Sleepless in Midland

An invitation to join a social network or malware?

The other day I got three emails telling me friends wanted to send me a "teddy." Funny thing is, each of those friends denied sending such an email.  The links in the emails directed me to the website you can see in the screen shot on the right.

So what gives? The emails invited me to register at www.shtyle.fm and supply all sorts of personal information in order to receive the gift. Sorry, no can do.

I don't know whether it was a trojan horse or aggressive marketing, but when emails get sent out without the knowledge of the sender then something smells phishy.

Spam, Spatter and Spews

In an article about a new Australian anti-spam law, Paul Ducklin at Sophos blog gives us some great new appellations:

SPIT - spam using internet telephony
SPIM - spam over instant messaging
SPASMS - spam via SMS
SPATTER - spam via Twitter
SPEWS - spam through electronic web submissions.

He calls them acronyms, but that's no reason to quibble when the material is so full of richness.

Bloggers are well aware of SPEWS, those sneaky advertisements disguised as innocent comments left at blog entries. C-SPAM perhaps?

What does the internet think?

This search engine, though some mysterious way, tries to analyze positive and negative attitudes toward words and phrases to tell us what the internet thinks. To find out, click What does the internet think? According to the disclaimer, "The results are merely a reflection of a majority in search term results for said search-engine(s)." And the results are indeed interesting and maybe even informative.

So let's give it a trial run and see what the internet thinks about layoffs, war on terror, swine flu, bird flu, global warming, WMD, weapons of mass destruction, and cash for clunkers. (The Google engine was used for simplicity.)

What does the internet think about this?

Query	Negative	Positive	Don't care
Layoffs	94%	4.8%	1.2%
War on Terror	36.5%	63.5%	0%
Swine Flu	74.4%	13.6%	12%
Bird Flu	27.5%	65.9%	6.6%
Global warming	54.6%	32.8%	12.6%
WMD	15.9%	55.7%	28.4%
Weapons of mass destruction	11.5%	73.6%	14.9%
Cash for clunkers	16.7%	83.3%	0%

Your results may vary.

Eric's back

Great taste, less filling.

Back from hiatus, it's the new and improved Fire Ant Gazette. Check it out.

Oh those local blogs!

Visits to this site dropped off this past week, and I'm wondering if it might be due to all the exiting action up town. (It's old news now, Jessica's Well taking the Midland Development Corporation to task over the MDC's decision to award two million bucks to a company for a parking garage.)

Granted, it's a pretty big deal, and observers may be wondering why the complainers are doing nothing but complain about it. What else could they do? Initiatives and referenda are authorized by the City Charter -- see Article VII, and why should Californians have all the fun? It takes a committee of five plus signatures on petitions of at least 10% of the qualified voters, which comes to a little more than 7,000 signatures needed.

Aside:  I don't mean any insult by this, but I just can't stop smiling at the image of a petition table manned with people with bags over their heads.

And one more tiny bit of irreverence. The other day we had the opportunity to observe the remarkable spectacle of a newspaper man planting a big wet compliment on Jessica's Well. It's enough to make one speculate that there may be a job offer pending between them. But to show just how far out of the loop I am, I didn't even know Jessica's Well was hiring.

Typepad comments not working

The commenting feature of blogs has to be one of the main reasons why blogs have become so popular. So when it's not working it sure is missed.

Beginning sometime in the past day or so Typepad's comments stopped working, and unfortunately, the commenter doesn't realize it until he/she tries to save the comment. Bummer.

Typepad provides a good service, and the staff has always done a great job. So hopefully they will get the comment feature back up and running soon.

In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has tried to leave a comment, and sorry for inconvenience.

Where's the world's wealth?

WorldMapper.org is a very enlightening website which has on display several cartograms -- maps with the land mass adjusted to exhibit the comparative size of various things.

The one you see here is titled Wealth 2002 with the borders adjusted to show purchasing power as of 2002. Little wonder that the U.S. is considered such a juicy target by so many within and without the country.

Wealth Growth and Wealth Decline are equally enlightening. Via a post in Discovering Biology displaying a worldwide rabies distribution map.

Happy Birthday Typepad

The blogging service Typepad is celebrating its 5th birthday this year. As one of the early users I can say they have served me quite well over the years. Oh, there have been some problems here and there, but they've been quick to find solutions, and people answering the "help" questions have indeed been helpful.

There's still one little problem, though. They used to have a "search" button which allowed subscribers to search for keywords in prior posts. Well, it's gone. I may be one of the few who noticed, but with over a thousand posts at Sleepless in Midland there's often a need to link to or update an old post. The last time I asked about it they replied that they are working on it, so I still have hope.

That's my quibble. How about some good news. Go to their celebration page to see some success stories, including how a couple met through their blogs and got engaged.

Happy birthday, Typepad! (And please don't sell out to Microsoft or Google.)

Updated:  They brought back "search!"  Thanks, Typepad!  You guys/gals are terrific!

Surfing the web on a Sunday afternoon

A couple of cool sites:

The food pornographer -  Take a look at this site just before a meal if you really want to kick start your appetite. Her "about" page says she lives in Perth, Australia, and while she's not a professional photographer, "She takes her camera everywhere with her. Her workmates have grown accustomed to their lunches being photographed." Via A Welsh View.

Spill.com - A movie review site, via Crimlaw who sums it up thusly: "I just wasted over an hour of my life watching raunchy, animated movie reviews on this website. It's hilarious. Not work friendly. Not family friendly. Just fun." Agreed.

Blog readability

Just how smart does someone have to be to read this blog?  Not very.  No advanced education required here.

Check your blog's readability level.  Link.

Via Volokh.

The Big Gold Dog gone but not forgotten

I'm a little late arriving to this wake, but there's been a bit of attention paid recently to the death of Wallace Craig's dog, that's Wallace of Streams.  The loss of a pet is such a terrible thing to endure, and for some people it probably rivals the loss of human loved one.

A dog can give the unconditional love that even one's mother probably couldn't give.  So when a loyal pet passes on it can be gut wrenching.

I attended a session today in which a speaker talked about the standard end of life documents, the health care power of attorney, the physicians directive, etc.  And in thinking about some of those things I began worrying about what would happen to my dog if I died.

He's not a youngster, but he's got a few more years left in him.  He's a great pet, but it might be hard to place a nine year old dog in another home.  And it's possible that my own death could mean a death sentence for the dog.  Goodness, that's depressing.

Hmmm, maybe I should make a provision in my will to leave a few bucks to a "no kill" shelter on condition they take him in.  It's worth a try.

Lookee who's back!

After a long absence Jessica's Well has returned to the scene.  Welcome back!

Local Blogger to Blog One Day for Charity

Eric at The Fire Ant Gazette has requested that the other local bloggers help in bringing as much attention as possible to his participation in a fund raising event described as a blogathon in which he has agreed to write in his blog once every half hour for 24 hours beginning at 8 a.m. on August 6.  The hoped for result is that people will be so moved as to donate money to his charity of choice, Midland Fair Havens.  For a more details about of his charity work go here.

A Fatwah against a Blogger

Gullyblog writes in Resistance is Futile that a fatwah was issued against a fellow blogger, AnarchAngel.

Technically, a "fatwah" is issued by an Islamic scholar or religious lawyer -- see definition of "fatwah" here --  but let's not get overly technical.  What seems to have happened is the FBI has contacted AnarchAngel about a possible threat against him.  AnarchAngel tells all about it in Fatwah.

So why would anyone want to threaten AnarchAngle?  See for yourself at Team Infidel where a viewer can see MPG clips of a Koran being shot full of bullet holes along with other things done to a copy of the Koran that would likely get screaming headlines in the New York Times had they occurred at Gitmo.

In "This guy does HORRIBLE things to the Koran" AnarchAngel explains why he did it:

Actually, I've recived surprisingly little negative reaction to it. Almost disappointing really, because I know how most of us freedom and gun lovers who read me every day feel about that stuff, so I'm preaching to the choir as it were. I got a lot of GREAT negatives on some of my other controversial essays, like "Homophobia is Offensive". Great negatives means your message is getting out beyond your social mirror, and into the hostile intellectual world out there.

I want to see your negatives people. I want you to THINK about WHY we did this.

Careful what you wish for, AnarchAngel.

But, AnarchAngel probably doesn't have anything to worry about.  While his actions may have been a bit more overt than simply writing a book critical of Islam like Salman Rushdie or even the harsher criticisms of Theo Van Gogh, Islamic radicals will probably steer clear of him.  Their modus operandi is to make a surprise attack against people who aren't in a position to easily defend themselves.

And that's what sets AnarchAngel apart.  He's ready.  And he's armed to the teeth!

Deepest, Darkest Secrets, For All to Read

There are weblogs for all sorts for reasons.  And here's one that serves as an outlet for people with secrets they need to share.   The blog owner invites people to mail in a postcard with their secrets on them for posting.

Some are funny.  Some are sad, and some are downright disturbing.  See them at PostSecret.

(Via slapdummy.)

Carnival of Cordite #21

Attention gun enthusiasts and 2nd amendment supporters:  Carnival of Cordite #21 is up and running, and there are some fascinating articles linked there.

Blogging Midland Expats

There are a couple of blogging Midland expatriates out there who deserve some attention.  Trey Barker is a deputy sheriff in Bureau County, Illinois, who's an excellent story teller, in fact, he's an author.  And although he has just gotten started with his blog, Bullets and Whiskey, it certainly has some great potential.   His latest book, "2000 Miles to Open Road," is due out this month.

Then there's Aunti Cracker.  What can I say about Aunti Cracker?  Perhaps I should just let her speak for herself:  "Aunti is a politically incorrect psychopath and Midlander stuck in Liberal Land."  Be sure to let us know when the Oregon turns into a red state, Aunti C.

Too bad they had to move away, but how are you gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?

Freakonomics, the blog

Although I haven't yet read Freakonomics, I'm riveted to the tv every time the author, Steven D. Levitt, makes an appearance.  His research has bought to light some information and theories that just aren't available elsewhere; the economics of drug dealing gangs, for example.

What a thrill it was to learn that he and co-author Stephen J. Dubner have a Freakonomics blog.

It's a fun site in which to browse around.  And it's not all economics.  The little bits of gossip, such as speculation that Al Franken has taken up residence in Minnesota in anticipation of a run for senate, make for juicy reading.

Texas Blogfests

There's an Alamo City Blogfest taking place in San Antonio this June 25.  And replies to my inquiries about it resulted in news about another -- possibly rowdier -- Hill Country Blogfest that will take place in New Braunfels that whole weekend.

Thanks to Christina at Feisty Repartee, who today is blogging about swimwear, and Jerry at Confabulation, who today is blogging about his his bucket garden, for all the info.  I almost made plans to go to one in San Antonio, but as it turns out, I won't be able to make either of them.  Maybe next year.

In the meantime, some local bloggers had a blogfest of their own.  See a photo at Streams.   (What?  No pocket protectors?  No green eyeshades?  No pajamas?)

Navel Gazing for Bloggers

Here's an interesting question for bloggers to ponder:  Who knows you better, the people who read your blog?  Or the people who know you in the physical world?  [Found at Pull My Finger.]

And at the same site, the The Blogger Lifecycle:

1. "Start reading blogs."
2. "You start a blog."
3. "You become a stats whore."
4."You become really personal on your site as the online and real-life worlds start confusing you."
5."You faux "retire" from blogging."
6. "You cave back into blogging in less than 72 hours."
7. "You decide to "get serious" about blogging."
8. "You have a pseudo flirty im/blogging/flickr flirting relationship with another blogger whom you have never met."
9. "You decide that you must meet other bloggers."
10. "You take a step back and metablog about blogging and what blogging has done about your blogging."
11. "See step 5."
12."You decide that as a result of step 10 and having repeated step 5 more than 3 times in the course of your lifecycle as a blogger, that you need to sanitize or reinvent your blog."
13. "You either lose your job because of blogging, are afraid of losing your job for blogging, or join a company that builds blogging tools."
14. "You decide to start an anonymous livejournal blog."

Carnival of Skeptics

Just discovered.  However, it appears that there have been nine of these already.  And The 10th Skeptics' Circle is up for viewing.

Is your website gay?

Someone left a comment deep in the archives that said this:

This is gay!!!!  What kind of a site is this?????  U need games and music!!

Gee.  I thought this was a hetero site, but I had better check.  Turns out it's 20% gay.  I checked out a few other blogs to see where they stood, and the results were even more interesting (tee hee).  Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Check out your favorite website at How Gay is Your Website?

A Journalists' Shield Law in Texas - What About Bloggers?

Rodney Ellis of Houston has sponsored a bill in the Texas Senate that will create a privilege for "journalists" in the event they are called upon to testify.  Senate Bill no. 604 has gotten out of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee with some changes, and it basically says that a journalist doesn't have to testify about any information he/she got while acting as a journalist.

But there are a couple of exceptions.  First, a journalist will have to testify if the person who wants that testimony can prove that the testimony is relevant, material and essential to his/her claim or defense.  In other words, a journalist must testify if the person who wants that testimony can prove that it's necessary to make the case.  The original version said that the party wanting the testimony also had to prove that the information could not be obtained through alternate sources, but that line was eliminated by the Jurisprudence Committee over Rodney Ellis' objection.

And there's another very important common sense exception.  If the journalist is an eyewitness or if he/she participates in the crime or tortious conduct then the privileged goes out the window.

The new version doesn't sound all that bad for either side, however the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, as of April 16, still opposed it.

But there's another group out there that doesn't get attention.  A question for the Texas blogosphere is whether bloggers are covered.  Should bloggers be covered?  There are those who say "no."  In an article by Josh Gerstein in the NY Sun, there's this:

An attorney for the Texas Broadcasters' Association, Paul Watler, said he doesn't see bloggers posing much of an obstacle to press shield laws. "You can look at the function journalists fulfill and distinguish it from what a blogger does," he said.

Mr. Watler pointed out that most bloggers comment on facts reported by others. "I think there's a distinction in how they go about gathering information," he said.  [Emphasis added.]

Mr. Watler seems to be saying that bloggers don't need to be covered, and it is hard to imagine a case in which a blogger would be called upon to testify about comments the blogger made about facts reported by others.  But "most" is not synonymous with "all."  There are blog that actually do collect and report original material, and you are reading one of those blogs right now.

It's going to be up to judicial discretion whether a blogger would qualify for the privilege under the proposed law, because any blogger who wants to claim the privilege will have to be able to convince a judge that he/she is a "journalist" working on behalf of a "news medium" as those terms are defined by the pending statute:

"Journalist" means a person, or an employee, independent contractor, or agent of that person, engaged in the business of gathering, compiling, writing, editing, photographing, recording, or processing information for dissemination by any news medium.

"News medium" means a person who in the ordinary course of business publishes, broadcasts, or otherwise disseminates news by print, television, radio, or other electronic means accessible to the public.

It would be hard for most bloggers to meet the definition of "news medium" because, for whatever reason we might have for doing it, it probably isn't a "business."  Main stream media is carving out a privilege for themselves.  And they want to be the exclusive beneficiary of that privilege.  Jonah Goldberg, addressing the jailing of the reporters in the case of the outed CIA employee, Valerie Plame, summed it up nicely:

What's particularly ironic is that the big-media lawyers fear the courts will allow a blanket shield for journalists because there's no way to exclude one-man-band web journalists — bloggers — from the new right. And what's the point of giving the nobility a new privilege if any peasant can take advantage of it, too?

By lobbying for legislation which would make it tough for a blogger to claim the privilege then main stream media are acting very elitist.

Surviving life

You can read a blog for a period of time and begin to feel as though you know the person at that keyboard.  And, though I've never met the author of Yellow Bug News, I can tell that  she must be a very kind and likeable person.

So, last week she began writing about an upcoming medical procedure.  It turned out to be a colonoscopy.  And, according to her telling of the event, it went well.  That's great news, and I for one, am grateful that she'll be around for a while longer.

Sooner or later we all end up admitted as a customer into the medical industry for a determination of whether we've got cancer.  Big business, those biopsies.  Men are especially susceptible due to the inaccuracy of those darn PSA tests they keep telling us we need.   And, when the bills come it we tend to wonder, did I just get snookered?  Remove your wallet and bend over.

And, there's the emotional cost.  There was a Woody Allen movie - one of the older, funny ones - in which he becomes convinced that he has cancer.  He goes in for a test, and he turns out to be cancer free.  But, then a strange thing happens.  He gets very depressed about it.  It was funny at the time, but I believe it's a real and common phenomenon.

A person who is told he/she needs a biopsy can convince him/herself that nothing's wrong, almost.  There's that tiny little voice way back there in the brain saying "Don't get too comfortable.  If you're wrong, it can kill ya."

So, when the news comes back good, the desire to celebrate is mysteriously absent.  I suspect that the whole affair causes a person to feel very vulnerable.  We had worked up a great deal of  anticipation and dread.   And when we get the good news we realize that there will be no battles to fight, no enemies to conquer.  But, the joy is fleeting. Athough our life won't change that day, we are still so very small and helpless.  Perhaps the battle has just been postponed until another day.

What am I saying?  How depressing!  If you've read this far and haven't yet done a Hunter S. Thompson number, then don't.  There are too many good things to look forward to.  And, while I know I won't live forever, I want to relish the time I've got.  And, Julie at Yellow Bug, congratulations on the successful completion of the procedure.  May you have many years of happiness left in you.

Blogging and Texas Bloggers

Here's something that might be of interest to Texas bloggers,  Texas Blogfest 2005 to be held in Addison, Texas, on March 18-20.  It might be enlightening just to see what other bloggers look like.  I've never actually seen another blogger face to face  - do they really wear pajamas?  Found out about this at Stuff About, a blog coming out of Port Lavaca, Tx.

Also of note, Wallace at Streams has alerted the other local bloggers about Texas Bloggers which looks to be a blog collective with postings by any approved Texas blogger who wishes to have input.  In top form it could be something like the Corner with lots of insightful people keeping it current.

Finally, an article about blogs in the print edition of the Wall Street Journal last week described a conclave at Harvard which was to address such issues as whether there should be a code of ethics for bloggers.  Dang.  Don't you know there are people who just can't have fun unless they are enforcing rules against someone else.  The blogosphere is a freewheeling information playground where originality and honesty should be the goal, and everyone is a referee.  The academic elitists should just start their own darn blogs and leave the rest of us alone.

However, the part of the article that got my attention was a couple of stats the writer threw out.  She said that "at last count, an estimated eight million people in the U.S. are doing so," i.e., publishing blogs.  Then she says "the number of Americans reading blogs jumped 58% in 2004 to an estimated 32 million people...".  So, if that's accurate, and assuming that the 8 million bloggers are included among the 32 million readers, then there is one blog for every three non-blogging readers.

Gulp!  To the three who might be reading this blog, thanks for visiting.  Please come back soon!

Firefox browser

Eric over at Fire Ant Gazette points out that the new Firefox browser now accounts for 20% of browser usage.  The browser hasn't been available for very long, so that means that internet users must have really been hungry a change.

Until recently I used Netscape 7.2 browser, but I've been using Firefox for a week or so.  And, it's pretty good.  In some ways it's better than the Netscape browser, and in some ways it's not as good.  I understand the Firefox browser uses the same Mozilla engine as Netscape, and that should explain why the appearance is so similar.

The Netscape browser would develop a bug that wouldn't let me fully utilize the Yahoo mail site, so every few months I had to redownload Netscape and reinstall it to exterminate that bug.  So far, the Firefox browser hasn't developed that problem.  Here's hoping it won't.

The Netscape browser has a better integration with the email program.  The Firefox doesn't have an email program built in, but the Firefox user can use one of his/her old email programs or download Thunderbird from the Firefox site.  I've been using the Thunderbird email program, and it has some features that I haven't quite worked out yet.  For example, if I click on a link someone sent me then an old generation Netscape browser that's still on my computer tries to open.  Both the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email program allow the user to download "extensions" that supposedly help.  But, so far I haven't found one that helps my problem.

I haven't used a Microsoft browser in a long time, so I really can't compare them.  And, the Firefox browser is very similar to the Netscape browser.  But, Firefox is worth trying out.  It's free, and it's a seamless transition, mostly.  This may seem like a luke warm recommendation, but if you haven't tried it yet then give it a whirl.

Saving lives - all in a day's work over at GruntDoc's

One of my regular internet visits is the weblog of an emergency room physician working in Fort Worth.  He tells a simple story of a guy who came in with chest pains.  Excerpt:

As the interpreter is going back through the complaint, allergies, etc., I'm scanning the most recent admission history, and realize this was my patient three weeks ago. Not just that, this patient required CPR twice while in the ED, and I spent about an hour at the bedside then, working hard to keep him alive. No wonder he looked a little familiar.

It's a touching story, and short, too.  Check it out at GruntDoc.

Should you be so inclined, be sure to vote for GruntDoc for "Best Medical Blog" at Echo Journal.

Update:  if the permalink above for GruntDoc doesn't work, just go to the GruntDoc main page and scroll down to "Doctor, I'm having chest pain...".

MSN weblogs: Spaces

Microsoft has entered the blogging business with the introduction of Spaces.  Anyone who wants to accept the Microsoft's terms of use can start his/her own blog, and to see some of those blogs simply click on the link and then click one of the links under "New spaces" or "Updated spaces" where you can reach new blogs such as Welcome In Hell or The Law School Technology Space, to select two at random.

But, scroll down to the bottom of any of those blogs and you'll see something interesting and familiar.  Alerted to this issue by Boing Boing, a visitor to any of the Spaces blogs will see the following:

©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.   Terms Of Use MSN Privacy Statement GetNetWise Anti-Spam Policy

So, Microsoft is copyrighting anything you put on a Spaces blog.  Surely they are simply copyrighting the technology and not the users' content.  Well, the Terms Of Use certainly don't make such a distinction.

All contents of the MSN Web Sites [previously defined in the agreement as "any Web site or Web page operated by Microsoft"] are Copyright © 2004 Microsoft Corporation and/or its suppliers, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399 U.S.A. All rights reserved.  Bracketed remarks added.

Golly, Mr. Gates, don't you have enough stuff already without claiming the rights to whatever writings or photos these unwitting bloggers put up?

But wait, there's more.  See paragraph 4.

You will not use the MSN Web Sites in any way that is unlawful, or harms Microsoft, its affiliates, resellers, distributors, service providers and/or suppliers (each, a "Microsoft Party" and collectively, the "Microsoft Parties") or any customer of a Microsoft Party, as determined in Microsoft's sole discretion. Microsoft may tell you about certain specific harmful uses in a code of conduct or other notices available through a MSN Web Site, but has no obligation to do so.

Since this post that you are now reading is not friendly to Microsoft, and enough people read it, then Microsoft could construe the text as harmful to Microsoft.   And, if this blog used Spaces, then Microsoft could delete it or modify it.  See paragraph 6.

For materials you post or otherwise provide to Microsoft related to the MSN Web Sites (a "Submission"), you grant Microsoft permission to (1) use, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate and reformat your Submission, each in connection with the MSN Web Sites, and (2) sublicense these rights, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Microsoft will not pay you for your Submission. Microsoft may remove your Submission at any time. For each Submission, you represent that you have all rights necessary for you to make the grants in this section. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Microsoft may monitor your e-mail, or other electronic communications and may disclose such information in the event it has a good faith reason to believe it is necessary for purposes of ensuring your compliance with this Agreement, and protecting the rights, property, and interests of the Microsoft Parties or any customer of a Microsoft Party.

Heck, they could do all of that under the agreement even if it wasn't harmful to Microsoft.  And, in the event they liked it and thought it was worth something, they could sell it without giving the author a thin dime.

I suspect that many users will simply click an acceptance of the terms without reading the agreement.  After all, it's long, and if you want the service, it's not optional.  Besides, there are always more pressing things to do, like attending protests of the Patriot Act.

Then there's always a venue clause.  Suppose a user wanted to litigate this agreement.   It's off to King County, Washington you go.  Take your check book.  And send a postcard when you get a ruling.

For me, I'm still a huge fan of Typepad.  It costs a nominal fee, but it's a small price to pay for what they provide.  Speaking of Typepad, here's a Typepad site containing comments from some Spaces users:   The Social Customer Manifesto.

Real Men Cooking Real Food Outdoors

Yummmm!  Check out this meatfest at Hog On Ice.

Blog Turns One Year Old Today!

Today marks the one year birthday of Sleepless in Midland. And, it's been a fantastic blogging year.

This blog had been a mere idea for years, hampered by some technical issues, but when Typepad came along there was no excuse for delay. Sleepless in Midland began on September 1, 2003, and it initially dealt with some issues involving a local recreational club. But those issues soon resolved themselves.

And, in the early days the hits to the website were so few that I didn't want to pull up the page myself because my own hits would skew the totals. But, eventually that period passed.

The first entry that got some major attention from search engine searches was one titled Bear killed with .40 caliber handgun - Alaska. There had been an AP article in the local newspaper about an incident in which two people had been killed in Alaska by bears, and upon arriving at the scene park rangers were attacked by the same bears. One of the rangers drew his service pistol and dispatched one of the bears. Well, the article lacked some very crucial information, i.e., the caliber and make of the handgun. So, I phoned the ranger station in Alaska and found out that it was a Glock .40 caliber handgun.

That post accomplished two things. It dispelled the notion that bloggers don't do any original reporting. And it confirmed that blogs can fill in the blanks left by main stream media quite nicely.

Former Midlander, David Smith, was Joe Millionaire 2, and I wrote a few items about that excellent tv show. Unfortunately, David Smith is still riding the rodeo circuit and has not yet made it into big time entertainment. But, "The Next Joe Millionaire, an International Affair," was shown on British tv in August, and it was a huge hit there. Don't believe me? Just take a glance at the comments left at David Smith, Joe Millionaire 2 - Post Show Update. I was preoccupied during the month of August and didn't have an opportunity to do much blogging. But, it seemed that the site was getting a steadily increasing flow of hits due to our British friends checking in to see how the series ended. Lesson learned: stop writing, get more hits.

Then there was filming of "Friday Night Lights" last Spring in Odessa. Hot dang! What a blast! Once again, this blog was doing what no one else was doing at the time and that was to provide first hand reports, with photographs, of the making of the movie. And, what fun it was! In case you missed it, click the "Friday Night Lights" hyperlink. Thanks to Teressa McMahan for a lot of hard work on that.

Don't forget the water wars. Folks in far west Texas were in an uproar over a proposal to lease the water rights under Texas state land. But, there was no news of that locally - odd given that many of the partners of Rio Nuevo, Ltd., were residents of Midland. And, my entry of November 17, 2003, titled Selling West Texas' Water (1) helped to remedy that lack of information.

Well, it's back to the grindstone here at the Sleepless in Midland sweat shop. There's no money in it for me, but that's all right. It might be cute to say "all work and no pay makes for a dull blog," but it sure is nice not to be beholden to anyone but the voices in my head. So, thanks for visiting. And I hope you come back soon.

Oh yeah, one more thing. For you score keepers out there, the Typepad stats for this blog say that as of 2:29 PM CDT today it has received 73,226 total page views since its inception.