Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
David Ignatius wrote this ponderable piece in yesterday's Washington Post.
And this little kid has a lot of the blues, and a good bit of talent in his little body. Don't fret: this little man has never been to Reno.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Whale of a tale
Mila, a thoughtful and sensitive beluga whale in Northeast China, had a moment. Here's the tale. Have you hugged a whale today?
And no, Virginia, beluga caviar comes from the sturgeon, not the whale.
And no, Virginia, beluga caviar comes from the sturgeon, not the whale.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
That's Entertainment...
I do not own a TV. I do not watch television. I must, therefore, find other ways to entertain myself.
Please note that I did not say that I don't watch TV shows. For that there is Hulu, among other things.
One entertainer in particular has kept me quite entertained this summer: Nathan Fillion. He has been on Firefly. which led to Serenity, with a detour over to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Good stuff for procrastination galore.
Most recently, Nathan Fillion has appeared on the ABC series Castle as the main character Richard Castle. He has tweeted as himself, and (I just discovered) as his character. Well done, Mr. Fillion.
Please note that I did not say that I don't watch TV shows. For that there is Hulu, among other things.
One entertainer in particular has kept me quite entertained this summer: Nathan Fillion. He has been on Firefly. which led to Serenity, with a detour over to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Good stuff for procrastination galore.
Most recently, Nathan Fillion has appeared on the ABC series Castle as the main character Richard Castle. He has tweeted as himself, and (I just discovered) as his character. Well done, Mr. Fillion.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tell me a story
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
This morning I came across this story, which tells of one man's photo-of-the-day chronicle. Some stories, as they say, take no words at all.
This morning I came across this story, which tells of one man's photo-of-the-day chronicle. Some stories, as they say, take no words at all.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Don't overthink it
Harder for some of us than others to disengage from our regularly scheduled program. Here are a few pit stops on the way off the grid for the weekend.
Do something silly this weekend, but don't be a weiner.
This wedding entrance should get the party started.
Now go, roam free. Watch some Saturday morning cartoons, if you get the chance.
Do something silly this weekend, but don't be a weiner.
This wedding entrance should get the party started.
Now go, roam free. Watch some Saturday morning cartoons, if you get the chance.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Don't be a Twit
Dictionary.com offers several definitions for the word "twit," both as a noun and a verb. Among them (as a noun) are "a foolishly annoying person," and "a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning."
It is this second definition that came to mind while reading about the tweeting of the soon-to-be-former governor of the fourty-ninth state on Gawker.com. This is a cautionary tale, Gentle Reader. Let not the fabric of your moral nor mental fiber wear so thin as to make of yourself a twit. And of course, if a bear tweets in the woods, is it not better to simply let it be?
It seems she is not the only one to succumb to the the tempting vixen that is Twitter. This post presents some other examples. Seriously, folks, yes, you can report to the world your every thought and movement (in 140 characters or less), but does anyone care? And if they do, what is your audience's motivation?
Hey, if you are going to tweet, keep it light, like Nathan Fillion. At least he is aware that folks who follow tweets are voyeurs, and he posts appropriately. Yes, the man panders well to his target demographic. Thanks for that, Captain Tight Pants.
It is this second definition that came to mind while reading about the tweeting of the soon-to-be-former governor of the fourty-ninth state on Gawker.com. This is a cautionary tale, Gentle Reader. Let not the fabric of your moral nor mental fiber wear so thin as to make of yourself a twit. And of course, if a bear tweets in the woods, is it not better to simply let it be?
It seems she is not the only one to succumb to the the tempting vixen that is Twitter. This post presents some other examples. Seriously, folks, yes, you can report to the world your every thought and movement (in 140 characters or less), but does anyone care? And if they do, what is your audience's motivation?
Hey, if you are going to tweet, keep it light, like Nathan Fillion. At least he is aware that folks who follow tweets are voyeurs, and he posts appropriately. Yes, the man panders well to his target demographic. Thanks for that, Captain Tight Pants.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Target Demographic
I recently attended a wine and jewelry event at an upscale suburban mall with a friend of mine. This friend (let's call her Judy) LOVES things that are shiny and pretty with fancy packaging. She also loves wine. And she love a good sales pitch. Judy was in heaven.
The event was basically a progressive wine tasting, allowing the jewelry stores in the mall (surely hard hit by the current economy) to make showcase their wares to the progressively inebriated. Each time we walked into a new jewelry store, Judy would "oooh" and "ahhh" over whatever was shiniest until she had the attention of some eager salesperson.
"Your friend seems to be really enjoying herself," said one saleswoman, sidling up to me rather casually.
"Yes," I replied, "she IS your target demographic."
"Perhaps I can show you some of our bracelets," she said, eagerly reaching for her keys to open one of the display cases.
"No, thank you," I replied firmly but otherwise devoid of emotion. "I'm just the designated driver."
When it comes down to it, every single thing that is bought or sold or consumed or traded or marketed or shown on TV/the Internet/at the movies is created with a target demographic in mind. This may explain why my parents don't get the humor on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and why The View does not appeal to my nephew.
But whose target demographic are YOU? Have you ever stopped to think for a moment? Do you fall into the "wired teen hyper texting nano gizmo" crowd who MUST have an iPhone on their person at all times and post on Twitter no less than ten times an hour? Or are you with the "super crunchy peaceful karmic natural granola" crowd who only buy organic and know how to recycle anything? Perhaps you relate to the "instant info all access media frenzy" crowd, with their televisions constantly tuned in to CNN while surfing on MSNBC, TMZ and the Huffington Post.
Just something to think about today. Let's consider it a few minutes of self-contemplation procrastination. I'm not saying you have to share with your neighbors--unless you have something to sell and they are your target demographic.
The event was basically a progressive wine tasting, allowing the jewelry stores in the mall (surely hard hit by the current economy) to make showcase their wares to the progressively inebriated. Each time we walked into a new jewelry store, Judy would "oooh" and "ahhh" over whatever was shiniest until she had the attention of some eager salesperson.
"Your friend seems to be really enjoying herself," said one saleswoman, sidling up to me rather casually.
"Yes," I replied, "she IS your target demographic."
"Perhaps I can show you some of our bracelets," she said, eagerly reaching for her keys to open one of the display cases.
"No, thank you," I replied firmly but otherwise devoid of emotion. "I'm just the designated driver."
When it comes down to it, every single thing that is bought or sold or consumed or traded or marketed or shown on TV/the Internet/at the movies is created with a target demographic in mind. This may explain why my parents don't get the humor on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and why The View does not appeal to my nephew.
But whose target demographic are YOU? Have you ever stopped to think for a moment? Do you fall into the "wired teen hyper texting nano gizmo" crowd who MUST have an iPhone on their person at all times and post on Twitter no less than ten times an hour? Or are you with the "super crunchy peaceful karmic natural granola" crowd who only buy organic and know how to recycle anything? Perhaps you relate to the "instant info all access media frenzy" crowd, with their televisions constantly tuned in to CNN while surfing on MSNBC, TMZ and the Huffington Post.
Just something to think about today. Let's consider it a few minutes of self-contemplation procrastination. I'm not saying you have to share with your neighbors--unless you have something to sell and they are your target demographic.
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