A week ago, I said that my technical blog somehow comes up as #1 technical blog on Google.

Several people pointed out that in my screenshot, I was logged in to Google. As you can see if you click on this screenshot, I can reproduce this result even when I’m not signed in.

I’m still confounded by that ranking. My content is good, but largely un­re­mark­able—though I’m unduly fond of A Use for Octal; my style is un­der­stat­ed; my traffic is un­con­gest­ed; and my top billing is undeserved.

But none of the technical blogs listed on that first page are of the first order, except Mark Russi­novich‘s.

If I thought it made sense, I’d be flattered. Alas, I …continue.

My formerly trusty Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 camera went berserk one night in September. The zoom lens wedged open and nothing I did would persuade it to retract into the case or take more photos. The zoom had grown a little tem­per­me­n­tal in the preceding month, but I didn’t expect cat­a­stroph­ic failure.

The other hardware failure was far more upsetting.

From Christmas until August, I ripped most of our CD collection with Exact Audio Copy to FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec). Since FLAC is lossless and open source, I figured I’d never need to rip the CDs again. I also wrote a Python script to convert the FLACs to MP3s with LAME, since MP3s …continue.

Via Amer­i­ca­Blog, I see that Kos is ridiculing Nader and his diehard supporters.

I was mildly sym­pa­thet­ic to Nader in 2000, though I em­phat­i­cal­ly disagreed with him that Gore and Bush were Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Eric Alterman argues that Nader cost Gore the election.

I was pissed when Nader ran in 2004, after going dark for three years. He had built up a big movement in 2000. Nearly three million people voted for him. If he was remotely serious about the issues he was cam­paign­ing on in 2000, he would have done something in 2001–2003. God knows there was plenty of things that needed fighting. He could have made a difference. But he didn’t. He didn’t do …continue.

Almost two years ago, I read Quick­sil­ver, the first volume of Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle. It wasn’t until two months ago, that I read The Confusion and The System of the World, the second and third volumes. By then it was clear that I had forgotten much of the first book, so I re-read it.

The books are suf­fi­cient­ly in­ter­twined that it would have been better had I read all three in quick succession, rather than leaving such a long interval.

Quick­sil­ver stands up well to re-reading. Plot points …continue.

I mentioned the other day there were to be protest marches all over the country today against Propo­si­tion 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment that passed last week in California.

Thousands marched in Seattle, from Volunteer Park to Westlake Center. The P-I and the Seattle Times say 3,000. The Stranger says 6,000. I was one of them. It was a lot. Westlake was jammed.

The crowd was in good spirits. Pissed off at the votes in California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas, but determined to keep on fighting. Certain that time and right are …continue.

I’ve slowly been working my way through Shake­speare’s Kings (rec­om­mend­ed), so when I realized that Henry IV was playing at the Seattle Shake­speare Company, I decided to go. It’s an adaptation of Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2.

Henry IV usurped the crown from his cousin Richard II. The crown sits uneasily upon his head, rebellion is brewing, and his heir, Prince Hal (the future Henry V), is a wastrel who carouses with thieves like the fat rogue Falstaff. Hal, Falstaff, Henry IV, and Harry Hotspur (the rebel leader) are the central characters in this play. Hal’s dis­so­lu­tion is compared un­fa­vor­ably to Hotspur’s chivalry. He must redeem himself in his …continue.

Emma and I moved in together in August 1998, and promptly started a tradition that we’ve maintained ever since: Games Night. On the second and fourth Thursday evening of every month, we invite our friends over to play board games.

For us, it’s a low-effort way to stay in touch with our friends, and for our friends to see each other. Some people are regulars and make it almost every time. Others we see once or twice a year at Games Night, if that. Games are the excuse, but many people come by to chat.

We provide a space and a pre­dictable time. We have drinks on hand and often a snack. Our guests will …continue.

Angry about the passage of Propo­si­tion 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment in California, and other anti-gay measures in Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas?

A nationwide protest is planned for 10:30am PST on Saturday, November 15th. The Seattle protest starts at Volunteer Park. Fes­tiv­i­ties begin at 10:30, the rally begins at noon, then we’ll march down to Westlake, concluding with a rally there at 2:00.

The Stranger has more background.

I’ll be there. Will you?

In the meantime, watch two moving videos from Keith Olbermann and Sam Harris.

A friend whom I haven’t heard from in a few years googled for technical blog this evening, and my technical blog somehow came up as the very first hit!

I have no idea how I achieved such high page rank, nor how I eclipsed Mark Russi­novich.

I’m the Secretary/Webmaster of Freely Speaking Toast­mas­ters, a club whose membership is primarily LGBT, but is open to all. We were chartered in September 1988. I joined in 2004, after I left Microsoft and hence Microsoft Toast­mas­ters.

We’re so proud of being 20 years old that we’ve celebrated twice! We had a brunch for the current membership back in September, and tonight we had a party for current, former, and would-be members.

Not a huge turnout, but a lot of fun. Many of us spoke about what had drawn us to FSTM and what set it apart from other clubs for us.

I’ve been a member (and officer) of three Toast­mas­ters clubs, FSTM, Microsoft …continue.