Teaching? Technical writing?

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Every so often, a topic pops up in the TypePad User Group forums that I feel I can add my own particular little brand of insight into, and I’ll spend some time doing my best to explain (often in excruciating detail) what’s going on. I recently got a very nice comment from Doc in response to one such post.

…another excellent description. Are you sure there’s not a bit of teacher in you someplace?

The funny thing is that over the years, I’ve gotten quite a few comments along those lines from many friends of mine, and I’ve started considering the possibility of pursuing getting a teaching degree ~~if~~ [when]{.underline} I manage to get back into school. It’s always flattering to get comments like Doc’s that indicate that this might not be an entirely unrealistic goal.

Another direction I sometimes toss around in my head is technical writing. I’ve come up with quite a few different ‘how-to’ or explanatory posts (quite a few of which are archived here) over time, and I’ve always enjoyed writing them out. There’s a definite satisfaction to being able to take a somewhat obscure concept (such as printer stylesheets, title attributes, or [dealing with blockquote tags]) and finding a way to present it clearly (if not always concisely) so that it can be more easily understood.

As long as I enjoy writing and have an apparent knack for things like this, I sometimes think that getting into technical writing — how-to’s, manuals, documentation, and the like — could be a very interesting way to make a living. Programmers and technicians can often come up with some wonderful applications and devices, but often can’t explain how or why they work as successfully as could be done. I can’t program to save my life, but if I have an ability to come up with decently-crafted explanations, why not explore that a bit?

Of course, I haven’t got the foggiest idea of how to get started, or even how to go about investigating the possibility. Still, it keeps kicking around in my head, so maybe one of these days I’ll stumble upon a direction to go in.

iTunes: “Eastern Promise (Dub Pistols vs. Bow Wow Wow)” by Bow Wow Wow from the album Groove Radio Presents Alternative Mix (1999, 4:08).

Only Just Beginning

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Only Just Beginning

Jason Webley has a new CD coming out.

There once was a boy who remembered that his heart did not ever really belong to him.

So he tried to give it back to the sky.

The CD will be in stores May 11th, with a CD release party April 30th kicking off this summer’s round of touring.

(via Mike [See you at the release party?])

RSS feeds updated

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I’ve updated, rearranged, and cleaned up the RSS feeds for Eclecticism. Hopefully I haven’t just screwed things up too horribly for those of you who subscribe to one feed or another.

Until tonight, the default RSS feed was the ‘full posts plus comments’ feed. This may have been a bad choice, as the default feed is the most likely to be subscribed to by the casual user, and they may not want to automatically get an update every time someone replies to something I’ve posted. Because of this, I’ve swapped the ‘full posts’ and the ‘full posts plus comments’ feeds around.

I’ve also added a fourth RSS feed that is only recent comments. This can come in handy for following discussions on a particular posts, especially after it ages enough that it’s no longer included in any of the primary RSS feeds.

All of the feeds have received some slight tweaks to improve readability, including line and paragraph breaks for comments in the ‘full posts plus comments’ feed (I’m not sure why I had those turned off in the first place), more legible separation of comments in the ‘full posts plus comments’ feed, and more descriptive titles for each of the feeds (‘eclecticism: Excerpts’ and ‘eclecticism: Comments’, for example, rather than four feeds each simply titled ‘eclecticism’).

The feeds page has been updated to reflect the changes and additions, and has also had subscription information for LiveJournal users added.

iTunes: “Temporary Phase” by Sausage from the album Riddles are Abound Tonight (1994, 5:59).

New category, design tweaks

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Following up on my thought process, I’ve added a 15Minutes archive category that collects all posts related to my experiences with blogging my way out of a job.

I’ve also made some other slight design tweaks. I’m now including a list of categories for each post in the metadata on the front page between the post date and the comment/trackback links, and I’ve linked the post date on individual archives to the monthly archive pages.

Nothing really major, but I’ve found myself wishing I had these at various times in the past, and finally decided to implement them.

iTunes: “Somebody Screams” by Galaxy 2 from the album Techno-Trax Vol. 2 (1991, 5:51).

One more mention

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I need to set up a “fifteen minutes” category…

New York Post: YOU’RE FIRED!

Last October, Michael Hanscom had a job with Microsoft and a blog. Then he posted a photo he’d taken – at work, of a delivery of Macintosh computers – alongside the comment, “It looks like somebody over in Microsoft land is getting some new toys.”

Within days, he was left only with the blog.

(via Anil Dash)

That’s no pastie!

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Janet's not happy

I’ve been reading various accounts of yesterday’s “accident” during the SuperBowl when Justin Timberlake removed part of Janet Jackson’s top, exposing one of her breasts on live television. Viacom, CBS, and MTV are all madly apologizing, and apparently there is going to be an FCC investigation into the incident.

An outraged Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell on Monday ordered an investigation into the broadcast of the Super Bowl’s halftime entertainment show, during which singer Janet Jackson’s right breast was exposed.

During the break in the National Football League’s championship game, pop singer Justin Timberlake reached for Jackson as they sang a duet and tore open part of her black leather bustier.

“That celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt,” Powell said in a statement. “Our nation’s children, parents and citizens deserve better.”

I’ve got to admit, in some ways, this whole thing has been amusing me to no end.

In the middle of a heavily-publicized violent sports event (maybe not as overtly violent as boxing, but when many players are injured and hospitalized each year, sometimes gravely so, we’re not talking tiddlywinks), in the midst of a halftime show known for excess and pushing the boundaries, the world got a momentary one-or-two second (accidental?) glimpse of a single breast.

One breast. A couple seconds. And it’s instant controversy.

Roughly half the world’s post-pubescent population already has two breasts of their very own, and I’m assuming that unless they ensure that all lights are off every time they get dressed or take a shower, they’ve probably already seen those; and the other half of the population generally spends a fair amount of their waking hours trying to find ways to see those breasts that they don’t have! This isn’t exactly a new thing, folks.

Ah, well — my views aren’t about to change anyone’s mind. Still, I’m constantly frustrated by a culture that glorifies violence and vilifies sexuality (unless it’s being used to sell something). Seems pretty backwards. But that’s just me.

One thing I just noticed this morning, though. When I first saw pictures of the dastardly deed last night, it looked for all the world like Janet was wearing a pastie on the exposed breast — which, when combined with the conveniently detachable breast cup, definitely called into doubt the “accidental” nature of the flash. This morning Drudge Report posted some better-quality images though, and when zoomed in, it’s apparent that it’s not a pastie — but rather a nipple piercing with a silver sun shield around it.

Okay, so maybe it was accidental. I’ve gotta say, though –decent taste in body jewelry. Good for her!

Update: Lane posted video footage — that does not look “accidental” to me!

He’s a killer! With nasty, sharp, pointy teeth!

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You’d think they could have found a better picture for this story…

Looks dangerous to me!

(via Prairie)

[clop clop clop]

[whinny whinny]

GALAHAD:

They’re nervous, sire.

ARTHUR:

Then we’d best leave them here and carry on on foot. Dis-mount!

TIM:

Behold the cave of Caerbannog!

ARTHUR:

Right! Keep me covered.

GALAHAD:

What with?

ARTHUR:

W– just keep me covered.

TIM:

Too late!

[dramatic chord]

ARTHUR:

What?

TIM:

There he is!

ARTHUR:

Where?

TIM:

There!

ARTHUR:

What, behind the rabbit?

TIM:

It is the rabbit.

ARTHUR:

You silly sod!

TIM:

What?

ARTHUR:

You got us all worked up!

TIM:

Well, that’s no ordinary rabbit!

ARTHUR:

Ohh.

TIM:

That’s the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!

ROBIN:

You tit! I soiled my armour I was so scared!

TIM:

Look, that rabbit’s got a vicious streak a mile wide! It’s a killer!

GALAHAD:

Get stuffed!

TIM:

He’ll do you up a treat, mate.

GALAHAD:

Oh, yeah?

ROBIN:

You mangy Scots git!

TIM:

I’m warning you!

ROBIN:

What’s he do, nibble your bum?

TIM:

He’s got huge, sharp– eh– he can leap about– look at the bones!

ARTHUR:

Go on, Bors. Chop his head off!

BORS:

Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin’ right up!

TIM:

Look!

[squeak]

BORS:

Aaaugh!

[dramatic chord]

[clunk]

ARTHUR:

Jesus Christ!

TIM:

I warned you!

ROBIN:

I done it again!

TIM:

I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn’t you? Oh, it’s just a harmless little bunny, isn’t it? Well, it’s always the same. I always tell them–

ARTHUR:

Oh, shut up!

TIM:

Do they listen to me?

ARTHUR:

Right!

TIM:

Oh, no…

KNIGHTS:

Charge!

[squeak squeak squeak]

KNIGHTS:

Aaaaugh!, Aaaugh!, etc.

ARTHUR:

Run away! Run away!

KNIGHTS:

Run away! Run away!…

TIM:

Ha ha ha ha! Ha haw haw! Ha! Ha ha!

ARTHUR:

Right. How many did we lose?

LAUNCELOT:

Gawain.

GALAHAD:

Ector.

ARTHUR:

And Bors. That’s five.

GALAHAD:

Three, sir.

ARTHUR:

Three. Three. And we’d better not risk another frontal assault. That rabbit’s dynamite.

ROBIN:

Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?

ARTHUR:

Oh, shut up and go and change your armour.

GALAHAD:

Let us taunt it! It may become so cross that it will make a mistake.

ARTHUR:

Like what?

GALAHAD:

Well… ooh.

LAUNCELOT:

Have we got bows?

ARTHUR:

No.

LAUNCELOT:

We have the Holy Hand Grenade.

ARTHUR:

Yes, of course! The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! ‘Tis one of the sacred relics Brother Maynard carries with him. Brother Maynard! Bring up the Holy Hand Grenade!

MONKS: [chanting]

Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem.

ARTHUR:

How does it, um– how does it work?

LAUNCELOT:

I know not, my liege.

ARTHUR:

Consult the Book of Armaments!

BROTHER MAYNARD:

Armaments, chapter two, verses nine to twenty-one.

SECOND BROTHER:

And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, ‘O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy.’ And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu–

MAYNARD:

Skip a bit, Brother.

SECOND BROTHER:

And the Lord spake, saying, ‘First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.’

MAYNARD:

Amen.

KNIGHTS:

Amen.

ARTHUR:

Right!

One!… Two!… Five!

GALAHAD:

Three, sir!

ARTHUR:

Three!

[angels sing]

[boom]

iTunes: “Thermal Noise” by Statemachine from the album Cyberl\@b (1998, 6:14).