You Never Want to Go Full ---------

I'm posting twice today - I thought about scheduling it, but decided to get this out there.

Ace of Spades is a regular stop for me, each day.

They epitomize the best of blogging. They've developed a hard-core group of commenters - some of them commenting just to be able to write FIRST. You could learn a lot from how they do it:

• Regular posting - in their case, every day. But, that's not absolutely necessary. Just start using a schedule. 
• If you run across an idea that can't wait, OK, ignore the schedule and post it right then.
• Then, the next post should be back on schedule.
• Use of guest bloggers. If someone is permitted to post on your blog, they will likely visit it, even when they don't have a post - it's human nature.
• Themes for the day/week.
• Pet thread - with pictures.
• Chess day.
• ONT - the Overnight Thread. Basically, Ace throws it open to all comers, and the commenters run it.
• Gardening.
• Painting.
• Food.
• Anniversaries - 9/11, but also military or historical.
• A free-wheeling atmosphere. No Triggly-Puffs shutting down comments through outrage.
• Little, if any, censorship of ideas/language shows. There may be some behind the scenes, but it isn't obvious.
• Trolls are made fun of, then - if continuing, banned.
• Copious use of links. AoS doesn't try to provide all the writing, but points to where you'll find it. 

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Why Bother?

I ran across this when clearing out some old draft posts on this site - it's still worth reading, no matter what your political/cultural leanings.

Nock on the Remnant

Settling In

I changed the template (never bothered to get it professionally done), made some small changes, and notified the host company that I would be dropping my site.  Haven't made a decision about the domain, but am leaning towards releasing it.

Unless you have a physical product, securing your own domain may not be needed for most relatively small businesses.  There are those that buy up domains and squat, hoping that they'll hit gold when a business takes off and needs to secure the name.  I'm inclined to think those days are gone.  Most businesses can adapt fairly easily, due to the expansion of usable names in other countries (*.tv, *.ca, etc.).

I had a VERY restful week - lazily browsed the news, visited with family, and didn't do all that much.  I didn't even write, except for a few comments on other sites.  Mostly, I read.

I have found the Motherlode - Baen Free Books.  I hugely enjoyed reading the free science fiction short stories; I'm now working my way through non-fiction science and tech shorts.

I never enjoyed reading non-fiction when young.  It was an acquired taste, prompted by my need to read about science topics.  There are some great writers in that sub-genre, who can take a relatively complex topic, and make it understandable to the average man.  Don't poo-poo that skill - it's needed desperately.

I've been mulling over an idea I had related to that - I may try writing short-short stories, either straight sci-fi or mysteries, using them as a way to engage students while teaching the science concepts.

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And, So It Begins

Actually, it started a long time ago, with the fringe monthlies that didn't kowtow to the Established Thinking.  There have always been those, largely mimeographed sheets of paper staples together, circulated by the convicted.

Don't know what a mimeograph is?  Ask your granny - maybe your great-grandpappy.

Or, just Google it.

The Samizdats did it, even earlier, with their revolutionary documents re-typed, from one to another.  Think of the work it would take to reproduce a book by re-typing it, or copying the book into longhand.

I teach American kids for whom cut-and-paste is too much work.

The trend accelerated with the introduction of fax machines.  What, they're lame technology?  Tell that to the Chinese youth that spearheaded the Tiananmen Square revolution.  They did that armed largely with fax machines to spread the word.

Oh, sorry, you probably CAN'T tell them - they are dead, in prison, or cowed into submission.  A few are still under house arrest or living abroad.

Fast-forward to recent times.

Today's kids use their cell phones to organize their social and political activity.  There is a downside to their method.  It is ephermal - lasting but a short time, and with no quick way to archive the conversation.

However, the videos/Vimeo/Snapchat means they most like to use have been mastered, and used to spread the memes of the Left.

Where does this leave blogs?

You are unlikely to make a financial killing with political blogs.  Sorry, that's just the way it is.  If money is your prime motivator, get a sales job.

The real effect of the political/cultural blogs is to Spread the Learning.  To provoke thought, to educate younger people about historical events that they have MIS-learned, and to build coalitions.

Alternative Ways to Spread the Learning:

• Pass on videos - on Facebook, on Google+, on your and others' blogs.  They should be SHORT, memorable, and educate the viewer.  Think of Andrew Klavan, Bill Whittle, and other Conservatives who currently dominate the media.  You could try producing your own, if you are inclined.  If so, send me a message, and I'll respond.


• Circulate static media - someecards, LiberalLogic101, photos with captions, etc.  To the above places to circulate, try SnapChat - the under 21 crowd ALL use it.  Your objective is simply to provide an alternative voice/meme for people to pass on.  Remember, the goal is to Spread the Learning.


• Read HARD copies of political/cultural books, and pass them on to your friends/library/school.  By doing so, you will maximize the effect of your buying dollar.


• Continue to educate yourself.  Read, discuss, take notes.  Try meeting with others in a book club, if you can.  If that's not possible, try the Ace of Spades online book club.  It's primarily for fiction, but you can also look around to find a like-minded group of readers for political/cultural discussions.  Try Joining Conservative Mentors, or another group - they exist in a wide range of philosophies.  I've also joined the Bible-a-Thon, which is set up to complete reading the entire Old and New Testament in a year.


• Right now, Facebook is experiencing a pushback from those on the Right who are concerned about its evident Leftist bias.  But, let's get real - Conservatives skew older, and FB serves to keep up with the kids and grandkids.  There have been rumblings about an alternative FB, but I haven't seen it happening yet.  There are some things we could try:
  
  
  
  • Migrate to Google+
  
  
  • Try to set up a No Facebook Day - pick a date at least 2 months in the future, and publicize it via - I love this - Facebook.  For 24 hours, set your picture to the logo, and refuse to use FB.
  
  
  • If successful, try setting one day a week - Sunday would be appropriate - to NOT use FB.  Again, make your reason clear with a picture logo, and a statement about your decision.
  
  
  
  

Feel free to add any further idea to this list.

Day 3 of Enforced Bed Rest

I'm still home, taking it easy.  My arthritic knee is still experiencing inflammation and pain.  With pain meds, and anti-inflammatory meds, I am improving, but S-L-O-W-L-Y.

I've been on a movie binge:

• Live Free & Die Hard


• Working Girl


• Sneaker

The last, I'm watching now.  One of the few really accurate and interesting movies about technology.  A more recent favorite tech movie is The Net (horribly outdated - tech is moving fast).

It's funny.  Many of the 60's and 70's Liberals/Progressives have become wealthy.  They ARE the Establishment.  Yet, they persist in positioning themselves as SJW (Social Justice Warriors), whose only aim in life is to help the "Little People".



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like this poster.  I may make it my new motto.

Feeling Old

I'm hobbling around today, thanks to a bad knee (osteoarthritis and a torn meniscus).  This week, I had a bad flare-up of the problem, and on Tuesday, I finally gave up, went back to the doctor, and got some heavy-duty meds.  And, a few days off work.

It's a grim prognosis - if it doesn't get better, surgery is in the future - either for repair of the meniscus, or complete knee replacement.  Either option has a healing time of about 6-8 weeks, and physical therapy, as well.

After this weekend, I'm going to get serious about weight reduction.  Just 20 pounds off the knee would make a huge difference.  I'm going to re-arrange my bedroom to have some space to stretch and exercise while watching TV.

While I'm sidelined, I plan to work out the upper body - I can use the Bowflex and resistance bands (I promise to be careful, and not injure myself like Harry Reid).

Bad Knee Leads to Bad Back...

..Bad, bad, back!  I'm out today from work (hate to do that, but I really am in bad shape).  Can't get into the doctor's until Monday, so, need to call off for that day, too.  AND make up some lessons that the kids can do without me.  It's more work than going to work, so, usually, I just suck it up.

Not today, though.  I'm a big baby about severe pain.

Since I didn't take work home with me, and I really don't like TV, I'll plan on catching up with my web reading and blogging.

Then, later, after lunch, maybe a little Roku.

Originally Posted on Facebook, but...

...then, I realized that I hadn't said all that I had in me, so, here's my thinking:

• 
  
  
  
  • WHY should we all be yelling? Loud and clear - also, sending message, telephone call, and, yes, PAPER mail (The more work it is for us, the more likely our representatives/Senators are to take notice of our displeasure) to Congress/Senate.From Facebook.
  
  
  • Because
  
  
  • "The cynical and dystopian view?
  
  
  • One of the unavoidable dominoes will be broad censorship. Once the deprioritization of broadcast packets leads to the epic traffic jam that will reduce the Web’s US speeds to worse than those found in Europe, the government of the day will, once again, have to “save us” from this “unforseen” outcome and their clever plan will include limiting who can “legitimately” have bandwidth preferences, since clearly “legitimate” news outlets need to bypass the buffering jams that will afflict TV signaling and once dot-gov starts adjudicating who’s a “real” news or other “essential” service, licensing will naturally follow, and then “standards” of what is “acceptable” traffic.
  
  
  • At which point, whichever political party is in power at that time will have the distinct advantage of licensing whomever they deem to be more politically correct in their eyes. “Neutrality” on the ‘Net? Yeah, not so much."
  
  
  • Please SHARE as widely as possible.
  
  
  • http://noisyroom.net/…/net-neutrality-young-fool-only-now-…/
  
  
  
  


• As usual, Breitbart is at the front of this,

The scariest part?

Obama has nationalized the banks, student loans, housing, healthcare and now the Internet. Americans walk around fancying that they live in a Republic that is no more. Marxism rules the red, white and blue now.

It's time for me to order this:

Focusing on the Most Important Things

1. Family - the major part of my energy for the next year will be to keep my far-flung family in my thoughts, and to show that by regularly calling, texting, emailing, and - yes - sending short notes in hard copy (there is nothing like the lift you get when you receive something in the mail WITHOUT a translucent window).  Family also includes my long-suffering husband, whom I need to make a top priority.


2. Financial - this includes selling our second house, organizing records, and reducing debt.  All of this is necessary, if I plan to make our goal of retiring in 2-1/2 years.


3. Work - setting up files (and weeding out old ones), making appointments for grade entry and planning, scheduling all mentor meetings, labeling my stuff and sub-dividing it into smaller boxes, with lessons inside.  I spend too much time trying to find stuff, and I'm tired of working in a cluttered environment.


4. Home - clean, organize, and repair.  Really, the biggest part will be weeding out junk.

Notice that there is nothing there about politics?  By necessity, I will have to carefully manage what little time I have left.  So, I will be scheduling my once a week posting, and only occasionally posting more.

Nearing Halloween - Strike That - It IS Halloween

It's the dread of teachers everywhere, right up there with pre-Christmas inability to concentrate.  And, it's not just limited to elementary-age kids.  High school students spend hours talking about their costumes, and carrying around treats for their friends.

Although Michelle Obama's Grim Substitutes, the vegetable tray and other low-calorie treasures, may stop that.  We've been told - officially - NOT to bring in treats.  For ANY reason.

I never thought sugar and fat would become the New Crack.

I've never been that into Halloween, post-elementary age.  Until well into the 1980s, it was a relatively minor holiday.

No more.  Adults and teens have taken over the grim festivities, with gruesome body parts, truly repulsive costumes, and weeks - even months - of planning for the parties.  It's chance for women to unleash their Inner Slut, men to experiment with Cross-Dressing, and for all to use conspicuous consumption as a signal of their Elitist Status.

Eh.

Don't like horror movies.  Don't enjoy dressing up.  Hate parties, for the most part.

Not my holiday.

The funny thing is that this all comes at a time when few believe in Hell, most think their "sins" are not an offense against God, and many try their Wildean best to avoid the appearance of aging, and throw money in a futile Faustian bargain at doctors, trying to avoid their inevitable death.

For all that many enjoy the Lion King's Circle of Life song, they can't quite see themselves as nearing the end of that Circle.  And, for those without spiritual underpinnings, that "endless" circle is broken.

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10/31/2014

I started this several days ago, just was too busy to finish.  My bloglife is a lot like that lately - not that I'm not interested, just too busy.

Which, is OK with me right now.  In the past, I hovered over my blogs.  Were enough people reading them?  Had I responded to a political issue?  In short, did I put my 2 cents in?

Eh.

I still have strong feelings.  But, more often now, I've found other people (in REAL LIFE) who are willing to listen to me, and respond in their turn.  Taking the blogging discourse into real life is FAR more satisfying.

Plus, over time, I've found those on Facebook and Twitter who are simpatico - some of them friends or family offline, as well, others - not.

So, even though I still have a burning desire to have my say, I - more often than not - can get that in other ways.

Right now, I am tired.  Weary of the political ads, the "issues", the "news" clawing at my attention.

Work is tiring - not bad, but truly fatiguing.  I'm temporarily overscheduled - mentor stuff, grading, planning, and, now, getting signed up for a Gifted & Talented course - or, rather TWO courses - that I have to take to teach the Honors classes next year.

I'm 2-3 years away from retirement.  By that time, I likely will be REALLY ready for the rest.

At that point, I will - FINALLY - have time to write.

Which is my plan.

A Blog You REALLY Have to Put on Your Daily List

I've long been a fan of Francis W. Porretto's writing, both his blogs and his fiction.  Please, consider adding his blog to your list of frequently checked sites.

How to work with Liberals/Leftists?  He has some good advice:

Compromise is potentially constructive only when it's strictly about means: i.e., when the two sides angling toward a compromise sincerely agree on the end to be sought, and are both willing to allow that they might be wrong about what means would best serve that end. Under those conditions, everyone involved will be watching the outcome and judging the means applied by that standard alone. When the ends are opposed to one another,compromise must disserve one or the other. It cannot be any other way.

If your end is political liberty -- the maximum possible freedom from coercion or constraint for peaceable persons -- there's absolutely no reason to "dialogue" with persons whose end is an expansion of State power. Compromising with statists means promoting their end, which is the exact opposite of your end. Yet many a freedom-minded person will feel a tug toward such a "dialogue," and the ideal of compromise, despite the clarity of the above. This is the Nice-Guy Trap in action.

We're indoctrinated practically from birth about the goodness of "sharing," and how Nice Guys should "try to see both sides" -- of everything. Nice Guys mustn't declare others to be The Enemy even when The Enemy has already done so in the plainest possible ways. That's because confrontation is bad, don't y'know. At any rate, it's unpleasant, which in modern "thought" amounts to the same thing.

Hidden beneath the Nice-Guy Trap is a pair of steel jaws that can snap any principle cleanly in half. This is so obvious as to be tautological: He who compromises on principle has surrendered it to some other end.

There's more, and I suggest you read it.

This is a BAD Idea!

Honestly, you'd think that one of the requirements for people working in government today is a COMPLETE IGNORANCE of the Constitution!

There seems to be no other way to explain this boneheaded decision:

FCC to "monitor" news broadcasts for bias

Even more EXCITING, the firm that the FCC is looking at to conduct the study of the media, specializes in "social welfare".

Here's a link to the actual proposal.  I'm not that concerned about them looking at what they call "Critical Information Needs" - that's examining the actual content, and comparing it to how well it matches what the public has a need to know (assuming, perhaps unrealistically, that our Leftist government minions can fairly judge that) - but, that the major focus of the study seems to be on "perceived" needs.

Whose perception is going to take precedence?  Leftists?  Minorities (including transgender, transexual, bi-, undecided, Arab-heritage - the RIGHT kind, the Muslims, not those "icky" Christian Arabs, those with quasi-psychiatric diagnoses that are PROUDLY used to excuse horrible behavior, et al)?

I'm confident that this will be used as a club to eliminate non-Leftist media.

BTW, isn't it funny that the ones that seem to be getting most enervated about this are NOT the Old Media, but the New Media?  Who says the MSM haven't outlived their purpose?

Just About Caught Up on the Internet!

I, like so many in the South, have been largely snow-bound for days.  Without the many snowplows,, de-icing substances, and, even, snow shovels (I had to explain what they were to my students on Tuesday - they'd literally never seen one), it's taken quite a while to begin clearing up the mess that the recent snowstorm dumped on us.  Power is out in many places (not our area, thank God - although we DO have a gas-powered generator - AND plenty of gas).  Crews are working non-stop to restore it - if you see a crew in your area, bring them out hot coffee and cocoa, would you?

I've had plenty of time to catch up on current news, political issues, and various sundry pursuits.  I'm totally caught up on sleep.  I would have done more housework, but I burnt my hand rather badly, trying to make a white sauce.  There is schoolwork, grading and planning, but I just don't feel like it yet.

So, I'll be blogging today.  I have some ideas that I'd like to flesh out, some issues that I'd like to more fully explore, and some long-suppressed rants to write down.

I'll also be adding some links to Amazon - if you're thinking about ordering something, would you access the site through me?  It helps cover the cost of this website.  I'll put some of my favorite books, with links, on the side.

Check back during the day.

on the Web, But Through Blackberry

For the last 3 days, I've been keeping up and posting primarily through my new Blackberry.

It's been mixed. The Blackberry keyboard is a little different in the placement of keys - close, but just enough offset that a good typist, like me, makes a few typos. I have to look at the keys, rather than the screen.

As a result, I tend to create shorter posts, with fewer links. Over time, I expect I'll get more comfortable with the keyboard.

It is, however, terrific for staying connected away from home.

How to Gain Readership

I was checking out a fairly new blogger, who commented:

Does anybody have a fail-safe way to meaningfully increase traffic? I've been blogging for a few months now, and it kind of sucks that only a few people actually read my blog. Readership is growing but tooooo slow for my ADHD tastes ...

Friend, we've all been there. Initially, you feel as though you're rolling pebbles down a mountain. They start rolling, then stop. Some seem to gain momentum, then slow down. Occasionally, they hit another pebble, and you think you've got something started.

No. That second pebble just teeters for a few mini-seconds, then settles back in place.

It's a slow process. You can speed it up by taking topics from your latest posts, and doing a Google on those terms. When you get a blog hit, follow the link, and make a comment. Be sure to include a link to your post.

Over time, you'll see traffic pick up. Yeah, I know, it seems to take forever! But, there' s a snowball effect - once one person picks you up, they often recommend a friend check it out.

Another way to build traffic is to promote other bloggers. Then, make sure you send the link to them - who doesn't like to hear that their blog is wonderful? Warning - don't do this with everyone. Be selective. But, try to promote other bloggers without a huge readership. Instapundit doesn't need another blogger mentioning his wonderfulness. But, somewhat lesser-known bloggers, like Eternity Road (Haven't you read it? You're missing a real treat!) and Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper (Quirky AND funny - don't neglect the archives, they'll make you bawl), and Betsy's Page (she's only small by Instapundit standards - she sees more traffic in a day than I see in 3), will often take the time to respond to a meaningful link.

End of the First Week

Some ups:

1. I finished my first week in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.  If they got a grade on how they moved the new teachers through the system, they'd get a 97.  Not perfect, but, compared to the chaos of many major school systems at this time of year, it's a screaming success.
2. And the HR staff are professional, competent, and absolutely the essence of Southern charm.  Kudos to them all.
3. I managed to find many of the items I had packed from my last school.  And, I managed to get access to some software that I needed in the new school's computers - they are iMacs, version 9.1 OS.  Thanks to Vernier, who rushed me the information I needed - they're tops.  Call them if you need WONDERFUL science hardware and software.
4. I finished the week having gone to Bally's EVERY DAY - I'm so proud of myself.  I'm moving better now, and expect that this change will pay off in increased flexibility and, hopefully, a loss of weight.

Some downs:

1. Russia invaded Georgia.  The Olympics DIDN'T kick them out, which I think they should have, however much it hurt the athletes.  Bush spoke out against the invasion, and is supporting Poland, who has been threatened by Russia.
2. The Chinese seem to value appearance more than honesty.
1. The substitute singer - the original wasn't photogenic enough, they thought.
2. The rebuke they delivered to Bush, who brought up their human rights abuses.
3. The computer-augmented fireworks display, which went unmentioned by the media.
4. The apparent cheating - both the questionable judging, and the use of underage gymnasts.
3. A beloved semi-son (his mom is alive, but we were privileged to have him in our home for a time) has cancer.  He is only 29, and he has a wife and a young son.  We're praying for his recovery.  Please add your own.

In all, a good week.  Hope yours was the same.

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Dreary Day

Today it was raining most of the day.  Naturally, I had a meeting at a corporate headquarters; it was a long slog in the rain, and I had no umbrella.  Need I mention that my hair looked like a bad 70s sitcom?

I'm in meetings most of the week.  I can't say that I enjoy them; they are to be endured, as a prerequisite to the start of the school year.

The real issue is that I won't have Internet access through my laptop.  It's limited to the desktops on the network.  So, lunchtime blogging updates are a thing of the past.  As I leave at an unGodly hour in the morning, I'm anticipating most of my blogging during the work week will be in the evening.

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Post on Next Right

I've decided to take up Next Right on their offer to post there. I'll be posting at least 2 times a weeks there; links will be on this blog. I'll give both a try for a while - whichever one gets more traffic, I'll use as the main page.

I haven't found out how to profit from the ads yet; that's a feature that's starting to make me money on this blog. I'll poke around the site, and see what it offers.

Update on Posting

I've been snowed under at work and home. We're getting the taxes together this weekend, which will require copious amounts of alcohol once we're done.

We've been breaking in new equipment this week, the Vernier Lab Quest, a tool that allows us to collect data, display it in a graph or meter style (in color!), and send it to a computer for further writing and display (you can do some writing on the handheld device, but for major input, the computer is easier), and even print directly to an HP device.

I also learned to podcast. Looking forward to playing around with that more on the weekend.

Compared to the interest I have in my own life, politics seems boring - particularly the Democrat race - although the bickering is delightful. The fight is catty, petty, and seemingly designed to cause meltdown in the general election.

What more could I ask?

Like Willie Nelson

I've been on the road for quite a few days, selling my Lowcountry house, traveling over the holiday to celebrate my grandchildren's birthdays. and, finally, returning home.

I'm beginning to feel like Willie Nelson's face looks like - miles and miles of bad roads. Today, other than grading and cleaning up my house, I'm resting. No car trips, no running around.

Just rest.

Hope you can do the same.