Something that Happened

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Dear Reader/Listener:

Lest I be judged for it, I inform you now that this web space is a scratch pad, a space for experimentation. Have fun, enjoy, and read much of it, but try not to read too much into it!

--Harold

Want some background music? Please consider tuning in to my Internet radio station VoyagerRadio while you're reading this blog.

Want more blogging fun? You may also be interested in reading my other blog, Transmitting to Earth.

These blogs/sites are also happening:

Joe Frank
Web Feed Central
Anne...Straight from the Hip
Momentshowing
Theory of Everything
Slowmotionlandscape
Netizen News

Something that Happened to your ears (AKA Podcasts, or audio downloads):

"Goodwill Hunting"
"Sampled"
"The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian Andersen
"Sundae Silence"
"iRiver Test"
"Subscription Special"
"From Jay Dedman"
"The Big Sleep"
"Walking Man"
"Resolution"
"It's Gotten Out of Band (Part 3)"
"It's Gotten Out of Band (Part 2)"
"It's Gotten Out of Band (Part 1)"
"Create Your Own Podcast Station"
"Echo"
"Tinkering"
"Explanation/Send Me Audio"
"Neighbors"
"Percentages"
untitled audio post 11/05/04
"Post-Election Blues"
"Audio Commentary (with audio commentary)"
"Open Source Schizo"
"(Somewhat) Traditional Radio Program"
"Not Poor Enough"
"Junk Mail"
"Everybody Has Something to Say About Podcasting"
"Dream Job (Part 2)"
"Dream Job (Part 1)"
"Vent"

Something that Happened in the past (AKA Archive):

12/01/2002 - 12/31/2002 01/01/2003 - 01/31/2003 02/01/2003 - 02/28/2003 04/01/2003 - 04/30/2003 05/01/2003 - 05/31/2003 06/01/2003 - 06/30/2003 07/01/2003 - 07/31/2003 08/01/2003 - 08/31/2003 09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003 10/01/2003 - 10/31/2003 11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003 12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003 01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004 02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004 03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004 04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004 05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004 06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004 07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004 09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004 10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004 11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004 12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004 01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005

Need more blog? Read Transmitting to Earth, my other blog.

A narrative experiment by Harold J. Johnson, Master Architect of VoyagerRadio and Humble Operator of The Great Glass Elevator (currently out of commission).

Just remember, not everything you read or hear is true. Everything else is - or can be, depending on your perspective.

Sunday, February 29, 2004
A personal publishing tool that actually focuses on web standards: WordPress. How wonderful. How...nonstandard!
2/29/2004 10:16:36 AM

Friday, February 27, 2004
It's time to get more creative here. This blog is ridiculous. I'm not saying anything here. I mean, I'm not really saying anything. I'm spreading it too thin, like a thin layer of of tasteless margarine. This blog needs some butter, and quick.
2/27/2004 11:26:27 AM

Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Sick fucks. They couldn't keep me down if they wanted to. I'll tear 'em apart.

Doesn't that sound scary? It's just fun to say: Sick fucks. They couldn't keep me down if they wanted to. I'll tear 'em apart. Just kind of rolls off your tongue, doesn't it? Sometimes you just have to say awful things--it just feels good. Just don't say them on the bus, like that crazy lady screaming "Johnny" for two hours on the ride from downtown to the beach. Purge yourself in the privacy of your home, or at the beach--preferably in the surf, with the sound of the waves drowning out your voice.

Also, talk dirty to your girlfriend (or boyfriend) once in awhile--(s)he may dig it. I know, it's another thing altogether, but still: Suck it. Fuck it. Lick it. She: Stick it. See how fun that is? Remember, folks, this is all for pleasure. It's like being in a movie; it's playacting. So enjoy yourselves--just don't wake up the neighbors.

[This Public Service Announcement was brought to you by Harold of VoyagerRadio.]

Perhaps my foul mouth is being partially influenced by one of the books I'm currently reading, Twelve. Written by Nick McDonell when he was 17, the book follows the life of a few teenagers living the fast-paced life in New York City. Absent parents, rampant drugs, open house parties, blowjobs--this is the language of the novel, which flows breathles--oh, fuck it, I'm not going to write a book review. Just read the damn thing if you want to. Hunter S. Thompson did, and so did Joan Didion, and now I am.

And shame on me for blaming my foul mouth on a novel. That's not right--the novel has nothing to do with it. I just felt like being foul-mouthed today, dig? So have a nice day, okay, and don't mind my bawdiness.

All this vulgarity brings to mind an ideal setting for being foul, the Renaissance Faire. It's been more than a few years since I've attended the event, and it would be a great place to release all this nastiness. In the spirit of fun, of course.
2/25/2004 08:52:00 AM

Monday, February 23, 2004
There's always something in store for you! It's my stuff, so please, buy, buy, buy away! I need the cash desperately right now. Don't forget to bookmark that page; it's kind of hidden. (There's a reason for this, but I won't go into it here.) Just contact me if you ever lose the URL.
2/23/2004 08:26:38 PM

It's seems more and more politicians are expressing a complete disregard for any political machinations outside their own goal of electing their candidate for president. Take this marriage issue in San Francisco, for example. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Democratic strategist Garry South says the continuation of focus on this issue is "definitely not helpful to our cause, not for anyone who cares about beating George W. Bush in November".

Huh? Who said anything about your cause? This issue is about people's rights, not your stinkin' election.

Now, I will be fair here--I don't know the actual question that was posed to Mr. South. Perhaps the writer specifically asked him, "How does the gay marriage issue affect the election of your candidate?" In which case I would be tempted to ask the writer, why bring the matter up? This isn't an issue about the election--this is an issue about people. Individuals. This isn't an issue about election-year politics, although you're certainly helping to make it into one.

Of course, I don't know what the writer asked Mr. Stone, but what I do know, according to this article, is that Democratic leaders are upset--no, furious--about this issue's prominence at a time when they are selecting a candidate. As if the world revolved around their candidate selection process. (Sorry, sirs, the world will flare up from time to time, regardless of your controlling measures. Issues come up, and need to be dealt with. They don't have time to wait for your political maneuverings.)

Politicians are also furious about Ralph Nader's entry into the election fray, as if he's stepped in to throw a monkey wrench into the Democratic candidate's campaign. (Oh, get over it, will you? Quit blaming him for your election loss in 2000. You seem to forget that folks who voted for Nader weren't likely to vote for anyone else--that's right, neither party.) Ralph Nader doesn't have a personal vendetta for the Democratic Party; he has it out for both parties. That's his whole point.

I suppose these politicians get so caught up in their own "causes" that they forget to respond to the real issues, such as debates over people's rights in San Francisco and any citizen's right to campaign for presidency. Or perhaps they simply disregard these issues altogether. Either way, it's time for the pols to realize that the world spins on its own axis, and that their cause is not the only cause that matters.
2/23/2004 08:52:48 AM

Sunday, February 22, 2004
Still reading. That's 'cuz I'm a reader. Linked is fascinating. Here's something for you, if you're into technology: Demo 2004, an expo. Here's their blog. Don't know much about it, but it looks like it would have been fun to attend. I get a kick out of technology expos; I've been to Internet World (no longer in existence, as far as I know) and the Streaming Media conferences a few times. I must have learned a thing or two at the events. Must have. Well, they were fun, anyway--which brings to mind a conference for Internet radio broadcasters I'd love to attend: The First Annual Live365 Broadcasters Conference. They should have me as a panelist; I've been a Live365 webcaster for a few years and have some experience with these events. Plus I can speak. Publicly. Currently visiting the following sites: Joi Ito and the InvisibleFactory. This isn't much of a narrative today. It's just me, telling you I'm still reading. 'Cuz I'm a reader.
2/22/2004 03:49:11 PM

Saturday, February 21, 2004
So far, spending the weekend reading. Just finished Omega, by Jack McDevitt, an engaging sci-fi thriller regarding an encounter with an alien world--a book that was fun, intellectually satisfying, and not cheesy! Now I'm on to Albert-Laszlo Barabasi's Linked. Also finishing Designing With Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman, a library borrow I'd like to keep in my library--that is to say, it's definitely a keeper, and is inspiring me to redesign my website, long overdue for an overhaul.

Stay tuned--I'm sure I'll have something to tell you once I'm in the mood again. For now, I'm just enjoying the rainy days here in Los Angeles. I can hear the thunder as the storm intensifies...
2/21/2004 11:35:14 PM

Wednesday, February 18, 2004
This is becoming a comedy routine: With lawyers in San Francisco arguing over the same-sex wedding spree currently taking place in the city, conservative groups have issued an order commanding the city to "cease and desist issuing marriage licenses". Yet the order itself has now become the subject of interpretation, and because of a grammatical discrepancy in the document, judges have delayed taking any action to stop the wedding spree. [Brought to my attention via Biz Stone, Genius.]

Apparently, Superior Court lawyers spent yesterday afternoon debating over the placement of a semicolon in the document, while gay couples lined up across the street from the courtoom outside City Hall to get married. Picture the scene:

Conservative Lawyer: Your Honor, this whole wedding scene has got to stop.
Judge: San Franciscans must be complaining.
Conservative Lawyer: Uh, no...
Judge: Then a lot of Californians must be upset.
Conservative Lawyer: Well, not exactly...
Judge: Who wants it to stop, then?
Conservative Lawyer: Well, uh, Your Honor...a lot of folks in the midwest don't want to see this kind of thing.
Judge: Well, thankfully for them, they don't have to, since they live in the midwest.
Laughter in the courtroom.
Conservative Lawyer: (chuckling) Good point. Still, Your Honor, we've got a document that says the city has to stop these weddings...
Judge: Let's see that document.
Judge reads the document.
Judge: I see...
Conservative Lawyer: You see that the weddings have to stop?
Judge: I see that your writer needs a style manual. This document doesn't make any sense!
More laughter in the courtroom.

I find the way the courts are handling this incredibly amusing--and yet, at the same time, suitable. It's good the judges are taking their time to decide the matter appropriately, rather than simply allowing a hastily-written document decide the matter. This is an interesting moment in history, and one that could have serious consequences for folks of all sexual persuasions, since there are some serious issues at stake here--mainly, whether or not gays should be entitled to the same marriage benefits as same-sex couples. And that's money we're talking about, folks. Livelihood.
2/18/2004 01:24:33 PM

Monday, February 16, 2004
Okay Biz, I have your book, Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content, on reserve for me at the library. Forgive me for not purchasing it; I'm unemployed, my bank account is overdrawn, and I'm behind on rent. So I put it on hold last week, and then--I suppose you could say coincidentally--came across your recent article on the Blogger site, which you may have noticed I've commented on in my own blog, Something That Happened.

So, Mr. Genius, now I'm ready to read your book. We'll see how it stacks up to the competition. I've already read just about all of the other books on blogging: We Blog, Essential Blogging, Blog On, The Weblog Handbook, and We've Got Blog. Yes, I've read them all, and I'm sure anyone could argue that I should be spending more time blogging rather than reading about the activity. Yet I find these books fascinating, just as writers can't seem to read enough books on the ancient craft of the scribe.

So I'm gonna read your book, and we'll see if your strategies are truly genius. I just wanted to let you know, Einstein, because if I don't get my money's worth, I'm seriously going to be pissed. What am I looking to learn, you ask? I want, as the title says, instant web content. And I mean instant--I don't want to have to type something and click a little button to publish to the Internet, even though Blogger has made it so easy I've got my pet monkey doing it for me now. No, I want instant web content--as in, I want my thoughts published as I'm thinking them. I'm hoping your book will show me the way.
2/16/2004 02:30:55 PM

I forgot how much I liked the B-52's. It's been a long time since I've heard these songs; my albums have long been unused due to my lack of a turntable. I remember hearing this entire album for the first time while we were housesitting at Chuck's many years ago. Sometime in the eighties. Wild Planet. Couldn't get over "Private Idaho" and "53 Miles West of Venus". Had to pop in a cassette and tape it. Now, years later, listening to a library-borrowed CD version of the album, I get chills hearing "Dirty Back Road". I hadn't realized how much I'd missed this song. Playing it over and over again...

Music. Is Life, in so many ways. Perhaps we're all a bunch of soundwaves, crossing each other's paths, combining and influencing this great orchestra that is the universe. The string theory--don't know much about it, but it comes to mind. Could we all just be a bunch of songs? ("Has anybody seen/A dog died dark green?...The dog that brought me so much joy/Left me Wallowing in pain/Quiche Lorraine". Okay, so not everyone is going to agree the B-52's is a part of their soundwave, but you get the picture...)

2/16/2004 09:25:07 AM

Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Blogger is being refreshingly creative in its presentation of the various features of its popular blog-publishing tool, inserting its Knowledge Base (tech support info.) in a series of thematic articles. Most recently, an article entitled "How to Network With Blogger" has been enlisted to demonstrate its various features, discussing classic job search strategies such as social networking by pointing out the ways you can use Blogger to meet and link with other like-minded bloggers.

This article first caught my attention because I'm preparing to look for work, and networking should certainly be near the top of the list in any decent job search strategy. I understand how vital networking can be to a career, but I've always shied away from it; networking used to seem like a dirty word to me. I could say that it's because the word includes the word "work" in it, but it's really because I used to feel that networking, in the career sense, was a superficial ritual, a way of establishing a safety net of relationships that was selfishly motivated--and I still believe it can be--but I'm growing out of that opinion, for the most part. I've come to believe that for most people, networking is simply a way of establishing a rapport with others; a way of developing a common bond with others you find interesting or drawn to. What will come out of this rapport is the safety net, of course, but one that should be viewed as mutually beneficial.

This is how networking works in theory; however, it wasn't until I began networking online that I began to experience this theory in practice.

I've discovered, through blogging and other online experiences, that I really enjoy communicating with others online. I enjoy commenting on issues, and receiving feedback; I enjoy reading other folk's commentary, and posting feedback to their websites; I enjoy participating in forums; I enjoy webcasting, both from the perspective of a broadcaster and a listener; I enjoy chatting with others; I enjoy linking to others; I enjoy being linked to; in short, I enjoy networking online. I'm interested in discovering how conscious other bloggers (or online writers and other online communicators) are of networking: Do you feel the need to communicate with other bloggers?

It's certainly a valuable aspect of this medium, enabling us to build up a social fabric of supportive (and not necessarily like-minded) individuals or groups; but to what extent are you aware of the need to build up this community? Do you make it a daily, conscious effort, or do you simply sit back and let your blog work for you, hoping to attract attention purely through the brilliance of your commentary? Do you link consistently to other bloggers, or do you link to others only when you absolutely must? Do you write articles based on blog commentary you've read elsewhere, with the intention of attracting other blogger's attention? Or do you insert links to other bloggers merely as a footnote to your commentary, without a care in your mind as to whether another blogger ever takes notice?

As inept as I am at networking in the real world, I'm fully focused on establishing an online community. First and foremost, I find it fun--it's fun to communicate with others online, whether it's through blogs, email, Instant Messaging, webcasting, gaming, chatting, or voice-over-IP. I find it thrilling to communicate with people all over the globe, discussing a world of issues that expands far beyond my local neighborhood. As far as networking's relationship to online publishing, I find that it makes the experience more meaningful. Sure, I could write commentary or fiction online without any expectation of it being read by anyone, but what's the fun in that? If that was my intention, there wouldn't be any reason for me to publish online. Blogging is fundamentally communicative, so why stop at simple (and solitary) commentary? I find it necessary to reach out to other bloggers, to see what they have to say about matters, and to engage them in the more social aspects of blogging.

So let me to engage you now. We'll begin by putting the networking theory into practice--I've installed a new commenting system to the blog (see below this post), so please use it to post feedback to this blog at any time. After you've posted your feedback, I'll post feedback on your feedback, and so on. We'll see how fun we can make this, communicating with each other, building an online community. We may not even realize were networking.
2/11/2004 03:16:21 PM

Monday, February 09, 2004
You write, and write, and write (or blog, and blog, and blog), and as all people must, you sometimes need to pause, as Ingrid has done. Unfortunately for Ingrid, the reason for the pause is not from exhaustion--in her case, a laptop failure has forced her hiatus. This is one of your nightmares--since your Mac is up and running 24 hours a day most of the time, serving up your website/blogsite or your Internet radio broadcast, you're always a bit concerned that a hard drive will fail from sheer exhaustion, leaving you disconnected and disoriented, an astronaut floating helplessly in space.

Of course, you'll always find your way back to the space station--that is, if you can afford a new hard drive or laptop or whatnot. But what if you can't? What then? Do you disappear from the blogosphere? Do you become the infrequent blogger, logging in at your local library from time to time, posting a "hello" to the world as the librarian taps your shoulder, "Your time is up. You'll have to move along..."?

My time is up. Fortunately for me, I don't have to take a break because of a computer failure nor due to a shortage of computers in the library. I just have to get to the bank before a check bounces...
2/9/2004 11:29:29 AM

Wednesday, February 04, 2004
It's amazing how a day and a half can blow by while you're simply making subtle changes to the look of your blog. I hope you like the new look--please let me know if you don't, or if you have trouble reading it (text size, text color, etc.). My eyes are bleedin' and my wrist is achin' from trying to come up with the best design for this blog without having to rebuild it from scratch, but I think we're good now. However, if you can't read this without straining your eyes or having to reduce the size of your browser window, please let me know--I'll change the blog to meet your needs.

I've also reduced the load time of this blog by using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). I'll be transitioning more and more to style sheets as I find the time. I'm more concerned with making this site readable on as many browsers as possible right now, but I'd like to eventually make the blog completely standards-compliant. Unfortunately, I don't believe Blogger completely supports standards at this time, so no matter how much I attempt to prepare this site for the future, it will remain non-compliant until Blogger's technology gets with the program (or I move to another blog tool).

Okay, enough of the geek stuff. I guess you've figure out by now that I haven't worked on my resume yet. In due time, in due time. If you think about it, this particular distraction is helping me develop my web authorship skills--not just my writing skills, but my website authoring skills. So how can that be called a distraction?

Yeah, yeah, I know. As my mom would say, I ain't foolin' anybody but myself. I'm having a good time, though. If I could only get rid of that nagging voice at the back of my head--the one that's telling me it's time to get a regular paycheck. Not looking forward to this--although it would be nice to be able to afford some new music once in awhile, and to have less reliance on the library for my literary needs. I wouldn't mind going out to dinner here and there, too. Wouldn't mind going to a music festival now and then, too--and this year's Coachella is bound to be great, as it's featuring one of my favorite bands, The Cure. (Side note: I think I'll love The Cure forever. Don't know why, don't care--just do. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my first concert as a teenager was a Cure one, in 1987. The Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me tour. I'll never forget it.)

Man, it's time for me to start getting busy. Anyone know of employment as a full-time blogger?
2/4/2004 01:15:35 PM

Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Distractions. It's always distractions. Of course, I could make all kinds of excuses for the distractions I come up with: I really did need to respond to those emails, I have a responsibility to keep the music fresh for my Internet radio station's listeners, that blog really needs to be updated, that website needs an entire overhaul (today!), my body really required that all-day hike because I've been sitting on my ass too long.

It's easy for me to distract myself from the task at hand: updating that resume. I've got books due at the library, and I plan on walking to the library for the exercise, a task certain to consume the better part of my day. So chances are I won't be getting to that resume today, but the fact is, I really do need that exercise--and the books are due. So these are legitimate excuses--they're just not getting me any closer to finding a job.

Of course, once I get my exercise I'll feel replenished and have the energy to...um...sit back down on my ass and write that resume. So this "distraction" really is working towards that goal, then, isn't it? And anything that helps me accomplish that ultimate goal is a good thing...

Then again, perhaps my physical well-being isn't so important as getting any lousy job to catch up on this month's rent. It's my mental state I'm more worried about, though. I don't feel right when I've gone too long without breaking a decent sweat; I begin to feel like a sloth. Not that I'm an Ironman or anything--I'm not a big fan of running and you won't find me lifting weights on the bench outside, unless I really want to impress someone--I just like to feel that calorie-burning-muscle-toning sweat break out on my body during a long hike into the Santa Monicas (or during a walk to Souplantation in Brentwood--it helps quell the guilt of the carb-overload I'm about to undertake).

This is one of the least interesting and meaningless entries I've ever made to this blog, and I'm not going to continue this post. I apologize for wasting your time and for subjecting you to this--I'm just distracting myself from what I need to do and you're unfortunate enough to have been caught up in the middle of it. That's not right and I owe you your lost time, but the only way I can think of making it up to you is by directing you to a random blog, where you'll most assuredly find your time better spent. Please do yourself a favor by not ever reading my blog again.
2/3/2004 11:11:53 AM

Monday, February 02, 2004
Bloggers and other online writers, alert! You should not have to read this The Internet Writing Guide. If you do, you're in trouble.
2/2/2004 09:31:32 PM

So I'm wandering about in the landscape of my mind (how cliché!), and I find a treasure there: a land unprovoked by the vicissitudes of employment, and it's...it's...what is it?. Is it wonderfully liberating? Is it obscenely gratifying? Is it uncharacteristically selfish (to be so unproductive)? Do these phrases even make sense to anyone besides me?

It's time to look for a job. No more wandering about in the blissful being of joblessness--rent's behind, the CDs aren't selling, and last week's temp job was just that--temporary.

So where do I begin changing my state? Do I pour myself another cup of coffee and fire up Monster, realizing their ad campaign? Is today the day? No, my experience informs me of how unproductive that can turn out: days of updating resumes and Monster search agents, only to wait months, perhaps years, for a potential employer's response. My experience, and my gut, tells me what I need to do: yes, update my resume, but no, do not wait for them to call. It's time to get dressed and pound the pavement. Or call my contacts...if I had any.

So here I go, out into the world. As Dead or Alive proclaimed in the 80's, watch out here I come!

Just as soon as I get my third cup of coffee, and after returning those books and CDs to the library. And after I do the laundry. And after I visit my mom. And after I update my webcast. Of course, I'll probably need a new haircut after all that's done, but after that I promise--I warn you world--watch out, 'cause here I come.

You know, I've been thinking of applying some accessibility guidelines to my website for a long time now...
2/2/2004 11:57:51 AM