Continued...]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001738.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001738.html commentary Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:20:04 -0800 We recently encountered this building on a downtown corner in Walnut Creek, CA (1700 N. Main St.). The building, which currently houses a Realty office, was converted from a drive-in bank. The small building in back is apparently used for storage.

The architecture (and brickwork!) are really interesting:]]>

If architecture is frozen music, as the German poet Goethe once said, then 1700 North Main in Walnut Creek is a frozen kick in the pants.

Rows of mottled red bricks curl and twist along the facade. The woodwork seems hefty enough to support the Washington Monument. The corner across from Walnut Creek's City Hall gets full castle treatment, with a two-story-high circular tower topped by a steeply pitched slate roof.

High design it ain't. But this conversion of a drive-through bank offers something that today is all too rare: tactile delight. In a world where office towers are clad in wafer-thin granite and shopping centers wear columns of stucco-covered Styrofoam, it's great to see the arrival of a downtown building that wants to make an enduring mark on the landscape.

Holey Associates - Adaptive re-use - Walnut Creek, California, USA - 2005

Click any photo for a full-size image.

  ]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001736.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001736.html Show & Tell Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:25:33 -0800 I've had a rather eclectic career. Most of the time, I've been a programmer, starting with Unix (shell, awk, and some C), then moving into Perl. At other times, when the mood suits, I've been employed as a technical writer.

I've also been a Quality lead and a Linux sysadmin. I've created web pages, managed mailing lists, provided Macintosh support, and written code in JavaScript and Visual Basic. Regardless of my job title, I've always been happiest when I'm helping other people to be more productive in their work, either by writing code or writing and editing documentation.

At present, I'm a TWiki adept. Read more in commentary.]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001731.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001731.html commentary Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:09:25 -0800 I read an article today, in Read Write Web, on Facebook's "privacy changes". The headline screamed "Facebook's Zuckerberg Says The Age of Privacy is Over" .

Well, apparently that's not actually what Zuckerberg said. That was an interpretation for a sensationalist headline.

Read my commentary.]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001728.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001728.html commentary Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:50:16 -0800

♥  Happy New Year Pacific Standard Time USA! Wishing you all everything you hope for in 2009. Time to turn off lights and watch for fireworks.  ♥  Gorgeous day. Sunny. Blue sky streaked with whispy clouds. Clear as far as I can see. Sailboats dot the Bay. Perfect view. How's your day?  ♥  Oh not again! Now we're having a peanut butter scare. No reports of contaminated peanut butter in CA, but it's been pulled from the cafe. :(  ♥  Just removed a tuft of cat fur from under my trackball. Wondering how the ball has been working with that in it. A marvel of technology.  ♥  The cat says it's 4pm. At 4pm, on days when I work from home, it's "Stop Typing and Pay Attention to the Cats" time. Plus crunchy snacks.  ♥ ]]> ♥  There's a catered meeting in the room down the hall. The lunch line snakes past my cubicle areas. Yo, people! Shhhhhh!  ♥  The catered meeting has wine. And food. And HAPPY people. Wheee! We were not invited. Door is closed. Time for headphones.  ♥  Fluffy pink cat to my left in prime belly-rubbing position. Fluffy bluegray cat to my right in perfect ear-skritching position. Bliss.  ♥  People in the park are flying a kite. It's a dragon - brightly colored with great detail. Good day for kite flying. Winds about 5mph.  ♥  A good day. A new President; a hopeful Nation. The sun is in Aquarius (it is the Dawning of the Age...). And this is my 1000th tweet. Smile!  ♥ 

♥  Happy birthday to me; I'm taking the day off. @rdmorin and I enjoyed Dim Sum for brunch. Egg rolls, pork buns, coconut jello, mango pudding.  ♥  Driving home from brunch, watched a man cross to center divider to attach (electric screwdriver) homemade garage sale sign to city signpost.  ♥  Om nom nom. Bagels and lox for brunch today. "House of Bagels" bagels; real bagels (boiled and baked) none of that bread fluff stuff. Solid.  ♥  The bad thing about having a cubicle near a window (ground floor) is the landscaping guy weedwhacking the landscaping. ZzzzMMMMmmmRRrrrrmm  ♥ 

♥  I admit to being compulsive about recyclables. I just pulled half a dozen outdated "announcements" from trash to put into recycling instead.  ♥  It's definitely Spring in San Francisco area. The ornamental plum trees have blossomed. Saw the first on Feb 2. Typical timing, every year.  ♥  Rain in the night; still raining when I woke up. I don't want to get up. I want to lie in bed with the cats and listen to the rain falling.  ♥  Me in living room; @rdmorin is preparing dinner. He won't say what; I'm guessing. Black pepper, seasoned salt, chicken... Ah. Should be yum.  ♥ 

♥  At Airport El Torito, SF. Window table. Watching planes landing in the rain. Full moon occasionally peeks through the clouds.  ♥  Spatter! It's raining hard again, wind from the NW, splashing at windows.Those of you in wetter climes don't know how special this is to us.  ♥  After a blue sky day w/ a handsome setting moon at 7am, slowly clouding for the home commute, it is now raining. Time for sleep & listening.  ♥ 

♥  On a day when I don't have to get up until 7:30, it is most unfair to be trampled by lowflying pussycats at a little before 7.  ♥  Power outage! No Internet, UPS beeping, monitors dark. Can't make breakfast. Much Worse, cat fountain is not running! Meew! Hooman failure.  ♥  Cutting up turkey for supper (hot T sandwiches). I did not slice my thumb. Still checking to confirm this (a nearer thing than I prefer).  ♥  No Work today (Co holiday) but plenty of work. Our mail server didn't come up after one power failure. Hoping to move to another box. Ugh.  ♥  From the novel I'm reading: "It had been built in 1999, funded by a massive cash donation from a past pupil who'd made good in sausages."  ♥ 

♥  11pm. Caught up on Twitter. Should go to bed. But my arm is a pillow for a snoozing kitty. I can't move. The things we do for love.  ♥  Promising morning. Drizzling rain from a lowering sky, then a rainbow (full bow!) over the train station. Redolence of chocolate in the air.  ♥  Ruummmmmble! Real thunder in SF Area, CA. Cool! (I miss Pennsylvania thunderstorms).  ♥  Playing "Bluetooth or Crazy" in train. Woman in dark glasses, hair over her ears, talking at a spot on the wall. Blackberry gives it away.  ♥  Taking today off from Work, not for fun, unfortunately. I need to do Taxes. More frost on the rooftops this morning but also a hummingbird.  ♥ 

♥  Beautiful day. Spring in the air. Birds are singing. Why do I have to Work indoors? At least I can go for a walk around the block. So I did!  ♥  Rich is down in the garage making our bagel slicer slightly wider. The smell of burnt wood is drifting up through the living room window.  ♥  ♥  Living room window open. Drizzly rain currently stopped. A happily chirrupping bird sings from somewhere nearby. (Should I say "twitters"?)  ♥  7am. Sunrise obscured by heavy clouds. Drizzling rain. Car ahead of me has license plate 1CLUTZ. Give him room.  ♥ 

♥  Today is Spring Equinox. The first day of Spring is Groundhog Day (says @Morning_Porch) and I agree! Esp. where I live; trees blossom Feb 2.  ♥  Wow! 22 mph wind with rain. From the North. Splatter all over the front windows. Sploosh!  ♥  At 3:30 I was in 5 simultaneous IM sessions. Where were you people earlier today? Told #3 "already chatting". For next two, didn't bother.  ♥  Solved all 5 requests. Didn't type in wrong windows. Everyone happy. And out the door to shuttle at 4:25. W00t. (Let's not do this again.)  ♥ 

♥  The (large) poster on a bus stop shelter in SF shows a man's face - yawning. Hello! I'm driving here. I don't need (yawn) to start yawning.  ♥  The Painted Lady butterflies are migrating north up El Camino Real. I recall the 2005 migration. They were _everywhere_  ♥  My sister is in town for 4 days of Training sessions. We're meeting her (and a coworker) in The City tonight for dinner. Should be fun.  ♥  Dear man on the train platform, bouncing (not jogging) in place. It's 07:15. Could you do that later? And somewhere else.  ♥  I'm 30min into a 'required' 90min meeting that pretty much has no relationship to my Job. I hope the Company is getting its money's worth  ♥  Some people appear totally focused on laptops. Why are they here? Why am _I_ here? The "joys" of mandatory meetings. Can't mandate value.  ♥ 

♥  Hummingbird flitting around the bottlebrush bush as I got into my car this morning. A gray day suddenly got brighter.  ♥  Visitor in the breakroom: Can you tell me which of these is coffee? Me, looking with new eyes: 4 urns, artistically labeled but not so easy.  ♥  Company packing day. The entire building population is moving across the street. Too bad; this was one of the better cubicles I've had.  ♥  Once again, the cubicle fairies have come while I was away. I never see them. Perhaps I should leave out a bowl of mocha for them?  ♥ 

♥  Working from home. The breeze through the window smells like honeysuckle and other good things. Two ravens are having a noisy discussion.  ♥  There's a daycare near our house. One of the adults is blowing soap bubbles. It's windy. Soap bubbles are flying down our street at ~10mph.  ♥ Much value in walking away from a problem for a bit. Before lunch: banging my head on JavaScript. After: Oh. I have two forms w/ same name.  ♥  It's a bad dream when you dream you have a headache and you're taking Excedrin. Good news: I didn't have a headache when I woke up.  ♥ 

♥  In my rearview mirror this morning, a pickup truck at the gas station forgot to disconnect the nozzle before driving. Breakaway hose FTW!  ♥  I upgraded my aged Palm OS smartphone today to a Motorola Droid. Resisting temptation to play since noon. Now off Work and it's Play Time!  ♥  Chex mix; taste from childhood available on the grocer's shelf. We didn't use bagel chips; they don't use Cheerios, but close. I added nuts!  ♥  My New Year's tradition since moving to California: call my parents in Pennsylvania at 9pm PST to say Happy New Year! (How's it look? :-)  ♥ ]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001725.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001725.html Retrospectoscope Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:52:27 -0800 TweetCloud out of a year of my tweets. Top three words: people, time, love.

]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001726.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001726.html Retrospectoscope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:18:39 -0800 Japan and Europe are already in 2010. As I write this, California has 4 hours to go.

I keep a journal — started in College (real paper notebooks), stopped for many years, then picked up again in 2003 (this time electronic). So, at this time of year, I can look back and see: what happened this year?

Here are some of the highlights from my view of 2009.]]>

Happy New Year!

I always feel sorry at this time of year for the people who insist that they don't celebrate Christmas because they aren't Christian. I feel sorry for them because they believe that Christmas is a Christian religious holiday. It's not. ]]> I also feel sorry for the Christians who insist that we "need to put Christ back into Christmas" and that "Jesus is the reason for the season". They're wrong too.

Oh, there's certainly a Christian religious holiday set on December 25. But the mid-winter festival is far older than that. The longest night. The return of the sun. A festival of lights. Gathering family and friends. Yule. Saturnalia. Celebration.

For years, I've been insisting that Christmas — the Bank Holiday, the gatherings, the lights and decorations, the cookies and giving and sharing — is a secular holiday. It's a time to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It's a time to push back the midwinter darkness with lights and cheer. It's a time to gather together with family and friends.

The Christians gave the current holiday its name. But Christmas transcends religion. I wish more people could understand that.

   Fah who for-aze!
   Dah who dor-aze!
   Welcome Christmas,
   Come this way!
 
   Fah who for-aze!
   Dah who dor-aze!
   Welcome Christmas,
   Christmas Day.
 
   Welcome, Welcome
      Fah who rah-moose
   Welcome, Welcome
      Dah who dah-moose
   Christmas day is in our grasp
   So long as we have hands to clasp
 
   Fah who for-aze!
   Dah who dor-aze!
   Welcome Christmas
   Bring your cheer
   Fah who for-aze!
   Dah who dor-aze!
   Welcome all Whos
   Far and near
 
   Welcome Christmas
      Fah who rah-moose
   Welcome Christmas
      Dah who dah-moose
   Christmas day will always be
   Just so long as we have we
 
   Fah who for-aze
   Dah who dor-aze
   Welcome Christmas
   Bring your light
 
 
   Welcome Christmas
      Fah who rah-moose!
   Welcome Christmas
      Dah who dah-moose!
   Welcome Christmas
   While we stand
   Heart to heart
   And hand in hand
 
   Fah who for-aze
   Dah who dor-aze
   Welcome welcome
   Christmas
   Christmas Day

Four days ago, I traded in my aged Palm OS 4-based Kyocera smart phone for a new Motorola DROID (through Verizon.) I really like it so far.

It's more net-savvy and connected than my Palm phone was. I don’t have to “turn on the phone” to use an Internetworked app. It’s always on, always connected (although I can turn it completely off if I wish).

It’s got a modern web browser, far better email capability and a MUCH nicer screen. Plus, its actually going to be cheaper to operate. I’ll save $15/month on my data plan with Verizon. That was a nice surprise!]]> There are a few things I wish were different:

I really wish I could use a random stylus (or my fingernail). That's my biggest peeve with all of these capacitive touchscreen devices. I want the CHOICE of handwriting vs "typing". I want the choice of whether and when to use my fingers.

Maybe in a future rev (I mutter as I once again clean the smudges from the screen).

I also wish that the keys on the slide-out hardware keyboard were a smidge wider and just a bit less flat. They seem like little bits of paper. So I use my fingernail on those and my fingertip on the soft keys. Weird.

I don’t care for the “sleep/lock/off” button. It’s (intentionally?) difficult to press. It also annoys me that there’s apparently no way to “lock” the device in software.

Peeves and annoyances for sure... but none big enough to be a showstopper for me.

Why The DROID?

I asked for advice from a techie mailing list. Everyone recommended the DROID. A quick comparison explains why.

Both phones include a 5 MP camera, USB connection to my desktop computer, SD card slot, WiFi & Bluetooth, and capacitive touchscreen.

Three major differences stood out as selling points for me:

• The DROID includes a slide-out hardware keyboard. I may not use this all the time but it’s nice to have more flexibility for some operations.

• The DROID has a 3.7" 480 x 854 WVGA screen. (wow)
  The ERIS has a 3.2” 320 x 480 HVGA screen

• The DROID comes with Android OS 2.0 (“Eclair”) upgraded to 2.0.1
  The ERIS runs OS 1.6 (“Cupcake”)

  (I love that Android releases have bakeshop names. Cupcake?! :-)

(DROID specs) (ERIS specs)

New Ways to Think

There’s “touch” and “long hold” instead of tap and double tap. The “back” key is contextual to each app and is often used where I would expect a “Save” or “Close” button. Menu items come up from the bottom; the bar thing at the top of the screen is a task bar.

Applications

Lots of additional software is available through Android Market (accessible from the phone). You can also search for apps and read descriptions and reviews at AndroLib.com

My must-have app requirements included IM access (AIM, GoogleTalk, and Y!IM), Twitter, a good notepad, and a way to read text files transferred from my desktop computer. A task list application is also nice to have, as are various utilities, (e.g. weather forecast, battery usage meter, daily “journal”), and maybe a game or two.

Here’s what I’ve installed so far:

Sync Manager

Missing Sync for Android (from Mark/Space) - This is a must-have for use on a Mac; it lets me sync my Address book as well as photos, random folders, videos, ... (Missing Sync for Android OS 2.0 is currently in Beta but I’ve seen no problems so far.)

Communication

• Twidroid Pro — Twitter client.
• Meebo IM — IM client (Note: a GoogleTalk app is included with the Android software.)

Notes & Documents

• AK Notepad — a nice notepad. I tried several and settled on this one.
• 3banana — for really quick notes; from the folks who make AK Notepad
• Mobisle Notes — checklists, with a cute UI.
• ColorNotes — stickies for the “desktop”. (deleted when it went all wonky on me.
• Text Edit — simple text file editor/reader.
• Documents to Go — read Word, Excel, and PDF documents.

Games

• Mahjongg (Solitaire) — one of the few games I sometimes play.
• Blocked (like Bejeweled). Another game I sometimes play.
• Puzzle Blox - similar to Bejeweled crossed with Tetris, with Haptic feedback
• Voxel Fun - 3D blocks!

Techie Tools

• Better Terminal Emulator Pro — for us *nix command-line types.
• ConnectBOT — ssh utility. Whee! BTEP 2.12 has ssh!
• Astro Explorer — File manager. (I liked Astro but Explorer has a much smaller footprint.)

Handy Utilities

• The Weather Channel — forecast and info with current temp in task bar
• SimpleWeather — current conditions and forecast.
• BatteryTime — battery % and statistics.
• Contact Owner — puts my name and contact info on the lock screen.
• All-in-1 Calc — the best calculator I found
• Secret Box — simple utility to keep some information encrypted

Settings

• Locale — configurable settings profiles by time or location.
• Switch — easy access to my most-used settings.

Accessories

I considered getting an additional home charger but realized that the charger we have for our other phones will work. Instead, I got a car charger (which, not coincidentally, will work for our other phones. :-)

I also purchased a snap-on hard cover. I didn't like the slippery feel of the bare DROID in my hand; I don't want to drop it! This cover has a nice feel with just enough friction. It's a black impact resistant plastic cover wrapped in leather (model # MOTA855COVLTHR).

The DROID charges via a micro USB cable. I've ordered a second cable to carry with me between home and remote office.

Capacitive styli are available. :-) I have ordered some to try...

In Summary

Techies might find that they prefer Android to iPhone. I've heard several comments to this effect. The Linux underpinnings and Open Source OS are especially appealing.

I've been told that Android is a bit clunkier looking than iPhone. I don't personally see enough aesthetic difference to notice, but then, I care more about the screen and apps than about the case they come in.

The DROID had nearly everything I wanted, out of the box. A few app installations later, it's personalized and configured just for me. I'm very happy.

Notes:

• If Verizon isn't your carrier of choice, Android phones are (or will be) available with other providers.)

• You will need a Gmail account. If you don't already have one, you can set one up at phone activation time.

• Android discussion forums can be found at androidforums.com and talkandroid.com.

Many of my co-workers have iPhones and I've been feeling iPhone lust. But now I have an Android and I'm happy. My phone is different... and perfect for me.

Stylus Update (Dec. 23, 2009)

Problem 1: the tip of the stylus is angled slightly. It only works if you touch the screen at that one precise angle. Unfortunately I found that the cylindrical barrel tended to turn slightly in my fingers so I never had the angle right on the first try.

Problem 2: You need to press pretty hard to get the stylus to work at all, even presuming you have the correct angle.

My conclusion: save your money. These are almost worth $3.99. For $3.99 it's a better way to press the keys on the hardware keyboard. They're not worth a penny more and I won't be using one on the screen.

Updated Jan. 4, 2010

Updated Jan. 16, 2010

• All-in-1 Calc is a very complete and nice-to-use calculator.

• Puzzle Blox is a game with elements of Bejeweled, Tetris, and others. It takes advantage of the Droid's touch & tilt features.

• Tricorder is just for fun - or is it? Tricorder uses the phone's sensors to detect gravity/angle, sounds, GPS position, and more.

Last night at 9:45 we were coming home from a meeting in San Francisco and realized that Shari's is open 24 hours! We decided to try a late dinner.]]> Apparently Wednesday is free pie slice night. Buy an entree, get a free slice of pie. That got our attention! We tried the coconut cream pie and it was excellent, with lots of coconut poking out of the custard. Yummy yummy.

I really like places that serve breakfast all day and we haven't had a restaurant like that nearby for many years. I'm looking forward to trying the cinnamon roll french toast and the sweet potato pancakes (although, probably not at the same meal!)

Our receipt printed out with a coupon for a free meal (with purchase of another meal and two drinks). We'll be back soon!]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001715.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001715.html Trivial Pursuits Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:48:54 -0800 A few days ago, I was working on a small application for some people at Work. Part way into the project, I went out briefly on an errand.

Driving down the street, I suddenly realized that I could (and should) make a simple change to the user interface that would result in less risky code as well as a better experience for the users.

Continue reading "Step Away from the Problem"]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001710.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001710.html commentary Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:24:48 -0800 Sometime back, CVS Pharmacy took over what was Longs Drugs. We didn't notice much difference until early September, when I went in to the store and said "Oof". CVS had done a complete internal remodel... and I didn't like it at all.

Well, we have several Walgreens stores in the area. I decided to switch a prescription from Longs/CVS to walgreens.com.]]> I got on the website and found the "transfer a prescription" section with ease. I filled in the online form, providing the current pharmacy and Rx number as well as my insurance information and credit card number.

The next day I received two voicemail messages. I checked and I also had two "secure" messages at walgreens.com. One said they needed valid credit card information to process my request. The other said they needed current insurance information.

Didn't I already fill out that form?

I checked my profile and saw the CC information. Maybe there was a typo. I re-entered the info.

Then I scrolled down and discovered that my profile included information for insurance I haven't had for three years now. Huh. Apparently, if you already have a profile, the info entered in the "transfer a prescription" form is ignored. (I had forgotten that I even had an existing profile at walgreens.com).

Unfortunately, Walgreens.com does not allow customers to edit the insurance portion of the profile. You have to "contact your pharmacy".

I don't have a brick&mortar Walgreens pharmacy. I vaguely recall filling a prescription once at a Walgreens, at least 5 years ago, but I don't remember where or when. So, I responded again to the original message that had asked for my insurance info.

A few days later I checked my profile and my current insurance carrier had been added. Good. However, the old insurance carrier was still listed, now marked as "primary". Not good.

I replied again to the original request for insurance info. I said "Please remove the old insurance." Nothing changed.

So I clicked the link to send email to customer service saying "This is who I am; there are two insurance carriers listed in my profile. The 'primary' carrier is wrong." Walgreens responded telling me I needed to contact my pharmacy.

I tried again. I received replies asking me for my birth date, replies telling me to contact my pharmacy, and replies (via email) asking for my email address. I also received 4 blank messages on the site.

I started sending more messages to walgreens.com, this time via the "problems with our site" link. I told them they had ignored the insurance info I had originally entered. I told them my profile was broken. I told them I was getting empty messages. I told them they had a serious quality control problem with their software.

I got a few email messages in reply, asking for my date of birth or telling me to contact my pharmacy. Eventually, after a few weeks, I received a paper letter, acknowledging my concerns about the blank messages and including a $10 gift card.

I still had incorrect insurance information in my profile.

Finally, I received a response that told me where I could call. I reached a woman in the Walgreens "Mail Services" pharmacy who said "I only see one carrier in our records." I said "I see two.". I sent her screen shots of my profile and she promised to escalate the issue to IT.

A few days went by. Nothing changed.

I wrote back to the woman I had spoken to. She said she would check with IT again. Finally she sent me email saying "Our database has been updated."

I checked walgreens.com. The outdated insurance information had, indeed, been removed from my profile. In the process, the database update had also removed the current insurance information as well as my credit card information.

Rich asked "How much do you dislike CVS?" My sister asked "What about Target?"

I hadn't realized Target had a pharmacy. The next day, I transferred my prescription to Target.]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001707.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001707.html Trivial Pursuits Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:11:05 -0800 You're nobody until you've been ignored by a cat.

I was lying in bed this morning, thinking about getting up. The cat, who had been loving on me for the past half hour, was now curled next to me, performing his morning ablutions. I was relegated to the role of cat furniture. I was being ignored by the cat.

But was I?]]> I realized, as I thought more about it, that the quote isn't quite accurate. You're never, truly, ignored by a cat. Cats are the ultimate multitaskers. Cats are constantly paying attention to everything.

A cat can hear the can opener three rooms away. He knows when a fly comes into the room, a bird flies past outside, or his sisfur cat walks down the hall.

A cat may appear to be ignoring you (and everything else) but his ears are always perked. His eyes are never entirely closed. He knows what's going on around him.

Think of the words most often applied to cats: curious, contemplative, intent, observing. A cat is always watching. Cats are masters of attention, even when they appear to be engrossed in something else.

Rich came up with a nice pithy description. The cat isn't ignoring you. Rather, cats lull you into a false sense of obscurity.

You have been warned.   >^..^<]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001705.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001705.html Random Thoughts Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:25:41 -0800 Continue reading "Martian Moon Mice"]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001699.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001699.html Furkids Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:27:45 -0800 I've been reading "Summerland" by Michael Chabon. It's a good book, in one of my favorite genres, "juvenile fantasy".

Continue reading "Summerland"]]> http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001697.html http://www.cfcl.com/vlb/weblog/archives/001697.html Books, Movies, Music Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:06:19 -0800