31 December 2002

Blogs Officially Mainstream Jenny Levine -- Many people have declared blogs officially "mainstream," especially after the whole Trent Lott debacle, however, there's definitive proof in the January 2003 issue of Ladies Home Journal. "Teenagers used to file first kisses and missed curfews safely under lock and key in a private diary. But today's tech-savvy teens are keeping a blog (short for Web log) or online journal instead. In essence, a blog is a form of personal publishing that allows willing diarists - sometimes anonymous, usually not - to create a Web page where they can share their stories in cyberspace, and update them frequently (there are now as many as 500,000). At livejournal.com, a blog home base, of sorts, the need to build a Web page or buy software is eliminated (users only have to sign up before letting it all out). And letting it out teens are. Says the site's supervisor and developer Jesse Proulx: 'Some kids even consider blogging a new form of therapy.' Tom Murphy echoes much the same, speaking from the the PR world where he says "blogs were obviously the hottest topic in the online PR world and there was plenty of good advice on how to tackle them" in 2002. ["Their Heart on Their Screen" in Ladies Home Journal, Jan 03 p88 and The Shifted Librarian. Plus Lloyd Trufelman and Laura Goldberg in "Pitching Blogs." And Phil Gomes in "Blogs: Ignore them at your peril."]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

Comments for Irish Minister Dermot Ahern GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- I concur with comments raised in Business Opinion sections of several Irish papers. The Irish Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources should direct participation by his colleagues in the public discussion forum of the Department website, including a rallying cry to the thread that asks, "Is this forum a sham." Minister Ahern should publicly advocate a major project, like the metropolitan fibre ring in Kilkenny (YES!) or the Digital Hub in The Liberties of Dublin. Minister Ahern ought to champion an easy victory in the realm of WiFi enablement, perhaps by "a national policy to encourage the development of wireless hotpspots in public areas such as libraries, airports and universities" as articulated by Karlin Lillington. ["Communication must be Minister Ahern's keyword" by Karlin Lillington in The Irish Times and The Ireland Offline Forum and The Eircom Tribunal.]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

What Should I Do With My Life Aaron Swartz -- What Should I Do With My Life? asks Aaron the teenager. Po Bronson also asks this in his new book. Some of Aaron's shortlist items could be my resolutions, including Use wireless to bring back the community-run Internet Write software to make non-commercial copying easier Read lots of books Answer email and chat on IRC [Dewayne Mikkelson and Aaron Swartz]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

Housebreaking My New Dog in Seven Days [day nine] GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- The big news is the puppy has relieved herself outside when directed to go outside. (I wonder if this means I've got a housebreaking victory ahead of Karlin Lillington completing her XP installation?) She (Holly) needs to be invited outside when it's dark out back. She would rather use the newspaper inside the house because it's warm and familiar. I haven't been able to get her to be productive when on short or long walks. However, we'll take our small victories and outside action of any kind is good. PLAN: Walk Holly solo, with a treat in my pocket and keep her in an area where other dogs have marked. Find another cleaning agent because Toilet Duck cleanser does not remove the residue of her previous markings. [Karlin Lillington]   [Comment on Shoptalk]

My New Year's Resolution GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- I have a single New Year's Resolution and it is to execute at least one line of an outline each day. That's no mean feat, when using a Bonsai outline on a Palm planner. Chris Gulker offers encouragement: "I like simple resolutions that are easy to keep and that can add up to big changes." [Bonsai]   [Comment on Shoptalk]