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We just crossed over into March, which means my February photo challenge is done. I’m not sure if it’s because February only has 28 days this year, but the end of this challenge caught me completely by surprise. Here and gone. It was a fun challenge, though not much of a challenge for me since... Read More
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February’s 30 Day Challenge: A Photo A Day
Now before you start complaining that there are only 28 days in February—I realize that. I’m using the term “30 Day Challenge” loosely, so settle down. And no, I haven’t forgotten about it. You thought I had, didn’t you? You thought since I didn’t link to photos on the 1st and 2nd from Twitter that... Read More
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30 Days Without Facebook and Twitter: What I Learned
I just finished my first 30 day challenge of 2011: no Facebook and Twitter for the month of January. It’s the first of my year’s worth of monthly challenges, and I have to say that having a realistic goal with a not-so-distant stopping point makes it much easier to stay faithful to that change. There’s... Read More
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When Mr. Whitfield was once applied to to use his influence at a general election, he returned answer to his lordship who requested him, that he knew very little about general elections, but that if his lordship took his advice he would make his own particular ‘calling and election sure;’ which was a very proper... Read More
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One of the benefits of this digital purge I’ve imposed on myself is that my site has been getting some long-overdue housekeeping. For several months, my portfolio section was completely broken. I was running an older gallery plugin that stopped working when I upgraded to the new version of Movable Type, and I hadn’t taken... Read More
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January’s 30 Day Challenge: Digital Purge
The first of my 2011 challenges is going to be a tough one: no Facebook or Twitter for 30 days. As with each of these challenges, I have to set some parameters for it at the beginning of the month. In other words, what does “no Facebook or Twitter” mean practically? It requires a little... Read More
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My New Year’s resolution? Twelve months of thirty-day changes. I have a tendency to make grand, sweeping resolutions that never seem to pan out. Last year, in the hopes of doing something more manageable, I took the P52 challenge—write one blog post a week for 52 weeks—but only made it to July. Even though 52... Read More
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“Hey Facebook, Stop Spamming Me!”
I overheard my wife chatting about Facebook with a friend the other day, and she said something that might be a rather common sentiment for many Facebook users these days: “I loved that picture, but I didn’t click Like because I knew I’d get spammed with everyone else’s comments.” If you’re unfamiliar with Facebook friend... Read More
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I took the 4:36p New Jersey Transit express train home today from Penn Station. It was supposed to arrive at 5:50p in Trenton. Instead, I arrived in Trenton just before 8 o’clock. It started like a typical train ride. Tunnel, Newark, Secaucus. As we approached the New Brunswick station, though, the conductor announced that there... Read More
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Meeting The Lonely Man of Winter
I listened to a song the other day that I’ll probably never hear again. I listened with four people I’d never met before in a place I’d never been and will probably never return to. There I was in the sweltering heat of a Brooklyn summer evening, drinking hot tea and eating chocolate chip cookies... Read More
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A Google Background Image Anecdote
Google just introduced customizable background images on their site. Here’s what happened: “I need to search for someth…. wait, huh? What is Google celebrating today, the guy who invented transparency? A background image, oh weird, it’s like a mountain view. Oh I get it… Mountain View! I wonder who that woman on the dock is?... Read More
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Flawed Systems or Just Plain Dishonesty?
“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” I’ve only been to court a few times. This was the first: I was in a small town courthouse in New Jersey, here to face the music for driving 47 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. My... Read More
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Dropbox vs. MobileMe? Dropbox Rocks
I’m sure I’m not the first person to sing the praise of Dropbox. In fact, a passionate and loyal fan base is part of why Dropbox has the breakout success it does today. I guess I’d consider myself part of that loyal fan base, but only because I’ve used it and discovered just how much... Read More
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Two Lessons In Parental Bittersweetness
Our family visited a theme park this Saturday. I captured the trip on film, but shortly afterwards lost said pictures when the trolls living in my computer managed to run off with the precious data. I am resigned now to capturing it with words because I was struck with two powerful realizations that I don’t... Read More
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The Urge To Create Something Meaningful
Funny how difficult it is to consistently write every day, especially when stricken with different moods and temperaments. Being busy isn’t so much the issue, because it only takes fifteen minutes of my time; but the mental fatigue is what makes it difficult to push out interesting content on a regular schedule. Which brings up... Read More