Apr
14
Things I Found Interesting Today
Filed Under interests, miscellany | 1 Comment
Of late, the things that interest me the most — in no particular order — are collecting, watching, and writing about supernatural horror movies; learning Sharepoint, an amazingly deep Microsoft evolution of the old, crappy FrontPage; certain facets of Nashville web design and development, namely CSS (cascading style sheets) and Nashville SEO/SEM (search engine optimization/marketing); and finally, hiking and photography at Nashville’s Radnor Lake.
I am constantly getting sidetracked and going off on tangents in various areas, and it sometimes leads to a real enthrallment. And occasionally one of these novel enthrallments of mine will mark the beginning of a new phase or a major kick in my life. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I have a highly addictive personality, together with more than a hint of obsessive and compulsive type behavior. In other words, when I get into something, man, do I get into it.
Take anime, for instance. When I watched my first anime DVD in August 2008, it started something no one saw coming, nor could anyone possibly have predicted it: an amazing — or unfortunate, depending on your viewpoint – immersion into anime! From September through December 2008, I spent more money and time than I even knew I had on anime DVDs. I had a blast, at the time; I developed quite a lot of knowledge about anime, a large DVD collection quickly took up space on my shelves, and an otaku website was born. But just a few days after I started the Otaku at 42 anime website, my obsession with it reached critical mass and I was suddenly and completely burned out on anime.
Speaking of going off on tangents and getting sidetracked, here I go again! It often happens when I write, so I must take care to stay on point.
I believe most creative, intelligent, curious people probably wonder about more things during the course of a day than even they themselves would believe; most of them are probably only fleeting thoughts, such as “ I wonder how she comes up with that,” “How did he know that,” “Where do they learn to . . .” and so on ad infinitum. They are soon forgotten.
Today I had the bright idea to try to document some of these things in a post I might call, Things I Found Interesting on [enter date here]. Granted, I hope I come up with a much more catchy and creative name than Things I Found Interesting, but nevertheless. . .a new blog topic is born.
But it isn’t new; and a fresh blog topic is NOT born, for it’s exactly what I had in mind when I decided to start this blog. The name captures it perfectly: Assorted Enthrallments.
Apr
11
Wordpress SEO-Friendly Web Page Filenames
Filed Under web resources, SEO, wordpress | 2 Comments
Wordpress & SEO
Wordpress has a fantastic built-in way to make SEO-friendly webpage file names. Note how the default page name includes the year, month, and post number or post title. If you login to admin and look under the Options — Permalinks menu, you will find a way to force WP to use category names instead of year and month. Then you use appropriate category names that include good keywords. The custom setting to do this is:
Custom structure: /%category%/%postname%/
Smashing Magazine
Also, if you want to see some killer Wordpress and other posts, check out this awesome site:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
Scroll down and check out the Popular Posts and All Posts for categories of interest. This is time well-spent!
Apr
11
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Dani Cooper, ABC Science Online
April 8, 2009 — Ancient stalagmites from a submerged Italian cave have revealed sea level rises caused by global warming more than 200,000 years ago, according to a joint European-Australian study.
The finding, which appears in the journal Nature Geoscience, suggests the current melting of ice sheets may happen faster than expected. Their publication adds weight to the release of an international report showing up to one-third of all Antarctic sea ice is likely to melt by the end of the century.
Lead author Andrea Dutton, of the Australian National University, said the stalagmites from Argentarola Cave, Italy, provide an ancient archive of sea water levels because they were formed through two different sources.
When the water level in the cave was high, the submerged stalagmites were colonized by aquatic worms that encased it in a tube made from biogenic calcite.
When the level dropped, the stalagmites formed from water drops from the cave ceiling (spelean calcite).
<h2>Resources</h2>
Discovery.com News - Stalagmites, Sea Rising
Apr
9
320 of Those Great Google Logos
Filed Under graphics, website spotlight, web culture | 1 Comment
As I talked to my dear and delightful tween niece Sarah Dale, the subject of online chatting came up. Her favorite instant messaging (chat) application is Google Talk, she said, but she also likes playing with some of the richer features of Yahoo Messenger.
Anyway, she brought up Google’s special occasion logos which caused us to wonder how many there might be. It is not a subject in which we performed any research other than to look for Google logo images using Google Images, but the collection of special Google logos was such an interesting graphic I just wanted to share it.
Full size, smaller file | Full size, high quality image
Apr
9
Phil Valentine: Entertainer, Not Scientist
Filed Under opinion, politics, Nashville | 5 Comments
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
I occasionally listen to Phil Valentine, such as when I’m in the car and have little else to entertain. This is not meant to disparage Mr. Valentine, not at all; it’s just that I am not a huge fan of argumentative radio – it usually makes me feel worse, not better. Phil Valentine has a great voice — perfect for his medium — and his subject matter is typically preferable to the rancid hatred that’s spread in the mornings by self-professed Christian Michael “Rapture” DelGiorno. (I want to address some of Mr. DelGiorno’s inflammatory comments on another day, and soon.)
I do not agree with many of Phil Valentine’s positions, but that isn’t saying much, for folks who toe their party lines, no matter how ridiculous, will get neither frequent agreement nor much respect from me.
Topics upon which I actually DO agree with Phil include the ridiculousness of the fairness doctrine, which if put into place, might have a negative impact on conservative talk radio. I do not dislike the fairness doctrine for that reason, of course, for I am not a fan of conservative talk radio,
liberal talk radio, or any type of fundamentalist “our positions are the correct ones, damn the rest” programming. It’s just plain staring me in the face that the fairness doctrine is anything but fair; free speech is simply far too important to frack with in such a partisan manner.
Those poor dirt people!
Actually, I am surprised, with so many conservatives now on board with reducing pollution, recycling, green construction, and other earth-friendly moves, that Phil continues to use this kind of name-calling on his show. I know from talking to others that it offends, and the offended ones of whom I speak are not necessarily dirt people themselves.
Back in March, one caller to Phil’s show, a misguided gentleman (we’ll call him Rubel) who obviously felt the need to get back at those nasty greens, bragged about all the electricity he was going to waste during Earth Hour. Rube had even purchased extra light bulbs to burn and was really planning on showing those dumb people (who actually think it is good to conserve energy) a thing or two! Well, I was waiting for Phil to make fun of the guy, but instead Phil gave Rube his solid support and even told Rube to be sure and call the show again later to let him know how it went. I sat in my car, shocked! Wait, no — shocked I was not.
Phil Valentine is in the Entertainment Business
But at least I was entertained. Yes, entertained – a word which brings up another important point. Phil Valentine and others like him are entertainers; they are not meant to be taken seriously, especially when they cover science stories and debates and delve into complex matters which they understand only enough to be dangerous, occasionally sounding to some as though they understood the full implications of the so-called case being made.
These critiques of mine – laughable, I know, for I am a simple man – are not reserved only for the conservative right; they apply to fundamentalists of all stripes (be they monk or Brahmin, Turk or Jew) who believe their own positions are by default the correct ones, the moral ones, the proper ones – when in fact their positions — just like my own, all these things I am typing — are merely opinions. And you know what they say about opinions.
Hatred:Bad. Working Together to Solve Problems:Good.
Harboring hatred definitely does some bad things to good people, and it seems really unfortunate to me that Phil Valentine and some others (especially those more vitriolic than Phil) – people who could do so much good for Nashville, for the country, and for the world — instead use their popularity and their unique positions to influence people in negative ways, increasing levels of hatred toward folks with whom they may have even minor disagreements. Like those damn dirt people. . . 
(I joke, people, because I love — for I am one – maybe a relatively weak dirt person, but a dirt person all the same. How anyone could NOT be a dirt person is a little hard to understand, since whatever happens to our environment ends up happening to us. Or do some folks not see this simple truth?)
A couple of conservatives who are class acts (not that there are only two!) might be Dave Ramsey and John McCain. Dave Ramsey goes out of his way on his show NOT to display animosity toward political figures for whom he may not have voted and with whom he may disagree. Dave Ramsey is a great example of someone who is not divisive; one might say Dave is a uniter, not a divider. Likewise, John McCain was given numerous opportunities to criticize and insult Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, but he did not stoop to that level despite what was surely burdensome, near-constant pressure to do so. These are, I believe, relatively good examples of conservative class acts.
Are talk show hosts afraid of losing their audiences should they display similar tact?
Patently Weak “Arguments”
Phil Valentine fans — or anyone who takes what a radio talk show host says as fact — must be lacking in some key areas (such as science, law, philosophy, and theology, to name a few). I mean, to believe some of the “arguments” Phil uses to support his positions would require the setting aside of certain realities. I am convinced his adherents, minions, and acolytes are the same people who read astrology and rush to find their daily horoscope before reading real news. Here are a couple of examples (paraphrased, since I do not have the quotes in front of me):
“I think it would be nice for the world’s average temperature to go up a couple of degrees.”
From this and many other statements Phil Valentine regularly makes on the anti-nature segments of his shows, it is easy to see that he does not even begin to understand the subject. I am no expert in the earth sciences myself, but I know enough to see some serious logical flaws here.
“There is nothing wrong with too much carbon dioxide; after all, trees emit it.”
Does he not realize that too much of something, even if it is a natural substance, is bad? What about too much sulfur in the air? That’d be just great. How about too much natural arsenic in the water? That’s cool – it’s nature, after all!
“X (number of) scientists have signed a document saying that global warming is in fact not happening on a scale we need to worry about, if it’s even occurring at all.”
There could be any number of people that would sign any document, but this has nothing to do with the accuracy, or the rightness or wrongness, of the document itself. Come on, people.
It is scary to think that some listeners might actually think radio talk show hosts are scientifically on the ball regarding these matters. It seems clear that Phil takes the sides he does, not because he believes them (how could he?), but because he is paid to do so.
I have just learned that Phil Valentine won an honorable mention for “for outstanding editorial oversight in the pursuit of scientific integrity” regarding his views on carbon dioxide. Thank you, Mary Mancini and Bruce Barry.
And yes, I have heard Phil Valentine talk about separation of church and state. Bruce Barry’s column in the Nashville Scene covered this better than I ever could:
I realize that calling out Phil Valentine for his rhetorical hallucinations is old hat, but he outdid himself in his latest Sunday assault on reality. Yesterday Phil used his Tennessean column to showcase his abject ignorance about constitutional law, rehashing a simplistic and misinformed argument that no legal basis for disentangling government and religion exists since the phrase “separation of church and state” doesn’t appear in the U.S. . .Read more…
Regarding Mary Mancini’s post (What Does Phil Valentine Have to do to Get Fired from the Tennessean?) on Liberadio, I must say OMG and ask — did Phil Valentine actually assert that the ACLU rushes to the aid of someone only if they are not a Christian?” This is unbelievable and underscores my point even better than any of my own statements, Mary – for even I, hackish simpleton that I am, know that the ACLU does not discriminate in that area.
To Summarize and Get Back to Work
I am quite pleased that today, more and more people seem to be thinking for themselves using the tools of logic and reason — in other words, engaging in free thought — as opposed to sporting the old cavalier attitude that one’s party line (or one’s religion, philosophy, or what have you) are inerrant and infallible. (To some, we are known as “free thinkers,” which is all right by me.) With some serious luck (were there but such a thing), we may see fundamentalism on its way out. That may be too much to hope for.
References and Resources – Phil Valentine
The Phil Valentine Show
Supertalk 99.7 WTN - Nashville’s Talk Radio
Westwood One
Blogging about Phil Valentine
Nashville Scene: What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?
Phil Valentine Cares Not For Your Hate-Speech Label
Liberadio: What Does Phil Valentine Have to do to Get Fired from the Tennessean?
Liberadio: More Posts Mentioning Phil Valentine
We Love a Good Phil Valentine-Smackdown in the Morning. Especially when accompanied by a good chuckle or two. Caleb Hannan at the Scene’s Pith in the Wind blog makes our day: C’mon liberals. Let’s give Phil Valentine a break. He spends upwards of 10 to 15 minutes every Friday afternoon texting his column 160 characters at a time to a harried Tennessean editor. The least […]Read more…
Slap a Corset on Bill Hobbs And Call it a Day That’s right, I said a corset. Because while the rest of us move into the 21st Century, Bill Hobbs, press flack for the Tennessee Republican Party is still living in 1909. What else could explain his lambasting of “Earth Hour” as “the latest environmental wacko campaign?” Bill says: On average, life expectancy from birth for the average American […] Read more…
Free and Fair Elections Are Something We Can All Agree On, Right? I’m looking for a little “word up” from anyone on the right about this Voter Confidence Act kerfuffle. Anyone? Anyone? Slater? Gill? Valentine? DelGiorno? Bristol?
Aren’t free and fair elections something we can all agree on? Don’t you guys see the dangers inherent in electronic voting? I can only assume that like us, you want to win elections fairly. […] Read more…
TONIGHT: Liberadio(!) and Drinking Liberally Present “Thirsty Third Thursdays” The Nashville chapter of Drinking Liberally, led by the indefatigable Amie Hollis, has been meeting every Thursday at The Flying Saucer for years and years. (There’s also a chapter in Memphis - every Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at RP Billiards - and Chattanooga). Starting tonight — and until either Tennessee turns blue or […]
Read more…
Phil Valentine’s Column Watch: Two Down… It looks like Mr. Bruce Barry might have started something with his Pith in the Wind post complaining about Phil Valentine’s Tennessean column (“What Does an Op-Ed Columnist Have to Do to Get Fired Around Here?”). The Wilson County Post, serving Lebanon, Watertown, and Mt. Juliet, has decided to “discontinue publishing” Phil Valentine’s column in […] Read more…
What Does Phil Valentine Have to Do to Get Fired from the Tennessean? Good thing I checked the local blogs before sitting down to quell my frustration and anger by writing about Phil Valentine’s latest pack of lies and obfuscations in Sunday’s Tennessean. Bruce Barry, writing for the Nashville Scene’s Pith in the Wind beat me to it. Thanks, Bruce, for saying exactly what I wanted to say […] Read more…
Steve Gill’s Birthday Suit One of the things most worrisome about last week’s English Only special election was the effect that anti-immigrant right-wing ideologue mouthpieces Steve Gill, Phil Valentine, and Michael “It’s Delivery Not” DelGiorno, would have on the outcome. Let’s face it, two hours a week of us presenting reasoned and well-rounded interviews and opinion opposing the referendum […] Read more…
Plagarism, Talking Points, or Formula? An astute commenter (and Nathan Moore) points out the similarities in Steve Gill’s most recent opinion piece in the Nashville City Paper and an article entitled, “Hillary Clinton’s Fix,” by Al Kamen of The Washington Post. In light of Milwaukee Magazine’s recently published must read by an ex-conservative talk radio program director, which confirms that […]
Read more…
Liberadio(!) Podcast: November 24, 2008 - We Are Thankful Summary: Guests include State Senator Andy Berke, Councilman at large Jerry Maynard, Jennifer Buck Wallace, and Elbert Ventura. Part 1 - We Are Thankful For… - Freddie gets a crazy idea for us to say, out loud and on the radio, what we are thankful for. Bet you can guess one of them.
McCain Adviser: Are There Documented instances of voter fraud? “No.” First, let’s establish the difference between election fraud and voter fraud. Election fraud is a systematic effort by those with power to steal an election through vote manipulation and voter suppression. Voter fraud is when a voter attempts to vote more than once or by impersonating someone else. The McCain campaign has been huckstering the […]
Read more…
Apr
5
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Wow, what a shocker! 2008’s Quarantine — respectful remake of Spanish horror movie Rec — is an unforgettable movie in my book, and I can hardly wait show it to some of my friends! Perhaps I will notice a few details I missed during the first viewing, seeing as how I was just a nervous wreck, a pretzel of a man, muscles taut as I sat on the couch throughout the last half of the film.
There are portions of two reviews quoted on the cover of Quarantine. On the front it reads, “Quite possibly the best horror film this year.” On the back it says, “. . .scary as hell.” I agree wholeheartedly with both.
Quarantine was gripping, terrifying, serving up large doses of scream-inducing, edge-of-your seat horror — and it should not be missed by fans of the horror films that increase heart rate. It’s not a slasher flick (thank goodness) and it is not a supernatural thriller (for which I’d partly wished). If I had to quickly select a sub-genre of horror in which to classify Quarantine, I might be forced to utter the word “zombie,” but that too is misleading and might cause some to pass on it, when in fact they shouldn’t miss it. I repeat: Quarantine is NOT a zombie movie.
I shall later post more of my thoughts on and information about Quarantine, but in spite of the rapid arrival of 2am as I write this, I wanted to go ahead and post something without delay. Yeah — Quarantine was that good.
DVD Cover
When a news crew decides to trail a brave fire-fighting team, they never suspect that the first call for help they respond to that night may be their last. Now they’re trapped in an apartment complex sealed off by the government. With no way of escape, they find themselves surrounded by frightened residents who are infected with a deadly mutant virus. What happens next is only known because of the footage they left behind.
More Info
Quarantine was directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle. The film was executive produced by Glenn S. Gainor, Drew Dowdle, Julio Fernandez, and Carlos Fernandez; produced by Doug Davison, Roy Lee, and Sergio Aguero.
Special Features Include:
o Locked In: The Making-of Quarantine Featurette
o Anatomy of a Stunt Featurette
o Dressing the Infected: Make-Up Design Featurette
o Commentary with Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle
Partial Press Release
CULVER CITY, CALIF. (December 8, 2008) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment unleashes the most terrifying film of the year when Quarantine hits Blu-ray™ High-Def, DVD and PSP™ February 17, 2009. This edge-of-your-seat horror film stars Jennifer Carpenter (TV’s “Dexter”, Exorcism of Emily Rose), Johnathon Schaech (Prom Night) and Jay Hernandez (Hostel). The bonus materials include three in-depth featurettes that take you behind-the-scenes, stunts and make-up. Running commentary is provided by Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes) and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes).
Apr
3
Storm + Eruption at Chile’s Chaiten Volcano
Filed Under volcano, lightning, weather | Leave a Comment
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Scientists told us years ago that tornadoes are the products of massive columns of spinning air, or mesocyclones, inside large storm clouds; however, according to a new study, mesocyclones can likely form inside the huge ash plumes of volcanic eruptions. (National Geographic)
Sunset Color
The fine ash injected by volcanic eruptions into the stratosphere are typically carried by winds the world over. Sulfur dioxide spewed from volcanoes can react in the atmosphere to form sulfate aerosols (aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air). Both ash and aerosols can scatter the sun’s rays, giving sunsets even more dazzling color than usual.
Volcano Erupts in Alaska, Too
Mount Redoubt erupted last week in Alaska, too. Scientists thought that the eruption might be powerful enough to create mesocyclones.
Little did I know that Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields which have been active within the last two million years.
Of these volcanoes, about 90 Alaskan volcanoes have been active within the last 10,000 years (and might be expected to erupt again), and more than 50 volcanoes have been active within historical time (since about 1760 for Alaska).
Lots of Activity Recently: Could Mean Trouble
An earthquake was felt in California, one that was sizable enough to rattle some nerves – a magnitude 4.3. Further research (ShakeMap) shows there have been at least 12 small earthquakes in California so far in 2009. All of these are associated with the ring of fire. It appears that increased ‘ring of fire’ activity will become the norm for a while. I cannot help but wonder if California will get the big one before too long…
Resources: Chaiten Volcano, Chile
Mike Tomlinson - Lightning Storm
Earthmountainview.com - Earthquake, Volcano Cams and Eruption News
The Great Beyond - Volcanoes, Tornadoes…
Nat’l Geographic- Volcanoes Spawn Mini-Cyclones, Then Lightning…
ShakeMap Archive – Earthquake Monitor
Magnitude 4.3 March 30 California Earthquake Details
Alaskan Volcanoes
Apr
1
Simpsons, Poe to appear on postage stamps
Filed Under pop culture, humor, tv | 1 Comment
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Don’t have a cow, man! The Simpsons will appear on postage stamps. America’s most enduring - or is that endearing? - dysfunctional family will be honored on their own stamps, the Postal Service announced.
It’s been 20 years since Homer, Marge and family invaded the airwaves on Fox television, and the Postal Service says it plans five stamps featuring the couple and their offspring, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
No word on their dog, Santa’s Little Helper. And it seems that even - or is that evil? - Mr. Burns was not able to pull enough strings to get his own stamp.
Artwork for the 44-cent stamps was done by Simpsons creator Matt Groening and will be available for preview April 9 at http://www.usps.com. At that time the post office plans to announce the date the stamps will go on sale.
Also cool: Edgar Allan Poe stamps.
Thanks Al W., for sending me the story!
Mar
29
Saturday Severe Weather: “Epic” Storm
Filed Under thunderstorms, weather, Friends | Leave a Comment
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A good friend and fellow inclement weather fanatic in Atlanta emailed me to inquire we (Nashville) got any good storms on Saturday. Disheartened, I explained that the really strong stuff missed our immediate area (Green Hills /Lipscomb University).
As usual, when the main line of kick-ass storms passed by, the Green Hills section of Nashville was in the path of relatively weak weather. Damn! It was still semi-interesting, though, as the environs got that nice yellow-green hue you get when major storms are afoot.
Another positive: I heard my first major peal of thunder since last fall. However, I heard only one good thunder crack.
From what I remember of yesterday’s radar on the Weather Channel/ weather.com, it looked like Atlanta got shafted too, meaning my friend Mike W. was just as disheartened!
Mar
28
All of the Sudden — NOT!
Filed Under grammar | Leave a Comment
Friday, March 28, 2009
The common expression (or idiom), in modern English, is “all of a sudden” — not “all of the sudden.”
I know most of you probably don’t make this error, but I know you have seen it and heard it. I hope you have not seen it in my writing, but I am a little embarrassed to say that you may have. Until recently, I was guilty of using this grossly improper Southern literary goof. Not anymore!
The best write-up of “all of a sudden” as a mostly American idiom can be found on the Grammar Phobia website; the link is documented below.
Resources
Grammar Tips
Pain in the English
Grammar Phobia