wikis revisited

I'm finding that wiki editing (or should I say, getting my head wrapped around the idea of wikis) went more smoothly on this go-round.

Being somewhat bored with the available topics, which all have to do with (yawn) reality, I started a new page, "Late at Night in the Library," a story which one and all are welcome to continue. The dragons are waiting for your input.

off-topic but too long for twitter -- "hidden" fast food

Tried a couple of the fast-food off-menu items trending on teh interwebs.

Burger King Rodeo Cheeseburger (cheeseburger with bbq sauce): Tastes good, but unimpressive in these days of super-whoppers with fried potatoes, bacon, etc.

McDonalds Land, Sea, and Air Burger (burger, fish, and chicken, with cheese, fish sandwich sauce, and ketchap): The tastes tend to cancel each other out. If anything, it all has a slightly fishy taste. And a fried taste, of course. (But then, the main reason we frequent these places is for a fried taste.)

I encountered no resistance, in Tulsa, toward either. The BK cashier knew what it was and rang it up without comment. The McD cashier had vaguely heard of it somewhere, and put it together, without argument, from a description of a picture I'd seen on the internet.

What I noticed most about both of these was how small they were compared to some of the more recent burger inventions. (This growth of the average burger has been mentioned before in books about nutritional trends.)

(Disclosure: My idea of size may be skewed; my usual order, on those rare occasions I crave junk food, tends to be two of the biggest, sloppiest sandwiches, and an order of fries or onion rings.)

reflections on video games

What makes a cartoonish game palatable to adults? Recently I had an insight into why, in spite of my general preference for computer games set in dark, brooding, realistic worlds, or else consisting of abstract patterns, I like Sonic and Mario. It's because, by now, they have lost some of their kindergarteny image. They have become cultural icons. It's the same reason adults who generally would be embarrassed to watch cartoons have no problem with Mickey Mouse (can I mention his trademarked name without paying royalties?) or Bugs Bunny.

For teens and adults young enough to have played these games in their childhood, of course, there is an added dimension. Whether there is a glow of nostalgia or an avoidance because the game seems all the more personally childish is an idiosyncratic reaction which is unpredictable from person to person.

How does this tie in at all with libraries? More and more libraries now have added game-playing to their offerings. This is something to consider when looking for games that might appeal to multiple age groups.

a visionary

"We say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves."

-- Ada Lovelace (1843)

Ada Lovelace Day

technorati revisited: site categories

When you register your blog with Technorati, you must choose 1-3 preselected categories to describe it.

There are special categories for "Anime" and "Hockey" but none for "History" or "Biography" or even a vague "Social Sciences." Or for that matter, "Education." My blog is pure history/biography. I wound up choosing "Home" (I do talk about Thomas Jefferson's home life and sneak in a recipe now and then), U.S. Politics" (even though this is completely about the years after he retired from politics), and "Celeb" (even though most people would understand that to mean gossip about living or recently dead celebrities, rather than serious biography about founding fathers).

technorati revisited: blog registration

Went to Technorati today to register my Jefferson blog. The process has become less error-laden but more complicated since I registered this blog doing Thing 14 last year.

What they don't tell you is that after you fill out the first part, you've got to go back to your profile, and under "My Claimed Blogs" click "Check Claim." Since you've just been told your status is being processed, so there seems to be no reason to check it. Good thing I got curious. It takes you to a page with a code you have to insert into a post. Yep, a silly , distracting, confusing, random string of letters and numbers to put up before your public audience. It's especially glaring in a blog like the one I was registering, which is built on the conceit that it was written 200 years ago. Really messes up the mood.

this puts the "personal" in "personal computer"

Skin-based interface transforms the body into a touchscreen

(Mar. 2, 2010 Gizmo Watch)