Do yourself a favor and watch the following video.

http://www.microclesia.com/?p=320

…but what I’m watching lately:

EpicFu
http://www.epicfu.com/

MobLogic.tv
http://www.moblogic.tv

Get you some.

Thanks to the hospitality of Matt Chambers and his lovely wife, Lesli, the band had a smashing good time entertaining new and old friends in Matt’s barn in Pownal, ME. It took forever to get there in what seemed like endless rain, sleet and ice. We started playing Friday night around 10pm and didn’t stop until around 3am Sunday morning. There was, I assume, sleep in there somewhere, but I can’t recall.

Unfortunately (or perhaps otherwise) we didn’t get any recordings of these sessions. There were some pictures, however and this is one of them. For more, see my Picasa page.

Here’s to another party there in the near future.

Not that it’s news anymore, but I personally believe that the IAU’s decision to demote Pluto is a triumph of science over common sense. Cast your vote for the petition and read some of the comments that folks have contributed. Far from being an unimportant issue, this impacts the study of science and how kids relate to it. Perhaps also tells kids something about the impermanence of life and being strong enough to admit mistakes and make amends? Who knows.

I, for one, will always believe in my heart that it’s a planet and would have rather recommended adding more planets to the solar system than taking them away. There’s plenty of love for all.

What about all the clever mnemonic devices that have been coined to help kids remember the order of the planets? So now, “My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” must become something like, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served us Nine Nachos”. I guess it’s alright, but let’s hope that it’s not going to change again very soon.

More Space Mnemonic Devices

It seems like we’re on the cusp of another computer date scare. This time it’s related to daylight savings time. Last year, Congress decided that they wanted DST to be 4 weeks longer going forward. Instead of providing a year or so to adjust and test, it’s happening this year. Hold on tight.

Read this article on the Daylight Savings Time Change from the Boston Globe

So, March 11th, we’ll be springing forward into what could be a series of disasters as some systems may automatically adjust and some may not. What happens when one system thinks it’s 9:00 am and another thinks it’s 10:00 am and a decision must be made that may put lives or fortunes in danger?
It’s always difficult to tell what the impact of something like this might be, but just stop to think of the impact that the Y2K bug had on our society and how many systems rely on clocks (all) and how many computer systems rely on dates (e.g., flight control, banking systems, etc.) to make critical decisions.

I think the most nefarious thing about the DST issue is that people may ignore it altogether, thinking that someone else will take care of it or that it’s a ‘false alarm’ like the Y2K bug. I personally would not schedule any travel for the 10th, 11th or 12th of March this year.

What a season and what a heart-breaking way to end it. My hat’s off to the team and especially Tom Brady for playing an excellent game considering they were having to put water boys in on defense by the end of the game.

There’s no shame in losing to one of the top offenses in pro football, especially considering the circumstances. Next year, however, please get the team doctor to require flu vaccines for everyone on the staff and team, bring some Tamiflu shots and AirBorne along.

I am overjoyed that I won’t have to hear the incessant whining about Peyton Manning never having been to the Super Bowl. In fact, I hope he wins, just to SHUT EVERYONE UP about it. I’m totally biased, of course, but compare the stoic look of a Tom Brady, Dan Marino or the humor and drive of a Brett Favre to the snivelly, petulant look of Mr. Manning. It’s hard to wish him anything but a trip to the Lighten Up factory.

I’m a bit distraught that football season is over (at least as far as I’m concerned), but it was a good run this year. And thanks to the NFL channel, I can get an occasional fix throughout the dry months (and I do mean REALLY dry) of basketball, baseball, car racing, tennis and history’s most boring spectator sport ever…Golf.

Here’s to the Seminoles winning a national championship next year and the Patriots or Steelers winning a Super Bowl; oh, and peace and prosperity for everyone else.

Check this article out regarding how defensible your site, and its business model, is. If you’re not happy with what you find, give my SEO company a visit and we can help you out.

Is Your Site Defensible

Google has published a guide to dealing with and choosing an SEO company that every online business should read. I know Google doesn’t need any free traffic from me, but the article is helpful and pretty fair.

What’s an SEO?

In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that my company, Indigo Digital, provides legal, ethical and effective SEO services.

Universal truth can be expressed in ten words or less.

Many remember the days when Yahoo was cutting edge and defined by its simple interface, fast response time and great search engine. Now that it’s become a media empire it’s missing all of those things. Worse, Yahoo has jumped feet first into the cesspool of animated, audio-playing, in-your-face advertising and feature spam that just makes my blood boil.

When it comes to people I want to talk, make friends and interact. When it comes to web sites and computers, I want them to shut up and serve me. If I wanted music I’d fire up iTunes. If I wanted animation, I’d watch a cartoon. If I wanted commercials, I’d turn on the TV. I want NONE of these things from an Internet site. I want information, service and support. Period. If you want it to look attractive, that’s great. Just don’t get in my way.
I’m tired of constantly bombarded by new offers and forced to bypass some new screen here and there. It started with PayPal. I log in and am not given my account screen but an advertisement for a new service and a mostly hidden button that allows me to decline. Why am I complaining?

Well, it has a lot to do with the original intent of the Internet — information sharing. While I put some time and energy into the way my web sites look (it is my job, after all), lately more and more I wish we could go back to the way things were done circa 1993: no inline images, no animations, no tiny fonts, no flash, etc.

This message is the start of a revolution. Take back the Internet by taking away all of the crap and nonsense that faceless corporate behemoths like Yahoo, Microsoft and Google use to program us. Down with style sheets, Ajax, and heavy graphics! Use Flash to make things work better, not to animate your stupid logo or create intro screens! No one cares!