Riddle Lake

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Mom's Birthday

2007-10-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

I recently took Mom home to New Hampshire to celebrate her birthday with family. Thanks to everyone who came. Mom had a great time and so did I. I hope we can make it back home again sometime soon.

I was experimenting with the camera in the Palm I bought recently, and I have to say the pics came out terrible for the most part. See for yourself. If you have any photos you'd like to share, send them along to me and I'll add them to mine.

Thanks again to everyone and love to you all,

Lynne and Mom

AT&T Censors Pearl Jan

2007-08-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, AT&T gave us a look at its Orwellian plans for the Internet when it censored anti-Bush lyrics in a Pearl Jam performance. Where the hell are we living? What country IS this?

Read more about it at savetheinternet.com

Paul Interviewed on Air America

2007-06-29T16:19:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, my brother Paul is an author and a blogger who has managed to write a book and maintain a blog under some very difficult circumstances health-wise. But we're finally getting ready to self-publish his book entitled Original Faith. The book will be available later this year.

I've been working hard to promote the blog and book and recently put out a press release which was picked up by Air America. Long story short, Paul's interview on the nationally broadcast radio program "State of Belief" will air this weekend!

The interview was taped over the phone yesterday. The show airs tomorrow, Sat. June 30 at 10 AM EST (7 AM Pacific) and again on Sunday 7 PM EST (4 PM Pacific). The show is also available online and is archived. You can listen to him live online, or at your convenience since the archive the shows. They provide details on how to listen on their site.

For those of you who know Paul and have an interest in his work, we'd love to get your feedback on the interview. And for those of you who haven't met Paul, here's your opportunity. (Yes, he's my brother so I'm biased, but he's a great guy and his writing is truly amazing.)

To send Paul comments, visit his blog at www.originalfaith.com/blog.

Home Office Setup

2007-02-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

The home office is really starting to come together. Check it out:

I still have a bit of painting to do and I need a couple of end tables - maybe a coffee table, too. But it's just about where it needs to be.

Gnome at Home

2007-02-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Karma's first encounter with Rodney, the gnome:

Commencing sniff test...

It may be edible.

To recover from his encounter with Karma, Rodney hits the bottle:

Getting food in Rodney seems to be a good idea, however, he needs a booster seat:

Time to sleep it off:

THE END.

One Hundred Rules for NASA Project Managers

2006-04-13T11:56:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of gems in this list. Here are some examples:

http://www.altisinc.com/Links/100_Rules.html

Rule #32: People have reasons for doing things the way they do them. Most people want to do a good job and, if they don't, the problem is they probably don't know how or exactly what is expected.

Rule #39: Reviews are for the reviewed an not the reviewer. The review is a failure if the reviewed learn nothing from it.

Rule #68: Remember the boss has the right to make decisions. Even if you think they are wrong, tell the boss what you think but if he still wants it done his way; do it his way and do your best to make sure the outcome is successful.

Rule #69: Never ask management to make a decision that you can make. Assume you have the authority to make decisions unless you know there is a document that states unequivocally that you can't.

Stuffed Animals

2006-04-08T22:28:00.000-04:00

Identity Theft

2006-03-26T23:23:00.000-05:00

You may have heard about the Fidelity Investments laptop which contained the personal information of 200,000 HP current and former employees that was stolen recently. Yep - my data was on there. And here I thought that my relationship with HP had ended.

So I've spent the last couple of days printing out my credit report so I can see what accounts I can close to better track activity. Then I registered a fraud alert with Equifax. I had mixed feelings about that one, but I thought in the end it made more sense to do it than not to do it. Of course, I'll have to keep doing it every nine months from now until a few years from now if I want it to mean anything. Evidently it is not uncommon for identity thieves to hold off on using the data for a period of a couple of years to give their victims a chance to cool down from the panic period and get lazy about monitoring their accounts.

There's a lot of information about identity theft out there, but there's nothing I've read that makes me any less nervous about what could happen. And there's just not that much you can do except keep on your toes. I've closed down all inactive accounts, put password protection on my bank accounts, registered a fraud alert... I don't know what else I can do that makes any sense.

I keep hoping the laptop was lifted by someone who just wanted the hardware. But even if that were the case, by now the media has made it clear that the robber has made of with something very valuable indeed. The temptation to make a bundle on the black market might be too much to resist. And whoever this person is, they are capable of theft. So selling other people's personal information for a price is something they would likely be capable of. I just don't see a silver lining on this one.

So keep your fingers crossed for me and the other 200,000 victims. Thanks Fidelity Investments, for you bone-headed data protection policies. (What the hell was that data doing on a laptop to begin with?)

What's up

2006-03-11T23:49:00.000-05:00

Man. Where does the time go?

I haven't posted in ages. Between SAP, side work, family and friends I have had no down-time to speak of in months. Lynnie needs a vacation.

Plaguing my brother and I on a weekly basis are the ongoing computer problems he's been having across multiple machines over the past several months. I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell is going on. Our latest "theory" is faulty power, if you can believe it. I'm running out of guesses.

Each of the three machines we have used at his house demonstrates the same basic problem. All three machines are running Windows XP SP2. The only programs Paul uses regularly are Word, IE and Skype.

The first sign of trouble is always the same. The Virtual Memory Manager informs him that it is increasing his page file. (I always set it up so that Windows manages his virtual memory rather than specifying a size manually.) Windows chugs along increasing the page file and then usually additional error dialogues begin popping up. Often times it is helpcenter.exe that starts generating error after error and you can't close them all. Sometimes he'll get a "Welcome to Internet Explorer" dialogue as if he has just installed IE. It makes no sense at all.

Usually at this point, it is impossible to close all of the error messages. The three-fingered salute won't even work - you can't close all the error dialogues. You close one and another takes its place. Even trying to shut down from within Task Manager doesn't work. You end up having to force the shutdown. (God knows how many garbage files are strewn about his system as a result.)

Three machines each have the same behavior, but only at his house. When I swap out a machine I can never recreate the problem at my place.

No malware or viruses have ever been detected and I always install the latest definitions and run checks regularly whenever I'm there, as does Paul.

So I'm completely stumped. I thought maybe it had something to do with Skype and the VOIP wireless headset he uses with it since the problems started only after he started using them. But uninstalling Skype and removing the headset did nothing.

So if you're reading this and have any suggestions at all, I'd love to hear them.

Memories from High School

2005-12-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

I had a very pleasant surprise today. My high school art teacher, Mr. John Robak, contacted me out of the blue. Friends of his had stumbled upon this site and forwarded the address on to him.

I can't get over how often that kind of thing happens. I do nothing to promote this site, and rarely update it, and still people stumble across it and pass it along. Gotta love the Web.

Anyway, it was so great to hear from him and it got me thinking about how we all influence one another in countless ways that are impossible to imagine at the time. In the case of Mr. Robak's impact on my life, it's fairly easy to see.

Me and every other girl in his class had an enormous crush on him. I swear that is half the reason I went to art school, right there. But the other half has everything to do with what an inspiring teacher he was. He was so into the subject matter and had such a dynamic and engaging way of teaching. (I will remember what "controposto" means until the day I die due to his jumping up on a desk once to demonstrate it!)

And I worked harder in his classes than in all my other classes combined. I really wanted to do a good job. His respect meant a great deal to me because I had such enormous respect for him. He made me think about myself in different ways. If it weren't for him, I can't say that I would have ever gone to college at all. He did wonders for my self image and encouraged me to put together a portfolio and start applying to art schools.

If he hadn't done so, it's likely that I never would have moved to Philadelphia to attend the Art Institute. And if that hadn't happened, I never would have met my closest friends including my college room mate, Nancy. And she never would have met her husband, Zane because they met at an office happy hour of mine. I wouldn't work where I do, know the people I know, or do what I do for a living if it hadn't been for John Robak.

We think of our lives as being so solid - so definite. But it's absolute chaos, out here. We have no real way of knowing the impact we have on other people. The simplest relationships can have far-reaching implications that we could never have guessed at the time.

It reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life. What would the world be like if John Robak had never been born? Would Somersworth, New Hampshire have become Pottersville? Probably not. But still, I shudder to think about it because I have no idea where I would be.

All I know is that the world is definitely a better place with people like Mr. Robak in it, and I've very grateful that our paths crossed years ago.

Question: If a tree falls in your backyard and there is nobody there to hear it...

2005-11-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

... will it still cost you $600.00 to get rid of it?

Answer: Yes.

Google Shmoogle. I work at SAP.

2005-11-06T19:37:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago while I'm sitting at my desk at work, I get a call from Google. The man on the line says he's from HR and is wondering if he could speak to me about some job opportunities.

HOLY CRAP. I'M BEING CALLED UP TO THE MAJORS.

I tell him I'm happy at SAP and not currently looking, but he is persistent and would like to speak to me when I have more time. He asks me to e-mail him with a phone number and time when it would be convenient to call.

I comply with his request when I get home. I don't want to relocate, but when Google calls, you listen. Bottom line, I was really flattered to be cold-called by a company like Google. (I don't have my resume posted anywhere except this site, but I figured out later that they must have found me through LinkedIn.)

Then the next day I receive a standard "Thank you for your interest in Google but we have no openings that match your skills and experience... yadda yadda yadda."

WTF?

My Brother's Blog

2005-11-06T19:32:00.000-05:00

Paul's blog has been put on hold. He says it's temporary and that he'll definitely be back. I certainly hope so. It's obvious that he has quite a devoted public. I think there has been some really great thinking on his blog and people have learned a lot from each other.

I'm not sure what it is that has caused him to put blogging down for the time being. We haven't been speaking much lately. I know he has a bathroom remodel in the works to help him to be able to get into the shower again. Or maybe he wants to focus on another round of manuscript submissions (which is what I'm hoping he's doing). But I haven't been asked to print or mail anything, so I doubt that's it.

Whatever it is, I hope it's taken care of quickly. Me and the rest of his public eagerly await his return to the blogosphere.

Fall Theme

2005-10-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

I created a fall theme for the site in keeping with the season. What I really should have been doing was updating my portfolio and resume. But now that I've spent a few hours with the new theme, I need a bit of a break from the computer. And besides... Karma is letting me know that it is time to do something else. She is sitting at my feet and occasionally letting out a plaintive little coo to indicate that she would like me to get off my rear and entertain her.

Cultivating Intelligence

2005-08-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

Two interesting items today on the cultivation of intelligence:

BRAIN CANDY
Is pop culture dumbing us down or smartening us up?
(book review by Malcom Gladwell)

LEARNING FROM LEONARDO
How to be a genius

If you can, go and see it.

2005-08-22T19:06:00.000-04:00

Spamalot was an absolute laugh riot. Even better than I expected, and I'm a huge Monty Python fan. (Quest for the Holy Grail is my favorite comedy of all time.)

What's Been Going On

2005-08-18T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've been super busy for a several months and have done jack squat with the site. I had such plans. But life is what happens while your busy making plans, as John Lennon once said.

So what's been going on? The basement remodel is in full swing. Bought the toilet and sink tonight. The carpenter and plumber will be here on Tuesday. I'm told four days for all the carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. That would be great, but I've never had a contractor do what they say they will when they say the will. But I'm feeling lucky. We'll see.

Tomorrow after work it's off to Home Depot for paint, faucets, the doors, etc. Then I'll be working on a new project Friday night and then heading to NYC Saturday morning to see Spamalot Saturday night. Tedi and I are going to do some sightseeing, see the show, have dinner, stay overnight in the city and head back sometime Sunday. Then it's back on the new project and then back to work on Monday.

I've been buying way too much silver jewelry and loving it. That site is completely addicting.

I've also got Paul on a gluten-free diet. I have to drop Grumblefish a line and let him know how that's working out, since he is the one who gave us the idea. So far, no improvement in Paul's health. He's actually feeling worse and he's been gluten-free for about two months, now. We're giving it at least six months, though. So lots of cooking is in my future. But I don't mind. It makes me feel like I'm helping, even if I'm not.

I made a second blog for Paul: Changes. It's doing very well right out of the gate, thanks to the existing blog audience. He's also been writing poetry again. Nothing yet on the book publishing efforts, but he's still at it. Hopefully he'll get some good news soon.

Free Silver Jewelry

2005-07-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

www.silverjewelryclub.com

Free silver jewelry. You only pay for shipping. A new item is available every few minutes.

4th of July

2005-07-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

Bob and I took a road trip to his cousin's house in Virginia over the holiday. His cousin has a beatiful house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains which they are turning into a bed and breakfast. They just posted their first Web site over the weekend.

Pat? Let me know if there's anything I can ever do to assist you with the site. After the hospitality you showered on me, you've got that and more coming.

The drive down included an unplanned hotel stay due to inclement weather. We were hit with the single worst rain storm I have ever seen. I was driving completely blind -- I couldn't even make out the tail lights of the truck in front of me. So we wisely opted to take and exit and bail out until the following morning.

Had a good time. Drank to much, laughed plenty, and met some really nice people.

Thanks, Bob-a-Booey.

What Love Is

2005-06-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

I've been posting anonymously to my brother's blog on a very interesting topic. Of course, I may blow my cover if anyone follows the link from his blog to mine, but... whaddeva.

Here's some of what is going on over there on the subject of love, and what I had to say about it:

Stella:
my final total summation of love, apart from notions of romantic love, then love is the reflection of the divine as experienced through the lens of another, whether it is a person, nature, art, pets, an act, or endless list of possible ways to experience love the divine, whatever it is that takes us outside ourselves and into a higher state of being. that is love, to me.

Me (posting as "Anonymous"):
Stella's definition comes closest to what I think of as Love. Love is the divinity within us recognizing the divine within another.It is not dependent on any particular object and it isn't dependent upon any favorable judgment of mine. God is in everything. The degree to which I can realize this and love everything is the degree to which I am sane.Love is the eye of God seeing its creation and saying "This is good."Love is a kind of worship.

My brother:
Anonymous: "Love is the eye of God seeing its creation and saying "This is good."Have you gotten hold of my book manuscript?! That's fairly close to a quote!Great amplification on what Stella said."Isn't dependent on any favorable judgment..." What about on the qualities of the loved one? That's something which, if I recall correctly, Freud had problems with. How, he wonderered, could love not depend on the beloved having laudable qualities? He thought the idea of a universal love, or "agape," rendered the idea of love meaningless.I'd need to know more about what "worship" means to follow that one.

Me:
Then you would like Meister ekhardt --- "The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me."

Maybe universal love only renders the conventional idea of love meaningless?

When you love a person for their particular qualities that is only the tip of the love iceberg.

When you love the whole iceberg (including yourself) without reservation, it becomes something closer to worship.

God seeing God with the eye of God. Unity.

Pretty interesting stuff. See the whole thread.

I need a new web host

2005-06-15T21:23:00.000-04:00

My web host, who shall remain nameless for the present, is really starting to irk me. My site goes down very frequently. The answer is always the same: routine server maintenance. Paleeease.

I've got to find a host that knows what hot swapping means. The thing is, you can never tell what it's going to be like until you go through the hassle of moving your site. I hear good things about GoDaddy - but they're new and hot right now, which makes me worry that they won't be able to scale like the big boys.

There has to be a way to get good metrics on downtime from hosts. Anyone that could offer this service would make a killing. Hmmmmm. You'd have to know a bunch of sites from a particular host and ping them at a reasonable frequency and capture the stats.... Ugh. No wonder no one does this!

Update: I just found these guys:
http://www.hosting-report.com/

But I must have a suspicious mind. How do I know they are truly independent?

Brain's Metaphor Center Identified

2005-05-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

Metaphors make for colorful sayings, but can be confusing when taken literally. A study of people who are unable to make sense of figures of speech has helped scientists identify a brain region they believe plays a key role in grasping metaphors.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000BE01D-E7E3-1294-A7E383414B7F0000

Predictable Behavior Patterns Interspersed with Moments of Grace

2005-05-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

My uncle and I were having a discussion yesterday about how little of who we are has to do with our making. I strongly suspect that what we think of as our personalities are no more under our control than is the color of our eyes.

We're all on auto pilot - responding to each other and situations in the same predictable and automatic ways we have for a our entire lives. Even if the desire to change is there, the ability to do so is not. This isn't a negative thought. It is just pointing out something that should be obvious (but that we pretend is not).

So what do we do? Where do we go with that kind of knowledge of ourselves?

I've done some reading about the selfless state of consciousness -- living in the present moment as a nameless point of consciousness as opposed to little person with a name, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I've had the privilege of being in that state for brief periods of time (so I know what I'm missing on a day-to-day basis).

When I think back to those moments of clarity and try to remember how they arose, I have a difficult time. The thoughts and activities preceding them seem random. They seemed to just happen on their own. Once started, I recognized what it was and I didn't resist for as long as I could handle it. But in the end, I was either distracted or came out of it when fear arose.

So I think I know something about how to maintain it: Don't resist it. Trust it and go with it. Drop the fear as soon as it arises and trust and let go. But I don't have a clue about how it comes to me in the first place, or what I can do to encourage it. Guess I'll keep reading.

Here's the best of the best with regard to the books I've read on this subject in recent years:

The Power of Now - Ekhart Tolle
On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious - Douglas Harding
Loving What Is - Byron Katie
Collision with the Infinite - Suzanne Siegel

Funerals

2005-05-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Zane's grandfather passed away after a long illness. The funeral is on Sunday. I haven't been to a funeral since Nan's dad passed away. I can't believe how long ago that was.

This will be easier for me than that was. I knew Nancy's father quite well and watching her suffer the loss was like losing part of myself. I didn't know Zane's grandfather at all but I know and love his parents and want to go to the viewing as much for them as for Zane and the boys.

It seems Zane already has come to terms with the loss, but if there is any remaining emotions that he hasn't yet faced, he is likely to do so on Sunday. Funerals seem to provide the opportunity to make the death real for anyone still in denial. I guess that's their true purpose -- even more than honoring and remembering the dead. It's the first step towards healing for the family and friends.

I wish I'd known Zane's grandfather. If his son, grandson and great grandsons are examples of the man he was, he must have been something pretty special.

Bunny Suicides

2005-05-09T17:51:00.000-04:00

Bunny Suicides

Geese and Goslings

2005-05-05T21:25:00.000-04:00

Where I work there are plenty of nesting geese. The goslings have begun hatching and it creates a major distraction. I sit near a large window and it's very tempting to take time out and watch the new arrivals.

The goslings are so well camouflaged that it's difficult to see them in these shots.

Ooooogly.

2005-04-30T18:57:00.000-04:00

This atrocity belongs to my brother. Okay, so I embellished the hood a bit. But it's still sad.

Flowers at My Brother's House

2005-04-28T22:29:00.000-04:00

Blog Connections

2005-04-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting experience the other day when another Lynne Martin contacted me out of the blue to say "hello." Although she didn't say how she found Riddle Lake, my guess is she was doing a bit of ego surfing and stumbled upon my site.

Interestingly, she is also a designer (of the interior kind) and used to live in Pennsylvania. Small world.

What struck me most about this brief e-mail exchange is how easy it is for contacts to be made over the Web and what the implications of that are for our society. We are all empowered with instant access to vast amounts of highly specific information. I don't think anyone has thought through exactly the ramifications of all of this.

I was just discussing this with my Uncle last night as it relates to flash mobs. Although basically silly, the cool thing about flash mobs is the power of modern communication and its ability to instantly communicate/organize a group of people and call them to specific action. I often wonder why flash mobs do things like cluck like chickens instead of some kind of meaningful demonstration. Maybe there is some organized activism that uses flash mob-style assemblage, but if there is I haven't heard of it.

Last Week's Flood Waters

2005-04-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

We got some serious rain last week and as happened once before in the five years that I've lived here, the creek flooded the ball field and surrounding park land. Here's a pretty good picture of the creek at its worst as taken from my bedroom window:

We got some more rain again this week, but nothing too dramatic.

All the changes in the weather have gotten to me health-wise. It's back and forth between the 40's and the 70's and I can't shake this virus or whatever it is I've had lately. Had a fever again last night. I feel better today but still really weak.

I wish Spring would just come already and stay for a while.

Paul's a blogger!

2005-03-26T18:34:00.000-05:00

Paul has started a blog:
A Spiritual Diablog

(Love the name)

"A Spiritual Diablog exists to help promote thoughtful discussion of religious and spiritual matters among people of any and no religious persuasion. People of every faith and no faith are equally welcome. I am especially interested in respectful dialogue among people with diverse points of view."

Paul gets a house call

2005-03-26T18:29:00.000-05:00

My brother Paul received a house call from a Dr. Ted Tatarian, the cousin of a former colleague of mine from Bluestone Software. Dr. Tatarian is a neurologist at Jefferson in Philly. He spend over two hours at my brother's house reviewing medical records, taking down Paul's history and giving a neurological examination.

After having a good look at Paul, he doesn't think his condition is primarily neurological, but rather a connective tissue disease of some kind. He cites the pronounced loss of soft tissue (fatty padding) most noticeably in Paul's hands and feet. He seemed puzzled by that feature of Paul's disease and felt that the history of muscle pain was actually more connective tissue pain.

He said he would consult with other specialists and give us a call in a few days. Paul has also managed to locate a general practitioner who makes house calls. So if Dr. Tatarian and his colleagues can come up with a diagnosis that is treatable, he could get medication through the general practitioner.

I'll post more as we get more details.

Tea Time

2005-02-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

The way we talk to each other, the way we drive, the way we work... these things matter. We behave as if they don't, but in day-to-day life, I can think of nothing more important than to do these little things really well.

They have a cumulative effect and they spread like a virus. There was a television commercial once that followed a smile that traveled through about 12-15 people in a 30 second spot. The first person smiled and opened a door for the second, who a few moments later handing the dropped glove to a third, and so on. The viral spread of good will toward man. That's actually how quality and attention spread as well.

When I observe someone doing a really good job -- say a waitress or someone behind a counter somewhere -- I instinctively want to do the same. It makes me want to do a better job at whatever it is I'm doing. To really concentrate on it in the moment and to move swiftly and efficiently with a good spirit.

We don't all get the opportunity to have the world stage -- to be a good politician or religious leader. Most of us have to contend with being good brothers, sisters, parents, children, employees, managers, etc. But if we act as if doing these things well is unimportant day-to-day and moment-to-moment, we never truly live.

Time to start living. Time to turn life into one eternal tea ceremony. It beats the heck out of waiting to hit the lottery, for the kids to grow up, or to get promoted in order to start living. And if enough people get infected, who knows what will happen.

Life Changes

2005-02-27T19:03:00.000-05:00

My family has been in a perpetual state of crisis for many years now. It began over a decade ago when my brother first began to experience symptoms of his now chronic muscle and nerve pain. No one knows what he has after years of research, doctor visits and many dollars spent. Johns Hopkins says it may be something they have never seen.

As his condition deteriorated and his emotional response to his condition worsened, the family suffered along with him. Most notably, my mother and myself. My mother, because her baby was sick and she could do nothing about it. And me, because my brother who I respect and love deeply was suffering. Additionally, the burden of research grew such that my own body began to fail. I developed symptoms of fibromyalgia in the mid 1990's which coincided with my brother's worst years, emotionally speaking.

Eventually, my brother pushed through the emotional crisis of being one of the afflicted and came out stronger, wiser, saner and full of faith. He continues to amaze me. Now, as his health declines his spirit and his mind grow stronger.

I also improved -- both emotionally and physically. Lifestyle changes including regularly sleeping habits, reduction of caffeine intake and meditation have all helped a great deal, as did a year of weekly massage therapy. I also credit Dr. Paul St. Amand's guaifenesin treatment protocol (http://www.guaidoc.com/index.htm). I take 1200 mg daily and have since 1998.

Mom lives with me, now. Being closer to her kids (Paul lives only five minutes away) seems to help her.

All this to say, that the kind of adversity we have had to face is unusual. Most families don't have to deal with this. But I hope it is comforting for others to realize that even under such dire straights, the human spirit is such that it can overcome. We each have within us the ability to adapt and to take new attitudes and to dig deep when we need to do so in order to survive -- even to thrive.

If you have had a life filled with good fortune, enjoy it. But also know that if you are tested, you can overcome even the unimaginable.

You don't just walk into Mordor...

2005-02-20T18:59:00.000-05:00

http://waxy.org/random/images/weblog/mortor.gif

Opinion: On-line Registration

2005-02-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

Everyone has had to put up with on-line registration at one time or another, and almost everyone resents it. Not only is it inconvenient and irritating, but it is potentially a risk to your privacy depending on the site's policies for managing personal data.

Perhaps most frustrating of all are sites that restrict information -- brochures, white papers, product spec sheets and the like -- from users who prefer not to register. It is in the site's best interest to allow prospects to easily obtain company information. Forced registration puts an arbitrary obstacle between you products and services and your prospects. It is simply bad for business.

Even though designers, developers, and customers all recognize that forcing registration is controversial at best, registration is still enforced all too frequently and even worse, the data captured often times extends well beyond the reasonable core contact information.

In my experience working as a Web and Graphic designer in a variety of industries over the years, it appears that this problem is consistently perpetuated by Marketers hell bent on lead generation. (Note that the term isn't valid lead generation.) By putting registration in between your customer and their goal, you are likely to receive invalid data. So now, not only have you irritated your customer, but you have gathered no valuable data and have compromised the integrity of the data you do have.

If you absolutely must force user registration in an effort to obtain hot leads for sales, I recommend you adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Give customers something valuable for their trouble: Rebates, discounted pricing, chances to win prizes -- all of these are reasonable offerings that can justify a registration request.

2. Ask for a minimal amount of personal information: Don't force registrants to give up too much personal data or they will enter bogus information. Your inside sales force should qualify the leads. All that should be captured during registration is the bare minimum: Name, Company, and e-mail. Questions about job function, ability to purchase and make recommendations, annual revenue, etc. have no place on a user registration form.

3. Always have a contact opt-in check box, unchecked: Do not pre-check and opt-in box. Yes, this practice has become ubiquitous. But it is devious and underhanded and says only bad things about your organization.

4. Link to your privacy policy from the registration form: If you are going to ask for personal information, make sure it is easy for customers to learn what you are going to do with it.

So long, Carly.

2005-02-09T19:48:00.000-05:00

Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

Carly Fiorina Resigns from HP

Does this mean we can all get our jobs back now?

CM Tech Preview

2005-01-29T11:23:00.000-05:00

Kiesel sent this to me. I have a printed copy somewhere. It never fails to crack me up. Ah, the HP memories...

http://www.addelement.com/techPreview_cm/

Ooooh... it's so pretty!

2005-01-22T19:37:00.000-05:00

But that's enough.
Seriously.

First real snow of the season

2005-01-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

Finally, it feels like January. Coming from New Hampshire as I do, I was having a really hard time dealing with the complete absence of snow so far this season. I like my Christmas white, thank you very much. Actually, Thanksgiving doesn't even feel normal without some snow on the ground. And green grass with Christmas lights is just too much to bear.

Granted, it's only a dusting -- only about an inch. But I'll take what I can get at this point.

Let it snow!

Archie McPhee

2005-01-13T21:32:00.000-05:00

This web site has some really bizarre items up for grabs from unusual Action Figures to finger hooks and everything in between.

Wish I'd seen this before the holidays. And I always wondered where to go to get pink lawn flamingos.

And I think this is the ultimate cube toy of all time:

Badger, Badger, Badger

2005-01-09T01:05:00.000-05:00

First saw this years ago and had completely forgotten about it until my buddy Pete reminded me. Speakers on, please.

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/

Bluestone Rocks

2005-01-07T19:18:00.000-05:00

It's been a lousy couple of weeks. I've been trying to get a doctor -- any doctor -- to come to my brother's house to evaluate him and provide a prescription for some kind of pain medicine without success. It is so difficult to fathom that people who could help won't -- for fear that they will be another victim of the "war on drugs." What's worse, is that in some cases, I don't even think it's that. I think it's just an unwillingness to make any exceptions in how they do business. A reluctance to inconvenience themselves to help someone who is suffering. I don't know why certain people decide to go into medicine. I suspect it must be for the ego trip in some cases and not from the desire to help the sick.

The many phone calls and e-mails have led me nowhere and left me feeling pretty sick myself.

On a whim, I decided to post a message to the "Bluestone Rocks" Yahoo! group that Dave Hunt established for former employees of Bluestone Software. I didn't give it any thought beforehand, I just sent a message briefly stating the situation and asking for suggestions, leads on good docs, etc. To be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much. Not because people didn't want to help, but because the situation is a sticky one and there aren't many options.

The response was incredible. People had great ideas and even did some research on their own into agencies and hospitals that might be helpful. Some people told me of their own health problems and passed along their success stories and doctor contact info. Others had no suggestions but offered to pray and gave me emotional support. And many more contacted family members who are in the medical profession and passed along their advice. I even received the contact information of a neurologist in Jefferson Hospital who is willing to speak with me -- the cousin of a former colleague.

The compassion that was extended to me and my brother from these "Bluestonians" was amazing. It's too soon to know if any leads or ideas that were presented will pan out. But it's already done a lot to put the wind back in my sails.

People are fundamentally good. Sometimes I can forget that fact. Today some very good people helped me to remember.

Homebound and in Pain

2005-01-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows about my brother Paul's situation. For those of you who don't, he has been suffering from an undiagnosed condition for over ten years. The main feature has been constant muscle pain and extreme susceptibility to injury. He also has severe osteoporosis such that he is at risk of a spontaneous stress fracture of the pelvis and low back. He can no longer drive, sit, or walk except for teetering around his house like a 90-year old man. He is 48-years old.

Bad enough, but it gets worse. We can't find a doctor willing to come to his house -- even once -- to evaluate him and prescribe pain medication.

You can thank the war on drugs, I suppose. That combined with indifference on the part of his primary care physician. It's hard to imagine that anyone would who could help would allow my brother to live in agony rather than do something slightly out of the ordinary.

I've begun reaching out again to organizations and hospitals in an attempt to find some help. If anyone has any ideas or contacts, please let me know.

Welcome 2005!

2005-01-02T20:06:00.000-05:00

May it beat the pants off of 2004.

Not the best year for me. I'm very happy to see it fade into memory. I celebrated the evening with my best buddies Nancy and Zane. We decided to do a repeat of last year's festivities with a trip to New Hope, PA. Only this time, we got a hotel so we could all make merry and no one had to be the designated driver.

We had a great dinner which included Caribou (yeah, that's right. The big deer-like things that run around in Maine). Surprisingly tasty. Not too gamey. Kind of like venison, but better.

We want hopping from bar-to-bar including Triumph Brewery (which was my favorite Philadelphia-area brewery until Traci and Dean turned me on to Yard's).

Yesterday was a complete wash. I felt like I'd eaten a caribou and drank one too many. I barely got out of bed long enough to watch Goldmember for the third time. I can't even look at Mike Meyers in character as Goldmember without laughing.

Today I've done some work on the site. I now have a silly theme switcher deal. I don't know... I needed something to do. I've also added a couple of new pics of Karma Kitty and the house.

And now, it's dinner time. I have some goodies from Trader Joe's to prepare and some POM juice to imbibe. (Man, I love that stuff.)

Over and out.

I'm going to Trader Joe's

2004-12-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

I feel like I'm constantly dealing with some corporate octopus that is reaching into my purse with one arm, charging my credit card with another, checking what's in my cart with a third, sending me spam with a fourth, and bitch-slapping me with the last three.

Take Acme, my local grocery store. The lines are always long and only about half of them are for large orders. Of those, maybe one has a bagger working, maybe not.

So what does Acme do? They create self-serve checkouts as a high-tech alternative to their crappy service. So now not only do I get to bag my own groceries, but I get to ring them up, too! And every time I have used this "service" out of desperation, the sappy female computer voice that announces the price of each item and reminds me to swipe my Acme card suddenly changes in to a threatening masculine voice accusing me of theft. This always brings around some spotty-faced teenager to do some magic to get me through the checkout process. (He or she should be ringing up and bagging groceries, IMHO.)

As a result, I am now a customer of Trader Joe's. They actually ring and bag groceries and the lines are never long no matter how many shoppers are in the store. And they're pleasant! They actually look you in the eye when they talk to you instead of glazing over and looking aimlessly at their shoes while mumbling "Have a nice day."

Acme be damned. And on a tip from another blog I tried Trader Joe's frozen pizza. Man... It is really good. Better quality products, lower prices, better service. Let's hope as Trader Joe's reaps the rewards of their superior business model that they don't lose sight of what made them great to begin with: Customer Service.

Tomorrow is Monday?

2004-12-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

I slept through most of my vacation, so I suppose the time lapse effect is my own fault. But I still can't believe I have to get up in the morning and go to work.

It should be a slow week since a lot of people are taking time off to extend the holiday. I'm hoping to be able to work on the next skin for my site after work. I think I'll do a year of changing seasons. I have a very wintry theme up now on the site. I've begun working on a spring version.

I really like the way I've done the site this time around. It's very easy to reskin. All I need to do is tweak the classes and I'm done. I'm not supporting v4.* browsers so it makes it much easier that in the past. I'm hiding anything that older browsers would choke on by importing it into my safe style sheet. Nice and neat.

I've got a one-pixel issue in Opera and Firefox that I haven't been able to figure out, yet. But I'm not going to lose too much sleep over one-pixel. But maybe I can figure that out this week as well.

As for now, I'm off to watch the ending of A Knight's Tale on cable. So far it's really poorly written and acted, but the male lead is quite the hottie, so there you have it.

Publicizing a Blog

2004-12-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

I just read Molly's tips on Blogger.com for promoting a blog. Some of it was just common sense, but some of it involved techniques and services I had never heard of. One such services is Blogsnob. It's a cross-linking deal where you create an add and agree to host ads on your blog in return.

I've gone ahead and implemented this as it's free and seemed like it might have some value. But my concern is that the ads that are now displaying on my site can be about absolutely anything. I don't know exactly how ads are screened or if they are. I'm all for free speech but I'd dislike it if some hate monger put up some ad promoting the next clan meeting, or something.

I'm probably being paranoid. But if you should happen to see anything that you think I would rather NOT have advertised on my blog (pro war propoganda, Bush supporters waving flags, pro-life crap, etc.) give me a yell, would ya? Thanks.

Bush's Carefully Stacked Deck

2004-12-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

Belated Christmas gift idea for the liberals on your list.
http://www.bushcards.com/

The ex is an artist.

2004-12-23T22:35:00.000-05:00

Pete, my ex-husband, contacted me back in the spring out of the blue. I hadn't heard a peep from him for years. He told me that he had a house, a young girl friend, that he was as thin as when he was in the Army, blah, blah, blah. The main point of the call seemed to be to let me know that he was wonderful. I thought he was pretty damned wonderful when I married him, so he had nothing to prove to me. It was strange.

As happy as I was to hear that things were going well for him, I declined a meeting and additional calls. I liked the old Pete better. He was humble and sincere and really funny. He was pretty damned near hard to beat. But I think I'll pass on Pete v2.0.

Anyway, one of the things he wanted to be sure I knew, was that he was a successful fine artist and that he was about to have his first gallery showing! I never would have imagined that in a million years. When we were together, Pete didn't take art very seriously. It was something he liked to play around with and he did some murals for the Army, I remember. But I never thought he would do anything significant with it.

Shows what I know! Check out his site and his online gallery:
http://peteeworld.netfirms.com/index.html

I really like the piece entitled Bird Sky Water. Pete - if you ever stumble across my site and read this, nice job. Now go back in time and be a sweet, humble, honest guy like you used to be. That's an order.

Bad Customer Service

2004-12-23T21:59:00.000-05:00

Two recent experiences with big business have left me extremely frustrated -- one with Verizon, and one with HP.

I recently cancelled my LAN line and DSL with Verizon because of their refusal to sell me just the DSL. Technically, this is possible. But Verizon won't do it because they prefer to gouge their customers for the LAN line charges even if they don't need the phone line.

So I cancelled service with Verizon in mid October and now rely solely on my cell phone. I also upgraded from DSL to Comcast Cable broadband. I got digital cable while I was at it. So now I'm saving at least $50 a month and I get better service.

You can imagine my surprise when on this month's credit card statement I saw a $43 charge from Verizon in November and another in December. I was on the phone for over 40 minutes with five different "customer service" reps, each one more clueless than the one that preceded them. I may actually be receiving a credit at some point in the future, but I won't believe it until I see it. It was so frustrating.

Now tonight, I go to download some photos from my HP PhotoSmart 215 camera. (Yes, I know. It's a crap camera. But I got it really cheap with the employee discount and it works okay.) Anyway, my hard drive bit the dust and was recently replaced, so I realized I had to reinstall the software. But the HP software CD that came with the camera wouldn’t load. No problem, I think. I'll just download what I need at HP.com.

No such luck. It seems that HP customer service requires I pay $11.00 for software I already bought! I couldn't believe what I was seeing online, so I called their "Customer Care" line and was connected to some lady in Bangalore, India of course. She was very pleasant and informed me that I could download the software from the Web site. I told her I doubted that was true, as I had just tried to do so wihtout success which is why I was calling in the first place. This seemed to confuse her. Perhaps it was the language barrier. She put me on hold and when she returned she informed me that I was correct and that I must pay $11.00 for them to snail mail me another CD.

HP and Verizon will never see another penny from me. Their customer service could not be worse if they tried. Every time I see an HP or Verizon ad on TV or in print I realize that it is money that should have been spent on creating a better customer experience.

Big business needs to realize that the experience they create for their customers IS their bottom line. One greedy $11 transaction and they can lose a customer for life. That's an $11 gain now, at the expense of a customer's lifetime worth of spending.

Why don't they get it?

Aunt Theresa's Visit

2004-12-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

My father's sister, Theresa Martin, just paid me a visit recently. She is a Catholic nun -- Sisters of the Holy Cross -- and she usually lives in Mali. But she has been in North America since summer time for training and medical treatment. She's had a few health problems but is feeling better now. She left for Iowa on Sunday to visit her brother -- my Uncle Paul -- and to get cataract surgery.

It was great to get to know her. This was the first time I have been able to really get to know her. She is a huge fan of Ekhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now). I love his teachings, too and had sent her the book a while back. We have a lot in common, my aunt and I.

I know she loves her work in Africa, but I would really be very happy to hear that she decided to relocate to North America. We don't get to see her often enough.

How a Web Designer Deals with Stress

2004-12-18T01:55:00.000-05:00

My mom had a couple of dizzy spells. Probably nothing, but she wisely chose to see the doctor since stroke runs in our family. The doctor had her get an MRI. We're still waiting for the results. We have been all week.

Her gut tells her she is fine, and her gut is rarely wrong. So I'm trying not to worry, but the waiting is still difficult.

As a result of the stress and the waiting, I redesigned the site...Again. This is like, the third time in six months. I did this in about nine hours. The site is really content-light and as a result, the majority of the time was spent on the graphics and CSS.

The look is cold, gray winter, which feels appropriate.

Keep Mom in your thoughts. She's the best Mom in the world. I know everyone thinks that, but with my Mom it's true.

Best Cat Toy Ever.

2004-12-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

fishighway.com

Catalan Christmas Tradition

2004-12-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

Boing Boing: Have a coprophilic Catalan Christmas

Christmas "log flogging." No, not that kind of log flogging. But a crowd-pleaser none the less.

Artist creates an oil painting daily

2004-12-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

A Painting a Day

Duane Keiser paints a new piece every day and posts it on his blog. Some of his stuff is really good. (Be sure to see Egg 8.) He makes me feel like a complete slacker. I can't manage to do something creative once a week, let alone every day. This guy must have a brush in his hand constantly.

Just in time for Christmas...

2004-12-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

Woot!

If you haven't heard of this site yet, Woot sells one item per day at really good prices. Each day's item becomes available at midnight. When it sells out, it's gone.

Be sure to read their FAQ - it's a riot.

New favorite store for hardware

2004-12-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

Newegg.com

Recently, my hard drive bit the dust. My buddy Pete recommended newegg.com for hardware so I gave them a shot. I have made two purchases so far --a hard drive and a wireless cable router. Both were competitively priced and arrived quickly. I've found a new store for hardware and peripherals.

I'd recommend them if you are in the market for a gadget for your machine. Oh... And as a reminder: Backup your data, people. I lost a lot of mail that I'll never see again when the HD died.

So very, very ugly indeed.

2004-12-11T20:21:00.000-05:00

Buried Lede | The KFS Sweater Project

As promised, this is one of the funnier things sent to me lately. Be sure to click on the links in the descriptions of the sweaters.

It's his facial expressions that really get me.

I've put it off long enough.

2004-12-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

So everyone else is blogging, why not me? This is probably the motivation for most people's original blog entries, whether they says so or not. But with luck, time and an interesting enough life, sometimes good things come of it.

I imagine I'll babble on about web design and usability from time-to-time. I'll use it as a place to post links to anything I come across that is particularly interesting. I'll try to avoid things you see all over the place, like the Mary on a piece of toast or Jesus in a dental x-ray. And I imagine I'll spend some time talking about my friends and family.

I've been going through my mail tonight and people have been sending me some really odd stuff. I'll have to post again a bit later with links to some of the funnier links I've received. But for now, the laundry takes precedence. It's a glamorous life I lead.