Very Interesting Article

In my final blog post I would like to recommend a recent article from The Atlantic- "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", what the Internet is doing to our brains- http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google (if you haven't already read it). The author comments how the enormous amount of information available to us through the Internet and Google search is making it harder for us to stay focused in our reading. We find ourselves skimming and jumping from article to article. "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski," writes Nicholas Carr, the author. I also feel it is so easy to get lost in the labyrinth of links. You start out reading an article on one subject and end up watching a YouTube video on a completely different subject. And hours have gone by before you realize it... OK, now I've got to get off the computer to make dinner and go to my book club meeting. I still read books from cover to cover and hope that I never lose that focus.

My Thoughts on Blogging

OK, I'll be honest here. I have not been that enthusiastic about blogging- reading others' blogs or creating my own. Part of the problem is that there is just too much out there. It is very distracting to be presented with so much "information". And most of it is often not all that useful or interesting. When I do find a blog on what seems to be a promising topic, it often digresses.

For example, I started reading Amy Stewart's blog entitled "Dirt" because she is the author of Flower Confidential and I love gardening. Well, most of her recent posts are photos of oil paintings she is selling. I think this means that most people do not have that much to write about that will interest the general public.

On the other hand, I followed the blog of a friend who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and it seemed a very valuable chronicle of his treatments and experiences. More importantly, I'm sure it was helpful to him to let his friends know what he was going through by putting it in writing and to think that he might be assisting others by sharing what he had learned.

As for my own blog, I don't think I would feel comfortable putting my personal thoughts on the web so I would not use it as a diary. And I don't think I have that much expertise in any one subject so I wouldn't use a blog as a forum for my opinions or insights.

It's great if people find blogging a useful way to communicate information or their opinion- for now, I think I will spend my time learning from other sources.

Thanksgiving Podcast

Macomber Musings- Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my
COIN 63 Foothill College
Advanced Web Technologies Class

(warning- be prepared to turn down volume)

And here's Sandy

So that Sandy doesn't feel neglected, here is a post about her. As I said in my first post, she is 10 1/2 and a yellow Lab. Sometimes people don't recognize her as that because her fur is darker and redder. She is, like most Labs, sweet and docile. As she has gotten on in the years she has become a little neurotic as well. She takes clothes from my closet and brings them to our family room where she drops them on the floor! Her favorite activity is going with me on hikes and I try to oblige her several days a week- we both get a good workout.

Life with Xena

Welcome to my blog! My kids have both left home and now it is just me, my husband, Xena (the cat), and Sandy (the dog)- My Life Part IV. We love both our pets but Xena is more photogenic. Sandy is a 10 1/2 year old Yellow Lab. I will show a picture of her in my next post.

My husband calls Xena, Killer. We got her as a kitten to try to curb the gopher population around our yard. It was easier than setting gopher traps. Unfortunately, she brings us dead birds, mice, lizards and rabbits as well. When Xena is outside she is the wild huntress, but inside she transforms into an aloof, very curious kitty.