“Internet connection is required for this application.” Well, so much for using it to troubleshoot our internet connection.
Asides
Discovered I missed a lunar eclipse this morning/last night, but it’s just as well…
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles
Discovered I missed a lunar eclipse this morning/last night, but it's just as well I didn't wake up early. (And besides, I caught a great one just last fall) On the plus side, I found a nice list of upcoming solar eclipses searchable by viewing location. August 2017 will be a good partial eclipse from Southern California, and a total eclipse along a wide track across North America. And J will be old enough to appreciate it. Road trip!
Does anyone else see those signs saying, “Should the elevator doors fail to open…” and think, “No, they shouldn’t!”
Does anyone else see those signs saying, “Should the elevator doors fail to open…” and think, “No, they shouldn’t!”
I sort of see digital comics in their current form as renting indefinitely
I sort of see digital comics in their current form as renting indefinitely, not purchasing outright. But when I think about it, there are an awful lot of comics that I read once and then toss in a box never to be seen again. Under those circumstances, the risk of losing those digital comics to a combination of DRM and company whim and/or business failure doesn’t make much difference.
Sure, there’s no resale value when I’m done with those comics. But let’s face it: there’s very little resale value on most of the physical comics I’ve bought and read once.
I still buy most of my comics on paper, but there are a few series I’ve tried out digitally, and so far aside from the fact that ComiXology could really benefit from a usability expert overhauling their UI, it’s mostly worked out so far.
When you try to imitate the experience of reading a print book online, you get something that falls short of both print & online experience.
When you try to imitate the experience of reading a print book online, you get something that falls short of both print & online experience.
Darkseid conquering Earth
See, this is why I don’t understand when people claim the premise of Final Crisis is hard to describe. You summed it up in three words.
End of an era: I’ve let my LiveJournal account lapse from paid to basic.
End of an era: I've let my LiveJournal account lapse from paid to basic.
Aaand Facebook Mobile never actually posted my status from the middle of the eclipse. I
Aaand Facebook Mobile never actually posted my status from the middle of the eclipse. I was hoping to copy+paste that into my full blog post.
Shotwell is getting more annoying all the time. For example: it assumes you’re importing from…
Shotwell is getting more annoying all the time. For example: it assumes you're importing from a pure camera, so if you plug in, say, a smartphone, it offers to import every single image on the device. Including your web browser cache. That's helpful.
But the latest: It strips out timezone data?!?! I uploaded a whole batch of eclipse photos dated tomorrow. At least Flickr lets me fix it with two clicks for the whole set.
Clouds are rising, but still well below the sun. Can’t see Catalina anymore.
Clouds are rising, but still well below the sun. Can't see Catalina anymore.
Eclipse watch: Clouds started rolling in toward the west, so I headed up into the…
Eclipse watch: Clouds started rolling in toward the west, so I headed up into the hills. There's a ton of people up here! Now as long as the wind doesn't blow my pinhole camera over the cliff…
Keeping your pull list sane
As others have mentioned, dropping stuff you don’t actually read is a good idea. I’ve got two books that I haven’t read in the last three months, though in one case I’ve been holding off so that I could read a whole arc at once.
I’ll go one farther: If you ever find that you don’t like a book much, and you’re only reading it for completeness’ sake, or because you feel like you have to in order to keep up with the publisher’s shared universe, drop it. I used to get every big DC event comic, but I didn’t actually like a lot of them, and they just took up space. So I made a decision that from now on, I won’t buy events just because they’re universe-spanning. I’ll only buy the events that look interesting to me.
One more thing I’ve found helps is to start with “what if I could only buy one comic?” Pick one. Then “What if I could only buy two?” Pick the second one. Keep going until you reach the number that fits your budget. It’s a ranked list, but taking it one item at a time really forces you to think about the top of the list.
The Poky Little Puppy has become unstuck in time.
The Poky Little Puppy has become unstuck in time.
Elevator doors open. Somewhere out of view to the right, a woman with a German…
Elevator doors open. Somewhere out of view to the right, a woman with a German accent shouts, “Run!” Another woman runs past the elevator trying not to drop a paper plate with a slice of pizza. Elevator doors close.
I think I just heard the original Schnitzelbank song on KUSC. No mention of Wakko’s head.
I think I just heard the original Schnitzelbank song on KUSC. No mention of Wakko’s head.
DC Fan on Marvel
I think there’s something to the big-universe effect.
I’ve read mainly DC since I was a kid, with more indie books mixed in over the last decade, and only the occasional Marvel book. What kept me coming back to DC was the familiar universe. What’s kept me away from Marvel, I think, is the unfamiliar universe.
I’m a lot more willing to pick up an indie book that takes place in its own self-contained world than a book in a big established world that’s likely to pull in the rest of the line. This has been true for Marvel, certainly, but also for WildStorm (when it was its own universe), Top Cow, etc. The books I’ve read from those publishers, Marvel included, tend to be creator-driven or take place in their own little corner of the shared universe.
TLDR: I think Marvel’s fine, but I’ve just never gotten into it.
Because, really, who *wouldn’t* want a singing cook pot that exclaims things like, “Oh, the nutrients!”
Because, really, who *wouldn’t* want a singing cook pot that exclaims things like, “Oh, the nutrients!”
The web is built on hypertext, and that’s what hypertext is for.
The web is built on hypertext, and that’s what hypertext is for. And I’ve heard it suggested that hypertext mimics the way people think: Following connections as we think of them, not following some externally-imposed linear progression.
There’s something weird about a car dealership plugging an Earth Day sale, even if the company is known for hybrids & electrics.
There’s something weird about a car dealership plugging an Earth Day sale, even if the company is known for hybrids & electrics.
Yes, I think that’s hail clattering against the windows. I don’t think I’ll be walking to lunch today
Yes, I think that’s hail clattering against the windows. I don’t think I’ll be walking to lunch today. It’s probably not much colder outside than the in cafe downstairs, but the cafe won’t be as wet. And it’s less likely that something will fall on my head.
Wow. That one was close enough to rattle windows and set off car alarms.