This Blog Has Flown

I'm not implying that my blog didn't put out for me and now, in a disinterested bit of cold revenge, I'm setting it, my computer, or the internets, on fire. I'm not making a misogynistic statement about my blog's sexuality because it didn't satisfy me in some way either. I just liked the title. "A Farewell to Blogs" didn't really fit and seemed a tad too grandiose (although this is blogging I'm writing about). "As I Lay Blogging" would have been just plain silly.

I've had some fun with this blog. I've had frustration too. I've written fast and furious about tasers and, to a lesser extent, LGBT issues.

I began blogging sometime back before 2003. I had a website made in FrontPage and hosted at Earthlink/Mindspring. That site died with a computer crash, lost forever. Maybe some of it remains somewhere in the great Google cache. I'm not sure. I've never looked.

There's really only one thing I can say to summarize my blogging experience: It's frustrating in an unsatisfying way.

I can't spend the time I'd like constructing posts. I have a full life outside of the blogosphere. In writing for science, I can spend the time and resources it takes me to write some I feel comfortable with. With blogging, by the time I feel like I've written something compelling or worth reading, the topic is long gone from the blogosphere consciousness.

I can write under a deadline, so it's not completely a time issue. It's just that when I write a post for my blog, I feel more rushed and frustrated rather then rushed and excited. I'm typically disappointed with whatever I've written.

It's occurred to me over the past few months that I've always felt this way about blogging and that I'm free to throw myself into more satisfying pursuits. I don't feel badly about that realization or my time spent blogging. It's a good thing to try something. For me, that's true even when I spend a longish time trying that something and ultimately realize that I'm not so into it.

Who knows? I might find a renewed interest in blogging. Mostly though, I want to focus on my offline life. I want to read. I want to write. I want to take in the people in my life more fully. I want to invest myself more in science. I have to admit that blogging has been, albeit a small one, a distraction from those things.

Thanks to anyone who's left me a comment or sent me an email. Be well.

Busy Wednesday

I'm swamped for the next few days. I'll probably write Friday roundup and Saturday taser posts. Till then...

Don't Worry

Because:

(from Imagedump)

Morning Kermit

This is an uncredited photo I found on the web. Based on the scene, I can tell it was taken somewhere in Battery Park City, along the Hudson.

Saturday DoorQ'ng

I've written a couple of front-page pieces at DoorQ. One's a science piece. The other's a review. Enjoy if you're so inclined. :)

Monday Math Fun

Quincunx, from Mathisfun.

Light posting today.

Comic Wednesday

I'm so busy right now in the meat world that it hurts! But, it's new comic day and I'll make time tonight to pick up my new books.

Speaking of scifi/comic'y type things, why not checkout (from home, not work) DoorQ? I'm an occassional contributor there, but more importantly, the site has tons of great original fiction.

Tapped

It's Wednesday. It's pouring rain. I'm swamped with work. A FISA bill with retroactive immunity for spying telecoms has passed the Senate.

On the upside, it's new comic day, my work is interesting, and a long weekend is very close.

How To Have a Pissy Life

Here's another list I found. This one tells you how to ensure your own misery. I mostly agree with it, but why are these things always so preachy?

Tutorial Time

I ran across this grammar tutorial this morning. I thought I'd share it.

Friday Misc

It's Friday. What a week. Some heavy rest and lots of reading are in order for the weekend.

The South Carolina primary for Democrats is tomorrow. MSNBC will start their coverage at 7:30am. I hope to still be in bed.

There's a bunch of interesting science stuff at Nature and Science this week. Some highlights:

Human embryos are cloned from male skin and female egg cells.

Researchers have synthesized an entire genome, paving the way for the first artificial life.

Obstruction of pancreatic ducts results in regeneration of insulin producing beta-cells.

Also, I've been working on a list of NYC tidbits. I'll eventually write an entire piece, complete with hyperlinks, but here's a glimpse of what's coming:

• Don't wear flip-flops or sandals in NYC. It's gross. Really it is, for you and for me.
• NYC has the largest underground mass transit system in the country. That doesn't mean it's the greatest. Expect long delays, a lack of displayed and audibly announced information, and to fly unexpectedly by your stop when the local you're on spontaneously converts to an express. The transit authority never gets a good rating from riders.
• Courtesy, professionalism, and respect (CPR) is on the sides of a huge number of NYPD vehicles. You can definitely expect that kind of treatment if you're a straight, white, and affluent Manhattanite.
• If you're over 20, please give up the push-scooter or skateboard, and for Christ-sake get off the sidewalk.
• Pick up after your dog. I pick up after mine and I will yell at you if I see you leaving poop in your wake.
• Do not, I repeat, do not walk in a zig-zag pattern on a busy sidewalk. Keep to one side and try walking as if you hadn't had a breakfast of tic-tacs and wine.
  
• Don't expect to eat good food here. Yes, yes capital of the world and all, but if you're not shelling out at least $50/plate, you're likely to get some bad food without heavy research. Stay at home and eat. There are some exceptions to this, Southwest has a good chicken caeser for about $14. Pizza joints tend to be another cheap exception.
  
• If you are a tourist, please go to Times Square. Stay there for the duration of your visit. It's great there and you won't find anything more interesting if you stray to other parts of the city (where people live).
  
• If you are a tourist and find yourself outside of Times Square, don't be afraid to ask a resident for help. Most people living here will be happy to direct you. Just don't believe the flags that picture celebrities, such as NYC's beloved Bobby D, inviting you to "Ask me!" You won't get within four hip nightclub waiting line distances to any of NYC's beautiful people. We guard our treasured gaunt figures in finely kept Soho lofts.

I guess I'm a bit grouchy about NYC after a few consecutive days of horrible subway rides.

That's it for this Friday. :)

Fun Saturday

Some things I've bumped into over the last few days:

How tired are you? Take this test and find out.

People go fishing and catch a deer. Really.

Kate Harding on Dan Savage's odd obsession with other peoples' eating habits.

A very cool spice rack idea.

And remember, the South Carolina Republican Primary and Nevada caucuses happen today.

Brain Exercise

I found the following brain exercise here:

1. Say the days of the week backwards, then in alphabetical order.

2. Say the months of the year in alphabetical order. Easy? well, why don't you try doing so backwards, in reverse alphabetical order.

3. Find the sum of your date of birth, mm/dd/yyyy. Want more exercise? Do the same with friends' and relatives' date of birth.

4. Name two objects for every letter in your complete name. Work up to five objects, trying to use different items each time.

5. Wherever you are, look around and within two minutes, try to find 5 red things that will fit in your pocket, and 5 blue objects that are too big to fit.

In case you have some free time :)

A Typing Test

Try this typing game. It presents some interesting text strings.

Friday Roundup

Some things I read this morning:

- Very stupid people in Texas are playing tug of war with lions and tigers in a zoo-sponsored event that places people on one end of a rope and raw meat for the giant cats on the other end. Video is here.

- The law student who filed a federal lawsuit against the MA Board of Bar Examiners over a gay marriage question on the bar exam (and eventually withdrew the suit) has issued an apology to the LGBT community. Good for him if it's earnest, but I wouldn't recommend going to him for advice on matters LGBT (once he passes the bar exam). He did call marriage for us, "patently offensive and morally repugnant."

- The Gay City News warns that we should fear the distinct possibility of a Huckabee presidency. I wouldn't dispute that Huckabee and that prospect are frightening. However, given that some pillars of the fundamentalist community aren't exactly with him and that the GOP beltway crowd sees him as a member of base that they want votes from but not in their country clubs, he has a real fight ahead if he's going to mobilize the base responsible for putting Bush in the White House.

- The National Academy of Sciences has released an 88-page booklet (under the 'read the book' link, or directly here) explaining why evolution is science and creationism isn't. Yes!

- And finally, it seems that gay people are just fine with the military when bodies are needed for war.

Year End Round Up

Lots of top N lists are going around this week. I don't really feel like putting one of those together. It takes me forever to write anything. I doubt I'd be done before the end of 2007. Also, I was hit by a car today, so I get a bit of a break. What I've done is put together a random list of 2007 lists I've read. In no relevant order, here is a list of 2007 lists:

• Ever awesome Pam, who's recovering from surgery, has a post up asking visitors what they think the top stories of 2007 were for her site.
• As I previously wrote, Jon Swift has an amazing best blog posts of 2007 list. He worked hard on it. Go read it.
  
• Bilerico has a well-rounded LGBT top 10 list.
  
• On a local front, Express Gay News Online takes a stab at Florida's top 10 2007 LGBT stories (Florida had plenty of scandals this year!).
• 365gay has a top 10 LGBT 2007 news list worth reading.
• Project Censored has an anti-list that names the 25 most over looked stories of the year.
• Wired lists the top 10 new organisms of 2007. It's pop-science that's more pop than science.
• Science magazine lists diversity of the human genome as the discovery of 2007, while Nature names research that derived pluripotent stems cells derived from epithelial cells as the 2007's most significant work.
  
• and finally, DSFanboy has a list of 2007's top Nintendo DS games. I think. The list also has something to do with the internet cat phenomenon. It's confusing, but there are lots of pictures.
  

There, I've done my list for the year. Go away now.

A Swift List

For the end of the year, Jon Swift has posted an amazing list of blog posts from people on his blogroll. He read and commented on each post. It must have been a great deal of work, so stop by and give it a read. Check out the rest of his blog too; Jon's a real treasure of the blogosphere.

Oh and one of my crappy posts is on his list, a turd among diamonds.

Real QA Testing

Watch to the end of this short video. I'm posting this video in case someone needs a monitor that can function as a +3 shield:

Bizarre to be sure, but not a strange as the noncommittal mustache sported by the video's male lead.

Christmas Eve

It's been a nice day here and we're having a relaxing night. Someone recently got me thinking about what I've posted over the past year. A few things I've posted are summarized without much formatting below.

Dewey on divinity (I love this video).
[PostBlog: I had to change the link to this. It was ripped off YouTube.]

Kitty kitty is about ceiling cat watching you! That link's for you Jim (or should I say, Paris?").

Laugh Over Me is my experience as a LGBT person sitting through an Adam Sandler movie trailer.

Just Don't Touch Their Beer is about business guys and their right to drink.

Georgia Judge Halts Adoption and its update tell a scary story with a happy ending. It's about a little girl being removed and returned from a gay foster parent.

Chocolate Jesus Frosts Fundies is about an art display in NYC.

Monday Music is a post devoted to some good music (there are videos at the link).

A basketball team is beaten and called racial epithets by a crowd and then arrested by the NYPD.

Tasers - this year I was disgusted by tasers and the men who love to use them.

Coconut Crabs - Easily this site's most consistently viewed posts this year (here, here, and here).

That's as close to a year's round-up as I'll get. I'll end with one of my favorite Christmas songs. I first posted this video here:

Friday Wake Up Call

A list of gadgets for getting your lazy self out of bed! It includes a bacon alarm clock.

Also, I don't care about steroid use in baseball. Not even a little. Does that make me bad? Good.