Learning to format using WordPress

I have been using WordPress for a month or two and have not found out how to put in paragraph breaks.

I consider myself tech savy, but didn’t think of using html code until I spoke to a friend for suggestions.

I guess if you use shift and then return it might work. We will try here.

I think it worked? Did it?

Pandora radio is awesome, your own radio station online

I have heard about Pandora radio for a long time (for about a year or so) but I thought it was just some weird online radio station that had lame music. Boy was I totally wrong about it.It is your own radio station online.

I decided to check it out today after watching the interview with it’s founder Tim Westergren on rocketboom. I visited the site and registered for an account and then entered my favorite artist, Pearl Jamand to my amazement it started playing a Pearl Jam song.  Westergen said that most of the music on the site is from independent artists, but so far I have heard a lot of music from my favorite big name artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Audio Slave and the Foo Fighters among others. I can’t remember if they are on independent labels or not. I know the Foo Fighters have their own label, but I am not sure about the others.Westergren also said the best way to listen is to use the thumbs down feature on music you don’t like but I have been marking the stuff I like as well. I have marked some of the stuff I didn’t like and things I didn’t mind I just didin’t do anything.

The site does have a subscription service and a free service, but with the free service you will be subject to viewing ads. Which is fine with me, it’s just like regular radio. Even with XM radio, which I paid for, I was subject to crappy ads. With Pandora you don’t hear any ads or announcers but you will see ads on the side of the page. The site is very well done and the music is not choppy or anything. I am listening to it on my MacBook Pro running Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.1) but I will try it on my PC running Windows Vista later on today, which is hooked up to a better sound system.  I am not sure if this site is blocked at some places where people work, but I am fortunate and I don’t have to deal with that garbage. I usually don’t listen to music, but I might start now. 

Fighting Sioux name and logo – soon to be history?

The University of North Dakota has been in the news lately about the “hostile and absive” nickname and logo. Personally, I don’t find it hostile or abusive to Native Americans or myself.  I have posted the logo on this page. I do like the logo, but I guess it was created by a Native American that is not a Sioux tribe member. I think the logo is very tasteful when compared to the Cincinnati Reds Logo or the Cleveland Chiefs logo which could definitely be considered inappropriate. I must admit that I am a white person and I a sports fan of UND athletics but I am very respectful of using the logo and nickname.I do think that since the Sioux tribes are opposed, the logo and name will be changed but there are going to be a lot of unhappy people. Some people will see this as a victory and others will be upset, including myself, but I will still support UND athletics regardless of the their nickname and logo.The NCAA and UND settled regarding this issue and UND has three years to get approval or retire the nickname and logo. I think that the nickname and logo will be changed sooner than in three years. Or I could be wrong and UND wait until three years from now or something else will happen, who knows but it looks like a change is inevitable.   I could go on and on about this but I won’t. I just felt like expressing my opinion on this and I am sure this is not the last time that I will address this issue.    

WordPress blogging, starting to like it

I have been using WordPress for a few months. Previously, I was using Blogger.com. I still have that account, but have transfered my posts to this account. I like that my blog postings actually show up if I tag it correctly on wordpress, but then get buried as more people add to their blogs. I have yet to have anyone comment on my blog, but oh well. I guess I don’t have to say anything that deserved a comment so far. I don’t like that wordpress.com doesn’t have a search feature, but maybe that’s okay. They want to function differently. Today is the big CNN Youtube.com debate. I won’t be able to watch it live, since I have to work, but I will try to catch some of it. I was considering uploading a video as a question but I didn’t feel like it.I really think it’s great that CNN is doing this and it is very 2007, and later on it may be part of the process, or this may just be some weird marketing ploy by CNN. Regardless, it allows people have their voices heard, regardless of what CNN does.  On CNN right now they are talking about political ads and how the editing process can make the opposing candidates look bad by just slowing down the footage or removing color, etc. I personally can’t wait until this is all over, but is it really over. As soon as they elect a new president, it will start over again and they will start talking about 2012. Therefore it’s unescapable, but at least it won’t be the only thing that the media focuses on for a short time period.I can’t believe how much CNN brags up themselves. It’s interesting to know how this is all done, but they are bragging up how great it is before it even occurs. (Well, I guess they did this once already with the Republicans) but this is more of something you would look back on and then reflect. Okay, I will quit rambling and start writing another posting.  

Parallels new beta for Leopard

I discovered a new update to Parallels today while reading my blogs using the Google reader and checking out the newest posts to Lifehacker.com not to be confused with lifehack.org which is also a great site. This beta which is something I have been waiting for since the day I got Leopard (the day it came out basically). I have just installed it and do not know exactly what the improvements are, but I know that Parallels does need a few bug fixes. A few that I know of include: Never shutting down after using the Shut Down from the Start Menu. Open at Login results in an error message, if you set Parallels to launch on the dock by selecting it to open at login. (This would be a handy feature for some people). At my work, we have a few Apple MacBook Pro laptops and the users are mostly PC users that are used to XP, but one of them has become familiar with Mac OS X. A few of them are using both, and one person does not like Mac OS X at all and continues to use XP via boot camp. I will add to my blog if there any show stoppers to this new beta. It is currently running. I am also wondering how the new Windows XP Service Pack 3 will affect this beta. I will try to break it by installing that as well.I have read that Windows XP SP3 actually improves the speed of some computers and it beats Vista SP1 for speed. I am also waiting for Vista SP1 to come out. 

Twitter useful or just plain voyeuristic and nerdy

I opened my twitter account this past year and at first I didn’t get it. Now, maybe I do, but I don’t know who would want to “follow” me. Not even my wife cares what I am doing 24 hours a day. I guess it’s a fun thing to mess with and that’s exactly what I am doing.

 For those of you don’t know what twitter is, I will try to explain, or at least tell you what I think it’s possible use might be.

Twitter is a website that allows you to post what you are doing at this very moment. Usually, for me it’s not that exciting. For example, if I were to log on to twitter right now, I could say that I am writing a blog entry about twitter and how I really don’t get it yet or at least that I am trying to understand it.

 Why I say it’s voyeuristic, is that if you were honest and wrote about what you were doing, people would be able to keep tabs on what you were doing all the time. I think that most people who use twitter use it in different ways. I am sure that a lot of teens use it to keep track of each other and that I could see as a handy tool. But for me, if someone really needs to know what I am doing, they can call me, they don’t have to go login to a website to see what I am up to at that very moment.

It is fun though to follow somebody and see what they would be doing. As Leo Laporte said it’s fun to use and check out what others are doing, step in their shoes for just a bit. But really are you stepping in their shoes or is it something else.

What if that person is lying about what they are doing and posts that on twitter. So far, I did not post anything that wasn’t true but I am sure others would.

I’m sure I could say a lot more about twitter, but I would just suggest that you check it out for yourself. If you get an account, really who’s going to know that you even have an account.

Check out Maplight.org if you care about technology and/or politics

The other day while listening to my favorite podcast, The Tech Guy featuring Leo Laporte, I heard one of his guests, aka Rick Albers (I think) Dr. Web talk about a very interesting website. The website is maplight.org and on this site, you can view where politicians get their funding from. For example, in my home state of North Dakota, check this out for Sen. Kent Conrad just click here or go to this link http://www.maplight.org/map/us/legislator/552 and it is interesting to note that most of his contributions were from attorneys or at least that’s what it appears to be from what I saw. The other interesting fact that I saw was the amounts that were contributed, for example the total amount was $4,943,245. It’s just an interesting site to check out, it’s supposed to be non-partisan and non-biased since it covers a wide spectrum of legislators, whether they are Republican, Democrat or other.There is a lot more to this site, but I think once you check it out you might find yourself a little busy viewing all the information otherwise not available at your fingertips. 

Flocking to Flock and Leopard use

One of the newer web browsers available for Mac and Windows is Flock. It is a Mozilla Firefox based web browser. Meaning, it’s like Firefox but it tracks or keeps you logged into your social websites like Myspace, Facebook, Flickr, Youtube, WordPress and others just to name a few. It even prompts you to sign up for additional sites you probably have never heard of before. Many of you, may be baffled with all the silly names of all these websites and applications as much as I am by the silliness of all this. I suppose wangojango is probably a new site that you can do something with.. Let me look first.. as of this moment, it’s not or their server is down. I assume the first thing I said is true. But watch and soon something just as silly will pop up.

For example, my co-worker and are members of Myface.com which is a knock off Myspace and Facebook. It’s really slow and I haven’t visited the site since I signed up, but now I can say I am on you Myface. There is also spacebook and myspacebook and other I am sure.

If someone can tell me how to put paragraph separations in my blog I would appreciate it. I don’t like it all smushed together. (Update, as soon as I posted this it just magically worked that way, maybe I figured it out or maybe Flock is the best for this).

I am using the new Mac OS Leopard on two machines. I put it on a MacBook Pro and a MacBook. I had issues with the MacBook when installing Bootcamp, but I think the problem is fixed. Actually, the problem occurred when I tried to install Windows XP. Maybe, my copy of Windows XP was bad.

I set up my MacBook Pro to use Time Machine and I also did a direct copy of all my files and I am going to do a complete wipe of the hard drive and start over. I have so much stuff on there, it’s probably time I start with a clean slate. It was running fine and I had no troubles, except for the menu bar not changing when I switched apps in the Finder using Spaces or other methods. I would switch from iMovie to the desktop and when I went back it would say iTunes. Wierd, huh?

I might still have the same problem later. I have had the same thing happen with Tiger but not as often.

I also had issues with the Stacks. I don’t them at all, the new Grid is okay, but the old way is probably better. I do like the addition of the Downloads folder. I also like the new security features in Leopard. For example, if you download an application and open it, you will get prompted about this new app telling you that it was downloaded from the Internet.

I love the new iChat and Photobooth, with the new backgrounds.

Well, back to work.

Going Green

The other day I noticed that NBC has a green logo. I looked online and found that it’s to promote “going Green” and I am currently watching 30 Rock where they are poking fun at using David Schwimmer as a mascot for going green.  Each day I listen to different pod casts from twit.tv and today on The Tech Guy, I heard about 80 plus, which is the new Energy Star for computers.  Click here for a link to the 80 plus website.  

Perkins without a reason to go there…no more bread bowls

Today, I went to my local Perkins Family restaurant and wanted to order one of their “signature” items, the bread bowl salad. A staple at Perkins for as long as I can remember. Actually, my wife discovered this, all they had advertised in the menu was the pile of iceberg lettuce on a plate..ohh.. how yummy and at $9 who could resist. (Sarcasm, if you couldn’t tell).I will probably not be going to Perkins anymore unless they bring back this menu item. Espeically, since the local truck stop has better food anyway, but they don’t have bread bowls, so that’s why I went to Perkins for something different. There is a Denny’s opening up soon, and they will probably give Perkins a run for their money.  I thin that will be a better alternative than this bread bowlesss establishment. I searched the net and did not find a reason why Perkins pulled this menu item, just a blog about another person who is upset. This blogger pointed out that Perkins is not good enough to sell a pile of iceberg lettuce for $9. At least with a bread bowl, this made their restaurant more appealing, espcially to vegetarians. I guess Perkins doesn’t care about it’s customers. I suppose next they will get rid of coffee. I am not sure of the reason behind getting rid of the bread bowl, but whatever it is, I don’t care. I don’t want them to tell me it took too long to make, or that they are trying to provide healthier salads, that’s up to me to decide what I want to eat.