Jeffrey A. Miller: My Musings

Google Counts Jump But Nobody Cares

Fri, 20 Jun 2003 18:06:20 GMT

I regularly search Google for my unique handle on the web to see who's caring/linking these days. Also at Technorati. I primarily search for the word "xagronaut" because there is no other word on the Internet that can be mistaken for my handle. No overlap of meaning or acronym or first and last name. Nope. "Xagronaut." That's me and nobody else.

I also get some play on searching for my Radio UserLand "usernum" (0113822). There is some noise along with that signal though, so the results are not totally pure. Most of the results I find this way are automated services.

In Search of a Unique Name
I wasn't satisfied with a handle until it was rather distinctive. "Jeff Miller" isn't very distinctive if you think about it. "xagronaut"--well, there's nothing like quite like that. Unfortunately, it's hard to write for all audiences under a moniker like that. Yes, I value my religious beliefs highly, and yes, "xag" and "xagronaut" are inherently tied to that.

I don't know if that scares away (turns off) most techie readers. I don't feel as though I should feel ashamed of my beliefs. I'm just thinking I can better address the two distinct audiences I'm writing for if I separate the content appropriately. However, both elements are part of who I am, and those cannot be separated.

Back to Google counts
My Google count has hovered at about 450 - 800 for a while. I occasionally find a new link added that wasn't there before. Well, all of a sudden, my Google counts jumped to 2540. And, no, it's not because I suddenly made the blogger "A-list" (psffsstf! My best raspberry sound ;-). It's because more and more people are using automated tools for indexing weblogs and cross-referencing referrers. So while my Google counts are expanding, it still does not look like many non-machines/humans care than did when I was around the 450 mark. Oh, well. At least I know the spiders are reading my blog. Thanks guys. I hope you enjoy my encoding.

The Posts that Never Were - or - Blogging, Interrupted

Tue, 03 Jun 2003 20:49:52 GMT

I'm having trouble completing an entire blog post. In my absent-mindedness and inattention, I often start a thought stream/blog post, only to abandon it after losing interest or being interrupted.

I really blog much more than you see on this weblog. I keep a personal journal in an application called TreePad Business Edition. This application is a stopgap until I can complete my planned personal knowledge management application. I record web pages that represent my current learning and observation interests at any given point in time. However, only a small percentage of those recordings ever make it to the web for sharing or comments. They usually languish in my TreePad file, lacking the integration that I often ponder.

I very often post things to a custom category (my "scratchpad") that I keep just for posting trivial items that would otherwise dilute the weblog. I don't want to crowd my weblog so much that first-time visitors get the wrong impression of my interests. Usually my traffic comes from search engines, so this might make it unlikely that the reader would seek out an about page, even if I did put one up (if I could ever get around to it).

The thing about weblogs being updated so often, is that no consistent message (profound or not) sticks around for very long. New posts (many times trivial) bump the personally profound posts that I would actually like people to read. I'm considering several ways of restructuring my blog so that people are more likely to read items I personally want to emphasize. I'm not clamoring for an audience, I just want to show my "best work."

So, please don't think that I am a lazy blogger. I have much to say. It's just hard to post sometimes.

Ahem. (yes, I agree completely)

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 23:05:07 GMT

Girls, please don't get breast implants.

Girls, please don't get breast implants. While channel surfing last night, I came across one of those surgery shows where they were showing someone getting breast implants. First of all... gross. But second of all, they don't look natural. They just don't. Your boobs stick out straight. Seriously, just don't get breast implants.

[Keith's Weblog]

Bloggin' down the Highway

Wed, 23 Apr 2003 14:56:02 GMT

Blogging? Yeah, I'm into it alright. Can you tell?

And while I'm posting pictures, here's one of me:

CMS Adventure

Mon, 21 Apr 2003 17:46:34 GMT

Lots of code.

Jeez... I've written about 200 lines of code so far, just for the base class of my form processing thingy in my CMS. It has a good deal of comments, but still.

I think it's going to rock though. Finally, it'll be easy (at least easier) to write correct code to process web-forms. Now, writing the HTML forms is another matter. I want to make that easier too If PHP only had closures I'd be able to design this one way... but nooo.

[Keith's Weblog]

I currently envy Keith who is well on his way to writing his own custom Content Management System. Keith seems to be doing a lot better job of actualizing his ideas that I am at present. Good job Keith.

Slippery Slope? - We'll see in 50 years, won't we!

Fri, 14 Mar 2003 17:49:15 GMT

Josh says, "Why do we treat the UN as if it is a legitimate form of democratic authority?" [Joshua Claybourn's Domain]

What happened to national sovereignty? And what about this UN World Tribunal that I heard about? Apparently, Clinton (a Democrat - duh!), was involved in a treaty creating the court, but both have "expressed reservations that the expressed reservations that the treaty could lead to politically-motivated prosecution of U.S. government leaders or military personnel."

Government leaders? Military personnel? Why are those our only concerns? What about the notion that some other power than *ourselves* has the power to rule on matters and treat our Constitution as meaningless on the world stage? No. I don't think so.

Fri, 07 Mar 2003 20:46:12 GMT

If I had enough experience, I might qualify for absent-minded professor. Instead, I'm still working on absent-minded programmer.

David Meece - There He Goes Again

Sun, 02 Mar 2003 05:54:35 GMT

David Meece was the first artist I listened to as a teen in the 80's. I come from a traditional Pentecostal background, and "Christian Rock" was labeled as "rebellion" by many of the adults I knew. So for me, contemporary Christian music with a heavy beat and grueling guitar (or so I thought) was a way for me to push back at the rigorous traditions that I felt had been forced upon me. I bought David Meece's recording (called "Seven"). I really dug the song "Unknow Soldier," especially since I had first been introduced to it during the local skating rink's Christian skate night.

I felt like I had picked a really good hero. He was a gifted pianist, a childhood prodigy. His Christmas songs are his most recognized contributions to the CCM industry: "One Small Child" and "We Are The Reason."

The last album that I bought by David was "Learning To Trust." I saw him in concert in the early 90's at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Then nothing. For 10 whole years--nothing. (Actually, in researching this post, I found that it wasn't 10 years. He actually released "Once In a Lifetime" and a greatest hits collection, "Odyssey," in the time since "Learning To Trust.")

I did a spontaneous Google search for his name recently and found his official home page. He has a new project called "There I Go Again.". I haven't heard it yet, but you have to wonder how an artist's music changes after so long. I'm definitely excited to hear the new stuff. Glad you're back, David.

Extra Ordinary

Thu, 06 Feb 2003 01:39:39 GMT

A recording I really enjoy is johnny Q. public's "Extra Ordinary." I recently retrieved it from my collection. I might be lucky to average 10 recordings a year. Unless a music club offer comes in the mail--then I get a bunch at one shot.

What I like about johnny Q. public's music is its seering creativity. I use the term "irreverent" loosely. It's more of a contempt for the status quo. It questions traditional church and its methods while mocking secular culture for its absurdity. It's a mix of incredible musical talent, lyrical creativity on a large scale, and relevant material for today's culture, even several years since its release.

See You in a Year

Thu, 06 Feb 2003 01:35:58 GMT

I went without a cell phone about six months ago for budget reasons. I couldn't see paying $80-120 per month for two phones. Especially not for the plan we had. Talk about withdrawal symptoms. Even now, I find myself worrying about Karla and wanting to call to check on her or see if she needs anything.

I have to say, not having the extra expense has definitely helped. I think. On the other hand, I'm not really sure if I haven't just spent the extra money somewhere else on extras like food, videos, etc.

There's a saying, "An advantage is not an advantage unless you take advantage of it." Sorry, I can't remember who said it. A savings or cut in your budget does nothing to save you money overall if you spend that same money on something else.

But anyway, as the title hinted, I'm watching the plans and the technology, just waiting for the right mix at the right price. Since I bought my phone, they've introduced color screens with games and digital cameras. Cool! But not cool enough. Or at least, not cool enough to get back on a plan. Yet. The longer I wait, the more I save, and the cooler the products get.

Serendipity at Work?

Sun, 02 Feb 2003 21:31:13 GMT

<RANT>

OK, I've written several times about Sam Ruby's description of Manufactured Serendipity. The depressing part about all of this is that most of my traffic on this site is truly serendipity (the unmanufactured kind). It comes from people using Google to look for a "PlanPlus crack." The only reason this happened is because I arbitrarily chose to split the word "crackpot" into two words: "crack" and "pot." Gee, maybe this post will attract people looking for illegal drugs! ;-)

I'm sure this entry will draw even more attention from search engines and those folks out there who insist on not paying for software. Well, excuse me, but go jump in a lake! Pay for your own stinking software or start using open source software for its most touted benefit -- it's free.

Hey, I shell out a lot of money trying to stay largely legit, even personally. I think it's part of working in an occupation that is based on intellectual property rights. I hope to someday right a somewhat successful shareware application that is registered by a throng of willing folks and thereby supplement both my lifestyle and my retirement. But until that time, I can only do the ethical thing and behave in a reciprocal manner by PAYING FOR LICENSES!

</RANT>

Ah, the Thrill of To Do Lists

Wed, 29 Jan 2003 05:01:18 GMT

While they may not be huge accomplishments on any grand scale, I've managed to do pretty well over the last few weeks at hitting some goals and completing some mundane tasks. I just submitted a sizeable medical reimbursement account claim after all this time. Fortunately, my record keeping structure made it manageable this time.

In addition, I have recently developed my skills with Paint Shop Pro. I have updated the checkbook program (Money) with all of the available transaction data. My files are currently under control.

Now, the question is, can I (with all of these other things taken care of) still manage to do the things that I've been dreaming of? We'll see.

Lots of tech reading to do: C# and Perl, content management systems, and ASP.NET. RSS and XML and NewsML.

For anyone who has read this spot in recent history, you'll notice that this post is more relaxed, less audience-driven, and more about me. Good. That feels better.

Wed, 22 Jan 2003 01:26:35 GMT

"WSJ.com - Fans Howl in Protest as Judge Decides X-Men Aren't Human" [Daypop Top 40]

Mon, 20 Jan 2003 02:14:54 GMT

"Why Open Spectrum Matters" [Daypop Top 40]

Mon, 20 Jan 2003 02:03:24 GMT

"Urinal Interface Design. " [Daypop Top 40]

Dean, Dean, Dean or Turnabout is Fair Play or I'm Really Asking for It Now

Sun, 19 Jan 2003 00:19:22 GMT

I listed his name three times because I found three mistakes (read on below) during my reading on his site today.

I can't resist any longer. The language and spelling mistakes on so many sites are beginning to compound. Spoken language is pricking my ears in painful ways. So much misuse!

Now I'm not a language expert. I probably make my share of punctuation mistakes and complex grammar goofs. Dangling participles and split infinitives and run-on sentences and so on and so on ;-). You get the picture. And sure, there is certainly some literary license on the part of the author/blogger to be tolerated.

But I've seen so many mistakes, that I am now motivated to create something that has been burning in my mind for a long time: a language peeves gallery. Commonly misspelled words, incorrect word substitutions (then for than, too for to), mangled clichés, and other annoyances (to me of course) will be posted to a blog channel. Now, I probably won't bother including the posts on my blog homepage, but I must post them! I can withhold the outcry no longer!

Anyway, Dean is quite the site critic. And because he has elevated himself into the ranks of experts, I think he can benefit from some constructive criticism. So here are the items I noticed on his site today:

1.) "use the once sentence that page contains" - "once" should be "one" here.
2.) "It looks like I'm might to have to find a new reseller account." - "I'm" should be "I."
3.) "I like the aggregator because I don't have to check all the webpages that don't update nearly as often as I would like them too! and for that matter, I don't update nearly as often as I would like to." - "too!" is the incorrectly substituted for "to."

Now, I will definitely disclaim any appearances of perfection that you may think I hold about myself. Heck, I've probably made a few mistakes in this post alone. If your well-trained eye catches it, please leave a comment. As Dean notes at the end of this post, we can all learn something from a little constructive feedback. Right?

Update: I realized some time after I posted this entry that I had misattributed item #3 to Dean (of DeanPeters.com and HealYourChurchWebsite.com). It was actually posted by Dean (Dean McKenzie of DeanMcKenzie.org). My apologies.

Dean Peters has asked me (via comments) to edit his weblog. I might just take him up on that whim. How about it Dean? You provide the login, and I will correct the mistakes I find.

Wed, 15 Jan 2003 14:35:57 GMT

"Collective Terms for Animals" [Daypop Top 40]

Wed, 15 Jan 2003 02:57:50 GMT

Ancient tablet echos Bible passage [Christdot]

Wed, 15 Jan 2003 02:46:04 GMT

"Frodo has failed" [Daypop Top 40]

Is Rapping for Jesus A Ministry?

Tue, 14 Jan 2003 14:32:45 GMT

RazorMouth offers some provocative discussion on ministry vs. vocation. I think this is an important issue for me to understand and consider because much of my journey for the last two years has been discovering how God views your work, "secular" or not.

I don't necessarily have an analysis on his opinion yet, but he does offer some good scripture references to aid in your own conclusions.

Why I Should'nt Try So Hard

Tue, 14 Jan 2003 14:28:57 GMT

Dylan Tweney talks about why he uses an application that doesn't quite measure up to his own custom solution. He doesn't want to try so hard to keep up with the latest changes in XYZ technology. It's just not important to him. I know how that feels. I just change my mind every other day.

Farewell to a Founder

Tue, 14 Jan 2003 00:35:04 GMT

Case Is Stepping Down at AOL (TechNews.com). Steve Case, the embattled, visionary founder of America Online, resigned under pressure as chairman of AOL Time Warner Inc. last night, saying he would "love" to remain in the job but that his presence atop the world's biggest media company had become a damaging "distraction." [Daypop Top News Stories]

It always seems sad to me when the founder of a company becomes a liability to that company. Well, it might make sense that failed businesses often have their leaders as a liability. But companies like AOL are on the list of success stories in terms of growth and lasting prosperity. (Don't ask me how they're doing on Wall Street. I don't follow that stuff too closely.)

I remember the feeling I had watching Spiderman (I know, cheezy, right?) when Mr. Osborne of OsCorp was told to pack up his things and go by the board of directors. My reaction was similar to Osborne's--what?? I built this company!!

So, farewell to another founder. Enjoy your retirement. You deserve it.

Mon, 13 Jan 2003 04:52:32 GMT

"Bee Gees Singer Maurice Gibb Dies " [Daypop Top 40]

Webliography

Mon, 13 Jan 2003 04:15:23 GMT

Here's my take on what would make a good bookmarklet. How about a tool that helps you build a standardized bibliography entry (MLA, etc.) for the webpage (people do cite webpages these days) based on elements in the header, meta data, or user selections? The URL is most definitely important. The day viewed is also important from what I hear.

So, given a webpage, a user could spawn a new window that disects standard parts of the web page for assembly into the standard parts of a webpage bibliography entry. Here's your standard parsed stuff--now, the user gets to assign chunks to the proper bibliography pieces.

The challenge is that the pieces of information will not necessarily follow a pattern you might hope for. But with a little effort, it could save you the work on all of the formatting. Heck, you might even expand the service to build a collection that could be managed by the user.

Take that all you info-organizing-hacking-tweaking-slice-and-dice-data-pundits. There's my two cents (with more cents offered daily). This should make that Shifted Librarian proud (or not).

Wierd!

Mon, 13 Jan 2003 03:47:14 GMT

Well, my technorati list has changed a bit. Strangely enough, all of the new entries are from one site. See if you can figure out what the deal is with it. Initially, all you see is one big question mark graphic, but then...

Check back here and comment if you're interested in what's really on the page.