One of the difficulties of blogging these days is that Carter reads everything over my shoulder. He required some edits on the last post. Apparently, he never said the word “mission,” but did say he had a destiny. When I was reluctant to change it, preferring to focus on my coffee and pancakes, we had [...]
It’s harder than you think.
Carter and Archie are outside in the rain, pretending to be castaways. Despite my recent spat of LOST/high school reunion nightmares, I decided to join them. I found them sitting on the carpet I was attempting to use to kill the damn Rose of Sharon that has invaded our yard. Carter had a rubbermaid container [...]
George the Time Sucking Bluebit
George is the name of my battle rabbit in a new Facebook application game, “Pets.” On Friday, I enlisted in the war against a brood of giant scorpions, ants, spiders and praying mantids. Productivity immediately went down to 50% as I alternated between attacking insects and feeding my rabbit back to full strength. Although I spent more time Saturday battling real insects while hiking in the woods with the boys, I have had enough exposure to James Lin’s virtual army to confirm that I was write to chase away all those computer games in the early 1990s. Now working my way up to level fifteen, I can only imagine how little of my life would be my own if I substituted Pets with World of Warcraft.
Twit, Twitter, Twitterer
I joined Twitter in early March after seeing a badge on Kelly Abbott’s Dandelife blog. 569 tweets later, I’m still enjoying the service. Twitter certainly isn’t for everybody, but it is for me. Here’s some analysis about what is going on in a world filled with 140-character updates.
Citizens’ Academy taking applications
The City of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Department announced today that applications are available for its Citizens’ Academy program. Citizens’ Academy provides participants with an interactive learning experience about municipal government services, programs and responsibilities. The course will meet weekly from August 23 through October 18. The session will be limited to a total of 30 individuals to ensure a quality experience for all participants. Apply online at the City of Bloomington’s web site.
Art a’Twitter
The coolest thing about open communities is the unexpected idea that comes of all the interaction. First, take a status message tool with a bunch of active users. Second, have one of those new users be a programmer. Third, make sure the host site releases an API to allow other developers to plug into the community. Fourth, be inspired by some of the things already out there. Bam! TwitterMosaic.
Dandelife, the Facebook application
While I am certain there are longtime users of Facebook who look at the recent opening gates and extensibility as the end of the Golden Age, I am not one of them. By this time tomorrow, DandeLife will take a shot at leveraging those twenty million members with a Facebook application. Perhaps by Friday, they will have 6 million members.