The Partier, the New Renter and the Partier's Friends

Once upon a time, a partier rented and moved into a beautiful house whereupon he began holding a huge, never-ending party that lasted during the next eight years. At first, the neighbors thought the man was charming and cool. However, the partier refused to clean up the messes left from the constant debauchery. Soon, leftover trash became towering piles of garbage, which emanated an awful stench all over the neighborhood.

During his eighth year of living there, the partier announced that his lease was up. He was moving out, and a new renter was moving in. However, just before moving out, one of the trash piles ignited. Soon, a monstrous blaze was raging. It was on the verge on consuming the entire place. The partier moved out.

The new renter moved in and began working immediately on putting out this fire, which neighborhood old-timers said was the worst the neighborhood had seen during the last seven decades. The new renter attached his hose to the next-door neighbor’s outdoor water spigot and began fighting the out-of-control fire. His decision to use the neighbor’s faucet began to payoff. The growth of the fire, at first, slowed down. Then, the new renter began to make progress as the blaze was starting to show signs of abating.

At this time, the nice neighbors letting the new renter use their spigot moved out. Friends of the partier moved in. These new neighbors resented the fact that the new renter was making progress on fighting the fire. They would like nothing more than to see him fail and be evicted. They even said as much. The partier’s friends turned off the spigot. That left new renter to battle the blaze by himself.

Because he had no access to water, the new renter’s headway on the fire stalled. The partier’s friends soon began complaining about how the new renter hadn’t put the fire out yet. The new renter repeatedly asked the new neighbors if he could continue tapping into their water supply, and repeatedly, he was turned down.

Months passed. The smoldering ashes started to show signs of flaring up again. Despite having the support of most of the people in the neighborhood, the partier’s friends living next door exercised their power, once again, of blocking use of the their spigot. Soon, they began clamoring for the new man’s eviction. They said he’s had three and a half years to put out the fire. Moreover, they said he should quit blaming it on the partier who lived there before.

How will this story play out? Will the new renter get evicted? Will the partier's friends move out? Stay tuned...

Newspaper Stains

It seems that web designers have inherited a significant amount of their technical lingo and terminology from the world of print.

I think this circumstance has resulted mostly because web design has its origins in graphic design, which folks have been using for centuries in newspaper and magazine design.

I think it's all a frame of reference. Before the arrival of web design, graphic design was the closest activity people had that bore any resemblance to it. Adopting terms like 'column' or even 'page' made web design more clear and tangible.

While the capabilities of web design has evolved far beyond graphic design, so has its terminology. The old newspaper terms still being used now have added meaning, and I believe, remain relevant. Language has never been static.

Browsing Wars?

I don't have an iPad yet. However, I'd like to get one just to see what it's all about. I recently took a round-trip flight with a couple of stopovers. I noticed that iPads, along with smartphones and Kindles seem to have become prerequisite gear for airport travelers.

From what I've read, the quality of one's browsing experience on an iPad depends greatly on what browser he or she uses. And apparently developers in Silicon Valley are fiercely competing for a piece, if not all, of this burgeoning and increasingly lucrative market. Mozilla, Microsoft, Verizon, Samsung, and around 25 other companies are favoring a W3C group that establishes mobile web browser guidelines. While other tech giants, such as Google and Yahoo, are taking a more hands off approach.

Manning's leaving Indy...and I Don't Really Care.

So, the Indianapolis Colts have cut Peyton Manning. Perhaps, I'm becoming too world-weary as I grow older...but I'm at the point where I, frankly, don't give a shit. Sorry. It's been something I've been increasingly experiencing the last few years. Today's news about Manning coupled with the St. Louis Cardinals recently losing Albert Pujols to free-agency just seems to amplify my growing indifference toward big-time, corporate sports.(The Cardinals winning it all last year kind of forestalled that feeling temporarily.)

I realize big $$$ is nothing new in sports, but its presence has become increasingly blatant these days. I love sports but I think our civilization has lost something by placing too much priority and importance to it. Billions of dollars to build stadia? Multi-million dollar contracts for someone who can pass a football or hit a hardball? I mean...is it really that important?

Telecommuting (Okay...Working At Home!)

Being somewhat of a latecomer to digital technology, I never really thought about 'telecommuting' or working from home via the internet as a condition for evaluating a potential job offer. And telecommuting,it appears, is an option that many companies are offering with jobs in my chosen profession of technical writing.

On first consideration, telecommuting seems like an ideal way to work as a technical writer. This mode of working would enable me to work for almost anyone in the world at almost any given time. Telecommuting would eliminate much of the need for expensive transportation and the concurrent headaches of dealing with traffic jams. Moreover, working at home in this manner would enable me to set my own schedule.

Nevertheless, I believe telecommuting has a downside that would, in my opinion, offset all of the above benefits. I fear eventually that I'd develop a feeling of isolation and alienation. I like to deal with people directly and have a sense that I'm a part of the world. Telecommuting, I believe, would cut me off from those dynamic forces.

(For the record, the person in the above picture isn't me. I 'googled' an image search for telecommuters...and this is one that came up.)

Opening Pandora's Box?

If you’ve been on Facebook lately, you might have noticed numerous posts denouncing Monsanto Corp., an agribusiness giant who appears to be spearheading an effort that enables consumers to buy foods cultivated from genetically-engineered crops, which experts call genetically modified organisms or (GMOs).

So what’s the fuss? GMOs are crops that people have altered in a laboratory with the intent of improving such traits as nutritional content or resistance to herbicides. Traditionally, scientists used the rather lengthy process of selective breeding to enhance crops. However, genetic engineering has proven to be much quicker and more accurate.

Potentially, GMOs could prove to be a windfall for humanity. Scientists could develop crops that can endure droughts and frost. In addition, genetic engineering could enable farmers to grow crops that are resistant to many destructive fungi and viruses.

However, many folks are troubled that GMOs might cause unintended harm to other organisms. One recent study indicated that genetically altered corn caused increased mortality rates among monarch butterfly caterpillars. Another concern many people have is that genetically modified crops could produce a dangerous allergen, which in turn, would be ushered into the world with little or no warning. Moreover, many people fear the new technology simply because so much about its consequences remain unknown.

I tend to agree with the above sentiment. I think we should tread lightly before we open a potential Pandora’s Box that unleashes a whole host of ugly things.

Joel Pondering Peyton

What does the future hold for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts? Joel sheds absolutely no new light on the subjects as he continues to experiment with his webcam.