Just Cleaning Out My Cyber Closet
The proliferation of posts having little to do with running continues today with some tidbits that I will try to relate to the subject for an extra challenge.
I Was a WorldBook Fan Anyway
I hope to help the San Diego Track Club develop its first wiki, which is the generic term used for collaborative software that lets lots of folks chime in on a subject. It’s based on the same concept of the open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia, in which anyone can add and edit an entry. As with all things open source, the ultimate goal is to use a collective brain trust to create a superior product to proprietary works created by fewer contributors.
So, I’m immediately drawn to all things wiki right now and that includes this piece from Nature magazine challenging prevailing criticism that Wikipedia’s mass-appeal also makes it less accurate. Well, tell that to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Internet Encyclopedias Go Head to Head
And the i’s Have It -- as in iPods
I’ve mentioned my dismay with all these iPods/mp3 players at road races, which has reduced some of the camaraderie that used to be common among strangers struggling alongside each other on the way to the finish. But when I’m alone on weekends, and when there’s little motorized traffic, I greatly look forward to running with music.
I enjoyed this recent profile of the intellect who developed the Walkman, the first mobile gadget to turn many of us into addicts (“I just can’t imagine running without music now!”). I especially like Andres Pavel’s description of what it felt like the first time he heard music piping through his player:
I think he captured one reason people like me sometimes use music. We don’t run with music to take the edge off or to distract us from the workout’s side effects, like heavy breathing, exhaustion and cramping. We do it to multiply the potential of the situation, allowing the body to absorb the exertion while the mind’s allowed to focus on our tune-tinged surroundings another way. I thought running with a song in my head might work just as well, like it did for Patty Duke as a track star in some 50s movie I saw as a kid, but so far it hasn’t.
An Unlikely Trendsetter Made Earphones a Way of Life [free subscription required]
I Love This Man. I Do. I Do. I Do.
Every time I read Scott Adams’ blog, I want to recommend it to someone. Usually, it’s to whoever is closest to me at the time. Hey, listen to this… Today, I’m going to recommend it to everyone. Adams is the creator of Dilbert, the wildly popular comic strip set in the corporate world. Sometimes the ‘toons evoke a hearty belly-laugh; other days, I just smile and move on. But the blog is different, and I now consider Adams a comic genius -- a description I bestow on very few. Check out recent posts on caffeine and a speaking disorder. Then bookmark his blog, or add it to your RSS feeds. You’ll thank me later.
I’d Like to Check Out Your Tomes on Terrorism, Please
This grabbed my attention because bloggers are all agog about library check-out lists being scrutinized by intelligence agencies. And this particular headline is ripped from the virtual pages of my former employer, The Standard-Times of New Bedford, Mass. I thought it also worthy to place before everyone in light of recent revelations that we’re all susceptible to being spied upon. If nothing else, it makes you wonder about what’s on this so-called “watch list.”
Agents’ visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior
UPDATE LATER THE SAME DAY: There's growing speculation that the story is a hoax, given it appears poorly sourced. The reporter stands by the piece, though he never talked to the student and the story bears a strong resemblence to a situation at UC Santa Cruz.
I Haven’t Bashed Wal-Mart in a While
And I thank Sam’s Club for providing the opportunity. This time it failed to invest in adequate security, took liberties with the information it was allowed to store and allowed hackers to make off with gas customer’s credit card information. Instead of notifying the customers, it passed the buck to the credit unions to notify customers and reissue cards -- even though Wal-Mart, not those other companies, is to blame for the breach. How cheap can you get?
Security breach at Sam’s Club exposes credit card data
I Was a WorldBook Fan Anyway
I hope to help the San Diego Track Club develop its first wiki, which is the generic term used for collaborative software that lets lots of folks chime in on a subject. It’s based on the same concept of the open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia, in which anyone can add and edit an entry. As with all things open source, the ultimate goal is to use a collective brain trust to create a superior product to proprietary works created by fewer contributors.
So, I’m immediately drawn to all things wiki right now and that includes this piece from Nature magazine challenging prevailing criticism that Wikipedia’s mass-appeal also makes it less accurate. Well, tell that to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Internet Encyclopedias Go Head to Head
And the i’s Have It -- as in iPods
I’ve mentioned my dismay with all these iPods/mp3 players at road races, which has reduced some of the camaraderie that used to be common among strangers struggling alongside each other on the way to the finish. But when I’m alone on weekends, and when there’s little motorized traffic, I greatly look forward to running with music.
I enjoyed this recent profile of the intellect who developed the Walkman, the first mobile gadget to turn many of us into addicts (“I just can’t imagine running without music now!”). I especially like Andres Pavel’s description of what it felt like the first time he heard music piping through his player:
"I was in the woods in St. Moritz, in the mountains," he recalled. "The snow was falling down. I pressed the button, and suddenly we were floating. It was an incredible feeling, to realize that I now had the means to multiply the aesthetic potential of any situation."
I think he captured one reason people like me sometimes use music. We don’t run with music to take the edge off or to distract us from the workout’s side effects, like heavy breathing, exhaustion and cramping. We do it to multiply the potential of the situation, allowing the body to absorb the exertion while the mind’s allowed to focus on our tune-tinged surroundings another way. I thought running with a song in my head might work just as well, like it did for Patty Duke as a track star in some 50s movie I saw as a kid, but so far it hasn’t.
An Unlikely Trendsetter Made Earphones a Way of Life [free subscription required]
I Love This Man. I Do. I Do. I Do.
Every time I read Scott Adams’ blog, I want to recommend it to someone. Usually, it’s to whoever is closest to me at the time. Hey, listen to this… Today, I’m going to recommend it to everyone. Adams is the creator of Dilbert, the wildly popular comic strip set in the corporate world. Sometimes the ‘toons evoke a hearty belly-laugh; other days, I just smile and move on. But the blog is different, and I now consider Adams a comic genius -- a description I bestow on very few. Check out recent posts on caffeine and a speaking disorder. Then bookmark his blog, or add it to your RSS feeds. You’ll thank me later.
I’d Like to Check Out Your Tomes on Terrorism, Please
This grabbed my attention because bloggers are all agog about library check-out lists being scrutinized by intelligence agencies. And this particular headline is ripped from the virtual pages of my former employer, The Standard-Times of New Bedford, Mass. I thought it also worthy to place before everyone in light of recent revelations that we’re all susceptible to being spied upon. If nothing else, it makes you wonder about what’s on this so-called “watch list.”
Agents’ visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior
UPDATE LATER THE SAME DAY: There's growing speculation that the story is a hoax, given it appears poorly sourced. The reporter stands by the piece, though he never talked to the student and the story bears a strong resemblence to a situation at UC Santa Cruz.
I Haven’t Bashed Wal-Mart in a While
And I thank Sam’s Club for providing the opportunity. This time it failed to invest in adequate security, took liberties with the information it was allowed to store and allowed hackers to make off with gas customer’s credit card information. Instead of notifying the customers, it passed the buck to the credit unions to notify customers and reissue cards -- even though Wal-Mart, not those other companies, is to blame for the breach. How cheap can you get?
Security breach at Sam’s Club exposes credit card data
