CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-04-28 13:14:48 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I learned something new about English! Not that that should be so unusual, but I'm impressed with this one:
When you use more than one adjective in a sentence, they need to follow the order of this acronym: OSACOMP. It sounds like a computer algorithm, and feels just as frustrating. You can’t just say, “I bought a new, beautiful, leather, big black work bag.” The Opinion needs to come first. Then Size, followed by Age, Color, and Origin. Finally, Material and Purpose. So, “I bought a beautiful, big, new, black leather work bag.” Because that makes all the difference.
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/4-things-most-native-english-speakers-dont-know-about-english/#q3kImRkVwEIY6TbW.99
I recommend the link, but she got the item about indirect objects wrong.

2013-04-14 00:35:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

A sad story that touched me My custom on Saturdays is to go out for breakfast. My DSW (dear sweet wife) doesn't do mornings (I think she's glad to have me out of the house) so I enjoy the company of a book while I eat. Right now I'm reading Games People Play again after 30 years. The book mentioned Semmelweis, an innovator. I didn't recall his details, so I looked him up on Wikipedia (q.v.).
He had figured out that hand washing drastically reduced childbed fever, reducing mortality from 35% to 1%. In spite of his best efforts, he couldn't convince the medical community to change, and he was committed to an insane asylum at age 43. He was beaten to death by his guards two weeks later. It's hard to tell innovators from crackpots. So be careful how you treat crackpots.

2013-04-04 00:05:54 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Why, why, does G+ in every browser on my Win 7 computer lock up for several seconds, then run for several seconds, then lock up etc.? I've disabled every G+ extension except Circle count, and it still does it. Makes me not want to go to G+, and I like G+!

2013-01-18 21:16:03 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I just learned a new term on Bruce Schneier's blog. Didn't originate with him. The term is post-traumatic stupidity syndrome. He was referring to some of the over-reactions lately to that grade school shooting. He defines it: I think of it as: "Something must be done. This is something. Therefore, we must do it."

2012-12-20 21:11:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I discovered a Scarlet Tanager and a Cedar Waxwing on our property yesterday, the first time I have seen either species since I moved to DE. Unfortunately they had each flown into a window and were dead. But I'm glad to know they are around.

2012-12-08 12:03:11 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Hi! Thanks for the invite (yes, I know "invitation is more correct) but I'm the guy who writes a grammar blog, The Writing Rag, so I gotta be curmudgeonly, dontcha know. Um, I have a circle of fellow writers that has several hundred members. Should I post an invitation to that circle? Or is it more correct to share the circle here? Or should I just be quiet for a while until I get the lay of the land?

2012-12-07 13:28:44 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Greetings, folks! I knocked off about 15 pounds this quarter mainly by laying off all the processed food and carbs. (Now if I could just get my wife to join me...)
I have a question, if someone is inclined to spare me the research: I understand that paleo excludes dairy. But a while back some of us developed the ability to digest lactose even as adults. Wouldn't it be okay for us lactose-tolerant folks to consume dairy products?

2012-12-07 13:17:05 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Department store Santas—the original laptop Shamelessly stolen from today's Blondie.

2012-12-04 17:16:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Party Invitation I'd have attached the MSW version, which has nicer fonts, but it's the content that counts, right? 

2012-12-01 00:39:12 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

This is mostly an experiment to see how to post stuff from my iPad. We didn't have Thanksgiving leftovers, so I roasted a turkey this afternoon. I saw some bacon in the fridge, so I Maserati a blanket as I have seen in several photos around. 12 lb bird, 4 hours at 325. Bird and bacon came out perfect.

2012-11-20 14:37:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Another Writing Rag post!  David Malki produces some good stuff. You ought to follow him.

2012-11-10 02:40:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Another update on the addition project! 

2012-11-07 19:54:39 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

So this bird blew into our neighborhood a day or two after Sandy. Anybody know what kind it is? Size of a cardinal, prefers to eat on the ground. He paid several visits on that day and we haven't seen him since.

2012-10-30 13:48:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Speaking of which, the eye of the storm is due to pass almost right over our house. 4.4inches of rain as I write.

2012-10-29 20:48:30 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Speaking of which, the eye of the storm is due to pass almost right over our house. 4.4inches of rain as I write.

2012-10-29 20:46:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Did you hear the latest word? Frankenzillapocalypse

2012-10-25 19:21:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Finally! A new Writing Rag post. The title sounds academic, and it is, a little, but there's a useful tidbit (and picture) about Kosher food.

2012-10-17 18:18:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2012-10-15 23:20:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I'm on a diet (lost about 15 pounds so far) that requires me to pig out once a week. I generally look forward to that day, but it's gotten so I really don't much care for all the carbs and sugar I'm supposed to ingest.

Sunday I went grocery shopping (the wife had a headache) and spotted a box of soft, chewy, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies that looked pretty good. It came only in the two-dozen size (I was at BJ's) but I bought it anyway, and ate one on the spot. That was plenty!

What was I going to do with the rest? I didn't want them sitting around the house all week where I'd either eat them or let them dry out, which would be a travesty, so I'd probably eat  them. I solved my problem by walking around the store and offering them to people if I could catch their eye. Mainly kids took them. Most of the adults, regardless of girth, declined,... more »

2012-10-08 12:01:30 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Hair of the dog Our big dog is of a type that doesn't shed (a schnoodle--half giant schnauzer, half standard poodle) so he needs a haircut a couple times a year. After his last haircut, my daughter arranged the trimmings into the shape you see below. Both dogs were pretty curious about the new dog.

2012-10-05 14:06:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The horror! I typed "then" when I meant "than"! I fixed it, though, and I can now plug the continuing saga of our addition with pride.

2012-10-05 01:41:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

We made enough progress on the addition to have something to photograph, so I posted a progress report on my personal blog, Mushrooms to Motorcycles.

2012-09-30 01:05:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Today's Writing Rag contains a completely fanciful picture of some malware, but mainly it contains an example of using "comprise" correctly!

2012-09-27 19:19:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The Writing Rag has a Valkyrie in it today. And wouldn't you know, she made a mistake in her grammar. Well, I suppose some Scandinavian language being her first language...

2012-09-25 19:58:14 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I found a bad goof in a comic Well, maybe he made the mistake on purpose. Unstrange Phenomena is, after all, a pretty strange comic. If nothing else, it's a good example of what not to do.

2012-09-24 12:58:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

+Chris Hallbeck , he of Minimumble fame, had a pretty thoughtful caption in today's comic. "When I'm trying to find something at a drug store, I'm suddenly thankful for all the problems I don't have." I think it's good to get this reminder now and then. And I'd rather be reminded by inanimate objects than by seeing _people_ with the maladies. Sorry if I spoiled today's comic. I think it's polite to share the link, though... http://minimumble.thebookofbiff.com/2012/09/24/201-problems/

2012-09-21 19:47:17 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Aye, Matey! This be my 200th post and guess what it's about. So what if it's two days late.

2012-09-19 18:17:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This might be the first time I published two posts to Mushrooms to Motorcycles on two consecutive days. 

2012-09-19 00:26:52 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Well, I finally posted a little narrative about our addition project on my personal blog, Mushrooms to Motorcycles.

2012-09-17 23:11:01 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

My last stored-up post on The Writing Rag. Which means I need to write up a few more, which I happen to have in the hopper, just gotta get to it. In today's feature, a cartoonist does me a big favor by showing how easy it is to get subject-verb agreement wrong. Whatever that is, right? http://writing-rag.com/1491/s-v-agreement/

2012-09-13 21:11:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A comic about "lie" Well, it's not about lie, but it gets lie right, and that's no lie!

2012-09-12 12:04:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Pullet eggs Some of you might remember the chicks whose photo I posted a couple months back. The surviving ones are beginning to start to lay, I thought I'd share a photo of two of their first efforts, with a cackleberry from one of the mature hens for comparison. One of the new hens hasn't quite figured it out yet.

2012-09-11 21:20:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Anybody know hoe to type a schwa on a computer? I had to do without in my linguistically-oriented post on The Writing Rag today. Frustrating. http://writing-rag.com/1479/pronouncing-use-and-have/ 

2012-09-07 17:20:36 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

A detail about our addition Look closely and you can see that the 2×4 studs are staggered on the 6-inch plate. This allows us to insulate continuously—there's no place that has wood all the way through the walls. Aren't we green? Lots more photos in the album. I think you can get to the album from my profile.

2012-09-03 22:23:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Well, another Writing Rag episode. This one has a comic, and it's about synonyms. http://writing-rag.com/1469/synonyms-are-useful/

2012-09-01 21:50:31 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Let's be careful about our curmudgeonliness
Recently I ran into a grammar site that at least on one page got a little, um, stronger than I feel is necessary. Then again, I'm a gentle soul... 

2012-08-31 23:38:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Well, I have a new post on The Writing Rag, a short one. But I can't get the formatting right. Maybe one of you experts could help me.

2012-08-30 21:59:34 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Four years ago I started an addition to our house, and the contractor ran off with my money. Yesterday we finally resumed building. I now have a hundred photos and an almost-complete timber frame. I think you can find a photo of the starting point in my profile. Here's where we are right now.

2012-08-29 00:20:43 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Another grammar post! I have a streak going! I even manage to drag drag racing into it. 

2012-08-27 00:21:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

*Back in the saddle again* 
I finally resumed posting to The Writing Rag. I think I 'm getting used to being home again, and able to find the occasional free time in my schedule. 

2012-08-24 00:21:41 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Another pic of our abandoned addition. I ran into this looking through all the photos of the project. This is about two years after the guy ran off. After a lot of prodding, we got the state to go after him for construction fraud, while we did our best to recover financially. It included a period of unemployment, so times were tough. To bring you closer to the end of the story, I found employment and he went to prison. We got our second restitution check this week. $75.

2012-08-24 00:01:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

The beginning of an adventure, part two
Part one happened before G+. That part is a sordid story of a contractor making off with my life savings instead of building an addition to the house. maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. Part two is that the timbers for the addition were delivered yesterday, after four years, and construction will start beginning of next week. (Arg I should have thought of snapping a photo of the truck with the timbers. I'll do that tomorrow.) Here's a photo of how things looked when he abandoned the project. 

2012-08-21 22:46:54 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Another adventure
Last Sunday I went out to collect eggs from our hens. One of the nesting boxes is hard to look into and harder to reach the back of. I was feeling around in there and felt something that didn't fit, so I put the egg carton down and reached back in. Turned out it was a yard-long black snake! I reflexively dragged him out abd dropped him onto the floor--and saw why he hadn't attacked my hand--he had two egg-sized lumps about 2/3 of the way down. He was sluggish, waiting for lunch to digest.
So I grabbed him (waking him from his torpor, apparently. He wasn't pleased) and told him what a bad snake he was. Alas, I felt a need to dispatch him, then dissected out the eggs, which were still undamaged, if somewhat slimy. I fed his remains to the chickens, who were happy to get the extra protein. I rinsed off the eggs and had them for breakfast the next day, much to my... more »

2012-08-17 23:37:24 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Interesting, if not very useful tidbit: A bad two-truck accident happened on I-95 near the DE-MD border yesterday at about 3 AM. They closed the entire southbound side of the interstate until 11:30 that morning. The blockage had a minor affect on my commute, so I kept an eye on the traffic cameras. I happened to catch the release of the cars, so I timed how long it took the traffic to begin moving at the service plaza six miles north. It took 18 minutes, which works out to our tidbit: 
The breakup of a traffic jam travels upstream at about 20 mph.

2012-08-14 01:29:03 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

ran into an interesting quote: From “Kicking the Sacred Cow: Questioning the Unquestionable and Thinking the Impermissible” by James P Hogan 
Science really doesn't exist. Scientific beliefs are either proved wrong, or else they quickly become engineering. Everything else is untested speculation."

2012-07-26 16:48:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I'll pass this along without comment. Unless this is a comment.

2012-07-21 23:58:58 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

My wife and I are reading and have begun to try The 4-Hour Body diet. Anybody got any input?

2012-07-21 15:33:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

All five of you will be delighted to hear that there's a new post on The Writing Rag. Let me know if the link doesn't work. This one is a poem I wrote years ago, and you can get background on it on my blog Mushrooms to Motorcycles, linked to from the TWR post.

2012-07-21 00:04:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I finally started writing again! This post goes with my Writing Rag post, also finally resumed today. 

2012-07-20 19:07:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I generally stay out of politics, but I enjoyed this.