Twitter Killed the Blogging Star

The title is a bit of hyperbole, but time was I maintained two blogs and contributed to a third. Now? I contribute to that same third.  What happened? Twitter.  I don't know if it's good or not, but I suspect not. Trying to debate and cram in thoughts in 140 or so characters isn't as fulfilling....but it's quicker. And it helps you avoid having to write about stuff, really. You just tweet out a link to a story, add a pithy comment and it's gone, done with. Hey, you handled it.

Oh so many years ago (like around 5), you'd read a story or just have a thought (or have a thought on a story) and you'd provide the link in the course of a 2-5 paragraph excursion, complete with blockquotes from the story as well as from other related items.  Now you tweet a link.

It's quick, it's also lazy but I don't think it's going to change.

Modern Technology and the Long Distance Relationship

In 1993 I worked as a merchant mariner on ship anchored in the lagoon of Diego Garcia, which is a small island in the Indian Ocean that serves as a staging ground for the U.S. military.  Back then, I paid $100 once a week to talk to my fiance for 30 minutes.  I waited for her letters like they were gold.  17 years and two kids later, it was enough to help get us through! But it was tough.  Nowadays, people in the same situation can email regularly, talk on the phone via the web and even "skype" each other to see the ones they love.  Keeping a long-distance relationship is certainly easier now. 

Soccer is over

Another Fall Recreational soccer season is over (just about). Maybe it's time to get some writing in.

The Beautiful Game

Men, women, kids, the USA v. Brazil woman's world cup game was one of the best, most entertaining I've ever seen.

Footnotes on the Web

Maybe I'm late to the party, but the way that the newish website Grantland utilizes the right sidebar as a home for footnotes (example) strikes me as both effective and elegant.  I propose that it become the "web standard".

Research

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. ~ Steven Wright

E-book now available!

I'm happy to announce that Burgundians in the Mist is now available in a variety of e-book formats--including Kindle, Epub (supports Nook, Sony, etc.) and even PDF--for only $2.99! The neat thing about the Kindle version is that the footnotes are hypertext, so you can select a note, read the supporting sources and notes and then return to the main text.

You can still purchase a dead-tree version for $8.99 via the publisher (more $ for me!) or Amazon.com. Thanks to those of you who have purchased BitM already and please let me know what you think!