Eclectic Views

    
So what is going on around the Well?  We have hundreds of
conferences, thousands of topics, and millions of perceptions.  
We even have our own conference that we use to try to keep track
of all the discussions that are springing up and flowering or
pollinating, depending on your point of view. I will start out
with a Cliff's Notes version of that discussion for the past
week.

Note to Well users:  I have carefully stripped out the
identifying information of anyone who either contributed to this
compilation, or anyone who did the compiling.  Nor have I have
mentioned any private discussions.  You are invited to contribute
your own suggestions here for what to check out around the Well,
but please try to maintain the relative privacy of other Well
users in your discussions.
  

    
So what is going on around the Well this week?  Here is a brief
recap:

In <inkwell.vue.180> we are interviewing Matisse Enzer, the
author of the new book, "UNIX for Mac OS X" Matisse is discussing
his "intense beginners guide" to Unix. He joined The WELL back in
'87 and it was here that he first learned about Unix.

Also in <inkwell.vue>, on April 25th we will begin interviewing
Newsweek reporter Brad Stone about his new book, "Gearheads: The
Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports" - the trials and tribulations
of our modern-day, by-proxy gladiators.

In <travel.220>, a topic titled On My Way To China is the
travelogue of a Well user as he continues to make his way around
China. This update was sent from Burma, and this set of posts is
every bit as entertaining as the last.

In <movies.220> "Cast It Today" we ask the question who would
_you_ cast as Rick in Casablanca for a 21st century remake? Chris
Cooper perhaps, or David Strathairn? Take up the role of the
casting director and decide.

In <parenting.1202> we are discussing teenagers and the angst
they instill. Thoughts, advice and much-needed reassurance for
parents encountering teenager-dom up close for the first time.

In <genx.1843> we (well, actually they - I'm a baby boomer and I
don't invade Generation X space) are asking each other, "What
arcane field of hipster knowledge are you an expert in? It is
suggested that every Gen X hipster has at least one field of pop
culture, music or aesthetic knowledge of which they are an
undisputed master. Is that right?

In <business.212>, the longstanding discussion of "If I were
president of Apple Computer, yet again" we discuss rumours that
Apple have got $6bn to spend on a potential buy-out of Universal
Music.  (And yes, a number of our participants use The Queen's
English as they participate, or even initiate, our discussions.)

In <history.461> " Letters from the Crimean War" someone has
found a trove of historic correspondence and is sharing bits and
pieces with us as she gets a chance to type them in. This is a
set of letters written by a military officer who fought in the
Crimean war. It's a fascinating look into the Ottoman empire as
well as the battles themselves.

In <macintosh.1465> "OSX -- Software Updates (Apple and
Non-Apple)" we ask, "The latest OS X update - 10.2.5 - is out.  
Are you upgrading?"

In <blog.ind.20>, "Lo Tech Blogs, No Tech Blogs" we have a
non-techie discussion of blogs.  This is an "independent"  
conference on the Well, and the general rules of conversation on
the Well may not apply in an indie like this.

Several other new conferences have been started up this week, and
they are all indies:

<bookclub.ind.> is intended to be a real bookclub. Anarchy rather
than dictatorship: sign up to discuss any book already listed or
choose something else and others can choose to join you.

<cosmology.ind.> is designed to stimulate conversation about the
nature of the universe. Or as the conference banner puts it: "Big
bang or big turtle? Where science and philosophy meet."

<peace.ind.> is for discussion of anti-war activities, the peace
movement, dissent and civil rights preservation related to the
Iraq war and other conflicts.
  

    

Obsess is still talking about whether marathon bikers pee in their shorts 
and how to get a cockroach out of your ear.  Oh and marshmallow peeps.  
  

    <scribbled by kyee Fri 30 Dec 05 10:39>
  

    
They come up this time every year though.
  

    
MARSHMALLOW PEEPS ARE NOT DISGUSTING. THIS IS NOT OPEN FOR DISCUSSION.

You may, however, discuss which is more fun to bite off first: their
pointy little heads, or their little yellow behinds.
  

    
> which is more fun

Don't forget about putting them in the microwave; now that's fun!
  

    
Barbecueing them on a spit is fun, too.  They're better with a crispy
crust.
  

    

Must bite their heads off first.
  

    
What <karish> said. It's the ONLY way to consume them! (they _are_
disgusting)

Getting bugs out of one's ear: 
Tilt head, pour water into ear, tilt head back the other way, and the
bug washes out with the water.
I know because I once woke to an horrific fantastic drumming in my
head. I couldn't beLIEVE how loud it was. Eventually we figured out
that it was a flea jumping against my eardrum. I couldn't get him out,
and started to freak. My sensible roommate calmy proceeded with the
preceding, which worked immediately, and quelled my helpless weeping.
  

    
Ewwwwww! A flea in your ear!!
  

    

What power setting do I need to set my microwave at to watch the giant
inflating Peep?
  

    
Yeah, a flea in my ear. It was horrible and terrifying, because I
didn't know what it WAS. 

But, I've never had a _cockroach_ in my ear! Double Eww!!
  

    
Jack, you have to experiment. Depends on the microwave. 

The best ones are those that let you change the power level or turn it
on and off without opening the door. Breathing Peeps!
  

    <scribbled by kyee Fri 30 Dec 05 10:39>
  

    
Why were you microwaving a lightbulb? 
she asks dimly 
  

    
For the impressive lightshow. Try it.
  

    
Try it in someone else's microwave.
  

    <scribbled by kyee Fri 30 Dec 05 10:39>
  

    <hidden>
  

    
Hidden message #19 is a report on some experiments that were apparently done
in 1991.  Ported from armoire.ind.35.14.

Click on #19 to display it.
  

    
Over in the spam conference (a whole conference about spam?) we
are observing the 25th anniversary of the first spam email.

<spam.19> Spam in the news

 Brad Templeton has an article on the 25th anniversary of the first
 Internet email spam, coming up on May 3.
 
 Yes, 25 years ago this week a DEC marketing rep sent (or at least
 attempted to send) a message to every email address on the west coast,
 advertising the new DECsystem-20.  Here's the message and its reaction
 (including a defense from Richard Stallman!):
 http://www.templetons.com/brad/spamreact.html

 <http://www.templetons.com/brad/spam/spam25.html> 

 Even SpamAssassin catches it as spam...
  

    
Here it is May, and we have another roundup of active or
interesting topics in progress around the Well.

<inkwell.vue.181>, Brad Stone, _Gearheads_
What's Mark Thorpe - founder of "Robot Wars" - up to these days?  
Newsweek reporter Brad Stone has the answer to that and more as
he shares his expertise about the sometimes turbulent world of
robotic sports.

<inkwell.vue.182>, Rebecca Blood, "The Weblog Handbook"
Also, starting in Inkwell on Friday, May 2, author Rebecca Blood
has a lot of great advice for bloggers in her latest book, "The
Weblog Handbook."
 
<jazz.273>, 5 Jazz CDs I Should Buy
If you could only have five, which?
 
<current.1430>, HILLARY!!!
"You can't get the full sense of it unless you hear it. Can you
say *PMS* *IS* A *TERRIBLE* *THING* *ESPECIALLY* IN THE
*WHITE*!!!  *HOUSE*!!! ?" The reactions to one member's criticism
of a speech by Senator Clinton make a visit well worth your
while.
 
<macintosh.1606>, Music to Your Ears: Apple's Music Service
On Monday, Apple announced the iTunes Music Service. It has the
backing of the big five music labels, and the revolutionary
feature that once you buy a song, it's yours. Is someone finally
getting DRM right?
 
<writers.1988>, "I'll write anything they pay me to write."
Does it matter who pays or what they want, or is it enough to do
creative work?
 
<movies.2950>, Movies I Haven't Seen, but Want to Simply Because 
of their Titles
Who can resist "Teenage Hooker Became Killing Machine in
Daehakroh"?
 
<cooking.677>, Oysterfest X, 
If you didn't sign up for the cooking conference's annual oyster
fest because you couldn't go on April 12, don't despair. The
party got rained out and the new date is May 25. Drop by the
cooking conference for details.
 
<attack.308>, Iran
After the war in Iraq, what happens now, to the east?
 
<decor.112>, Feng Shui
Chinese for "wind and water", Feng Shui is the ancient study of
the natural environment, including - if you read up this on this
discussion - how to ward off bad neighbour energy by hanging a
reflective crystal ball in your window.
 
<boomers.399>, What is a geezer?
This has currently morphed into a delightful discussion of the
pros and cons of slippers vs. going barefoot.
 
<parenting.1205>, Monsters in the closet and other kiddie fears
Does your kid run screaming from clowns? Were you afraid of the
washing machine when you were little? What strange or silly
terrors lurk in the world you inhabit?
 
<europe.ind.77>, Eastern Europe and the Iraq war
The diplomatic maneuvering around the war with Iraq has resulted
in some very interesting alliance shifts in Europe. What exactly
is happening here, and how might it turn out?
Note: This is and independent conference.  Indies are not
officially sponsored by The Well.
 
<pre.vue.46>, What's going on around The Well?
The bastard .vue version of <tips.>.
 
There was one public conference that started in April:
<amiga.ind.>

It's been a few years since the featured Amiga conference was
retired. But there's still a handful of us who loved the Amiga
and would still like a place to talk about it, so well done to
the particular Well member who started up this new venue.
  

    
We have had yet another successful Mothers Day.  The lunar
eclipse showed up on time, and then went away.  Baseball is in
full swing.  And we have another great set of discussions 
underway on The Well.

<inkwell.vue.183> Matthew Fox, "Creativity"
The next guest on Inkwell's busy schedule is spiritual
theologian, ordained priest and author Matthew Fox. His latest
book, "Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet" gets to
the heart of what it means to create, asking fascinating
questions such as: how essential is creativity to our human
nature, how are our creativity and mankind's capacity for evil
linked, and where does creativity come from anyway?
 
<games.584> WELL Diplomacy VII
This play-by-e-mail-trash-talk-on-the-Well game of Diplomacy
started in February, with the customary seven players. Five
remain. How will it all end? Dive in where things stand and
follow along for fun, or start at the beginning of the topic and
learn to play the game. Either approach should help you get ready
for WELL Diplomacy VIII, the sequel.
 
<software.399> The resume review topic
As more people began to seek jobs than employees, the "job
postings" topic began to fill up with resume postings instead.
Here, finally, is a dedicated topic to get advice on the resume
you're about to send out.
 
<wired.401> Kiss Your Albums Goodbye
What does the advent, first, of CDs, more recently, of Rip, Mix,
Burn culture mean for the listening formats of recorded music?
 
<media.2120> The NYT's Jayson Blair: Fraud, Fraud, Fraud!!
How did the foremost newspaper in the U.S. get so duped by one of
its junior reporters? Why were the warnings ignored? Affirmative
action gone awry, or an indictment of NYT corporate culture?
 
<current.1434> Texas Legislators on the run - all the way to Oklahoma
In a bizarre twist of politics, 58 Texas Democratic
representatives fled to Oklahoma in order to prevent quorum in
the Legislature. Do we have Democrats finally showing some spine,
or evil politicians refusing to play by the rules?
 
<popcult.697> name that rock n' roll supergroup
New name required for supergroups formed from former rockstars
entering their waning years. The Strawgraspers comes close, but
top prize so far surely goes to Gerry and the Atrics.
 
<science.617> How does evolution work?
One person asks what scientific laws control the process of
evolution. Conversation emerges on diverse subjects including
will, self-awareness, scale, randomness, ecologies, and more. A
good niche.
 
<movies.2639> The Matrix Reloaded
The question the first time around was "What is the Matrix?" Now
we know; so the new question is, can the long-awaited sequel
opening this month possibly live up to the original - and the
hype?
 
<roadkill.ind.2> How I'm spending my new-found free time
What do people do when they suddenly have time on their hands,
anyway?  (This is an independent conference, or "indie", where 
not all of the Well's rules may be enforced.)
 
And there are a couple of noteworty new conferences in the past 
couple of weeks:
 
<fotolog.ind.> Fotologging is undoubtedly the new Net craze. It's
"web crack", so if you don't want to get hooked stay out of this
well-timed new indie conference.
 
<cretaceous.ind.> Think, talk, act out like a feathered dinosaur.

So check things out!
  

    
"Fotologging is undoubtedly the new Net craze."

I dislike the word "craze," though I suppose it is valid.  What fotolog is,
to me, is a brilliant implementation of the concept of the WEB.  Hit the
fotolog front page, click on one of the newly-posted images in the left
column or most-viewed images in the right column, look at that poster's stuff
for awhile, and then click over to the fotolog page of one of the friends or
favorites of that poster.  You can hop around for days.

Each photo has a place for comments, and some of those comment files have
turned into real conversations.

It's amazing.

(I'm there as gansito, and the group I am with are also posting vacation pic-
tures at http://www.fotolog.net/kauai )


Favorite new poster: <fjf>, who has put up a collection of shots from the
People's Park riots in 1969.  http://www.fotolog.net/fjf
  

    
Wow.  Yet another place to avoid on the internet, for fear of falling
into a time suck. Every time I've checked out someone's fotolog
posting, I'm there way too long following one link and another.