Lost Continent Words

Where am I?, Blog Creep, and FriendFeed

So, as a statement of philosophy, this blog has generally been used as an exercise in writing, and it really follows for the Gregg Easterbrook blog model than the more common and typical modern version in which blogs are for just spewing out whatever half-formed thoughts that come to you, under the pretense that more is better. So most of my entries there are actually reasonably planned and well thought-out entries, more akin to a small less-polished magazine article than to a typical blog-post.

Of course, practitioners of the "spew" style are typically people who dedicate many hours of their day to blogging, and because of their effort actually create a narrative through their many entries. So I'm not completely dissing that style of blog, I'm just saying, I can't and don't do that.

But this blog has also been a means for me to tell people where I am and what I'm doing, which since I travel for a living and like traveling when I'm not making a living is a pretty difficult question to answer. So I've started a new blog to provide short updates on where I am and what I'm doing for people who care or want to get a hold of me. I know that the rage for this sort of communication is now twitter, but I'm just not ADD enough to have much interest in that. To me its far too "micro" to be useful, and there is no way in hell I'm updating it with where I am 15 times a day. Plus I'd like to include photos and short travelogue entries and such. So that's what the new blog is. I expect to update it much more often, as it will be composed mainly of short (for me) entries about where I'm at, what is happening there, and what I'm doing. As well, hopefully some travelogue type stuff, and flickr photo's from different places.

And I can hear you saying, dear reader, "Another blog? Jesus, I barely have time to keep up with the rest of this Interweb crap!" and I understand and sympathize. Which is why I'm telling you about some options. First off, if anyone out there isn't using Google Reader, you should start. I tried to keep up with dozens of blogs, and it took forever and inevitably I'd forget about one of them and then be 45 entries behind 5 months later and just give up. Google reader is a free web program for gathering RSS bookmarks. If you don't know what that means, have no fear, as it stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and they mean it. In fact, if you're using Mozilla Firefox for your web browser (and really there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be) all you have to do is click on the little orange box in the address bar on any site you want to read, and it will ask you where to add it to, and you can choose Google Reader from the list. I'm sure there's a way to do it with IE that isn't much harder, but you need to stop using it, so I won't tell you. Once you've got all the feeds you want, you just go to the page and there they all are. This means, that if you've got a friend with a blog who posts to it particularly sporadically (in olden days I'd have used myself as this example, but Princess Blogonoke has earned this distinction for all time) you don't have to go to the blog, you can just check Google reader and it will let you know when there's something new on *any* of the blogs or news feeds you follow. Add to that the social aspect of sharing stories you find interesting with any of your friends who are also using Reader and it completely changes the way you enjoy blogs, and allows you to use your friends as a filter for the most interesting stuff out there.

I first learned about Reader from Lenny. Even though I'm a fairly savvy computer user I do tend to get stuck into my habits and don't look around too much until I get really fed up. But I immediately fell in love with Reader and I think anyone else who uses it will too.

However, in my slate reading today (using Google reader) I saw an article on a (somewhat) new website started by former Googleers called FriendFeed that makes this process even easier. Using it you can create a page for yourself that pulls together information from the dozens of social-networking sites on the web and collects all your info together for others to access all at once. This greatly eases the burden on anyone trying to keep up with you and reduces the list of sites they need to visit drastically. There are still some sites not supported (MySpace is a big one) but it is a much easier method.

However, that's only half of the story, the real important take away is that you can also create pages for people, even if they are too damn lazy to do it themselves (like Andy). This is the "Imaginary" Friend option, but it doesn't just have to be for cyberstalking the latest from Cory Doctorow, it can actually be used on your friends and the public data they have listed. So anyway, I'm on there as ktismael (no surprise) and by going there you can keep up with all of this stuff. Of course, once I got on there was only one person in my whole gmail address book who was already there: Lenny. So I suppose I could have just asked him 6 months ago and he'd have told me. But then I was in his house 6 months ago, so maybe I'm not too far behind.

I'm currently still using Reader primarily, and probably will always use both together. But its a pretty cool service. Anyway, using one or both of these sites will hopefully make this much easier and allow you to forgive me for bringing one more blog to the planet.

Letter to Slate's Green Lantern

Attached is a letter written to Brendan I. Koerner, Wired editor and Slate's environmental answer man known as the Green Lantern. If you haven't read any of these columns they're a great source of information about the true environmental impacts of various choices, and are written without the hysterical or overly self-impressed manner of which some environmental writing is guilty. You can find them all by this link or searching for lantern in the Slate main page.

Bear in mind that this is in fact an email which was written in one sitting with very little editing, and so may have major errors or omissions or places where I make no sense at all. Which you may or may not find different from regular articles. In any case, it was too long to just sit in my sent items folder so, lucky readers, here it is. Interesting also to note that I have been ranting to anyone who would listen about plug-in hybrids since at least 2004 and promised an article on plug-in hybrids in January of 2007 but this is the first time any thing substantive has appeared about them in this space. I still plan to put together a slightly more indepth article.

George Carlin

For me it started with my parents records of Class Clown and FM-AM. Were that era his only legacy he would still be remembered as a great comic. But in the years since he was so much more. Stand-up philosopher, yes. Ranting misanthrope, perhaps. But in a term stolen from several other memorials I've read and too true to leave out, our nations preeminent bullshit detector. Apart from that, I agree with this guy.

Wings Win! Wings Win!

OK, I admit, my heart actually stopped dead on that last shot by Hossa. Luckily there was an Auto-Defibrilator out in the hall way and I was able to get it started again.

It is a special kind of torture to see the Wings win without any cell phone service far from home and the rest of my Hockeytown comrades. I'm sure somewhere out there I can find a recording of this, so for Andy and I, both of whom are currently exiled from the homeland in this moment of triumph, I'm going to have a barbeque at which the sacred tape will be played again. Hell, I was going to have a barbeque anyway, now I have an excuse.

Great props to the Pens fans for sticking around. Its just the right thing to do, and real hockey fans know that.

I hope they at least delay the parade until Sunday so I could make it.

2008 NHL Game 6 (special note)

That was a great goal, and somewhat eases the sting of the officiating.

For any out there who may have become accustomed to reading updates on here while the game is going, and who are also likely to call me screaming when the Wings win the Cup (whenever that might happen), on this particular night I am out of cell phone range and thus out of contact. So trust that I am screaming with you, just not audibly. But Internet works so I may try to Skypeout.

2008 NHL Game 6

Pretty good game so far, though I can't say I'm crazy about Malkin getting his groove back. Honestly though, the Pens are a tough team at home and had kind of expected this thing to go 7 after we dropped game 5. Still not worried, Andy. (Yes I know you can't hear me since you're in exile in California during the finals, but I felt the need to taunt you on principle). Anyway, Go Wings!

Will we see the Cup? (updated)

3OT Update
Fuck! I take it all back, the Penguins suck. :)

2OT Update
I love the playoffs, and I especially love these long overtime games. It doesn't feel like a real Cup run without at least one of these long miserable bastards. I predict a rash of red flu at workplaces across the Metro area (and throughout the world in the hundreds of "Little Hockeytowns" wherever Michiganders settle.

I haven't said anything yet about Fleury, and he certainly deserves it, and maybe saying it out loud will break the curse. It has been an incredible game for both goaltenders, but Fleury continues to impress. Some great penalty killing on both sides.

But now we move on to 3OT and face the prospect of playing 2 whole games of ice time in the same night. The Red Wings have experience and depth, but quite a few young guys as well. I think Detroit is deeper and better conditioned, but in OT, especially 3OT one small mistake can lead to goal for either side, and small mistakes are much easier to make when you've worked that hard.

Andy wouldn't be happy if I didn't mention really bad officiating. There has been really bad officiating, and it deems to have skewed against the Wings, especially those terrible Goaltender Interference calls, and Obstruction non-calls. But we can only play the game we have and not the one we wish we had. GO Wings!

-Ish (quite happy he took a nap after class this afternoon, and doesn't start tomorrow morning until 0830)

OT
So I'm at Union School for Hazmat Technician class in Easton, MD, which means some part of me wants this thing to go 7 so I can be home for the Cup win. But that makes me a little too nervous, so even though I won't be around for the parties, I'll take a win tonight.

The result is still unknown, but a great game so far. I really like Pittsburgh as a team. I have a connection to them through a close family friend who has worked for them for years now, and I actually got to see Mario play in Pitt 15 years ago, so I have a natural affinity for the team, but this particular group is really incredible, and I'm glad they've started playing like the team they are. I still think we'll beat them whatever the result tonight, but I love to see a good series.

Darren Helm is looking great tonight, and Datsyuk is going beyond even his own usually stellar play. Anyway, here's hoping 2OT is the charm. Go WINGS!

Semi-Live Blogging Game 3 in the Stanley Cup Finals

2109
Third bottle of wine and the Wings have lost. That sucks. But I think it will still be fine. Two pastings followed by one very close game. Ah well, I'm signing off.

1919
Spent most of the 2nd period drinking wine and talking to Chet's friend from work, Nick, who is an Australian Frenchman working for a British Company. Seems to have been a good choice, given the way the game is going. Still, only 1 goal down, I remain hopeful.

1758
And here I was, just about to forgive Brad Stuart after last game.

1731
Both teams playing decent to start. Pitt is definitely showing some more intensity. And the holding calls have been chintsy, but there's been one on each side, so I guess it balances out. But calling obstruction every time two players come in contact and some hand-checking is involved probably favors the Pens.

1725
Nice touch bringing Scotty out for the puck drop. He looks good.

1720
For those unfortunate enough to be watching from the States, I'll report that Don Cherry is wearing a pastel colored suit arrayed in a checkerboard pattern, which is quite stunning on CBC-HD.

1715 (Pacific Time)
Just got off the Alaska Marine Highway's Motor Vessel Columbia on Monday, and hanging out with Chet in Vancouver. Should be done sailing for a while, and thought I'd try to take some time to blog the game since I'm generally just drinking beer and watching the game from the 33rd floor of Chet's condo (interestingly right next to General Motor's Place where the Canucks play).

So I'll update this on occasion through the game, but I'll be busy with ribs and beer so it won't exactly be a comprehensive review. Some preliminary thoughts... I don't really expect the Pens to continue lying down for us, especially at home. I expect them to take at least one of these next two. Of course, part of that is because I'd really like to back in Detroit when they win it all, which will likely only happen if it goes 7 games (which I don't expect). But maybe I can make a weekend parade. Anyway, the Wings have looked incredible so far, even with some questionable officiating, and its been on the back of great defense which is even more impressive. Anyway, I'll sign off for a few now.

Free Al Sobotka

I never sign online petitions, because they are essentially worthless. But in this case, since the issue is mostly about PR anyway, I have signed and post the link here. No further comment on this beyond the one I left with the petition:

Perhaps the league would be better served to worry about players like Bertuzzi and Pronger attempting to kill fellow players and leave Al and the cephalopods alone.

Free Al for the Playoffs

Green Dimes

As a radical moderate, I'm very much in support of environmental protection, but feel the solutions need to be both useful and reasonable. For this reason I cheer the recent focus on Hybrid and electric vehicles that are still relatively normal and fun to drive, focused on a "moderate" improvement in efficiency without giving up all the comforts of modern engineering. Also for this reason, I am highly skeptical of the fad of "carbon-neutral". As in, "Sure, I live in a 60,000 square-foot house with a heated outdoor poor, but I planted some trees in Brazil, so its cool now." Not that I'm against trees, in fact I like them quite a bit. But really it just seems like a salve for liberal guilt, and a colossal waste of money and resources that should be spent on smart conservation.

Green Dimes certainly seems far too good to be true. But being paid (modestly) or paying a slight amount to not receive something you never wanted is too good an offer not to at least try. The short version: They monitor junk mail to your address and either give you the information you need to opt-out or (for a fee) opt out for you. They also screen catalogs and such so the few you want can get through. Basic signup is free.