Elaine – Page 58 – elaine nelson, aka epersonae

9/16/2011

Twitter Digest for 2011-09-16

@Pinboard yay! That bug was always kinda annoying. 🙂 in reply to Pinboard #
@kitchenmage sadly, mom's never been much of a cook at the best of times. (and how!) but she kept us fed, clothed, and in the same house. in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage funny thing is, my sisters and I LOVED watching cooking shows by the time we were teens. 1 of the few things we all agreed on. in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage I think it was sorta kinda edible…just really really really dry. Bleh. in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage I was 8, my sisters were 6 and 2. (Damn, just realized I'm only a year younger than mom was then.) in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage ate a lot of hot dogs & cheap spaghetti sauce. Burnt a pot roast once, IIRC. in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage but we were lucky; I don't remember worrying abt food. (I did, however, have to fend for myself when Mom was sick/depressed.) in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage I have uncomfortable but vague memories of being broke after Dad died, trouble with insurance, social security, etc. in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage @ObservantLynn alas, I lose. (Painful memories of high school dance class. #JanetJackson1990 #coordinationFAIL #nerdyWhiteGirl in reply to kitchenmage #
ppl who are writing stuff that moves me almost to tears today in TOTALLY different ways: @RaeBeta and @kitchenmage. #
Hold on, wait…how did I only now just find out that Frodo & Bilbo have the same b'day as @dylanw …and my father-in-law? #
@RaeBeta "Choosing to own yr passions instead of insulating yourself behind conformity or affected irony." F'ING BEAUTIFUL is what that is. in reply to RaeBeta #
@kitchenmage thank you. (I may have more to say later, including abt a friend's bday the summer I turned 19.) in reply to kitchenmage #
@hjames Happy birthday! Been feeling wee bit ambivalent myself. (My 37th was on Saturday.) But all in all it's good to still be around. 🙂 in reply to hjames #
@olybuzz we don't have any other plans that weekend, and tix are cheap…. in reply to olybuzz #
@drupalsummit thanks, I'm going to get those emails shaken loose from our system. 🙂 (I really want to vote on sessions, lost/forgot pwd!) in reply to drupalsummit #
@drupalsummit I've tried to contact you twice, once by DM, once by contact form, related to issues with office email filter. help?! in reply to drupalsummit #
@agathafrye congrats to the kiddo! in reply to agathafrye #
@cssquirrel @dylanw just going to leave this here: http://t.co/EArlkbZY in reply to cssquirrel #
@Oakwright @olybuzz wow. those are some crazy boots. in reply to Oakwright #
@Oakwright got the cushy pad right before my vacation. I have a history of heel/ankle pain, definitely need more comf/support. in reply to Oakwright #
Love the standing desk, but need better shoes to make it a sustained thing. #owmyheelsandankles #
@olybuzz thx, I've got a lot of time on the bike to think. Realized yest: if I had to ride Pacific/College every day, probly wouldn't ride. in reply to olybuzz #
@fakebaldur and then the G+ nymwars (etc) made me uncomfortable w/that space, so I've been blogging more. Circling back to the beginning. #
@fakebaldur I still like Twitter, probly more than I should, but w/G+ I discovered I like a bit of space to express a complete thought. #
@fakebaldur DANGER MOUSE! Also: I saw a blowup between my spouse & a local guy that probly wouldn't have happened with complete sentences. #
Curiously, I wrote on a similar topic yesterday: http://t.co/F64Kalpg (tl;dr: when cycling is dangerous, boring/law-abiding won't ride.) #
Cyclists, lawbreaking & infrastructure: http://t.co/F5kUq4FZ – note: signal change decreased light-running from 66% to 13%. (via @kmcdade) #
@morrischris it's an incredible story, really, more than I can tweet. I think he needs to write it, because there's some crazy twists. in reply to morrischris #
@morrischris reduced total food intake, gave up most sweets/carbs, started daily running & weight training. in reply to morrischris #
@morrischris a friend lost >200lbs after recovering from heart attck (incl death, coma) brought on by thyroid probs: on his own, no program. in reply to morrischris #
@Oakwright 🙂 Plus it has to beat a system I've been using for years, which is a lot of inertia to overcome. in reply to Oakwright #

9/15/2011

Today’s Links 9/15/2011

Plantar Fasciitis and Bone Spurs – Your Orthopaedic Connection – AAOS
I think this is what happened to me in college & shortly after, either that or tendinitis in the ankle. Still prone to it with too much standing.
My dogs are barking! – shoes comfort | Ask MetaFilter
(FWIW, I’m trying to do more standing at my standing desk.)
What are some tips for adjusting to a new retail job physically? – retail health feet | Ask MetaFilter
My feet need your brain! – comfortableshoes shoerecommendations | Ask MetaFilter
What are some good standing/walking all-day shoes? – shoes | Ask MetaFilter
The loss of ambient intimacy â€“ Baldur Bjarnason
"Ten thoughts on the problem with Twitter and why my life improved by escaping planet Twitter." Damn good stuff from Baldur.
Law-breaking cyclists: the answer
"After the [bike] signal was installed, the percentage of people on bikes disregarding the signal dropped from 66 percent to 13 percent."

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9/15/2011

Twitter Digest for 2011-09-15

@Oakwright I'm picky, I guess. in reply to Oakwright #
"He'll polish your bulkheads." #doubleentendre #fastandfuriousdeltaquadrant #
B'lannah just deployed the NOS. #fastandfuriousdeltaquadrant #
Watching "fast & the furious: delta quadrant" – star trek voyager racing episode. 🙂 #
@Oakwright tried runkeeper again; pretty interface but doesn't track everything I want. (Max speed, total time vs moving time/speed.) #
@olybuzz for me it's part&parcel of an LA heritage, (lack of) water is _everything_ – also a childhood as a PBS dork. 😉 in reply to olybuzz #
Reading L.A.: Marc Reisner's 'Cadillac Desert' – http://t.co/IoNlKjIF #
Huh, I guess it did come out in 1996. Proof that memory is a tricky thing? (I associate it with the speech I wrote on water & west in HS.) #
@olybuzz I don't think it's ever been released on DVD! (like Connections until recently.) cc @olyfilmsociety in reply to olybuzz #
And then I found "share this page" link – hey, how 'bout using normal URLs?! #
Oh, SirsiDynix, why do you make it so hard to make a link I can send to other people? /shakes fist #
@olybuzz TRL's video copy is VHS. 🙁 But wow, looks like the whole series is on YouTube…in 10-minute segments. o.O in reply to olybuzz #
Pretty sure wikipedia entry for vid has wrong release date, tho. Distinctly remember watching it at home in HS. #
Wish video was on dvd/web! Personal fave, key to understanding US west. RT @olybuzz: READ & WATCH 'Cadillac Desert' (by Marc Reisner,1986) #
@RepoRat http://t.co/UaGGmfO in reply to RepoRat #
@RepoRat I made a Metafilter post out of the Wash U story. 🙂 in reply to RepoRat #
@dylanw I think our schedule is clear that day. in reply to dylanw #
#drupal q: what's your process for evaluating base/framework themes, assuming an existing design? (Which predates Drupal conversion FWIW.) #
@kermix23 mechanically, I'm not a super-huge fan of the skill challenge as a game technique. It would seem to reduce the value of role play. in reply to kermix23 #
@kermix23 I've seen/gotten/given points specifically for good RP. DM for my tues 4e game doesn't talk abt XP, which I find I like. in reply to kermix23 #
@kermix23 interrogation, not always our strong suit. :/ in reply to kermix23 #
@kermix23 these were the bad guys. Er, gals. in reply to kermix23 #

9/15/2011

Today’s Links 9/15/2011

The Shame of College Sports – Magazine – The Atlantic
"For all the outrage, the real scandal is not that students are getting illegally paid or recruited, itâ€™s that two of the noble principles on which the NCAA justifies its existenceâ€”â€œamateurismâ€ and the â€œstudent-athleteâ€â€”are cynical hoaxes, legalistic confections propagated by the universities so they can exploit the skills and fame of young athletes."
Reading L.A.: Marc Reisner’s ‘Cadillac Desert’ – latimes.com
"it is fair to say that Los Angeles — as a city, as a region and as an idea — haunts "Cadillac Desert" from start to finish"
Why Is Average IQ Higher in Some Places?: Scientific American
In short: exposure to infectious disease. (I think i remember reading (book on ed reform?) that the end of chronic worms (?) in the south brought a huge boost in education achievement or iq or something.)
What is the best starter theme for responsive web design in Drupal? | groups.drupal.org
A good question; I’m exploring this myself. (Sad that quite a few listed here are D7 only!)
Social Media Identity Crisis: How do employees and brands avoid a personality disorder? Â« Ethan McCarty
lots to think about here.
Big question: what do you think of Adobe Edge?
Andy Budd’s response made me laugh: "Wake me up when 1998 is over. I didnâ€™t like it much the first time around, so Iâ€™m pretty sure itâ€™s going to suck now."
DAVENPORT DIALOGUES: SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY: A CAUTIONARY TALE
"So, here is what the publisher demanded. That I immediately and totally delete CANNIBAL NIGHTS from Amazon, iNook, iPad, and all other e-platforms. Plus, that I delete all Google hits mentioning me and CANNIBAL NIGHTS. Currently, that’s about 600,000 hits. (How does one even do that?)" To answer the question: you don’t. Also: WTF?

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9/14/20119/15/2011

Bike vs car, taking a long view

Just a thought too long for Twitter, not entirely thought out and probably totally obvious….

Re bicycles vs cars: infrastructure is key. If the facilities for bikes are poor, then it’s scary to ride a bike. Which means that the people who are going to ride will be people with a high tolerance for risk, thrill-seekers, or otherwise pretty agressive. And those are people who are likely to flout the law or otherwise be “in your face” about whatever they happen to be doing.

So motorists (and to a lesser extent pedestrians) see aggro law-breaking cyclists and think: fuck those guys.

Which means they’re less likely to support just the kind of facilities that us boring, cautious, law-abiding cyclists need to feel secure enough to ride.

And that’s a damn shame.

As a cyclist, I’d just ask (my fellow) drivers who are also voters to please just look past that jerk who’s doing dumb reckless stuff. If you support nice places to ride, nicer people will come ride there, and thrill-seeking jerks will have to find another outlet for their bad impulses.

Thanks. 🙂

Update, 9/15: More on bike infrastructure & lawful riding.

9/14/2011

Twitter Digest for 2011-09-14

Worst. Skill challenge. Ever. Damn eladrin died under hypnosis. #dnd #
"Awesome. We're going to save the hicks from the fairies." #dnd #
@Oakwright that happens to me a lot. in reply to Oakwright #
@olybuzz :* 🙂 in reply to olybuzz #
with that, I'm going for a stroll, even if it's overcast. been too many fires to put out, some are still smoldering, but I need fresh air. #
"free" on the internet is complex w/layers of meaning: gift economy on one hand, "if you're not paying, you're the product" on the other. #
admitting that something is an aspirational good doesn't mean that you're denigrating it. objects in our lives have meaning beyond utility. #
@olybuzz @brosage all right you two, deep breath, no need for trash talk. s'all good. #
@olybuzz let's go take another look! I'm still curious how my crooked toe will handle 'em. cc @Oakwright in reply to olybuzz #
@tackyspoons @globalmoxie @grigs I use mine as my alarm clock! (Have been for years, even when I had a plain-jane motorola.) in reply to tackyspoons #
sometimes iframe isn't the right solution. really. #differentproblem #troubleshootingday #vaguetweet #
I need to use firebug to see what's going on here, but firefox is so goddamn slow with multiple windows & firebug enabled…. #vaguetweet #
@lilyorit using like these? http://t.co/HUHTyKY (inquiring minds want to know!) in reply to lilyorit #
@heyrocker we're sort of…eclectic in our D&D toys. for yrs played w/set of board game-style pegs known colloquially as "the Power Rangers" in reply to heyrocker #
@heyrocker 🙂 my character in an earlier game: http://t.co/lTqObe1 in reply to heyrocker #
@cssquirrel http://t.co/Med1B4H looks like a reasonable summary (nothing official yet), have only skimmed, tho. in reply to cssquirrel #
@cssquirrel if you liked JScript, you'll love Dart! #sarcasm #embraceandextend in reply to cssquirrel #
@pat_ramsey Me too! Although I bought it originally on tape, didn't have CD player then. #goddamnOld in reply to pat_ramsey #
@pat_ramsey Really?! (Soundtrack for summer/fall 92 for me: end of HS, start of college. I'm late to anything cool, except CSS & blogging.) in reply to pat_ramsey #
@Sulien77 I know the other Salo from old-school blogging circles. (2001-ish on) It's funny how one's circles intersect, eh? in reply to Sulien77 #
From @lauras yesterday: "Hat Brain" http://t.co/cy9mJbJ – I get this all the time. #
I need for Twitter to not be suggesting my employer as someone to follow. :\ #
"Fact-checking […] GOP debate" http://t.co/nSIxq1q Only entirely true claim: Romney correctly paraphrased stuff from Perry's book. #
@adamdicarlo Which it kinda-sorta is now. IIRC I tried to use at the time state of the art for size-based CSS switching in my subtheme. in reply to adamdicarlo #
@adamdicarlo I think once before I tried taking existing design and making it RWD on my own, no framework, as a Zen subtheme. in reply to adamdicarlo #
@adamdicarlo ok, looked in my files: last I was playing around with RWD I was using 960.gs w/adapt.js. Was still in mockup phase. in reply to adamdicarlo #
@Oakwright I think I tried runkeeper, altho I'm not 100% sure. I really like the elevation tracking in My Tracks (comes with Google Maps). in reply to Oakwright #
@revoltpuppy of course, I often point that brisk walk in the direction of the nearest coffeeshop. in reply to revoltpuppy #
@revoltpuppy if it's feasible, might I suggest a brisk walk to cheer yourself up? (I know, annoying suggestion, but it often works for me.) in reply to revoltpuppy #

9/14/2011

Today’s Links 9/14/2011

What happens first in Vegas: bike lanes or bikes? | Grist
"I can’t help but think of the Interbike show, which will soon descend on the Strip, as it does every year. It’s a jarring juxtaposition: the broken built environment on the outside and the manicured bike utopia on the inside."
Producing sweeteners locally – TCLocal
"Some require industrial facilities and major energy inputs, and a few are dangerous, but many familiar sweeteners will likely remain available into even an uncertain future."
First look: renovated sheriff’s station ready for its close-up (altadenablog)
Visited in elementary school, got fingerprinted even IIRC.
Usability in Icons | Stiern
Do (inexperienced) people understand the "chain" or "globe" icons for creating links in a CMS? I’ve had to do this training myself. I’m torn: on the one hand it would be nice to have something more immediately understandable, on the other it’s not terribly difficult to train people to recognize. (On the third hand, a lot of people don’t get the concept of writing "what you want to be the link" and then highlighting it to create a link right off the bat either.)
The Language of Fantasy by David Salo | Fantasy Magazine
"As fantasy, in books, television, and film, has become more and more mainstream, the idea that every proper fantasy world deserves its own languageâ€”or maybe several!â€”has taken hold."

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9/13/2011

Twitter Digest for 2011-09-13

Looked up from finishing this to discover it's past my bedtime. Whoops! #lego #stillakidreally http://t.co/oQ8LaMG #
@adamdicarlo I'll have to look it up tomorrow, been a while since I was last working on that. (Other projects, vacation) in reply to adamdicarlo #
Watching @olybuzz build micro-castles (etc) in lego. Very cool. #
@webchick since I started w/Zen, I've been trying to shoehorn into that, so far not super-successful. (will be coming back to it later.) in reply to webchick #
@RepoRat fascinating! in reply to RepoRat #
@skirtmuseum @olybuzz two of the neighbor's chickens come over to visit on a fairly regular basis. SO ADORABLE. in reply to skirtmuseum #
Altho those in the rare set of people into both Android & bicycling may find this relevant to their interests: http://t.co/JhhkATI #
Just FYI: I've been blogging again; 4 actual posts in the last 4 days! (Nothing terribly deep, mostly personal journaling.) #
we've been making friends w/neighbor's chickens. RT @olybuzz Porch + chickens = Olympia … and way less bugs =) #
@DamienMcKenna @learningdrupal I was very happy to see that when I started looking at upgrading. in reply to DamienMcKenna #
@kitchenmage @bmarler actually this is turning out to be fascinating: http://t.co/7Ccc745 "only 20% of the genome common to all strains" in reply to kitchenmage #
@kitchenmage @bmarler IIRC (a book I read a long time ago) there are lots & lots of e. coli strains, some are actually native to our guts. in reply to kitchenmage #
@shelleypowers homemade bread is pretty awesome. Do you have a favorite recipe? in reply to shelleypowers #
@olybuzz jaw dropping: http://t.co/hqMp3QJ (how'm I going to get any work done today now?!) in reply to olybuzz #
@Oakwright I've used Toggl – http://t.co/p8VF8LO – altho not in a while. (free plan, obvs.) in reply to Oakwright #
@learningdrupal I find Admin menu absolutely critical. Admin Role is handy. Excited to check out other ppl's recommendations! in reply to learningdrupal #
dammit, @shelleypowers's last link made me crave big b'fast. I love yogurt w/jam, but it's not really enough to power thru whole morning. #
@shelleypowers omelettes w/olives, tomatoes &/or avocado; bacon; toast w/homemade jam & yes, OJ. I like how the acid cuts the fat. #omnomnom in reply to shelleypowers #
@shelleypowers one thing I loved about my week of vacation was having enough morning time to make big breakfasts before big bike rides. in reply to shelleypowers #
@Oakwright someday I want to have a folding bike. Seems like it would be good for traveling. in reply to Oakwright #
.@brosage – MT @malarkey "1st @stopâ€™s Wired. Then @simplebitsâ€™ Fast Company. Now @beepâ€™s @bostonglobe. […] sites that changed the web." #
@RaeBeta @TiredFairy Auntie Mame! 🙂 in reply to RaeBeta #
@shelleypowers have you seen this: http://t.co/NN9KJsz AskMetafilter user wants to learn abt JS…Brendan Eich shows up in thread. in reply to shelleypowers #
@lilyorit how do manage to live tweet your games so well and still play? in reply to lilyorit #
Inbox Zero in under an hour. #

9/12/2011

Today’s Links 9/12/2011

Tracking the porting status of Drupal 7 modules | webchick.net
"using the magic of Upgrade Status module’s data I’ve set up a site at http://drupalcontribstatus.com/ to track the status of the top 60 contributed projects"
Fuck Yeah Weird Bikes
"The goal here is to collect some of the weird bikes. Some of them are only slightly weird, perhaps just deviations from the standard frame style. But some are completely whacked out looking."
Google’s Ta Da Moments | Technology at Burningbird
Putting the pieces together…"embrace and extend" as practiced by Google.
Speaker Interview: Greg Dunlap (heyrocker) | Do It With Drupal
"So I guess the requirements to become an initiative lead are having a big mouth, but lacking the common sense to know when to shut it." Hilarious, and I can totally hear that in his voice.

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9/12/2011

Facebook’s saving grace

The one thing I like about Facebook: birthday reminders. I’m not super about remembering people’s birthdays (I used to be wizard, but that time is long gone), and the weekly reminder of who’s birthday is coming is really nice. Alternately, it’s nice to get little “happy birthday” notes from a weird cross-section of people in one’s life: friends from junior high, high school, and college, including my long-time boyfriend from back in the day; the DM from my weekly D&D game; neighborhood association people; other local friends &Â acquaintances; and people I know from the internet. Also, my 10th grade biology teacher.

I’ve heard the complaint that Facebook birthday messages are shallow/meaningless, but I don’t find that to be so. For me, it’s just a tiny loose connection that reminds me of a web of people who I may not talk to all the time, but who saw my name and thought well enough to say hi.

(FWIW, I like this feature on theÂ genealogyÂ site Geni, too. It’s how I know my cousins’ birthdays, and that one of them has a wedding anniversary on my birthday.)