Lifehacker asked the question (http://lifehacker.com/5303042/is-your-handwriting-up-to-snuff). I'm answering it. Or rather, I've already answered it with a little more than 1,000 handwriting samples posted on the blog. I should point out, however, that even though I use a loose, casual style, there is a fair amount of correcting that goes on behind the scenes. I do a lot of scratch-out and use curve correction in Windows Journal. Also, I write in rather large letters, taking advantage of my 14" widescreen in landscape mode. My handwriting on paper is quite shaky by comparison. And don't even ask me about cursive.. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
In the past week, three icons of my youth, the era in which I grew up, have passed away.
Ed McMahon, whom I'd recently reflected on in celebrating the rebirth of the Tonight Show, was an emblem of the '80s, not just as Johnny's sidekick, but also from Star Search and The Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.
Farrah Fawcett peaked before my time, but her impact on television echoed well into the '80s. To this day, hers is the first name that comes to mind when I think of Charlie's Angels.
And now Michael Jackson. My generation is perhaps the last that met him before he because a regular of the tabloids. He was the King of Pop and also the king of the music video era, back when they played them on MTV. That's now I'll remember him. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
I'd been enjoying great news all day, but somehow it all pales in comparison to the climax of the "Where in the world is South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford?" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/23/sanfords-story-questioned_n_219809.html) story. I'd been following it since Monday when people in SC started to realize nobody knew where their chief executive was.
At first, it was merely an oddity. A governor falls off the grid. His wife admits to not knowing where he went. No one seemed worried, but a governor shouldn't just leave for parts unknown. Even odder it happened over Father's Day and he had four kids at home.
Then his staff said we was "hiking the Appalachian trail." People had a good chuckle, started using the phrase as a euphemism for going AWOL. But other state officials, including Republicans, weren't so amused that no one knew where he was. I found it hilarious.
Today, he returned home, not from a trail, but from Argentina. He was met at the Atlanta airport by a single reporter, who got from him that he felt like "doing something exotic." I wad no idea what to make of this. but it seemed so strange that the last thing from my mind was some sort of sex scandal. He returned alone. His absence was quite conspicuous. And who travels all the way to Argentina for a booty call?
And the answer is, Governor Mark Sanford! Yes, all that weirdness and the plot twists back around to the obvious and predictable extramarital affair. But the jumping from one lie to another and the oddness of a trip to Argentina, well that's just ridiculous, absurd entertainment. Anyone can admit to an affair, but the whole smoke and mirrors show before that was delicious. Bravo!
Thanks to Gov. Sanford for a great show. And also for shortening the short list for GOP presidential hopefuls and stuffing more lead in your party's swimming trunks. Best three-day political serial ever. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Generally, I don't like to blog about work too much, but it isn't every day I learn I'm working for the top-ranked medical imaging journal of 2008.
Per the Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Report, the JNM, Journal of Nuclear Medicine (http://jnm.snmjournals.org/), achieved the highest impact factor among its peers, and not by a hair but a sizeable margin. Basically, we had more citations relative to our number of articles than any other medical imaging journal in 2008.
Most of the credit goes to our editor-in-chief who maintains strict acceptance standards even as he tries to publish as many articles as possible (creating more work for me), but we all hold our work to very high standards. It's quite gratifying to see it pay off. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Last year, I made the claim that all bloggers are journalists (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/03/all-bloggers-are-journalists.html) based on the technical definition of journalism as the practice of disseminating information on current events. This year, as events unfold in Iran (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html), with all the "real" journalists barred by the government, all eyes have turned to the bloggers on the ground, sharing their experiences via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and even lowly, mundane, regular blogs. Even if a true revolution fails to occur in Iran, this event may be what legitimizes blogging, in all its forms, as a form of journalism. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Been following the political uprising in Iran via the liveblog at The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html) every day since it started, and I must say, it really puts my recently increased involvement in democracy (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-i-voted-for-creigh-deeds.html) in perspective. Here I am casting one more ballot every two years, and there they are demonstrating by the thousands. I've marched in protests before, but never in a crowd like that or under the potential threat of military reprisal. Makes me question why we didn't rise up in protest when the popular vote was dismissed in 2000. When it comes to fighting for democracy, the people of Iran put us to shame.
On the other hand, if all they fight for is to have their votes accurately counted in their presidential election, then what they're really fighting for is the illusion of democracy. The unelected Supreme Leader controls the military, mosques, courts and media. The president isn't much more than a figurehead and administrator. Furthermore, the Supreme Leader approves all presidential candidates before they run, and he certainly wouldn't approve someone who opposes his rule. That said, this uprising could be the catalyst for real change in Iran.
As we wait and watch the events unfold, all I can do is hope for a peaceful outcome and show my support by flashing some green, the signature color of the opposition candidate. Good luck.
Oh, and I guess I can't make fun of Twitter anymore, as the green revolution is being tweeted in segments of 140 characters. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Ugh. Had a restless weekend topped off by a night out with my friend Lawrence who was in town for a racing event. Then in the morning, I shuffled off to the dentist for a filling. Feeling pretty run down, but at least my teeth are free and clear. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Voted in my first Virginia primary election today. Normally, I don't bother, but now that I'm settled in to a home, I figure I need to get more involved, like we did on neighborhood clean-up day. My pick for governor is Creigh Deeds (http://www.deedsforvirginia.com/) and here's why.
First, I love his name. Yeah, that's not a good reason, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the way it rolls off the tongue.
Second, he addresses energy, environment and transportation as integral elements of the same issue. That's how I view it, so I'm backing the guy with the same view.
Third, he promotes high speed rail to connect Richmond and Northern Virginia. I have been thinking about this for a couple of years as a way to bridge the physical and financial divide within the state. I like that we're on the same page there.
Finally, Deeds made the effort to reach me on the web: I saw his Google banner ad on GottaBeMobile last night reminding me to vote. Yes, thanks to the power of location-aware advertising, I saw a non-tech ad on GBM that was nonetheless relevant to me. That's a campaign that knows how to reach voters and maximize their funds. I clicked through, read up on the previous points, and Deeds got a vote out of it. That's smart campaigning and I'm glad to reward it. I look forward to doing so again in the general. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
I pitched in on the team coverage of the Apple announcements at WWDC today. The hot item was the new iPhone 3GS. Nothing posted under my name so it didn't show up in my feed or sideblog. Check out my prediction (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2009/06/08/predictions-for-wwdc-2009/) and my reaction (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2009/06/08/iphone-2009-is-official/) under the team entries. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
My tiny canine brother Max passed away this week. My mom still insists he's my sister's dog, but he was my mom's. Once his name entered the rotation of the names my mom calls us kids, he became one of us. He was a happy little dog to the end. Bye Max. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
It's as if a dark cloud has lifted from the world of late night television. The beloved Tonight Show of my youth, which lingered in a bland limbo since Johnny Carson left, is reborn as the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien! Caught the first few episodes on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien) and they are outstanding. The show is exciting and contemporary, but there's also an unmistakable nostalgia, a harkening back to Johnny's golden age. I think I know what it is. Jay Leno wanted Johnny's job. Conan wants to be Johnny. Well, there's probably no way we'll see another Johnny Carson, but Conan is what I'll call the next best thing. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Okay, so I double, extra botched my plan to cut back on blogging today. Topics got tossed out, and I got excited. I tried to hold off, but then the mental connections got made, and I picked up momentum. Next thing I know, I've got four blog entries posted. I didn't even understand one of them, yet I volunteered after turning my lack of understanding into my angle (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2009/06/01/flexible-oleds-spring-closer-to-market/). Even now, writing about how I need to cut back, I'm thinking about how I've been swapping between three different pens this week, and how I can turn that into a topic, while incorporating something I read about someone going through three replacement pens. Damn, I have way too many tangential thoughts spinning. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
