Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
Hold on. Hold on. Stop the break. I almost forgot to post my traditional Earth Day offering of photos. This Earth Day I’m featuring photos from the Show Me Mobile Aquarium; the large semi-truck size fishtank filled with native Missouri fishies currently on display as part of the Earth Day offerings at Powder Valley Conservation Center.
There’s a new self-portrait at the end of the post.
This year the tank had something different: an inner tank with goldfish. I figured that the goldfish might be food for the other fishies. The longnose gar were particularly interested in them.
I was interested in the longnose gar; fascinating creatures, who would follow me as I moved around. It could be they hoped for food, but I think it might have been the camera lens. It did look something like their own eyes. Perhaps they thought I was the Great Gar–god supreme of long nosed fishes.
After all, did I not make little fishies fall out of frustrating see through cave?
The corner of the goldfish tank had an aerator, which the goldfish would swim into and through. As I was looking about, I noticed that one goldfish was on the other side of the goldfish enclosure, frantically trying to get back into the enclosure. There was a bit of water weed next to the inner tank, and in it I noticed two other goldfish hiding. The poor fish were getting caught up in the aerator and then pushed over and out of the inner tank into the outer.
The Great Gar provides.
The gas prices are rising and rumor has it they’ll top out over 3.00 a gallon and not go back down. I wouldn’t mind–perhaps now people will give up their monster trucks and tank-size gas guzzling SUVs. But the money forms an almost obscene amount of profit for oil companies, and I do tire of this.
If the money went into cleaning up the air and water, I would be more positive.
Last week I pulled up next to this huge, shiny and chromed black truck at the light. Two guys were in it, looking cool. I was so tempted to lean out and ask them if they’ve had to haul any pigs to market lately, but didn’t. Someday I won’t have to say it, and the guys won’t look cool in a truck too big for most people’s needs.
When I finish my project and book, I’ll have to think about how I’ll handle my end of work travel treat. I had originally planned on driving, from east coast to west. Now I’m thinking it would be better, and cheaper, to take a train or some such thing. Especially since even with a sleeper, it might be less expensive.
But I like driving, and traveling by car. I think we’ll need to look at different ways of road trippin’ in the future. Perhaps a ride share trip planner with others of like mind.
However, I also like my solitude when I travel. Me in the car with my music, discovering something new around each corner; following my own whim of which road to take. I have seen the most amazing things in my travels. Some folks crowd into a church, close their eyes, and pray for miracles. They don’t understand.
It’s a beautiful day today, but no drives as I have work I need to do this weekend. And the car is in the mechanics again. A different mechanic. They spent four hours looking for the squeak and couldn’t find it. They only charged us 20.00. Good new mechanic (Dobbs on LaClede and Watson in St. Louis).
We moved the deadline of the book up in preparation of an earlier publication date. Since we’re far enough along, I’m comfortable releasing the title for the book without fear of The Jinx. The book is Learning JavaScript. It’s a good all around introduction to all aspects of JavaScript: the basics of the language, the browser and document object models, Ajax/AJAX and DHTML, and all the nifty tools and libraries–how to use and how to create one’s own.
It’s not a reference book; I leave that to O’Reilly’s excellent Definitive books. It’s how you (yes, you) can quickly and comfortably get up to speed with JavaScript/ECMAScript.
I’ve returned to the same writing style and format that I used with Developing ASP Components, and that book did very well, so I’m confident this one should do nicely.
Lots of people unhappy about this opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, but the writing is good and some of the points are valid. The Shiny Happy People will like it. I loved the following:
I don’t think the blogosphere is breeding cannibals. But it looks to me as if the world of blogs may be filling up with people who for the previous 200 millennia of human existence kept their weird thoughts more or less to themselves. Now, they don’t have to. They’ve got the Web. Now they can share.
Best post and comment section on this weblog:
Dear Jerry and matt: what you guys need is a blog. You are two people, right?
Let me share more of my thoughts with you. Stop me when I get to the part with, …I liked to be tied up when….
Speaking of intimacy, I have a question for you straight guys: are you as comfortable chatting with the women online as you are the guys? Or do you sometimes think to yourself that a woman might be getting interested in you, and does this make you more reticent?
Are you more comfortable with a woman friend when one or the both of you is attached to another? There’s a significant difference in age? In geography? What makes a woman ’safe’ for you?
How about you ladies: what makes a man safe for you?
(Adjust questions accordingly if you’re gay.)
Just as an FYI, though many of you are sexy as hell, I’m *not interested romantically in anyone I’ve met through weblogging. I hope no one’s heart is broken by this. I also hope no one is feeling too relieved.
Now that this is out of the way, we can all be friends. Just being friends isn’t rated highly enough. I suppose it doesn’t sell books or movies. Or Hallmark cards.
This probably makes me sound like a sad person, but I get more excited at seeing a marvelous new bird, a wondrous new mountain range, walking by the ocean or on a new trail in the woods, traveling, having a giggle or ramble with friends, working for a cause, reading a really great piece of writing, seeing or even trying to create, a special photograph, tasting something new, a good movie, and even creating an amazing work of technology then I do at the thought of going on a ‘date’.
Of course, any of the above with someone who complements the moment is okay (no, dammit spell check leave it alone); even nice. But my joy in the experience is not diminished by lack of companion.
That’s it–I’m officially one of those. I’ll have to start carrying bags made out of straw and make the pilgrimage to Mexico.
Earth Day, 2006. Yes, I liked the Wall Street Journal article earlier. This one however, is based on missing statistic, overinflated biased recordings, self serving data in order to promote you all buying more more more, so that companies in the world can make profits off your eventual misery. Supposedly the reason for all the scientific concern being expressed now about global warming is because those who speak ‘truth’ (i.e. against the concern) are intimidated into silence. I have only one thing to say to the author: may your children and your grandchildren grow to adulthood and live long in just the kind of life you want to give them.
Do you all realize that if we make one change in our lives, we can make a significant impact on the environment? Yes, if we drive a car with better gas mileage, walk more, take a bike more, recycle, and use environmentally friendly products, we can make a difference.
Did you know one of the most romantic dates you can go on is go for a walk? Take along a basket with a little bread, cheese, wine, and fresh apples. Cloth napkins, and real plates say ‘class’.
Sure you have time. Don’t tell me you don’t have time. It only takes 10 minutes to make an egg sandwich for breakfast–you don’t have to throw another piece of plastic (and the container it comes in) into the microwave.
Sexy isn’t clothes, you don’t need 100 pairs of shoes, and the woman or man that can get by wearing last year’s clothes this year and next and and next and next and maybe even the next is the woman or man who has learned how to spit downwind instead of up.
The economy won’t go belly up if you don’t overspend this year.
Apple will recycle your old Apple products safely. Many schools and non-profits will take your old computer equipment (as long as it works). Linux will run on PCs that are years and years old.
If you download music, there’s less plastic used for CDs. If you buy a new computer every 4 years, instead of the average of 3, you save money and there’s less motherboards and old casings in landfills.
Buying produce in larger containers and re-packaging into your own reusable containers at home is cheaper and more earth-friendly than buying in small containers.
If you buy that, you’ll have to dust it. If you buy that, it will break. If you buy that, you’ll have payments. If you buy that, no one will fall in love with you.
Except if you buy my book when it comes out. If you buy it, I’ll love you. And you’ll be able to get it digitally. Digital books are pro-environment.
Digital photography is pro-environment.
And no tree was harmed–or acts of cannibalism committed–in the making of this weblog.
*And my heart belongs to Johnny Depp.