Tag: blogging

Daily Reading List — November 17th

Touch Surgery Surgical Simulator –

What So Many People Don’t Get About the U.S. Working Class – It's important to me that our kids understand that we're multi-generational working class, and that we don't lose sight of that.

That's one reason I drink "Old Man Coffee". "Old Man Coffee" is made in a regular old coffee pot (or press) from a can that is bought in bulk. It doesn't come from a Starbucks or a single serving made-especially-for-me-by-a-machine cup.

"Old Man Coffee" was good enough for my old man. It was good enough for his old man too.

It's good enough for me.

Google Play Music starts using your location & activity to recommend tunes – Needed. Why should I have to search for my "Sunday Morning Coffee" playlist every Sunday morning while I'm making coffee?

Why should I have to search for my "Old Man Rolling" playlist when they know I'm at the gym during jiu jitsu class.

Can't wait!

The Great Fall of Chyna –

Microsoft Flow Is Out of Beta, Ready to Challenge IFTTT’s Automation – Microsoft does its products well. But they always seem to be late. Now I need a reason to switch from IFTTT, and charging me $5/month for something I'm already getting somewhere else for free isn't a good reason to switch.

BTW, this post was bookmarked in Pinboard by me. IFTTT automatically tweeted it with a link to the article on my behalf (without all this commentary), and it also made an appended a draft version of a blog post that continues to grow until x number of entries have been made, then automatically publishes out to my blog, which is where you're probably reading this.

This didn't take very long to set up, but why would I want to bother doing it again?

How To Clean Burnt Stains off Enameled Cookware – Works so great, I wish I'd taken before and after photos. Next time.

Who Wins in the Gig Economy, and Who Loses – "There’s no way to avoid the truth that fundamental changes in the ways we work are here to stay and are creating a new set of winners and losers. But the proliferation of new opportunities in the gig economy to choose how, how much, where, and when to work is one big win for all."

Was listening to Joe Rogan's podcast the other day, and he noted that the whole corporate structured way to work is a pretty new phenomenon. If you look at it over the course of history, it's just a blip. An anomaly.

Says the guy with a full-time job.

The Elimination Of Reason – Vote today with the 2020 election in mind. #MakeAmericaAgain

Daily Reading List

About The 2013 Challenge – I like it. Instead of making a fitness resolution for yourself, resolve to help someone else stay on track this year.

30 Ways To Promote Your Blog Posts In 2013 – Key point: it’s not about blogging, it’s about promoting. That part isn’t as fun though. And at some point you have to think, “who am I really doing this for?”

Steve Austin – What Is Dead May Never Die

@Newscoma is sad to report the death of her trusted vehicle, “Steve Austin“.

The upside is that this leaves room in the garage for a new car, “Colt Seavers”. Reportedly the sound system will be much better and will pay a very catchy theme song every time the ignition is turned on.

Heather Thomas > Lindsay Wagner >  Markie Post > Asha Greyjoy

Some Good Old Timey Linking Hospitality

This post on a specific instance of hospitality made me think of this post on hospitality in general.

Look at that…one blog linking to two others.

Since it’s in season, I can give an anecdote of going to the LSU/UT game in the fall of 1992 in Baton Rouge. My traveling buddy was a Lousyanan, but had seen the light and was enrolled at UT. He’d assured me we wouldn’t have to worry about eating or purchasing any pops before the game…we’d be well fed in the parking lot. Having previously traveled to a game in Athens, GA as a visitor, I was skeptical.  But I was pleasantly surprised to hear, “Hey! You Tennessee boys come over here and get a bite to eat!” several times between the car and the game. We were polite enough to stop and sample several plates of food and pops.

It was like “Taste of Tiger Stadium” without having to buy tickets. Genuine hospitality.

Enjoying the Silence Once Again

I’m happy to say that Michael Silence is blogging once again.

For some of us who were (and still are) D-list Z-list bloggers, one of the first major milestones of our endeavors online was getting linked to by Michael. I’ve always appreciated the fact that he was out there bringing attention to the stuff us weeds growing among the tall trees of the internet had to offer to the blogosphere, specifically in East Tennessee. As if that isn’t enough, he’s a guy they bigger guys actually pay attention to. For example, I’ve received exactly two Instalanches in my blogging career exploits efforts time served, and they both came about because he was the first to bring attention to the posts.

Back a few years ago, there were several blogs in Tennessee aggregating smaller voices, and it fostered some great discussion. Slowly but surely, and with no small amount of drama, these all disappeared. The one thing that was different about Michael’s blog was that it was consistent, unbiased, and completely void of public drama.

Glad to have you back!!!

Blogging Like Mike Jones

I’m Mike Jones (who?) Mike Jones

The one and only, you cain’t clone me

Got a lotta haters and a lotta homies

Some friends, some phony

Let’s break down the example Mike Jones gives us here and how it applies to blogging. We’ll take it line by line.

I’m Mike Jones (who?) Mike Jones

Unlike other rappers, Mike Jones uses his real name and isn’t afraid to put it out there. He’s not “Mike Ice” or “MC Jones”. He’s Mike Jones. What? Didn’t get that? Not sure who he is? Just ask him…he’ll tell you…over and over. He’s Mike Jones.

Don’t be afraid to stand behind who you really are.

The one and only, you cain’t clone me

Mike Jones is himself, and there is no other Mike Jones.

If you are blogging from your unique perspective, no one else can adequately imitate your style.

Got a lotta haters and a lotta homies

Not everyone appreciates Mike Jones’s style, but that’s ok with him. A lot of other people do.

Everyone doesn’t have to love your blogging style.

Some are real, some are phony

Mike Jones is aware that all of the people who love him aren’t genuine in their love; they just want something from him. That’s ok with Mike Jones because the phonies still add to his mystique. They still buy albums and say his name…Mike Jones.

Traffic is traffic.

Now, just pretend you read this five years ago. Back then…

Mike Jones – Still Tippin’

 

I’m reading– January 5th through January 6th

How to get Fat as Fast as Possible (losing weight humor) | 3 Boys And A Dog – How to get Fat as Fast as Possible: Woot! I'm batting 1.000 so far this year!

The most reliable (and unreliable) blogging services on the Web – These rank almost exactly as I would have expected. I kinda sorta don't get Tumblr. Is is like the midpoint between a blog and Twitter?

RunKeeper With Heart Rate Monitoring! – This almost makes me glad I need a new HRM. I hate having to buy a new one, but it's very cool that I can get one to work with RunKeeper!

How Bad Movies Get Seen By So Many People – I get accused of being a movie snob sometimes. Whatever. I don't have a lot of time to spend watching movies, and even if I did, it's not what I want to do with a lot of my time. So I'm not that interested in wasting my movie time on a recycled story or bad writing/acting.

Early Infant “Reading“ With Larry Sanger – Web’s – They really do have fun too. Learning doesn't "suck" until it's made to suck.

Global Food-Price Index Hits Record – Of course, there is no inflation. None. In fact, we need to continue to worry about deflation and "stimulate" the economy by printing more money. Got it?

Changing Huckleberry Finn – A Travesty – Anyone who thinks this is a good idea needs to read the book (again). If they still think it's a good idea, their literacy is questionable.

I’m reading– December 15th through December 17th

8 Tools For Easily Creating a Mobile Version of Your Website – Yet another reason I'm such a huge WordPress fan. With WordPress, you can do it with just a plugin. I've been doing it at www.scottadcox.com for a while now.

DSO Nano V2.0 – Pocket Sized Digital Storage Oscilloscope – Back in my day, we had to record the cable signal on a vcr tape and bring it to the oscilloscope in the electronics lab to figure out how to steal cable.

Time Investment Tips for the Offseason – Didn't see anything here about eating lots of bagels and watching documentaries. Going to have to re-evaluate my training plan.

Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar’s Value from 1913-2010 – 90s to now isn't bad. Afraid to look at the 70 and 80s for fear of what is coming.

Stuff You Should See– October 13th through October 28th

‘Stranger Danger’ and the Decline of Halloween – "We can kill off Halloween, or we can accept that it isn't dangerous and give it back to the kids. Then maybe we can start giving them back the rest of their childhoods, too."

Amazing Beans: Black Lentils/Kidney/Garbanzo – Giving this a shot soon.

YOU are Superman – Mamapedia™ Voices – “If eight park moms and one visionary principal could pull our little neighborhood school out of its twenty-five year nose-dive, surely others could do the same thing. If Waiting for Superman could spark a national grassroots school reform movement that would pull us all out of the giant mess we’re in, now wouldn’t that be something?”

A ‘Do-Over’ on the Mortgage Market? Project Mayhem Fallout – I won't even entertain the idea, but it's an entertaining read.

If Every Website Got A Dramatic Movie Adaptation – Damned clever.

3 Simple Ways You’re Missing Out On Mobile – Great post by my buddy Gavin!

I Was Wrong

Ok, not really in this instance, but a couple of years ago I wrote a little post on why I give full articles in my feed. I think that, at least for the time it was written, this was a reasonable and logical notion.

Things are different now.

At the time, RSS was the best thing going. For many of us, it still is. I love RSS and Google Reader and still rely on them pretty heavily to keep up with the sites and blogs I follow. But the rules of the game have definitely changed in the last couple of years. I’ve noticed much more traffic being driven by Twitter and Facebook than feed readers ever did. I think the question to ask now is whether your audience and the market as a whole are more likely to follow your blog with RSS or with Facebook or Twitter.

Obviously, there’s no way to get a full feed on a Tweet, so that’s not an issue. But the way Facebook handles blog integration through the Notes application means you probably don’t want to give full feeds there either. If you do, you aren’t leaving any reason at all for anyone to visit your site. Post on Facebook, comment on Facebook, and stay on Facebook–that’s what I’d do.

I’m going back to summaries only in my feed. I think the best strategy these days may be to write a good headline, get an interesting thought or two in the first couple of sentences (thanks for the practice Twitter), and pull people in to your site that way. I also found a nice little plugin that integrates Facebook comments straight to your blog.

Interested to see how this little experiment plays out. I can always switch back later.

Stuff You Should See– February 2nd through February 5th

Consumer debt will hold back spending, holding back economic growth. – Don't be ridiculous. We just have to "get banks lending again". Right.

Booze Camp Nashville – EVERY city needs something like this. You can keep your geek breakfast.

Teenagers Are Kind of Over Blogging – I think that headline is a little misleading. It should have read, "Like, Teenagers Are, Like, Kind of Over, Like, Blogging?"

The Day the Music Died – Pretty cool…check this out.

Bagged salad: how clean are packaged salads? – {insert your own joke using the word "toss" here}

Punching a Dude in the Face For Jesus – Love the marketing innovation here.

UI Concepts for Chromium Tablet – I like that Apple has set the bar so low on pricing. That's good for all of us, especially as competitors pop up.

Lost: 16 Hopes For The Final Season – I actually don't agree with a lot of these. For instance, I don't think Charles and Jacob are at the top of the battle for the island. Jacob maybe, but Charles is a mortal. I think.

Stuff You Should See– January 5th through January 7th

If Big Stupid Tommy ran the Knoxville News-Sentinel – Big Stupid Tommy is a genius.

You Drive What? – Proud to be among the first to provide them with some link love. This looks very promising.

What Google’s Nexus One means to your organization – I’ve had my Android phone for about two and a half months now. I’d say the model I have isn’t quite on par with the iPhone standards by hardware standards, but the Android platform is. The phones are only going to get better, and they’re available on multiple carriers. Even development is more hassle free. Look out Apple.

Memphis Has Lost A Shining Star – Some sad news coming out of Memphis.

Home sales fall 16% in November – The real estate market may not be finished falling, but I don’t see interest rate opportunities getting any better in the near term. That’s what skeers me the most.

How to say stupid things about social media – Without a doubt, this is the best article on social media I’ve read in a while.

C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Health Care Talks to TV Coverage – I know they have the numbers to pass anything they want. But those representing states and districts that oppose this legislation have the OBLIGATION to be as contrary and obstructive in these negotiations as their constituents want them to be. It’s still a representative republic, right?

Delicious Link Dump– December 17th through December 18th

Using Google Apps? 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Hacked – I really need to get around to doing these things. Looks like you could make it happen in less than 15 minutes and save yourself a lot of heartache.

WordPress 2.9, oh so fine – Just updated, and this should force a post. The image editor and easy video embed are nice!

Common Laptop/Netbook Positions to Avoid – I'm just going to pretend I didn't see this.

Nullification: Friend of Liberty – Well Texas?

Jesus Was Cool – "Be nice to each other." Pretty simple. But wait, there's more…

Developer Resources for Android – This is on my to-do list. I swear. I even have an app idea that will be huge for a very small market.

Jerry Taylor discusses global warming on the premiere of Stossel – I missed this inaugural episode and haven't had a chance to watch this yet, but it looks to be interesting

Drunk Four Year Old Steals Christmas Presents – Shock and awe.

Delicious Link Dump– December 9th through December 15th

With U.S. Opportunities Dim, Expats Return Home – That's a relief. Now we don't have to worry about them taking our jobs. Oh…wait a minute…

10 Ways Social Media Will Change In 2010 – And how do you plan to adjust your strategies?

You’ve Got Mail, But the Mailman Hid It – In the near future, postmen caught hiding mail will be transferred to the U.S. Department of Medical Services as a punishment.

To comment or not to comment on Facebook – Here's a simple flowchart to help you decide

Option Arms: A poison pill for housing – – Would love to see a heat map showing where these were issued. Anyone? Anyone?

Matt Banahan red carded for stamping – Play as much rugby as possible while you can boys. The game will soon be turned into nothing but a series of free kicks.

Twoddler Lets Toddlers Send Tweets – – Uh….no.

Essential Year-End Money Moves – Solid info.

Delicious Link Dump– November 10th through November 17th

Union troubled by Eagle Scout project in Allentown – How dare you do something for free that these guys won't do for less than $15/hour!

Bernanke reassures markets on dollar – Uh-oh. The dreaded "vote of confidence." That means there's a committee already formed to find a new coach.

A phpBB to bbPress database converter « – But first you have to install 0.7, convert, then upgrade to 0.8, then upgrade to 1.02. Ironically, it seems completely worth it.

The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing – Some good stuff here

Can the Government Save the Airlines? – What the airlines need are a few more stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' sons of guns like Ric Flair!

Training the Mind to Run Right Through the Winter – Looking forward to not having this problem.

BeautifulPeople.com – I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. It's smart.

Happy Holidays: Google Offers Free WiFi At 47 Airports – Cool. I wish this were the norm, and I suspect it will be one day very soon.