BurningbirdRecovered from the Wayback Machine.
I don’t remember this being written about anywhere, and I don’t know how old the ability is, but you can now add comments to individual product reviews at Amazon.
As an author, what a wonderful way of responding to comments on one’s work. For others, what a great way to get more detail from the original commenter, or provide counter-point and/or appreciation.
Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
Sometimes the iTunes store is spot on when it makes a recommendation, and that’s how I can to download Herman’s Hermits Retrospective–the group’s best songs, very nicely re-mastered.
I’ve enjoyed this CD immensely, with its reminders of hip-huggers, tight sweaters, and big bright posterboard flowers, shaggy hair, white lipstick, and color! Color was very big at that time. It’s odd but I’d never noticed before that among the flower-power pop-rock songs, the band had some rather non-trivial lyrics, such as The Door Swings Both Ways:
(Thomas/Levitt)
Everyones life is bittersweet
It’s a door that opens wide
And no man can call himself complete
Till he’s seen it from both sidesThis door swings both ways
It’s marked ‘In’ and ‘Out’
Some days you’ll want to cry
And some days you will shoutThis door swings both ways
It goes back and forth
In comes a southern breeze
Or a cold wind from the northThis door swings both ways
Lets in joy and pain
In comes the morning sun
And then the evening rainThis door swings both ways
Lets in dark and light
Every day you make the choice
To let in wrong or rightWhen shadows fall
You must prepare yourself for sunshine
For everything there is an end
And so my friend you must be braveThis door swings both ways
Which one will it be
Will we live in happiness
Or dwell in miseryThis door swings both ways
Lets in earth and sky
Make the most of livin’
If you’re not prepared to die
Make the most of livin’
If you’re not prepared to die.
I agree with this reviewer, it’s some of the less well known songs that have better stood the test of time, including the lovely East-West, My Sentimental Friend, and Here Comes the Star. This was the last of this type of music, before pushed aside by the edgier, grittier music inspired by the increasing anti-Vietnam War sentiment and movement.
The time is ripe for a newly mastered collection of this lesser-known group. Looking at the popular Web 2.0 web sites, most would have felt at home back in the mid-60’s: big, curvy flowers, bright pastel colors, and plenty of bubbly optimism made more piquant by knowing that the hammer’s about to fall.
Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
I had checked out a book in late July on art and photography. It’s an older book, recommended by one of you, and not necessarily a quick read. It’s history showed I was the first person to have checked it out in several years.
As happens sometimes, I read a bit and then got caught up in the book I’m writing, as well as proofs, and site design. I realized I wouldn’t have time for it until after I finished my book, so I put it down on the gossip bench by the door to take back to the library. I promptly forgot it, until I got a notice a couple of weeks ago from the library. It was ten days overdue, due back August 28.
I immediately renewed the book (until October 10th), which I usually do with overdues, and then dropped it off at the library a few days later. Being distracted, I dropped it off at the county library not the city public library. I realized my error the next day, but the libraries have an inter-department book return plan so wasn’t worried. Not until today when I received another overdue notice, this one threatening to send me to a collection agency to collect the costs of the book if I didn’t return it.
I’m not sure where I was more taken aback: that the county library still hadn’t returned the book, or getting what amounts to a collection agency threat from my local library.
I called and found out the book was returned, and this notice must have gone out the same day. I was also informed that I now owed $.85 (that’s 85 cents) in overdue fines. I refrained from asking if they were going to send Guido over to break my kneecaps and hung up.
I can understand about libraries wanting their books returned on time, and I try to do so, and am happy to pay whatever fines I owe when I’m late. But this: a collection agency? On the second notice? Less than three weeks after it’s overdue? With a $.85 fine?
I checked around and found this weblog post from another person facing the same ‘threat’ from her local library, for what sounds like a book she never even checked out.
This may make sense economically, and from a business perspective, but I feel oddly betrayed. The friendly neighborhood library I once knew from long ago is gone–replaced by this efficient machine more interested in economics than community ties. Oh, before you ask, the public library has a reserve fund of over twenty million dollars, a reserve that gains about a million a year. The people in St. Louis take good care of their library. Too bad the same can’t be said for how the library takes care of the people in St. Louis.
Needless to say, I will drop off payment for the fine next week, when I also turn in my card. As they’ve demonstrated, they don’t want people checking out their books: books are meant to be shelved.
Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
Time to refocus on what’s really interesting…starting with this post, linking to a wonderful film on the Vampire Squid from National Geographic.
(Thanks to PZ Myers for the link.)
Recovered from the Wayback Machine.
I don’t get the web on my cell phone. Personally I don’t like to take calls on my cell phone when I’m out and about. I carry it with me more for telling me what time it is (I don’t wear a watch) and emergencies, as in:
“Help, I’m trapped in my car and there’s a bear outside who thinks I’m a big marshmallow.”
I know this is going to be traumatic and I’ll try to break the news as gently as possible, but when I’m out and about I don’t want to keep up with what you’re all doing. I’m sorry, I know that you feel cut adrift by this.
I know, though, that there are those of you who check my site 30 times a day on your Blackberries, waiting for the next gem of wit and wisdom. Who am I to stand in the way of your need for such treasures?
I added a mobile stylesheet to all my sites. The page just contains the following:
* {
position: static !important;
float: none !important;
background-image: none !important;
}img { display: none }
#sidebar, #header, #footer { display: none }
What this does is remove absolute positioning and floats, the background and other page images, and removes the sidebar, header, and footer from display. What you get is posts, links, and comments. That’s it. I picked up part of this from this older article. I’m not up on mobile phone styling and haven’t downloaded any emulators, so if it tanks in your handheld device, consider it a perk.
Amyloo was blown off in this discussion but her question, and Paul Montgomery’s followup was a good one: what is wrong with providing a handheld stylesheet?
Stylesheets too big? If mobile stylesheets such as the one I just demonstrated are ‘too big’ to download, all of the web is too big to download to a screen that’s typically 2 by 3 inches in size.
Not all handheld devices support a specific handheld stylesheet? In this case I also provide full content feeds. Most mobile browsers can read syndication feeds.
What I won’t do is provide separate content pages just for mobile devices. I also won’t support yet another kludged extension to an already kludgy RSS 2.0 specification. Over-engineering. Can we say, over-engineering?
Put it away. Look at the birds.