I've recently started building a website. Granted, its a cookie-cutter, no html formatting (for me at least) kind of deal where I drag and drop, type a few words, and suddenly, "Poof!" website.
It seems that I've taken for granted the time commitment involved in truly building a site. Beyond learning the basics of html (which will give you the ability to post a picture somewhere on the page at a size you're unaware of and in a location you're ticked off about) there are hundreds of details involved in building even a single page.
I've spent between ten and fifteen hours tinkering, gathering information, setting up analytics, typing, and creating links and I'm nowhere near the point where I can confidently publish even the home page to my website. Not to mention, I'm using pictures that are placed in the public domain and templates created by some web guru.
Point being, the next time you click around a nicely designed website, consider the time and effort that someone (or probably many someones) put into launching such a piece of creativity in design and function.
Build One :-)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Montana...A (Very Short) Primer
1. Yellowstone National Park is part of Montana. Yeah, yeah, yeah, most of its land mass is in Wyoming. The truth is, Yellowstone feels more like Montana. Of course, being a Montanan, born and raised, I may be (just a bit) biased. For those in need of a description, Yellowstone combines natural wonders (geysers, canyons, hot pots, virgin forests, mountains, and plains) with wildlife (grizzlies, wolves, coyotes, deer, and the ever-present elk and bison). There's so much to see here that you could spend ten years exploring and still only scratch the surface.
2. Glacier National Park misses many traveler's radars for reasons of which I'm unsure. It could be that the incomparable Going to the Sun Road (the main passage through the park) rarely opens before June due to the many feet of snow pack which accumulates over the winter. If ever one seeks stunning vistas and wide open spaces under the Big Sky, your compass should aim here. A number of glaciers still reside amongst the towering peaks of the park, but they could disappear in our lifetime.
3. It's big. You can't drive across it in one day and maintain your sanity and even north to south takes a good six hours, often longer depending on the weather.
4. There are only two states with lower population densities (Wyoming and Alaska). If you're looking to escape, here's a great place to get away...from everyone.
5. Helena is the Capital because a number of votes for the rival (Anaconda) went missing for a hundred years or so, possibly changing the course of history.
6. "True" Montana starts somewhere east of Bozeman and extends west to the border with Idaho. The rest is often called, "West Dakota." (Yes, that means Billings...you're out, :-))
7. A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall portray Montana relatively well.
8. Outdoorsmen call it Paradise.
Explore -- :-)
2. Glacier National Park misses many traveler's radars for reasons of which I'm unsure. It could be that the incomparable Going to the Sun Road (the main passage through the park) rarely opens before June due to the many feet of snow pack which accumulates over the winter. If ever one seeks stunning vistas and wide open spaces under the Big Sky, your compass should aim here. A number of glaciers still reside amongst the towering peaks of the park, but they could disappear in our lifetime.
3. It's big. You can't drive across it in one day and maintain your sanity and even north to south takes a good six hours, often longer depending on the weather.
4. There are only two states with lower population densities (Wyoming and Alaska). If you're looking to escape, here's a great place to get away...from everyone.
5. Helena is the Capital because a number of votes for the rival (Anaconda) went missing for a hundred years or so, possibly changing the course of history.
6. "True" Montana starts somewhere east of Bozeman and extends west to the border with Idaho. The rest is often called, "West Dakota." (Yes, that means Billings...you're out, :-))
7. A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall portray Montana relatively well.
8. Outdoorsmen call it Paradise.
Explore -- :-)
Friday, February 3, 2012
Silly Thoughts
Why is it called a urinal? A toilet should be called a turd-catcher by these naming standards.
Tits, Boobies, and Breasts - All names for birds. Ornithologists lonely?
I like to see dogs taking their people for a walk.
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is available on Kindle.
In Peru, the smile word is, "Whiskey!" instead of, "Cheese!" Imagine my horror when snapping a photo of a class of kindergartners.
In Hawai'i you pay 6 cents for a 5 cent deposit.
Go live life :-)
Tits, Boobies, and Breasts - All names for birds. Ornithologists lonely?
I like to see dogs taking their people for a walk.
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is available on Kindle.
In Peru, the smile word is, "Whiskey!" instead of, "Cheese!" Imagine my horror when snapping a photo of a class of kindergartners.
In Hawai'i you pay 6 cents for a 5 cent deposit.
Go live life :-)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Book or Kindle?
Are you a bookie? I'm not talking to you Vegas folks taking bets on whether the L.A. Lakers will score seven points in the first two minutes of the second quarter by using only their left hand while being fouled flagrantly and converting the three-point play. Not you.
You might be the one lugging two suitcases on vacation because one of them is filled with books that for whatever reason you've thought, "I might want to read that while I'm sipping Mai Thai's looking at beautiful people stroll along the beach enjoying the sunshine and warm weather." More power to you. The tradition of reading a book fades on a daily basis, and though there seems to be a counter-culture movement strong enough to prompt commercials targeted at converting bookies, literature has seen better days. The idea that your grandchildren will never feel tree pulp between their fingers seems closer than ever.
I don't own a reader (aka Kindle, because let's be serious, they're dominating the market) but I do own a number of books on my cell phone. When the opportunity arises to purchase the tree or the media, I'll always choose to chop down another tree. (The books that I've purchased on my cell are either out-of-print or were free because they've been made available in the public domain.) I see the Kindle and other readers as a great way to be exposed to classic literature that one may not be willing to shell out a couple of bucks to procure. I've read more classic lit on my cell phone in the last six months than I did in the six years before that. It seems better to read on a Kindle than to read not at all. Books (either version) open up such a wonderful world that takes you so many places while you're sitting in your lounger.
Use Kindle as you like, but please read a paper copy of Fahrenheit 451 (a great read) first and be prepared for what's to come.
Read on. :-)
You might be the one lugging two suitcases on vacation because one of them is filled with books that for whatever reason you've thought, "I might want to read that while I'm sipping Mai Thai's looking at beautiful people stroll along the beach enjoying the sunshine and warm weather." More power to you. The tradition of reading a book fades on a daily basis, and though there seems to be a counter-culture movement strong enough to prompt commercials targeted at converting bookies, literature has seen better days. The idea that your grandchildren will never feel tree pulp between their fingers seems closer than ever.
I don't own a reader (aka Kindle, because let's be serious, they're dominating the market) but I do own a number of books on my cell phone. When the opportunity arises to purchase the tree or the media, I'll always choose to chop down another tree. (The books that I've purchased on my cell are either out-of-print or were free because they've been made available in the public domain.) I see the Kindle and other readers as a great way to be exposed to classic literature that one may not be willing to shell out a couple of bucks to procure. I've read more classic lit on my cell phone in the last six months than I did in the six years before that. It seems better to read on a Kindle than to read not at all. Books (either version) open up such a wonderful world that takes you so many places while you're sitting in your lounger.
Use Kindle as you like, but please read a paper copy of Fahrenheit 451 (a great read) first and be prepared for what's to come.
Read on. :-)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Endangered Species
On Kaua'i, endangered species protection has become a bit of a hot-button topic. The two largest conflicts thus far are surrounding Hawai'ian Monk Seals and Newell's Shearwaters.
The Hawai'ian Monk Seal (only ~1100 surviving in the wild) problem extends to the other inhabited islands as well. Recently, three seals have been shot and left for dead, two on Moloka'i and one on Kaua'i. The only logical explanation for the shootings lies in the seal's lust for seafood. Unfortunately, fishermen, competing for the same food, feel they've got more of a right to the fish and lobster in their area than the seals themselves. Yes, lobster is delicious and fish is tasty too. But you're living on an island that's producing tons (yes, literally, tons) of fruit and vegetables and is inhabited by a number of tasty protein-rich snacks. Fish somewhere else or use your feet, walk to a tree and pick a mango/avocado/tangello/banana/insert fruit name here. If you haven't noticed, almost anything will grow in this environment.
The second species that causes locals to heat up under the collar is the Newell's Shearwater. These birds (along with the Wedge-Tail Shearwater - which is a near threatened species) return to the island to have their young. In the late summer and early fall, fledgling shearwaters use their naturally evolved sense to seek out the moon and fly out to sea. However, in September, October, and November people have fallen into the tradition of going out for "Friday Night Lights." The solution for the problem (problem being that shearwaters think the stadium lights are the moon, run into them, and then become sitting ducks for predators while laying on the ground helpless) is that football games have been moved from evenings to Saturday mornings and afternoons. The two biggest complaints are that its too hot (which can be overcome by proper training) and that Saturday games are ruining the tradition of Friday nights. Here's a thought, the shearwaters have had their tradition of flying out to sea in the late summer/early fall for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Friday night lights has been around for seventy, eighty years at most. Have some respect for the environment and cede the much-needed times to those carrying on the more storied tradition.
Respect the nature that is your home.
The Hawai'ian Monk Seal (only ~1100 surviving in the wild) problem extends to the other inhabited islands as well. Recently, three seals have been shot and left for dead, two on Moloka'i and one on Kaua'i. The only logical explanation for the shootings lies in the seal's lust for seafood. Unfortunately, fishermen, competing for the same food, feel they've got more of a right to the fish and lobster in their area than the seals themselves. Yes, lobster is delicious and fish is tasty too. But you're living on an island that's producing tons (yes, literally, tons) of fruit and vegetables and is inhabited by a number of tasty protein-rich snacks. Fish somewhere else or use your feet, walk to a tree and pick a mango/avocado/tangello/banana/insert fruit name here. If you haven't noticed, almost anything will grow in this environment.
The second species that causes locals to heat up under the collar is the Newell's Shearwater. These birds (along with the Wedge-Tail Shearwater - which is a near threatened species) return to the island to have their young. In the late summer and early fall, fledgling shearwaters use their naturally evolved sense to seek out the moon and fly out to sea. However, in September, October, and November people have fallen into the tradition of going out for "Friday Night Lights." The solution for the problem (problem being that shearwaters think the stadium lights are the moon, run into them, and then become sitting ducks for predators while laying on the ground helpless) is that football games have been moved from evenings to Saturday mornings and afternoons. The two biggest complaints are that its too hot (which can be overcome by proper training) and that Saturday games are ruining the tradition of Friday nights. Here's a thought, the shearwaters have had their tradition of flying out to sea in the late summer/early fall for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Friday night lights has been around for seventy, eighty years at most. Have some respect for the environment and cede the much-needed times to those carrying on the more storied tradition.
Respect the nature that is your home.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunscreen
What did people do before sunscreen? I guess the easy answer is that people didn't move and thus the different "races" that we've evolved. There are incredible benefits to living in sunny areas. I love sunshine, and don't know that I'll ever be able to live in a cloudy environment again. Portland, for one, did a number on my psyche, even in the short time that I lived there. There's got to be a reason society has developed terms associated with poor moods with dark environments and vise-versa. Would you rather be influenced by gloomy, stormy, cold weather (or people) or bright, sunny, warm weather (or people)? Who's the sunshine of your life? :-)
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Natural?
Wars connect us to our roots as animals. Nature promotes survival of the fittest individual, pack, herd, and it would seem, society. Every day in nature is a fight for life. Sherman might have said, "Nature is hell!"
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