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!

Technorati Tags: blog, Books, online, reading, social-networking

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.

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging

Now, I’m tired of seeing my fat face. I’m referring to the previous post if you are viewing this on the home page of Basic_B. I think Marcella was right. I need to get on the ball and write something new to push it down the page.

Technorati Tags: blog, Humor

I don’t know why the website has been so slow recently. I’m taking a look to see if maybe one of my plugins is dragging things down, but I don’t think I’ve got so much data that it should take this long. In short, just know that I’m trying to figure it out.

[UPDATE]
I was right. It seems to be the plugin that allows me to display my pownce notes in the sidebar. I suspect it is the fact that basically it has to query an entirely separate webpage—rss feed to pull that information across and then repost it here. I’m just turning that piece off for the time being. There is still a link to my pownce profile page under the “My Networks” portion of the page so anyone interested can go there directly. If you are very interested you can join pownce yourself and be-friend me and you’ll get updates automagically. In short—again—the page should be faster now. It won’t transcend the laws of space and time, but you won’t have to go to the bathroom either while you wait.

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging

I know things haven’t been especially interesting around here recently, and it seems that about all I ever post is the extent and duration of my latest bike ride, and when I’m riding only once a week that isn’t saying very much.

I am going to make a concerted effort to try and get a little creative and fun again. To that effect I have decided to move the ordinary blah blah posts about how much I rode my bike to Pownce. If you monitor the sidebar you will continue to find those entries in brief form, and of course you can also always go to my Pownce profile, or who knows, even join and add me as a friend. If I have anything beyond just a flat entry about the ride then I can always still update the blog with that.

Stay tuned for the random, the unexpected, the bizarre, or just as likely, the inane. There, now I’ve said it, so I have to do it, right?

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging, imagining, Writing