A video about blogging from the "Before Times" (2007)

Partly Internet archeology, this YouTube video from 2007 offers some advice that remains valid in today's world.

This clip is distributed by Common Craft.

Uploaded on Nov 29, 2007

http://commoncraft.com A video for people who wonder why blogs are such a big deal.
This video comes in an unbranded "presentation quality" version that can be licensed for use in the workplace.http://www.commoncraft.com/store-item...

UPDATE April 26, 2020: This video clip appears to have been tossed into the bit bucket.

Getting your attention in under two seconds

The headline above may or may not have enticed you to see why I have resumed posting here after a brief hiatus of only 32 months and change.
This post and several more will discuss the, to paraphrase Robert Heinlein,  shameful act of blogging.

In the early 2000s, blogging provided evidence of the Internet's democratization of news, information, and opinion sharing.  The democratization (some might say shouting in an echo chamber) continues, although the plaforms have changed.  Miniblogging on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have largely replaced the blog.
However, blogs remain alive and a valuable part of the Internet ecosystem, especially in the business sector.
More about blogging in subsequent posts.
What do you think?  
Feel free to comment here.

Sad day, PittGirl hangs it up

How sad that I should break my silence with news that one of the brightest, most talented, and entertaining bloggers I've had the pleasure to read has abruptly closed her blog.
The burghblog has been taken down.
Here's a portion of PittGirl's final post:

I don’t know what I want to say here, but I know I have to say something so I’ll just start writing and you guys read along, okay?

I’ve got to say goodbye to you all.

And that really sucks and I’d be lying if I said I’m not incredibly sad about it because I didn’t realize how much a part of my life this blog has been for three years. It seemed like a little side thing I did and not a very important thing, but now that I’m cutting it away, I’m realizing what a big cut and a deep cut it really is. And how much it is hurting to let it go.

I hope you’ll trust me that I’m doing what I must do, for my comfort level, for my privacy and for my life.

Her perspectives on all things Pittsburgh will be missed. It may be her success that led to this sudden end. Pittsburgh Magazine featured her in a recent cover story, and she was to have been the focus of an article in another Pittsburgh-themed site, Pop City, from where we learn more about why the anonymous PittGirl called it quits:

I don't know what I can tell you other than my identity has been compromised and that means shutting it (the blog) down because of my job. It's important that I be proactive in removing all traces of my writing from the web if there is any risk of my identity becoming public.

Therefore, the blog was nuked this morning after five days of deliberation on my part. It wasn't an easy decision, but I know that it was the right decision for me. I can't say who learned my identity because I don't want that person being the subject of inquiries as to his/her knowledge. It's better this way.

Dennis Roddy, a writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a journalist I've known for decades offers this succinct recap:

In a retirement worthy of Greta Garbo, PittGirl, the sassy and clued-in high priestess of Pittsburgh blogging, called it quits yesterday in a bid to preserve her status as an anonymous celebrity.

I, for one, enjoyed the fact that she chose to remain anonymous. What is most surprising, I guess, is that she managed to retain that status for so long.
We'll miss you PittGirl. I do hope you find a way to share your voice with us on your terms.

That New Yorker cover

There's been much written about the kerfuffle over the cover art of this week's New Yorker magazine. Among the best is this from the Libertarian Lawyer, E.M. Zanotti, a/k/a The American Princess. Here's an excerpt:

Obama, who is pretentious enough for ten subscriptions to the New Yorker, seems incredibly desperate to condemn the magazine, though. No one reads it. I guarantee no one outside of Manhattan, most major cities and other regions already thoroughly converted to Obamamania will ever purchase it, and a week from now the New Yorker will be back to putting cubist renderings of national landmarks on its cover. So why care so much? Why shoot a publication willing to lick Obama's loafers until they shine right in the knee?

Although it is the MSM that has placed BO on the messianic pedestal, they will be unable to resist the temptation to pull him back down, because they can. This is going to be an election campaign to remember.

Supremes - Some things you never get used to

Much has been written and said about the Supreme Court decision giving terror suspects detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility the right to challenge their status in Federal Court.
One of the most well reasoned discussions comes to us from the smart, vivacious, and fashionable Emily Zanotti, who offers lines like this, "The three dissenting judges went all Ike Turner on the majority opinion. "
Click on over to the American Princess and enjoy. Then come on back.

I suspect that in coming years, much as history will eventually count George W. Bush as one of this nation's best Presidents, we will look back on this decision and recognize the delicacy with with the Court attempted to balance the various needs of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches.
Can’t say I agree with the ruling, but I begin to grasp the logic. And I give kudos to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Thomas in their strongly worded dissents.

Inspired silliness

She IS the Internet. Just ask her. She is iJustine a talented (and not unattractive) video/multimedia producer/editor from the Pittsburgh area.
This clip is...
uhhh...
well, you decide...



She also does the lifecasting thing.





(Photo is © Justine Ezarik. All rights reserved.)

Hyperbole made simple

Wendy at Girl on the Right has an excellent post comparing today's definition of "crisis", "quagmire", "disaster", etc with the definition of a couple generations ago.

Both 9/11 and Katrina were mere blinks of the eye of time. The terrorist attacks lasted an hour or two (though the fires burned for 90 days). The hurricane and flooding lasted a day or so. Neither of them could be compared to the lasting hardships of the Depression or even the sacrifices of WWII.

Go on over and read the entire post at GOTR.

Veepstakes update

My favorite Michigan lawyer, E. M. Zanotti joins the debate on the merits of having the GOP look north to Alaska for a vice presidential candidate. Here's how the American Princess describes the attributes of Governor Sarah Palin:

Yes, she was Miss Congeniality when she competed for Miss Alaska, she used marijuana when it was legal in her state, loves moose burgers and snowmobiling and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association ... She’s been a city councilman, a mayor, head of various commissions within the state of Alaska (some of which she quit because her fellow Republican commissioners were too corrupt — a character trait we need more of), and she’s done a hell of a good job as governor and is a total DC outsider.

Now that's an endorsement!
John McCain has to shore up his relationship with the conservative majority of the GOP while trying to avoid alienating his left of center base. Governor Palin would offer a little something for both groups.

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever

Kathy at Cake Eater Chronicles serves up one of those lists that make the rounds from time to time. This one is a sampling of memorable metaphors and analogies from high school essays. Here are several that made me simultaneously laugh and grimace:

• The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
  
• He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
  
• From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
  
• McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
• Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
  

Kathy shares 25 of these gems over at her blog.

Applause for Bill Clinton & the definition of "poor"

If Gina Cobb's blog is not on your daily read list, you might want to pay a visit, particularly to read two recent posts.
First is a rare but well-deserved accolade for former President Bill Clinton, as he stood up to a "9/11 truther" nutjob.
The second is the beginning of a lengthy essay on a defense of capitalism and a argument against how the left defines poverty.

I have nothing

Since I have nothing original to add to the cacophony of blogger voices, allow me to direct you to some folks who have brains connected to their keyboards.

The Anchoress offers a glimpse at a real American hero, Marco Martinez, Gang Member to Navy Cross winner. She plugs his book, Hard Corps: From Gangster to Marine Hero, in which he describes what he saw in Iraq that were then and remain today valid reasons for the war. And she covers other items of interest in posts from the past several days. trust me, you'll be there awhile.

I've just discovered the wit and wisdom of Lemuel Calhoon a/k/a Hillbilly White Trash. He offers up a very interesting perspective on the cultural poison that is moral relativism in a post from earlier in the week.

The good people at Common Folk Using Common Sense are all over the Global Warming Swindle. Which reminds me - if you become engaged in a conversation with one of the true believers of the Church of Gore, it is always amusing to remind them that it was President Richard Nixon who push through and signed into law the Clean Air Act in 1970.

And on the same general topic (the environment), there is a local shouting match in which some NIMBYs are fighting against the construction of windmills in our area. If they would be honest and simply say "hey we think those things are ugly and we don't want to look at them," one could at least respect their opinion. Instead they claim the developers will rape the mountaintops, spoil the way, and grind up birds and bats in the spinning blades. I promise to expound on this topic in a future post.

Back to the blogroll, I've come to know Big White Hat from his frequent comments at Still Stacy (I think he may be an SSS as well!) He offers a pop quiz in math, as well as a brief but inspiring essay on values that's worth a visit.

Speaking of Stacy, our talented Colorado goat wrangler, bicyclist, and supermom has an excellent post about the virtues of liberal columnist Juan Williams.

There's plenty more out there.

Do what you do do well

From the The Positivity Blog, Henrik Edberg offers an interesting counterpoint to all those tips we have read about increasing personal efficiency titled, 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People. [h/t Craig Newmark]

The habits:

1. Not showing up
2. Procrastinating half the day
3. When actually doing something, doing something that isn’t the most important thing right now
4. Thinking too much
5. Seeing the negative and downsides in just about anything
6. Clinging to your own thoughts and being closed to outside influences
7. Constantly on information overload

I’m guilty of four of these. How about you?

The entire post is brief. The site contains a number of other interesting lists.

Seeing the little sparks

The Anchoress offers a wonderful essay/homily on the art of listening.
Depart from here and go straight to her post. It's one of those quick read, long think epistles.

Finally, another raving post

The readership of this blog is modest (one reader, I believe,) and so I can say with some confidence that the demand for a new post has been overwhelming! My apologies for the silence. :)

I had intended to write something about the anniversary of the September 11^th attack on our nation, but so much has been written, and written well, about the attack, the anniversary, and a host of related topics.

Stacy reminded us that we are not the only targets of the Islamic fascists. I had forgotten about the horror at Belsan. http://www.stillstacy.com/?p=1178 Regrettably, it seems the Left in this country has forgotten the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Another of my favorite bloggers, the Anchoress has offered plenty of mental nutrition over the past couple of weeks, both on the topic of 9/11 http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/09/11/what-do-you-remember-about-911/ and on matters spiritual. http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/09/15/sept-15-our-lady-of-sorrows-reposted/ This woman makes helps me think.

Dr. Melissa offered an excellent recap of 9/11 six years later, but it was her posting of September 12^th http://drmelissaclouthier.blogspot.com/2007/09/washington-dc.html that I found uplifting in so many ways.

Betsy provides insight into a wide range of topics, and this post http://betsyspage.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-would-be-victory-in-war-on-terror.html examines the definition of victory over the Islamic [insert your adjective of choice here].

And just across the state of Pennsylvania, ALa at Blonde Sagacity suggests we as a nation have learned little from the events of 9/11/01. http://mobyrebuttal.blogspot.com/2007/09/911-six-years-later-we-have-forgotten.html

Now for my thoughts:

It is extremely disappointing that this battle for survival (and make no mistake, this is a kill or be killed war we are in) has devolved to bad political theater in Washington. The democrats have seen this as nothing more or less than an opportunity to regain power. The Bush Administration and the Republicans have allowed the Left to “write the play” – for example allowing the Iraq war to be rhetorically separated from the larger war on terror.

I am also disappointed in the mutual decision of the MSM to curtail repeated replays of video from the 9/11 attacks and the resultant carnage. They claimed it was out of “sensitivity” for the victims’ families. Such utter bullshit.

We must never forget 9/11; and we must win this war against those who seek nothing less than our annihilation.

Idaho's Dud Stud .. er .. Spud

At risk of being classified as a Still Stacy Stalker, I must once again direct your attention to a very well written opinion piece posted by that witty and talented Colorado consumer of copious caffeine.
Stacy offers us an essay on the sex scandal surrounding Idaho Senator Larry Craig. Actually she covers much more ground regarding the whole subject of sexuality in our culture. Here's a sample, "Every time I walk out my front door, I’m at risk for sexual harassment. In my years I have had some very lewd and repulsive things said to me. In time, I developed my thick skin and “the look” as my husband calls it."
Good reading. Read the entire article here, then do some thinking. I am.