An emptier inbox

The article at

http://lifehacker.com/software/top/geek-to-live--empty-your-inbox-with-the-trusted-trio-182318.php
describes a way to organize your e-mail very simply. It uses just three folders, which have action-oriented names: Action, Hold, and Archive.

Anything you would normally keep goes into Archive when it is done, and you rely on the searchability of the folder plus the fact that it is sorted by date to let you find what you need. This idea has a lot of merit. I'm wondering whether I can bear to dismantle my 20-odd folders and give it a try.

How will you protest Studio 60's cancellation?

I found out today that one of my favorite TV shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, has been cancelled. Here's an article about the cancellation:

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070217/LIFE/702170302/1005

There are a number of episodes remaining which have already been made, but which might never be shown.

How will you protest this travesty? I'm planning to come to work naked all next week. But I'm hoping that sending an e-mail to NBC might have some small effect. You can do that here:

http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/?__status=1

I love this show for its energetic characters and their intertwined sagas. Yeah, it may not be the best Sorkin production ever, but it's good stuff. Are we doomed to a Sports Night replay here? I was just thinking about how this show is one whose subject Sorkin knows really well.

As a result of this I got to read some interesting criticism of the show, and I may read more. But I remain captivated by the storytelling and the character's relentlessly witty dialogue.

Texas Juggling Society's 14th Juggling Festival: wow

In heavy rotation in my personal list of anecdotes right now is a description of Mark Faje's bowling ball trick which he performed at the public show on Saturday night during this past weekend's juggling festival.

Mark did a number of great tricks; I can't believe all the danger he packed into about 5 minutes. But the one I can't stop talking about is when he put a 13 pound bowling ball on a pedestal, stuck steak knives in the holes so that it looked like the head of a jungle savage with feathers sprouting from the top, and then threw it in the air and caught it on his face.

Somehow he managed to keep it from rotating in the air, and he matched speeds with it, and balanced it on the side of his face. This'd be an amazing trick with any solid ball, much less a skull crushing 13 pounder. The knives take it over the top into surreal.

I love the festival, I always have a great time. And I'm always amazed by how much fun it is to just hang out in a big gym with a bunch of other jugglers, in an unstructured fashion, and wander up to people and ask them how they do things. I only went to one formal workshop, and that was the only formal activity I participated in. Oh, one other thing I did this year that was new was go to the twilight fire juggling. We juggled fire in front of the UT Tower, which was pretty keen. I brought my fire devil stick as well as my torches. It turns out that all you have to do to do a show like this is pay a UT fire marshal to oversee things and make sure you aren't being a pyromaniac.

I'm actually excited about the Father-Daughter dance

Chloe is seven years old now. She's in Brownies. They're going to have a father-daughter dance in March and I'm actually excited about it. Although the flyer said there was going to be line dancing, and there's a country-western theme, so the actual dancing is suddenly a little daunting. Luckily she's not old enough to care how I dance. More importantly, she's small enough to want to go to something like this.

A nice take on the role of the super hero from Cory Doctorow

I've been reading a few of Cory Doctorow's short stories lately, since he's been so kind as to offer them for free download.

I'm feeling that familiar chagrin of an idea I wish I'd had first, when reading his story "The Super Man and the Bugout." He takes an interesting tack with the idea of Superman.

In his notes about the story he mentions that the idea came from supposing a more Jewish and more Canadian superman:

"a superhero story that asks what would have happened if Kal-el had landed in suburban Toronto and been raised by an old Jewish couple."

His superman wrestles with his social conscience and his role in the world. Neat stuff. Also notable because on top of this idea is the idea of a hero becoming irrelevant in a world where aliens show up with all the answers.

The story is available at

http://www.craphound.com/place/Cory_Doctorow_-_The_Super_Man_and_Bugout.txt

Our fishy friends have nothing to fear from me

Dear weblog,
I enclose this picture of me and a friend, taken 9/9/06.
They say the camera adds pounds. Apparently it has the opposite effect on our piscian citizens.

A mosaic of Aarons

I recommend: _Girl in Landscape_ by Jonathan Lethe

I enjoyed this book, which focused on the alienation of a girl whose mom dies and who travels to an alien planet. The alien planet is rather gentle, the inhabitants are inoffensive....it's the humans who are dangerous. Elements like the giraffe-like "household deer", tiny creatures who climb walls and tend to hide in shadows are charming. There's also a theme of sexual awakening, but handled rather well, I thought. I mean, there's some scary stuff here -- a tough older guy and a young girl...but emotionally the girl holds her own.

Nicknames I've Used For My Son

In my own mind, I'm this stoic, dignified person who would never use sappy pet names for my loved ones. Certainly I've never succumbed to the temptation to call my wife snookums.

Nonetheless, here are the names I've called my son so far:

• Scooby-doo
• Scooby
• Booby-scoo
• Boo
• Bug
• Buddy
• Bud
  

By the time he's 20 I'll be calling him Irene and he'll be subsidizing my therapy.