Thanks to viridescence I now have a syndicated feed for my main blog. I invite everyone who reads this to friend it so that you can keep up with wherever I post.

http://syndicated.livejournal.com/webcrumbs/profile

I wonder if the same thing can be done with a twitter feed?

-A

I'm messing around with Flock, an interesting web browser which integrates social networking sites and others such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube and more. It has a built-in weblog posting system (hi there!) and provides a live stream of pictures from flickr from my friends so I can live vicariously through all of you (who post to flickr, that is).

So far, it's pretty interesting. It's a bit slow though. It's hard to use a browser that's not ultra-speedy and I've been spoiled both by Safari in Leopard which is nice and by Camino which just screams its so fast. (I can't get into using FireFox on a regular basis on my Mac as it's been beaten with the ugly stick. I use it under XP as it is hella better than IE and I don't go to XP for the "user experience" but rather to "get my day job stuff done" so that works out fine.

Anyway, I may make this my default browser for a few days just to see how it alters how I approach the web. Not sure I'll move my RSS/Atom feeds out of NetNewsWire. I did a brief flirtation with Google Reader a few weeks back but ultimately returned to NNW because, frankly, there is no better RSS/Atom reader on the planet as far as I am concerned...

I keep moving away from client-based systems towards Web 2.0-based systems partly so that I am more directly compatible with my iPhone (ie, newsreader which I can use from any location -- home, work, or iPhone) and a blogging system I can post to from anywhere (which is impossible now since I use a Mac-based client called RapidWeaver to do my AndyAffleck.com site and can only do posts on my Mac). But how often do I really need or want to blog when I am out and about? And as for newsreading, NetNewsWire does provide an online service called NewsGator which does work fine with my iPhone. And, truthfully, I find that Twitter meets 95% of my "hey I'm an exhibitionist!" needs when I am not at home and I can post both text and pictures to it without any issues.

The wrinkle in all of this is that LJ is a closed loop. While I can follow SOME of you via my newsreader, I can't get any private posts that way (at least, I haven't figured out how to get RSS feeds of the private posts, only the public ones) and I am just not set up to check the friends page all the time. My life revolves around my newsreader. If it doesn't appear there, I don't really ever see it. Conversely, a number of you have pointed out that if it doesn't show up on the friends page, you don't see it either.

So, what I need are the following:

1) A way to get the private posts via RSS so I can follow everything without checking the friends page.
2) A way to get all of my AndyAffleck.com blog posts mirrored here so they appear on your firends pages.
3) A way to get all of my twitter tweets mirrored here so they appear on your friends pages.

It is entirely possible that all of these are easily done and I just need to take a minute to google the right places and, possibly, pay LJ for the next level account to set these things up (but is it worth it to do so?)

Ultimately, having this blog and my AndyAffleck.com one is redundant. I only post here when I want to post something private. And this (rambling) note is really just me playing around with a new client and putting voice to some of what's been bouncing around in my head.

Anyway, if any of you have any ideas about any of this, I'm all eyes.

-A

(My twitter page for the twitter inclined is: http://twitter.com/aaffleck )

Blogged with Flock

See this blog entry

We just played "Telephone" in our cub scout meeting. I was last in line. I heard "The boss has a flat." What the parent sitting next to me told me he said was "The bus has a flat."

The parent who started it said "Pack 6 Cub Scouts are the best fishers and campers in Rhode Island."

Now THAT'S mangled!

We just got home from the final production of The Fantasticks at the Trinity Rep Company in Providence RI. The Fantasticks has long been my favorite musical play far beyond anything else I have ever seen. I was in it my junior year of high school and I have seen no less than 4 other times (once in Woodstock, VT, twice at the Sullivan St. Playhouse where it ran for 42 years, and once in Boston) and this was, without a doubt, my favorite of all of these productions.

The idea of the play is that the first half is a fantasy. A love story set in moonlight, soft focus, and romance. There is a heroic struggle and a happy ending. The second act is set in sunlight and is harsh reality. Hearts are broken, walls built, and, finally, a happy ending but one through true understanding, not childish fantasy. This production used magic (actual sleight-of-hand and people vanishing in a box magic) as the shifts and it worked splendidly. The parts of El Gallo/The Narrator and the Mute were so perfectly cast. Both had a wonderfully energetic, emotive style that was so engaging. You saw how much El Gallo cared about these four people and how it hurt him to hurt them when he had to. The Mute was a perfect reflection of the emotions on the stage. The blocking and choreography was just wonderful. The only downside for me was the fact that the Boy (Matt) was played by someone of lesser vocal ability which stood out like a sore thumb among the other more accomplished singers. Other than that, it was a truly marvelous production.

It's been years since I've been to see a show anywhere and I hadn't realized just how much I missed it.

What a wonderful evening.

Discussing privacy after Jack announces he can walk into any room in the house we wants to whenever he wants to and how he certainly cannot, especially when people are changing, Jack says to Mom:

"Well, I would throw up if I saw your booty or your non-wienie-ness"

So, any real advantages to upgrading to a pro account here? I've read the FAQ and the other stuff... it seems interesting but I'm looking for real-world experience. Thoughts?

So, this is cool... I can post via IM, eh? Oh brave new world! So, anyone else use LJ Chat?

Because I [heart] Annie and she had this on her LJ... well, I had to do it too. Take the little quizzie thing and see if I chose a good daemon for myself... I rather like Sophistra...



(And, yes, these are my favorite books and I am soooo looking forward and dreading the movie...)

While I'm on a posting frenzy, you can live vicariously through me (and why wouldn't you want to?)....

http://www.last.fm/user/andyjw

-A

Tonight I finally read the final chapter in The House at Pooh Corner to Jack. I've been reading him a chapter here and there from both Pooh books for weeks but about two weeks ago after Chapter IX, I stopped and made excuses not to finish the book. I didn't want to leave the Hundred Acre Woods and I think I instinctively knew what was coming. I've read many a Pooh story over the years but never any in the second book. I don't know why. I've owned the books as long as I can remember. And even though I had a feeling what was coming, I was still not prepared.

For those of you who may not know, the last chapter starts with all of the animals knowing that Christopher Robin is going away. They don't know where nor why but they do know that he is going. They gather together to sign a poem Eeyore had written and then go to deliver it to him. There's an awkward moment where nobody really knows what to say and they all wander off leaving just Pooh behind. The two walk to an Enchanted Place in the forest and talk about random things. Then Christopher Robin tries to ask Pooh to always remember him, no matter what happens.

I finished the story and Jack looked at my eye and said, "Why is there a tear?" I tried to explain that the story was hinting that Christopher Robin was growing up and leaving his toys behind. How grownups put aside their toys. Jack looked at me solemnly and said, "I'll never give up my toys." I said, "Good. You shouldn't ever."

Then we were quiet for a moment. Then Jack looked at me, as I wiped another tear away, and said, "Do you want me to make you smile so the tear goes away?" I said, "Sure." So he tickled me on the neck. I smiled and scooped him into a big hug and told him I loved him.

Then I sang him his goodnight song ("Michael Row the Boat") and said good night and went downstairs.

He has been learning to read the last few weeks and he rode on just two wheels for the first time just the other day and he's mastered every level and ever hidden trick in Lego Star Wars I, and he does a perfect imitation of my Night Elf in World of Warcraft, and he believes in magic and is scared of monsters under his bed and is so proud when he stays on green on the behavior chart at school and loves taking trips to the new Providence Apple Store with me and snuggling on the couch to watch Jake Long: American Dragon or Kim Possible with me.

He won't always be six. He will always be with me and he will always be a joy to me. But right now, in this moment in time, we are in an enchanted place which I never want to leave.

Another fun one (who has time to write original content these days?)



So, that was fun. :)

It's Brandi's fault.



Wow! A 20 question internet test tells me I'm smart! I'll take it.

Meanwhile, as you know I rarely update this site. See Webcrumbs for the real blog. Of course, I rarely update that site too...

Anyone know how to mirror a "reagular" blog to LJ via RSS? You know, so posts there show up here?

I posted a long entry about the Star Wars exhibit at the Boston Science Museum. See http://www.raggedcastle.com/webcrumbs/archives/003865.html

Ok, so I did this:

1. Go into your LJ’s archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

And got this:

"local phone companies?"


And I ask: what was the point of this? (And why did I bother doing it?)

Ok, so we're moving out of Virginia this week and into Rhode Island next week. I am setting up utilities and the like and am wondering if I should go with Cox Digital phone service (to go along with the Digital cable and Internet services we know we will continue using). Any opinions out there on whether or not the phone service provided by Cox or other cable companies are better or worse than Verizon and other local phone companies?

Just seeing if I can get ecto to work with LJ for posting purposes. Please ignore.

Technorati Tags: blogging

Snagged from greenness.

Bold the ones that you know you can do because you've done them, and put in italics the ones that you are reasonably sure that you could do with a reasonable amount of competence

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. — Robert A. Heinlein

Huh.

1) Total number of films I own on DVD/video:

At least 30... I also own many seasons of TV shows because... because I do... Some highlights include Kill Bill vol 1 and 2 (best damn movies made in years), Contact (because I just love Carl even if the movie is too black and white on the whole religion issue in a way that's unrealistic), Star Wars (I own at least 3 versions of the trilogy now), Buffy seasons 1-4, Angel season 1, Sex and the City season 1, As Time Goes By seasons 1-4, Red Dwarf 1 and 2, and all things Pixar.

2) Last film bought:
Love, Actually. I'm that sappy, I admit it.

3) Last film that I watched:
Galaxy Quest with Kegster. Just the other night. My /nick on the company IRC channel is Crewmen 6 after this movie because "I'm the guy who gets killed in the first act to show the seriousness of the situation!" Gotta love being layoff boy.

4) Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me, in no particular order:
Lord of the Rings (I count it as one really big movie... and I'm talking extended edition here)
Waking Ned Devine (my favorite escapist movie)
Office Space (it gets funnier with each viewing)
Princess Bride (because I watched it a billion times in college and it takes me back to simpler times)
Pirates of the Caribbean and Love, Actually (I pick two for #5 for the same reason: I'm secretly, desperately in love with Kiera Knightly)

5) Pick on five people. Tag five people and have them put this on their journal.
Nah. I just did this to prove to dreda that I do read her LJ ;)

I've posted something of a kitty obituary on my main blog.