CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-23 06:17:41 (17 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

Interesting article on learning.

2013-05-23 06:08:25 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Random accidental discovery: if you're having trouble making the G+ sidebar pop up, hit your left arrow key.  It brings it up and it stays there.

2013-05-23 03:05:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

I just finished this book by +Kimberly Chapman and I've got to say it's left me wanting more.

I'm not much of a reviewer, but I can say its worth the $5 she asks for it. It drags a bit in the middle, but the last several chapters more than make up for it.

If you like romance novels, which I generally don't, you'll like this. If you like stories about immortals and the consequences of being immortal, you'll like this. If you like history, this is tangentially related.

So get to work on those sequels +Kimberly Chapman! You've got another reader who wants to see what happens to our friends after the big events at the end.

To help her out the most purchase from smashwords. It seems that they treat authors better than most from what I've heard and they have most if not all of the popular eBook formats.

2013-05-23 00:04:09 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

CHOMP

Tried unidentified multigrain crackers at an event last weekend.

Just successfully identified them as a type from Costco.

They're called Five Seed Multi-Grain Crackers by Crunchmaster.

Pretty sure one of the Five Seeds is crack because I cannot stop eating these things omnomnom.

Their slogan should be, "Putting the crack in cracker!"

http://www.crunchmaster.com/products/multi-seed-grain-club-pack.aspx

No, the aren't paying me to say this, but I would totally take payment in craaaaaaaaaaack.  Ers.

2013-05-22 16:18:54 (49 comments, 86 reshares, 373 +1s)

FANGIRLNERDGASM

2013-05-22 16:07:36 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 8 +1s)

In short, I recommend the shit out of this book.

That was the last sentence I read before going to bed last night, courtesy of +Sarah Gilmore in her epically awesome review of "Finding Gaia" here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/620571980

I was so giddy I could hardly sleep!  Much squeeage was had.  Thank you Sarah!

You can read free samples of the book and/or buy it for $4.99 at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/180554
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008K82BWE
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-gaia-kimberly-chapman/1112082592

Or more stores at http://findinggaia.com/

I also have a FREE re-release of my previously traditionally published novel Sorrows of Adoration here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/318173

For those who like their love stories with hefty side orders oftrop... more »

2013-05-22 15:41:02 (21 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

PSA
I'm No Longer Female aka How To Make What's Hot More Interesting Sans Banal Platitudes

A few weeks ago, two posters highlighted a very bizarre finding on Google Plus. That your profile's gender specification (Male, Female, Other) influenced the content you saw in the former Explore and What's Hot tabs respectively.

Google's Chief Architect offered feedback that the Explore tab was using an older, more gender sensitive algorithm, however the What's Hot tab had been modernised, with gender as a factor, but not a big one. If anyone wants to know, what you see in What's Hot is supposed to take into account "properties inherent to the post and the viewer, which includes profile information," he said. A subsequent update mentioned that the algorithm had since been updated and all should be well in Feministaland. I decided to test... more »

2013-05-22 06:58:03 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Okay so G+ still has me shut out in Chrome except in an incognito window, and I don't have plugins for Safari so people who've been sending me videos and such all evening...I can't watch them, sorry.

And every time I have to relog in using the incognito, Google phones me - no warning, no choice to say no (because no matter how often I have the tick box set to NOT CALL FROM THIS COMPUTER AGAIN it always does).  I love having calls to my house at nearly 2 in the morning.  Thanks Google! >:(

I will try one more reboot sometime tomorrow and see if that works (didn't earlier) and then I'm going to have to massively scale back my G+ usage until this is fixed.  I don't know when.  I need to be baking cookies for an end-of-school thing all day and I have other life issues to attend to.

I didn't change anything in Chrome today.  There's noreas... more »

2013-05-22 03:25:30 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Firebrand Rocks

We've had a very busy day with Personal Things going on that I can't get into publicly, and now Chrome is refusing to keep me logged into G+ so I'm in Safari and unhappy about it, but I just wanted to say that I finished reading "Firebrand" by +Ankaret Wells today and OMG THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR.

And also....WHY IS THERE NOT A SEQUEL?!!?

I'll have to get her other books next.  But I want more Coranza PLEEEEEEEZE.

And for my own readers who are ha-ha-ing me right now because of the lack of a sequel for "Finding Gaia"...shut up, I'm going to go work on it since G+ is being a pain in the ass.  Or go read the free novel I posted yesterday.  But also read "Firebrand" because I said so.

And because Personal Things may interrupt writing for some time.
A... more »

2013-05-21 07:22:50 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

3D Stand Mixer Cookies

Look at what +Jasmin Fine hath wrought!

http://www.1finecookie.com/2013/05/3d-stand-mixer-cookies/

Also: she's certifiably insane with Toby.  I heart Jasmin so much!

This ties in with my bent cookies from earlier this week (https://plus.google.com/u/0/108316670838828910396/posts/RpER3mJH71Q) insofar as some of you were asking about making 3D cookie works in there.  Clearly there's something funky in the Austin water for the creative food blogger/baker types...and I like it!

2013-05-21 03:43:31 (28 comments, 7 reshares, 22 +1s)

FREE HOT SEX

With the new cramped text on G+, that's about the best way I can think of to tell you all that I've just re-released my old traditionally published backlist FOR FREE.  And it has sex in it.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/318173 has all major ebook formats, including for Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, PDF, HTML, and plain text.

This is a full-length novel that has been through the publishing gatekeeper.  It is professionally edited, and my editor and I just went over it again for extra brushing-up (although if you've read it before, nothing substantial has changed).  It is a love story in a fantasy setting (no magic), told in first-person.  More information can be found here: http://kimberlychapman.com/writing/soa.html  I will also be updating Goodreads, which currently only lists the out-of-print versionhere:... more »

2013-05-20 23:19:26 (38 comments, 3 reshares, 40 +1s)

It's hell in the girlfriend-zone!
http://literaryreference.tumblr.com/post/50677204942/why-do-men-keep-putting-me-in-the-girlfriend-zone
#friendzoned   #friendzone   #friendzoneforever   #niceguy  
Via +Andrew Pam

2013-05-20 23:14:09 (7 comments, 16 reshares, 26 +1s)

New Video by Rachel Bloom

Very very NOT child safe.  But awesome and hilarious.  Also note that it's playing on medieval bigotries.  Expect to be offended if you are very sensitive to mocking of bigotries.

I purchased her song "Fuck Me Ray Bradbury" some time ago and it's on my regular no-child-in-the-car-or-kitchen rotation, but she has a full album now here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/please-love-me/id648598114

#supportindie   #indieartist   #indiemusician  

2013-05-20 18:32:00 (87 comments, 3 reshares, 17 +1s)

Every idiot thinks that their opinion is as valuable as actual facts.  It isn't.
http://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978
Via +Andrew Pam 

2013-05-20 18:03:47 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

So This Is Victoria Day

Yeah, I know.  Most of my fellow Americans probably had no idea.  Some of you are even going, "An underwear store gets its own holiday?"

But some of us live with old British farts who dig this day in their broody can't-tell-if-he's-celebrating-or-mourning-but-there's-tea-involved way.  In fact, to put it as he would...ahem ahem as I do Jason's too-tired-to-notice-his-accent-leak voice: "He rather fancies himself the model of a proper Victorian gentleman."  Yeah.  It's kind of a thing with him.

It's a stupid thing is what it is.  I'll grant that the clothes look nice and flurmphy but they also look really fucking pinchy and painful and like maybe after a day of wearing them I'd want to conquer half of the god-damned planet too.  And we're talking majorly stuffy morals.  How the fuckdid any... more »

2013-05-20 04:16:27 (10 comments, 9 reshares, 16 +1s)

Via : +Ivan Haralamov

The NEW Periodic Table Song (In Order)
 AsapSCIENCE
      
Published on May 17, 2013
DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES: http://bit.ly/12AeW99
DOWNLOAD ON BANDCAMP: http://bit.ly/111Kssd (instrumental available)
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/AsapSCIENCE
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/AsapSCIENCE
----------------------------------------­--


Written, Directed, Produced, Edited and Sung by Mitchell Moffit.
Based on the "Can-Can" music, by Offenbach. 

LYRICS:

There's Hydrogen and Helium
Then Lithium, Beryllium
Boron, Carbon everywhere
Nitrogen all through the air

With Oxygen so you can breathe
And Fluorine for your pretty teeth
Neon to light up the signs
Sodium for salty times

Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon
Phosphorus, then Sulfur, Chlorineand Ar... more »

2013-05-20 03:20:24 (10 comments, 5 reshares, 19 +1s)

The Last Cookie Bender

http://www.eat-the-evidence.com/2013/05/19/the-last-cookie-bender/

Because +Gary Walker challenged me to do it.

Anyone else got a #sucromancy  challenge for me?  It takes me months to get things done and blogged but I do like a challenge...

#baking   #decorating   #cookies   #art   #nerdery   #noms   #surrealism   #dali  

2013-05-19 23:58:49 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

There.  We gave in and showed Peo "The Holy Grail".  She is duly amused and confused.

And singing about pushing the pram a lot over her dinner.

2013-05-19 16:25:56 (41 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Muahahahahahaha.

If you like free ebooks (the kind that are professionally edited and previously traditionally published) that contain adventure, romance, and hot sex scenes, I will have something for you next week.

Stay tuned.  Let me know if you want to be notified when it's available.

Did I mention the FREE part?  Right.  FREE HOT SEX.

2013-05-19 05:35:44 (35 comments, 5 reshares, 22 +1s)

Well That's Just Stupid

If this was a blogger ripping off Nutella's recipes and reprinting them without permission, I'd be on the company's side.  But this is just ridiculous.  Most brands would be thrilled to have a fan doing this for them!  Someone should be fired for what awful PR this is.  It's mindbogglingly stupid.

Via someone else who shared this earlier and I thought I had it open in another tab for later reading, but now I can't find it...

2013-05-19 05:21:47 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Hey, this is very close to what I've been doing with Born to Do Science. When you're right you're right, right?

2013-05-19 04:49:35 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 11 +1s)

Could be worse, at least he's not with Telstra; their roaming charges are really expensive.
Via +fan tai 
#australia   #telstra   #nbn   #hadfield  

2013-05-19 04:44:57 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 13 +1s)

Via +Lionel Lauer but I'm sharing it without the NSFW graphic.  This is hilarious, but again, NSFW, not safe for kids.

Further: http://www.drtatiana.com/ is my favourite non-fiction book ever and covers these sorts of things.  I highly highly recommend it.

2013-05-19 04:40:12 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Stealth and Venom: +Ed Yong writes about the ultra-black colors of gaboon vipers.

Very cool review, summary, and explanation of how gaboon vipers produce such deep, black colors, and how these black scales break up their outline to make them extra stealthy.  Gaboon vipers hold the record for fang length in venomous snakes.

#venom #scienceeveryday #stealth  

2013-05-18 23:42:38 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Just out of curiosity, how far down am I supposed to read my Notifications tab (as in a full tab, not just the pull-down thingy), including its incessant repeats, before the red box will actually acknowledge that I am reading notifications and reset?

Because I just ploughed through what was supposedly 55 notifications using the Notifications tab - which used to reset the red thingy to zero - but it only kept counting higher as I went.

Very frustrating.  This new UI has not really helped my notifications problems.  Sure, I can now sort by some types but it's still in a broken, illogical chronology with repeats and in no way helps those of us who actually get more than the pull-down thingy will hold (9).

I really hope Google will stop giving us a new and problematic UI every couple of months and start fixing the bigger usability issues.

2013-05-18 23:31:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Trek Wars

I love these Star Wars and Trek mashup cookies :) 

Tribble-Chewbacca is genius! 

via 
http://www.klickitatstreet.com/2013/05/boldly-go-and-may-fourth-be-with-you.html

2013-05-18 23:27:28 (30 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Okay, you know I adore Jackman and I am in complete love with Wolverine.

But this picture...come on.  Mr AngstyAntiHero does NOT put that much product in his hair, even accounting for the side-up do (which is supposed to be naturally feral, not styled).  That's just silly.  It reminds me of "There's Something About Mary".  Yeah, I said it.

Plus they've airbrushed out his eye lines.  I happen to like the eyelines.  They're very fetching.

2013-05-18 23:16:09 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 33 +1s)

And the final #safetytipsforladies :
And as it wasn't on any of the lists, my personal favorite:
Hold an aspirin between your knees - that never fails!
#safetytipsforladies  
Via +Ryan Straight & +Lily Alice 

2013-05-18 23:08:43 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 23 +1s)

Armor made from tires. Pretty cool!

Also some really neat art:

http://thewondrous.com/top-rubber-tire-sculptures/

2013-05-18 05:58:56 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

I think this is the first time I've seen G+ Hangouts get a mention in a comic strip.
#hangouts  

2013-05-17 23:22:37 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

International day against homophobia and transphobia

Every day, I'm happy that I live where I do.  Some days, I'm particularly proud to be part of this community.  One such day is today.  I went out to take care of a few things, and saw BMO helping the +Toronto Police Service set up for the the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  There's a person there in gorgeous drag, people getting hot dogs and drinks, and a silent auction going on, all sponsored by people from the Church Wellesley Business Community.  There will also be shows after the barbeque.

If you're anywhere near the area, make sure to go by and show your support.

Image, and a brief summary at http://cplc-51division.blogspot.ca/2013/05/toronto-police-services-lgbt-community.html, and an official page for the day at http://www.homophobiaday.org/

Anyhomo... more »

2013-05-17 18:07:32 (13 comments, 3 reshares, 52 +1s)

Stolen from +David Blunt.

Totally worthy.

2013-05-17 08:25:41 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 28 +1s)

George Takei responds to those annoying fundies holding up anti- gay marriage signs.
Via +Andrew Pam & +Matthew Welch 
#gaymarriage   #gayrightsarehumanrights   #georgetakei  

2013-05-17 07:19:08 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

My penis just fell off.

I'm off-dude-y.

I'm rejoining the ranks of the en-boob-ified.

Because I'm pretty sure my point about WH was made...

2013-05-17 07:02:21 (21 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Okay so I've gone back to Accessibility Mode (see your Settings in the sidebar) to make my profile and communities have only one column, because the overlapping two-column thingy was hard to read, distracting, and occasionally moved in ways that makes me motion sick.

But here on my profile (which is where I like to post from so to minimize distraction), now I've got the block of who is in my circles in the way of posts.  I like that being over to the side.

Know what would be good?  Remember how there was a thing for awhile (and may still exist) where you could configure your Google main page with blocks you could move around with various types of content?  Like newsfeeds or whatever?

I want that for G+.  I want to be able to make this suit my screen type and my needs.  I want to set the font, the font size, and what goes where on my screen.  And for those whomiss ... more »

2013-05-17 04:18:49 (10 comments, 7 reshares, 42 +1s)

My wife and I saw this and both of us had a very good, very hearty laugh.

2013-05-17 03:54:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Want FREE Lilith Dark Digital Comics?
Take the LD Reader Survey and you can download LD issues 1 & 2!

If it doesn't load below, click here >> bit.ly/110Vy0E 

Hurry!

http://LilithDark.com 

#LilithDark #comics #Zazz  

2013-05-16 18:34:43 (12 comments, 2 reshares, 30 +1s)

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/05/15/charges-dropped-against-florida-teen-over-amateur-science-experiment/

2013-05-16 04:35:38 (31 comments, 5 reshares, 51 +1s)

So now that I'm a dude (see https://plus.google.com/108316670838828910396/posts/CimjeVSVNZM ), this old gem is even more apropos...

I'm going to go get some writing work done so you can all hopefully have that free old backlist of mine soon.  Laterz.

Source: http://cheezburger.com/2661928704

2013-05-16 02:45:23 (34 comments, 0 reshares, 55 +1s)

Not a Brag, a Warning

Okay maybe a little brag.  But really, a warning: do not screw with my kid.  She's studying to mess you up in return.  These are from her test for advanced blue belt in Seido Karate last week.


PS Anyone know how to change which of the photos shows as the main one?  It has a little blue tab in the Organize dialog box but no apparent way to change that and I can't find anything useful in the Help files.

2013-05-16 01:28:22 (15 comments, 3 reshares, 37 +1s)

+Kimberly Chapman 

#platitudes   #equalityforwhatshot  

2013-05-16 01:18:46 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

So I looked at the new communities page and then at what was Recommended, and I saw the one below.  First I was amused by the 6666 because a) Palindrome b) Same digit c) Extra Beast Sign.

Then I saw that the number was sitting right over +Scott Lewis's head.  And I have him in 6 circles.

And what could be better than a science community amusing me with numerology?

* runs away and hides while giggling *

2013-05-16 00:54:44 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Not liking the new Google+ font? Is it hard on your eyes?

There are some known issues with the new webfont in use (Roboto), with kerning and rendering on some configurations. Other users have reported general visual problems with the new font, which kerning fixes probably won't address.

Before going further, if you are actually having visual problems reading the new font, hover over the "Home" arrow on the left to get the drop-down menu, then choose "Send feedback" near the bottom to express your concerns. This information is used to help quantify the extent of user [dis]satisfaction with the UI.

So, if you would like to force Google+ to render in Arial (or failing that, your system's "sans-serif" font which is likely an Arial/Helvetica lookalike) by default, install this Stylish script with either the Stylish extension... more »

2013-05-15 22:32:33 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Gilbert and Sullivan in Austin

Peo and I made this video earlier today.  She'd like you all to see it.

Which reminds me...we went to the Musicale preview of "Princess Ida" by the Austin Gilbert and Sullivan Society (http://www.gilbertsullivan.org/) on Sunday and had a great time.  The folks were really awesome with the kids, which means a lot to us and meant a lot to Peo.  They "knighted" the children and sent them on a quest to hand out flowers to all of the mothers there (it was Mothers' Day).

Peo went dressed up as the Pirate King from "Pirates of Penzance".  Unbeknownst to us, the Society concludes each of its events with a group sing-a-long of "Hail Poetry" from that play.  It says in the program that the Pirate King leads it, but I didn't think Peo would actually think that meant her until at the end theysaid... more »

2013-05-15 17:44:02 (19 comments, 3 reshares, 6 +1s)

The interwebs move in mysterious ways.  Because +Ayoub Khote shared a very interesting and hair-pulling post from +Kimberly Chapman I was forced to go look at the What's Hot stream.

When I got there I found a link  http://memeburn.com/2013/05/21-ridiculous-social-media-job-titles/  to a commercial blog and discovered that the art of a friend of ours was being used, minus his name.  Turns out it's being used without permission too...

If any of you have a second, please drop over to the comment section and vote up Hugh MacLeod's comment, they might notice.

I do hope he can get this rectified +Memeburn 

2013-05-15 15:49:21 (279 comments, 197 reshares, 166 +1s)

G+ What's Hot Serves Based On Gender

I heard a rumour this morning that if your profile is set to male, you'll get different What's Hot (Explore) content than if you're set to female.

So I opened a tab with my profile which was set to female, and from that opened a fresh tab with WH.  Then I immediately changed my profile to male and opened another WH tab to compare as closely in time as possible the difference.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

When I'm a girl, I get piles of those graphical platitudes I hate.  I have understood all along why +EcoSnark gets those more than my real profile, because she shares them to her NerdSmacked community to make fun of them (see https://plus.google.com/communities/117382348426379346016 ).  I don't plus them or share them, but they're always there.  I loathe them and it's why I have had theslide... more »

2013-05-15 14:44:52 (32 comments, 24 reshares, 70 +1s)

Superb Explanation of the Merida Issue

For those who don't get why this is a big deal:

http://thedaysarelongandshort.com/post/50220183714/the-brave-and-the-bold

Via +mi hunter 

Oh and more:

http://rebeccahains.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/disney-faces-backlash/ - Disney has pulled the image from its website (via +Cindy Brown)

http://www.marinij.com/ci_23224741 - Merida's creator is disgusted.

2013-05-15 14:26:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Honestly this is the best 20 grand that Greenpeace has never had to spend.   I don't think they would have gotten as much advertisement with the Channel 9 deal that they have gotten instead by being National News. =)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-10/greenpeace-blames-coke-for-channel-9-27choke27/4682548

2013-05-15 14:00:14 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

YES!

Let's see...it's #science , it's got #glowinthedark , it's got potential #environmental  applications, and it makes me squee just at the very thought.

Hell yes I backed this at the seed-getting level!

I mean...I totally got it for Peo.  Yes.  > . >

http://kck.st/ZGyckx


Via +Micha Fire 

2013-05-15 13:26:38 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 36 +1s)

Take That!

I can't help but giggle.  This is so delightfully snarky.  Looks like they should have let the new Merida keep her bow.  :p

http://www.dorktower.com/2013/05/14/princess-makeover-dork-tower-14-05-13/