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2010-03-12

Thursday's Tweets

08:56 Just bought a ticket to @ConanOBrien in SF next month. Only cost an extra $16.50 in convenience fees. That's a whole lot of convenience.
10:27 'Conan O'Brien announced today that he is hitting the road in a few weeks for the "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour."'
10:28 '(Little-known fact: I'm pretty sure Jay Leno is also legally prohibited from being funny on television.)' http://bit.ly/b2W7L2
10:30 UT governor signs bill designating "intentional or knowing" miscarriage as criminal homicide. Wassamatta, Utah? Not enough crime already?
11:10 RT @ebertchicago: Tiny Tim's ex-manager opens Eight-Track Tapes Museum in Dallas. The 70s refuse to die. http://j.mp/doB7hy
13:29 @DearRedhead Remember, DR: SP packs a rifle. And a helicopter.
14:46 Nice day for a drive. Trying a road through the mountains south of Livermore.
15:15 @devans00 Yep. Find Mines Road in Livermore on Google Maps. You go through the Diablo Range & eventually get to Mount Hamilton. Exciting!
15:51 Sure are a lot of @ConanOBrien fans. They've added a second show in SF and a bunch of places I don't care about. http://teamcoco.com/
15:53 Show off! http://j.mp/aDkF9e via @ebertchicago
15:54 @VictoriaDahl Because you, a @barryeisler novel and a thong is a whole different conversation.
18:15 For the record, I will *not* be up at 5:30am to place an order for an iPad. As I did with the iPhone, I'll play with one before I decide.
19:43 Via @ebertchicago, please to enjoy Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer: http://bit.ly/9DmEqo How very meta.
20:58 What every Shakespearean heroine needs: a sassy gay friend! http://bit.ly/bMycWi & http://bit.ly/aoI3Tc

2010-03-11

Wednesday's Tweets

06:36 RT @ggreenwald: Funny and very true: "Confessions of a terrorist sympathizer," by retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Frakt http://is.gd/a7YgT
06:54 #codeorgan turns a web page into a song. Here's what my tweets sound like: http://bit.ly/akMK18 Definitely not Billboard material.
08:17 Ralph Reed not running for Congress. Guess God does listen to prayers.
08:27 Massa & Glenn Beck, the good parts version - two sphincters and not a brain to be found. http://j.mp/cnLd7n
09:07 I got 16 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
13:47 Drove from Livermore to San Jose via winding mountain road. Scary, with narrow lanes, sheer drops, no guard rails and slushy snow in places.
14:29 Interesting analysis of Chief Justice Roberts, who seems much more about being Chief than about Justice. http://bit.ly/cBd7OK
14:41 Best thing I've read in ages: http://fireland.tumblr.com/post/436229498/danger-xing
16:32 Fed court in NY grants permanent injunction against ACORN defunding. Constitution prevails, and James O'Keefe can suck it.
19:23 @lomara You need to see @JonathanCoulton in concert. With @paulandstorm, formerly half of Da Vinci's Notebook of Enormous Penis fame.
21:00 RT @VictoriaDahl: Every time they say "tickle fight" on the news, I die laughing. [How can you not?]

2010-03-10

Tuesday's Tweets

08:17 @MsCaliLogan That's a good Good Morning face. Can't wait to see it.
08:41 Reminded of Mark Russell's description of a consultant: He's a guy who knows 147 positions for making love. But he doesn't know any women!
09:07 I got 7 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
19:36 Watching Goldeneye on G4. Weirdly familiar after all the hours I played the game on my Nintendo 64 back in the day. Brosnan was a good Bond.

2010-03-09

Monday's Tweets

08:45 @barryeisler That Salon piece describes a Bizarro world version of the Oscars. Hilarious? Only if you like awkward.
08:56 @barryeisler Check out @ebertchicago's Oscar writeup, if you haven't already. Much more in line with my experience: http://j.mp/9faBVu
09:06 I got 20 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
10:01 Here's a shocker: Sarah Palin's a hypocrite on health care; used to go to Canada for free coverage. http://bit.ly/c5dJXc
11:45 @ggreenwald And since Congress passed an ACORN Bill of Attainder, shouldn't they repeal it and apologize now we know the tape was enhanced?
12:32 If movie titles told you what's really going on: http://bit.ly/bksxYJ
12:34 Advice we really shouldn't need: Do Not Shave Your Privates While Driving. http://bit.ly/dtIFHQ
15:14 To Glenn Beck, Christians are all commie nazis. Right thinking Americans are selfish assholes like him. http://bit.ly/9zlPG3
15:18 It's twoo: Apple verifying my credit card to renew MobileMe triggered an immediate Citibank fraud warning. Citi, meet Apple. They're legit.
16:24 Loony Racist Creationist (barely) loses Texas Board of Ed primary. Too extreme even for Texas Repugs? http://bit.ly/ck0j5D
18:08 @JackieKessler Time of the Season, Time After Time, A Time For Us, Time Passages, As Time Goes By, All Time High, The First Time Ever...
18:18 Okay, this is getting creepier. Latest Facebook ad: "Stop Watching NCIS Alone." Yes, I do watch it alone. And I'm okay with that. Mostly.
20:07 @billprady Used to be Stars Hollow around the corner from Casablanca's Paris. What is it now?
21:51 Chuck Lorre's vanity card tonight is funny and, well, not: http://bit.ly/aDElVQ
22:09 Raj: "I'm so glad we came to this gentile strip club. Howard, here's more bacon to tuck in the shiksa's g-string!" I love this show.

2010-03-08

Sunday's Tweets

09:04 I got 17 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
11:46 Nobody reviews images faster than @shutterstock. Submitted at 10 last night, reviewed at 11 this morning. Next batch already in the queue.
13:07 Okay, @shutterstock, this is beyond fast. Submitted at 11:09am, review complete at 12:40pm. On a Sunday yet. All accepted too!
21:40 Back from shooting friends' son for possible modeling or performing gig, followed by Oscar watching.

2010-03-07

Saturday's Tweets

20:50 Done with tonight's batch of edits from today's shoot. Fun time, and some pretty good photos.
21:15 Watching an NCIS rerun. Funny, but that Arizona terrain looks a whole lot like Vasquez Rocks north of Los Angeles.

2010-03-06

Friday's Tweets

07:13 Palin's appearance on Leno was as phony as everything else about her: http://bit.ly/aPA2Co I wondered about all the laughs on TDS clip.
07:53 RT @Ealasaid: Dear signmaker, Yer CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL sign would be more convincing if it weren't in a green, fertile field. Love,
11:13 US map of bar-to-grocery ratios shows IL & WI lead the nation. A proud moment for the Midwest. http://bit.ly/aLiUyf
12:46 Jon Stewart exposes ChatRoulette on last night's Daily Show: http://bit.ly/ceT2jC ("Exposes!" See what I did there?)
16:27 McCain letter in support of DADT has many life-impaired signers. http://bit.ly/baljih
22:08 Back from dinner with photographer and model friends. No drinking; we have to be at our best to shoot in the morning.

2010-03-05

Thursday's Tweets

08:41 Finally an explanation for Sarah Palin. She's not a political figure; she's performance art! http://bit.ly/cdgrnv
10:14 RT @Decoder_Ring: As promised, the evil laugh for hitting 500 facebook fans: http://bit.ly/94aN9E [Yep, that's evil. And a laugh.]
10:23 RT @waitwait: #linesfromterminator2havananights RT @jrishel "Dance with me if you want to live"
12:15 A brief graphical history of Senate Reconciliation, as tweeted by @maddow: http://bit.ly/c04L1R
13:37 Reagan on the $50? You guys are thinking way too small. http://bit.ly/9bBKig
16:04 Do this. Now. RT @HarmonixSean If you like comedy visit http://www.hulu.com/the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno and hit "tags" for the funny.
17:22 RT @ggreenwald: I think this is going to be my blog chyron tomorrow: RT @justrmor "Wolf Blitzer, pedophile?" How could he possibly object?
17:38 For the first and likely only time, I find myself envying Canon shooters. Well, a rare few of them. http://bit.ly/9UniE5
17:50 RT @ggreenwald: HAPPENING NOW - many are asking: RT @Atrios "is CNN an elaborate cover for a child sex slave trafficking organization?"
19:25 MSFT exec wants to tax the internet to pay for cleanup of the crap they enabled. Isn't it ironic, Alanis? http://bit.ly/dDnBWl

2010-03-04

Wednesday's Tweets

07:46 @alwayscoffee I'm told it's acceptable behavior and not at all tacky to pick up sushi with your hands. Not that I'd ever do such a thing.
10:09 Now at a new address (but just as freaky): http://trololololololololololo.com/
11:52 @ebertchicago Repugs believe in capitalism. Businesses will do the right thing if nobody tries to control them. What's right is negotiable.
13:17 A day after a real Citibank credit card alert, I get a Citibank alert that's really a phishing attempt. Quite the coincidence, isn't it?
15:22 RT @ebertchicago: I dunno know what it is, but I want me some. http://j.mp/c37VJs [Me too. Wow.]
15:48 @renatojr_rj Good flight; I'll see you on Saturday!
18:00 RT @barryeisler: Matthew Alexander eviscerates cretin Marc Thiessen in Slate: http://bit.ly/d0ZEfR [Horrifying. And so well deserved.]
18:31 @wilw You dare torture me with your unannounced cities? From hell's heart I stab at thee, WHEATON!!!!
20:30 RT @TweetsofOld: Sausage rolls, in suggestive shapes, can now be seen in the shop windows. KY1883 [How suggestive, I wonder.]
21:28 I can't believe nobody in the Bay Area sells instant grits. Even the Quaker Oats site can't find anybody. What's the matter with you people?
22:12 Old school visual effects. No Photoshop here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nv6v/4182194550/in/photostream/

2010-03-03

Tuesday's Tweets

06:52 @chrismarquardt Bunch of 16s and a couple of 32s. Don't want to have to stop shooting to change cards.
10:55 If a Bloody Mary is bloody because of the tomato juice, wouldn't a Bloody Mary without alcohol be a Bloody Virgin?
10:56 RT @BreakingNews: Smithsonian rejects suit worn by O.J. when he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend http://bit.ly/amXFKr
13:36 Having lunch at my local sushi place and looking out at a real Noah's Ark of a storm.
14:32 Got an email at lunch from Citibank Fraud Detector Van. Raced home, called and discovered all's well. What did they think they saw?
17:23 Re: my credit card fraud warning, wonder if this is the reason: http://bit.ly/ayT1Lr My MobileMe acct renews in a little over a month.
18:57 @VictoriaDahl Okay, Victoria, how in the world do I unwatch that? I feel so... so dirty. http://tinyurl.com/ylxvrnm
21:17 I just generated a #TweetCloud out of 3 months of my tweets. Top three words: check, accepted, gallery - http://w33.us/6u31
21:20 One warning if you try that #TweetCloud thing: even if you uncheck the box, it still tweets the result. Bad #TweetCloud!
21:31 Think Air Traffic Control's the one part of travel that's still run by adults? Think again. http://bit.ly/a3bdaT

2010-03-02

Monday's Tweets

09:08 I got 9 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
11:43 Starting to book hotels for my post-RT road trip. Like throwing darts at a map, only without the holes in the furniture.
14:36 Now that ACORN has been cleared of wrongdoing, can they sue O'Keefe for his intentional slander of their reputation? http://j.mp/cSPb0k
14:43 Proof Einstein was right about time dilation. Watch this; you'll swear hours have passed. http://bit.ly/c0a8uN
16:43 Will Leitch on his connection to Roger Ebert, and ours. Funny, heartbreaking and so very human. http://bit.ly/9rQhMf @ebertchicago
18:01 RT @BonesMcCoy: I lost my bet that the USA would beat Canada in Olympic Hockey. Now I have to wear a red shirt all week. God help me.
18:21 RT @paulandstorm: [S] Lone Starr We Meet Again for the First Time for the Last Time Ale #failedbeers #scififoods [Good beer, awful movie.]
20:06 @ebertchicago I tried to pay. I wanted to pay. But it wouldn't take my money. Still set up in test mode?
20:51 RT @StephenAtHome: if you take the exchange rate into account, the u.s. actually had more points than the canadian hockey team
21:07 It takes... something... to make an iPad case with wings. Not balls exactly. But something. http://bit.ly/bYDvpT

2010-03-01

Sunday's Tweets

07:36 Somebody make me an offer: http://bit.ly/cBu4J5
07:46 @hezmanagirl Say it ain't so, Hezmana! I can produce awful if anyone'll pay me to stop! Honestly!
09:31 New place to shoot: Uvas Canyon.
13:32 Watching hockey on Twitter is fun, thanks to @wilw & @joelmchale.
13:33 Darn Tweetie. Said tweet didn't go through, but it did. Sorry for the dup, tweeple.
14:44 RT @ebertchicago: Stanley Fish's facile meanderings on secularism/religion are skewered by the second comment, from Jeff. http://j.mp/9hTacj
15:28 @ScaperSuse Is that a deportation-worthy offense, Suse? I'm sure we'd be happy to take you in.
15:34 Best game I never saw! Congrats on the win, Team Canada, and thanks again to @wilw and @joelmchale for the play by playish coverage.

2010-02-28

Saturday's Tweets

07:21 RT @counternotions: Stephen Wolfram: "If I can't understand something, then it's probably nonsense." (Now you know why WolframAlpha sucks.)
10:28 RT @BonesMcCoy: I just ousted Khan Noonien Singh as mayor of Ceti Alpha Five on @foursquare.
14:09 NSFW, but why does this Disney keychain have so many parents upset? http://bit.ly/bvqFkX
20:29 If tramp stamps are tails, I guess vajazzling is heads, if you'll pardon the expression. I prefer unaugmented, thanks. http://bit.ly/9vAmsq
20:57 @mikefulton It's like a Bedazzler for one's vagina. Seriously.

2010-02-27

Friday's Tweets

15:20 Midichlorians suck. Explanations don't suck, but midichlorian-type explanations surely do. http://bit.ly/bIG3R5
15:24 Problem with the Internet is that it remembers the crap you write. For example, Cliff Stoll in 1995: http://bit.ly/bVVanJ
16:40 The Right reacts to tale of hand me down dentures: http://bit.ly/aMvfT8
21:01 Technology gives @ebertchicago his voice back: http://j.mp/bVgEUX

2010-02-26

Thursday's Tweets

06:07 Yelp: "We can fix your reviews. For a fee..." Or so it is alleged. http://bit.ly/aPTi2Y
08:13 Never thought of that: Gigi is Lolita played as romantic comedy. http://bit.ly/arXTs0 (NSFW image on page.)
11:03 AT&T emailed me about expanded availability of its 3G microcell. Sadly, I'm not in that expanded area. Raise my hopes, will ya?
11:12 Ick. This ad may be appropriate for CNN's health care summit coverage, but still I say ick. http://bit.ly/bBkJCo
16:41 I've met Walter Koenig at conventions and at a Mensa function. My heart goes out to him and his wife for their loss.
17:37 @ScaperSuse Well, sure. We had no chance. Canadian women have blades implanted into their feet at birth.
20:40 RT @BreakingNews: Inmate serving three life sentences pretends to be cellmate due for release, walks out of Baltimore prison -- AP [Wow.]
20:57 @barryeisler There's sex tomorrow in Florida and you're stuck in New York? For shame!
21:00 @barryeisler I'm imagining. And it's hard. Very hard.
21:26 Presented without comment: RT @VictoriaDahl: Good Christ this night is going down faster than one of my heroes.
21:31 @VictoriaDahl I'd say beware the ides of March, but they're still a couple of weeks away. Besides, who can resist such good material?

2010-02-25

Wednesday's Tweets

09:09 I got 3 images accepted to @shutterstock today! Check out my gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ltgjp5
14:25 Avenue Q poster banned from Colorado Springs due to offensive puppet cleavage. Focus not just on Family, I guess. http://bit.ly/9g6ARa
15:05 What's Italian for "shit-for-brains legal decision"? http://bit.ly/barzwA
16:22 RT @live2tivo: @sheldoncooper A song about you. http://bit.ly/tbbtsong [Why couldn't I meet nerdgirls like this when I was age appropriate?]
18:22 @iphoneappsales Star ratings, please. I tend only to check highly rated apps.

2010-02-24

Tuesday's Tweets

07:07 Took all night, but my MacBook is back to life. Thanks to Apple Support, Migration Assistant & Time Machine for the easy (but slow) restore.
09:16 RT @paulandstorm: Download our song "Lose the Gonads" for FREES to celebrate the Humane Society's Spay Day! http://is.gd/90WOv [Ewwww!]
15:32 Finally started work on my taxes, only to be stopped by my brokerage, which won't have my 1099 ready until 3/15, maybe even later.
19:27 At the @svtweetup. Life is strange when you're a shy extrovert.
20:34 RT @ebertchicago: The decline of talking like you're intelligent and sincerely care. http://j.mp/bZfKpa [Inspiring, ya know?]
21:36 Thanks to @VictoriaDahl and @HeatherOsborn the appeal of curling becomes clear. Also its religious overtones. http://i.imgur.com/7tVxW.jpg

2010-02-23

Monday's Tweets

08:22 Journalistic objectivity means reporters can't say Tea Party Movement is based on nonsense. http://bit.ly/cRiG9H
09:58 Used to get InfoWorld for free and thought it was a waste of (no) money. Tech journalism's an oxymoron. http://bit.ly/dkNH7P
14:30 That was quick. Apple just called; my MacBook is ready to be picked up. Not even 24 hours after I dropped it off!
16:54 Migration Assistant estimating disk restore time at 11 hours and change. Gonna be a long wait...

2010-02-22

Sunday's Tweets

13:02 Not a good day. My Macbook decided to give up the ghost. Appointment at Apple Store this afternoon, but I am not optimistic.
13:49 On the bright side, everything's backed up on my Mac Mini. So whether restored old Macbook or brand new one, I should be whole again soon.
14:36 "We have met the enemy and he is us!" Yoo & Bybee, meet Dr. Fadl. http://bit.ly/adffmj
15:46 At the Apple Store, early of course. And they took me right away.
16:20 I love Apple service. My 2.5 yr old Macbook gets a new hard drive, twice the space, and new plastic for the keyboard area. Cost to me: nada.

2010-02-21

Saturday's Tweets

06:26 Good wrap up on Kevin Smith v. Southwest. In brief, SWA screwed up & then lied about it. Not much LUV here. http://bit.ly/d6UMtN
16:34 Why putting Flash on the iPhone and iPad would just make things suck. No, not that reason; this one: http://bit.ly/9DTLR3
21:53 @renatojr_rj While you've been trapped in PHX, I've been enjoying etouffee and blackened tilapia and a good chardonnay. I think I win.

2010-02-20

Friday's Tweets

07:39 Just registered for Romantic Times in April. Now I need to work on my road trip plans.
08:06 Swiss brothels train hookers to work defibrillators, just in case older patrons get overstimulated. http://bit.ly/bdzCkF
08:38 "Condoms aren't completely safe. A friend of mine was wearing one and got hit by a bus." -Bob Rubin
08:53 RT @CraigyFerg: Today is the birthday of Copernicus. The first man to prove the world does not revolve round Tiger Woods.
09:30 @reduced Stanfurd?
11:57 First it was Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. Now Quirk Classics to bring us Android Karenina. http://bit.ly/9CbMMm
21:27 RT @ebertchicago: http://twitpic.com/1497b9 - Mother and daughter not welcome back anytime soon at Disneyland.

2010-02-19

Thursday's Tweets

13:06 Forum member dared me to ban him. Do I need to tell you what happened next?
21:22 RT @ebertchicago: And if the Austin suicide pilot had been an American Muslim fed up with the IRS, how would Fox News have covered that?
21:30 RT @ebertchicago: Mr @ZALESKI4CONGRES tweets: "@ebertchicago another morron." Spelled "another" right, short on "Congress," fail on "moron."

2010-02-18

Wednesday's Tweets

12:31 Duke study confirms what I learned a long time ago: most women want nothing to do with short men. http://bit.ly/9mkRUJ
14:11 Forum spammers are scum, and contemptible scum at that, but how stupid would I have to be to authorize a user named Lesbian Porn?
14:14 NPR's Wait Wait... on how to improve the Winter Olympics. Pretty much everything's better with flaming death. http://bit.ly/d2f7Dk
19:45 A brilliant piece, both for its advocacy of compromise in the Middle East and its hostility to Titanic. http://bit.ly/9KNQay
20:15 Isn't it strange how my train pictures don't get the kind of reaction my glamour pictures do? Is a puzzlement! http://bit.ly/dnuss2
20:44 Wikipedia on vampire traits. Count Chocula's weakness is that he becomes soggy in milk. http://bit.ly/aEJxZ6

2010-02-17

Tuesday's Tweets

05:53 15 unfortunately placed ads. Wonder how many of these were intentional... http://bit.ly/6Tfsw
08:05 Via @barryeisler, a soldier's view of why repealing DADT is no big deal. Honest, funny and smart: http://bit.ly/aehs5O
09:07 @ScaperSuse I wondered why I hadn't seen you online, Suse. Glad it's just your computer that's out of action and not you.
09:23 Why you should never turn your back on your refrigerator, a cautionary tale for children: http://bit.ly/ck5w5l
14:08 @JustaSunGod I set up my Citibank card with autopay years ago to deal with just such situations. I hate paying fees I could have avoided!
14:16 Why the iPad may totally kick butt: http://bit.ly/cHhAnX (Most software designed by people who think Emacs is a reasonable user interface.)
14:22 A comparison between the iPhone & Windows Phone 7. Am I biased in thinking WP7 got it all wrong? http://bit.ly/cd689Y
14:37 From Ouray, Colorado, an object lesson in the importance of punctuation: http://yfrog.com/1esuvkj
14:39 It's times like this that we wish web designers were an endangered species (as in, I'd like to endanger a few myself). http://bit.ly/dg2KrD
15:43 RT @maddow: Admiral Mullen @thejointstaff on "what's really going on at the deck plates" http://is.gd/8xu5W
19:33 What is it about trains that fires the imagination? Is it just boys and our toys or is there more to it? http://bit.ly/dnuss2

2010-02-16

Monday's Tweets

04:08 At Durango Airport. Too early; even TSA still asleep.
07:01 On the plane in Denver. And suddenlyit looks like we'll be here a while.
07:19 Delay due to fog in San Francisco, just like our flight here on Friday.
11:01 Just landed at SFO. Need food! That Oh Henry just wasn't enough!
18:31 Just started editing pictures from the weekend. First few up on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/disorderly/

2010-02-15

Sunday's Tweets

07:24 Beautiful day in Durango. Train pulling out now.

2010-02-14

Saturday's Tweets

08:56 Just arrived in Telluride. Let the photography commence.
11:42 Bye, Telluride. That was fun. Next stop, Ouray.
13:08 Jim: "They have a slighly less gay hat in the sports store here. But it's 25 bucks! Not sure my ears are worth it."

2010-02-13

Friday's Tweets

08:31 Waitiing at BART for an SFO-bound train. First flight delayed. Hope they hold the Durango flight for us.
08:32 Chilean mint director fired after coins that misspelled country's name are issued - BBC http://bit.ly/b2Nsc6 /via @BreakingNews [Hee!]
11:21 On the plane. Next stop Denver, I hope.
14:09 @JustaSunGod On my way to Durango to ride the train.
14:32 Mad dash to our connecting flight, but we made it!

2010-02-12

Thursday's Tweets

05:51 A name I never thought I'd see again. Worked for these guys during the dotcom bubble. Oh, the stories I have... http://bit.ly/aNaqkI
06:03 Trying to record podcast lines. First the heat comes on. Then it cuts off, but the fridge starts up. Waiting...
06:28 Lines recorded. Okay, now you can make as much noise as you like.
06:49 A post on my writer friend's forum made me think about ghost towns. Here's more than 140 characters on the subject: http://bit.ly/bPvhTw
08:32 @KateRothwell It certainly does! I *love* Avenue Q!
10:23 Headed to SF for Macworld. The first one without Apple, and maybe the last.
11:22 AT&T sucks as much as ever, but Macworld finally has it's act together. Got through registration in about a minute.
11:22 As if a million tiny iPhones cried out, and were suddenly silenced.
11:23 Now I know I'm at Macworld. My 4 bars of 3G just turned magically into 1 bar of Edge.
13:33 Strange that the bigger the Mac platform becomes, the smaller Macworld gets. Done with the exhibit floor in less than an hour.
14:47 My friend @barryeisler (yep, name dropping again) gets his first Huff Post post, about torture in fiction and non-. http://bit.ly/d9qxQF
15:26 Ex-Microsoftie asks, "How can Apple make a better Windows machine than any Windows PC maker?" Good question. http://bit.ly/cESULe
15:32 To a man with only a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Bill Gates on the iPad: http://bit.ly/anCc5C

2010-02-11

Ghosts

There's something fascinating about ghost towns. California and the Southwest are riddled with them: places that thrived once but now are either empty or a shadow of their former selves. Bodie's an extreme example; it was once the second or third most populous city in the state, but went into a swift decline after the silver mines turned unprofitable and shut down completely after a couple of fires took out most of the place. Now it's a state park, and well worth a visit. There are also the towns that avoided what seemed inevitable, former mining towns like Bisbee, Arizona and Eureka, Nevada that prosper at tourist attractions to a greater and lesser degree respectively.

I was on tour on the South Island of New Zealand when I encountered Avoca, a town that was down to one long abandoned house. It was on the route of the Tranzalpine Railroad, and was built to serve the railroad workers. As each section of the track was completed, the town and all its buildings were moved on to the next location. Finally it was done, and the remains of the town were dismantled. All but this one last house, which I guess nobody thought was worth moving. So it serves (or served) as a flop for the occasional squatter, and a reminder of a place that used to be.