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Friday May 09 2008 4:27pm
Life is Bullshit (Happy Birthday)
So I just got an early birthday card from my insurance agent, one of those things that is supposed to make you feel like you have a relationship with someone you may have never met. A card generated, printed, and addressed by a computer. Of course it was addressed to Steve Lance. Obviously the first problem with that is the last name. So many places since Audrey and I have owned a house together have my last name as Lance instead of Smith. That only angers me a little bit. The part the really drives me crazy is the "Steve" part. Yes, I go by Steve, but my legal name is Steven, and the name I use on anything official is always either "Steven L Smith" or "Steven Lee Smith". Only my friends can call me "Steve" in print or on the screen; everyone else I expect to waste the extra characters worth of ink to at least get that "n" down on paper.
That really isn't the thing that got my mind going when I read the card. Inside is a look back at 1981 with a list of how much things cost. Here's how I know life is bullshit (read as: the country is on the wrong track). In my lifetime so far, from 1981 - 2008 the average income has just about doubled; yet the cost of a loaf of bread and the average cost of a new home have more than quadrupled.
HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY.
Saturday September 08 2007 1:28am
Wake Up!
Wake up website! Hi peoples, I am starting to build things in my head. You might actually see some new content here, or maybe a new layout. In the mean time: twitter.
Friday February 09 2007 5:47pm
Open Letter to Google
Google, I hear you are opening up your electronic mail service, Gmail, by removing the invitation requirement. You have already done so in some countries and are planning to follow suit in North America soon.
Why? Anyone who really wants a Gmail account can get one. If someone cannot figure out how to use their cell phone to get an invitation, or can not track someone down they know and convince them to send them an invitation, then I say that person really does not want one. I thought leaving the service as invite only was an ingenious way to cut down on the amount of Spam and fake email accounts clogging up the tubez on the various internets. It is just one more hurdle for Spammers to over come before filling our in boxes. Because, Gmail is not as common place and easy to get, I believe people take better care of their accounts. Removing the invitation requirement will take down the psychological air of freshness around Gmail.
I know it is already too late, and I am sure you have your reasons, but please, don't do it.
Friday March 31 2006 10:18am
Restructure
This site needs a bit of an update. I do not speak solely of the fact that I have not updated it in a long time either. Right now I use the Phoenix CMS to manage my content. I wrote it, its ok, but I am thinking of switching over to one of the content management systems that teams of people keep up to date, either Word Press or... what's the other one I was going to use? OK looks like Word Press is the winner by default.
My idea of what a personal website or blog should be has changed. An extensive Colophon or Me Page is no longer necessary. A couple quick pieces of info are all that is needed. Information can be garnered from all the other websites I go to.
There are so many technologies out there right now; web applications that also function as communities. Flickr, del.ico.us, Extra Tatsy, imood, various forums, Technorati, the comment section of people’s blogs, etc. Xbox Live is even finally getting some of the web functionality I have always wanted. Maybe one day we will actually get an API out them. Web 2.0 the kids are calling it. Stupid name it you ask me. The web evolved to where it is today, we did not come out with a new version, or reboot it. Anyways, most of us spend our time in these communities and web apps; because of this, it is my view that personal website should simply tie these other places together. So your online identity in Flickr is connected to your del.ico.us account, etc.
Yes, there will needs to be a blog, for original content and stories that do not go anywhere else. You should not see posts that are only links though. That is what del.ico.us is for. You should not post all your pictures from an outing, that is what Flickr is for. There needs to be some restructuring around here, then maybe I will actually post something here. Who knows.
Wednesday September 28 2005 11:04am
MSU v Umich
MSU v. U of M week at the Smith – Lance Household, or should I say the Lance – Smith Household. Normally a week where Audrey is fairly confident in her team’s chances of coming out on top and I cling to the hope that we will mess up U of M’s perfect season hopes. Things seem to have shifted a bit this year. State is 4-0 going into the match up, while U of M had a heart breaking loss last week to Wisconsin pushing them back to 2-2 and out of the top 25. Good thing I care more than she does.
I am not going to make any predictions on how the game will turn out, only that it will be close.
