The Inflatable Soapbox

I’m enjoying this new site so much! Cre8Buzz! is a friendly network of talented people trying to spread the word of their projects while making friends and contacts. Because of the ranking system, and the communities, it is easy to quickly find talented people in many fields. Two things I noticed immediately: the warm welcome from the community and the lack of css themes. Both may be attributable to the relatively small size of the user group.

The Buzz, as some users call it, just launched recently. Many users keep the default theme, which is clean and functional. Some try using Myspace themes with predictably horrendous results. Some members use themes from khenny of Quartz Mountain Communications, a California-based web design studio. His themes are very good but limited in number. As some of you may know, I love to play with themes, changing them to suit my mood. So I’ve started saving them to themes.timbury.net where they are available to all. While the site is not “live” yet, the themes can be accessed now. I hope to get the site built up soon, with a snappier look and an upload facility so everyone can share. As always, feedback is welcome.

So come join in the fun, sign up on Cre8Buzz! and use my themes or create your own. Stop by my page and give a shout out to my friends Antman, RealWorldMom and piper of love. They all have great profiles and links to some really slamming blogs of their own. Peace.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Messenger primed for Mercury pass

This is exciting! I remember watching the Apollo missions as a kid. When the Eagle landed in July of 1969, one month prior to my ninth birthday, I could hardly contain myself. I remember watching the (mostly) men in the control room cheering and shaking hands. I felt joined to them, a part of that great achievement. We had done that; humans had left Earth, gone to another world, and were to return home. It fueled an already stong interest in science, math and engineering that I still enjoy today.

Now, I wonder how much more I’ll see in this life. The rapid pace of technological advances seems driven more by consumer demand for sleek gadgets (which, I confess, I’m not immune to), instant and constant communication, and undoubtedly, porn. I wonder where the space program would be if we could increase it’s funding by half of the total dollars spent on Pro football, cell phones and porn ads? After all, space exploration might be what saves our species from destruction. But, even if we don’t survive the next asteroid collision, at least the NY Giants won today.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: Mercury, space, Messenger, science, nature, BBC

Introducing the first Android prototype – USATODAY.com

A post on Mashable brought this to my attention. It should be no surprise that a CA Linux startup, A La Mobile, is the first to offer a suite of apps based on Android, Google’s mobile platform. Let’s hope open source can play an increasingly important role in the mobile and handheld scene. I’m interested to see what Android looks like. Googleis pushing hard to become the backbone of all our connectivity; I’m suspicious of their methods. The licensing issues in Android are fuzzy. Based on the Linux 2.6 kernel and other code released under various open source licenses, Android can never be “nailed down tight”, a condition Morgan Gillis claims is necessary for adoption by handset makers.

What we need next is clear to me: an open source hardware platform for mobile devices. The PC was open sourced by IBM in the 80’s, allowing other manufacturers, large and small, to offer competing designs. This was the single biggest factor in the success of the technology. Now, one of these mobile hardware companies with deep pockets needs to step up and release a design spec that can be developed openly.

Why can’t I purchase or build my own mobile device and choose my own OS and applications, select a carrier and enjoy communicating my way? Why do the carriers and handset makers dictate what my mobile communication experience will be? Wait a minute, I have an idea for a new project!

Blogged with Flock

Tags: Android, mobile, Linux, open source, A La Mobile

I’ve only been on Twitter about one month. In that time, it has impressed me greatly with it’s potential for building relationships in such a simple way. I didn’t know Ashley but, as John Donne observed:

No man is an island… Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

The world is filled with pain and it’s easy to turn away. But we don’t have to solve all the problems to make a difference. If you’ll allow me one more quote, it’s so eloquently expressed by Loren Eisley in The Starfish Story:

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”

Ashley Spencer Memorial Fund(click for more info)

You can make a difference. Give if you can.
Spread the word.
It works if we all stick together. Peace.

Technorati Profile

This is a test post to link to technorati.

Edit: It hasn’t worked yet. After embedding the code from technorati in this post, I clicked “release the spiders” (what a horrid metaphor). In less than a minute, a message informed me “we can’t connect to your blog. Try again later.” I’ve tried several times over the last few hours. I sent a message for support. I wonder how long this will take.

Edit: Almost resolved. Must now wait for thumbnail to update, but should be alright. See comments for details. Thanks Janice and technorati.