In all seriousness, the Flying Space Monkey (whose blog layout gripes I illustrated below) mentions several things that frustrate me as well.

I suppose the one gripe of his that I routinely violate is in making this site more graphics-intensive than it used to be. I do try to reduce the size and quality of photos I post here to minimize Pixy's bandwidth charges and my readers' load times. Otherwise I try to avoid the many other design flaws pointed out by the Soaring Celestial Simian.

One additional hint: if you have a third-party script in your template (such as a stat meter or the TTLB Ecosystem script) put it toward the end of your HTML so that it does not prevent your content from loading if there is an error with the script. I had a lot of trouble reading several of my favorite sites last week when the Ecosystem was experiencing some growing pains.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Arrgghhhh! Stupid dog! No treats for you tonight! The Flying Space Monkey was saying those are the things you're NOT supposed to do!

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The 66th Bonfire of the Vanities is up at the Llamabutchers and yours truly is prominently featured.

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My blogchild Owlish has been hitting his stride recently, with a wide range of posts covering the MSM's selective publication habits, tatoos, Klingons for Kerry, and gay life in Texas.

Check his blog out, and leave a comment to let him know he's doing a good job.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:48 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The bloggers' micro-charity network Strengthen the Good has identified its third candidate for your consideration: Debi Faris And The Garden Of Angels.

Debi's charity, the Garden of Angels, works to provide names and legal, honorable burials for abandoned newborns. This charity also supports "Baby Moses" laws that allow mothers who don't want their children to leave them at a safe place (such as a fire station or hospital emergency room) without criminal liability for placement in foster or adoptive homes, as an alternative to abandonment or infanticide.

Please read the overview at Strengthen the Good, click through to Garden of Angels, and consider whether this charity is worth some small donation. Thanks.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like I've evolved from an "Adorable Rodent" into a "Marauding Marsupial" in the Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem at some point over the last few days. I've seen a huge surge of searches for "Rutan+SpaceShipTwo" leading to my site since late September. Over the last week I've been averaging well over 100 hits a day (236 so far today!)

We'll see if this is just a temporary spike or a new plateau. In any case, I'll enjoy this higher state of being as a belated blogday present.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this. I enjoy writing it, so I'm glad some of y'all enjoy reading it!

Posted by: JohnL at 10:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Just in case I neglect to blog tonight, today is the one-year anniversary of my foray into blogging.

A big thank you to my readers. I know I have a few regulars, and I appreciate the fact that you take the time to read my random thoughts.

Much appreciation especially to Pixy Misa for providing the server space, domain, and Movable Type installation, and to Ted "Rocket Jones" for inviting me to join the Munuvians (yay!) after I had spent six months at Blogspot.

Thanks!

Posted by: JohnL at 08:59 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Here's a new viral thread working its way through the DNA of the blogosphere:

1. Why did you start a blog?
I'd flirted off and on with the idea of being a writer, and wanted to force myself to write regularly (unfortunately, I've been more of a linker than a writer recently).

2. Do you have a blogmother/blogfather?
Not really, though my first permalink came from Prof. Chris Hall.

3. Has it helped/hurt/had no effect on your professional life?
It has had little effect on my professional life. I did remodel my law department's website using the html and css skills I learned blogging, so maybe it helped more than hurt.

4. Do your 'real world' friends know that you blog?
Many, but not all. Few read it.

5. Do you have a blog crush?
No.

(First seen at Ted's site, where I answered them in comments).

Posted by: JohnL at 09:57 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I know he's on the other side of the date line, so this comes a day late for him, but I would like to extend a Texas-sized birthday greeting to Pixy Misa, the proprietor of this funky little blog community known as Munuviana.

Bandwidth and server space aren't free, but he makes them seem that way.

Thanks, Pixy.

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Strengthen the Good is a network of bloggers who seek to highlight opportunities for "microcharity" -- the ability to make a positive difference in our world with even a small donation.

Please read this post at STG, and then follow the link to the highlighted foundation, the Brent Woodall Foundation for Exceptional Children. This is an appropriate way to honor the memory of one victim of 9-11 while also helping make the world a better place. If you believe this a worthy cause, I encourage you to donate even a small amount.

Thanks!

Update: I originally posted this on Monday September 13 at 23:18 CDT. I am post-dating it to September 17 so it will stay at the top of the page throughout the week.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I saw this new Amazon internet search engine at SFSignal today and naturally had to search "TexasBestGrok."

I was highly gratified to see my blog come up first. And, like the guys at SFSignal, I found the linked images feature pretty cool, too.

Along with the traditional search results on the left, a sidebar on the right was populated with images ranging from the Texas Republic circa 1845, to SpaceShipOne, to the appealing ladies of Buck Rogers in the 25th century.

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This is one cool machine.

Language geek aside: This site appears to be in Finnish. How do I know that? It looks like Tolkien's Elvish.

Via Utterly Boring.

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While I've been slacking off for the last few weeks, tweaking the templates and stylesheets of my site, Alan Brain has been posting a terrific variety of articles on subjects ranging from Iran's missile program and the US/Israeli ABM response to it, to a tale of two very cool naval vessels (including the Australian role in the high-tech design of each), to coverage of the Beslan terrorist atrocity.

I hit his tipjar tonight, and encourage you to do the same.

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Sorry for the lack of content recently. I've been struggling with getting a stable 3-column css layout that doesn't look too busy.

The middle column still needs some work, I think, but I wanted to go ahead and throw this out there for feedback from my few regular readers.

Please email or comment with feedback on the new look.

Thanks!

Update: Make that 99.9% complete! Thanks for the feedback and compliments. Especially thanks to Madfish Willie for some solid, constructive criticism. I got rid of the dotted line under the banner, as well as the link-underlining in the sidebars. I also moved the sitemeter and scripts down to the bottom right, so that they would load last; I noticed they were keeping the right bar from loading quickly. Any other comments still welcome!

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Via the Llamabutchers, fifty things about me:

1. Your name spelled backwards. suinal nhoj

2. Where were your parents born? Dallas, Texas.

3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Planet of the Apes as Twilight Zone episode (yet another exhibit for short copyright terms and a vibrant public domain).

4. WhatÂ’s your favorite restaurant? A toss-up: Japon Steakhouse and Sushi Bar (perfect for both romantic dinners and whole-family outings) or III Forks (best ribeye I've ever had).

5. Last time you swam in a pool? Last Saturday at The Texas Pool (our local members-only pool, shaped like the State of Texas with an island where Plano is).

More in the extended entry: more...

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Well, re-styling this site is taking most of my blogging time, so you get a "giant" link-fest tonight, a la Jeff Patterson at Gravity Lens instead of any erudite or witty original commentary.

A collection of props from Land of the Giants. Wine tips from Giant Foods. The Jolly Green Giant (helicopter), Jolly Green Giant recipe ideas, They Might Be Giants, Giant Cthulu Statues, Giant Robot Costume, The Iron Giant, Gentle Giant, Giant Eyeball Recipe, and Giant Sharks.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:09 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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As I mentioned a few days ago, Strengthen the Good exists to identify and raise awareness of worthy "micro" charities.

However, with the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Charley, Strengthen the Good has identified a slightly larger "macro" micro-charity: The Gulf Coast Community Foundation Of Venice Hurricane Charley Disaster Relief Fund.

Please follow both links. Check out this opportunity to help people in need. If you wish to donate, please do so.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Llamabutchers are officially moved in at their new digs here in Munuviana.

Steve did all the heavy lifting getting the site set up (and thanks for noting the little bit of help I rendered) and now Rob is back from vacation, presumably tanned, if not so rested, but we hope ready to resume his prolific blogging.

Welcome back!

Posted by: JohnL at 11:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Strengthen the Good is a network of bloggers designed to focus the attention of the blogosphere -- readers and authors alike -- on opportunities to make a positive difference to people in need through small, direct actions.

Conceived by Alan Nelson of The Command Post, our job is to raise awareness of "micro-charities," which can benefit from even minimal donations. Members of the network will receive a notice from Alan, and our job then will be to highlight the opportunity and link to the information about it.

Your job? Spread the word. Give. And, if you like, join so that the network can reach even more readers and donors.

(Hat tips: Virginia Postrel and Alan Brain whose posts first alerted me to this).

Posted by: JohnL at 08:57 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Surfing around tonight, I found this interesting gallery of high-speed video captures (i.e., slow-motion playback) of a variety of activities.

I like the heart valve visualization, engine combustion, and rattlesnake strike clips.

Enjoy!

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