John McTrain

Here it is ... my entry into the Colbert Nation's Green Screen Challenge to make John McCain Interesting. The background shows a train passing Carbondale's Town Square. (Those who follow my Twitter updates knew about this video yesterday. ... Blogging is so passe. ;-) )

New Times looks and sounds great

Instead of listening to the news on WJPF-AM or KUNC-FM, this morning I tuned in to Pandora custom music via Foxy Tunes, and browsed the new Saluki Times web site, which looks much better than the old News Service web page. I sent an email of praise and query to the webmaster, and got some details from PR Director Tom Woolf, who explained.

University Communications’ Web team, including Liz Duncan, unit director Janet Douglas, and Jessica Mann, were responsible for the design and “behind-the-scenes” work of creating the new site, designed to replace the weekly email Spotlight newsletter to faculty and staff, while "presenting the news releases in a different, more 'modern' format."

One of the key purposes of Spotlight was to keep University employees informed on various topics, such as notices from the Human Resources folks. We continue to do that; on the bottom left of the site is “For the Record,” which, for example, this week includes information about new parking decals for the upcoming school year.

("For the Record" was devoid of content at this writing.) My favorite feature, "Flyers Row"

... existed on Spotlight, and had been created a couple of years ago in response to a recommendation from the "Agility & Efficiency Task Force" as a way of promoting events and activities on campus while reducing the amount of paper used for flyers. Obviously, fewer paper flyers would help improve the appearance of the campus as well.

Pete Rosenbery, a member of the Public Relations staff (which generates the news releases), was responsible for Spotlight, and he continues to handle Flyers Row on new site.

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Now playing: Pat Metheny - The Fields, The Sky (Live)
via FoxyTunes

More Fruits of the Season

Following up on Scott T's post on Fruits of the Season, I went Blackberry picking yesterday at the Verizon Store next to the U8 Theater -- and came home with a 'world edition' model with broadband capability (and a barbecue basket from Larry's Pit BBQ, since I was in the neighborhood). Now, I can google in the palm of my hand, if there's a Verizon wireless signal in the air, so my clinical disorder (?) internet addiction can be satisfied wherever, whenever.

The Blackberry device I got is called "World Edition" since it has the capability of working anywhere in the world. This could come in handy someday -- if I get a job teaching English in a foreign land, such as the Philippines or Marion.

Sunset, Sunrise

Sojourn (warning, ugly web site), the band at last night's Sunset Concert rocked the crowd at Turley Park with covers of classic tunes like Steely Dan's Reelin' in the Years (the last song I heard, pedaling off to a late supper):

Are you reelin in the years?
Stowin away the time?
Are you gatherin up the tears?
Have you had enough of mine?

When I got back home, the guy who owns the house was there -- in town for the University School reunion: according to the The Southern, 300 graduates of school from all classes will be reelin' in the years at SIU campus, and "historical display windows in the SIUC Student Center ... will be on display until June 25. People can also take one of the campus tram tours, which will be held throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday."

Meanwhile, the schedule for the morning Amtrak train to Chicago is back to 6:30 departure this week -- which means rising at sunrise (5:35 am) to drive the crew from motel to station on time. Not much sign of sun, though -- just clouds and drizzling rain.

I keep forgetting to snap a photo of the panels for the mural going up on the east side of the Amtrak station tracks. They've been up for about one week.

Future Sunset Bands
June 26: The NK (Nikhil Korula) Band (MySpace), Shryock,
July 3: The Greencards, Turley Park,
July 10: Junior, Shryock,
July 17: Brian Wright and The Waco Tragedies (MySpace) Turley Park,
July 24: Gizzae, Shryock

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Now playing: WDBX Live
via FoxyTunes

Firefox & friends

The Firefox 3 browser was released on Tuesday to much fanfare -- and a record number of single day downloads. As a happy F2 user, I joined the throng and downloaded it myself. Installation was a snap (or rather, a 'click') and so far so good.

Although the new version of Firefox has many improvements over F2, I haven't tried any of them yet, except for the feature that automatically posts a link to music listened to as a post is being written, such as this "smooth jazz" tune:

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Now playing: Grover Washington, Jr. - Mister Magic
via FoxyTunes

So what else is new? A fellow twitterer just blogged about some other tools available for serious internetworking with friends and colleagues: Do Yoono How to Chirp, Flock and Minggl? The features of these content-aggregation applications are listed, along with a link to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, which explains how social networking aggregators began with Google's FriendFeed.

I can see the value of not having to log-in to every social network site in order to keep updated with MyFriends, Diggers, Facebookers, Linked-Inners, et. al. . . . But since most of my associates barely have enough time for email, it may not save much time -- unless I get some new friends (which would actually take more time!). . . . I will try to Minggl later, if it's F3 compatible.

Social Networking meets Social Work

On Saturday, a woman in distress, fearful of an abusive husband finding her, decided not to buy a bus ticket out of town, and I began my weekend as a social worker (a human resource). Since it was lunch time, I drove her to Good Samaritan, and dropped her off, promising to drive her and her things to Park Place East, which has cheap clean rooms for rent.

She told me she was diagnosed bi-polar, and was taking medication. Days before, she had been to the Women's Center, but didn't stay long enough to receive help; and also SIRSS, without much help. Listening to her speak, I realized that her own manic thought processes and actions were causing her distraught condition -- and vice versa. Because she was homeless, I got permission from my own house manager for her to stay temporarily in a vacant efficiency apartment near my house.

On Monday, I spoke by telephone to two representatives at SIRSS (Laura and Pam), and met with Mary Campbell at Good Sam to find out what the system could do for the damaged damsel. Park Place East rejected her application for a room because of an unspecified ordinance violation.

Driving her to SIRSS afterwards, I had to pull the car over into the City Hall parking lot so she could throw up. She said she felt dizzy and weak. At 2:30 p.m. I brought her to the intake room at SIRSS, gave my cell phone number to the receptionist, and went about my bus'ness. At 5 o'clock, I phoned SIRSS, who told me she had left.

The last time I saw her she was sitting on a picnic bench at the rear of the SIRSS building with some guys smoking a cigarette. Some of her stuff is still in the apartment. I suspect I may be seeing her again. Her father lives in Indiana; he has my cell phone number. She probably should check herself into Choate. Since her medication apparently is ineffective. If see her again, I will suggest that option.

The Case of Look-alike Patient
Now what are the odds of this happening? . . . Yesterday, after getting off the phone with SIRSS, I'm leaving Schnuck's Market and I see a guy I think I know -- a counselor at SIRSS. . . . As he approaches I say "Hi Sonny" and he sez "I'm not Sonny. I'm his patient." and I go "wuhh?" And he says he explains that the real one has a few more pounds on him. So I say, "Well Goodbye, Not Sonny." and go home. But later in the day, I run into both of them at SIRSS. Turns out the patient is quite an artist. He happened to have his portfolio with him. I snapped his photo, but it wouldn't be right to post it here. But I encouraged him to get hooked up with C'dale Arts to have a show at the Civic Center.

One final note on SIRSS.... If you were wondering what was happening with plans for a new building, the agency has purchased property across the street from its current facility on East College, and they have Capital Campaign going to get it built.

All that Twitters is not gold

"A loyal fan" wants me to stop writing about Twitter. . . . a decision I had already made -- but not for the reason given by the fan (a few pennies from a Google ad-click). The fan has not been paying attention. I have repeatedly stated that I have little interest in analyzing C'dales woes and wonders -- except as they relate to my own activities.

For instance, picking up the Amtrak crew the past few days, I noticed that the traffic signals are no longer synchronized for smooth sailing (at 30 mph) all the way from Oakland St. to the Mall. I remember chatting with Jeff Doherty in his office 2-3 years ago, and him saying that he'd like to have people have to stop at the traffic signal at City Hall. He said he liked the idea of slowing things down, so people could look around. Not much to see, unfortunately. Very few people walk 'The Strip' of downtown Carbondale anymore. In fact, there is no "Strip."

Also this morning, I noticed the appearance of the Art Panels on the east side of the tracks at the Amtrak station.... Still unadorned with art, but the framework is in place. (I'll snap a photo and post it to Bytelife this afternoon.)

In conclusion, there's a lot of useless chatter on Twitter, but I can see its value for keeping in touch with friends and professional associates -- and for making new contacts and discoveries by following the links.

SIMful behavior

Social Internet Marketing, or SIM, for short is a hot topic these days. A company in Raleigh, NC features stories about a couple of SIM clients, in Social Media IQ in Hub Pages, and my new favorite toy: Using Twitter: Smart Networking, or Reputation Disaster?

This is only my second day of SIMing with Twitter, so it's still too soon to tell how effective it will be. I do know that one local tweeter tailored her pants last night for a trip to Branson. She didn't say what she was wearing at the time, but I am wearing jeans and tee-shirt at the moment, my customary Greyhound ticket agent gear.

Mostly I've been focusing on work-related or media updates on Twitter -- somehow it eggs me on. And other social mediaites can be followed to -- like Ginger in Boston who discovered some new resources at this week's PRSA’s Digital Impact Conference, and reports on them in racetalkblog.com.

The "social media" scene in C'dale is retarded, due to the preponderant number of old-school paper-pushing sign-holders in the area. Just yesterday, two young sales people visited the Greyhound office to try to sell me advertising space in the directory. I explained to Ann and Benjamin it was a waste of money ($235 for a two line listing) for a business like mine, and probably for any business with a limited advertising budget. . . .I could publish the same directory for free at Shawnee Net. Would take a week or two (or several months!) since everything would have to be keyed-in, but that's a small price to pay for something free.

That's right, a "bwook"

Over at Twitter, I hinted that I might not blog today. But how can I resist blogging about tweeting? 'Twould be like not talking about a big game or show you saw with friends.

Did you see the game last night, Bloggee? Or did you watch the City Council meeting on Cable Access? The agenda included an appreciation of retiring City Manager, Jeff Doherty. In a day or two the entire meeting will be available in audio.

I let loose a tweet or two last night, breadcrumbs along the community e-velopment trail . . . . (as this blog leaves more permanent markings of the journey). My plan is to convince local information purveyors (such as BE(E) at Main Street) to post their info to Shawnee Net or somewhere else that has an RSS feed, so folks like me can keep up with what's going on. I will do this, not by sending emails alone, but by personally visiting their offices and set up their free account. Twisting arms, if I must. If they refuse to get with the program -- the e-dification of The Dale -- then under the bus they go. And I'm just the guy who can do it.

Twitter has definitely made me more productive in the past 24 hours, although that may not be the case for everyone. Judging from the Twitter / Public Timeline most are like text messages to the world -- quite forgettable, but I may base a book on my tweets someday, the world's first bwook.

Tweet, tweet - there's been an 'quake

According my latest tweet, I'm composing this blog post about Twitter.Com.

I'll begin by directing you to an article in The Star.com (thanks, tlev), Tweet, tweet - there's been an earthquake, which states:

"A little over a year into its life, Twitter appears to be reaching its tipping point – the threshold where mindless pastime ends and social relevance begins."

And it describes how "tweeters" alerted the world to the recent earthquake in China before anyone else. Another practical use of twittering (tweeting) can be read in Andy Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth: Almost Arrested for Taking Photos at Union Station in New York City.
which describes how this NPR photographer was hassled and banned by security guards:

Just got told by security to leave. Asked to speak with a supervisor to explain why we can't take pictures at union station.

But the best use of twittering so far must be this tale from Egypt: How to use Twitter to get out of jail - where the one word tweet "Arrested" spoke volumes, and saved the tweeter's ass from jail. (Not so lucky was his non-tweeting translator.)

For tweeting to work most effectively, a mobile phone with text capabilities is absolutely necessary. Otherwise you're limited to computer-only, like me (until I upgrade my phone plan.)

Social Networking in the Parking Lot

Fresh from an afternoon of Twittering at home and office, I ran into a fellow "tweeter" in the parking lot outside of Family Video (that's me holding I'm Not There, the Dylan biopic where the main character is played by 5 different actors, including Cate Blanchett. . . . Get a load of those out-sized shades! My motorcycle goggles. But I digress).

KT is a computer specialist for the School of Journalism at SIU. He started back when I was on the faculty and using a Macintosh like everyone else in the Dept. I was faculty advisor for the original "S.A. Lukis" student advertising club that won a regional competition in Chicago. The prize was $25,000 in Mac equipment, which didn't buy as much computer as it does now. . . . But I digress. Again.

The subject of this post is Social Networking, the current buzz word on the 'net and in the news. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, The Aleluminati, the list is endless. I myself belong to several, most recently this Twitter deal....

So KT and I chatted about twitter and later we will twitter about chatting . . . by his car as his Little Caesar's pizza grew cooler on the car seat. We each snapped photos of the two of us together for our respective blogs. I challenged him to see who could get it posted first.... If I wasn't so wordy, I would have won, but KT beat me to it. And still I digress.

I think a really great place for Social Networking is inside Schnuck's. Just sit on the bench and see how many people stop to chat. That will make an interesting blog post.

All a'Twitter

A new social networking sites has caught my eye called Twitter: What are you doing? where people continually update their latest activities. (brb, gotta twitter . . . ). This is great, I can start blogging about what I twitter about, and twitter what I blog about. Of course some stuff you wouldn't want to Twitter. (3:10 p.m. ... whacked off ... the heads of all the dandelions in the yard with a scythe purchased at Murdale True Value.)

I see some other local 'netters are already twittering, but only one was up-to-date today. The other two were a couple of weeks behind. You can follow these and other twitterers on line at the click of mouse ? My own exploits will be posted for as long as I continue twittering at twitter.com/lowercase_dave. Signing up is easy.

According the welcome email: The New York Times calls Twitter "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet." I don't know what to make of it yet, but when I find out, I'll twitter it, then blog it. Or perhaps the other way 'round.

Morris doesn't smell here anymore

On a visit to Morris Library yesterday to renew my card, I noticed that the smell is not the same in the stairwell, due to new rubber-tread stairs. And the floors are mostly empty; bereft of books now housed in an annex bldg. on McLafferty Rd.

And the new sign-in procedure doesn't work, either, for reasons I'll explain to someone at the circulation desk this morning. If you have a Morris "Courtesy Card," eventually you'll have to do the same. If you don't have a "Courtesy Card" and live near SIU, then maybe you should get one. $10 per six months.

I don't mosey 'round in Morris like I did, when browsing was a tactile and olfactory experience. The digital is devoid of these, no walking down the aisle, viewing Pulliam clock tower out the window, or sitting on the 4th(?) floor balcony. The new library will be devoid of these as well.

I wonder how much time or money it would take to recreate the Morris Library scent. Never smelled anything quite like it in other libraries.

At large with Lynne & Jerry

Yesterday, I met "Biggest Loser" Jerry Lisenby (and his winning wife, Lynne), two trans-continental bicyclists taking a bus detour to Peoria for one of Jerry's speaking engagements. When they return to Carbondale later this month they will continue their bike trek across the continent to benefit the Children's Home of Illinois.

I'd like to host an event for Jerry and Lynne while they're here. Since he's a motivational speaker, a talk at the Public Library might be arranged . . . but he doesn't know about it yet. And I haven't heard his speech, yet I am motivated to take a look at a YouTube video of Jerry on the Today Show, which may be interesting to you if you're "getting up there" age- or weight-wise.

Reflowering

The hack attack by Turkish hacker "iSKORPiTX" extended to all the web sites hosted by Shawnee Net. In 2006, he hacked more than 21,000 sites in a single day, sez Security Pro News. I should feel honored, sez PtG.

What happened is the home pages of the attacked site is replaced by Skorpy's page with a Turkish virtual flag fluttering above, and messages in four languages.

On the heels of server problems, and the subsequent hack attack, Shawnee Net site has been down for a 3 - 4 weeks, and it's still not back to where it was. A local geek tried to help, but he got a case of the drupals, and phoned-in sick-of-trying, due to an over-the-head-ache. Getting the site fully functional again is now job one for me.

Persistence in a righteous course brings reward, the I Ching saying goes. Another way of saying "Organization brings success," and Drupal offers a taxonomy platform for "Community Plumbing" that is unmatched in open source. Many cool websites use Drupal: The Onion, the New York Observer, and Yucatan Today, to name a few.

But all the high-tech information software in the world won't get the job done, if the folks in charge of things don't get the(ir) message(s) out. That includes city government, community organizations and businesses that fail to use electronic media to "get the word out."

I won't name names to blame for this failure (yet, because I'm hopeful a renewed persuasive push from me may water seeds I planted months ago), but kudos to Monica Tichenor and Beth Spezia at SIU-Public Broadcasting, and the news services at SIUC and JALC.

The new Shawnee Net theme is called "Forest Floor" and it has three columns (one of which I'm having trouble with at the moment). Still haven't mastered the color scheme, either, but the site will fully blossom soon.

Hack attack

Surprised to find the Turkish flag flying on the Shawnee Net web site, with a message from Iskorpitx (TURKISH HACKER) , who has set some kind of record for hacking into web sites, according to Security Pro News.

And while Iskorpitx may be a super hacker, I am not impressed. Security at ShawneeNet has been lax, as the site is undergoing reconstruction.

Work to Bus & Bike 2 Work

Negotiations for the new Greyhound Bus location (the BP gas station at 905 E. Main St.) have been complicated by the fact that Greyhound Lines Inc. recently cut the commission rate for small agencies like mine from a top rate of 12% to 9%, and the moving costs, plus the monthly rent will cost more than anticipated.

Been pondering how to complete a deal that will benefit all parties but me. . . . Try to work it so I don't lose money. One solution is to involve the crew at BP more than originally planned, and pay a percent of the 9%. How much is hard to say because it's only been 1 full month since the rate was cut.

If they can do the job, I can stay home in the morning and work on the blook, as well as the script for Hold the Sausage -- which can't be done, if I'm answering the questions of people who are "double checking" what the 800 number told them, or what they read online.

But until an agreement is settled with the BP folks, the move is stalled.

Meanwhile, Bike 2 Work Day came off nicely. Weather was permitting, and Global Gourmet box lunches were delicious. The trophy for the individual who rode the farthest went to a guy from SIU School of Microbiology, whose name I forgot to ask when handing him the trophy (but will). I only know he rode 12 miles. The prize for most members of a business or organization went to Morris Library who had 8 staffers ride their bikes to work, and to lunch at the Pavilion.

It would have been better (merrier) if members of the business community and the local bicycle club participated, but there are two big reasons why not. Some live too far away (they say), ore they are too fearful to bycycle on a busy street. Some don't want perspiration to spoil their day; and some, like Rotary Breakfast Club, and the Carbondale Bicycle Club don't participate (I believe) because they don't want to sanction anything sponsored by Mayor Brad Cole.

The antipathy to Cole goes back to the first year, when a baby shower was scheduled by the staff at City Hall for the same day (although City Mgr. Jeff Doherty rode . . . and now-retired assistant City Mgr. Don Monty was a year-round biker to worker, so the City was represented. Even Brad borrowed a bicycle an rode into the parking lot for the tv camera.)

Speaking of the tv camera, I tried to have a bit of fun while Cole was being interviewed by Channel 3, walking behind him during the interview with the guy who won the Year Round Rider trophy, but the station went with an extreme close-up of Cole's face, and only about 5 seconds of clip, so no comic hi-jinx were seen on the newscast.

Bye for now. It's almost time for me to bike to the bus station.

Beautiful day for a ride to work

As noted elsewhere, today is Bike 2 Work Day; I'm stoked, spoked, and fit for a toke! Not a cloud in the sky. . . . A beautiful day for a ride, and everything is set for lunch at the Pavilion. Global Gourmet will cater the event; my mainn mann Darby McGrann will play guitar & croon a tune or two; and the trophies and prizes are good to go. . . . I hope there's a good turnout. . . . There's been a drop-off in participation since the first year, when even the City Manager joined in and rode to work.

If less people are involved, I blame myself. . . . I don't do enough of the person-to-person thing and follow-up. Not that I haven't tried; I've spoken one-on-one to various community and business leaders. Informally, but directly. And people pay lip service, but rarely pay hip service.

There are good reasons for not riding your bicycle to work today or any day -- too long a distance being the reason most people cite. Or not having a bike.

But those of you who know the freedom and joy of breezing along the street on a sunny Springy day like this one should ride their bicycles to Town Square this afternoon and spend an hour with some fellow travelers.

Caddy chic

Preparing for future move to greener pastures, it's time to sell the old Caddy that brought me (back) here in 1996, when gasoline cost $1.30 per gallon.

It's been warehoused for 2-3 years, but last weekend, we got it started and moved into the sunlight for photos on Ebay, which has a helpful "Sell your vehicle" checklist (pdf).

Asking $750, but readers of this blog can get the "Bloggee Special" - $500, with a small magnetic statue of Mary for the dashboard thrown in.

Peddling Bike 2 Work Day 6

Gotta get out and about today. Pick up gift certificates from local bicycle shops: The Bike Surgeon, Carbondale Cycles, and Phoenix Cycles, and ordering trophies from Carbondale Trophy for Friday's Bike 2 Work Day event at Town Square Pavilion.

I wonder if more businesses will participate this year? Perhaps an Arthur Agency vs. 1187 Creative bragging rights competition? I know that every single employee at Carbondale Greyhound will be riding a bicycle to work. If any luggage has to be picked up that day from Amtrak, I may have to tow the suitcase on my bicycle as I did a few weeks ago. (Quicktime). The video is tagged with promo for the local Bike 2 Work Day.

Fast friends

One of the hats I wear is driver for a local company that transports Amtrak crew from station to motel and back, morning and night. Four days a week I drive, for the past couple of years, and I have met some cool conductors and ingenious engineers. Shall I use their real names? Conductors Dave, Stan, Josh, Jason, TT (the trophy-winning bike to worker), and engineers Jeremy, Steve, Bryan, and George? . . . No, I better not. ;-)

Over the months, we've had many brief conversations. Depending on who's riding, the conversation will be politics (local and national), sports, music, television, and sometimes Amtrak shop talk, which I do not overhear.

Adding up the minutes spent each day. It's more than I've conversed of some of my grown children in the past year. Those lovable train jockeys have become like family: like second-cousins, once removed.

George the engineer occasionally brings me a CD he has burned of new music: Ever heard of Ryan (not Bryan) Adams? A brilliant and prolific singer-songwriter. You can see him perform on Letterman courtesy of YouTube.

Conductor Dave-47 brings me the latest issue of The Onion humor magazine, which this week reveals a papal plot against the U.S. and a story about an "Area man determined to get money's worth from pay toilet." Dave himself is funnier than Onion. His strength is mimicry, but he gets off one-liners faster than a speeding locomotive. I should sign him as a client. Book him at PK's to warm-up the Tawl Paul crowd some night when the train gets in early. There has never been a really successful conductor comedian. He could be billed as Boxcar Bill. The only problem might be some heckler shouting out "All Are Bored!"

Speaking of Paul, Jeremy the engineer is a hard-core Paultard! Still supporting Ron Paul for President, because he opposes the Income Tax. I'll try to swing him to Obama before November. Convince him that Barack can fix the effed-up Federal Income Tax system -- as well as everything else that ails America -- when he gets in office. ;-)

One of the guys (actually two if you count Jeremy's ministership in the Church of Mail Order Ministers) is an ordained Baptist minister, who preaches at his church on Sundays (but never in the car). Like many other Americans, Rev. Stan is no fan of Obama's former pastor. Looks like Rev. Wright is getting thrown under the bus by Barack and the media as well.

Speaking of bus, the move of Carbondale Greyhound to the BP station on East Main St. has stalled due to no signed lease agreement yet, due to one thing and another. June 1 now seems the likely date accompli.

Speaking of dates, my Match subscription expires at the same time. I better get hooked up soon, or my choices may be limited to Greyhound bus customers (or bustomers as they're known in the biz). Unfortunately, things aren't working out with the nice woman for whom I created the blog of love last week. Turns out, she doesn't read blogs, because she is too busy with real life! Can you imagine that? I still love her, though. Just not in a bloggy way. Wow. That was fast. ;-)

Imagine no technical difficulties

Our old friend Peter the Great notes the lack of frequent posts to this blog, suggesting that I might be out of town. Oh, I'm out of town alright -- at the Marberry Arboretum and Green Earth, enjoying the Spring sights and sounds.

The reason why I haven't been blogging much is the medium is 'old-hat' for me now. I need a new drug: Drupal could be it (sure sounds like a drug), but there have been technical difficulties with transferring files to a new server, causing the ShawneeNet aggregator to go completely down. It's always something, ain't it?

The new server is another story. I was hosting with a company in New Lennox, IL, but the service went south a few months ago, so when it came time to renew the contract I went with a spiffy-looking cheap hosting outfit called 3iX, which didn't work out (couldn't upload files for 4 days!) so I canceled the account, but they're dragging on refunding my payment. I should have investigated more before paying for a full year in advance.

So top priority is getting the Shawnee Net site up to speed again, with the aggregator and community blog components.

Another reason why I don't blog much about The Dale these days is . . . distractions of pop culture: the Presidential race (Obama all the way), the NBA Playoffs (Hornets all the way), American Idol (David Archuleta all the way. Watch David's amazing version of 'Stand by Me' on Tuesday's Idol. If you like it, his rendition of 'Imagine' ain't bad either.)

Speaking of standing and imagining . . . the manager of Longbranch, stood at the Greyhound ticket counter yesterday passing out a flyer for a meeting of the Historic Town Square Coalition. People in this town still don't get the virtue of virtual media. I could give you a list of names (and will, in my blook) of business and organizational leaders who fail to use electronic media to promote their things. If you find Longbranch's menu on the internet, it's because I scanned it and posted it, at no charge to the Branch, years ago.

Call me a dreamer, Bloggee, but I believe the people of Carbondale, Illinois want better information delivery.

Imagine no news paper, I wonder if you can,
Nothing to recycle, or throw in the trash can
Imagine all the people, linked by silicon . . .
Yahoo-oo-oo may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.
I hope some day, Carbondale Community Arts, Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce, etcetera will join us
And the town will be more fun.

the blook of love

We know who wrote Book of Love, but who (I wonder) will write the blook of love? Months ago, I signed-up for Match.com (endorsed by Dr. Phil) to meet a bicycle-riding woman in Portland, Oregon, where I plan(ned) to relocate when my work in Southern Illinois was done.

But now, it's certain I'll be staying here in C'dale for at least another year, due to expanding opportunities with Greyhound, and local-focus projects, like the ShawneeNet web site (completely down at the moment, due to technical difficulties beyond my time to figure out), the Vegetable House film, and the (long-promised, now on back-burner) blook.

Oh, and I met a nice local woman, who's on the front burner.

Shall I write the Blook of Love? To start, I'll need a blog of love -- and her permission. ;-)

If I were on City Council

I was relieved when back in ought-5, i lost my bid for Carbondale City Council in the preliminary round. I wonder how my fellow candidates are doing now. I heard about Angie Kaye on the news the other day, where she's webmastering something, but I don't think she's keeping up her blog. Rhett Barke I see at Schnucks once in a while. Don't see Fritzler or Wissmann; nor TyJuan Cratic. I supposed the closest friendship I formed from the experience was with Hugh Williams.

If I were on City Council, I would have pressed to relocate the Amtrak Station across the tracks to Washington St.: which would make the Amtrak property available for commercial development. Maybe it would have been shot down, like my request to have the Greyhound bus stop in the 200 block of N. Washington.

Something has definitely got to give with the combined bus-train ("intermodal") depot, like in Champaign. There is talk among state legislators and local politicians to make it happen, but ground will not be broken for a local project for several years, is my bet.

(Speaking of bets, looks like I'll hafta payoff on mine with Tom Miller, that Katie Curic would last at least 3 years.)

If I were on City Council, the Mayor would have (had) a comedic foil worthy of his world class smart-assiness. As it is, only Wissmann and McDaniel seem to appreciate his one-liners. It would be funny to assemble an amusing "reel" of Cole cracks followed by Wissmann's seconding laughter (I'll try to make one from the next City Council meeting I listen to, promise).

If I were on City Council, I would write about the experience, as it transpired, commenting on the stupid things some City Councilors say. It might be fun to put together a Haynes lowlight reel. If I were on City Council, I'd do it.

If I were on City Council, I would support Mayor Cole's efforts to rebuild a City that got run down due to poor decisions by previous City Councils.

I would put forward a proposal to give City official "Home of Dome" status, a better slogan than "Haven't You Heard." The Geodesic Dome invented by former local Buckminster Fuller would be a good symbol for the City, a viable vision from the City's recent past, as shown by efforts by a local group to preserve Fuller's home. The Arena Dome could be reconfigured as geodesic when it is upgraded.

Since I am not on City Council (thank dawG, some say!), I pay little attention to City politics. What I know I read in the Bytelife blog; or the City's audio of the meetings; or from periodic meetings with the mayory old soul, himself.

If Maggie were Mayor

Looking around Carbondale today, I wonder how much of what we see (or don't see) is because this blog supported Brad Cole for Mayor back in 2003. Hard to tell, but the landscape would certainly be different. Maggie had a Renaissance Vision; Cole had a Reconstruction Vision. Since he's been mayor, nearly 3 dozen buildings have disappeared from view.

Would Jim Jarvis and Cycletech still be located in the now-demolished dairy building, along with Gasoline Alley if Maggie were elected instead of Cole? Would Selmier-Peerless still be crumbling on the corner of Washington & Walnut?

Would K-Mart building be empty? Would TIF District approval have occurred; would First Southern Bank be there?

My reasons for supporting Cole back then were due primarily to Ms. F's 4x failure to reply to email messages concerning the swimming pool issue. By then, Cole had sufficiently impressed with his follow-through and willingness to go along with some of my ideas.

Would things be stagnant if Flanagan had been elected? (If she had, Sheila Simon would not have run for Mayor in the last election.) Tom Redmond would still be working at his job.

I saw Maggie recently at a musical event at Hangar 9. She looked great, and told me of her family's effort to grow organic grapes on land east of town.

Cole, I get to visit with in his office, every two or three months. Will see him at Bike 2 Work Day on May 16 . . . . Would there be a Bike 2 Work Day if Maggie were Mayor? Sure. Why not?

This post could shape up as a chapter in my blook, so the next time I see Cole and Flanagan, I'll ask them what they think.

Shake, rattle & (rock 'n') roll

Like many others in the Midwest this morning, I was awakened by the shaking of my bed and rattling windows -- the result of what has since been labeled a 5.2 earthquake stemming from the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, located in Southeastern Illinois and Southwestern Indiana.

I rolled out of bed and threw up the window sash. Nope, wasn't Santa and 8 reindeer on the roof. Nor was there a division of tanks rolling down my street. This was my first plus 3.0 earthquake, and I was surprised no knick-knacks fell from shelves, but I rearranged my Simpsons action figures anyway, and returned to bed and sleep, wondering if some modern-day Tecumseh predicted this unexpected shifting of the earth's plates.

Today, it's the hot topic for discussion, but you may find Pandora Radio - Free Internet Radio more satisfying in the long run. I found 14 different versions of "Shake, Rattle, Roll," including: Bill Haley & His Comets, Big Joe Turner (the original), Elvis Presley, Joe Turner, Johnny Horton, Billy Swan, Clifton Chenier, Snooks Eaglin, Deep River Boys, Jeff Healey, Sam Cooke, Ernie K-Doe, Joe Williams, NRBQ.

Speaking of jobs

Fernando Trevino may be out of job, but Jessica Bradshaw, the ticket bookster, has found full-time employment at SIU -- which means an opening at Greyhound for someone with computer experience, problem-solving personality, patience, and ability to collect money and give change 2-3 hours per day. I am certain that Fernando could handle it.

I could have used him yesterday, since my cosmopolitan, diverse City does not currently have a Spanish-speaking police or community service officers on duty. But English-speaking Officer Rebecca Mooney kindly stayed with an unfortunate Spanish-speaking woman who got left behind by the Greyhound bus, due to misunderstanding. She was very upset, in Spanish. . . . Jim at Amtrak phoned me and I drove over to investigate and help. Turns out she was the parent of a client at CCS (Center for Comprehensive Services) who eventually came to her aid with their vehicle. I plan to follow up on this with someone from The City. It seems unbelievable there isn't a Spanish speaking employee on City administrative or law enforcement.

I made it to another house of worship today, for my blook A Month of Sundays; this week to the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, where an internationally-known speaker inspired everyone, and I saw some old friends and met some new ones.

Got the rugby video completed yesterday, but the soundtrack did not get fully uploaded, which you can see/hear for yourself. No expert on video formats, I'll trial-and-error it again when I have time. I guess that's how YouTube makes it simpler, by standardizing, but I wanted to post it on the Vegetable House movie website.

Speaking of movie websites, been checking out the web sites of three forthcoming "stoner" movies. Harold and Kumar's site is the best . . . for entertaining uploading, but I like the marketing promotion by the producer of "Super High Me." on April 20. (Can you guess what time?) Maybe it can be shown at the Big Muddy Independent Media Center.

The photo above of Old National Bank -- with the Man-Tra-Con sign in front -- is there because I told the receptionist I would write something about it in my blog, including a link to the corporate web site.

Time to get started on a job I've been postponing.

Rugby shoot

With Final Four action in San Antonio and the All-Fools Rugby Tournament in Carbondale, sports were on my mind on Saturday. Didn't see the NCAA, but shot some video of rugby matches for Vegetable House 2: Hold the Sausage. Spent most of Sunday putting it to music ("Start the Commotion" by The Wiseguys (performed on YouTube), so stay tuned. It'll be linked here when it's completed.

Hill and Dale Travelers

FOREVER JUNG: But one plate falls, and another begins to spin: . . . . One year after his too-young passing, collection of essays by Jim Jung is in the works. Going back to the 2000 edition of Waterman & Hill-Traveler's Companion, through 2007, the last almanac published before he died.

Local book maven Jessica Bradshaw is helping edit, and Terry Clark, marketing chair, will sit on the sales committee. Yesterday, I met the guy who bought Jim's house. He plans to donate specimens of plants and herbs from the yard to Green Earth. Also, if you knew Jim and his wife Ruby, you may be interested in her news!

Prof. Clark and I had a brilliant conversation a month ago at Pinch Penny Pub. It was hilarious. About "image" advertising, in particular a spot that was run for SIUC. . . . Couldn't find it on YouTube though. The upshot of our disagreement was "What is the message?" Until I see the actual ad, I will not know the answer, because Prof. Clark could not tell me! ;-)

Information Specialists

Following through on my post to Bytelife last week, the April 2, 2008 City Council meeting has been updated with the audio links, thanks to Mark Jones, the City's IT guy. Interesting to learn that someone in City government sees the need for a public information official. Until they hire one, I'll try to fill in. . . . with the help of Google Docs, Drupal content management, and information specialists like Beth Spezia of WSIU, who posted a news release to the WSIU Public Broadcasting blog at ShawneeNet, yesterday . . . all by herself, without me bugging her, the way I have to do with most people who would benefit from blogging. How many information specialists are there in Carbondale? There are two kinds: the content providers, like SIUC guy Mike Ruiz and the SIUC News Service and Spezia, and technical enablers, like Jones or Jamie Throgmorton, who set up the WDBX stream.

To make Carbondale's information easily accessible to all, the cooperation of these professionals is needed. For the next few weeks, I'll try to track them down: the web gurus and news nerds who make Carbondale's clock tock. Perhaps some video.

blogger on the roof

This afternoon, after work, I went up on the roof with some duct tape, staple gun, and heavy duty trash bag, hoping to stem the leak from my bedroom ceiling.

Although I got a tenuous foothold, I couldn't move enough to cover the whole spot -- it simply was too steep.

Still, I'd like to climb up there again some sunny day and take a panoramic photo: there are some nice old buildings in the neighborhood.

forecast stimulates upward mend

Another rain storm is the weather forecast, and my roof still leaks. Instead of writing this, I should try to get it repaired. I phoned the property manager to see if she can someone to patch it up today. If not, I can try to fix it myself.

One job I wouldn't try myself is circumcisioner (mohel). The subject came up recently concerning the future of my grandson's foreskin, which currently is attached to the rest of his 3-day old body. Knowing what I know now, (if I had a choice) I wouldn't have had it done to myself, nor to the son who plans to put his own son under the knife.

A staple gun, some duct tape and a heavy duty garbage bag might do the trick . . . temporarily.

I informed my son the people in the circumcision ward don't work for tips; he said the procedure costs $250. Ouch.

It would hurt more than my pocketbook if I fall from the roof while fixin' the hole where the rain gets in and stop my mind from wanderin'.

Corporations p(l)ay the fool

No foolin': Funny Business leads to profits through a newly launched website from The Corporate Jester, Jeff Rogers, and a new book by David Riveness reveals The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester.

Perhaps I've found my niche: Greyhound bus jester.