Categories
Weblogging

Orange is the new blog

Recovered from the Wayback Machine, orange color and all.

I like my new weblog color. Orange. Burnt orange to be exact. Bitter-sweet.

The color suits because I’ve found weblogging to be both bitter as well as sweet, luckily more of the latter than the former. But you can’t taste the sweet without the bitter, and sometimes a little of the downside creeps in to keep things in balance. Yin and Yang. Bitter and Sweet.

In my comments this morning I found a note from someone who says I lack credibility because in the last week I’ve pulled three postings regarding Dave Winer. The person has a point. We’ve tweaked Dave on this, and here I am doing the same thing.

I don’t particularly care that the person making the comment, “D” as he styles himself, doesn’t return. My readers must, at a minimum have a sense of humor. However, for those lonely few that remain, you are owed an explanation.

I pulled one posting to put into my technology experimental weblog because it had to do purely with technology, and I’m using this Alter Ego weblog for pure technology from this point. You can still see it there. It’s very civil, no burn, no rants and raves. I should have left a forwarding blurb — and the concept of that sounds both interesting and twisted.

I pulled a posting earlier in the week because it made reference to a posting Dave had also pulled, which was the result of an earlier posting I made which Dave took exception to. Did you follow that? You have to be able to follow some twisted threads within weblogging. It’s a requirement.

I pulled this posting for two reasons:

One reason is because it was flamebait and I’ve just not been in a mood to deal with flames this week. Yes, I can burn and bite with the best of them; but not all the time, and not this week.

The second reason was irony. I soundlessly pull a posting whose content was about Dave soundlessly pulling a posting. Try putting that on your scales and see if you don’t get jello. Call it weblogging’s first performance art and title it “Silence of the Postings”.

Finally, I pulled yesterday’s posting about the whole ugly Winerlog/Dave Winer thing. I was concerned that Winerlog was killed summarily, only to find out it was a web server performance thing. (And folks, if you haven’t noticed by now, all the editthispage.com web sites have lousy preformance — the server is maxed out.)

However, I didn’t pull the posting because I later found out Winerlog wasn’t killed out of hand (though this evetually happened last night). I pulled the posting because the whole thing seems so tawdry. And unnecessary. As Rogi pointed out so well in the comments — let Winerlog go to a new home and Userland reclaim their server space. End of story. I pulled the posting because I just didn’t want to waste more space on this issue.

But I am wasting blogspace today because D was right, I am lacking credibility for pulling the postings without note or notice, at least for two of them. And though we kiss the elusive D good-bye, I do care that those of you that remain are given an explanation. Whether you want it or not.

One last related note — Dave, no matter how ugly Winerlog gets, at least give him one week on your server to allow him to re-direct to his new weblog. And Winerlog, can’t you shut up one moment, long enough to get moved?

(Rogi, I hope you don’t mind me showing your comments out of context; I have the old comments, but not the old posting.)

Categories
Weblogging

ISSN Number

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

For those of you who take your weblogging seriously, you might want to take a closer look at Allan Moult’s weblog. Underneath the name of the weblog is an actual genuine ISSN number — the same type of number used for all other periodicals including magazines such as the New Yorker, Wired, and Time.

Allan found the how-tos on getting an ISSN for your weblog from Fawny.org.

An ISSN lists your weblog within an international database of publications, accessible by request from your local librarian. It also puts your weblog right smack into the middle with all the big boys. Just think: The National Geographic. Time. New Yorker. Burningbird.

In most cases, filing is free.

Categories
Weblogging

Googlewhacker Book

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

From my Google search referrals, I’m getting people looking for a “googlewhacker book”.

Well, okay, here you go:

Steps:

1. First, buy a computer

2. Setup the computer

3. Turn on the computer

4. If computer doesn’t come on, call someone. Do not call me.

5. Connect to the Internet. If you need help with this, check with AOL. If you don’t know what the Internet is, check with your local hospital. You’re ill.

6. Once connected, open up a browser. It will be a small ‘e’ on your desktop. If you don’t see it, you’re using Linux or the Mac. If you’re using the Mac, contact Mac help. If you’re using Linux — stop now. You’ll hurt yourself.

7. Type http://www.google.com into the browser Address window. It’s the white space. No, not that white space, the smaller one.

8. You’ll get a simple page back with Google on it. Now you have the playing board

9. Type two words into the search edit box on the form. That’s two. T-W-O. Yes, 2. No, don’t type them into the Address box again — into the form on the page itself. Very good.

10. Click the button. The button that says “Google Search”.

11. You’ll get a page back with results. If you get a result set of only one link, in that big white space below, you found a googlewhack!

12. No, a result like this “Your search – fdsfd jmkljkl – did not match any documents.” doesn’t count. You have to get a result with a link.

13. Are you sure there’s only one link. Count it out for me – 1. Very good. You just found a Googlewhack!

14. No, you don’t get a prize for this.

15. No, I didn’t make up the rules. I don’t have any prizes to give you.

16. No, you can’t sue me. Sue Microsoft instead. They have lots of money, and they created the browser you’re using — it’s their fault.

There you have it — your Googlewhacker Book!

Categories
Weblogging

January 30, 2002

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I am so glad I took one more wander around cyberspace before going to bed.

Here’s an Australian IT ezine article featuring googlewhacking and our own celebrated Jonathon Delacour.

Congrats, Mr. Delacour. We’ll try to remember to treat you with more respect hence forth. No more messages from Pudding, that sort of thing.

11:18pm

Over 12 hours later, and I finally filled in the last form, signed the last W2, toted the last barge, lifted the last bale. I’m one tired puppy. The 940 was almost the breaking point, but I held it together. Rah.

The good news is I only made one small mistake in withholding last year, and it was in December, so no fines. The bad news is that I missed one quarter filing. In fact there’s a whole story on this I could bore you with, but not tonight — too tired (you’re saved).

Next up: 1120 income tax in March. Ugh. However, I’m done with this monumental balance and check, and in time to get it into mail tomorrow and save myself some nasty fines. Dancing in the moonlight.

Quick note — I plan on updating the Blogicon this weekend including new entries, of which one is named after a certain someone you all hold dear. Don’t you? Thanks for being patient if your item hasn’t shown yet.

Googlewhacking is sure going insane isn’t it. We’re all such crazy people.

Green eyes signing off for the night.

10:34pm

One more tax form — took a break to get the mail and guess what came today: the fruitcake that my mother sent me at the beginning of December.

This deserves a 2001 sound byte!

9:07pm

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel with my tax and year end filings. I’m also finding some amazing revelations….

to be continued…

For now, I’m taking a quick break for a sup and a quick blogpeek (blogging when you shouldn’t be). I found two more Google Instant Messages:

 

burningbird Stav says hi

 

 

shelley powers finish the rdf book

 

Well, we know who the first one is — guesses as to the second?

I think I have a few minutes….WTF!?! What’s this Do a Shelley I’m seeing!.

‘EXCUSE ME! I have to go back to work now. I can’t play anymore. I have to be good.

7:02pm

I find that Rogi is a level headed, very cool person. He made an excellent point in a comment attached to my last posting. As a result, after thinking about it, I decided not to waste my blogspace on the content. And pulled it. Yes, I did a Dave. Flushed it down the blogging toilet.

Thanks Rogi — must be that Azores air that makes you smart!

(P.S. I still want to see some of your photos!)

10:17am

One more quick note before crawling off to bed. I just saw evidence of Google Instant Messages within the Referrer Thingy at three places, and I’ve seen links elsewhere.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re in on the birth of a new meme. May I introduce to you to Googlewhacking’s baby brother:

The

Google Instant Message.

Take a bow Stav and Amphiskios — you’re meme parents! <edit />

2:01am

Categories
Weblogging

Chaos

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

When working on a book, normally I can produce the chapters fairly consistently. However, with the RDF book, I’m having a bad case of writer’s block with one of the chapters. I can’t seem to sit down, sit still, and finish it. Tomorrow (well, today), no online time, no blogging, no googlewhacking, no cross-blogging, no Google Instant Messaging — finish the chapter. Do or Die. And if I don’t send out my W3s and W2s and other tax forms by end of day tomorrow, the revenue people will come and cart me away — for real.

I think one of my difficulties with the chapter is that I need a break from the city. I love this city, it’s so beautiful. And I love city life, though if I were rich, I would live half of my time in San Francisco or Boston or New York, and the other half in Vermont or Cannon Beach, Oregon. (So when my books publish this year, you’ll all have to buy at least two…of each. Call it the “Run the Bird out of town” fund.)

Still, regardless of how much I love San Fran – I – Need – A – Break – From – This – City! You can put that into a Google Instant Message and send it!

On the Australian home front: Jonathon — taking time off from swimming in the warm summer sun over the land of Oz — wonders if the next time I posted, it would be from Camp X-Ray in Cuba. I don’t know, there is  resemblance. But the resemblance is only skin deep—I can walk away, anytime. Get in new car, head up the highway.

A tiny creature’s breath caused a tiny breeze that mixed with a drop of rain that bonded with other drops of rain that created a flood that re-sculpted a continent in a long ago time, eventually shaping the destiny of two peoples. And now members of one group of people sit behind razor wire and fencing in Cuba, held captive by the vanquisher of a war with no winners; and members from the other people, including yours truly, sit behind razor wire and fencing in San Francisco, held captive by fear of the vanquished.

‘Nuff! Any more of this “chaos” stuff, and I’ll lose my honorary membership in both the Meryl and the Australian Blogger web rings!