I Speak of Dreams

Skippy Skip Skip

I went to FeetFirst cause I hadn't visited for a while, and she pointed out that vomiting has hit the comics -- which  pointed me to The Comics Curmudgeon.

I've been touched by April's coming to realize that Shannon -- yes, Shannon Lake--- is a better person than Becky.  The foob.

And, OMG, April Patterson has a blog!

One out of 11 Residents of Greece an Illegal

California has a huge burden imposed upon it by federal policies: illegal immigration.  That's right.  The state isn't responsible, it is the feds...and the Mexican government, which is passing off its problems to us.  But it is true in Europe, too, as Phylax tells us.

Illegal immigration has already grown into one of the greatest scourges of the 21st century (and was a major scourge in the late 20th as well). Greece has an enormous illegal immigration problem, so initiatives like the one under way in Spain areonly one million (!) illegals in a country of some 10.9 million... and not two or three or more millions... That we have already buckled under the burden is another story.

I Shoulda Called This Blog "Sturgeon's Law"

Sturgeon's Law of Popular Art Forms:

Theodore Sturgeon once said "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud.  That's because 90% of everything is crud."

Different than the  Pareto Principle which is that 80% of the (cost, significance, property) is produced by 20% of the (parts, content, owners) ..

, which extends nicely to XML (or any other) standards; it says:
[ ... ]
> If 10% (or even Sturgeon's 5%) of XML-based initiatives actually
> succeeded in any significant way, then XML would be an astoundi

I Have Been Neglecting Integry

I was busy a lot with integry, until...

Integry

Thinking this morning about the concept (from feminist economics) of "integry" : the work done that functions as social glue. It is an extension of "politics." This work can be gossip, conversation, building social networks and community, mediating, hosting, providing social space as at a party or dinner, what one might think of as emotional work (or in a different context, as therapy); experiencing emotions and expressing them; stuff like that.    Even smiling might count as this work; it's placatory behavior (work that supports patriarchy), true, as I just commented in Minnie's journal with a quote from Shulamith Firestone; but it functions as work that smooths sociality as well.

GMail Doesn't Work for Me

Back in the neolithic, I started using AOL.  I haven't a clue when that was, but probably 1994 or so.... as "ponytrax at AOL".  Ponytracks being the name of our ranch.      I started dating Wombat--the Batnet of my email address--when I bought a Macintosh in 1998 or so.   It was dial up, and I kept the ponytrax part.

Silly Heart

My pal Ennis reminds me of the Laughter Club, and Jesse Winchester's singing about the Silly Heart.

Silly heart you make me sing
I love you for the fun you bring
I wish I had a Silly Heart like you

And Bernie's talking about the Deep Fun of Square Dancing.

Lisa's Questions

Lisa, of  Letters from Lisa, wants to play the interview game.  (Glad you responded, interesting blog, specially about kids with reading problems):

1.  You are exiled from the current space-time continuum.  Which literary universe would you choose to inhabit, and why?
2.   What was your favorite daydream as a child?
3.   What made you decide to start blogging?
4.  You read, you are a teacher, what (G-rated) physical activity makes you happy?
5.  Proust had his madeleines. What smell (or taste) shocks you into a vivid memory?
 

Grace Pages interview game, 
Sarcasmagorical has his responses to the interview game.  He says it started with Buried Treasure and then, Pruitt Plays.  So far my finds have all been blogs that think or talk about religous issues.  Let me see if I can branch afield (you all are free to go where you want, of course).  Frank Patrick (from the first, 2003, round.)  Way Post Natal(from the current round, also a blog with spiritual aspects) .  Tati in Bavaria inteviews a Texan.

I'll look for more later.  Time to go to work.

Seeing Thinking Acting

From my referrer logs, I stumbled upon Fifty Crows: Social Change Photography.  From Making Light, I stumbled upon BAGNews Notes..

Fifty Crows: in-depth photography essays offer insights that a single image cannot. It’s harder to stray from the truth, since the evidence presented in a story put together with images can’t be disputed. Documentary photography is part of the straight path to the truth, as the crow flies.

BagNewsNotes: To analyze "high profile" news, advertising and advocacy images for the way they reveal political or cultural stereotypes. From a more partisan point of view, the intent is to also explore potential underlying conservative or commercial agendas.

So Fun

  Oh, boy, is LetterJames fun.  You can dictate messages to be "written" on all sorts of images and places.  Then, for $$, you can turn the images into postcards or posters or whatever.

That would be a fun way to announce a baby, to my mind, or another life-changing event like oh, I'm moving, or I graduated or whatever.

(I started at the Apothecary's Drawer, but he credited Matthew Revell.)

I've Always WANTED to Learn Square Dancing

Square and round dancing in Silicon Valley.  Best Caller.  Whee!!