10 for 30 revisited

When I started 10 for 30 (ten pictures a day for 30 days) I planned on updating this blog with a daily picture of the day from my Flickr page. Thirty days later and here I am-finally. The picture here is from NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. According to Flickr it is my most popular photo ordered by "interestingness".

I just set up Flickr to post directly to blogger...I will try to pick one photo from each day and try a blog post from Flickr in addition to what I plan to be more regular posts. I think my chances are pretty good--I have a big proposal due Dec 7th and this will be a great way to procrastinate!

Socnet birthday

"Yesterday it was my birthday. I hung one more year on the line. I should be depressed, my life is a mess...but I'm having a good time." Paul Simon

A few years ago I treated myself to a mac laptop and airport extreme for my birthday. I sat in my backyard downloading songs on iTunes for a birthday playlist and I thought "How cool is this!" Wireless access to just about anything...books, dvds, music, email-lots of stuff...but to a community-never entered my mind. In April 2007 I entered the world of social networking through twitter. I was a very cautious twit, checking out the public timeline and watching tweets via twittervision. I added educators who were involved in web 2.0 (at the time I had no idea what web 2.0 was) and gradually grew a friends list. I fell in with a rowdy group of twitter knitters and pirates who celebrated Stripper Friday. My first blog arrived in May......Second Life and Facebook soon followed and one day I woke up in the socnet!

Yesterday was my first birthday celebrated via web 2.0. Birthday wishes on twitter; constant pokes, stickynotes, hugs, drinks, messages, and gifts on Facebook; a cell phone birthday serenade from @preppydude; and sharing my birthday cake last night with my twitter friends. I had a day-long birthday party! and I still have the big wide grin and the warm fuzzies thanks to friends across the ether.

PS I also now expect my family and friends to sing "Happy Birthday dear geosteph....."

Memo to an Aggresive Driver

To: The driver of the full size green pickup on RT 50 East between exits 11 and 13 near Bowie yesterday around 1:30 pm

From: Me the driver of the blue Vibe that you missed hitting by 3 inches as you crossed four lanes of traffic at well over the speed limit

Re: Is it worth someones life?

I don't know who you are or why you were in such a hurry....but when you cut in front of me yesterday on you way from the far left lane to far right lane you scared the sh*t out of me! Even if I would have survived the initial impact, I would have spun into oncoming traffic going 65+ mph on Rt 50. Would you have even bothered to stop if you clipped me? Would you look in your rear view mirror at the subsequent carnage?

PS I drive in the DC metro area all of the time. There are always careless drivers on the road, weaving in and out of traffic, no signals, tailgating etc. You are the first who really could have killed me.