know something exists, you'd be surprised how much you can figure out on your own.

What makes for a good goal?

2010-06-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

When I say "good" I am not referring to moral or virtuous. "Good" in this context is more related to functional. Take a look at the list below of characteristics that define a good goal.

Specific.
Realistic.
Challenging.
Measurable.

Specific

If a goal is too general it soon becomes un-realistic and non-measurable. "I want to bring about world peace" is a nice goal but it is not a good goal. It is too general, not specific enough. Start with something a bit more specific. "I want to make the local high school a safe place for learning." This is not as grand a goal. But it is realistic and measurable.

Realistic

Make the goal something that you can actually see yourself (or anyone) accomplishing. "I want to walk on the moon bare-butt naked" is not very realistic. If the goal is too far from possible you will quickly forgive yourself from not making serious efforts and dismiss the goal.

Challenging

When considering challenge, there should be short term challenge in addition to long term challenge. I'll give you an example. Years and years ago I set myself the goal of filling a bound notebook with zeros. In case you are wondering, I wasn't on drugs -- leastwise not at the time. The goal was specific (I knew exactly which notebook I had in mind). The goal was realistic (The notebook had 350 pages and I could easily fill three pages in a sitting.) And the goal was challenging -- in the long run. It was a challenge to sit myself down a couple times a day to make zeros in this notebook. So there was a long term challenge. But, this thing became a total drag after just a few days. Then somewhere along the line I introduced a secondary goal of making the zeros the best zeros I could make. Now I had a long term challenge. But more importantly I also had a short term challenge. Each minute I worked at the notebook I was challenging myself to make the zero I was working on the best zero I could make.

I find it important to have a short term challenge as well.

Measurable

If you can't tell whether you are accomplishing the goal then its not much of a goal. It could still be something you do. But as a goal it will suck. A goal really does imply some kind of yard stick to measure progress and success. Is it absolutely necessary? Can you have a goal that can not be measured? Yes, you can have a goal that can not be measured. This is not the Department of Fascist Oversight of Goals.

However, be aware of the fact that a goal that can be measured will just function better. Remember "good" is not a measure of moral or virtuous. "Good" in this context is a measure of functionality. There are many goals that we adopt which are not "good" goals.

Take for example the goal "To lead a virtuous life." or "To be a good person." As goals these fail in almost every category. However, they are goals worth having.

If you find yourself with goals that are worth having but that don't happen to be "good" goals in the functional sense, all you need to do is make sub-goals. Make goals that serve the higher goals.

Morphotony -- A Little Of the Story

2010-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

In my blog SEO: Must #1 Get It Right I used a graphic illustrating a google search. I've pasted the same graphic here for your easy reference.

The google search was on the word morphotony. In that blog I promised to give a little history on this little adventure of mine. So here it is.

One day the band started a hunt for a name. "Hey let's get together and play some music" was a bit too long for fliers and other marketing materials. So we began a hunt for a name.

One of the names we thought (momentarily) about was morphotony. I did a google search on the word. There were zero results. It is hard to come up with zero results in a google search. Even if you type a random array of characters into a search you will come up with some pages that contain the character string.

With billions and billions of web pages there is bound to be someone, somewhere, that somehow at sometime use just about every character string -- except for morphotony. There were zero results.

I found this very bizarre. So given that apparently no one on the planet had ever written morphotony into a single sentence (on purpose, by accident, or as a typo) it seemed only fitting that I should start a website -- morphotony.com.

So now I have morphotony.com and periodically I make dribbles and drabs of effort to get the word into usage. If you want to get in the act, just use the word on your page. Create a username of morphotony on your favorite gaming forum. Create a youtube video and somehow work the word morphotony into the title. Just use the word here and there.

Just think you can be one of the few pages showing up when some non-existent users does a non-likely search for a word they have never seen nor heard of.

Now that's an opportunity.

Typing To Everyone And No One At All

2010-06-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

This is not a complaint -- just an observation about the nature of blogging.

As a public posting, the blog is available to anyone that manages to find it. Hence, everyone has the opportunity to read the blog. This means there is a total blending of potential audiences. If you want to say something that you'd rather your parents not overhear, then you will need to disable their browser function, implant a worm that prevents certain website urls from being loaded, or install Net Nanny on their computer without telling them. Otherwise they are among the most likely candidates to actually read whatever mixture of alphabet characters you are typing into the "New Post" window.

Old girl friends and boy friends could be reading your blog. As well as friends from work (that weren't supposed to know about the ahem... er... hobby. Your children, distant relatives, friends of friends, strangers from any and every part of the world. Basically everyone. Not everyone individually. Everyone all at once.

Since everyone is reading the same blog you can't tell the tale a little different depending upon the audience. You can't use the politically correct version at church, the risque version with the boys in the locker room, the well enunciated grammatically correct version for the management team at work, the "honey you know I would never do that" for the misses. It is all the same version for everyone.

You can't blog about winning the lottery when you are still playing duck and hide from the neighbor down the street that lent you the money you don't want to pay back just yet.

You can't talk about the great golf score when the only reason you could get away from the weekend yard work was a little white lie about being totally disabled and needing to soak in the sports sauna at the gym.

It is the same version for everyone.

However, you don't really know who specifically is reading any particular blog. Granted, you can count your followers. But you don't know if they happen to read a specific blog. So, you can't rely upon them having read anything in particular.

In practical terms that would mean that if you post an invite to a lawn party in your blog, you will still need to personally invite everyone you actually want to make sure know about the event. It's worse than email. With email you have no guarantee but you do have a vague notion that the content made it to their inbox (except for the ever present spam box and internet glitches). With a blog you don't even have the imaginary certainty that the content made it to their inbox. They may or may not have even glanced at the page -- let alone actually have read it.

So, in a strange way, even though may people can read the blog it is no one at all -- at least no one in particular.

The only folks that you can know have read the blog are those that comment. And since a mircoscopic percentage of readers actually comment that means in general you can't know, which means in general you are typing to no one at all.

I have developed a simulation of this designed to give a peek into the dynamics of this for anyone curious about the inner effects this type of communication.

I invite psychologists and anyone studying social dynamics to try this out.

Blogging Simulation 101

Set up a room with standard lecture seating.

Have each individual present take a turn telling a joke or story. The joke or story should be two or three minutes long.

As they tell their joke everyone in the audience is sitting with a cloth bag over their head. This should allow them to see out, but not display their expression -- or even whether or not the eyes are open. The members of the audience say nothing, do nothing, make no action that would reveal whether they are listening or not. They could be listening or totally ignoring the speaker.

After each person has taken a turn then discuss the results.

Report back if you dare.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

2010-06-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Heard that expression before?

Lately that's been my experience -- except in addition to be the "caught" I'm also the "rock" and the "hard place."

I can hear the knowing chuckle of a few forest monks wafting through the air. [Note to self: haven't used waft in a decade or so, better look it up.] [Subsequent note: yep it means what we thought -- to float or be carried, esp. through the air. Ah, the wonders of dictionary.com]

As always the trick is in the attitude. Can't change the being caught between a rock and a hard place. Don't really have control over that. But I do have a choice in attitude I adopt.

SEO Made Easy -- My New Blog

2010-06-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Those you watching the past two weeks may have noticed the appearance then sudden disappearance of several blogs on SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Well, they are not gone. I've started a new blog: made-easy-seo.blogspot.com

Click on over there if you'd like to find the missing SEO blogs that were here, and several new ones besides.

New View of My Computer

2009-06-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

Following yet another computer death I've been forced to seriously reexamine my perspective on computers. I know to many my previous treatment of computers will seem quaint and perhaps mildly amusing in my naivete.

Once upon a time, at a workstation far, far away, my computer was a work environment established through hours of installation and configuration.

I do a lot of different things. Write books, edit video, create websites, program Flash, Flex, C++, write games, and create graphic/sound resources for video games. Each of these functions requires its own special program(s). And, each program seems to require some form of special configuration.

Putting my computer work environment together is a many hour job that could stretch over the course of several weeks.

The approach to setting up my computer is not unlike the approach of an organic gardener may take with a parcel of land. The gardener would add mulch and nutrients to the soil over the course of years to build it up. This same gardener may balance the pH, monitor and improve the local fauna -- such as worms and other soil friendly critters. It can take a gardener many seasons to get the soil just right.

Taking this type of approach makes the notion of selling the farm and moving down the road a few miles a bit daunting.

For me it is the same. Given the amount of time that I put into setup and configuration of my computer environment it is easy to assume the posture of investment in the computer as a parcel of tilled soil. With digital mulch and binary nutrients turned into the bits and bytes.

However, after yet another computer death, it has become painfully obvious that I need a different approach to the computer.

As of now I am taking the tack that any computer I use is rented and subject to repossession at any time.

Previously configuration was a "by hook or crook,just get the job done" type of affair. Now it is more important to document the configuration and create mechanisms for reestablishing the configuration should the need arise.

The first C++ environment I created required several years -- adding custom components bit by bit over the course of many project.

The second C++ environment was created over the course of several very painful days as I strained my meager mental resources to remember where and why and how I stuffed the various components around on my computer.

The third C++ environment was created over the course of a single (slightly less painful) day. On this occasion, I spent most of my time normalizing the component installations so that I had easy to capture and easy to re-install folder mappings. I gave up on the notion of putting my source on a d drive or e drive or any other drive than c. Why? Because I could not be guaranteed that whatever new computer I was forced to use would be partitioned.

Speaking of partitions, I have given up on the notion of working within partitions. That whole view came from ancient computing when it mattered that certain functions were on separate (physically separate) drives. This would optimize the trashing and access. Now I just put it all in C. This way I am not put into the position of needing to run Partition Magic and re-create folder arrays every time I start to use a computer. This is especially important on computers and I'm more or less "renting". It may not be possible to partition. Thus, it is simply easier to work on one big C drive.

I have affirmed and doubly committed myself to working in patterns. All of my Flex 3 projects live in a folder called c:\flex3. This way, when I move projects from one computer to another I don't have to worry so much about updating search path parameters. The project used to look for a class in c:\flex3\something-or-other, and by Gadsby that class has been moved into the same folder on the new setup. If I was smarter I suppose I could do something wicked clever with the search paths. Sigh. Maybe in a different incarnation.

This kind of nomadic approach to computing has given me renewed respect for applications that don't embed themselves into every nook and cranny of the registry. Pegasus (my email client) is a wonder to behold. Copy that puppy onto a new drive and it just flat out runs. Now if only I could get the programmers to let the drive localization be stored in a single setup file, then I could put this application into any drive and let it run.

I believe there is going to be a migration of more and more applications into a nomadic friendly form. (Egads what a pun.) Even so, it will be a good move.

It would be so sweet if each application had a single configuration file (or small set of configuration files) that would hold all the special information, AND, then allowed for easy export and import of this information.

It would be doubly sweet if more and more applications where thumb drive friendly. Let me have Maya on a thumb drive. Then when it comes time to create a 3d model I just insert the Maya USB drive and work away.

I have several programs that each time I migrate from one dead hulk of a computer to a new computer I am forced to call the manufacture and ask special dispensation to move the application. Believe it, this is influencing my purchase decisions. If the manufacture is tracking which computer is "home" to the installation and, if they get all uppity when I am forced by ram, motherboard, or power supply to move to a new computer, then that manufacture goes on the "dump it as soon as you find a replacement" list.

I anticipate the time when my programs and data are stored on a memory device with no moving parts to fail (along with a backup of said device). Then when I want to do anything, I insert that bugger into the appropriate compartment on my "computer" then work away. When I done, I remove the storage device and move along. Basically my data and applications need to be as removed as possible from any of the riff-raff imminent obsolescent computer components that are just a matter of time away from going up in smoke.

Heck darn, I can even see a Raid like array of non-volatile ram with automatic checksums and a little repair light that brightens when I need to excise a ram chip and insert a replacement.

But, then I would be back to the same situation of building a "home" where the gigabytes roam. While the above vision of transportable environment would be nice. One day I can "rent" time on a computer optimized for video rendering, the next day I could "rent" time on a computer optimized for program debugging. Ah sigh, would be nice. But it is still heavily involved with the notion of an established home base. And that concept itself is flawed.

What's really required is for me to develop the ability to find myself in a new situation, quickly establish a working environment from pieces readily available in that environment, then get down to work.

The process of establishing a "working environment" is partly a mechanism for imposing one's view of what one was -- rather than creating a way to be the way one is -- or needs to be.

So while I believe it is worthwhile to work out mechanisms to more quickly re-establish my programming/working environments, I think it is even more important to exercise my ability to mutate with the flux.

Remove Downadup (aka Conficker or Kido)

2009-03-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Supposedly this worm will start doing its dirty work on April 1.
There is a strong possibility that you do not have this worm.
However, if you think you might be infected or would like to run the removal tool just in case, use the following link:

http://www.bdtools.net/how-to-remove-downadup.php

This will take you to a bitdefender page on the topic that will give you the download.

The tool is simple to run.

If you do not have an infection it will give you a nice message telling you.

If you do have the infection it will provide the options for removal.

If you have a different anti-virus program that you prefer working with, then just do a quick search on their site for any special removal tool.
Or, make sure to update all your anti-virus definitions and do a full system scan before April 1.

It is not a bad idea to do a full scan in any case.

Your anti-virus program does you little good if it is not updated or if you don't do a scan every now and then.

Online Classes Update

2009-03-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Blueline Academy on Justin.tv continues now into its third month. In the past 90 days, this format has demonstrated itself to be an excellent means of interesting folks in classes and further work with the material.

Something that I had not anticipated at first, which has proven to be a major hit with class members, is the review of homework from other participants. Although justin.tv does not have a co-hosting feature (yet) it is simple enough to have folks email me their gaming orbs before class so that I may review and comment on them during the broadcast.

The chat provides a convenient venue for asking questions during the class. And since the chat is literally off to the side, I can address questions immediately or hold them in abeyance until a suitable point in the class -- whichever suits the moment.

This definitely improves the online classroom tutorial interaction.

By the way, justin.tv is just one of several such hosting situations. And, it may not be the best. It just happens to be the one that I am experimenting with at the moment.

How to Do A Class Online

2008-12-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Below you will find a review of WebCamMax. This program forms part of a set of programs and hardware that will easily allow you to run a classroom online.

In order to get some idea of how it is done, I will run through the example of our Blueline Academy classroom.

This is obviously particular to the Blueline Academy. But I think you will be able to see how you can easily stretch this to fit your situation.

Step 1) Open wgge.exe, select and orb, and enter 3d space.

Step 2) Use alt-D to put the editor into 640x480 mode. Actually is a little off-size, but that gives you the approximate dimensions.

Step 3) Open WebCamMax

Step 4) Select Screen on Sources drop-down

Step 5) Click "Show Selected Area" button to put the red square on the screen.

Step 6) Under Mode select "Specific Area". You could also have opted for "Follow the Cursor", "Specific Window" or "Full Screen." Specific Area works best for Blueline Academy.

Step 7) Move the square around and resize so that it fits whatever part of your screen you want to send.

Step 8) There is a little button in the far upper right (next to X that would close the program) that will let you make the WebCamMax into a small bar on your screen. This will get it out of the way.

Step 9) Open Flash Media Encoder (FME)

Step 10) File->Open then select the xml file for your Justin.TV account. Refer to Justin.tv help for how to do this part. Or email and I'll try to explain.

Step 11) Select "WebCamMax" as video source. I leave audio source alone. That works for me.

Step 12) Press the Start button and you are now live online streaming a piece of your desktop to the world -- or a select group if you have an Access code on the channel.

-----------------------------------------------

A few safety precautions.

1) Close all programs that are not needed.
2) Do not type urls, passwords, names, or any other content you don't want sent to everyone on the planet.
3) If you get a phone call during the broadcast, be aware that unless you turn off sound (and are utterly sure it is off) you will be transmitting your half of the phone call to the world.

WebCamMax and Blueline Academy

2008-12-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

Found two things recently Justin.tv and WebCamMax.

Justin.tv is a broadcasting site that allows for broadcast streaming. Normally one would be restricted to streaming yourself staring into a webcam. However, with WebCamMax it is not only possible but pretty simple to stream chunks of your desktop.

Before I say more about streaming your desktop it would be only fair to confess that the program does much more, much much more. You can stream a dvd. You can stream multimedia files from your hard-drive. You can switch between any number of connected and active webcam type devices. And, for those that like the extra possibilities of Picture in Picture -- that is available too. Pretty sweet.

However, those are not the features that first attracted me to WebCamMax. For me it was the ease of streaming parts of my desktop. I use Camtasia to record tutorials for upload to YouTube. I like Camtasia for just that purpose. But what about those occasions when you'd like to run a classroom?

With Justin.tv and WebCamMax I am able to run International online classes of pretty much any size. I have seen channels on Justin.tv with many thousand views. I don't expect that a HowTo channel will very soon run out of elbow room.

So, I've been doing Blueline Academy workshops, tutorials, and classroom lessons using WebCamMax. I can work in the program, people can view what I'm doing live. Ask me to clarify a particular point, redo something, and in general interact. Can't beat that.

There seems to be a minor glitch in the system if you want to use voice over while running a video. Well, what do you want for $29.95? And, I'm not entirely convinced there might not be a workaround for that issue. The problem is, in order to broadcast you are juggling Flash Media Encoder, WebCamMax, and your audio card mix board. Lots of buttons to monkey with. So who knows what other potentials exist.

For me, I know that just doing the simple stuff I can manage to get my mic to transmit audio and the WebCamMax to transmit my desktop, and thus I can do online classes around the world. A major boon for a distant learning program. And the total cost is practically zero.

GetDataBack to the rescue.

2008-09-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be reading these blogs from the bottom up, or for some strange reason actually reading them as they are posted, then you know that my computer had a major harddrive crash.

I used SpinRite to repair the drive as much as it could be repaired. Did its job well enough. But no miracle in data recovery. Okay, I know that grc.com (Gibson Research) doesn't promise data recovery. But I was hoping that somehow fixing the bad sectors would magically make the data come back.

I would have had better luck waving a bowl of Lucky Charms over the drive.

So the next step was google and the long dive off a short pier into the murky waters of data recovery. Man, there is a ton of bull shit websites devoted to taking advantage of some poor sucker desperate to get data back.

Fortunately my karma musta been good (alright not too good or maybe the drive would not have gone belly up) but still, I managed to stumble across a helpful website.

I'm sure there are more. There may be much better. Don't know. Since I only needed one working tool and no one is paying me to do a comparative study of recovery tools, I quit looking when I found runtime.org and GetDataBack.

I was a little put off by the fact that I had to know what type of drive I had. Might be nice if they made a little tool to tell me. Don't laugh. Do you know if you have a six or twelve volt battery in your car? What, they come in different sizes?

Much to my surprise, and the reason I decided to give these guys a chance, they have a totally enlightened approach to retail on their site.

They give you a free download of a fully functional program with one exception -- the ability to save your files. Other than the fact you can't save the files it functions 100%. Might sound like a major bummer. You put all the time into discovering if you can get your data back only to find out you can't save it.

Well, that is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to know if I could save my data before I shelled out $79. As bad as it is to have totally lost data, it is even worse to spend money then find out the data is totally lost.

But what about all that time spent waiting while the GetDataBack rebuilds new directories and scavenges around for files? Not a problem. If you find that you have access to your data, you buy the program, they give you an instant registration, you input the registration into the STILL open program, you save your files.

So basically you can poke around and see if your data is recoverable before you shell money out to recover it. I like that.

An interesting side effect of this was a serious talk with myself about the value of the lost data. Before I found the data I *knew* it must be valuable. After I found the data and was staring at it (face to face) I finally confronted the real question "Are those missing files worth $79 to me?"

In my case the answer was yes. And fortunately the GetDataBack performed as promised.

Notably I am so shell shocked as a consumer on the web that I am still waiting for the gotcha. Whether it be spyware, backdoors, identity theft, or ????... I can't quite shake the feeling that I've been screwed. Why? Because as a consumer on the web every time I turn around I'm getting screwed -- or almost screwed.

In this case, so far so goo....

Yay! Found a solution.

2008-09-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Don't know if you caught the full story. My iMac was displaying bold blue text in red and bold red text in blue. Regular blue text was showing up blue and regular red text was red -- as one would expect. But, the bold was reversed. Red for Blue and Blue for Red.

I didn't even call Microsoft on the issue. After twenty some years they have trained me well to expect nothing in the way of support.

Apple has these wonderful commercials that make them sound so bright and cheerful and willing to help. I expect they might be -- unless you call about an issue with Boot Camp and the functioning of Windows in the Boot Camp environment.

I had the wonderful experience of trying to get support from Apple Care on this red to blue and blue to red issue.

Lord, the minute you mention the dreaded words "WinXP" they stop listening. "Not our problem." Just because it doesn't happen on any other machine in the universe than the Mac running Boot Camp does not seem to phase them. Just because it is only happening on the piece of hardware I purchased with the wonderful apple logo does not phase them.

Their only suggest was to delete the partition and reinstall Boot Camp and WinXP from scratch. All data gone, all programs gone. And this was of course just a way to trouble-shoot the problem. Not a promised defined solution. Not a "hey sorry dude, we know it's a bitch to do it. But everyone that has this problem finds the only solution is to delete the partition and start over." No it was "hey, it's not a problem. If you insist on making us give you any kind of help on this issue the only thing we can think of is to have you delete the WinXP and start again."

A little harsh dude (or dudette depending on which support call I am referring to).

Fortunately before doing this I gave one more try at something else. I reinstalled my video drivers.

First I did a repair using my Leopard disk. Then I went to the amd.com website http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/mac/bootcamp-xp.html and installed the drivers there.

The trick here is that when you go to the general driver page http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html you need to scroll down in the OS selection box to notice an option for Apple Boot Camp WinXP. I use iMac and it fixed it for me. Don't know if it will work for others or not. But this is very well worth the effort before deleting the partition and reinstalling Windows. Especially since that is only a trouble-shooting test.

I call myself a Zebra. Apple loves their animal names for the OS. So I figure Zebra is a good name for the idiots such as myself that want to make serious use of Windows on the iMac. I would consider switching to 100% Leopard if I could. But there are many applications I use that simply do not exist in Mac osX. Even if I wanted to shell out the thousands of dollars to buy new Mac versions of the software, the mac version does not exist -- period.

Hence, I have to function as a Zebra. Some of my work in Leopard, some of my work in WinXP.

I'm not saying that Apple Care should be responsible for all my Windows issues. Would be nice if someone was because Microsoft has demonstrated no ability in that area. I don't expect Apple Care to handle much of anything other than hardware issues. And for me, I consider drivers to be part of the hardware. The hardware manufacture is responsible for drivers that run their devices.

Now if Apple supplied an empty box which I would fill myself with odd bits of hardware purchased off the internet then I expect that I would need to bug the individual hardware dudes for support. But, since they assemble all the pieces and sell me a fully loaded box, I kinda expect some support when the hardware and drivers go whacky. Well I can expect free beer to fall from the sky in 40 ounce bottles. That won't happen either.

As I said, I didn't even dare to dream that Microsoft would care or help. But I fell for the marketing and allowed myself to dream that with the iMac I was coming home after a long journey in the woods to a warm fire and the friendly support of folks that would care. Well, they do care. As long as I'm not a Zebra. Apple Care and Microsoft share one thing in common -- neither of them will give much support to us black and white stripped freaks.

Could Happen Sooner Than You Think.

2008-09-12T10:06:00.001-07:00

It's a bit odd writing a thread when you know that most folks will encounter the pieces of the thread back to front. Definitely a different headset. At the moment my only concession to this oddity is to periodically drop a hint on what the hell the topic is referring to. Such as "recall that this thread started as a result of hard drive turning into burnt toast."

Even though I'm working on my brand new (alright, it's a year old but it really is hardly used) computer with its new hard drive I can't escape the feeling that I might need to go through all of this again very soon.

These feelings of dis-ease come from two sources 1) the sting of recent events, 2) every time I turn around on the apple support forums for bootcamp and winxp they are advising re-install windows.

What the bleep is up with "re-install windows" as the first "go to" answer when encountering a problem. Don't these guys have more than one or two programs they run? Don't these guys have a life? I'm running on into the third day of this installing my way back into a working environment. The flippant manner in which it is advised to *try* reinstalling windows knocks my breath away. It's not like they are saying: "yo, I know it's a pain, but I can assure you that if you install windows it will solve your problem."

Well, I'm on the phone as we speak (or I type in the present and you read in the unknown future) with AppleCare. Lord have mercy, if you are thinking about buying an iMac and using bootcamp as a way to transition from the Windows world to the Mac world give it some hard thought.

Basically, if you don't actually need to use any windows applications then by all means consider the switch. But, if you truly need any of your windows applications then look out. After calling Apply Care with an issue the first thing they determine is "are you having the problem in Leopard or in WinXP?" If the answer is WinXP then they instantly stop listening.

The way it goes is this. The computer is Apple. Boot Camp was written specifically to allow the installation of Windows on the computer. But Windows is most definitely a distant (and not looked upon fondly) third cousin. The official line from Apple Care is "If the problem is occurring in the Windows side it is Window's problem not Apples." Actually it is not Windows problem it is mine. It is my problem running Windows on a piece of hardware that I was led to believe would run it.

Frustrating? You bet.

Firefox Plugins

2008-09-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

Boy this was a tough one.

Back when I stumbled across and installed my favorite plugins they didn't seem so difficult to find. I guess the "stumbled across" part is what made it easier.

However, there is another factor now, massive competition in the plugin world. Doing a search for plugins turns up a zillion possibilities where a short while ago it was just a few. So now, I need to wade my way through a fair number of "maybe this" and "maybe that" to find the plugin that is the one I used.

Might sound like I use a ton of plugins. Not so. I just like the few I use.

Web Developer 1.1.6
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60

Html Validator 0.8.5.2
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/249

IE Tab 1.5.20080823
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419

HttpFox 0.8.2
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6647

I've listed them here. So that maybe next time I go through this maybe I won't have to hunt so hard. I'll just read the above and "ta-da" there they'll be.

As predicted it is the small stuff that is the most irritating.

2008-09-12T09:41:00.001-07:00

As the hard drive recovery saga continues, I am finding a near endless litany of small adjustments necessary to my computer environment.

For example, Sound. Why in the hell does Microsoft think it is necessary to make a beep sound every time a confirmation box pops up on my screen. Do they get a royalty for each time the beep is played like a radio jock playing their tune on the air?

In any case, it is off to Control Panel, "Sounds and Audio Devices", Sounds Tab to turn some sounds off. I'm happy enough to leave the "Yo! your computer is about to melt" sound on. But the "Default Beep" and "Exclamation Beep" had to go. Just highlight the option, then select "None" from the drop down list of possible sounds.

I like to use the play sound button to confirm this is the offending sound. So far default and exclamation have been the only true irritants.

Now for the hunt.

2008-09-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Found Sony Vegas Pro. Hidden away in a "safe place". One of these days I will learn to stop putting things in a "safe place". That makes them almost impossible to locate later. I would be much better of it I put them where they belong.

The install for Sony Vegas is so unsettling. Actually it isn't the Vegas that's a problem, it is the .NET framework that is a bit weird. The progress bar will move along fairly rapidly then when it gets to 99% it just sits there forever. Did I forget to click a button? Is my computer a doa? Just about the time I figure, let's push cancel and try again up pops another window's progress bar giving me some assurance that things are progressing according to plan. Just wish that plan had some room for putting the poor computer user at ease -- at least a little.

Of course the trick here will be remembering all of the plugins that were installed. I could look through my browser history, I suppose, to find the sites I've been visiting, except for two little problems 1) I delete all history over 30 days old, 2) All of my bookmarks and history were on the C drive (remember C and G died). Those of you reading top down might have missed the beginning of this adventure -- my computer hard drive went the way of burnt toast.

Camtasia Studio was slightly easier to locate. It was still sitting in the place I reserve for putting things that I haven't figured out where to put them yet.

Some Modeling Progs

2008-09-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Started with Wings3D for no apparent reason other than I remembered the website address first.

Wings3D
http://www.wings3d.com/

Nice little modeling program, and good for massaging models in other formats. It is falling out of use a bit now that I am settling down into a Maya/FragMotion partnership.

MilkShape
http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/

Very happy I have this. Don't use it much at the moment. (Again the Maya/Fragmotion taking over most functions.) But it has been good for converting some formats that FragMotion doesn't deal with. Between the two of them I'm covered for most low-end, street urchin level modeling formats.

FragMotion
http://www.fragmosoft.com/

This is my workhorse animation program at the moment. Why? Because our target platform required md2 models. "Yikes! Are you idiots still using MD2?" Yes. We are still using MD2 models in our games. And, we actually find they are useful as part of our keep it simple philosophy of programming. Would we use a different format given the chance? Perhaps, but given a chance means we stumble across another lead programmer that is willing to work for nothing (not next to nothing, for nothing) on a non-profit charity project. At the moment the few chumps (i.e. worthy volunteers -- of which I am one) are busy handling other aspects of the engine. Notably lighting, particles and physics. Next we tackle mp3/ogg. Later, we might get around to tearing everything apart so that we can use a more modern model. However, for me, I'd rather jump back into the AI a bit more. We already have one of the best AI systems available this side of Arcturus. But, games can always use a little more AI.

Also worthwhile but maybe not required:
MD2 Viewer
(available from the MilkShape folks) http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/md2v/index.html

I use then when I can't tell if a model is whack or if the game is misbehaving. If the model behaves in MD2Viewer, I figure it should behave in most games that use MD2.

Ouch! I do too many things with too many programs.

2008-09-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

As I'm going through the list of stuff to re-install, the point that I do too much stuff with too many programs is made painfully clear.

This will give me an opportunity to reevaluate whether or not I want to continue along certain creative avenues.

I suspect the answer will be "Yes! Of course". But it doesn't hurt to pose the question to one's self periodically.

It will be the minor almost invisible things that will end up being the largest annoyance. For example, all of my special dictionaries are gone. That means I will need to teach several programs how to spell -- once again. Or, I could stop using jargon that is out of the norm for most spelling program data files.

Notepad+ Was Already Installed Yay!

2008-09-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

While waiting for the OpenOffice.org to download (127meg) I figured to fight my way through the install of Notepad+ from Rogsoft. It is an ancient piece of software that I happen to love as a replacement for the standard windows notepad.

Available at http://www.mypeecee.org/rogsoft/notepad.html as an archival download this replacement for notepad is worth the hassle (as far as I'm concerned.) It will edit huge (big big) files, and has many nice features missing from the standard notepad.exe

The hassle part comes from my desire to replace notepad with this program rather than just install then edit every stupid association to point to the new program. Turns out there exist more than a few hard coded references to the notepad.exe file. Leastwise it seems that way to me. So, I go through the trouble of poking and poking and prodding my way through a replacement.

I'm sure there is a systematic approach to this. But for me it mostly involves copying in the file, windows replaces the new file with the old (original [proper]) version. I turn off one option or another, copy in the file, windows replaces the new file again. I try turning off yet another restore option or other and retry. After doing this enough, windows will eventually give up.

Of course I need to replace the file in several folders (including some hidden system folders). If you do a search on notepad*.* and select the look in hidden/system folders that helps.

Call the mortician. It's dead.

2008-09-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Yep, the hard drive on my main work computer died today. Actually just the C and G drives. That means I've only lost all of my programs (on C) and all of my games (on G). Yikes!!!

Now the real work of establishing a new working environment on a second computer starts.

To keep myself amused and perhaps even capture of record of steps for future such disasters, I've decided to blog my progress.

I suppose if you're reading this log, you'll need to work your way backwards if you care for a historical (or perhaps hysterical) account.

So while I take stock of the situation and muddle around trying to find which of the backup disks is the most recent, I'll download OpenOffice. No way will I use the MSWorks that comes preinstalled on most windows systems.

More later. Off to http://www.openoffice.org to download my text editor.

Survival is not the goal

2008-05-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Survival is not the goal.

That doesn't mean to suggest that death or reckless behavior is called for.
Simply, survival is not the goal.

When running a set of linked equations and optimizing on survival you get one answer. Take that same set of linked equations and optimize on something other than survival and you'll get a different result.

I can't really put into exact words the nature of what that other thing would be. I can't put it into words for two reasons. One, the true nature of that other thing is non-human and thus can not be bound in a simple container of human language. Two, the exact nature of what that other thing could very well be different for me than it is for you.

So given that confession of wiggly-fuzziness consider the following as possible alternatives to survival as the goal:

Making the most of the life that one has been given.
Quality of life.
Contribution.
Communion with the underlying is-ness of it all.
Right action.
Not dying like a dog.
...
und-sew-forth

Somewhere in and amongst those phrases may lurk a valid alternative to survival as the goal.

How to tell when it's time for the next grit.

2008-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

This is not as easy as it might seem. But not to worry, if you happen to jump to the next grade of sandpaper too soon there is one sure fire method to test your progress and determine if you need to bump back to a previous grade of sandpaper.

After you graduate to 320 sandpaper, it is time to let your sculpture dry and look at it under a strong light.

The sculpture to the right was more than a bit of a bear to polish. It took my quite some time before I could find and remove all of the scars from the crevices. That is what drying will bring to light -- scars and scratches.

When you let the sculpture dry and look at it under good light, you will find all of the scratches and scars left by the chisel and rasp. Scratches are a natural result caused by the use of chisel and rasp.

When the sculpture is close to its final form I wills top using chisel and switch to course rasp. The course rasp is useful in the process of shaping and in the process of removing scars left by the chisel.

When the sculpture is even closer to the final form I will switch to a medium rasp. The medium rasp is useful in the process of further refining the shape of the sculpture and in the process of removing scars left by the course rasp.

After the initial shaping of the sculpture each stage requires more and more delicate tools -- leading from hammer and chisel to 1500 grit sandpaper. While shaping is the main goal of each stage of the sculpting process, removing the traces of work from the previous stage is the other equally important goal.

By the time you get to 320 grit sandpaper shaping is done. Now it is all a process of removing traces of work and achieving an appropriate surface for the sculpture. In the case of my sculptures that is smooth -- real smooth.

If when studying the dry sculpture in the light one notices a scratch or scar, then one simply reverts to a previous grit of sandpaper to remove that scratch. Depending upon the depth of the scratch one can just bump up to 220 -- or it might be necessary to go back to 120. If you find it necessary to revert to the use of a rasp, then you jumped into the polishing process a little too early.

After fixing the scratch, proceed with the 320 again, dry the sculpture and study it again.

Sand, rinse, dry, study and repeat as necessary.

When you move on to the 400 grit sandpaper you should have zero worries about scratches. From this point on it is all a matter of polishing.

Did I mention working wet?

2008-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

The trick to working with wet/dry sandpaper is working wet. (Keep in mind all of my sanding comments relate to alabaster, chlorite, and pyrophyllite).

To do this I use a large black rubber pan that I purchased from Sculpture House. I The pan is designed for use in mixing plaster. Actually, I believe it is manufactured for use in the barn -- pigs, goats, horses, etc. If you hunt in google for "Kanguro bucket" you will find many referencese. All of the references relate to farm/barn and most of them are in the UK. Here is a quote about the Kanguro bucket:

"Kanguro are made from reinforced rubber, they are virtually indestructible ( even for pigs!), and are impervious to frost, sunlight and manure acids. They are the long term answer to all your bucket requirements. 17 litres"

I suppose manure acids aren't a regular part of sculpting. But it's nice to know that if there are any the bucket is impervious.

The part number at Sculpture House for the rubble tub I use is C-100 -- called Cesta Rubber Bucket. I am gonna order one to make sure it is the same as the ones I bought back in 1986. As you can tell, they last a long long time. The only down-side is that the rubber marks my white alabaster. So to prevent this I use a large cloth (old t-shirt) to line the pan.

So with rubber tub filled (about 1/2) with water and the sculpture partially immersed I am good to go for the wet version of wet/dry sanding.

There are several advantages to this:

It keeps the dust down (yay!) .
I achieve a better surface faster.
The sandpaper lasts much longer.
It is easier to tell when it is time to switch to the next grade of sandpaper.

On the larger pieces I can't fit the sculpture in the pan, so I will either run water over the sculpture as I sand or I will have a basin sitting close by and dip into it every few moments to re-wet the sandpaper and rinse the sculpture.

120 Grit

2008-02-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

When I finish a stone sculpture I use wet/dry sandpaper to polish the stone. This works very nicely with alabaster, chlorite, and wonderstone (pyrophyllite). I don't do marble, so I can't tell you much about how to polish marble.

But when it comes to polishing alabaster I'm a bit of an old hand. I've polished about 100 different sculptures to date -- some small, small large.

After taking the sculpture as far as I intend with rasp, I start in using 120 grit sandpaper. I used to use 3M 150 wet/dry. Boy that was a sweet sandpaper. Can't get it much anymore -- leastwise not the same quality as the old black stuff. Too bad I didn't stock up more.

The job of the 120 grit sandpaper is to remove all, All, ALL scratches left by the rasping process. If I get anxious and move on to 220 grit (the next sandpaper in the process) before all of the rasp marks are gone, then those rasp marks will be there at the end. This 120 to 220 barrier is an important one.

The sizes of sandpaper I use are 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 1500. If I move from 220 to 320 a little early it is not such a big deal. The 320 can (with a little extra effort) do the job of the 220. But the 220 just can't manage the job that 120 is designed for. Admittedly it is important to finish with each stage of sandpaper before moving on to the next. Even so, the 120 to 220 is extremely important.

Back in the ol' day -- long before I learned this lesson the hard way -- I would be working with 600 grit and have a very smooth sculpture with a very well defined rasp mark that would just not come out. I tried backing down to 400 to remove it -- no go. I tried backing down to 320 to remove it -- no go. I tried backing down to 220 -- no go. I had to go back to the 120 to remove the mark. Then, of course, I had to re-polish with each of the intermediate grits back up to 600.

You'd think I would have learned my lesson after the first time -- lol. Well, at least I learned it after the second time. Since then I am very careful to make sure that all rasp marks are gone before moving from 120 to 220.