memory39

Kitch 'n Bitch: Inaugural Bburg Meeting!

jamie@memory39.com — Tue, 27 Jun 06 19:37:00 UT

I wish I could say that I was back from an extended hiatus from blogging, but I fear that this is just a quick blip on the radar...

Summer in Blacksburg is fantastisch, and we're enjoying pleasant weather, a town free of undergrads, and some great visitors. And this coming Thursday, the brick house on Cranwell Circle will be hosting the first official meeting of the Blacksburg Kitch 'n Bitch Krew.

Below, the first email to our members:

************************************

Howdy, howdy, howdy, fellow (or future) Kitch 'n Bitchers!

This coming Thursday, June 29, the first weekly meeting of
the newly-formed Blacksburg Kitch 'n Bitch will come to order!
Festivities will commence around 7:30, and our first film (see
below) will start at 8:00. So, mosey on over to meine casa
(511 Cranwell Circle) for some good old-fashioned couch-potatoing
and bad beer-drankin'. (I figure we ought to have PBR to
accomodate the "K" in KnB appropriately).

And, now, here's our feature presentation for the evening. In honor
of our founding kitchmeister, Kyle Duvall, we will be watching
ONG BAK: THAI WARRIOR, a film holding a place of prestige
in Mr. Duvall's own collection and presented as a parting gift for
yorus truly when I left our Chapel Hill chapter. So, get ready to be
amazed by the deadly dangerous and paradoxically poetic flying elbows
of Thai Warrior's bucolic protagonist, Tony Jaa, as he takes on the city's
underworld. Along with his pals "Dirty Balls" and Muay Lek (the female
sidekick with a voice more annoying than that of Rosie Perez in Jim
Jarmusch's film *Night on Earth*), Ting the Thai Warrior stoically fights
to get back the stolen head of his village's sacred Buddha statue.

Don't be late, or you'll miss the film's opening scene...about which I'll do no more than to mention that there's a gaggle of sweaty, scantily-clad men beating the ever-loving Thai crap out of each other trying to climb up a really big tree. So, come one, come all! Laugh, cry, gape and gasp over the film that's got it all: multicultural pit fights, Buddha desecrators, a guy named "Dirty Balls", impossible stunts, and a tear-jerking end. Never fear, though, brave KnB-ers, while this movie has no stunt doubles and no CGI, it's still 100% pure and unadulterated fist-flying KITCH!!!

Y'all better come now, y'hear. No-shows will be forever tagged
with other colorful nicknames from the film.

-jamie

I do, too.

jamie@memory39.com — Wed, 8 Feb 06 15:27:00 UT

Taking a cue from Andreas, I figured I'd do likewise. Seems like I remember my password, as well.

Yes, I've been remiss in updating this journal, but I've been waiting for those particular personal batteries to recharge. Shouldn't be too much longer now...

Alternative Audiobooks

jamie@memory39.com — Sat, 8 Oct 05 13:41:00 UT

I'm going to assume that Mr. Wilson already knows about this, but for anyone still visiting this blog, I just wanted to mention that Alex Wilson's "TellTaleWeekly.org" audiobook site has received a nice mention in this month's issue of MacWorld.

After briefly discussing the Apple iTunes store with its offering of audiobooks and Project Gutenberg's little known collection of (computer-read) spoken-word volumens (about 400 according to the article), Matthew Honan concludes with this paragraph:

Another low-cost alternative is Telltale Weekly, which sells about 100 human-read audiobooks at discount prices--for instance, Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Pit and the Pendulum" costs a buck; Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" costs $4; Kate Chopin's "The Kiss" is a mere 25 cents; and James Joyce's "Araby" short story, from Dubliners, is free. What's more, all works are DRM-free, and available in MP3, ACC, and Ogg Vorbis formats.

Congrats, Alex. I think that's pretty neat!

jamie@memory39.com — Sat, 8 Oct 05 13:28:00 UT

another low-cost alternative is Telltale Weekly, which sells about 100 human-read audiobooks at discount prices--for instance, Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Pit and the Pendulum" costs a buck; Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" costs $4; Kate Chopin's "The Kiss" is a mere 25 cents; and James Joyce's "Araby" short story, from Dubliners, is free. What's more, all works are DRM-free, and available in MP3, ACC, and Ogg Vorbis formats."

Congrats, Alex. I think that's pretty neat!

NetFlix = NoFlix

jamie@memory39.com — Mon, 22 Aug 05 21:58:00 UT

Up until about two weeks ago, Steffi and I were loving our Netflix subscription. For the first two months we received about 16 DVDs a month, regularly enjoying a movie about once every two days. I guess we're on their "Do Not Ship" list now because we're now only getting about three movies a week, at best, but it also appears that someone is constantly "losing" the films we ship back, and I honestly don't think it's Rickie, our postman...

What follows is the email message I sent off to Netflix Suggestions -- since the company does not allow subscribers to contact Customer Service online.

***

I've been disappointed with my service of late, in large part I think because I have no clue as to "how the wheels turn" in the Netflix engine. For the first two months, I returned and received movies on a regular basis, like clockwork.

Recently, however, this has changed, and I've already reported 2 DVDs missing. The first Netflix found a day after my report. The second is now missing for over 8 days. And now, my most recent return - the OZ, Season 5, disk 3 DVD has also not arrived at a Netflix branch in what I would consider a reasonable amount of time.

Unfortunately, I'll get no response to this email because the instructions above tell me to "Please do not send Customer Service emails to this address, as you will not receive a response. If you have an account related problem, please visit our Help Center." The HELP CENTER, however, only gives me a list of common questions and answers, and there's no way to send a personal email to a Netflix customer support specialist.

What sort of recourse do I have if no one is available at Netflix to take and respond to my emails. Where's the customer service in that?

If I continue to have problems with delayed shippings and returns, I'm likely to cancel my account -- not because I mind getting fewer movies a month but because I now have no idea why my service should be different than in the beginning.

Any chance of getting a response?

A disgruntled and confused customer,

Jamie Bishop

***

To find out what I could do, I did a little Google searching. Here's a link to an interesting page and a long quote from the end of Mike's review of Netflix:

Even more curious, I decided to call Netflix to see, more like to be more reassured that everything was okay. I went to the Netflix website and looked and looked for a phone number... nothing... I found all sorts of email addresses for every other department. Everything from Employment to Public Relations and no phone numbers...

I don't like that.

I guess they don't like to talk to their customers. You know... they like to unilaterally make decisions about your service with no personal touch. We all know it's expensive to maintain phone service, man the phones and pay for all that stuff but from what I've read about Netflix, they can afford to give a little bit better service in this department.

Well I found the phone number by using a little trick. I go to Google and in the search box type the following [+Netflix +phone], without the brackets of course. You can use this trick to find lots of phone numbers for companies that like to duck and hide from their customers. I found ebay's & Paypal's phone number this way when I was having a problem with them as well.

I found the phone number of this site - http://www.texturedigital.com/netflix.html. apparently its a forum for people to discuss their problems with Netflix.

That's when I soon discovered that their are lots of people having problems with shipping. First of all, I can't believe that that many people are dishonest and said they sent it back and didn't. Well maybe there are a few. But Netflix has (I'm sure) a panel of advisors on their board that have calculated this.

Anyway, I get Mike on the phone and immediately I feel like I got in through a back door or something because I have the distinct impression that his fast talking, talk over you and not let you get a word in professionalism is a preprogrammed trait by the Netflix orientation for new employees. So, I used my well honed entrepreneurial bull-headed responses to weave my way to his more human side and I was assured by Mike that holding my movie that didn't make it back wouldn't be held against me...

In summary, I'd say the service pretty good. $20 is a bit steep but it's very easy to just open the mail box a watch some movies. That's is very convenient and lazy. We still go down to the video store to keep the local independent going but we find ourselves taking notes of what movies to queue up on Netflix...

And finally:

Netflix's phone number for customer service is 1-888-638-3549.

Apologies...

jamie@memory39.com — Mon, 25 Jul 05 20:13:00 UT

Basically, it goes like this:

I haven't felt at all like journaling for the past two or three weeks. The fact is, I've really been enjoying my vacation -- so much to the point that I simply haven't wanted to spend any of it in front of the computer.

There's been a lot going on here in Blacksburg (and beyond). Steffi and I continue to settle into the house and its environs, enjoying the town, the weather (a good 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the South -- on average), and the locals. Additionally, we've had a lot of folks grace us with visits over the past month and expect more soon.

A couple weeks after my sister, her husband, and their kids came for a weekend, we entertained a college buddy of mine and two friends (and colleagues) from my last place of work. The following Monday after their departure, my parents drove up, carrying my entire comic book collection in tow. All of those folks were great fun to be with, and it was sad to see them all leave. The house always seems so empty and lifeless after company gets on the road again.

(A quick aside about tubing on the New River: One of those colleagues wrote me an email mentioning how the "water sports were the least fun thing about his visit, and how he knew it would pale in comparison to simply hanging out with his friends." I sort of see what he was saying, but the fact is -- and despite our storm-shortened outing on the river -- the experience was still incredible. Relaxing on lazy waters with friends, watching the high (and green!) Virginia hills pass by slowly on either side of a majestically wide New River? Come on, even if you only get to tube the one-mile stretch once you've truly witnessed something gorgeous.)

Okay, on to the apologies (in no particular order)-- and if you think you deserve one and I've neglected you, let me know in the comments section and I'll do my best to remedy any hurt feelings. (At best, I've scanned some journal entries of late, so I'm not truly up on whichever remaining friends I might still have.)

Mom & Dad:
It was great seeing you guys, and I'll take back everything I said about not wanting to fill up my basement with my childhood junk. I've had a great time going through all the "treasures of youth" and am still amazed by the sheer volume of comics I once managed to purchase with (generally speaking) my own money and still own today. When asked, I would often give modest estimates of around 1200 books to quantify the collection. However, after doing a rough count this past weekend, it looks as if I have well over 2000 plastic-bagged and cardstock-boarded "funnies."

(Nice suprises to find that Todd McFarlane's Amazing Spiderman #300 is valued at well over $150, that the first appearance of Elektra in Daredevil #68 could net me $75, and that my earliest issue of DD, number 7 -- despite its over 40 years of age -- probably would fall 50 to 100 dollars shy of the aforementioned Spiderman book if sold. Discovering the one "half-box" dedicated to a complete 75-issue run of Neil Gaiman's Sandman was also a thrill.)

Thanks, you guys. Now I know I'm a true geek.

Stephanie:
I doubt you'll even read this, but in the event you are, we got the gift and love it. An astute assessment of what we still needed for the house!

Dan S.:
While I owe you no real apology, you are deserving of a long email. In the works soon...?

Andreas & Luna:
Absolutely amazing what a hummingbird feeder and a pound of birdseed can do to the backyard, isn't it? The tree-framed environs behind our home has recently become a veritable ornithological paradise...and warzone. Our potted herb garden has done surprisingly well adjusting to the slightly cooler climate here in Blacksburg, and we're hoping to take some cuttings from the existing plants (rosemary and thyme, in particular) to plant in the ground and fill out portions of our yard.

Anyway, I hope you guys are well, as are your jobs, and that you're both still writing!

Jason L. (and Janet, too.):
While I've offered congratulations for your recent publication in the last issue of TTA, I haven't really kept as much track of your successes and movements of late. Glad to hear that you and Janet have found a new place and that you're both continuing to be creatively productive. I enjoyed seeing "One Big Cruch" up at Opi8.com with my accompanying illustration. Congrats on that, as well.

Also, I've been trying my darndest to get a copy of "your issue" of The Third Alternative, but no bookstore carries individual issues of the magazine -- nor can those stores I've visited order single copies. Any ideas how I can get just that one issue so I can read "Reality Interrupted?"

Mike J.:
I've been meaning to congratulate you on your book sale (and the opportunity to vacation a bit)for quite some time. I was really pleased to see your announcement over on your blog! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! Oh, and if you're looking for a cover artist...Helloes to Lizzie and Drew!

Suzanne & Paula:
I feel bad about the protacted lack of contact and have been missing the occasional IM chat sessions. Also, I hope that shower didn't leave any permanent water damage in your living room. (If so, may your DSL remain constantly -- and quickly -- flowing.)

Alex Wilson:
Thanks so much for meeting up with me and Steffi on our next-to-last-day in Chapel Hill. The whole unfortunate "accident-in-the-WSM-parking-lot" ordeal got squared away nicely. (The cop discovered the 17-year old hoodlum's not-so-secret identity pretty quickly, and his parents have already paid up. Never got an apology from their son directly, however.) In any event, it was great to see you, and I hope Jen is doing well.

Andrew N.:
Your blog is looking even more sparsely populated than mine! Ain't long summers and home-ownership grand?

Maggie:
Hope the new little-one is doing well and that you're getting those hard-to-find books through interlibrary loan or Amazon. A good, productive and fun summer to you!

Jay H.:
No, sorry, I really DID NOT shave the cat.

Well, that's about all the "pologizing" I can do for one day, and I hope I didn't leave anyone out. Again, if you feel neglected or just want an apology, I'll do my very best to at least come up with something mildly entertaining...

FDI Course Line-Up

jamie@memory39.com — Wed, 13 Jul 05 16:34:00 UT

Here's my finalized list of Faculty Development Initiative courses I'll be teaching during Fall Semester here at Virginia Tech. I'm putting this schedule up for two main reasons:

(1) I haven't been at all motivated to put anything in this journal. (Just having too much fun vacationing in Blacksburg!), and

(2) So I'll have easy access to (and no excuse for losing) this information on any computer with an Internet connection.

Based on my limited knowledge of past-sessions given through FDI, it looks like I'll really only be responsible for developing the TabletPC, Digital Imaging, and the Better Browsing sessions on my own. The latter two I'm fairly confident I could do with little prep, but the TabletPC will be a (welcome) challenge.

FDI Fall Schedule

Microsoft OneNote: Effective Information Management
9/8/05 Thursday - 10 to noon - 3060 TORG - Windows
9/12/05 Monday - 3 to 5 - 3080 TORG - Windows

Better Browsing: Getting the most out of Firefox, its Extensions, and del.icio.us
9/8/05 Thursday - 3 to 5 - 3060 TORG - Windows
9/20/05 Tuesday - 3 to 5 - 1120 TORG - Macintosh

Title-less session on TabletPCs
9/15/05 Thursday - 10 to noon - 3060 TORG - Windows
9/26/05 Monday - 3 to 5 - 3080 TORG - Windows

Digital Imaging: From Camera to Computer
9/6/05 Tuesday - 3 to 5 - 3060 TORG - Windows
9/14/05 Wednesday - 3 to 5 - 1120 TORG - Macintosh

Dreamweaver MX 2004 (Part One): Web Page Creation Made Easy
9/13/05 Tuesday - 10 to noon - 3080 TORG - Windows
9/28/05 Wednesday - 3 to 5 - 3060 TORG - Windows
10/13/05 Thursday - 3 to 5 - 1120 TORG - Macintosh

Dreamweaver MX 2004 (Part Two): Extending the Capabilities of Your Web Site
9/20/05 Tuesday - 10 to noon - 3080 TORG - Windows
10/5/05 Wednesday - 3 to 5 - 3060 TORG - Windows
10/20/05 Thursday - 3 to 5 - 1120 TORG - Macintosh

Dreamweaver MX 2004 (Part Three): Interactivity and Advanced Topics
9/27/05 Tuesday - 10 to noon - 3080 TORG - Windows
10/12/05 Wednesday - 3 to 5 - 3060 TORG - Windows
10/27/05 Thursday - 3 to 5 - 1120 TORG - Macintosh

***

Added Bonus
The One-Round Movie Review

Cinderella Man is one of those typical, ho-hum Hollywood sports films in which the "outside chance" hero defies all the odds, gets (and/or keeps) the ever-loyal girl, and learns (and/or teaches) a few lessons along the way. *YAWN* Wasn't Rocky 6 enough?

I've seen a few too many boxing films of late (this one, Million Dollar Baby, and Rocky), and despite their (sometimes) over-dramatizations of the sport, I can't figure how such gladatorial combat is legal. Russell Crowe's Jim Braddock speaks to this same question in Cinderella Man, claiming that (paraphrased) "a boxer takes a similar rish during his job as a man would working down on the docks of Manhattan. There's always a chance of physical injury." Totally flawed logic, of course, since a 100-pound bag of barley is not capable of throwing a concussion-inducing right hook.

Jim, I'm sorry, but there's just no incidental contact in boxing...

About all I got from this film was a renewed fear of getting gut, head, or kidney punched, and if my personal scorecard meant anything, I'd have the SWG throw in the towel or revoke someone's license for this 135 minute "letdown dragout." When the curtains closed, I felt about as physically, mentally, and financially bruised as a Depression Era version of James J. Braddock.

Last Stand in Chapel Hill

jamie@memory39.com — Wed, 6 Jul 05 16:26:00 UT

Been back since late Saturday night.

Travel from Montreal was fairly comfortable.

Airport food is terrible.

Had a very relaxing 4th with friends.

Back at work.

Work's slow.

Back to Blacksburg on Friday.

Don't feel at all like journaling.

(Or couldn't you tell?)

Pitching Loonies...

jamie@memory39.com — Thu, 30 Jun 05 17:01:00 UT

...Against the EdMedia OrgBoard...and other odds and ends.

As I write this, there are a number of audible oddities going on from both within my 21st story hotel room and without. My technologically intrepid and nasally challenged colleague is snoring up a storm, having been driven to the brink of exhaustion by a conference that continues to torture us with its absurdities and incompetencies. Outside, there's a sort of Lovecraftican back and forthing of sound that plays to my ear much like the strugglings of our cat to rid her belly and esophagus of its hair-laced and kibbled coating. I dare not leave this room, for fear that some Montrealian monstrosity pluck me from the halls of this aged and overly-expensive Sheraton and/or that I might have to face yet more assinine presentations and poster sessions.

That all said, today's actually been an improvement over the previous two. Reason being: I've attended all of two technology-related sessions, been to "Cibo & Vino" -- a nice, little Italian restaurant -- for a lunch of Pesto and insalate italiano, gone over MY presentation for Saturday, lounged in the hotel room, and gone out into the bustling streets of Montreal for shopping. And this evening Jacques and I will escape the Sheraton obelisk for some aferhour carousing with a bunch of Aussies -- today start's the city's Jazz Festival. So we're off to join in the (free) festivities in an hour or two. And it get's even better because, once we get back (at a decent hour I'm suspecting) there'll be Ketchup Chips awaiting us in our room.

Yes, Jay, Ketchup Chips do exist, as I've learned, and I look forward to trying them out tonight -- probably with a Molson Canadian to wash 'em down.

And since I'm hopped up on caffeine, I may as welll throw in an aside or two: The "Loony" is the Canadian one dollar piece. Logically so-called because the copper dubloon sports a looney bird on it. When the Canadian treasury minted its and the country's two-dollar coin, the people needed a name for it, and since the whole world may as well be a media and pop-culture driven society, the locals decided on "Tooney," despite the fact that there are no Bugs Bunnian characters emblazoned on its surface. Plus, to lend yet more of a crazy quality to the coin, its original manufacture lacked a certain necessary cohesion: The inner copper core and its smaller zinc/nickel/silver/whatever outer ring would often separate when accidentally dropped (or purposefully thrown for fun) to the ground.

Another useless but hopefully amusing aside: The first day we were here (Monday - which now seems like weeks ago. The havoc an inane conference can work on one's temporal sensitivies) we walked by a street musician who we heard exclaim, "That bastard can take his pennies and shove 'em up 'is arse!" Apparently, someone had chosen to dispose of all of his one-hundredths-of-a-loony (or were those the middles of a Toony?) in the bloke's guitar case. I checked the urge and refrained from yellilng at the aggrieved that "Beggars can't be choosers." OK, so that's off my chest now.

And this should hopefully be my last bash of the conference: After attending a couple of the morning sessions today, Jacques and I returned (from different points of departure) to the hotel room and discussed our ever-growing criticisms of the event. Basically, we've both come to the conclusion that we have failed to properly promote and market ourselves as technologists. So many of the full/short papers, roundtables, panel discussions, keynote addreses we've visited have convinced us that we know at least as much as -- if not altogether more than -- those leading these events. Jacques and I both could have easily had three or four more program items on the schedule -- instead, the conference has scheduled our presentation on the last day -- time when we'll be lucky to get more than 3 attendees. So little has made a lasting impression.

Therefore, we're going to take Jay and Dad's advice and cut out early tomorrow (Friday). After taking in one or two sessions in the early morning, J. and I are renting a car from Hertz and driving over to Ottawa to meet a few of his relatives and later, that evening, go to a Canadian Football game.

Time to experience Canada Day and the pride of the Canucks -- a good hour away from the EdMedia conference.

EdMedia Con

jamie@memory39.com — Wed, 29 Jun 05 13:58:00 UT

Jacques and I have taken a brief break from the conference and are holed up in our 21st floor Sheraton hotel room. He's asked me to "write for two", since he's a good deal more pissed about the recent turn of events than I am:

I'm sorry to report that this conference has gone from laughable to downright criminal. Well, not really, but the biggest event -- Todd Oppenheimer's talk on Technology and Education -- was postponed. In reality, the conference organizers "preponed" the presentation to 11:15, and the only announcement for the change appeared on ONE bulletin board in the main hall. No announcement was made this morning at the opening plenary session. No warning last night at the welcoming ceremony. And no placard appeared on the door of the originally scheduled "Center Ballroom."

We're both still reeling. I had been looking forward to seeing Oppenheimer talk for sometime, and his presence at the EdMedia conference was one of the biggest reasons for my attendance. (Other than the presentation I'll be giving probably to an empty "Salon" on Saturday and the fact that this is my first trip to Canada.) Perhaps Mr. Oppenheimer had some other prior commitments after 2:30 today, but I'm absolutely stunned that the EdMedia organizers couldn't move the lecture to a time AFTER that on the originial schedule (AND put up a notification of the change at the door at today's 1:30 time.) That would have prevented the rather large crowd of disappointed conference goers who were milling around the entrance of "Ballroom Centre" aimlessly, wondering what was up.

About the only good news, I guess, is that Oppenheimer will be having a poster session tonight from 5:15 to 7:30, so there should still be at least the opportunity to meet the man personally. More personal, perhaps, but not the same thing. (And his poster presentation was already on the program -- it hasn't been added to appease us bitter attendees.)

A nasty email is in order, I think.

A Whole Helluvalotta Bunk

jamie@memory39.com — Tue, 28 Jun 05 23:32:00 UT

Today the EdMedia got going with its official "pre-conference" workshops -- all lectures, tutorials, group sessions, etc., theoretically designed to put the focus on helping instructional designers, faculty, and IT professionals better integrating technology into the learning environment. Let's also not forget that these 3 hour "courses" cost each participant (who've already paid the 465 dollars to attend the post-workshop conference) a whopping $115.

The session I attended bore the amusing title of "Blogs, Boards, Borgs, and Just a Bit of Bonk: Best Practicies Bring Us Back to the Future" and was headed up by the somewhat amusing, but mostly annoying, Curt Bonk, of Indiana University and SurveyShare.com. After getting things started, he went around the room, asking folks how many EdMedia conferences they had attended as well as how many times they'd come to one of his talks. When the tally was completed, all of us "new-to-theBonk-experience"-ers learned just how many groupies he had. I wasn's sure who this guy was -- IT rock star? IT prophet? egomaniac?

The "Bonk Bingo" game just made things worse, and I gave it up when I realized that it was taking more of my attention than the actual lecture Mr. Bonk was giving. Anyway, to cut to the chase, I had to leave early because I found myself resenting the entire workshop and the myriad absurdities which were meant to keep the audience amused and attentive. I left feeling cheated (and happy that my workplace had foot the bill) and spent the next couple of minutes wondering how the suckers still in Salon Hemon could take this guy seriously. Not once did the topic of "Blogs" receive any attention in his lecture, and so many of the "Best Practices for Effective E-Learning" were so incredibly obvious. It was as if Bonk had successfully created a science (or a religion?) out of common sense ideas. One of the PowerPoint slides he showed us listed a colleague's recommendations for the instructor who wants to conduct an effective "synchronous learning session." (This, just so you know, is a nice euphemism for a distance learning course in which the teacher actually teaches the students electronically in "real time" -- as opposed to "asynchronously."

Here's that list for the Ideal Environment of Synchronous Trainer:

1. A private, soundproof room
2. High-speed connection; telephone; powerful computer; additional computer; tech support phone #
3. Studio microphone and speakers
4. A "Do Not Disturb" sign
5. Near restroom; pitcher of water.

Why, thank you so much Mr. Bonk and Ms. Hoffman. I never would have figured any of that out. I'm so happy my boss paid a C-note and some change for that most useful information!

Well, that's it for today. Hopefully Todd Oppenheimer's keynote will balance things out tomorrow. Last year I read his book The Flickering Mind and really appreciated the honesty and intelligence of his largely critical approach to technology in pre-college education. I expect he'll make up for Bonk's silliness...

Pass the Poutine, SilVousPlait

jamie@memory39.com — Mon, 27 Jun 05 21:11:00 UT

Today, just after 5 am in the morning, I went through the "Just to Make You Feel Safe" security measures at RDU airport. Just prior to getting on the first leg of Jacques' and my trip to Montreal, Canada, I had to take off my el cheapo, fake leather, "Earth Shoe" sandals and put them through one of the X-ray security devices. After they went through the machine along with my bag, containing an R51 IBM Thinkpad, an iPod Shuffle, a NexTel Blackberry, a Nikon 995 3.3 Megapixel digital camera, and a copy of Andy Duncan's Beluthahatchie, I was allowed to walk down the concourse to my Detroit-bound flight. I have no idea how Security could let me go so easily -- those sandals are nothing less than biological weapons -- probably the smelliest footwear to ever go through the check...

Our flights, largely underbooked, both went well and were thankfully uneventful. We arrived just before 11 at Montreal, Trudeau airport and then caught the number 6 shuttle into the city, final destination the Montreal Sheraton, which - at lest according to the back of the room door - may charge as much as $575 Canadian per night for a room. (About $15 US...ugh, what an old, worn out joke. Irresitible never-the-less.) After check in with both the hotel and the EdMedia conference, we hit the streets, making a beeline for Ben's Deli to get one of those famous smoked meat sandwiches. I wonder if the joint still gets a lot of celebrities to come in, eat, and donate a headshot...The restaurant -- still THE spot to go -- seems to have suffered a bit over the years, showing some shab and dirt and otherwise showing a bit of its age. Still got atmosphere, though.

The rest of the afternoon Jacques (a colleague and a Canadian to boot) and I spent walking around the city and marvelling at just how few people were out on the streets. Activity didn't really pick up until about 7:00 when we were out for dinner. (Seems that Montreal has a well-established nightlife -- also pretty obvious that some streets were best avoided.) Jacques pointed out a couple of things that one probably wouldn't likely notice without someone pointing them out: 1.) Canadians actually advertise AGAINST smoking on the actual package of cigarettes. Graphic photos of blackened, necrotic, and/or cancerous lungs decorate just about every carton of smokable coffin nails. 2.) Billboards (and other modes of advertising, of course) are allowed to promote hard liquor. No pictures of the carnage created after a DUIer runs through an ARRET sign, mowing down a carload of kiddies in the process...

Well, the pre-conference workshops start tomorrow, and since I really haven't looked over the proceedings and hence not chosen any of the panels/discussions to attend, I need to do so. And then get some sleep. Should be a number of interesting days ahead (especially with keynote speaker Todd Oppenheimer speaking about his book The Flickering Mind.)

Word of advice before I shut the laptop lid. Make sure, whenever ordering that Canadian specialty of french fries, gravy, and cheese curd at the local "Harvey's," that you pronounce the N in "Poutine" and not do what I did (nasalize and drop the final consonant). Ah, but how we do learn from our mistakes!

And you'd be surprised: The "Poutine" tastes pretty good, not smelling a bit like my "Earth Shoes."

Off for Chapel Hill & Montreal

jamie@memory39.com — Sun, 26 Jun 05 12:13:00 UT

A short one, just before Steffi and I pack up the car and head down to Chapel Hill. On Monday, a colleague (from the old job) and I will be getting into a red-eye at RDU Airport and will be jetting to Montreal for an Education Technology conference called EdMedia. The two of us will be there for 6 nights, taking in a few of the papers and presentations and giving one talk apiece. Since he's Canadian and quite familiar with the area, we'll certainly spend a fair amount of time outside the conference hall doors and may even rent a car to visit his family in Calgary. Regardless, this being my first trip to Canada, I'm excited about the opportunity to do just about anything, especially with such a well-versed tour guide.

Better run. We've got to get out the door. Hopefully there'll be time (and desire) to make updates throughout the week...

Big Fat Beautiful Book

jamie@memory39.com — Fri, 24 Jun 05 14:53:00 UT

Yesterday, shortly after noon, one of the nicest (and most outspokeningly liberal) UPS guys showed up on our doorstep and left me a package shipped over from England by Peter Crowther of PS Publishing. Although I was dying to open up the well-taped cardboard box and get to the books I knew were inside, I listened to Rich (I think that was his name) go on about foreign languages not receving much empashis here in American schools and how bad the Bush administration is for this country. It was a lot easier foregoing the box-breaking ceremony listening to an anti-W rant, I have to say.

My dad's book A Reverie for Mister Ray is handsome. Incredibly so, I think, and it's probably the best work I've ever done as a cover artist. I received two copies -- the 500-copy edition with author signature and the 200-pressrun slipcase version with signatures by author, editor (Michael Hutchins), and introductionist (Jeff VanderMeer). Unfortunately, these books aren't terribly cheap, so even though I'd encourage anyone reading this to buy a copy of Reverie from PS Publishing, I certainly can't expect many of my friends to fork over the $45 and/or $90 for one or both of the editions.

But don't judge the book by its cover. While I'd lke to egotistically think that the cover is gorgeous, the writing on the inside is, by far, the best part. ARfMR deserves a much longer, carefully-crafted review than this, but I'm convinced that this book may be one of my father's best. For me personally, it's certainly the most relevant because it collects (almost exclusively) hundreds of non-fiction pieces that Dad wrote over a thirty year period. These reviews, satires, essays, personal philosophies paint a vivid picture of what makes Michael Bishop not only a writer but in some sense my father as well. I don't think these words really do justice to the pride I feel by having my work gracing the cover of such an important book, but A Reverie for Mister Ray is definitely the most higly prized book I'll probably ever put on the bookshelf.

Getting Down & Pulled Over

jamie@memory39.com — Thu, 23 Jun 05 17:21:00 UT

Last night I got to jam with a future Virginia Tech colleague. Eddie Watson, a distant relative of both Loretta Lynn and Doc Watson, is one of the technologists in the University's Faculty Development Initiative (FDI) with whom I'll be working in order to coordinate and provide training for VT faculty. The institute's system's a good one: Before teachers, instructors, and faculty can get their departmentally-supplied laptops, these folks have to attend a number of training sessions. This coming Fall, alongside Eddie, I'll be teaching a variety of courses, classes which may include instruction in Photoshop Elements, Dreamweaver, Flash, Internet Resources & Research, Digital Audio Basics, Digital Imaging: From Camera to Computer, Cascading Style Sheets, Powerpoint (ugh), Blogging, Macromedia Breeze, etc., etc. FDI should be a good fit for me, and I'm looking forward to working closely with some of the top specialists in Educational Technology.

But I digress. I arrived at Eddie's place at 5:30 yesterday evening after a somewhat grueling drive through bustling (and ugly) Christiansburg and over some fairly treacherous (and beautiful) mountain passes into Pilot, Virginia. Despite the 15 miles from my door to his, the trip took a good 40 minutes due to traffic and the low speeds along those winding roads.

As soon as I stepped foot in the door to the Watsons' secluded country home, Eddie ushered me down the stairs to a fnished basement dedicated -- entirely -- to all of his gear. A couple of Macintosh computers, about 7 to 10 guitars it looked to me, a full drumkit, a beer fridge, and tons of audio/recording equipment. We started off tooling around on our acoustic guitars, but since Eddie's two sons were still up and wouldn't be heading to bed until about 8, we decided to utilize that time to turn up the volume and be LOUD.

Eddie hooked up one of his myriad electrics and got me set up on the drums. After a brief lesson with the high-hat, snare, and bass drum I was able to do fairly well holding a beat and accompanying Eddie's guitar solo-ing. I'm now debating whether I should look into obtaining a basic, inexpensive percussion kit and trying to master the rather challenging task of actually kicking the bass on the downbeat rather than on the fourth. I have no hope of getting four limbs to do different things at the right time until there's an opportunity to practice on a regular basis.

We swapped roles after about a half hour of jamming, and I can't begin to express just how thrilling it was to play electric guitar with a talented drummer. Eddie simply let me strum whatever came to me and we got up and rocking pretty quickly -- even though I'm really not all that great. We must have played a foot-stompin' version of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" for about 10 minutes among a colleciton of other random riffs that I just repeated until we got tired of them.

Although I got back into Blacksburg around 11:30 that night, there was no way I could sleep for the next 3 hours. It was just too electrifying of an evening.

***

There was another reason why I couldn't sleep, however, and what happened to me last night around 11:30 in the utter darkness and outskirts of Christiansburg finally gives me the impetus to talk about the utter ubiquity of Virginia police.

So, here's a blogged public service announcement: Upon entering the state of Virginia, reduce the speed of your vehicle to 15 miles per hour below the speed limit. I'm serious. I've been driving in this state for about the last four months and the police have already stopped me twice. In my whole pre-Virginia career as a motorist -- approximately 16 years in Georgia, North Carolilna, and Germany -- I was stopped ONCE and only given a warning.

Virginia is crawling with cops, and my very first trip to Blackburg was punctuated (or punctured?) by my first speeding ticket outside of Wythesville. It was an obvious speed trap and the State earned an extra $116 dollars that day after a State Trooper caught me going down an incline going 77 in a 65 mph area. I'll readily admit to the infraction, but I'm still a little miffed that the officer's visit to my car after he presented me with the ticket included his dumb-ass and snide complaint that (when looking at my license) "so you have 4 lines for your address, but there are only 3 on this form. How'm I supposed to get all this information on your receipt, sir?" Considering the situation and the nature of the interaction, it wasn't terribly difficult to refrain from saying, "Well, hey, if it doesn't fit then you can't give me a ticket, right?" or "Hey, I didn't design the form, you ass!"

Nearing midnight last night I got stopped again -- this time for driving 44 miles per hour in a 35-mph residential area. I had to honestly tell the young cop that I had NO IDEA why he was pulling me over. Luckily, this run-in with the law went a lot better (I had gotten a Virginia license, registration, plates, and Blacksburg decal only a week or two earlier) and was able to stammer -- heart pounding faster than 44 mph -- that I was new to the area and hadn't even seen speed limit signs. Thankfully, he was polite and understanding and when he went back to his car with my information, I had - in spite of the speeding pulse - a pretty good feeling that I was going to get a warning. After a minute or so, I saw the bobbing flashlight getting bigger in my rearview mirror, and he returned my license and registration, letting me go with a word of caution.

I'm not sure how many times I promised him that I would defintely pay closer attention to traffic signs, but I remember driving the rest of the way to Blacksburg going about 33 mph -- my heart already in Northern Ohio (probably camped out in Alex Wilson's basement), juiced on musical adrenaline and a renewed fear of authority.

I don't think I'll be going any more than 5 mph over ANY speed limit from now on. There's just no way that my nerves would hold up to another "pulling over."