AWoodBetweenTheWorlds's Xanga

Friday, July 04, 2008

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:26:08 GMT

This is a beautiful song from the Ten Tenors. Let go of political views for a day... do some research, watch some video clips remembering the freedom we have in this country. Cherish this time with the people in your life. And have a happy 4th of July!

Snapshots from the past century:

~~~

Our American values are not luxuries but necessities, not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself...
Jimmy Carter

Fireside chat.

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:07:42 GMT

I adore the radio. It's history, the fuzzy sound of a bad signal, and its connection to the past. I also enjoy radio commercials. At least most of them... I do appreciate clever advertisement. The radio itself is a remnant of a fading era... an era of stimulating entertainment! Radio is, or was rather, like a vaudeville theatre for the mind. Though sadly garbage has littered radio waves, quality listening still exists. It just takes some searching till you find what you enjoy.

As a rule, I don't dislike contemporary music, I like a good deal of it. Ironically, I'm listening to Celine Dion right now. ;) However, I consider classical, instrumental, big band, oldies, strong clean vocals (btw, I think Celine falls into that category), and Broadway to be timeless sounds. They've proven as much ... and that is what I listen to %90 of the time.

A fun thing to do on those treat-myself-nights is to have a delicious drink in hand, listen to my cathedral radio, and putter on some project.

Little gems I've discovered over the years:

Digital Deli - I can spend hours browsing this spot. It has soooo much information about the Golden Age of Radio. You can watch film and advertisement clips or listen to seasonal radio shows. If you're fan of vintage sounds or a history nut, I guarantee you'll enjoy your time here.

This free site offers hundreds of vintage radio shows.

My plug for a few stations. While in Colorado, I always fluctuate among them.

KCMN (1530 AM) - a radio station broadcasting a Nostalgia format. It includes legends from the 30s through now, a Frank Sinatra hour, and a day-time host who's a hoot.

KCME (88.7 FM) - a classical music radio station... "A Voice for the Arts." Classical music, Afternoons at the Opera, Jazz mornings.

KEZW (1430 AM) - a station that plays timeless oldies and Broadway. Every Sunday from noon-2pm is the show "Broadway's Biggest Hits"--a newly discovered favorite.

Some thoughts...

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:25:11 GMT

...based on conversations I’ve had with friends and lessons I am learning. I wanted to write them down if only to collect them for myself. So bear with me as I attempt to not ramble at this hour. ;)

Lately I've been examining the relationships in my life. “Why am I in this relationship?” “what purpose it is serving?” “who are true friends?” are questions I don’t ask enough. I want to be certain I’m in these friendships for unselfish reasons. I don’t want to be feeding jealousies or insecurities by having these relationships.

Drawing close to someone I'm jealous of will either result in greater frustration with myself, in feeling that I have an advantage over the person, or that our “closeness” eliminates the differences. That can never be entirely healthy. Sometimes we will harbor jealousies even against our truest friends… maybe it’s not jealousy, maybe it’s hurt that they were chosen over us for whatever “It” is. Those feelings need to be rebuked and constantly checked. Here's a simple truth: each person is unique. The qualities we find attractive in other people may not be attractive on us. Wonderful things that happen to them, in the long run, may not be wonderful for us. Their blessings are not are blessings. Yes, emulate *good* characteristics in others and follow the patterns of successful, happy people. However, one thing I know I need to focus on is NOT evaluating my life (regarding even the simplest of things) against others and rather evaluating myself against Jesus Christ.

Returning to friends… While speaking the truth in love, a true friend is someone who is completely honest with you. A true friend, someone acting in absolutely purity and love, will avoid backstabbing and pettiness, but when he falls, will seek to repair the friendship… there’s a rub… friends will fall. We'll fall. We are human, people. So seek God’s ways and you’ll learn how to forgive; more importantly, you’ll learn how to ask for forgiveness.

There will always be people to hurt you. And everyone will either offer you love or hate. I forgot who said it but “To love is to risk being unloved in return.” (Think of how God Himself does that!) Even those you love will hurt, scorn, and reject you. Yet I don't believe you need to actually stop caring for those people. If you've tried in absolute purity to mend a relationship or continue it, and it isn't working... you need to back off. Don't create soul ties that will keep you looking back… they are a trap. Only God can change a heart. Still always love, only redirect the intent of your love. Pray for that person, forgive him if need be, ask God to bless him, and move on. Bitterness oh so easily creeps up when we dwell on the past or allow resentment to linger… We need to stay away from imagining that every person we grow to love or care for does belong in our lives… he may or may not. Ultimately it’s not for us to decide.

If God has placed distance in a relationship, it is for a purpose. The break could be with a close friend, a case of mea culpa, or a situation you can’t control in which others (for example, parents) have called for a separation. Even if the friendship was "good," there are unfruitful times to be close with certain people. I've noticed that whenever I've had severed friendships something was amuck in my own life. There was disorder (no matter the extent) and God was calling me away to restore order. I know He’ll return the things He has taken away if they do in fact belong in my life. He longs to prosper everyone, but can only do so when we actively seek His ways and timing in all things.

We can't simply say “God I give it to you,” lounge around, and immediately expect disappointment to just disappear... because inevitably we'll return to see if there’s any hope of change or a window for renewing a relationship. By persistently looking backwards we become stagnant; stagnation is surprisingly chaotic. It’s so important that we persistently move forward to seek growth. A good way to grow is to find what in our lives lacks order and begin to instill order there. Now order doesn’t mean systemizing--regimenting life and belongings down to a T. (Although mending disorderly finances, schedules, home life, etc. does play a key role.) Order isn’t man’s traditions or religion. Order is God’s way of doing things—His teaching and instruction. Begin to put order in your life, doing whatever it takes to continually move forward, and peace will come.

ATTENDRE LE SUITCASE! ~ by Espen Anderson

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:46:36 GMT

'think upon it... not entirely practical, but interesting...

What would happen if we had smart entities running over stupid networks rather than the other way around? We would coordinate by substituting communication for planning, that's what.

One of the differences between flying in the US and flying in Europe is the amount of luggage people carry onboard. Most European business travelers make do with a briefcase, a duty free plastic bag and maybe a small leather bag (the more ancient, the higher the status) for the shirt and toothbrush. Americans schlep huge wheeled ballistic nylon contraptions onboard, straining at every seam and bulging in every overhead compartment. The airlines allow them to because in the US, airlines compete for their passengers, while European airlines enjoy semi-monopolies and can afford to take carry-on weight and size limitations seriously.

Which is why I am currently stuck in an airport in Europe waiting for my checked luggage.

I don't like to check luggage. Not only does it take forever for checked luggage to make it from the airplane to the baggage claim area (except in Singapore, where somehow they manage to get it there before you do), but quite frequently the luggage doesn't make the plane at all. Normally it is located after some waiting, some phone calls, and the purchase of some extra clothing you don't really want to wear and the airline doesn't really want to pay for.

Waiting for your luggage leads one to wonder: Why is it that airlines lose luggage, but never (at least, very rarely,) people? The main reason, I think, is that if a person is lost, he or she will make a stink about it, whereas a piece of luggage will just sit there, quietly, waiting for someone literate enough to see that the label says Charleston, Georgia and not Charlotte, South Carolina.

The airlines manage luggage by keeping a central database. Each piece of luggage is tagged with a bar-coded paper strip, which is read at various checkpoints during the bag's journey. Thus, if the bag misses a connection, the airline does not know about it until it is missing from the next checkpoint -- and then they don't know where it is, only which checkpoint the bag last passed. (Admittedly, this can be enough, given a controlled environment.)

What if we managed bags like we manage people? People manage themselves. Most travelers (except children, very elderly or infirm people, and alcohol-marinated charter tourists) are able to read signs, find the right gate, and, most importantly, harass some airline representative if anything goes wrong. Or, to put it in information technology terms, each passenger has local information processing and communication capability, a sense of where they are and where they want to go, and the ability to keep time and follow instructions. In even simpler terms, passengers are smart entities traversing a stupid network, whereas pieces of luggage are very stupid entities traversing a marginally smarter network.

Now imagine if we stuck a small mobile communication and processing device on every piece of luggage. Leaving aside the issue of interference with in-flight instruments, such a suitcase could check itself into airplanes, order transportation, track news about delays or cancellations, and make sure, in case of unforeseen changes, that it will be booked on the next flight or sent back home again. Add GPS, and the suitcase would know precisely where it was on the globe. Moreover, rather than trying to maintain a database of where each piece of luggage was last seen by a bar code reader, airlines could track suitcases by polling them.

I'd rather like that. Imagine calling your suitcase, having it tell you that some jerk in Newark put it on the wrong conveyor belt, and that it was now negotiating with British Airways to get on the Concorde in time for your black tie event in London. The airlines wouldn't like it -- it means they no longer know where every suitcase is. But they don't know that now, either.

Why does this matter? From other industries, particularly in transportation, we know that distributed (smart devices over unmanaged network) rather than centralized coordination (stupid devices over centrally managed network) tends to drive up the cost of the infrastructure but increase the quality of the end service to the customer. Trucking won over railroads in the United States, despite being much more expensive in terms of fuel costs and salaries per ton moved, because they were more reliable. A truck has local processing powers -- a driver -- who will map out where and when the cargo needs to go and adjust his or her driving pattern according to that. If there is an obstacle -- a closed road or heavy traffic -- the driver will take another route, drive late in the night to make up for lost time, or call the customer and explain the problem as soon as it happens. Railroads, on the other hand, are stuck with laborious coupling of long trains, which, while superficially economic, often meant that the railroad couldn't tell the shipper when the shipment would arrive even at the outset of the trip. And in case you wondered, yes, railroads sometimes lose whole sets of boxcars on a sideline somewhere, where they sit, quietly waiting for someone to discover them.

The concept of local processing and communication is powerful, and new businesses are springing up based on it. We see the appearance of small executive charter jets, where a team of those who execute for a living can fly directly from Podunk, Nebraska to Svillsville, Alabama, without having to hang around at O'Hare, Pittsburgh or Atlanta. We see cars that can be tracked if they are stolen and where the driver can call to have the car unlocked if they forget the key in it. We see it in "free flight" air-space coordination, projected to decrease the congestion on the most traveled routes. We see "kidtracker" services for anxious parents, and in the Scandinavian countries we see micro-coordination between husband and wife, where one will be in the store and the other in front of the fridge, discussing purchases over their mobile phones. Arguably, object oriented programming, peer-to-peer networking, open source software and the wonderful communally written encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) are all examples of decentralized coordination within a rich infrastructure that permits rapid communication.

In short, we can substitute communication for planning. In fact, I think we will.

People want preciseness and information, not necessarily economy, which is why trucks won over railroads and distributed coordination will win over centralized, as processing and communication technology gets ever cheaper.

Enough of this, I think I see my suitcase coming ...

Monday, June 02, 2008

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:30:33 GMT

. . .recent wedding of a dear friend . . .

MAZAL TOV!

Back from school . . .

Mon, 19 May 2008 21:33:58 GMT

and here's a new design to boot . . in honor of Summer . . .and Anthropologie. lol. Have I mentioned how pleased I am that yellow is this year's pink?

There'll be a quarterly update to arrive sooon.

Farewell 2007

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:17:31 GMT

~~~

Happy End and Happy Beginings.

Cheers!

(I pray each one of you has a blessed and cherished new year)

~~~

New Years around the globe . . .

Hogmanay (Scotland)

The birthplace of "Auld Lang Syne" is also the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year's celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is "first-footing." Shortly after midnight on New Year's eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year's wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for the fire, or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in. [*laughs*] The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is the largest in the country, and consists of an all-night street party.

Oshogatsu (Japan)

The new year is the most important holiday in Japan, and is a symbol of renewal. In December, various Bonenkai or "forget-the-year parties" are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness. New Year's day itself is a day of joy and no work is to be done. Children receive otoshidamas, small gifts with money inside. Sending New Year's cards is a popular tradition—if postmarked by a certain date, the Japanese post office guarantees delivery of all New Year's cards on Jan. 1.

Spain

The Spanish ritual on New Year's eve is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve happy months in the coming year.

The Netherlands

The Dutch burn bonfires of Christmas trees on the street and launch fireworks. The fires are meant to purge the old and welcome the new.

Greece

In Greece, New Year's day is also the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the traditional foods served is Vassilopitta, or St Basil's cake. A silver or gold coin is baked inside the cake. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year.

United States

(I didn't know the middle one . . .)

Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.

A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John—black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

Another American tradition is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Tournament of Roses parade that precedes the football game on New Year's day is made up of elaborate and inventive floats. The first parade was held in 1868.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:15:00 GMT

Thank you for the comments and messages . . . I'll reply to all soon. Until then, have any of you ever used Excel spreadsheets? (Aside from in Bio Lab, Cilla ;) ) I think I'm in love with it. It's so nifty! My class schedule is done and I'm eager to fill in more blank boxes. It's fun just to experiment. . . and Jeeves is back from repair, in ship shape, ready for a new semester. I hope to be as well.

(Quick chat about "The Color Purple": The music really is powerful. The full gospel sounds are amaaazing, and I'm certainly enjoying it. So far I think Oprah was justified in sponsoring the production. That I'm sure she'd be pleased to know. =P )

Now for those interested in becoming more Excel savvy . . .

4 quick tips for using Excel

Enhance your spreadsheets with these helpful hints

By Paul Lima

You may use Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets, but do you take advantage of its viewing capabilities and create customized shortcuts or charts to let a picture tell your story?

Like a sheet of graph paper, an Excel spreadsheet is divided into rows and columns that intersect to create cells. Columns are labeled alphabetically (A, B, C...); rows are labeled numerically (1, 2, 3...). Both alpha and numeric data can be entered into the cells. Numeric data can be calculated, charted, or graphed.

For instance, to set up a simple budget, type the word Budget in cell A1 and hit Enter. In cell A3, enter the word Expenses. In cells A5 to Ax enter expense categories, such as mortgage or rent, phone, food, and entertainment. Adjacent to the expense categories, in cells B5 to Bx, enter projected expenses. In the cell below Bx (if x equals 25, this would be B26), enter the formula to total your expenses: =SUM(B2:B25) or click on the AutoSum symbol (Greek letter E) in the toolbar and hit Enter. Now the magic begins. Change any number in cells B2 to Bx and watch your expense total change

Locking columns and rows

If you want to freeze a row of titles or categories so that you can keep them in sight as you enter data further down your spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel has a handy Freeze Panes function. "I keep the results budget projections locked in one pane so I can see the bottom-line impact of expense and revenue forecasts I make in another pane," says Lyn Mason Green, founder of CanadianActor Online, an information Web site for aspiring and veteran actors.

To lock a pane, use your mouse to select the row below or the column to the right of where you want to freeze. On the Window menu, click Freeze Panes.

Forcing line breaks

If you enter a lot of data into one cell and then move to a new cell and enter further data, you may notice that the original information gets covered up. The solution is to force line breaks. To do this:

•	Click on a cell.
•	Type the first line.
•	Press Alt + Enter.
•	Type the second line.
•	Repeat step 3 to enter additional lines.
•	Press Enter when finished.

Creating a drop-down menu

Lynda Morris, president of NicLyn Consulting Corp, an Internet-based computer and network service company, often finds herself entering the same information or formulas in different parts of a spreadsheet. Instead of typing data repeatedly, she creates drop-down menus that save typing time. To create a drop-down menu:

•	Open a worksheet and label your menu (Days for example) in the top cell of a column.
•	Enter data (days of the week, in this case) in the cells below the label (such as A2 to A8).
•	Highlight the list, including the label.
•	Click the Insert menu, then click Name, and then Define.
•	In the box under Names in workbook you will see the name of the range (Days). In the Refers to box, it should list "=Sheet1!" followed by the range (=Sheet1!$A$1:$A$8).
•	Click Add and then OK.
•	Select any cell or range of cells in which you want to enter data.
•	Click the Data menu and then Validation.
•	From the Allow drop-down menu, select List. In Source, type "=" and the name of your range (=Days). Make sure that the In-cell dropdown box is checked.
•	Click one of the cells you highlighted to see your drop-down menu. Choose the item you want to enter in the active cell. Enter data from your list, in any order, in each of the cells you selected.

Converting complex calculations into handy charts

Microsoft Excel can also be used to convert calculations into charts. To create a pie chart that shows how much of your income you project to spend on a category-by-category basis, for example, enter spending categories in one column (like A1 through A5) and your estimated expenditures for each category in an adjacent column (B1 through B5).

•	Highlight the column of expenditures. On the Insert menu, click Chart, then Pie, then Next, and then Next again.
•	Select where you'd like the legend to display by clicking the Titles tab. In the Chart title box, enter your title (Family Budget). Then click the Data Labels tab, check the Percentage box, and then click Next.

Insert the chart in a new sheet or as an object in your existing workbook. Either way, whenever you update your data (as you add actual expenditures, for instance) the chart will change and you will see how much you spend by category and the percentage of your total budget that each category represents.

~~~

Buongiorno!

~~~

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Sing a song for a glorious season . . .

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 15:29:36 GMT

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It's a White day in Colorado, and baby, it's coooold outside. I'm enjoying those special things found under the tree. The fire places are roaring . . .all very cozy. This morning I had fun racing back and forth from family breakfast to the downstairs TV . . .I could NOT miss Josh Groban's performance in the Christmas Parade, which, as always, was excellent. He brings an element of class to every stage. My brother was with us for the morning; it was really nice having everyone together and opening gifts together . . .I love handing out random packages and seeing them opened!

Homeside shots from the day:

I love this. It was taken right behind our home . . .Mmmmm, the scene's absolutely Narnian!

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

~Washington Irving

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?

~G.K. Chesterton

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

. . .our stockings. . .

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen; never forget love . . . Buon Natale, my friends!

And so, as Tiny Tim said, God Bless Us, Every One!

~Lizzie

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:13:59 GMT

How frustrating . . . Does anyone have a code to get rid of those advertisements on the side?