cnewmark

Goats in my backyard!

My pet goats

my backyard includes some very overgrown city land, so I've helped subsidize a visit by the herd of goats the city uses to clear land, from Sycamore Farms.

I just took this photo using the UC Berkeley Collaborative Observation via Network Environment webcam, better known as the birdcam.

Note that this case of "My Pet Goat" does not compromise national security.

Halloween

N and R tell me about cow poo they recently observed, and suggest that would be a fine Halloween costume for me. R displays the same attention I often receive.

Jon Fine regarding search at Web 2.0

Jon's most current column from Business Week is here:

The conference's one reality check came during a panel that brought onstage a clutch of Web newbies. When asked to cite their favorite search engines, one woman named Google and online marketplace craigslist. This response brought the house down; geeks found it hilarious that a sellers site could be mistaken for a Google. But there was something to her point. Craigslist indexes so much stuff it practically qualifies as search. And, most important, she showed that a lot of people use the Web only for very prosaic pursuits.

This is the problem with constantly inventing the future: The version of it beloved to propeller-heads is rarely universally shared. In other words: maybe there's hope for the storytellers after all.

I hear this was a panel of older newbies.

Net neutrality investigation by Congress, etc.

Well, looks like telecoms have engaged in some abuse:

Two Senators on Friday called for a congressional hearing to investigate reports that phone and cable companies are unfairly stifling communications over the Internet and on cell phones.

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the incidents involving several companies, including Comcast Corp., Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., have raised serious concerns over the companies' "power to discriminate against content."

More here.

Please note that AT&T and Verizon appear to be complicit in illegal wiretapping.

"Holocaust Program at our Local Mosque"

Hey, in the US, people do things together, and that's a big deal:

Sunday October 28th at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS): Reflections on The Holocaust: A Story of a Holocaust Survivor. ADAMS will host Johanna Neumann, a Holocaust survivor, who will discuss her personal story of survival. Her story is one of genocide, fear, love, hope and includes a beautiful example of courageous humans helping one another regardless of differences.

Sun Oct 28 6pm-8pm
All Dulles Area Muslim Society(ADAMS)
46903 Sugarland Rd
Sterling, VA 20164

RSVP Required: rojpm@yahoo.com

Update on Colbert candidacy

From The Fix by Chris Cillizza:

In the Democratic primary, Colbert takes 2.3 percent of the vote -- good for fifth place behind Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (40 percent), Sen. Barack Obama (19 percent), former Sen. John Edwards (12 percent) and Sen. Joe Biden (2.7 percent. Colbert finished ahead of Gov. Bill Richardson (2.1 percent), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (2.1 percent) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (less than 1 percent).

He was less lucky in the Republican field, where he took less than 1 percent of the vote behind even longshot candidates like Reps. Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the Republican field with 29 percent, followed by former Gov. Mitt Romney at 12 percent, former Sen. Fred Thompson (11 percent) and Sen. John McCain (10 percent).

Squirrels become smarter than me

(where the bird feed is stored)

UPDATE: I've been informed that the squirrels are using the birdcam to see when the feeders are filled.

Movie "Full Grown Men" an "undiscovered gem"

Hey, I'm microscopically involved with a film that I recommend, and it's getting big, and doing a tour:

Full Grown Men has been selected as the closing film of the 2007 IndieWIRE/NYTimes Undiscovered Gems series, which showcases the ten best films of the year still seeking theatrical distribution.
The winner of an audience vote gets a theatrical deal and television deal so this could be make or break for our movie. Full Grown Men screens in 11 cities nationwide over the next two weeks, including NYC's Cinema Village on Wed., Oct. 24th @ 7:30pm.

Check out the site and a clip and tell your friends!

(Hey, Amy Sedaris is in it!)

San Diego fire forum

Hey, so you know, and maybe can share with people in San Diego, and their friends and family, we got a pretty active discussion board going on, here.

UPDATE: looks like people are using the site for more, per UPI:

The Web site Craigslist was filled with offers of pet food, storage space, and the free use of a pickup truck for people needing to haul household goods out of harm's way.

Here's someone in Minneapolis looking for help for relatives.