Roomful of Blues in Mystic

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Roomful of Blues is great band that is based in Westerly, RI, right next door to us in Stonington. Last night they played a free concert in downtown Mystic at the Riverwalk, a little park right on the Mystic River. The Mystic drawbridge just happened to go up during the concert. Hope you enjoy

Boston Tweetup July 24, 2007

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Last night there was a meetup of Boston-area Tweeters (and a couple non-Tweeters) at Boston Beer Works, followed by a free sneak preview of "No Reservations". Thanks to Chris Brogan for orchestrating a last-minute venue change and getting us hooked up for the movie. Thanks also to CC for the clue-in to the movie screening.

It was a really fun crowd and I got to meet some great people for the first time. Doug Haslam, Clarence Smith, Laura Fitton, nice to meet you all. Got to know CC Chapman and Kroosh a lot better, had a nice chat with Steve Garfield at the movie theater, and got to meet Amy Carpenter, whom Steve invited. I'll admit to being a bit star-struck with Amy. I was too shy to engage her in conversation. I've admired her art and video for a long time and always wanted to meet her. I did catch the last half of her wild quitting-her-job fantasy on this clip.

Dave LaMorte also showed up toward the end and some others, too. Was a really fun time. After the food and drink we went to the movie and then five of us who were really thirsty decided to go for a little after-meet meet at Boston Billiards. Some great conversation ensued there. What a lively, smart and creative group of people muh Twitter peeps are!

8 Random Things About My Office

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I did an 8 Random Things About Me blog entry after getting tagged by CathleenRitt on Twitter with that latest little meme. 

Then, surfing around today, I saw GoldieKatsu's vlog on 8 Random Things About My Desk. I thought that was a fun idea, so I made one of my own.

8 Random Things About Me

My Twitter friend Cathleen Rittereiser tagged me with this meme. Here goes...

1. When I was two years old, I was attacked and almost killed by a hive of bees in a rock pile in back of the apartment where we lived. I can still remember sitting in a pan of hot water while my mother put compresses on the stings.

2. I have a scar on my left cheek. Women sometimes ask me about it. I think they imagine I got it from a jealous lover. I should be so lucky. In fact, I just picked at a scab from some kind of cut I got playing in the yard as a kid.

3. I love cranberry juice. In fact, I'm going to get another glass now...with ice.

4. I saw Jimi Hendrix live, went to college with Jay Giles, but didn't make it to Woodstock.

5. I can't wear rings. I get a form of eczema underneath them.

6. I endeavor to have absolutely no superstitions. I don't believe in God, ghosts, UFOs, astrological fortunes, lucky golf socks or black cats. It is a most liberating, simple and easy way to live. You should try it.

7. I don't like broccoli, which is one thing I agree with George H.W. Bush (the elder) about. I suspect he may also share my opinion that his son is a wise-ass frat boy altogether unqualified to be President.

8. I cook a mean bowl of chili. Good scrambled eggs, too.

Need ideas for Silly Social Networking Sites

I loves me muh Tweeps (Twitter peeps) because they always have something witty, zany, crazy, kooky, kinky or funny to say. So I'm hoping they, and anyone else who reads this blog, will help with some ideas for Silly Social Networking Sites. Don't need a ten-slide PowerPoint, just the basic concept. For instance,

Blather - like Twitter, but each post has to have at least 10K characters, and contain no new-lines, and a maximum of three sentences.

Dickr - Photo-posting site, but all pics are of Richard Nixon.

LockedIn - contact network for inmates.

You get the idea, right? Let's hear yours. The simpler, the better.

My letter to the FCC about Net Neutrality

A big shout-out to Gabrielle, the Tech.Chick.Blogger for publishing this link on her links post today. The Bush Administration's minions in the FTC are ready to abandon net neutrality and hand the Internet over to the likes of Comcast and Cox Communication.

What does this mean? It means that if you like the way you have to take 20 home-shopping channels to get The Travel Channel or The Science Channel or you can't get a channel you want because that channel won't pay enough to the cable provider, you'll love a world without Net Neutrality.

I went to SaveTheInternet.com and wrote my own little letter to the FCC to support the preservation of Net Neutrality. Here's what I wrote:

I am a career software developer with over 35 years in the software development business. I have see the Internet grow from a fledging technical curiosity to the most potent force for political, economic and social change and innovation the world has seen since the invention of the printing press.

At this time, large and powerful corporations with a completely self-serving agenda are attempting to control the content and flow of information on the Internet the same way they do on cable television. The FCC should not and must not allow this to happen. Please preserve the open, free and untrammeled access to the Internet we all now enjoy by preserving Net Neutrality.

You should do the same. Write what's in your gut and tell the FCC to preserve this wonderful thing we call the Internet.

Thanks....!