blue

If this gets across the lesson that there are consequences for bad behavior, for treating people badly or hurting them, then it seems to me a little object lesson might be just the thing. The child isn't harmed, just detained, and shown that if you act mean, do bad, you might end up somewhere you don't want to be. I have to admit I found James' solution worth a chuckle too, especially the part about half the doses being for the parents for not teaching their kids better.

He didn't do a swan dive? Limbo, limbo!

I just did something drastic. I deleted the Adobe Creative Suite 4 from my desktop computer. I still have it on my laptop for now, and I still have the box and discs. But for some time now, Adobe and I have been growing apart, seeing other people, and moving in different circles...and rectangles. The kicker wasn't how it had orphaned my old Freehand files, which it will only halfway convert, but that, and its constant demands for more cash and attention, were the real start of the trouble in our relationship. The downfall came this week, when, still diligently trying to learn Illustrator, telling myself it was for a job skill, and trying to learn a thing called SVG, also for a job skill, I discovered several things Adobe Illustrator does very strangely or wrongly or not at all, when converting to SVG. This meant that in what I was trying to create...I would essentially have to completely redo from scratch, much like my old Freehand files, which I can only partiall salvage. So I told Adobe it was over between us. We'd had a long-term relationship, but it just isn't the thrilling, loving relationship it used to be. This will force me to learn Inkscape. I've been using CoffeeCup HTML Editor (very satisfied) for months now. Adobe had three little fits of revenge before it left. First, it took its time going through all our stuff, over 25 minutes to remove its things. But when it did, it left a dependency that sent my graphics tablet into a tizzy, before two restarts cleared it. Second, I think it has been seeing that Microsoft fellow, in a clandestine, torrid cyber-romance, because Microsoft then asked if I wanted to start the free trial. What? No. I don't use Microsoft Office anymore for the same sorts of reasons. I had not clicked on the leftover "free trial" icon that came with this computer, many moons ago. But perhaps Microsoft was just feeling insecure, seeing I'd just broken up with Adobe. Third, oddly, Adobe did leave some or all my fonts installed, which is a good thing. I was expecting it would delete the Adobe fonts in a fit of pique. I'm glad I don't have to install them. Nearly all my Adobe fonts are either through that suite or older ones, dating back to PageMaker and the like, or separate font purchases over the years. Adobe and I had an earlier falling out over fonts, but we eventually agreed to disagree. This means that for any old Freehand files I still want to convert, I'll have to use that remaining install or go somewhere and use the suite for awhile. Or...recreate from scratch, which is practically what I've been having to do anyway. And so, goodbye, Adobe. I will be seeing other people, doing other things, going out with other programs and fonts, moving in other circles and rectangles and gradients, and curling up with other ebook formats. Adobe is so busy seeing all those other lovers, spending their money lavishly, and dating that Microsoft fellow, it will hardly notice I'm gone. Meanwhile, there are more apps in the web to surf, dear Adobe, au revoir, arrivederci, sayonara, vaya con Díos, and don't let the door hit you on the way out!

:rotfl: Luggie. You know, you hear cases where someone had some major event (stroke, coma, etc.) and had a personality shift and suddenly they speak a foreign language or have some other new ability. This is the first time I've heard it "made someone gay." Hmm..."made" him gay? Now where have I heard that one before? Oh yeah, Johnny was hanging around Big Gay Jimmy, and that (of course!) turned him gay. (Johnny, not Jimmy.) (Wait, what about Jimmy again...? LOL.) Like with other cases of that "newfound ability," I'm reserving my judgment on this one. I can't refute or confirm either way, except these cases seem to have some ordinary obscure person suddenly develop an ability no one knew they had before. So, if that, then well, why *couldn't* someone "turn gay" as a result of a stroke? What is it that causes a person to be straight or gay, anyway? I just hope the guy will be a good guy and happy with himself and others. If he likes guys now, well, good for him. Much as Cole describes, around a certain age, I began to discover that I liked other boys and had this quite diverting shift of blood to another part of the body. My brain seemed to like the idea a whole lot too. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole thing, but that didn't stop it from being so. Oddly enough, stroking seemed to clarify things somewhat. More practice with a lab partner here and there would've done a lot to resolve the questions I had. Kidding aside, really, I hope whatever the case is, that he is happy and treating people well. Um, "Go, Team!" Might be in order, maybe?

I'm from the generation who were in high school and college when we first began hearing about some terrible, unknown disease. Even our college biology professors, at the time, were not yet sure how it was transmitted or how to prevent its spread. I know, because we asked and our profs answered as best they could. We also heard about a boy named Ryan White, who got this strange disease. It seems he got it from a simple blood transfusion, but how? People assumed he was gay. He wasn't. At that time, they didn't yet know the filters used for blood transfusions and donations were not fine enough to shield against this very not-ordinary virus. The people who use HIV/AIDS as a justification are using it as an excuse. They would find some other excuse if not for that. They are also uninformed. They should ask their veterinarians about FIV and Feline AIDS. It's a virus similar to, but not the same as the human HIV/AIDS. (And no, it's not cross-contagious.) If they'd ask, they'd find that cats can get this FIV in the same sorts of ways as humans do, but cats' bodies handle it differently. This has meant a benefit for both human and feline medicine, as both sides are comparing notes to try to find better methods to treat the viruses, or to cure them with a vaccine or other means. The point? Cats are not "sinful" or "evil" or "unnatural" for what they do. Indeed, what they do is natural to them. This means: HIV/AIDS is just a disease like any other. It is not a judgment or punishment from God. It does not mean gay people are sinful, any more than straight people, at any rate. It is an illness requiring compassion and treatment, not ostracism and hatred. ----- The Day of Silence is a way to protest lack of tolerance, and to protest the abusive treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, both in schools and in public. Certain people claim this is just another item in the "gay agenda" and "the gays are trying to take over our schools and recruit our kids to the homosexual lifestyle." When one of my aunts sent me an email to that effect, quoting one of the political activist groups masquerading as concerned Christians, I finally got tired of such nonsense and emailed her back to tell her not to send hateful things like that anymore. I have, since then, been a very misguided young man, in her estimation. (I defended my case but didn't out myself at the time.) The Day of Silence is a chance for gay people and their friends to show in a concrete and non-violent way what our convictions are and what we go through. It is typically done at schools, but some do it after school, and some people (adults) do the same at work. If you need to explain something, write a note. By the way, that's how a lot of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people communicate with hearing people. ;) So perhaps it can be used to promote understanding there too.

Yet more evidence EleCivil is one of the coolest guys ever. What he and Des are talking about, nerves at being in the public eye, yet somehow able to function at public speaking/singing/acting? Yes, that's very much how I feel. I've been told I do well at it, but you couldn't prove it by me. I can get a little ego boost by hamming things up, and I can like performing or speaking, but...on some level, I'm very insecure about it too. Practice is what's gotten me better at it and able to ignore some of the insecurities and sometimes enjoy doing it. I used to know two people, man and wife, who were almost painfully shy and sometimes very awkward around people, even friends. Yet if you gave the guy a chance to sing or act, particularly acting, he could have fun and entertain and let his hammy and pretending/imaginative sides out to play. He was still shy, but less so, because somehow it was "OK" to be outgoing in that context, because he was pretending, and the audience was pretending with him. I learned from that and use it myself. I'd bet EleCivil is good at his new job, but I think he'd be great in the classroom too. Unrelated to anything, the other day, I happened to run errands, jeans and white socks. I was putting on the socks when I realized, both were white, almost the same, but there was a difference in the knitting method. This meant they subtly did not match. I went through my whole morning/afternoon of errands and got home and not one person noticed my socks did not quite match. How fiendishly subversive! How deliciously out of character! Hahaha (oh wait, "Bwahahaha!" :evillaugh: ). Now, granted, I had no real occasion to lift my leg up and point out, "See, behold! My socks do not match!" but still, it was funny to me how the world perceives things, how I could be picky about something like that, and yet...it does not matter at all in the grand scheme of things...it's "OK". No, I don't know what point I have to that. Say, you know, about that hiking a leg up, I really never have had the irresistible desire to hike my leg on a fire hydrant or tree, or do that ballet bar thing with my leg on a counter to show someone. I dunno where I'm goin' with that one either. Must be all these dogs and orangutans and raccoons. Or maybe I need to watch Billy Elliott again? (Michael, his friend in that, would've confused the crud out of me as a kid, too, by the way.) Rambling there. Blame the wild weather today. You know, I've always equated introversion with shyness and extroversion with being outgoing and confident. How to contrast those, to differentiate them, I'm not sure. One other thing? I tend to be a loner. When I get down about something, I tend to go into hermit crab mode, pull in into my own little shell, and I used to almost hibernate. (That was a (bad) way of trying to deal with depression at the time. I tried to sleep it away, basically pull the covers over my head almost literally, and cease existing in some degree. Like I said, not good.) That, I think, arose out of being teased a lot as a kid, on top of my natural tendencies. What gets me, though, is that occasionally, when I go out (typical day to day activities, rather than "go out" in the sense of socializing) I will sometimes get the very disconcerting feeling that I'm mostly unnoticed, almost invisible, among other people, running around, doing my errands, going through all the motions. Sure, other people interact with me and I interact with them, but it's that feeling you get of a certain detachment in a crowd, not really a detachment from reality, but a sense of being out of the loop, out of sync, with those other people. When you'd like to be more part of things, belong more, that is a strange feeling to have. I mention it because it's a darker shade of what EleCivil was talking about with the sublimation of self, being able to concentrate and feel either apart or at one, and the riff about the sale on coffee filters. I hardly ever drink coffee. Yeah, that must be it, drinking coffee will make me as one with the universe! (Hahaha, NO!, too much coffee will make me so freakin' hyper, you'd think I was on something. Not a good thing, trust me. Tea doesn't do that to me, just coffee.) Having wandered so far afield he's probably lost in the woods getting burs and avoiding chiggers and other tiny microfauna, Blue gets down off the soapbox and wanders off to do something else. :) Charlie Brown: Classic introvert, but lovable. Linus: Classic introvert with oral issues ;) which might bear exploring.... (Hah, I can't criticize, I had a security blanket at night way too late into childhood development.) (What? No, you doofus, not last week...!) (Hmm, yes, I've heard the rumors about Peppermint Patty and Marcie. I dunno about Linus. OK, there's probably a strange fanfic fanwank in that somewhere....) And with that vaguely disturbing or titillating mental image in your heads, now back to you in the studio, Stewie....

Cole, like you, I tend to feel uncomfortable, like I'm faking it, when I have to be very outgoing, greeting people or at parties and things like that. I do sometimes choose to do that, or get in that hyper and outgoing mode, but again, there's a key with feeling hyper, too "on" about it. Somewhere along the way, I got to where I'd force it sometimes, feeling I had to, and...I really want to get back to where I don't force myself into a mode that feels off to me. Others don't seem to see it as off-key, which puzzles the crud out of me. I do like to talk with friends. (You couldn't guess from frequent and long posts, huh?) (Frequent and long? What? Hmm.... OK, hush, libido, wasn't talking about that.) I agree with Trab's point about charisma and the danger of following like lemmings when a leader is, well, full of it. People do tend to do that, and it is bad when it happens. Charisma can be a good thing. We want and need that undefinable inspiring factor that makes us want to do well for others or follow (or befriend) a person, or a leader. We do need leaders, someone who'll bring cohesion and order and direction to a disparate group. We do want likeable people. I have seen charisma in action, people whom you very much want to be with, do for, follow, because they have some intangible magnetism or a quality to them that inspires likeability, trust, loyalty, several other things. When there is good charisma, that is a wonderful thing. It's only when the person acts badly or has wrong-headed ideas and acts badly on them, or towards others, that that charisma is such a danger, I think. Des said,

For Trab: Don't give up, and don't let the extra codes deter you, please. I don't know what's causing that. But the stuff you're seeing is raw HTML code. The ' is just a typewriter-style single quote mark (not the curly one, the straight one). Paragraph tags and a few other things are in there too. It's as if it isn't running part of the forum software to transform your input. But...I wouldn't think that'd be something on your end, particularly. Huh, I don't know yet. I think this is something the Dude may need to refer to the forum software people. You probably already know to try clearing your cache. Good that you've tried both Safari and Firefox. I'd suggest you let Dude, Des, and myself know your Mac's OS version and the versions of Safari and Firefox you're using. Google's Chrome browser, by the way, is ultimately based on much of the same engine, called webkit, that Safari is. I won't subject you to the pain of MSIE. But please, those codes, while annoying to you or others, are not a barrier to understanding you. So please continue posting. :hugs: You're liked and appreciated around here. The place wouldn't be the same without you. For Others: I haven't yet had a chance to read the rest of the thread. I'll get there.

My email there is sometimes wonky, and I need to set it to flag me when I get new mail. I'll check; very sorry for the delay! (That's a sign that I have hardly been getting any email lately, by the way.)

In a valiant attempt to revive an old thread and get it back on topic, here's a little reference with a few in-jokes that I've updated and re-posted: Common Grammar Problems The in-jokes will probably only make sense to the in-jokers....

Yes, it gets bigger! It may not get huge, but it definitely gets bigger! It does all sorts of strange stuff, whether you're thinking of it or with someone or by yourself. This tends to show it was intended for more than just utilitarian purposes. Utilititarian? What, like a screwdriver? :rotfl: I liked the parody. I could use a good joke.

I'd say Codey was an extrovert who was very sensitive to other people's emotions and states of mind. He came across as mostly extrovert, but he had an introvert streak too. Yes, I'd say some extroverts are sensitive to others, but a lot tend to be me-focused. But then, most humans are me-focused. :shrugs:

Of course, I got carried away with the indents with examples of a few common uses. There is a style clash somewhere that I haven't squashed yet. Please See: CSS Goodies at my website. See Also: Common Grammar Problems, which has a few old in-jokes. It's finally available again.

Adobe gobbled up and killed its competitor, Macromedia. It kept a handful of Macromedia's products and neglected and then killed the others, in favor of its own products. You're likely thinking of Adobe Dreamweaver, one of the ones Adobe kept from Macromedia. If you don't mind hand-editing web pages, I recommend CoffeeCup's HTML Editor. Cheap price, good updates and support, and free upgrades once you've bought their software. If you'd rather use a "visual" designer, then go with...their Visual Designer. Heheh. Every word processor I've seen exports a lot of crap into HTML pages and CSS styles. It's a pain to clean up. But them's the breaks. I will post a handy way to do proper indents on paragraphs that should be easy to use. I'll just have to write up the instructions on how to use it.

You want a really odd spelling? "Queue," as though the French couldn't decide when to stop adding letters. In French, it's a queue, [ kø ]; In English, it's a queue, like a cue or kew, [ kju: ] or [ kjIw ]. The funny spellings in brackets are IPA for language geeks. I like the Canadian designs. There've been talks about redesigning American money, using another color or two, but there's been a lot of conservative resistance, as though it's sacrilegious to change the paper bills. (They've been changed many times since the USA started.) It's been argued that color coding helps people, whether with bad eyesight or not, to easily distinguish paper money denominations. The newer bills introduced sometime after 2000 do have additional color usage and other anti-counterfeiting measures. About the US copper penny: I won't particularly mind if they drop the penny, but I hope they'd use a copper coin of some kind. Why? It's easy to distinguish, it's pretty, and it does have value. The way prices are going, I wouldn't be surprised if they have to change the coins and bills, adjust the values (divide by 10, maybe) or some other scheme, or we won't have much use for pennies or nickels...or anything under a dollar. One of the main objections to altering the US coins has been the need to change all those coin-operated vending machines and coin sorters. Sure, that's an issue, but if all they did was drop one and add another one or two coins, it would work. It's just a matter of swapping out the coin sorter gadget or parts of it...for every such machine in use. Heck, even drink and snack machines now take bills, so why is this *really* a problem?

So you're saying there's a remainder and a divisive situation going on? Yeah, pun * 2, I should quit before it gets recursive!

I'd seen the book title and wondered if it was good. What a great talk. I'm an introvert, a loner...who sometimes is an extrovert craving attention (and love and affirmation). I have known some natural extroverts, and they are great, I wish I could be more like that and be comfortable like that all the time. But...when I get too much time around other people and too much stimulation, I get this real need to go off on my own and have some quiet time. Growing up, kid or teen, I always had a notebook or drawing tablet and always some pens/pencils/markers...something...to draw or write with. (And yeah, I always got picked on for having stuff like that.) There was usually a book along with my schoolbooks. There was definitely a book at home, either mine or from my parents' books or the library or bookstore. Heh. I suppose that's a good thing, because I wasn't surrounded by other kids wanting me to be with them all the time. Hey, I was a loner, but I would've liked more time together too. I function better, thinking style, with a little breathing room to think on my own. If I'm pressured with someone right there, it can interfere with that thinking and doing. Self-consciousness and shyness, for one (er, two) things. -- Unless that person happens to be one of those people I can gel with, feel really at ease with, and have a synergy of thought. If we're on the same page, then that can magnify the potential there, and it can be really enjoyable. But most of the time, I need a little alone time to be at my best, professional / work-wise or personal / private individual. I agree strongly: We need both. Introverts need to know how to function in a team or group. Extroverts need to know how to function alone on something. Both need to be able to come together if they get an idea or want to be together. Trying to go only into that group / committee / team-only way of doing things is going to stifle part of that process for either personality type. I can be that always-on extrovert and do public speaking, greeting, some. But I have to watch myself in that, because I get too wound up and overstimulated. Why? Self-consciousness and shyness, trying to live up to perfectionism and others' expectations (my own expectations too). Hey, I have a friendly and gregarious side and a side that needs all that togetherness and attention. But that self is also doing that because I had to learn how to do it. I had to be able to do it. I do like people, like talking, visiting, hanging out. But I'm better off when it's a small, quiet group of friends, low-key. Lots of activity, over-stimulation, crowds, that kind of thing? Yikes, I get overwhelmed. I'm better off a little more relaxed and small groups. I like socializing to an extent. I like one on one better. I had to learn the other for work and school and some personal or group settings, but it usually gets me overly hyper. A very few friends throughout life have been the kind where we could team up and be more than either of us. But those haven't lasted, because of life circumstances. I really wish there were more like that. I think everyone searches for those kinds of relationships, where the sum is greater than what either would do without each other. Great points. Thanks for the video. Hmm, I'll put her book in the "to get at some point" stack. -- I have a big stack of stuff I haven't gotten to lately. Hey, EC, you must be on spring break or something. Glad to see you! My sleep pattern *still* hasn't gotten back to anything over four to six hours at a time. ...Currently running on steam, didn't sleep last night. :( Sure wish it would get into a normal pattern again. Hope you're doing great and enjoying your break!

I should probably explain what I didn't say before. That wasn't a client, I'm the client. Or rather, my cats are the clients. It's my vet and his wife, whom I've known since I was a junior in high school when we moved into the area and needed a new vet. He is mostly a nice guy; he means well, but he has strong religious and political opinions, yes. (Well, come to think of it, so do I....) He's a good vet. I'm really reluctant to switch vets; there isn't one near where I live now that I know well, or that I've had good results from. I've only tried two others since. But...yes, you're right that I don't have to put up with something and squash my own needs and feelings and expressing my own opinion. When I was thinking more about this, and about people's advice, I had to think that this is a little like how it is for someone in a racial minority to put up with bull because they need a service or because the person is otherwise OK or there is some obligation with other relationships. I agree that being black or another minority is not the same as being gay, aside from, both are kinds of minorities. The comparison holds, though. Moving? Moving?! Hahaha, if you only knew. A few friends online know I still have boxes and stuff from when I moved in my home after my parents passed away. On top of that, now I am adding things from my grandmother's home, until that's done. I am telling myself I will get through it this time and not drag it out like before. (Yes, in part, it's emotional, not letting go. In part, it's also a measure of just how much my life has been turned upside down the past few years, that I never could seem to get the time to get things finished.) I'm making slightly faster progress now, but not by much. It needs to increase by a huge factor. When I have everything done and actually have a clean, organized house without freaking boxes and junk all over, I will be so amazed I won't know what to do with myself. Yeah, severely idiosyncratic reaction there, but hey, that's what I've had to live with as a primary caregiver, the past several years. Particularly the last two and a half years, I would barely have time to do anything...which is a major reason my involvement here and at CW tapered off drastically. If, and I do mean IF, my situation changes enough that I can actually go back and complete my bachelor's degree, which at this point, I doubt, then yes, I'll be moving to another city anyway. -- I am hoping to be able to keep my house now, until/unless that happens, or unless I have to downsize further. ...None of which really has anything to do with how I respond or don't respond to people who don't know somehow that I'm gay. -- Uh, people, pay attention, there are indications I might not be straight. Heh, the people I've told? No one was stunned I'm gay. I think I was the only one who wasn't saying or accepting it, of those I've told. ...And as others have said to me, I don't have to tell everyone, if I don't think it would be safe or accepted by someone. Unfortunately, there are many people who don't accept it and people still ignore that in jobs and personal life alike, sometimes. -- My support system isn't what I'd like, because being a caregiver so long and handicapped myself has drastically reduced my circle of reliable friends, especially locally. -- That said, I am very grateful that the people I've told, and a few people I can turn to, are friends enough to help some, and they are fine with me being gay. -- I just wish that was more people I could count on. In one sense, hey, I would like to say that saying I should move, while intended as good advice, isn't immediately practical, you know? Think about it. Would you be able to pull up stakes at a moment's notice and move out of your city, state, province, or territory? Would you really want to, either? OK, there are probably some who have done just that. Others, it's not an easy question, is it? Yet...well, if I could settle things and simplify my life, I'm at a point where a drastic change isn't so impossible to do. Uh, however, there also needs to be a place and people to go to and funds to support that move. Meh. I don't currently know anyone I think I could just say, hey, I'm moving, I'll see you as soon as I get there. ...Is that rationalizing again? See, not an easy question to answer. I raised the question because it really is bothersome. I don't feel like arguing with everyone I already know or everyone I meet, and of course, I don't want being gay to be the first or only thing I say. On the other hand, I don't like someone I know making a comment negative about being gay and assuming I agree with them, because they assume that is right, good, righteous in a religious sense, etc. And heck, I don't have a relationship (boyfriend, partner, etc.), or a roommate, which is why this gets to me more, I think. My situation's going to improve, but for now, I have so much on my plate, it will be a big deal when I make the time to go out and see the Bully Project movie. I suppose that's the root of it. I feel very constrained, very limited, and I don't have the support in people or the time that I want/need. So anything like this is aggravating. Yes, I'd be aggravated a little, even if my situation were ideal. Maybe then I'd feel more like being more vocal and not caring if someone didn't like it. (I catch myself being very negative lately about people, precisely because several of the people I used to think I could rely on, have over the last several years and particularly the last few months, made themselves scarce.) I guess that's the bigger issue. I feel let down by a whole lot of people I liked and loved. On the one hand, I have wondered if it was me; if I've been too sensitive, etc. On the other hand, well...I have wondered if I need to be *more* vocal and stick up for myself more, not less. And on the third hand (huh?) I have wondered what it is about people that they act this way (disappear) or about me, that I thought they were friends to begin with, or if I'm pushing them away somehow. -- Yeah, very, very not good mental and emotional place to be in, I know. On the plus side, I have a much better idea who I can rely on. I have myself and my two cats and a handful of people I'm pretty sure I can rely on when it gets truly dicey. I have a few online friends who are good to talk to (mostly via forums) in that it does help some, a friendly word and contact. There are several I don't talk to enough, email or IM, who have stuck by me as friends. And there are a few who I wish things could be better with; maybe that will improve again somehow, who knows? About the actual topic, which I've really strayed from? -- I just wish people were more accepting. I'm stubborn enough and have ego enough, despite squashing it, it's still pretty active, that I get along, despite being bmmed out so much lately. Most of the time I'm OK. But there are times, it really gets me down. I've been through enough that I can shrug off and bounce back some. Other folks, though, still deal with this same sort of trouble (lack of acceptance of being gay, or of other differences) and they have trouble too. There must be some better answer out there, for me, for us, for people who are friendly and accepting, and some answer that ought to reach people who are otherwise good, who have trouble with accepting gay/bi people. One of those eternal questions, I guess, but damn it, it is frustrating when you want better and expect better from people you like otherwise.

In all the excitement following that, I never heard that show. It was *great* to hear it now! (The excitement was of the un-fun variety involving little old ladies with memory trouble.) The recording for that and other skits and shows was great fun. That reminds me to find the part I bought and see if I can coax better results out of this dang computer's audio. Many congratulations, I mean condolences, to all involved. :D That was great fun. (P.S. -- Because I'd missed hearing it, that's the first time I've heard two of the voices. Others, I'd heard from when we'd all worked on various things. Nice to hear everyone!)

That's cooler than nearly anything I ever got from a cereal box!

That's a better summary of the problem than the article I'd seen this morning. Thanks, Cole. Amazon isn't necessarily any more immune than Apple. Both (and for that matter, Nook and other ereaders) want readers to use only their device and format. The .epub format and the .mobi format both allow DRM or DRM-free files, also. The .epub format is an "open standard," meaning it is open and available to anyone to learn and use. Readers (people) are the real winners and losers in what happens among the companies jockeying for market share and control. What happens from the suit will affect us, the public, as readers or authors, editors, designers, publishers, and so on. I use the Kindle apps and have purchased ebooks from Amazon. I use an iPad and have purchased a very few ebooks from the iBooks store. But my real preference is for ebooks that are DRM-free and platform-agnostic, meaning, they'll work equally well in any ereader device or app. I'm trying to learn the .epub format for a job skill. Obviously, I'm a designer and editor and occasionally an author. So what happens when the case is decided, and what, if anything, affects Amazon too, is important to me. The publishing and ebook industry is in such a huge state of flux that it's almost impossible to say what's going to happen to any of it. It's entirely possible another major bookstore chain will go belly-up. Several publishers have announced they will be stopping hardback or paperback production and focus on ebooks. But ebooks are so new (or more accurately, newfangled) that most of the big publishers are not remotely prepared. This means an opportunity for startups and competitors. But like I said, the whole industry is in flux. Anything could happen. Cats and dogs...living together.... Don't cross the streams!

Weird. I knew something counter-culture / alternative that the orangutan didn't? Whitebread little me? How did this happen? Great orangutan, you're slipping up. One too many banana peels. Liked the poem. Full answering machine, that's gotta be it. Would hate to think my number got blocked for being friggin' annoying or something. I wonder, though, does the Big Guy get those annoying telemarketing calls too? Aluminum siding? Carpet cleaning? Insurance? Against acts of God? Hah, the irony. The coppery. The aluminumy. The aluminiumy, for the other side of the Pond.

I can say from experience, if you are a passenger in a moving vehicle and someone loses control, it takes you a couple of seconds or so to realize and then to act, in order to pull that key out of the ignition and press on the brakes...and pray your butt and theirs don't become toast and jam. One of the early signs my grandmother was having memory trouble turned out to be when she thought she was pressing the brakes instead of the gas pedal, while driving into her garage. It was an "experience," let me tell you. Would not want to repeat it. Total damages: Old car built like a tank, barely scratched. gate, garage door, garage wall, wheelbarrow, old desk and various implements, back fence, all converted to junk and kindling. Grandparent, two neighbors, and grandson, exceedingly shaken up. Grandson convince he was gonna sail right on through the neighbor's house and into the next street, and expire somewhere in the process, oh yeah. My grandmother swore she pressed the brake pedal. She did not. It was the gas. The mechanic confirmed nothing wrong with the car. Insurance reimbursed her and I think the neighbor. She continued driving for about three more years until she decided to give up and sell the car to a friend. She later could not remember this and said others (Ben!) sold her car. One of the last times we went out driving in the neighborhood was to a store a few blocks away. I don't drive because my eyesight is that bad. I had to give her iffy directions from two streets past the store back home. We're lucky we go there, because, not driving, my internal road maps and direction sense suck. Back then, I didn't have a cell phone either. I didn't have one until after my dad passed away. Moral: You have to be alert even as a passenger, whether a kid or non-driver. You can't know when someone might have a health emergency and need help, and then you or someone else has to rescue things as best you can. ----- The kids in the video? I'd say they have not only good training from school, but likely parents and scouting or some other group. Good job, kids. Scary situation for sure.

With a box of Froot Loops. Also a can of mixed nuts. And perhaps some loose screws, nuts, and bolts. In case he needs home repairs. Heheh, good one, very snarky, but I fear not far enough from what he wants.

I'll see your -re and raise you a u. Or maybe I should ask to see your u and raise your -re. :snicker: Hmm.... But no, the ewes don't need to worry. I'm probably more into rams. What in the world did I just say? :O What was the topic again? One thing about dialect, none of us would want to go for period accuracy in Shakespearean / Jacobean / Elizabethan English. For instance, some of the "Great Vowel Shift" was probably still underway. Hmm, about accents and dialects in plays and films and TV: Actors have to be careful, or the accents come out sounding wrong. All those English-speaking countries have their own distinct sounds and vocabularies, and it usually shows. That can happen within a country too. For instance, my dad's accent differed from where I grew up, and it is hard for me to get his home accent right. I can get close, but not exactly there. I'd need a dialect coach or time with reordings to sound authentic. Likewise when I tried a Boston or Mass. accent for a recording. (It still sounds bad.) On the other hand, my French and Spanish have good, almost native accents. -- I got varying reviews on my Aussie accent. I'd probably give an indication in writing of the accents for some dialects, but not so much for others, even if it's not my native accent. (Big city Texan, fairly neutral among Texas accents.)