My friend Bluegrass Mama gave her kitty Bootsie a virtual makeover the other day.
I couldn’t resist!
(for more lolcat fun, visit I Can Has Cheezeburger? plzkthx!)
Monthly Archives: April 2007
All the cool kids are link-baiting
It’s Friday, I’m done thinking for the week, but I felt like plopping up a blog post today, so why not jump in with all the A-Listers, led by The Great Jason Calacanis (this is an example of link-baiting, by the way), and post my own link-baiting rules.
As you may or may not have noticed, I don’t have a blogroll or any other list of links on this site. That was originally by design, but I’ve rethunk it and plan to add some links to the sidebar one of these weeks. Want to be included?
My link-bait rules are very simple.
- Comment on a post I write in a way that adds to the discussion. Mention Viagra more than once and you’re off the list.
- Respond to a comment I leave on your blog, avoiding obvious mockery.
- Link to something I’ve written.
- Befriend me on Twitter or other social networks, unless you’re just trying to sell me your crap.
- Write a post about me, even if you say I’m lame, if you back up your argument politely. Nastiness will not be linked. Neither will anyone who uses the term “mommy-blogger” to describe me.
- Pay me. My paypal address is the email on my About page.
Of course for my friends and most relatives link-baiting me is unnecessary. And some people are just too interesting to not link to, even if they don’t have a clue who I am (that would be me link-baiting them.)
April 27, 2007 – 6:04 pm
Getting Boomers on board
Is the generation that brought us hippies & yuppies somehow missing the Web boat?
Read here, here, and please scroll down to my comment on that last one.
Why aren’t more people my age on the internet outside of work and email? What will it take to get them to read blogs, listen to and watch podcasts, use a service like Twitter?
I think I’m going to start asking this question more. I’d love it if more of my friends were online. My Twitter friends list is awesome, I’ve met some amazing people, but I have to admit it would be a blast if my local friends were on there, too. I only knew two of the people I Twitter with before I joined, one of them has used Twitter exactly twice, and the other is a long-lost friend I’ve just reconnected with (which is a really cool side-effect, I must admit!)
I think content is part of it, but I think it’s even more complicated than that. What will entice more people ages 40-65 to look beyond email and google to see what else the interweb tubes have to offer?
PS-I’m aware that there are lots of boomers blogging, etc. But most are not. Compare the saturation level of TV to that of the internet for that generation, compared to others, and I bet you’ll see what I mean.
PPS- I hate the term boomers.
April 26, 2007 – 1:56 pm
An Open Letter RE: the school bus
Dear Driver of Cadillac EXT,
Did you see the school bus driving toward you this morning? You may have noticed that the bus’s orange lights were flashing. You may have also noticed that there were children standing at the side of the road between you and the approaching, flashing bus.
You should be aware that when a school bus is flashing orange lights, it is preparing to stop, and when children are waiting at the side of the road, it’s likely that it will be stopping at their location. Orange lights flashing on a school bus do not mean that you should speed up and get past the bus so you won’t be delayed for the minute it takes for the children to board the bus.
Technically, you did not pass a bus with red lights blinking, however, in order to avoid that you were driving at well over the posted 25 MPH speed limit. Your desire to avoid being held up for one minute does not trump my son’s right to safety while standing at the side of the road waiting for his school bus.
Sincerely,
His Mom
PS- seriously, an EXT? Real men drive real pickup trucks.
April 25, 2007 – 8:52 am
Exercise ball as chair, day one
A short time ago I came across this article, 10 Reasons to Use an Exercise Ball As Your Chair. I sit at my computer for hours each day, and I do see the effects of being so sedentary. I know one answer is to sit here for less hours, but I really don’t want to- I enjoy my computer time! The exercise-ball-as-chair seemed like something worth trying. I need a new chair, anyway, the one I use is at least 25 year old and it feels like it. So, before spending major buckage on a good ergonomic chair, I figured why not give the exercise ball a try.
I read a bit more on the topic, first. Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea, especially if you already suffer from lower back pain. For me, the pros outweigh the cons. The biggest risk, I think, is that the ball will pop, which doesn’t look fun at all. I’ll be careful.
I was at Target today so I picked one up. I figured the 65 cm size would work for me, but I forgot to include the squish factor. I did give it a try for about 30 minutes of web surfing, and it was surprisingly comfortable. It’s too low for typing, so I went ahead and ordered a 75 cm ball, figuring I can still use the 65 cm ball for actual exercise and for sitting around watching TV and such.
Between the ball and the Nintendo Wii that finally arrived today, I’m hoping to get fit for summer in a fun way. I’ll let you know how things go!
(photo by ScottHernandez via flickr)
April 24, 2007 – 4:54 pm
