Blog Rules, by Nancy Flynn. New York: Amacom, 2006. 226pages, including index.
Blog Rules is truly a scarey book. The author Nancy Flynn attempts to delineate rules about blogs and employees who blog-- whether they are in-company blogs on company time or personal blogs during personal time. One of the suggested had-better-nots is that employees not disclose any propietary information electronically or otherwise. That makes sense. Another had-better-not is that employees not publish anonymous blogs. That is scarey.
Flynn advises companies to implement policies that require their workers to sign a statement that they will only use their own names on their own personal blogs. The expectation that employees will go along with forfeiting their right to do what they will on their own time should have us screaming in protest. The sound of silence can truly be shattering.
The book is frightening in its own Orwellian way and somewhat repetitive in spots. It may be a good read for human services department personnel. It is a book which should be brought to the attention of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
~sapphoq reviews
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
va----ROOM-BA!!! 7/12/06
I did it! Yesterday I yielded to temptation and bought myself a ROOM-BA. ROOM-BA charges itself up and then wanders around vacuuming up dust, doghair, and whatnot. When ROOM-BA's bagless dirt compartment is full, ROOM-BA stops and waits for its' human to empty it. If ROOM-BA runs out of juice, it heads for its' dock and recharges.
I watched ROOM-BA for quite some time, absolutely fascinated by the little round machine that can and did leave my carpet free from dirt and yuck. The cats and dog-- much to my astonishment-- left ROOM-BA alone after a few curious glances. ROOM-BA steered itself around the living room, manuevering out of obstacles and gently whrr-ing as it went.
Emptying the bagless dirt compartment was a breeze. Filter compartment was also easy to clean out. The brushes were a bit trickier but infinitely more doable than the standard vac meets killer dog hair scenerio.
Highly recommended!
~sapphoq reviews
more info at http://www.irobot.com
I watched ROOM-BA for quite some time, absolutely fascinated by the little round machine that can and did leave my carpet free from dirt and yuck. The cats and dog-- much to my astonishment-- left ROOM-BA alone after a few curious glances. ROOM-BA steered itself around the living room, manuevering out of obstacles and gently whrr-ing as it went.
Emptying the bagless dirt compartment was a breeze. Filter compartment was also easy to clean out. The brushes were a bit trickier but infinitely more doable than the standard vac meets killer dog hair scenerio.
Highly recommended!
~sapphoq reviews
more info at http://www.irobot.com
Friday, July 07, 2006
GETTING STONED WITH SAVAGES by J. Maarten Troost
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu, by J. Maarten Troost. New York: Broadway Books, 2006. 239 pp.
J. Maarten Troost has finally written a second book. His first, Sex Lives of Cannibals was funny to the point of inducing the giddies and his second does not disappoint. Troost once again trotted off to the South Pacific with his now wife Sylvia for another set of riotous times. He discovered the perils of driving a friend's borrowed set of wheels through the jungle, the profound differences between the new to him islands and the old island of residence, the pleasures of kava, and the contrariness of kittens and centipedes.
A definate must read for the fan of travel books.
~sapphoq reviews
J. Maarten Troost has finally written a second book. His first, Sex Lives of Cannibals was funny to the point of inducing the giddies and his second does not disappoint. Troost once again trotted off to the South Pacific with his now wife Sylvia for another set of riotous times. He discovered the perils of driving a friend's borrowed set of wheels through the jungle, the profound differences between the new to him islands and the old island of residence, the pleasures of kava, and the contrariness of kittens and centipedes.
A definate must read for the fan of travel books.
~sapphoq reviews
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
NPR and PBS ABOUT TO GET CHOPPED UP 6/13/06
letter below was copied and pasted from site above [and below] where an electronic petition resides.
Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)
Hi,
Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Thanks,
sapphoq on behalf of MoveOn
sapphoq comments:
Unfortunately, some of our politicians are making larger and larger noises about their fundamentalist christian beliefs. They openly admit that their religious ideology influences [and dictates] their vote on public issues. Those of us who are conscious thinkers know that the "news" as reported to us by those employed by major companies [like the Christian Broadcasting Network, to name one] is filtered through some very subjective lenses.
We now have an Office of Faith-Based Initiatives which gives funding to select religious agencies to carry on social service type work. That sort of bias which the president continues to be zealous in developing is unacceptable to those of us who do not share his passion for literal interpretations of the book known as the bible. Dump the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives I say and keep public teevee.
Blessed be!
Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)
Hi,
Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/
Thanks,
sapphoq on behalf of MoveOn
sapphoq comments:
Unfortunately, some of our politicians are making larger and larger noises about their fundamentalist christian beliefs. They openly admit that their religious ideology influences [and dictates] their vote on public issues. Those of us who are conscious thinkers know that the "news" as reported to us by those employed by major companies [like the Christian Broadcasting Network, to name one] is filtered through some very subjective lenses.
We now have an Office of Faith-Based Initiatives which gives funding to select religious agencies to carry on social service type work. That sort of bias which the president continues to be zealous in developing is unacceptable to those of us who do not share his passion for literal interpretations of the book known as the bible. Dump the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives I say and keep public teevee.
Blessed be!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
YAHOO WIDGETS
Although I have grave concerns about the ways in which Yahoo has chosen to apply its' censorship policies, I find that I must [however reluctantly] give Yahoo credit where it is due. Yahoo makes the creating of multiple identities via free e-mail boxes pathetically easy. The fact that Yahoo offers free POPmail to people who sign up for ads to be delivered to their Yahoo boxes with foreign country extensions is a wonderful thing in itself. Widgets can potentially be another wonderful thing, provided that they remain free and (hopefully) safe and not a vehicle for bad things to sneak into computers. So, what are Widgets?
Recently I came across them on a Yahoo page. Widgets sit on the desktop of a computer and can be cast into hiding when the computer's human so chooses. They are usually made by folks who enjoy throwing that sort of thing together. [Other places like MSN also have widgets free for the downloading].
Yahoo's Widgets are a cool mix of things. I particularly enjoy listening to radio stations in other countries and that is one area where the Widgets certainly shine.
Also available are Widgets that show the current phase of the moon, the weather in any given locale, and schedules. Widgets are certainly worth checking out.
~sapphoq
ps: Some folks download very little off of the net due to an avid and realistic concern about viruses, malware, spyware, trojans... The rest of us recognize that the web is rampant with stuff these days and there is even surf-by infiltrations these days. The only safe computer is one that is virgin to the internet. Yeah, it takes a bit extra these days to keep computers safe. As for me, any need to scan and re-scan is far outweighed by the cuteness and fun that Widgets provide.
Recently I came across them on a Yahoo page. Widgets sit on the desktop of a computer and can be cast into hiding when the computer's human so chooses. They are usually made by folks who enjoy throwing that sort of thing together. [Other places like MSN also have widgets free for the downloading].
Yahoo's Widgets are a cool mix of things. I particularly enjoy listening to radio stations in other countries and that is one area where the Widgets certainly shine.
Also available are Widgets that show the current phase of the moon, the weather in any given locale, and schedules. Widgets are certainly worth checking out.
~sapphoq
ps: Some folks download very little off of the net due to an avid and realistic concern about viruses, malware, spyware, trojans... The rest of us recognize that the web is rampant with stuff these days and there is even surf-by infiltrations these days. The only safe computer is one that is virgin to the internet. Yeah, it takes a bit extra these days to keep computers safe. As for me, any need to scan and re-scan is far outweighed by the cuteness and fun that Widgets provide.
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