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Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Fallen Snow Angel by Cia Leah
Title: Fallen Snow Angel
Author: Cia Leah
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Publication Date: 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 49 pages
Buy Link
Author Website
Rating: 3 Diamonds
Heat Level: sweet
Reviewer: Devoni Rayne
Date: 04-13-2010
Rayne Jordan wasn't a happy woman.She took a leave of absence from her job and rented a secluded cabin to recoup from her parents' deaths six months before.She had no family left, hated her life and her job.She didn't want to even think about Christmas and spending it alone.
While out walking in the snow, she decided to make a snow angel. It was always a favorite thing she enjoyed, but when she rolled over in the snow and started to make the snow angel, she heard a cracking sound and realized she was on thin ice instead of solid ground. The freezing water sucked at her, and she felt herself slipping further into the icy depths.
Rayne awoke to find herself safe and sound in bed with a handsome cowboy watching over her, attending to her every need. The only thing was, she wasn't in the year 2007 anymore, but 1884.
I have to say from the start I had a hard time getting into this story. It dragged in the beginning and seemed rushed in other parts. It did get better in the middle and the end was very sweet. The characters were nice, too nice. There was no conflict. I wanted Rayne to think harder about being stuck in the past rather than just accepting it. I wanted Blaze to question her sanity.
Overall it wasn't a horrible book. I enjoyed reading about kind characters in a long ago time. I just wish they'd have come across as more real. That being said if you're looking for a fast, sweet romance this may be the book for you.
Labels: 3 Hearts, Contemporary, Devoni, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Short Story, Sweet
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Happy Monday all!
After a quiet weekend, my girlfriends and I decided to head out Sunday night. It's been awhile since we've gone out dancing. Back in the day, we would club hop until the wee hours of the morning and get into all kinds of mischief. Now when we hang out, we're calling it a night at 10:30pm! While club hopping has lost it's luster, once in a while we like to get gussied up and head out to shake our groove thangs! LOL
How was your weekend?!
Have a great day!
P.S. Check me and other awesome bloggers out at London Times' Savvy Summer. Sign up for their newsletter for a chance to win $1,0000! How cool is that?!
Tank: ASOS Curve
Skirt: ASOS Curve
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace: Dorothy Perkins

subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Archives: Jerusalem
God Dabbles in Home Design – Ezekiel, Part Four
(an outtake from Once More, From the Beginning. This is one of the bits that didn't make it into the book.) Finally – and solely for his own amusement this time – God performed one more little trick with sticks … Continue reading
Posted in biblical stuff, humour Tagged biblical, Ezekiel, humour, Jerusalem, Old Testament, Outtakes, satire 1 Comment


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Lucia is nine weeks now. She is so sweet, really starting to smile, coo and 'talk back' to you when you talk to her. It's so fun to see a little personality start to emerge. She's in the 90th percentile for weight and 75th for height so she's growing quite well. She *sometimes* sleeps through the night but at least it's more fun getting up with her now that she smiles back at us:) Here are some pics from the last month or so...
Baby burrito
Out cold with Janine.
Lucia's cousin, Sonja, imitating her.
And her cousin, Naomi, giving her a kiss (we made Naomi do this about 30 times to get a good pic).
Two of her favorite things: sucking her fingers in her bouncy seat...I guess that's why her eyes are so wide.
Naomi likes to come over to Lucia's car seat to look at her.
I started back to work a few weeks ago. My sister Linnea and I switch off babysitting while the other works. It has been going well even though it's not fun to leave Lucia. This is what I come back to in the afternoons after work. She is getting pretty comfortable over there.
These pictures were taken on Mother's Day (my first one!)
Love that smile :)
And this face...whatever it is.


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I represent the first generation who, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson. Read the full "Pre-ramble"
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Submitted for Your Approval, "The Twilight Zone": Next on TV CONFIDENTIAL
Join us for a backstage look at one of the greatest television series ever made on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, premiering Monday, April 12 at 9pm ET, 6pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio, with a rebroadcast Friday, April 16 at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org. Our guest that night will be Stewart Stanyard, curator of The Twilight Zone Archives and author of Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone, a visually stunning glimpse through time, space and the history of Rod Serling's classic anthology series, The Twilight Zone. Stewart's book features more than 300 original behind-the-scenes production photographs from the series (many of which have never been published before), plus in-depth interviews with such Twilight Zone alumni as Earl Holliman, Bill Mumy, Richard Matheson, Richard Donner, Bert Granet, Buck Houghton, Cliff Robertson, Shelley Berman, Anne Francis, James Best and the late Dennis Weaver, as well as candid interviews with Rod's widow, Carol Serling, and his brother, Robert Serling. Whether you're a longtime fan of The Twilight Zone, or are just discovering this series for the very first time, this is one program you won't want to miss. If you want to be part of our conversation, if you have a favorite episode of The Twilight Zone that you'd like to discuss, we invite you to join us for our live broadcast, Monday, April 12, beginning at 9pm ET, 6pm PT on ShokusRadio.com. Phone number is (888) SHOKUS-5, (888) 746-5875. You can also email questions in advance to firstname.lastname@example.com. TV CONFIDENTIAL with Ed Robertson and Frankie MontiforteEvery night at 9pm ET, 6pm PT Shokus Internet Radio Fridays 7pm ET and PT Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.orgwww.tvconfidential.netblog.tvconfidential.netAlso available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner
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we have been visiting the blogs of the entries and you guys rock and totally inspire me. I hope working through some of this was therapuetic for everyone. I know it was for me. People look at me strange {well at least I feel them through cyberspace, LOL} when I tell them that it is no surprise to find me laughing or crying in my scraproom at times.
And, as I sit here typing with tears in my eyes like total weirdo, lol... I have made plans to go see my grandmother. Thanks for those of you who have reminded me that even though she is not there mentally, that there is still a part of her that knows me and knows I am there.
I wanted to add the second half of the month's layout from Peggy and Jocelyn. Make sure you put us on your blogger feed b/c in the next few weeks we will post the entry layouts.
The journaling reads
Do I want to hold onto the hurt......
the pain that was so deep I thought I could
never take a deep breath again...Will I give
you this much control over my life. NO!
I must move forward....I must forgive.
I can breathe again...I can Smile.....
for this experience I have grown to be
the person that I know Today.....Forgive....
My journaling:
"I would give a lot to see you just one more time. I would tell you how much I love you, and how much I miss you.
You never asked for much, but I was too occupied with myself to even give you the little you asked.
You've always been there for me. I'm so sorry I haven't always been there for you."


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"The Henry is known for providing the strength and durability of a boot, while furnishing the comfort of a sneaker. Here, in the Henry Pack, the simple, classic, eight-eyelet boot-inspired silhouette, is treated to two dynamic color stories. Henry I has a weather-resistant khaki "canvas" TUF upper, a heavyweight canvas collar, rugged black metal eyelets, and a vibrant blue, lightweight blown EVA sole. Henry II, meanwhile, has an entirely navy blue Nubuck upper, navy blue Nubuck collar, durable white metal eyelets, and a white, lightweight EVA outsole. "
The Henry Pack is now available at SUPRA retailers worldwide and suprafootwear.com.


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John Fornaszewski is still going strong after 50 years of running his own music shop in Granite City.After five decades, the drummer says he can't see a point when he would leave the business, and he talked to business writer Will Buss about his long tenure:
When did you open for business?
"On Jan. 15, 1963."
Why did you open this business?
"I have been a musician and was young at the time. I always kind of wanted to be in business and gave up the idea of going out on the road and being a musician. I would have had to go out on the road to do that full time. I thought I would open a music store."
How did you get started?
"I had been teaching private lessons and I had so many students that I hardly had time for them all. So I saw an opportunity and it was a good time for me. My mom and dad had a little grocery store, but I didn't want to do that. They had a good business, but it was a seven-days-a-week thing and I wanted a music store business. My mom and dad owned this property and I had a little place in the back of the grocery store where I was giving drum lessons. It just kept growing by leaps and bounds. I opened in '63 and the next year, the Beatles hit and in the music industry, for all of the music and all of instrument stores, the records the Beatles had there has never been anything like it in the world, not just in the United States. So my timing in opening a music store could not have been better. It was just perfect timing when the Beatles thing hit. I was lucky enough to have the brands that were very important to people like clothing. It's not so much that way today, but at one time if you didn't have London Fog or Florsheim shoes, it was difficult. The brands were important to musicians. I happened to have the right brands.
The whole thing really went to town."How old were you when you opened for business?
"I was 23 years old."
How has the business changed over the past five decades?
"You don't have any super hot groups now like you did in those days. We were also in the record business, but eventually, the record business died. We got out of the record business in the nick of time, when eight-track and cassette tapes came, and then CDs, but I was out early in the cassette era. My store has been selling and now only sells musical instruments. Our music store is close to the high school and for a little store that was selling 25 records of each hot group a week, that was a good side income. It was very good and it and was a fun business, but it has all changed. The brands have changed. The Japanese and now the Taiwanese and Chinese are making very good instruments. At one time when I opened in '63, a Japanese guitar was cheap. They were absolutely horrible, but today Japanese and Chinese guitars are good, if not better. It is better than the price of American guitars because American guitars cost three times as much."
What keeps you coming back to the store?
"It's a fun business. I'm still active and teaching. I do a little jogging around. There is not a whole lot of work. You can't make a living playing locally anymore. To be honest, what used to pay $25 for a gig in 1963, local musicians today may be making $40 for a gig. But today gas is about $4 a gallon, drumsticks cost $12 and a drum head costs $24. The pay for local musicians has dropped. You've got to be able to make money with it. When you start out, you are not doing it for the money, but for the enjoyment and to get your name out there and feel like you'll get discovered."
When did you perform?
"I had a good break, and it all stemmed from the music store. Before I opened my music store, I was playing jobs. I played a lot. I was lucky to get into local bands that were good and popular. I was a swing player. This is when swing was still the thing. In the months of May and June, we played for several years for high school proms. At one time I was the musical contractor at the HuKeLau in Fairview Heights. (It opened sometime in the mid-'70s and closed in August 1985, when it filed for bankruptcy.) It was the hottest dinner theater that would bring in big stars. I supplied all of the bands. I was there for about two and a half years. I did very well. It was a very popular place. That was in the '70s. On this side of the river, it was the most popular for entertainment. On the St. Louis side, you had the Chase Hotel and would have big-name entertainment and have big bands and back then those entertainers would come to the HuKeLau. It would be on a smaller scale that held about 325 people. It was always sold out about every night, six nights, maybe seven days a week. In the '60s, I played with local dance clubs around here and I played in the popular night clubs in St. Louis. For about a year-and-a-half, I was at the Bulls and Bears in downtown St. Louis at the corner of Broadway and Market. A lot of big-name people in town would come in. I was also the house drummer at the Missouri Athletic Club, a private club. I was there for four-and-half years. I would close my music store and run over there and play my gig and then get back home and go to bed so I could get up for work the next morning."
Do you plan to retire?
"There were these trade magazines in the music business and I remember when I started in '65, the magazine that came out said on the front that you will never leave your business alive. That struck me, once I read the article in this magazine. And it's true. Music store owners and manufacturers usually stay around unless they can't physically come to work. If they are still able to come to work, they usually die on the spot. That's where I'm at. You never leave the business alive. For most music store guys, that's about the truth, at least for the ones I knew. That's why I've never thought about retirement because it's a fun job. Although you get some headaches, it's not as bad as other things. I'll be here till I drop. My son is 50 and is a musician and is very knowledgeable about the business. He's not here on a full-time basis, but he would be the one to take it over."
Contact reporter Will Buss at email@example.com or 239-2526.
Source: http://www.bnd.com


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The sun is coming up. I'm tired, but the catnaps have given me enough to stay conscious. At one station, two men in military uniform carrying rifles board the train. They give everyone a deliberate, inspecting glance as they slowly make their way through the car. Their gaze and inspection stops abruptly and remains on Jane and I sitting on the floor.
Great. What could be worse than being stared at by a pair of armed soldiers?
|Photo courtesy of ImageShack
One of them looks at the benches to his right and says something to the men sitting there. The other motions for Jane and I to approach them. Oh, dear lord, what have we done!? I'm too tired to panic when surprisingly, they command the seated men to move and indicate for us to sit in their place. They sit beside each of us, as far away as possible on the aisle side of the bench. Other than some curt words to remove the men from these benches, our dutiful sentries remain silent. Relieved and grateful, I let exhaustion take me into an uneasy sleep.
I am roused by a gentle shaking of my shoulder. Our military escorts indicate they have to leave. Surely, they want baksheesh for all they've done, and I won't be offended in the least if they do. As they gather their belongings, I ask the one closest to me, "What can I give you for being so kind?"
He puts his bag down on the bench, turns to face me and nods his head respectfully.
Hands together, I nod back, "Thank you." He throws his bag onto his shoulder, picks up his gun and the two soldiers exit the train.
India is starting to show her true colours. The interior of this coach, on the other hand, is another matter altogether. It looks more like a compost heap. Ripped pieces of newspaper and peanut shells are strewn in heaps on the floor. The train remains at the station for some time, but I'm getting used to the fact that nothing in India happens on time. The delay presents an opportunity for beggars and vendors to board the train, which I'm getting skilled at ignoring.
One man approaches Jane and I, holding a little horn and a small wicker basket, and says, "Look what I got." I'm expecting rice or samosas. He lifts the lid and out jumps the head of a large cobra.
|Image courtesy of Pixdaus
The bars on the window are the only reason I am still on the train. I scream out all sorts of suggestions for what he can do with his snake and he leaves, laughing. All the other passengers on the train are laughing. I'm not laughing. Jane is hysterical. One of the passengers explains that the cobra wouldn't have harmed us. "It's just a way to get tourists to part with their money."
My heart is going to beat itself up my esophagus and out of my forehead if I stay here any longer. Jane is barely holding it together. I toss my pack on and tap Jane on the shoulder. "C'mon," I say, picking up her pack. Bewildered, she follows me along the platform to an empty first class car. First class has glass windows, cushioned seats and seems to be forbidden territory for non-passengers. It's also air-conditioned like a refrigerator. Cold is a colossal improvement over cobras.
The train pulls out of the station and Jane and I break into hysterical laughter as we become aware of the uncontrollable, full-body tremors we are both experiencing, which took almost an hour to subside. The train is over two hours late arriving in Varanasi.
Outside Varanasi station, Jane and I are surrounded by dozens of rickshaw-wallahs (drivers) yelling out, "Take you to my hotel for 20 Rs and 10% commission!". Finally one shouts, "I take you anywhere you want! 10 Rs and 2% commission."
I say, "5 Rs and no commission!" I don't know what the commission is all about, but the hotel is walking distance from the station. I just don't know which way and hope he does. He agrees to the price and we're off. The hotel is 88 Rs and comes with a restaurant, a mosquito net over my bed and a spacious garden.
The manager changed some money for me at a better rate than the bank. He explained businesses will often give a better rate for cash than the bank because they get a huge tax break for holding foreign currency. It's difficult to change traveler's cheques because they have been used in so many scams, even banks won't accept them.
During the past two days, I've had too much India and not enough sleep. The restaurant is staffed by two wonderfully benevolent men from Nepal who suggest that tomorrow, I would enjoy my morning cup of tea in the garden.
• ¤ •
"In the blackest of nights, if you look up, you can see the stars."


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The fifth aspect of the Mother Durga is known as Skanda Mata. Her name literally means Mother of Skanda Kumara or Lord Kartikeya, who was chosen by gods as their commander in chief in the war against the demons. She is worshipped on the fifth day of Navaratri.
Devi Skandmata is herself the daughter of Himalaya and is also known as Parvati. She is also known as Maheshwari and Gauri. Being the daughter of the king of mountains, she is also known as Parvati. After doing penance she is married to Shiva. As the wife of Lord Mahadeva, she is Maheshwari. The goddess loves her son very much and is pleased to be named after her son's name. Skanda is a great warrior, vanquishing enemies in the battle between the Devas and Asuras as he sits astride a peacock and straddles the earth with unerring swiftness. Skandamata is revered from having produced such a remarkable son. Devotees worshiping her in this manifestation get immense love and affection. Although depicted astride a lion, She is also known as Padmaasanaa as her seat of choice is the lotus.
The goddess can be seen showering her motherly blessings on her son Skand Kumar. Lord Skanda accompanies the goddess in his infant form. Whenever the oppression by the demons increases, goddess Skandmata rides on a lion, the Singhasana Nityam, and kills them. Devi Skandmata has four arms. She holds lotus in two hands and uses the other hand to support Lord Kartikeya sitting on her lap. Her fourth hand is raised to bless the devotees. It is a cliché that even a fool, when blessed becomes an ocean of wisdom. The great poet Mahakavi Kalidas is sited as an example.
Mother does not carry any weapons. One sees the energies of Skandamata transforming the healing blessing of Goddess Durga and sending then to open hands of bhaktas to receive balls of energy brought into their homes and place of work. Mother has three eyes. She has a bright complexion and often depicted as seated on a lotus.
WORSHIP: Vidhi means rules and regulations pertaining to worship. The Skandamata Puja Vidhi would be similar to the first four days. The bhakta should be seated on a sacred seat on a blanket while performing the rituals and start worshipping the goddess as he has done in the first four days of the Navratra followed by chanting the given mantra: 'Sinhasangata Nityam Padyashritakardya Shubhdastu Sada Devi Sakanmata Yashaswani'
As in the previous Navarathra days puja, Lord Shiva and Brahmaji are worshipped in the end of the Puja according to the rituals mentioned in the Shastras. Some people observe the fast of on the fifth day of the Navratra. This fast is considered to be very fruitful. Devotees who worship Devi Skandmata with full devotion and attention gets blessings from her and their all his wishes are fulfilled. Her usual offerings are bunches of grapes, fragrant flowers, fruits, gems and clothings.
Goddess Skandmata is also the diety of the solar system. By worshiping the goddess in the form of Skandamata, the devotee gets all his desires fulfilled and tastes the supreme joy even in this very mortal world. A supernatural aura in the atmosphere is discharged by the goddess and the one who worships her with pure heart. He gets freedom from all troubles and sufferings.
As the potent force and facet of the female energy, Goddess Skandamata claims as her own the Vishuddhi Chakra. This is symbolized by a lotus of 16 petals, this Chakra is also known as the throat Chakra that symbolises creativity and communications. The Kundalini aspirant enters the Visuddha Chakra during Skandamata prayers. To incise the chakra the devotee he or she should first worship the goddess by performing the rituals to reach Visuddha Chakra. She carries the beautifying image of a goddess seated on a lotus flower. This is the reason that she is also known as Padamasani.
Skandmata Mantra: Sinhasangata Nityam Padyashritakardya; Shubhdastu Sada Devi Sakanmata Yashaswani
Yogi Ananda Saraswathi


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Build A Jacket
I am adding a new category to my web site called "Build A Jacket." You will be able to send me a jean jacket and I will embroider pretty much what ever you like on it. Then I will send it back to you. Here are three examples:
1. Jean Jacket 1
- Add lace or fabric to collar and cuffs
- Change out all the buttons
- Personalize with embroidered name or quote
2. Jean Jacket 2
- Embroider scenes of different garden features
- Embroider lady figures
- Embroider animals
3. Jacket 3
- Send a blazer style jacket
- Change buttons
- Add embroidery
- Add lace or fabric
- Personalization
Pictures are some of the things I can do the the embroidery machine


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Old School
Why are we even in school in the first place? Especially when none of you seem to be able to even define them to begin with - not without fiery argument anyway.
Someone asked if we are becoming too tribal about this. I say HELL YES! This is especially important, because tribes do two things; they either go to war or form an alliance and merge together. To tell the truth, I don't want either one. Fighting over who's imaginary world is better stinks of Religion, and agreeing just to agree blends all points of view into a hideous sausage nobody wants to eat...
My question to you, my readers, who cover all points of the "school" spectrum is this: WHY?
IS it REALLY important to you to stand up on top of a soapbox and shout out to all that anything that Gygax didn't personally wipe his ass with is worthless? It can't be self-marginalization...so what is it?
Is it really gaining you or the hobby anything to hoot like a monkey and proudly proclaim that you moved beyond OD&D, but have skipped the 3E crapile? The 3.5 Debacle? I'm sure Lorraine Williams would love to have you over for dinner, you can play Dragon Dice, and reminisce over the collapse of TSR.
How about all of you who so vocally proclaim Pathfinder as your new prophet and savior, even as you shell out another 2-300 bucks to re-purchase all of your 3E books with the houserules moved from the margins into the print? "But Wizards is just takin yer moneez!" They say, while shovelling it to someone else who wants it just as badly. Forest for the trees, people?
And lastly, What about 4orons who think of bearded cave dwellers when they hear the words "previous editions"? How about those that treat them as such? WTF ever happened to the golden rule?
I am not advocating TOLERANCE. Tolerance is a poisonous placekeeper that says that the status quo is acceptable as long as "some" forward progress is made. That's bullshit. It's a form of governmental dithering.
I AM, advocating ACCEPTANCE. It's really easy. All you have to do is stop telling people that they are dumb for enjoying...
This encompasses not only the idiotic "rants" (while this IS a rant, It's un-idiotic, because I say it is) about how all new school generations are WoW addicted sheep, to someone telling you that sharing your project online is a stupid waste of time unless you are sharing a FINISHED project. It's cut and pasting forum posts from RPGNet because you really don't care and just want to pick a fight. It's refusing to give ANY game a fair chance because "ZOMG! ITZ LIK A VIDEO GAME!" - sight unseen, game unplayed.
With our hobby's acceptance into pop culture, we now, for the first time EVER, have no external enemies. No Pat Pulling, no B.A.D.D. Yes Jack chick still draws breath, but he is getting old, and only fools buy his poorly written pamphlets anyway.
In the absence of a great enemy, we ARE tribalising and attacking each other. Anyone else think this is stupid beyond belief? Can anyone provide an argument as to how this really benefits anyone? How about the hobby in general?
I don't care what game you play .
I don't care what edition it is.
I don't care if you love rust monsters.
I don't care if you like save-or-die.
I don't care if you like Gnomes.
It's time for us to graduate out of this school bullshit. Whenever you draw lines in the sand, others will use them for fencelines. GNS theory is a good example of that. In fact, I think this whole blogging community needs to go have lunch with Grandma again, because some of her wisdom would go nicely here. Specifically the part where she said, "If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Bickering over subjectives is counter productive, at best. Can we please get back to kick-ass gaming content? As to why any of you should care? The next generation of gamer padawans (if you will) are reading these posts. Dow we really want them to START the hobby with prejudices like this? I sure hope not.


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text:
i should be asleep, but i'm not quite tired yet.
i should be asleep, since i'm getting up at 6am tomorrow to go take my ham radio technician exam. it's something that i've seen people having fun with and been curious about trying for a while...but, of course, you can't really do a whole lot with radios until you're licensed to transmit. i'm feeling pretty good about it...i've been knocking all the practice tests out of the park. the material on the technician test is pretty basic. it's electronics basics, radio basics, and ground rules for not pissing off the fcc. it's not hard material, and i've taken enough practice tests to be really comfortable with the format of the test.
the only problem is that they don't seem to offer ham exams in the city of chicago. all the exams seem to be out in the suburbs. most of the ones in the suburbs aren't all that convenient to public transit, but the one tomorrow is in midlothian, very close to a pace bus stop. unfortunately, though, it starts at 9am--and the way there involves a train, to another train, to a pace bus, to another pace bus. this is going to be my most epic transit trip since the time i used cta and pace to get to the ikea in schaumburg and back.
but, hopefully after all is said and done, i'll pass my test, and be licensed to start playing on the radio. :-)
Friday, May 21, 2010
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text:
We moved in October 2012. Picture the scene. It is the digital age, the computer age, the information age. Call it what you will. The industrial revolution is long gone and we are no longer an agrarian society. Our national economy (what's left of it) is based on digital industries and a knowledge-based society operating in a high tech global economy. Technology dominates our daily lives.
So, why, oh, why, oh, why, did it take British Telecom two weeks to get us connected to anything electronic??? Was I annoyed? Slightly ruffled, perhaps. We'd moved into a house that had been a business specialising in marketing for about twenty years. There are at least 40 (if not more) telephone points around the building, not to mention computer points. (Which don't work because some idiot took out the server and simply cut through all the wires so that we can never have the networked house that we dreamed of...) One day, when I have nothing better to do (highly unlikely given what we have taken on here), I will count the telephone points for my faithful reader. And the lightbulbs. (There are 24 in our bedroom alone - and that's not counting the lamps.) There is so much for the reader of this blog to look forward to in future instalments.
|Telephone Points and BT Boxes in the Server Room aka H's En-Suite
|Server No More
I didn't like it. At all. Susie Maushart may have rediscovered Scrabble but I felt like I'd lost my ears. Luckily, my mum had the boxed set of Tanamara (!) and we managed to get the video to work. But that simply served to make me feel even more disorientated. How on earth did they get away with such horrendous, hammy acting in the '80s or whenever it was filmed?
After about a week, the aerial man finally arrived. I nearly kissed him. He must have thought me very odd as I chased around the house after him, explaining my delight and chattering furiously, so pleased to be able to communicate with someone other than my mum. With a bemused look on his face, he managed to get mum's TV working but there was a dilemma about our sitting room. The choice was to take a wire across the front of the house, which I thought the Conservation Officer might not like, or having a big long black wire stretching from the dining room through the hall to the TV in the far corner of the sitting room. Which was the option that I went for. But at least we had TV. The news! People in 21st Century costume, moving about and talking normally. It was all a far cry from Tanamara.
The black wire thing lasted through Christmas and beyond but S has since sorted it out, cleverly drilling a small hole in the wall of the dining room, attaching the wire discreetly on the outside of the house at the foot of the front wall and then taking it down into the cellar to bypass the porch before it arrives in his study and then goes through the wall into the sitting room. But at least we have TV!!
|Spot the Wire Competition - Leads into the Cellar
I rang BT. The woman who answered was in Bangladesh, of course. Just plug the telephone into the socket, she said. Yes, but you see, it was a business, this house, I explained. There are at least 40 telephone points. I don't know which one it is. Just plug the telephone into the socket, she said. If you are alert, reader, you may be wondering how I had this telephone call with no telephone. You might wish you hadn't asked. S had managed to get hold of me to tell me the line was up and running. Which line? Try looking outside and seeing where the lines go into the house. (He is a genius.) I ended up in the server room aka H's en suite. And plugged the telephone into one of the sockets and got a dialling tone. Eureka! But after another couple of hours, I still had no internet connection.
|Just Plug the Telephone into the Socket
|Socket in Mum's Sitting Room Cupboard!
P.S. And another thing. BT don't give you a 'new' number anymore. It is a recycled one. Which means that if you get Mr Moore's number and he has run up some serious debt, you get lots of nuisance telephone calls. From Bangladesh. But not BT this time. We put up with it for a few weeks and then rang BT. Just put the telephone in the socket... No, seriously, the only thing they could offer was to change the number. So, yet again, a new number, which we had to advise everyone of. Well, one or two people and then I couldn't be bothered to do it all again. And then we started to get nuisance calls again. And we're on the telephone preference service. So, I took a leaf out of my friend D's book and have started threatening anyone who rings without a prior appointment that I will report them to the Information Commissioner. They probably don't know who the heck the Information Commissioner is in Bangladesh but, nevertheless, they seem to defer to authority and, for now, it is working.


text:
Integrated circuits, also called "chips", are electronic circuits where all the components (transistors, diodes, resistors and capacitors) has been manufactured in the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material.
Read More »
The 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the invention of the integrated circuit.
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On 27 November 1895 Alfred Nobel signed his last will in Paris.
Try to save some patients and learn about human blood types!
Discover the 2012 awarded research on stem cells and cell signalling.


text:
This was no typical engagement session.
Ron and Leslie were planning to run the Lewis & Clark Half Marathon, and Ron decided this would be a perfect time to propose. Ron asked his friend Michael to hold the ring for him at mile 12, and he asked me to secretly photograph the whole thing.
After months of preparation, the day of the race arrived and they started running. When Ron and Leslie approached mile 12, Leslie briefly said hi and kept running along. Unbeknownst to her, Ron quickly snatched the ring from Michael and beckoned Leslie to return to him. Within seconds, Ron had dropped to one knee and popped the question in his own unique way.
Thirty seconds later, Leslie said yes.
I'm so happy for both of them, and thrilled to have been a part of this special occasion!


text:
I thought I might write something profound about a first year of marriage, about becoming wife, or what that might mean.
Then I realized these photos, the small present exchange for a first year anniversary and the traditional gift of paper on Sunday, might be a better representation of what it's all meant.
Tyler gave this to me:
I gave this to Tyler:
Maybe it's not such a coincidence because we are going to travel to Ireland this summer but I thought it represented our relationship. We think about exploring and adventure and what we might share. We often think the same.


text:
Title: Sex survey finds PTV viewers do it more often
Source: Current: The Public Telecommunications Newspaper
<http://www.current.org/> (p.4) 1.19.98
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: A study in the latest American Demographics brings new
to the phrase "If PBS doesn't do it, who will?" The study finds that PBS
viewers have more sex than people who watch the networks. The researchers
commented: "Who would have thought that National Geographic specials or
Burns' history of baseball could get people in the mood?" The study is
available at
[Yeah, like we could have made this one up]
Title: Bells' Latest Effort to Offer Fast Access To the Internet Shows
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
Author: Stephanie N. Mehta
Issue: Infrastructure
Description: The Baby Bells are promising easy, super-fast access to the
Internet again. But this time the Bells and GTE are teaming up with heavy
hitters in the computer industry to tout ADSL, or asymmetrical digital
subscriber line, which promises to let consumers zip along the information
superhighway and download data at speeds of 1.5 million bits per second.
Trouble is, the Bells don't have a stellar track record selling such
services. Consumers have complained of long waits for delivery, high
and service problems. The Bells may get it right this time, though. The
stakes are higher, thanks to the cable companies' rapid entry into the
high-speed access business. And the version of ADSL favored by the
industry is relatively easy for the Bells to deploy: it works over
copper wires, and technicians don't have to install special lines at the
customer's home.
Title: Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance
Source: NTIA
Issue: Infrastructure
Description: NTIA has announced the 1998 round of the Telecommunications
Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP)
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/index.html>. For fiscal year 1998,
approximately $17 million in grant funds will be awarded. The deadline for
submitting applications is March 12, 1998. On January 15, NTIA will hold a
short public briefing to introduce the 1998 TIIAP competition. NTIA will
also hold a series of regional "Outreach Workshops and Partnering Events"
Title: Private Group Warns of U.S. Internet Registry Plans
Source: New York Times/CyberTimes
Author: Jeri Clausing
Issue: Internet Domain
Description: Members of a private group trying to add new domains to the
Internet said at a news conference yesterday that the government's
to delay the group's plan is creating chaos on the Internet and threatens
derail competition. The group, which has insisted in the past that it will
add the new domains
with or without the government's approval, conceded that they will have to
put their plan on hold if Ira C. Magaziner, Clinton's Internet Czar,
finalizes the recommendation he has been discussing this week. The plan
Magaziner has verbally floated would allow only "one of the seven new
top-level domains to be added immediately and would extend Network
exclusive rights over the coveted ".com," ".net," and ".org" domains until
private body can be put in place to control all the Internet domains and
addresses." Magaziner's plan is expected to be released any day. "Whatever
he does, if he interjects himself by making micromanagement decisions, he
has now preserved the monopoly because the process the U.S. government
have to go through is so long it will last two and half years," said Don
Heath, president of Internet Society. Any delay will leave 88 companies,
that paid $10,000 each to become registrars of the seven new domains, in
limbo. "What we will see is NSI using its monopoly to crush companies like
my own," said Ivan Pope of the British company NetNames, a member of the
Council of Registrars. "They will delay this as long as possible."
Title: Moonves: Sweeps stunting backfires
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.34)
Author: Steve McClellan
Issue: Television Economics
Description: Delivering the keynote speech at a convention of television
programming executives last week, CBS Entertainment President Leslie
said that if broadcasters want to stop rating erosion, they must start
scheduling and "stop shooting wads at each other come sweeps time."
"Competitive scheduling moves...may pass the testosterone test, but...they
cheat viewers, who often face viewing decisions that aren't good for them
us," Mr. Moonves said. He continued by saying that even in the face of
ratings erosion, network television remains the first choice of
and will remain so for years to come -- especially if cable networks
continues with its current programming philosophy. In November, the top 50
cable shows were 22 theatrical movies not available to advertisers, 12
Nickelodeon kids shows, 16 sports events, wrestling, off-network repeats,
one news special, a music special and a handful of movies: "Hardly
examples of original comedy and drama, and collectively they had an
average rating of
2.1," Mr. Moonves said.
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.6)
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Spectrum/Television
Description: "It's the gold rush of the late 90's" says Paxson
Communications chief Bud Paxson. Broadcasters are scrambling to collect
leftover licenses that have been sitting idle at the Federal
Commission. The deadline to make deals for construction permits is Friday,
January 30. "These construction permits aren't worth much without a
that will attract viewers," says Julius Genachowski, general counsel for
Network's broadcasting division and former policy advisor to ex-FCC
Reed Hundt. USA and other broadcasters think they have the winning
So far construction permits have been worth millions -- Paxson has
reportedly paid $2.5 million for a license in Texas while the most
ones have gone for $4 million. There are 90 commercial licenses available.
[Gosh, and this when broadcasters are crying about the costly transition
digital TV -- think they figure to make money off that?]
Title: RealNetworks Plans Technology Pact With Sun in Move Away From
Source: Wall Street Journal (B7)
Author: Kara Swisher
Issue: Merger
Description: RealNetworks is forging an alliance with Sun Microsystems
could create tension with one of its major partners and shareholders,
Microsoft. The strategic technology and marketing agreement will
make RealNetworks' products work best with Sun's Solaris line of servers.
The deal with RealNetworks could give Sun an important edge because it is
unlike traditional "bundling" relationships where the software is simply
offered along with hardware without much integration. Instead, said
RealNetworks Chairman and CEO Rob Glaser, Sun and RealNetworks will
"optimize" the latest versions of its software specifically for Sun's line
of servers. "We're aiming for a dramatic improvement in performance and
scalability," said Mr. Glaser.
Title: Enter Geekdom's Diaper Dandy. Sigmund, Can You Explain This?
Source: New York Times (D7)
Author: David Barboza
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: Baby Cha Cha, better known as the Dancing Baby recently seen
the television show "Ally McBeal," is turning into the newest, and
national pop icon. Some believe that the Dancing Baby offers insight into
the deeper aspects of American culture and the human psyche. When Camille
Paglia, the "enfant terrible of academia" was asked her opinion on this
fascination with the baby, she said, "For people to identify with a
baby indicates some deep deep trauma. Young people want caretaking. They
want someone to make rules, to monitor their sex life; they want dddies.
Dancing Baby is a self-portrait of American youth." Maryam Razvi, a
professor at the New York School for Psychoanalystic, Psychotherapy and
Psychoanalysis, was asked what Freud would have made of this diapered
with provocative gyrations. She said, "The baby clicks into something in
our unconscious. A Freudian would see this as a person's wish to exhibit,
exhibit your freedom and your sexuality." The diapered cyberkid was
two years ago by animators working for Kinetix, a software publisher in
Francisco, as a demo for an animation program. Baby Cha Cha, has been
altered into such permutations as Psycho Baby, Rasta Baby, Car Crash Baby,
and Drunken Baby. It makes you wonder, if so much can be speculated about
Dancing Baby, what do these versions say about the American culture and
human psyche?
Gary Handman
Media Resources Center
Moffitt Library
UC Berkeley, CA 94720-6000


text:
Infinity: Campaign Paradiso Tabletop Nation Event – Part 2
October 27, 2012 by brennon
With everything set up, army lists had been hastily assembled and the various factions were ready to go to war. With a mission entitled 'Data Recovery' a lot of Engineers and Hackers were drafted in to try and upload the alien data while also stopping their opponents...
Everyone was trying their best to scope out the best route to the various Alien Techno-Devices while avoiding getting fired upon by the enemy. Of course you can't have a game of Infinity without some beautiful looking models, and there were some really nice paint jobs out there as you'll see below...
The real focus of this scenario was to get a hold of the data. You could wipe your enemy from the table but it wasn't going to give you much in the way of victory points. Some games were tight struggles for the data, with multiple hack and encoding attempts going on at the same time. In other cases the games were over fairly quickly with one side or another having to retreat under heavy losses.
This in particular was one of my favourite games to watch. The Engineer had tried transmitting the data twice, only to be stopped. In return that rather large hulking monstrosity was blown up, and his opponent managed to upload the data shortly afterwards. It was certainly a cinematic experience.
More to come folks!


text:
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text:
Dia de Los Reyes Magos!!
That's the holiday we looked forward to as children when we lived in Mexico City. To wake up on January 6th to find what gifts the Three Wise Men brought us...our version of Santa Claus on Christmas Day! Oh, how I remember those days fondly. I'll never forget my favorite gift...a three story Barbie house. And I remember my brother received a remote control racetrack that year.
The epiphany, January 6th, marks the end of the Christmas Season for catholics (12 Days of Christmas). In Mexico, this day is celebrated as the day the Three Wise Men on this day. Traditionally, Rosca de Reyes (King's Bread) is eaten with hot chocolate after opening the presents. It is baked with a porcelain or plastic baby Jesus inside. Whoever gets the Baby Jesus in their serving, throws a party with tamales and champurrado on February 2nd. Hey, any opportunity for celebrating with friends and more food!
(The Baby Jesus. If you get this, you're feeding us tamales and champurrado on Feb. 2nd)
Buen Provecho!!