"I feel I'm incredibly fascinating and this blog bears witness to that simple fact. Friends, from far and wide, are often pestered to keep abreast of my life and opinions. I offer my most sincere greetings to random visitors as well."
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Monday, May 05, 2008
What's in a Name?
Thankfully, the automated system sent another notification. I had sort of assumed my credit card information was on file. Yet, I did have to log on to my website service provider and renew my yearly domain registration fee. For the first few years, I believe it was included with the hosting. Now, I pay the annual fee that comes to less than $1 per month including taxes. What a bargain, eh?
I would have to go do a check to find out when I first set up DennisSylvesterHurd.com. It has been a while, I know. In a way similar to an old movie star, if a domain simply exists for a long enough time, then it receives respect and traffic.
This is related to a topic I wanted to mention. The folks have added an important feature to the software at blogger.com. We can now write an entry and save it with a specific time for publication. The system automatically adds the entry to one's blog when that date and hour occur. This will be important during my vacation. I want to keep a little activity at the blog even if I'm saving my entries for later posting.
The search engines value change over quality when picking how often to return for updates. If the information at any website appears dormant, the little googlebots and their ilk, decide not to stop by nearly as often. That's something I simply cannot allow.
I would have to go do a check to find out when I first set up DennisSylvesterHurd.com. It has been a while, I know. In a way similar to an old movie star, if a domain simply exists for a long enough time, then it receives respect and traffic.This is related to a topic I wanted to mention. The folks have added an important feature to the software at blogger.com. We can now write an entry and save it with a specific time for publication. The system automatically adds the entry to one's blog when that date and hour occur. This will be important during my vacation. I want to keep a little activity at the blog even if I'm saving my entries for later posting.
The search engines value change over quality when picking how often to return for updates. If the information at any website appears dormant, the little googlebots and their ilk, decide not to stop by nearly as often. That's something I simply cannot allow.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wither Art Thou?
Here's an entry which really isn't one. Here, I'm simply blogging about blogging again. I like to check statistics on my eJournal and images. I can collect them in a number of ways. The chart below contains the information from last month. It shows data collected by the server software at my domain. I think it's fairly interesting to see where visitors to the site have come from. I don't know if you're interested but I don't feel like saying anything else today. I discovered that people from only 86 countries stopped by. Well, oodles of guests ended up as unresolved, so perhaps I'm more of a global phenomenon than that!
Labels: blogging
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Go Stand in Front of That! (3rd and Final)
Nah, yesterday's promise to coninue posting photos of me in front of landmarks or famous scenes was an idle threat. Well, I don't have the fortitude to keep doing it for several weeks. In fact, I think I'll probably finish up on this tangent today. I'm already bored with the subject. I spent just a few minutes at the blog and discovered these ten other examples.
As I could locate ten so quickly, it's no longer an exciting project. I'll have to think of something new to blog about tomorrow.Hubbard Glacier, Alaska Taj Mahal, India Canadian Parliament, Canada British Parliament, England Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC Windmills, Zaanse Scans, Holland Niagara Falls, Canada Hollywood, California Goreme, Turkey Gate of India, India
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Dipping Into the Vaults
Sometimes, getting back into the groove gets me tired. After an afternoon with a new class, I barely have the energy to do the necessary errands, much less write an inspiring blog entry. Still having not skipped a day in so many years, I am obligated to post something.
As eventually I hope my eJournal and images will contain my complete history, I can use these times to include things from the past. I've done that a few times this week already but I can easily do it again. For example, on YouTube I have three, 1-minute clips from UAE days. I posted one here almost a year ago. This the last of the series. We were on a student-initiated outing to Ras Al-Khaimah on a weekend. We had already spent a fair part of the day at a camp. This was shot during four-wheeling time. We ran into this older guy up in the mountains. I would need a translation nowadays to recall many of the details but it's easy to see that they were getting him to introduce himself for the video camera of the early 1990's.
As eventually I hope my eJournal and images will contain my complete history, I can use these times to include things from the past. I've done that a few times this week already but I can easily do it again. For example, on YouTube I have three, 1-minute clips from UAE days. I posted one here almost a year ago. This the last of the series. We were on a student-initiated outing to Ras Al-Khaimah on a weekend. We had already spent a fair part of the day at a camp. This was shot during four-wheeling time. We ran into this older guy up in the mountains. I would need a translation nowadays to recall many of the details but it's easy to see that they were getting him to introduce himself for the video camera of the early 1990's.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Twisted and Gnarly Links
I really should get back to the core site of this URL once in a while. The main pages were, of course, the initial part of my domain. I tried to separate resume-type information into various categories for web pages. I first started that process back before many people knew about web access. Some of the original keystrokes were made fifteen years ago! Even at that time, the ease of putting material online, meant that I ventured far beyond what would've been possible with a paper-based resume.
Now, I blog. In the last four and a half years, I seldom, if ever, visit those pages. They are in dire need of a makeover, but as most action occurs in the form of blog entries, I wonder why I should bother.
If I decide to update those pages, I can link to some data from this blog. That might just give a reason to proceed. For example, after the photo from the day before yesterday, I moseyed over to the 'Youth' section. As I grew up in New Hampshire, it might not be a bad idea to place a link on that page for the Sunapee label for information from over on this side. I like creating links to other things found on this server. It makes a ... well ... web of information about my favourite subject. It's always all about me, isn't it?
Now, I blog. In the last four and a half years, I seldom, if ever, visit those pages. They are in dire need of a makeover, but as most action occurs in the form of blog entries, I wonder why I should bother.
If I decide to update those pages, I can link to some data from this blog. That might just give a reason to proceed. For example, after the photo from the day before yesterday, I moseyed over to the 'Youth' section. As I grew up in New Hampshire, it might not be a bad idea to place a link on that page for the Sunapee label for information from over on this side. I like creating links to other things found on this server. It makes a ... well ... web of information about my favourite subject. It's always all about me, isn't it?
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Spring Cleaning
I hope this appears in my eJournal and images today!
I recently took a pile of clothes to the Salvation Army Thrift store. I got rid of all a great many shirts sized XL. Some were, of course, too favourite to say goodbye to. Due to the fact we seem headed into spring, I thought it was time to move the short-sleeved shirts to the front of the closet. After all, I will be able to start wearing them to the class that runs five weeks from next Monday. "Damn," I muttered, "they are mostly XL." I went through them and found eighteen that are now sitting on the floor for donation. I have no idea why I had so many. Who can wear more than one shirt at a time?
I don't want to appear to be ungrateful. The usability of Blogger.com is a pretty good deal, considering what one has to pay for it. Well, it free so that means it's pretty good for nothing.On a totally unrelated note, I did a little spring cleaning today. The weather was cool but it was very sunny. The blue of the sky seemed to sear one's eyes. The buds are finally peeking out from the branches of trees and bushes. All in all, it made me want to throw away old junk.
I noticed yesterday the post to my domain wouldn't work. The site just appeared to keep publishing with no results. I woke up this morning and yesterday's entry was there. It looks like the same deal is occurring today. Working on blogger.com is only annoying as the folks at the web site never seem to respond to trouble. In fact there hardly a place to actually complain. It's frustrating just having to wait it out in hopes that the problem will eventually be spotted, reported, and fixed.
I recently took a pile of clothes to the Salvation Army Thrift store. I got rid of all a great many shirts sized XL. Some were, of course, too favourite to say goodbye to. Due to the fact we seem headed into spring, I thought it was time to move the short-sleeved shirts to the front of the closet. After all, I will be able to start wearing them to the class that runs five weeks from next Monday. "Damn," I muttered, "they are mostly XL." I went through them and found eighteen that are now sitting on the floor for donation. I have no idea why I had so many. Who can wear more than one shirt at a time?
Labels: blogging, weather, weight loss
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Shifting Alliances
After I wrote yesterday's non-entry, I decided to add the tag, feelings. I really don't know what the difference is between feelings and opinions, but now they're separate. I don't use labels as a means to accurately represent the contents of every daily writing. I just like how I can construct brand-new pages from old information when using them.
Alaska, Alberta, Amsterdam, analog, Bahrain, balcony, BBS, BC Ferries, BCIT, blogging, Bratislava, Bret, briefcase, British Columbia, Brussels, Budapest, camera, Canada, Canada Day, cars, Christmas, complaints, computer lab, Creative Zen, credit card, cruise, Daily Picture Parade, dentist, Don, driving, Dubai, errands, Eurotrip 2005, Eurotrip 2007, feelings, file archives, fireworks, Flickr, flora and fauna, flying, food, Fraser River, futurecast, games, glasses, Google, government, GPS, hard disk, hardware, Hawaii, Hayack, HDTV, Hollywood, Hong Kong, humour, India, Internet, Joel, Kuwait, labels, Laurie, library, lists, literature, London, Los Angeles, maintenance, Mediaplayer, Mexican cruise, Mexico, money, monkeys, mother, mountains, movies, Munich, music, musical, myBCIT, Nepal, New Hampshire, New Westminster, New York City, Niagara Falls, Okanagan, opinions, parade, Paris, passport, Persian, pets, pig, places, podcasts, Portland, Prague, PS3, PVR, Quay, Ranger, relaxing, review, Royal City Mall, Salzburg, San Francisco, Saudi Arabia, sci-fi, searching, Seattle, sharing, Singapore, SkyTrain, software, souvenirs, Sri Lanka 2004, Sri Lanka 2006, staff, Stanley Park, stars, students, Sunapee, Surrey, technology, telephone, television, temple, Thailand, The Harbor Gameroom, The Wizard of Oz, Tim, train, transit, travel planning, Turkey, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Vienna, Walmart, Warner Bros, weather, weight loss, Windows, world, World Vision, YouTube, zip.ca, ZurichAt the present moment, these are the labels I'm using. The list will undoubtedly change over time. Some may come while others go. You will, however, always be able to find the current listing in my eJournal and image's archive vault. As of today, each one here should display a new page containing the stated content without regard to the date it was originally blogged.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
You are Among a Select Few
It's been a long time since I blogged about blogging. I thought I might use today's entry just to mention visitor statistics. Although, the numbers are piddling by real site standards, I have seen steady daily growth. Whereas a few years ago, I was lucky to get a more than a dozen or so visitors, nowadays I average more than sixty. I chalk most of this up to expanding Google image searches rather than increased viewing habits by my friends and acquaintances.
Labels: blogging
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Digital Dumping
This week, I decided to organize a junk drawer. It's in a tacky, living room cabinet that contains the souvenir shelves. I'd buy a real glass, curiosity cabinet but then I'd loose the five or six cubic feet of hidden space to keep stationary, tools, and assorted junk.
While getting together most of the tax receipts, I found these lottery tickets that made it back from Sri Lanka a year and a half ago. They were not winning ones but somehow got stuck with other paperwork and exist here now. Before tossing, I decided to scan them.
A physical item may not be at all valuable, but sometimes I like the memory it provides. I'd be very willing to throw away most old paperwork as long as I could keep a digital copy. Dumping stray files onto a hard disk is easy and useful especially if a blog entry can narrate the resulting tale.
While getting together most of the tax receipts, I found these lottery tickets that made it back from Sri Lanka a year and a half ago. They were not winning ones but somehow got stuck with other paperwork and exist here now. Before tossing, I decided to scan them.
A physical item may not be at all valuable, but sometimes I like the memory it provides. I'd be very willing to throw away most old paperwork as long as I could keep a digital copy. Dumping stray files onto a hard disk is easy and useful especially if a blog entry can narrate the resulting tale.
Labels: blogging, Sri Lanka 2006
Sunday, February 10, 2008
A Blog Break
We are leaving for the airport in a taxi at 4:30 am. We'll be at LAX by 9:30 in the morning. Well make it to Long Beach well before the afternoon boarding of the Carnival Pride. Next week, it'll be three full days at Mexican ports!
My laptop is staying home. I will not use the on-board Internet at all. I'll see what it's like to be completely Net-free for a week. So, expect a deluge of notes and photos after February 17th. I'll keep a paper journal and enter my thoughts here after returning.
See you in a week!
Friday, February 08, 2008
This Afternoon's Non-Entry
I've given up waiting for inspiration. The blank screen here can't seem to coax out any great thoughts. Although I'm currently watching my students toiling over their exams, I don't feel like commenting about that in any way. I can glance to my left and look out over Canada Way and toward the cloud-covered North Shore Mountains. It's a little dark already for four o'clock so rather hard to tell if it's snowing up among the peaks.
I'm not annoyed at anything or anyone. Consequently, there's no need to type out a condemnation of any sort. I can't even think of any product to discuss or technology about which to pontificate.
Furthermore, we don't leave for the Mexican cruise until Sunday, so the prospect of writing about that doesn't excite me either.
I don't feel like adding a photo from my past and describing it. Also, I don't feel like taking a new picture and doing that.
I have nothing to share with the world; therefore I won't.
I'm not annoyed at anything or anyone. Consequently, there's no need to type out a condemnation of any sort. I can't even think of any product to discuss or technology about which to pontificate.
Furthermore, we don't leave for the Mexican cruise until Sunday, so the prospect of writing about that doesn't excite me either.
I don't feel like adding a photo from my past and describing it. Also, I don't feel like taking a new picture and doing that.
I have nothing to share with the world; therefore I won't.
Labels: blogging
Friday, January 18, 2008
The 24-Hour Dennis Channel
I guess this blog is doing what it's supposed to do.
First, it allows me to publish at least one of the fleeting thoughts that race though my brain every day. An entry might contain a comment about an event of the day, or it may hold my perceptions of some past event. I think the cultivation of a daily habit can be, in itself, a worthy goal.
More importantly, my blog allows me to keep my name 'out there' on the Internet. Making changes keeps those search engines coming back to snoop around. I like the idea of being able to find personally-sanctioned information about someone. During this week alone, I've been contacted twice unexpectedly. First, I had a message from a person who once worked overseas with former colleague. The individual searched for the name Don Richardson and wound up being directed to this blog. Our e-mail give and take was interesting as there were a number of ex-colleagues whom we had in common. In addition, just today I received a message from a cousin. That may not sound very special; however, we've not heard from each other for at least 30 years.
First, it allows me to publish at least one of the fleeting thoughts that race though my brain every day. An entry might contain a comment about an event of the day, or it may hold my perceptions of some past event. I think the cultivation of a daily habit can be, in itself, a worthy goal.More importantly, my blog allows me to keep my name 'out there' on the Internet. Making changes keeps those search engines coming back to snoop around. I like the idea of being able to find personally-sanctioned information about someone. During this week alone, I've been contacted twice unexpectedly. First, I had a message from a person who once worked overseas with former colleague. The individual searched for the name Don Richardson and wound up being directed to this blog. Our e-mail give and take was interesting as there were a number of ex-colleagues whom we had in common. In addition, just today I received a message from a cousin. That may not sound very special; however, we've not heard from each other for at least 30 years.
Labels: blogging
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Look Ma, No Hands!
I'm not going to set any speed records today. Yet, there's something cool about not touching the keyboard. Windows Vista has speech recognition built right inside. I purchased cheap headphones at Staples yesterday. I went there in order to buy a some DVD labels. I'm not quite sure why paper labels cost nearly as much as the discs themselves. Anyway, wearing this headset and microphone is giving me the chance to try something new.I will probably not rely on dictation as a normal means of blog entry. I type about 50 words per minute so my fingers are faster than my mouth. (There are, however, many people who may believe my mouth would always come out the winner.) The entire process of trying to verbalize an idea in order to make it hit the screen, seems quite odd. I'm sure that vastly different parts of my brain are at work.
The software seems quite adept at being able to navigate the Windows environment. How cool it is to simply say, "Internet Explorer" and "gmail" and have the request appear on the screen automatically. It's a little magical but, in the long run, it's probably not very practical.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Be It Resolved ...
I looked in my eJournal and images for last year's New Year resolutions. I guess, I didn't make any last year. That's hardly surprising considering how near perfect I already am. By chance, I did find these created two years ago for 2006:I seems as though I didn't get much of the list accomplished the year it was created. Let's see if I was able to cross off any of those in 2007.Travel to Bella Coola, BC. Begin new work-related projects at BCIT. Sign up for an adult education course. Explore Costa Rica. Keep up on my blogging and Flickr'ing. Begin using Windows Vista. Watch a wide-screen TV at home. Play local travel guide for my father. Continue to let our savings accounts grow. View all unwatched movies from AFI's 100 list. Paint some of the apartment. Take more outdoor, scenic hikes. Donate some time to charitable causes.
1) I've still not been to Bella Coola, BC.
2) I taught several new courses last year but worked far too much.
3) I took no courses.
4) Costa Rica is still an unfinished dream. (Yet in 2007 we were out of the country for five weeks and did visit Central Europe for three of them.)
5) Blogging and Flickr'ing continue unabated.
6) I am typing on a new computer which is running Vista.
7) I've been completely in high-def. for more than a year.
8) My father's stroke and subsequent life choices have prevented him from getting out here.
9) I have a sufficient cash to retire abet extremely frugally.
10) Movie selection continues well beyond the current ten blockbuster releases.
11) Haven't done much in the apartment.
12) I sure walk around more but lean more towards urban outings nowadays.
13) I've not donated time, but we now regularly donate cash to charities.
Can I think of any new things to add to the list in 2008?
I've added Mach Picchu and all-of-Italy to the international travel destinations list. The bathroom sink replacement is on the maintenance chart. I want to select Bluray or HD-DVD as a format choice for HD player. I've gone from 235 to 205 lbs but 185 would be better!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tongue Tied
I nearly forgot about writing an entry today. That's pretty strange considering how long I've been doing this on a daily basis. I never seem to forget to do other daily things such as putting on underwear. So, I guess, I am not going to put down this temporary lapse to being an age thing.
Today, among the other things accomplished, I went through my neckties. I used to always wear ones to class in the past; however, I haven't been during the last few years. I was looking to weed out the collection. Some were really wide and others were extremely thin. I'm not so sure I know what is actually 'in' nowadays.
Looking at my ties was a trip down memory lane. I did find one I bought in Kuwait during my first teaching job. That would've been in 1981, so at least one of the ribbons of cloth was 26 years old. I used to joke that I had neckties older than some of my students, but I'll be damned if it isn't actually true!
Today, among the other things accomplished, I went through my neckties. I used to always wear ones to class in the past; however, I haven't been during the last few years. I was looking to weed out the collection. Some were really wide and others were extremely thin. I'm not so sure I know what is actually 'in' nowadays.
Looking at my ties was a trip down memory lane. I did find one I bought in Kuwait during my first teaching job. That would've been in 1981, so at least one of the ribbons of cloth was 26 years old. I used to joke that I had neckties older than some of my students, but I'll be damned if it isn't actually true!
Friday, November 30, 2007
A Diary Entry
On occasion I back away my usual blogging habits. Today, for example, I'm going to shy away from digging up too much from the distant past. Neither will I complain about some device or another that didn't quite live up to my expectations. I won't even paste in some random text from life. Rather than the usual, I do exactly what a blog is supposed to do. I'll simply say something about today.
I was at BCIT this afternoon administering my final exam in the computer lab. We started out with a one-hour review. The listening and writing sections of the
examination took three hours. I used that time to correct assignments for my other class.
On the way home, the odometer on my truck turned to 70,000 miles. That's not too much considering I bought it in July of 1996.
It's very frosty outside at the moment, so I have the fireplace cranked up to setting #3. There are rumours of snow over the weekend, even down here near sea level. I hope the weather doesn't interfere with my full-day, weekend classes.
I was at BCIT this afternoon administering my final exam in the computer lab. We started out with a one-hour review. The listening and writing sections of the
examination took three hours. I used that time to correct assignments for my other class.On the way home, the odometer on my truck turned to 70,000 miles. That's not too much considering I bought it in July of 1996.
It's very frosty outside at the moment, so I have the fireplace cranked up to setting #3. There are rumours of snow over the weekend, even down here near sea level. I hope the weather doesn't interfere with my full-day, weekend classes.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Easily-Created New Pages
I like how using labels in this blog has opened up exciting new ways to view the information. Under this and most my eJournal and images entries are specific keywords I've entered.
My daily rants and raves are not especially well-suited to the standard, reverse chronological order of a blog. Except during the times of vacation blogging, most of my entries are fairly random. One day I may be recounting what happened at BCIT. Then next, I might include a decades-old scanned photo. After that, I might paste in something I got as email. Obviously, simply saving weekly pages may not be the most useful way of reviewing the data.
Even better than a search, being able to view entries that I've pinpointed as categories is preferable. Of course labels can be edited, replaced, or modified. From time to time, I can add a new way to view what's already been entered. British Columbia is a fairly new label. I think I'll generally use it to show entries describing trips within our province.
My daily rants and raves are not especially well-suited to the standard, reverse chronological order of a blog. Except during the times of vacation blogging, most of my entries are fairly random. One day I may be recounting what happened at BCIT. Then next, I might include a decades-old scanned photo. After that, I might paste in something I got as email. Obviously, simply saving weekly pages may not be the most useful way of reviewing the data.
Even better than a search, being able to view entries that I've pinpointed as categories is preferable. Of course labels can be edited, replaced, or modified. From time to time, I can add a new way to view what's already been entered. British Columbia is a fairly new label. I think I'll generally use it to show entries describing trips within our province.
Labels: blogging, British Columbia, labels
Friday, November 16, 2007
After 58 Years They Ain't Got It Right?
I used to roll my eyes when consumer packaging advertises that a product is "new and improved". Tide laundry detergent was first distributed across the US in 1949. So, I find it incredulous the formula could possibly be made more desirable. Yet, every so often the box makes such a claim.Now, I can sort of relate because of the blog. Although I write daily, quite frequently, I modify the format too. Each time I do so, I'm sure it is an improvement. I always seem to think the changes make it better.
Last week, I changed the background color again. Unfortunately, I'm already getting sick of the dark green color. In addition, today, I changed some of the links that appear under my face in the right-hand column. Each and every change can't possible be making things better or after four years it'd be pretty-near, damned perfection by now. At least, all the silly text remains unaffected by my tinkering.
Labels: blogging
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Hardly 'Waisting' Away
I started daily blogging here in September of 2003. I was keenly interested in seeing what other folks were blogging about. During the very first week, I linked to Ass Be Gone as an example of what things could be done with this media. At that time, there were smartly written entries by two sisters who were having a sibling weight-loss competition. I don't know what the outcome eventually was as it appears as if the site was restarted and then abandoned again.
I've been quietly and unobtrusively adding snippets about my work-in-progress transformation. My very first complaint about my weight occurred in a September 2006 entry which I called, Back to the Future. During vacation the small Sri Lankan bus seats forced me to think seriously about doing something about my expanded girth. In April of this year, I mentioned Having Far to Go, and in June, I suggested that Sometimes Less is Better.
Suddenly, it's the middle of November and I've not said much of late. Therefore, it's a perfect time to brag about buying new Wranglers today. It's not about the 'brand-name-dropping' as I only paid $15 for 'em. I'd like to make public that I bought them with a size-36 waist! Okay, they're a tiny bit tight, but they'll give me a real, continued incentive to lose one kilogram (2.2 lbs) a month right through 2008. I stand to reach my ultimate goal of 80 kilos sometime near next Christmas!
I've been quietly and unobtrusively adding snippets about my work-in-progress transformation. My very first complaint about my weight occurred in a September 2006 entry which I called, Back to the Future. During vacation the small Sri Lankan bus seats forced me to think seriously about doing something about my expanded girth. In April of this year, I mentioned Having Far to Go, and in June, I suggested that Sometimes Less is Better.
Suddenly, it's the middle of November and I've not said much of late. Therefore, it's a perfect time to brag about buying new Wranglers today. It's not about the 'brand-name-dropping' as I only paid $15 for 'em. I'd like to make public that I bought them with a size-36 waist! Okay, they're a tiny bit tight, but they'll give me a real, continued incentive to lose one kilogram (2.2 lbs) a month right through 2008. I stand to reach my ultimate goal of 80 kilos sometime near next Christmas!
Labels: blogging, weight loss
Thursday, November 08, 2007
How Much Longer?
Any single entry in this blog may not explain me very well. You might not even be able tell much from a single week. What I'm hoping for is more of a long-term 
endeavor. If I keep up this habit long enough, a more complete picture will emerge from the words and photos.
I've said similar things many times before. A few years back I even likened it to the infinite monkey theorem.
I find having this growing database of Dennis available personally interesting. For example, through the search feature, I can check to see how frequently I use specific linguistic terms. I can add information about my past in a totally random manner but still have them appear on the same page through labels. Lastly, I can even check to see what I wrote on a specific day during any of the past four years. What about November 8th?
endeavor. If I keep up this habit long enough, a more complete picture will emerge from the words and photos.I've said similar things many times before. A few years back I even likened it to the infinite monkey theorem.
I find having this growing database of Dennis available personally interesting. For example, through the search feature, I can check to see how frequently I use specific linguistic terms. I can add information about my past in a totally random manner but still have them appear on the same page through labels. Lastly, I can even check to see what I wrote on a specific day during any of the past four years. What about November 8th?
2003 - Commented about a newly purchased XBOX.
2004 - Advised that all recent, Sri Lankan trip blog entries added.
2005 - Provided a picture of new, BCIT students.
2006 - Mentioned how grass stays green here.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Gold in Them, Ther' Hills
Quick calculation shows the blog is now is its 216th week. As I have never missed a day, that means there are over 1,500 unique days of blog postings. Granted, some of the entries may lack any throught-proking concepts and, at other times, I've undoubtedly, repeated the exact same thoughts.
Regardless, it is time to mention that even if you've arrived for the first time today, over four years of my yacking doesn't have to be inaccessible. In fact, there's an entire page devoted to sussing out my previously written tidbits of wisdom. You can check by:
Click on the screen image above. Or you may even try adding a customized IE 7 search of my eJournal and images to your toolbar by reading this entry from last year.
Regardless, it is time to mention that even if you've arrived for the first time today, over four years of my yacking doesn't have to be inaccessible. In fact, there's an entire page devoted to sussing out my previously written tidbits of wisdom. You can check by:
typing in a search term, picking a label, or choosing a specific week.
Click on the screen image above. Or you may even try adding a customized IE 7 search of my eJournal and images to your toolbar by reading this entry from last year.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Bahrain's Tree of Life
Today, I was a bit late in considering what I could put here. I wondered what information would make a suitable entry.
I have found that sometimes each blog post is a world onto its own. At other times, a number of consecutive, daily entries may be on a similar topic. On rare occasions, there's a reverse continuity in what I write.
The only reason I chose the picture above is that yesterday's entry was a YouTube clip from 1991. It was recorded when I worked in Bahrain, and so today I rifled through my online pictures so I could put a still photo here.
I am standing in shorts with 16 fewer years of excess weight. I'm standing in front of what is referred to as the Tree of Life. Isn't it amazing that one can find just about anything on Wikipedia, even if only a stub?
I have found that sometimes each blog post is a world onto its own. At other times, a number of consecutive, daily entries may be on a similar topic. On rare occasions, there's a reverse continuity in what I write.
The only reason I chose the picture above is that yesterday's entry was a YouTube clip from 1991. It was recorded when I worked in Bahrain, and so today I rifled through my online pictures so I could put a still photo here.
I am standing in shorts with 16 fewer years of excess weight. I'm standing in front of what is referred to as the Tree of Life. Isn't it amazing that one can find just about anything on Wikipedia, even if only a stub?
Labels: Bahrain, blogging, flora and fauna
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
A Little Cross-Promotion
If you have ever visited my eJournal and images in the past, you know that I mumble about something or another here every day. Yet, if you knock off the slash-b-l-o-g then you may land at information at my primary site.
For a decade and a half, I've kept the online equivalent of a resume. I was right at it again this morning. I added the newest trip data into my travel page. Please, feel free to click so my efforts won't go unnoticed.
For a decade and a half, I've kept the online equivalent of a resume. I was right at it again this morning. I added the newest trip data into my travel page. Please, feel free to click so my efforts won't go unnoticed.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Vacation Notice
Over the course of our Eurotrip 2007, blog entries may be published sporadically. During long breaks, I continue to write daily on my laptop. However, I'll only be able to post when at a convenient (read: free) net connection point. Even though we'll be in Central Europe, I expect easier wi-fi than during some previous trips.
Secondly, my home PC generally runs 24/7, but when we go away for more than several weeks, I turn it off. Microsoft Upgrade Tuesday seemingly always forces a soft reboot in the middle of the break anyway. But more than that, I feel as though the equipment enjoys a break too.
The shutdown has several effects on my blogged materials. For example, my fish cam will not be operating. In the beginning years of this blog, I linked to a number of Windows Media files that run on my living room machine, and therefore will not be available. Lastly, Psiphon access will cease too.
Feel free to email while we're away. Remember, each blog post also now boasts a COMMENT feature in its footer. Why not give that a try?
Secondly, my home PC generally runs 24/7, but when we go away for more than several weeks, I turn it off. Microsoft Upgrade Tuesday seemingly always forces a soft reboot in the middle of the break anyway. But more than that, I feel as though the equipment enjoys a break too.
The shutdown has several effects on my blogged materials. For example, my fish cam will not be operating. In the beginning years of this blog, I linked to a number of Windows Media files that run on my living room machine, and therefore will not be available. Lastly, Psiphon access will cease too.
Feel free to email while we're away. Remember, each blog post also now boasts a COMMENT feature in its footer. Why not give that a try?
Labels: blogging, Eurotrip 2007, Hardware
Friday, September 07, 2007
Pulled from the Collection
I need to make an additional entry today to do a little further testing. I found a cool plug in for Writer called Flickr4Writer. It allows easy inclusion of a Flickr image into a post. As a trial, I'll post a photo taken from Hyack Square in downtown New Westminster. Eighth Street runs up the hill.
The term Web 2.0 apps is a rather well-worn concept by now but it may be unfamiliar to readers of this post. Briefly, a Web 2.0 site contains user generated information that can be re-used across different sites. Using Flickr and Blogger together is an example. Being able to drop a YouTube video here would be too.
The thing I like about this shiny Windows Live Writer is that it sort of covers up all the 'mechanics' under a common interface. One might not need to know what's going on 'under the hood', so to speak. I cannot help but see this as a future trend . . . (by Microsoft?)
Labels: blogging, Flickr, New Westminster
Writer or Wronger?
This is a test of using Windows Live Writer as a method of publishing an entry. Yesterday, I installed the Windows Live Toolbar and, frankly, this is the only piece of software which intrigues me in the least. Honestly, I don't think die hard computer enthusiasts are going to abandon Flickr, or Google Earth for the pale imitations that Windows Live offers. The options do integrate well though, and this might make things easier for an average, non-geeky, computer user. That doesn't describe me, I guess. This interface is very Vista-like and quite interesting with lots of potential tools and plug-in modules.
I'm mainly interested in this program as it will allow one to make draft entries when offline. This, potentially, could be useful during our upcoming trip to central Europe. I will most probably bring along my seemingly 26 lb. laptop, but I cannot be assured of universal, free wi-fi. During past extended trips, I've had to keep daily accounts with a word processor and later copy and paste into blogger.com after getting on the Internet. If I can use Writer to complete entries with photos, then it'll make documenting travels a hell of a lot easier.
Labels: blogging, Eurotrip 2005
Saturday, September 01, 2007
1461 Days
Friday, August 17, 2007
Comments, Please!
I've avoided leaving a place for visitors to post comments for years! Today though, I decided to give it a whirl. I may keep this option in effect for all future entries. My decision will sort of depend on seeing reader enthusiasm. Please take the time to comment here now by clicking on the word 'comments' in the 'posted by' line below.
1) Do you favour the idea of adding this option to future my eJournal and images entries?
2) If you're a regular reader, do you feel you'd comment on a regular basis?
Labels: blogging
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
There's More Than One Way ...
... to Skin a Cat?
Information is useless without a quick way to access it. Realizing this has become more important as I approach my fourth year of daily blog entries. My blog's archive vault holds all the words I've typed here since September 2003.
There are three ways in which to access old data. First, the most powerful way is to do a complete search. One simply types a word into the box and clicks a button. This will return pages that contain specific words. Secondly, it's possible to check the label categories which I've set up as a way to describe entries. This can point to general directions, but it may be difficult to locate specific material as these pages can grow quite large over time. The final way to see previous entries is to browse through week by week. This would not be a very efficient way of finding an exact entry, but you might well find some interesting things along the way. These three ways increase the value of old entries in this blog by making the information more accessible.
Information is useless without a quick way to access it. Realizing this has become more important as I approach my fourth year of daily blog entries. My blog's archive vault holds all the words I've typed here since September 2003.
There are three ways in which to access old data. First, the most powerful way is to do a complete search. One simply types a word into the box and clicks a button. This will return pages that contain specific words. Secondly, it's possible to check the label categories which I've set up as a way to describe entries. This can point to general directions, but it may be difficult to locate specific material as these pages can grow quite large over time. The final way to see previous entries is to browse through week by week. This would not be a very efficient way of finding an exact entry, but you might well find some interesting things along the way. These three ways increase the value of old entries in this blog by making the information more accessible.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Chasing the Big Five in Kenya
Adding labels to my eJournal and images has meant going through nearly four years of daily entries with a fine-toothed comb. I don't mind taking the time as I've got a copious amount in August.
What has bothered me is how unrepresentative this blog is in regards to actually painting a picture of my 48 years on earth. Actually, few would believe that by entering a mere paragraph or two, even 1400 times, one could sum up a life. It's true; however, I have now vowed to chat much less about the weather! (Today is starting off to be fantastic though.)
Also, I run into a problem by spending a near equal amount of time in Flickr. I do my Daily Picture Parade, add lots of what's going on currently, and took to scanning a while back. In my mind these two repositories of Dennis data are intertwined. I have mentioned Flickr a lot but a visitor cannot possibly know what's on the other site when reading here. Even a link doesn't seem as powerful as pasting the image right on this page.
So, as there was only a single entry regarding a trip to Kenya in February 1994, I put this one of Jay standing in the middle of souvenir sellers in Nairobi. I know that was a long time ago, but I need to add to my world label.
What has bothered me is how unrepresentative this blog is in regards to actually painting a picture of my 48 years on earth. Actually, few would believe that by entering a mere paragraph or two, even 1400 times, one could sum up a life. It's true; however, I have now vowed to chat much less about the weather! (Today is starting off to be fantastic though.)
Also, I run into a problem by spending a near equal amount of time in Flickr. I do my Daily Picture Parade, add lots of what's going on currently, and took to scanning a while back. In my mind these two repositories of Dennis data are intertwined. I have mentioned Flickr a lot but a visitor cannot possibly know what's on the other site when reading here. Even a link doesn't seem as powerful as pasting the image right on this page.
So, as there was only a single entry regarding a trip to Kenya in February 1994, I put this one of Jay standing in the middle of souvenir sellers in Nairobi. I know that was a long time ago, but I need to add to my world label.
Labels: blogging, Daily Picture Parade, Flickr, labels, souvenirs, world
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Life as Labels
Since the time I decided to use labels here, I've been playing with the concept as it relates to blogging. I'd tagged a lot with Flickr but the use of labels on blogger.com is surprisingly different.
In Flickr one uses tags to organize and pinpoint. Primarily, the use of tags can be for one's own use or for public searches. For example, a general, broad search can turn up all 33 of my pictures of London; whereas, I can quickly locate only two examples of the changing of the guards. In fact, the vast majority of my hundreds of tags point to a single photo.
On the other hand, blogger.com's labels are for self-initiated organization only. The emphasis is on general, self-described topics. Moreover, labels with a single entry are somewhat unnecessary. It took me a little experimentation to figure this out.
I have probably labeled only a quarter of the entries in my eJournal and images. Now I've come to a very sad realization though. I have discovered I spend a great majority of my time here discussing these three topics:
Other data abounds but I really haven't got the labels all worked out yet. It may take a while ...
In Flickr one uses tags to organize and pinpoint. Primarily, the use of tags can be for one's own use or for public searches. For example, a general, broad search can turn up all 33 of my pictures of London; whereas, I can quickly locate only two examples of the changing of the guards. In fact, the vast majority of my hundreds of tags point to a single photo.
On the other hand, blogger.com's labels are for self-initiated organization only. The emphasis is on general, self-described topics. Moreover, labels with a single entry are somewhat unnecessary. It took me a little experimentation to figure this out.
I have probably labeled only a quarter of the entries in my eJournal and images. Now I've come to a very sad realization though. I have discovered I spend a great majority of my time here discussing these three topics:
My Work (BCIT)
My Computer Use
My City (New Westminster).
Other data abounds but I really haven't got the labels all worked out yet. It may take a while ...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Reorganizing References
This is another day where I'm talking more about function than form. I am not really adding new content today, but I did spend a little bit of time organizing what had already landed here in the past.
I'm more convinced than ever that blogging tools are the only way I can work on this on-going project of scribbling about my life. I didn't use blogger.com's labels until recently. The task of going back through nearly 1700 entries to categorize them seemed simply out of the question.
Yet, the promise of pulling together the randomness of over 200 weeks of continuous daily entries seemed far too great to ignore. I fiddled with adding some new labels to old entries and found a short cut method. Getting most of this junk organized is still going to take months, especially if I devote a few minutes to the task just now and again. The news is I've started.
So, seelct one of the pictures above to find a majority of entries dealing with this topic or time. They may have been written years apart but will show up on the same page. How's that for organzing after the fact?
I'm more convinced than ever that blogging tools are the only way I can work on this on-going project of scribbling about my life. I didn't use blogger.com's labels until recently. The task of going back through nearly 1700 entries to categorize them seemed simply out of the question.
Yet, the promise of pulling together the randomness of over 200 weeks of continuous daily entries seemed far too great to ignore. I fiddled with adding some new labels to old entries and found a short cut method. Getting most of this junk organized is still going to take months, especially if I devote a few minutes to the task just now and again. The news is I've started.
New Hampshire
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
the United Arab Emirates
So, seelct one of the pictures above to find a majority of entries dealing with this topic or time. They may have been written years apart but will show up on the same page. How's that for organzing after the fact?
Saturday, July 28, 2007
My Top Podcasts are ... 'topCasts'
This morning, for some reason, I couldn't sleep late, so I got up surprisingly early. For some reason at dawn, I figured it was time to make a few changes to this blog. You'll note an addition in the column on the right. Tucked under my face and MORE WEB DATA is a new option which reads: Tune to my topCasts. I even made a change to the landing page for my site to include the same.Back on Thursday, I mentioned working on a place to make available the podcasts I'd enjoyed listening to. I added a few and it all seems to be working all right. Due to this, I thought I'd link between the new blogspot site and this which runs on my domain. I can't say how faithful I'll be adding files. I once added YouTube links and later removed them after failing to update frequently. I have remained excellent at this blog and for my daily Flickr pics.
Of course, syndication of mp3 files is most useful for automatic loading into your iPod or mp3 player, but you can also choose to listen to the files while at your computer. Why don't you give it a try? These files load from my home PC, so they may be, on occasion, offline although my computer runs 24/7.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Get Inside My Head
I blog because I want to keep a personal record of my comings and going. I do so wish I had kept a diary from, for example, my sophomore year in college, or my first year teaching in Kuwait. Sometimes am able to reminisce in blog format. I may occasionally even blog to vent my frustration with a particular event or situation.
A great deal of the time though, I probably blog just to play around with computer stuff. As a case in point, I set up syndication to share 1950's radio science fiction program called X Minus One. It must be said that I do subscribe to my own feed, in order to download two copies of the show to my mp3 player every week.
Here's a brand-new feed which I just created tonight. Although it is unusually interesting, I will not be adding it to my feed listing. This syndication is only to share some podcasts. I figure if pictures can tell about things I've seen, then these mp3 files provide some of my 'soundscape'. That can probably tell you something about me too. On occasion, I will share a podcast that I listened to during the day of being uploaded.
See what I listened to on the way to work this afternoon. Or better yet, subscribe and copy to your own iPod or mp3 player. To see if your tastes match mine, click the logo above!
A great deal of the time though, I probably blog just to play around with computer stuff. As a case in point, I set up syndication to share 1950's radio science fiction program called X Minus One. It must be said that I do subscribe to my own feed, in order to download two copies of the show to my mp3 player every week.Here's a brand-new feed which I just created tonight. Although it is unusually interesting, I will not be adding it to my feed listing. This syndication is only to share some podcasts. I figure if pictures can tell about things I've seen, then these mp3 files provide some of my 'soundscape'. That can probably tell you something about me too. On occasion, I will share a podcast that I listened to during the day of being uploaded.
See what I listened to on the way to work this afternoon. Or better yet, subscribe and copy to your own iPod or mp3 player. To see if your tastes match mine, click the logo above!
Labels: blogging, Creative Zen, podcasts
Monday, July 16, 2007
Created on the Fly
Lots of entries in the blog are about the very act of blogging. If this is a modern equivalent of gazing at one's own navel, so be it.
Very soon after adding a few entries, I realized I was creating a repository of personal data. I tried explaining this early on to a high school friend who is a bit of an archivist himself. Bret suggested I print out what I was doing so as to allow keeping a bound paper version. Wait! This happened at the end of 2003 but even though it was never pressed on parchment, you can read the original entry. I knew I was fighting an uphill battle for hearts and minds.
Even though I think of the information here as electronic, I still imagine physical pages of data. That's why I've always linked to weekly archives each with seven days of data.
Just last week, I decided to go ahead and begin using what blogger calls labels. (The rest of the world considers them tags.) I will probably never get around to adding them to the nearly four years of prior entries, but I can surely initiate their use from here on in. When displaying by labels, it really brings home the point that this simply contains data. The pages exist in order to display the information. For example, the following list will show customized pages created on the fly.
Very soon after adding a few entries, I realized I was creating a repository of personal data. I tried explaining this early on to a high school friend who is a bit of an archivist himself. Bret suggested I print out what I was doing so as to allow keeping a bound paper version. Wait! This happened at the end of 2003 but even though it was never pressed on parchment, you can read the original entry. I knew I was fighting an uphill battle for hearts and minds.Even though I think of the information here as electronic, I still imagine physical pages of data. That's why I've always linked to weekly archives each with seven days of data.
Just last week, I decided to go ahead and begin using what blogger calls labels. (The rest of the world considers them tags.) I will probably never get around to adding them to the nearly four years of prior entries, but I can surely initiate their use from here on in. When displaying by labels, it really brings home the point that this simply contains data. The pages exist in order to display the information. For example, the following list will show customized pages created on the fly.
Oh, I should add that newly-created pages are still organized in reverse-chronological order.Creative Zen Kuwait movies Sri Lanka 2004
Labels: blogging, Bret, file archives, labels
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Where'd It Go?
I really didn't know what to put here today. The day was brilliant and our day off pleasant. I spotted a new icon in the draft version of Blogger.com. I wanted to see what'd happen if I uploaded a video clip. I rather hastily put in a DVD disc from our Eurotrip in the fall of 2005. I cut a chunk and then pressed to upload the 44 MB clip. While the file is being transferred, I'm typing this text. Where's it going, he wonders? I clicked right past those warning things what one is supposed to read when working with software. You know what I mean don't you? I am talking about the agreements that one quickly scrolls to the bottom of, and then presses I AGREE button. Maybe those would've told me that it now belongs to Google Corp. I guess that's okay with me. They can have it, just as long as you can see it too. This is from a section of tape shot in Paris. It's only Montmartre during the day and a bit of the Champs Elysee at dusk.After waiting half of forever, I decided that my file, although destined for Google Video, would never complete. Therefore, I mashed this up with YouTube.
Labels: blogging, Eurotrip 2005, Google, Paris, YouTube
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Who's Got the Power?
Earlier today, I was in the middle of creating a post entry and things went suddenly very quiet. For you see, the electricity went out. It went out at the PC, for every device in the apartment, all over my building, and as we later found out, the entire block. That occurred at close to 5:00 pm. By the time it got to be seven, we figured we should go out for dinner. It seemed too much of a hassle to locate the camping stove.First, we walked around downtown and thought of reasons why we didn't want to eat at various places. Basically, we're cheap. Later, we jumped into the truck and went to our buffet place in Surrey. For the same price, we had so much more to choose from. Actually, due to how I'm feeling right now, I'm pretty sure I chose too much.
Major electrical connections from the province run through this area and we've never been without power. Today, most of the city wasn't without, but we were and life sucks without juice. I even saw kids playing in the street undoubtedly because their PlayStations weren't running. Imagine, that!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
A Link's Enough to Fulfill the Obligation
I'm very afraid. Although the blog entries here stretch back to September of 2003, I know that I must never skip a single day. If that were to happen the whole project might fall like a house of cards!
Rather than face that possibility, I have promised myself never to miss one. It doesn't matter that I could be tired. Having nothing to say is no excuse either. Even on those rare days in my life when I'm too busy, I must still take the time to add something.
Even though all three maladies are currently affecting me, here's a link. As I'm typing this in the computer lab at BCIT, I thought I should allow a visitor to stop for a virtual visit too. Just click on the image to go to www.bcit.ca.
Rather than face that possibility, I have promised myself never to miss one. It doesn't matter that I could be tired. Having nothing to say is no excuse either. Even on those rare days in my life when I'm too busy, I must still take the time to add something.
Even though all three maladies are currently affecting me, here's a link. As I'm typing this in the computer lab at BCIT, I thought I should allow a visitor to stop for a virtual visit too. Just click on the image to go to www.bcit.ca.
Labels: BCIT, blogging, computer lab
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Tags, Labels, and Searches
Spring cleaning is probably good for the soul. Regardless of the season, it's liberating to get rid of extra junk. For example, I just threw a few bags of clothes into the back of the truck. The Salvation Army Thrift Shop wasn't open yesterday, so they're still sitting in the back. All those pants with a waste size of 42 are no longer in the closet. I need a reason to stick to dieting. As long as I was at it, I also decided to make a few formatting changes to this blog over the weekend. Some things were dropped while others just moved around.
I decided after years to finally embrace the tags. Actually, I guess blogger.com refers to them as labels. Although there's already specific ways to search this blog, labels do offer an additional way to view its data. Rather than a brute force search to turn up an appropriate page, identifiable labels pinpoint my own concepts on how to organize my eJournal and images, essentially a database of information.
The problem is, to be effective, labels need to be added to the older entries too. I shan't expect that is going to occur any time soon. Rather than focus on the previous 1,600 entries, I'll label all new ones. If you do want to see how tagging works with my Flickr picture collection, click the image below.
I decided after years to finally embrace the tags. Actually, I guess blogger.com refers to them as labels. Although there's already specific ways to search this blog, labels do offer an additional way to view its data. Rather than a brute force search to turn up an appropriate page, identifiable labels pinpoint my own concepts on how to organize my eJournal and images, essentially a database of information.
The problem is, to be effective, labels need to be added to the older entries too. I shan't expect that is going to occur any time soon. Rather than focus on the previous 1,600 entries, I'll label all new ones. If you do want to see how tagging works with my Flickr picture collection, click the image below.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
It Takes Time to Write
I've been writing a blog entry every day for so many years that they demonstrate a sort of ebb and flow. My recent entries seem very diary-type while I sometimes get into different routines. At times I can be very technical, quite observant, or somewhat fanciful.
Whatever the output, I'm likely to be more verbose when I'm less busy with work or outside interests. This seems rather strange because when there are lots of things going on, less ends up archived. For example, I've had a dentist appointment, bank business, a nice class, and loads of errands today. My entry here, however, will require a photo to be substantial ...
There were far fewer people in the mall this morning
when I went for my 8:30 appointment for a dental filling.
Whatever the output, I'm likely to be more verbose when I'm less busy with work or outside interests. This seems rather strange because when there are lots of things going on, less ends up archived. For example, I've had a dentist appointment, bank business, a nice class, and loads of errands today. My entry here, however, will require a photo to be substantial ...
There were far fewer people in the mall this morning
when I went for my 8:30 appointment for a dental filling.
Labels: blogging, dentist, errands, Royal City Mall
Monday, June 18, 2007
A Little Miss(ing) Sunshine
Blogging about the weather is probably the ultimate way of showing that one has nothing pressing to share. It's an easy topic just as mentioning the weather is probably a safe way to begin a conversation with a stranger.
Wait, that might not be the
Wait, that might not be the