There are many things that make me happy today. Number one, a good friend of mine just had (well, stood by while his wife had) his first son. I’ll link as soon as he has something linkable. Number two, Tigger beat the rap.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think I was the laziest blogger in the world. But then you know that I have my sights set farther than the chatty folk who fill your browser with half-formed brain misfirings and warmed-over putdowns. You’re reading the work of a man who practices the art of the Long Blog. The product of deep thoughts, worthy thoughts that span years, decades, even centuries.
Either that, or not much happens, even by internet standards. Anyway, I’m here at OSCON in the unusually friendly city of Portland, Ore. I present my talk tomorrow. I’m staying in a hip, wired hostel in a very hip part of town.
We have active, active children. Whenever we get frustrated, we try to breathe deeply and remind ourselves that it’s a good thing. No, really. Yesterday, Max discovered that knives are sharp and skin is fragile.
I’ve got a special place in my heart for Napster. They made music theft so convenient — it was fun while it lasted — but then also primed me for something more legitimate and reliable. I’ve heard the news about Napster coming back, and even if it’s limited to this flash movie series I’m a happy man.
I was sad to see that Robert McCloskey died. Of course, I didn’t know he was still alive, but his books help raise our kids (along with about a billion others). Among all the mailed-in, poorly considered garbage in the world of children’s literature, his work was a genuine diamond. In completely unrelated news, Comedy Central’s going to try to put Reno on the map again. Of course, by poking fun at Reno and the police, it’s not like they’re setting the bar real high.
Christopher Damour fixed the minor bug with his excellent NowPlaying WinAmp component, so the list of songs I’m listening to is formatted correctly. I’m not sure why I enjoy broadcasting it so much. In other news, I’m updating the gallery as new photos become available, so you’ll just have to check in now and then. In a fit of angry self-pity I read Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich last night. There’s just no substitute for good literature.
I’m taking advantage of the summer and making some changes around here, and you may have already noticed that I’m emitting the last five songs I’ve listened to, in lieu of making an emotional investment by actually updating the page myself. The song titles are usually mangled, but I’m in touch with the programmer and he’s working on the issue. But I’ve buried the lead; Check out the Burroland Media Department for some new photos, including Sam & Max’s second birthday.
If you were at my PHP seminar given as part of the UNR GS-ACM Web Design Series, you may be interested in seeing the slides. They’re right here, although the PDF and Flash views don’t work. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at heymarcel@acm.org.
I spent most of last week in San Diego at OSCON, but didn’t join in the obsessive blogging by some of the other attendees. So no blow-by-blow account of Lawrence Lessig’s William Shatner-like attack on hacker political apathy, no detailed description of the largely scrumptious buffets. Although I will say that my firm standard regarding raspberries in the fruit salad was met, provided you showed up early enough. I met some wonderful, witty people and learned some fascinating things, but mostly it was just very energizing to see so many smart people in one place, and to be able to thank some of them for the wonderful tools I’ve been using for the past eight years or so. Oh, and I’ll also remember the show as the place where My Mind Was Changed Again On The Mac Vs. Windows Issue. I’m on a quest for an iBook now.
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