Tag Archives: technology

Bits of Nostalgia and Nature, Some World News, and a Really Big Wombat

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This entry is part 86 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Full day at the office followed by a full evening of more work on a freelance project I had hoped would be much further ahead than it is now.

This whole “burning out” thing happens much more quickly than it did 20 years ago.

What’s up with that?

Oh, yeah… human… aging… right.

Can’t run on fumes anywhere near as well as I used to. Especially now that everything I do is so much more complex than, well, anything I used to do.

So, because of all that, you get the big wombat picture.

Because that’s exactly what I needed to see first thing in the morning as I sat down at my desk.

A big, smiling, virgin wombat.

Just. Because.

Yeah, there’s also important news in the feed (like what’s going on in France right now… and the EU as a whole). And some other nostalgic stuff (it being back to school time and all).

Here, take a look for yourself at the feed…

 

More of a Mixed Bag

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This entry is part 84 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Still kind of ridiculously busy… but I still found myself really digging in to some of the articles in the feed today.

Particularly the one about the guy who just kind of ran off to live in the woods for over two decades. Granted, he had no human contact and kind of stole everything he needed… but the basic idea is kind of appealing.

Of course, I’d also be just fine with a one way trip to Mars. So I may not be the best judge of these things.

There are also some neat tech bits. A totally tricked out “camping” trailer (not really camping if you have the equivalent of  a small house with you–complete with A/C and TV) and some revolutionary solar cells that are near indistinguishable from regular windows.

Other highs and lows make their appearance, as one would expect with the way the last couple of weeks have gone. I’m well on my way to being totally burnt out on outrage.

So, just check it all out for yourself… maybe get involved in one of the ongoing conversations I haven’t had time for.

Here’s the feed…

Politics, SciFi, Comics, Comedy, and, well, Pretty Much a Little of Everything

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This entry is part 73 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

I’ve really got get back on track to do posts on Fridays… or any of the times over the weekend that I think “Gee, I should probably post something to my actual blog…”

Because by the time Monday night rolls around, I’m usually doing so many other things that I put this off until the last minute and then find myself at a loss for something even vaguely meaningful to yammer on about. (Which is likely why I don’t do videos.)

Instead, as usual, I’ll just say there’s a lot that went into the feed since Friday morning. Some of it sparked some really good discussions, some of it is just really awesome in and of itself, and some of it has likely gone completely unseen–so you could be the first to discover it! (Or, uh, something like that.)

Anyway… here’s the feed…

https://www.facebook.com/kierduros/activity/10152191008695981

So Many Teeth, Bunches of History, Scifi and Comic News, and Good to Help Balance Out the Bad

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This entry is part 68 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Right now, a bunch of people I know are out on the West Coast at San Diego Comic Con.

Another few are bouncing around various European countries.

Still more are heading off for two weeks of Pennsic War.

And, in another month, some mix of those same bunches of people will be heading to Dragon*Con.

I won’t be doing any of those things. It’s just not possible. Won’t be for a while.

That makes me a little sad.

But, things are what they are, and only time will open some doors again.

(I should also be asleep right now…. speaking of time…)

Here’s the feed…

Affordable Housing, Role Playing Games, Legal Wranglings, Inspiration, Tragedy, and Everything Since Friday

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This entry is part 65 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Yeah, apparently I’m skipping Friday updates more often than not. I should stop that. Actually stick to my own schedule.

One of the big topics that ended up being discussed today in the stream was the whole rich/poor divide and the idea of affordable housing… spawned by an article about a new building in NYC that’s going to have a separate entrance for it’s less privileged residents (who they agreed to take in so they could get a tax break, mind you).

The topic of “affordable housing” comes up frequently here in Maryland. Particular in Silver Spring. The issue is a little different than it is in places like NYC.

Here we have the problem of people building a lot of expensive housing that is then bought/rented by people who mostly work and play in DC. This leaves people who work in Silver Spring (which has a wide diversity of jobs and pay rates) unable to afford to live there (in some cases), pushing them farther out where public transportation is less viable, leading to a bit of a traffic problem and a bit of a parking problem (which leads to all sorts of other problems… like local businesses being able to do solid business because people can’t get to/part at them easily or actual residents not being able to find parking/get around easily during the day).

A number of members of the community here are very interested in trying to build and maintain an actual community. One that’s vibrant at all times during the day…. not just during rush hour. What’s been in place has been slowly slipping away as development has boomed and busted a few times. (Most of what’s being built are one or two bedroom apartments/condos… not conducive to people with families, encouraging more transient people who go elsewhere to put down actual roots.)

It’s an interesting situation. A problematic one. And one I know I haven’t come up with a good solution to (mainly because I’ve got some very mixed feelings about all the affordable housing solutions I have seen–some of which were laid out in the article that Nancy shared–but some of those concerns are at odds with my desire to have poor people actually treated as people, since I’ve seen that be one of the best ways to help someone get back on their feet).

Needless to say, a number of people disagree with me on a lot of those points.

I’m okay with that.

Like I said, I don’t have an answer, so the discussion obviously needs to keep going on somewhere.

Here’s the extra long feed (which contains a few interesting discussions or starting points, so you should check it out)…