Themes being considered

I’ve been looking at some of the newer released themes for WordPress, have found two that are interesting.

• One is called Andrea
• and the other is called Deserta

There’s a third one that I’m not sold on called Jeans.

Feel free to let me know which you prefer either by email (if you’re registered) or by poll (on the right side of the Main page). Right now, I’m leaning toward Deserta as the first test. I think I’ll run a theme for a week or two and then change to the next one… depending on how it goes. Again, opinions welcome.

Typing test fun

I was testing out a piece of software called TextExpander, and reading the various links in the help-files, when I came across a typing test.

Now, I always knew I was a slow typist, but this slow?

46 words

Speedtest

And that’s after I took the test three times. You can try it yourself by clicking in the graphic or the Speedtest link.

Anyway, I’ll write more about TextExpander after I have played with it some more. So far it seems really cool, but mostly for those who often have to type the same phrases over and over. For example, by simply typing a series of letters (which you define), the program will replace them with whatever you have assigned to that combination, whether it be a word, or a short story.

Old Starfire Gone

I cancelled the old Starfire account this evening. If you go there, you will get a 404 error message. It was great while it lasted, but alas, all the entries live here now. Use the search tool to find old items. Now the search begins for a more interesting face for the new StarFire.

That early phone call

I’ve been avoiding the name calling sort of stuff that seems so prevalent in the Democratic primary and only reporting facts, but (you knew there was a but) I couldn’t resist this one. I got the link from Senior Moments.

If you have ever seen a TV show with a stalker or even experienced being stalked, then you will identify with this scenario. Reminder: Stalking can go both ways. It just happens that in this instance, the stalker is female.

The Ex-Girlfriend

Happy Birthday to Me

Well, today is my birthday. It is one of those decade markers. I don’t really feel that old, but when I look back, I sure have had a lot of experiences.

Anyway, I don’t really feel like celebrating it. I’m not depressed or anything, it just feels like just another day to me. I’m really happy I”ve made it this far, especially considering all the medical stuff I’ve been through the last couple of years.

Thanks to ramblintadpole for the image. I’m not that old though.

here’s the scoop

I thought I was just being cranky when I seemed to notice more dog elimination on sidewalks and in the parks in my neighborhood. But it wasn’t all in my head according to the New York Daily News:

The number of dog owners getting nipped with summonses for not scooping their pooch’s poop more than doubled this year as part of a citywide crackdown on the nasty behavior.

“Clean up after your dog or we are going to get you,” warned Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.

From another article written in April in the Daily News about being environmentally friendly with out pets, this scary information is revealed:

…pet waste left on the ground is a significant contributing factor to the spread of a host of diseases, including parvo virus, giardia, salmonella and E. coli bacteria. It can also flow untreated into the water supply. Not to mention that it’s gross and pollutes the parks and sidewalks.

It’s always a drag to discover the dogs’ calling cards just as your foot encounters it. I don’t just want to complain, so if you follow the link to that second article, there are lots of solutions. There, I feel better.

iron man

I saw a really fun movie today… Iron Man. I expected some super hero mess, but it turned out to be fairly hip, cool and entertaining. I could have done without the Transformers-like fight toward the end, but I’m sure that will be what draws a lot of younger people. Without that, I’d say the movie is pretty smart and fun. Decent acting all around.

Here’s the YouTube trailer. (Once again, don’t judge the movie by the trailer - the trailer gives you little idea of the story line).

Rachael Ray Parody

Do you like satire and parody? I know I do. It’s even better when you know someone who actually does it. My friend (Neil Swanson), worked on the photographs for a book coming out, that his wife (Elizabeth Hilts) did. It’s not released yet, but Amazon (in its infinite wisdom) will let you pre-order it NOW.

Yes, yes, yes…. this is a plug for the book, but come on… there are no other ads on this blog… at least not many.

Wordpress.org changes code for video

It appears that Wordpress.org has changed the way to put video on your blog.

Before, one could insert the url into the video icon for adding media (on the Write Post page), and if it were a YouTube video it would insert something like:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/ABunchOfNumersHere]

This would show up on your post as a screen with the familiar arrow, and clicking it would play the video for you. Now, you insert the code and then give the link a name, and a link shows up on your site. That’s it. No graphic of any kind, plus the link takes the viewer away from your site.

In order to get the display of the video the way it was before, you have to copy the code labled “embed” (on the YouTube page) and paste it in the HTML editor. Then, all is well again.
It works like this.

Here’s the link method.

And here’s the HTML method.

At first I didn’t like it, but I see now that this offers more options than before… Good job WordPress.org!

American Gangster

I watched American Gangster (Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe) last night on video on demand. I had wanted to see it when it was in the movies, but never got around to it. It was one of those films that I would have liked to see but was not in a big hurry to see. I have to admit, it was a lot better than I thought it would be.

I’d say it’s a good way to spend an evening.