2003 July

What did the world do before air conditioning? Did people smear ice cream all over themselves and let it melt off? Did they bathe in ice cubes? It's not so much the heat as it is the gosh darn humidity. I'm breaking a sweat just thinking about it. Even though I've been relaxing on the couch for the past half hour, I'm still stuck underneath a laptop – which is running cooler than this city is tonight. Could somebody turn on the ceiling fan for me? I'd do it, but I'm afraid my skin will stick to the sofa if I try to move.

Read more on Hot Hot Hot…

I finally had time (and a connection) to update my Webcam! I'm sitting at Autographs, courtesy of TCP Consulting (ya know, the guy who looks like Jared from Subway). After I present to a group of folks downtown at 5:30, I'll be headed over to the local LUG and telling them all about the wonders of RSS. I'm following their Debian love fest… even though I'm a Mandrake 9.1 kind of guy.

Read more on Linux Users Group…

Dan Gillmor is technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley's daily newspaper. He also writes a daily Web-based column for SiliconValley.com, a KnightRidder.com site that is an online affiliate of the Mercury News. His column runs in many other U.S. newspapers, and he appears regularly on radio and television. He has been consistently listed by industry publications as among the most influential journalists in his field. He is currently working on a book, “Making the News,” about the intersection of technology and journalism. And he's speaking at Gnomedex.

Read more on Dan Gillmor…

Thunderstorms suck.

After running into Jake (accidentally) at Friedrich's, I bopped over to our storage unit in Valley Junction to look for my collection of Garbage Pail Kids. Yes, I have every single one of 'em ever printed – sitting inside plastic card jackets in a gigantic binder. Somewhere. Gretchen believes that she took them to her folks house to keep them safe from the elements, but I'm waiting to get a confirmation from Shelley (her mom, my mother-in-law). Lucky for me, Valley West Mall has an I-Spot, so I've got easy access to broadband from the food court. Taco bell, McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut – all fine dining establishments I won't support. All I need now is an outlet. I may have to move elsewhere when the battery meter dips below 5%. Anyway, if you're in town, I should be here until ~4:59PM. Look for the only guy in the mall with a friggin' laptop.

Read more on Chris Hiss…

I have the world's bestest mom. Before she left to help my brother pack, she assembled her Mr. Coffee machine, dumped what tastes like a hazelnut blend into it, filled the cache with cold water, and left it there in the “off” position. In minutes, I was sipping breakfast. Dad's off on his GoldWing, visiting other Iowa chapters for the weekend. I'm going to try to set him up on his own motorcycle blog before I leave this time. We'll see if he accepts the idea. Yeah, they may not have a fast connection to the Internet, but they sure know how to make this feel like… home.

Read more on Parental Units…

Burger: eaten. Coffee: dranken. WiFi: happenin'. Thanks to I-Spot Access, I'm totally connected here at the Rock Bottom Brewing Company. Lori, Jennifer (our Gnomedex admin), Tom (fellow geek), myself, and the camera crew from KCCI Channel 8 (local CBS affiliate) wrapped up shooting for a segment that will hit the airwaves at 6PM this evening. Of course, that's only if you live in the broadcast area. We'll hopefully have it digitized for you, but until then – you may continue to enjoy my photojournalistic efforts. I may even have other television-related news to share with you soon, too. Not before the end of August, though.

Read more on Wireless Geeking…

This is crazy: I've got a 6:30AM flight out of SFO, which means I should be there by 4:30, which means I should be awake by 3:30, which means I should go to bed five minutes ago. I'll be “home” in less than a day, helping Lori and the gang with final preparations for Gnomedex. I won't be without broadband for too long, though; friends have pointed out a few of the local wireless Internet hotspots for me. I may even be making “appearances” at some of them, to help fuel the hype for our upcoming conference. If you haven't already downloaded and printed out the flyer, please do. If you hadn't already noticed, I've now got a photoblogroll – which is German for “latest picture from phone shows up right here automatically.” See, right below my soon-to-be “on location” Webcam shot.

Read more on I'm Going Home…

Growing up, we were lucky to have sparklers on the 4th of July. It's not that my parents were overprotective – just that fireworks are illegal to use (at home) in the state of Iowa. It's quite a departure to observe Independence Day festivities in SF. There are so many hills to climb, so many celebrations to attend, so many more laws to break.

Read more on Fire in the Sky…

Well, kinda. Someone on the set has been snapping a few behind-the-scenes pictures. How many other famous people can you spot? I don't count – not until I show up in the National Enquirer for having an alien baby.

Read more on Naomi Judd's Moblog…

What's this summer's hottest fashion trend? Gnomedex T-Shirts! Order yours today to ensure that you get the proper size for your body. Already, these have created quite a buzz online. Robert Skobel says: “I love these white tees!” John P. Dvorak claims: “I predict that in one month, everyone will have one.” Dave Wyner notes: “Yes, but are they RSS compatible?” Gnome-Girl exclaims: “Yo, dawg! They be fly and all that sh*t.” Joey Ito writes: “I stuck one on my wiki.” Slashdoft cheers: “There's no other t-shirt like it – anywhere.” Jayson DeFillippo scribbles: “I wash mine in SOAP.” Menah Trott proclaims: “I love #FFFFFF stuff.” Jason Blair extolls: “It's the one thing I dare not say is mine.” UPDATE: Mark Kanter spews: “I'll wait for someone else to review it, and then quote them heavily in my blog – which has an impossible URL to remember.” Anvil Dash screams: “I'd rather go naked.” Even Williams asserts: “I'd rather see Anvil Dash go naked.” Halley Suit interjects: “All the alpha males are wearing them.” Dock Surls laments: “I lost mine last year.” Don Boxx giggles: “I wear it when I code.” Metaflitter chimes: “This is your worst post yet, Chris.” Lowernce Lessig laughs: “I've already copywritten mine.” Tim O'Rally records: “We're already writing a 'Gnomedex T-Shirts Hacks' book.”

Read more on Gnomedex T-Shirts…

Microsoft has apparently decided that there's not much more they can do with the Web browser. How wrong can one company be?! Well, I can no longer sit around and wait for them to upgrade their entire operating system before I change a few defaults on my PC. Am I straying from the flock? Kinda, but not really. I'm taking a few “overlays” for a spin. There are so many programs that run atop IE, but every single one of them seems to fall short in some respect. I first turned to Avant Browser, but closed it permanently after sending a list of 20 suggestions to the developer. Next up was Crazy Browser – and I'd have to be crazy to want to use it for longer than two minutes. SlimBrowser was the next to ride my desktop, but its UI (like the others I had tried) was all over the map. Just when I believed that all hope was lost, I decided to fly with MyIE2. It's not perfect, but it has the most potential out of all of these alternatives.

Read more on Aaaaiiiieeee!…

When I like something, I tell other people about it. That's what I've been doing with Lockergnome for years. For those who aren't happy with the new Google toolbar, I'd wholeheartedly suggest GGSearch as a viable alternative. I'm saying this today for a couple of reasons: (1) the programmer, P.J. Kraaima, just started a blog; and (2) he's offering an add-on for his tool to anybody who talks about it this week. Even though I've been using Dave's Quick Search Deskbar regularly for the past few weeks, I still think P.J.'s utility is top notch.

Read more on Those Googly Eyes…

I love Star Wars. In fact, despite the fact that AOTC has more holes than swiss cheese, I'm still aiming to play it on my iMac this afternoon. All I can do is laugh at the mistakes Mr. Lucas made – and hope that he does better with the final prequel. Heaven forbid, I hear it's going to be a musical. Wouldn't that beat all?

Read more on Jedi Mind Trick…

On my way to pick up morning coffee (house blend – thanks for asking), I stumbled upon a brochure taped to a telephone pole. It was telling me all about the UJudgeIt! Film Festival, wherein people are encouraged to bring their Pocket PCs, camera phones, laptops with Wi-Fi capabilities, etc. Are any other “locals” going to this? It would take quite an army to peel me away from my computer, now that I've discovered BlogChatter. Heck, even this evening's festivities couldn't keep me away from my little monster.

Read more on Independence Day…