8. Yarn and Stuff
Last, but not least, there was a lot of yarn. MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over … I wouldn’t know what to do with the stuff.
It was a color photographer’s dream.
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My recent meta-blog entry about Top 100 Gardening Sites, visit counters, and other technical matters, has spawned some interesting conversation in the comments.
My father left the following comment on that thread. I have to say, I didn’t ask permission before raising it up to the level of its own blog entry, but it felt like the right thing to do. I think it stands on its own, outside the context of the original blog entry. In reading it, I think you can see a lot of me in him, or him in me, whichever way it goes. So it explains me a little bit without my having to do so. I present it here unexpurgated, unedited except for cosmetic white space.
BLOGS AND BLOGGERS, GOLDEN AGE AND GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
I am the truly proud father of the Flatbush Gardener. I must say that I have no memory of naming an offspring as “Xris”. DNA samples worked out all the problems. My wife and I are in the @#$% “Golden Age”. We were “Depression” kids with all that implies. I worked for 43 years as an engineer. My first computer experience was with a single channel analog computer made by Ease/Berkeley. One of those room and a half thingies. This was around 1955. We had all the series “I” and “II” Apples, in order, and then IBMs.
Now my son has a group of computerists working for him in a Federal agency. He tells me how to do things.
We are up-to-date Seniors; our home has three computers, two desktops and one laptop. Not too rotten.
Then comes this email out of the blue in which Xris tells me he has a Blog ! …. So, I figure he bought some exotic pet, perhaps a crossbred frog. At least that would not have required so much care and maintenance.
I have been a fan of the “Flatbush Gardener” since he introduced me. When he was here in North Carolina two weeks ago, we discussed in great detail what a “Blog” is and how it is to maintain. It is a WORK… of love.
Luckily he is a high speed typist with great photo talent and a terrific organizer. He took over 500 photos here which he, of course, edited down to some that went on the Blog.
His Mom and I were both born in Brooklyn but we’ve lived all over the U.S. We are familiar with the locations he writes about. That part is fun, the recognition. We are faithful readers but are not always into the subject of every writing. GREAT macros of insects but I care no more about their breeding than I do my own. (Bugs have a whole SEASON ??……..Damn!…….OK, so I’m a little jealous.)
I can not read, absorb or retain data covering a broad field of interests the way he can. I can, however, continue to be a bragging Dad and so very proud of how the little Punk turned out.
So, his Mom and I get up every morning and first, read the obituaries, just to make sure. Then we check our e-mail, just to make sure. We skip the daily comics in the paper and go directly to Flatbush Gardener.
This is our source of learning (never too old), a status source for his garden, home, scientific news and occasional political disagreements. We find that, whether or not the subject is of direct interest, we are smiling as we read. Now THAT’S entertainment !
I am grateful to have a relationship with my father. It wasn’t always so. There were years of silence, and strained relations. I’m grateful that we’ve both lived long enough to heal and grow, independently and together, to allow us to enjoy each other’s company. I’m grateful for the friendship we share, as two grown men with a unique bond and shared history. I am also proud of him. I’m grateful that I’m able to feel all this, and know it, and celebrate it. And him.
(The title of this post comes from a favorite t-shirt of a friend of mine from many years ago.)
If you ever visit New York City, a recent article by Kristin Tillotson, writing for Mercury News, actually has some good advice for you:
The secret to being able to say “I love NY” and mean it? Don’t plan too much sightseeing, and take lots of breaks. Wander down a street spontaneously to see what’s on the next block. Stop to watch a parade – they have about three a week, one for every nationality under the sun and then some. That’s the thing about New York – there’s always something interesting happening, all over the place.
– Intimidated by a trip to Manhattan? Fuhgeddaboutit
There’s too much even for people who live here to see in a lifetime. What makes you think you can do any better?!
Now aside from mentioning specific restaurants, shops, and so on – which just seems like so much product placement to me – there’s some good information in the article. She suggests that you try for lodging outside of the main tourist destinations:
Desert the Titanic: Many first-timers in Manhattan cling to Times Square as if it were a lifeboat. Actually, it’s the loudest, most annoying, stress-inducing, alienating spot in the city, especially during the 6 to 8 p.m. pretheater crush. So don’t stay there.
I would say, “Don’t go there!” I’ve lived in NYC over 25 years, and Times Square is over-stimulating for me! Then again, I moved to bucolic Brooklyn years ago, and I’m much older and wiser than I used to be, so maybe it’s just not for me any more.
She suggests several museums smaller than the big names, and I second that suggestion. There are literally hundreds of museums in NYC, covering nearly every imaginable field of human endeavor and curiosity. Find one or more that speak to your passions, and visit them. They need your support more than the big names.
She also provides succinct transportation guidelines, mostly accurate. She notes the MTA Web site and HopStop as online resources for finding your way around the city by subway; StrapHangers is another excellent resource.
However, I completely disagree on “don’t feel obliged to tip [a cab driver] more than 10 percent.” This is not a good tip! I’d only give that if I hated the driver. Tip a cabbie 15-20% if you enjoyed the ride and his (they’re mostly men) driving didn’t terrify you.
I offer some additional tips:
She ends with some tips on etiquette [with my comments]:
New Yorkers aren’t rude, just rushed: A few “don’ts” for interacting with the natives (and those who pretend to be) [ie: those of us who’ve only lived here nearly 30 years]:
- Don’t mistake directness for bad manners, and get right to the point. Most New Yorkers are friendly and open, but can be terse [I would say I’m “direct”. Whatever …] when in a hurry – which is usually. [Always. Suspect the one who doesn’t seem like they have to be somewhere.]
- Don’t stop to look at your map at the top of an escalator [Or anywhere there are people moving. Step out of the stream of people, or let the stream carry you to a quiet eddy.] or walk four abreast at a turtle’s pace [Don’t walk four abreast at any pace. Someone will always be in more of a hurry than you are. Two abreast is the maximum to let people flow around you], blocking the sidewalk [NEVER block the sidewalk, especially a crosswalk or corner. This is Rule#1!] ; this ain’t Disneyland [Except for Times Square]. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Chamber of Commerce welcome you as tourists, but most of the folks around you are on the clock. [And we would welcome you as well, we’re just busy.]
- Never say “Ya know, you tawk just like Tony Soprano! C’mon, just give us one ‘fuhgeddaboutit!’ ” Don’t you mopes know that crew is from Jersey? The finely tuned native New Yorker ear can tell by accents not only who grew up in Flatbush or Bed-Stuy, but who grew up on Avenue K or I. [Another reason: You don’t want to know what we think you sound like … and we will tell you.]
And my etiquette contribution:
You came all the way to New York? And you didn’t call? It would kill you to write?!
As of right now – and who knows what will happen in a few hours – Flatbush Gardener is listed as #49 on Top 100 Gardening Sites. If there’s any advantage to this counter, it’s that my blog now appears on Page 1.
Now, I’m a geek, and I don’t put much stock in this particular counter. For one thing, there’s no way for me to exclude my visits to my own blog, which happens whenever I edit a page, modify the blog’s template, and so on. I also check out how my blog looks in different browsers, at different settings, especially if I suspect there’s a formatting problem.
This points out that it would be very easy to load the dice (stack the deck, mark the dominoes …) and artificially inflate my count, just by repeatedly visiting my own blog. I suspect this has happened, inadvertently: this particular hit count was around 1065 just over the weekend; it’s now at 1510. Hell, I am a geek, after all: I could just write a program which repeatedly visits my blog – say every minute or so – and hit #1 in no time.
But homey don’t play that.
I mainly pay attention to two other visit counters I have in the footer: StatCounter and SiteMeter. Both offer limited tracking information for free. And both allow me to block my own visits, so they don’t skew the counts or stats the way Top 100 does. Both also offer additional information besides simple counts, including:
and so on. When I showed my partner how much information was available about my visitors, he had one word: “Creepy.” I would take it down a notch and call it “Spooky,” but I understand his reaction. Nevertheless, knowing the technical profile of you, my visitors, directs me to take care that my blog is viewable to you. For example:
StatCounter and SiteMeter complement each other on some stats which the other doesn’t provide. For example, SiteMeter reports color depth: 32-bit, 24-bit or 16-bit. StatCounter distinguishes between first-time and repeat visitors; it needs to set a cookie to do that, so if you see a cookie from statcounter.com, that’s what it’s for. They also report the length or depth of a visit – multiple pages in a single visit – in different ways.
The combination of all this information is stuff I look at frequently, several times a week, if not every day. It helps me to see what’s working, and what’s not working, even when you’re not leaving comments. I much prefer your comments, so please, comment away! But even when you don’t, know that I gather up the crumbs from your cookies, watching over your cumulative visits, like a beneficent demi-god.
Or something.
[Updated 2006.10.15 13:15 EDT: Filled in #10: Market yourself.]
By way of Pam’s House Blend, I discovered these “10 15 Ways to a Killer Blog.” This was a presentation by Robert and Maryam Scoble at the ConvergeSouth 2006 conference.
This list resonates with me. I think I – I hope, I strive to – embody all of these, in my life as well as my blogging. “Integrity,” for example, is my core personal value, so #15 is something I live and breathe.
The only one I’m not sure about is #7, “Use other media,” but if photography counts, hey, I’m in.
What do you think? Any of these I could do better? More of? Less of? How do these relate to your blogging and your experiences in the blogosphere? What happens when folks don’t keep these things in mind?
[Updated 2006.10.14 00:22 EDT: Linked to flickr photo set from last year’s festival.]
You can see my photo-journal of last year’s festival elsewhere on this blog. We hope to make it up there next weekend. I expect to take a lot more photos than I did last year.
The event is called, “Finding Common Ground: Indigenous and Western Approaches to Healing Our Land and Waters”:
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) will host a daylong teach-in Oct. 17 focused on melding indigenous and “western” approaches to environmental protection and restoration.
…
[ESF Associate Professor Jack Manno said] said Syracuse is an appropriate location for such a gathering because the region, specifically the shore of Onondaga Lake, is the birthplace of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy.
…
The event will be preceded by a presentation 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at Syracuse Stage, and followed by another presentation at 7 p.m. the day of the teach-in. The teach-in will begin at 8:30 a.m.
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At 4:30 p.m., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai will speak at Hendricks Chapel on the Syracuse University campus. She was awarded the Nobel in 2004 for contributions to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
Links:
I recently noted that the U.S. population would reach 300M this month. The U.S. Census Bureau announced yesterday that this will occur on October 17. Here’s the entire press release:
Nation’s Population to Reach 300 Million on Oct. 17
The U.S. Census Bureau today [October 12] reported that the nation’s population will reach the historic milestone of 300 million on Oct. 17 at about 7:46 a.m. (EDT). This comes almost 39 years after the 200 million mark was reached on Nov. 20, 1967.
The estimate is based on the expectation that the United States will register one birth every seven seconds and one death every 13 seconds between now and Oct. 17, while net international migration is expected to add one person every 31 seconds. The result is an increase in the total population of one person every 11 seconds.
As of right now, the U.S. population is 299,970,723.
The Global Restoration Network (GRN) is a recently launched online project of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). GRN:
… offers the field of ecological restoration a new database and web-based portal to trustworthy and hard-to-find information on all aspects of restoration, from historic ecosystems and recent causes of degradation to in-depth case studies and proven restoration techniques. …
The field of ecological restoration is currently experiencing an explosion of ideas and practices as the number of experts and practitioners increases, and more and more restoration projects are being undertaken around the world. And now that the field has been established, there is great need for a single, comprehensive source of information for governments, individuals, corporations and nonprofit organizations on the current state of degradation and the best restorative practices.
I’ve only just started browsing around GRN. There is a huge amount of information accessible on the site. The site offers several different ways of getting at all of this, including browsing and exploring through categories, themed pages with links to related resources, and search. They’re planning a searchable database for 2007.
The disturbing part: GRN is sponsored by Chevron. The last thing the field needs is greenwashing.
Disclosure: I recently joined SER as a member, not for any professional reasons, but because I’m interested in learning more about whether and how restoration works. As a member, I get their newsletters, journals, and so on.