New Look

I hope everyone likes the new look. I’ve been meaning to do this for months and months, and somehow kept not being able to decide on a look that I liked and also feeling like I didn’t have the time to mess with it. But here it is and suddenly there was a theme that I felt comfortable with and—boom boom—it’s done.

Let me know if you find any features that aren’t working, or seem skewed for whatever reason. There very well could be something that I missed, but I think this is what the old blog will look like for a while going forward.

Pownce shuttering

According to their blog, Pownce is shutting down. You can read their statement here.

I’ve already removed the link to my Pownce profile from my sidebar.

It’s funny, at one time I thought they might actually give Twitter a run for their money, but they just kind of never caught on. I used them a few times, but they never became a regular place for me to post anything either, and I never built a large group of friends there. Oh well…

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Another comment on the book reading thing

You may remember from previous posts that by a preponderance of votes it was decided that I would read a book entitled Fragile Things, which is a collection of short fiction. Well, I have successfully completed the entire book with the exception of the final story, which isn’t exactly a short story; in fact it is a novella set in the universe of one of the author’s other books—a novel called American Gods. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary as I’m a little bit uncomfortable at the idea of reading the novella before reading the novel.

So, I’ve decided to set aside Fragile Things for the time being until I have read American Gods. But first, I have to read Into the Wild. I promised to read that after Fragile Things. In short, it’s looking like I’m going to have a couple books up in the air. Nothing wrong with that.

Also, I said recently that I would be removing my Library page on the blog since I shifted over to Goodreads; I may have to rethink that removal. I hadn’t really thought through some of the links already in place in prior posts that I might break if I remove the Now Reading plugin altogether. I’ve got something to think about there; either I just accept some broken links, or I’ve got to go back and find and redirect them. That could be tedious. I don’t know just yet, but I think it means the Library will stay where it is for a while longer yet.

Reading lists and online friends

Those couple of you who actually read this blog from time to time will notice that I have switched tools for tracking my reading habits. I was using a plugin called “Now Reading” installed into my blogging software to update and share reading lists. But after doing a little research I have decided to switch over to another website instead. So, I’ve setup a profile at Goodreads.

Part of the reason for the switch is that the “Now Reading” plugin was really contained only within my blog. Which was nice, but I keep trying to find ways of linking information together and sharing it with my friends more easily. So, Goodreads has a social networking component, like facebook, in that friends can join and link accounts so that it becomes easy to see when a friend adds a new book to their list, or updates a review or rating of a book recently finished.

Another reason for the switch is that Goodreads also has a Facebook application. So, not only am I updating my reading bookshelves on the Goodreads site itself, but also on Facebook.

And finally, they’ve got application widgets that still allow me to show my bookshelves here on my own blog.

In short, it’s like killing three birds with one stone, and I guess I’m feeling decidedly anti-avian!

For a short time I will leave the “Library” tab operational at the top of the blog page, but it will likely disappear pretty soon as I completely disable the “Now Reading” plugin.

I invite my friends and family to join me over at Goodreads and share their current favorite books with me. I look forward to it. You can click either of the two instances of the link to my profile that I’ve put into this post, or if you look over in the right sidebar I’ve put a link there too under the “My Networks” heading.

Happy Reading!

Tour to Tanglewood 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

The National MS Society is kicking off its annual bike MS: BB&T Tour to Tanglewood Ride 2008. I am planning to be a part of that event and I am asking you to join me in the fight against MS by making a contribution to support my effort.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they’ve done for the MS community. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives.

Please help by making a donation – large or small – to fight MS. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.

Whatever you can give will help! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.



Sincerely,

Brian

Lame blog keeper

Am I lame, or what? I’m just not very prolific, I guess. And I’ve been spending more time playing chess over at Chess.com. That’s been a lot of fun. It’s not that I’ve played all that many games – finished one, and close to finishing another, but when I get home from work in the evening there’s usually at least one of them that has made a move that needs addressing.

The funny thing is noticing how and when my friends are online. These games don’t require both players to be online simultaneously, but there’s a little icon next to each player’s name that indicates when they are on the site. And next to each game board is a little chat window, so some evenings, even though the games may not be progressing that quickly, it has been fun to have a quick chat with someone I see only rarely, or maybe haven’t seen at all in years.