David S. Atkinson's Blog, page 283

Why Doesn’t Facebook Allow Me To Edit My Posts On My Wall?

I have to ask, why can’t I edit my own posts on my own Facebook wall? Facebook allows me to edit any other posts I make, or just delete them. On my own wall, however, all I can do is delete the post. I don’t know why this is.

Frankly, it baffles me a bit. Shouldn’t I potentially have more control over my own posts on my own wall? I could at least understand a bit modifying ones on other people’s walls…but my own?

I fully admit, I am constantly hounded by typo demons. I fully suspect that in another life I stole a sacred golden typo demon idol from a typo demon temple deep in the mountains of Tai Poh and was cursed for all future lives. As such, I frequently post something on Facebook only to look back on it and realize I made a really stupid typing error. The ability to edit helps this, and I make use of it.

However, for some reason, I can’t do this with my posts on my own wall. I have the option to delete, but that’s it. Sometimes I do delete and repost without the typo, but sometimes I’m too lazy. Sometimes people have commented or liked already before I get the chance to delete and redo, so sometimes I just leave things for that reason.

Regardless, Facebook, why won’t you let me edit my posts on my own wall? Seems like this would be a useful feature.

Dim Sum Criteria

My wife and I were in New York recently and, as we do in many places, hit a dim sum restaurant. It was called the Golden Unicorn, but that isn’t really relevant. What is relevant is that they didn’t have baked pork buns or baked custard buns.

Mind you, it was a really good place. They had good steamed pork buns, puff pastry custard, shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, milk custard, and many other things. It was good and we ate until we burst. However, the fact remains: they didn’t have baked pork buns or baked custard buns.

My wife and I are big into dim sum places. Wherever we go, we try to find dim sum. New York, San Francisco, Denver, even Omaha. We go dim sum when we can. Heck, the choices are pretty surprisingly plentiful in Denver. And, we are pretty flexible for the most part. Well, I think I am anyway. I’ve tried pig’s ears, duck’s feet, chicken’s feet, and the uncountable number of things that are claimed to be shrimp (and often aren’t). I like things like the shrimp on half peppers and things like that, but my favorites are the baked pork buns and the baked custard buns.

Now, I know that dim sum is a rich and varied culinary tradition. No two places are going to do things the exact same way. Still…I’m always going to be a bit disappointed if baked pork buns and baked custard buns aren’t available. It may be a provincial attitude, but it’s mine.

So, Golden Unicorn…you were good, but you still didn’t have baked pork buns and  baked custard buns. Sorry, but that means you’ll never get into my all time favorites. We won’t even talk about the shark fin dumplings you had pictures of and didn’t have for some reason.

Consider Supporting The Civil Coping Mechanisms Fundraiser

I know I’ve already mentioned this, but there is still a long way to go for Civil Coping Mechanisms to raise the money they need for 2013.  I just thought I’d bring it up again, provide the link again, and hope for the best. Consider supporting if you can.

This press publishes some pretty innovative writing. We all want that, but we know that such doesn’t have a huge commercial appeal to a lot of the public who prefer things like Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers & Tiaras. If we want to have innovative writing, we have to recognize that we’ll only get what we can support.

Personally, I’m about as far in as I can get. I’m $350 into this, which is somewhere around 10% of the total goal. I’ve done all I can, there is no more. If CCM is going to make the goal they need for the year, it’s up to you guys.

For various contribution amounts you can get their entire catalog for various periods of time right as they go to press, customized Hollywood props, autograph books, limited edition chapbooks and books (some EXTREMELY limited), J.A. Tyler reading you a bedtime story, a poker workshop with Alexander J. Allison, personalized poems, and other such perks. Believe me, if I had any money left available, I’d be picking up some more stuff.

Anyway, not trying to guilt anybody here. I just wanted to make one more appeal for the CCM R.A.W: A CCM Catalogue Year in Anticipation fundraiser. There’s still a good amount of time, around a week or so, but there’s no need to wait until the last minute.

Free Copy Of “Parnucklian for Chocolate” by B.H. James!

I’m reading Parnucklian for Chocolate by B.H. James and whereas I’m not going to do a review here, I do know that this is one book you really need to read (pre-order on Amazon or through Red Hen Press). This book is just insane. I don’t want to describe it any further right now, but I will say that I am absolutely blown away.

More to the point, though, for immediate concerns, due to a happy twist of fate, I got an early copy after having already pre-ordered a normal copy. Since I won’t need both, I thought the best thing to do was get that extra copy to someone else. This book really needs to be spread around and this seemed like a good way to do that. As such, I thought I’d decide who to give that extra copy to on here. All you have to do is comment below and answer one simple question.

As we all know, Newton’s first law of motion tells us that an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. On the other hand, the second law of thermodynamics tells us that the entropy of any isolated system not in equilibrium almost always increases. Explain in a comment below why these two laws do not conflict.

Please remember that I am not a physicist and do not want actual answers, as I am sure there is one and I just don’t understand it. I don’t care about that. I want something entertaining, and the person who can provide that is the one who should get a free copy of Parnucklian for Chocolate.

I’ll pick the best comment when I get the book, probably in March after the book releases, and mail it on over. On the honor system, please don’t try for this if you were already going to get a copy, as the point is to get it into someone’s hands who would not otherwise have read the book. Once I choose my selection, I’ll have to figure out how to get that person’s name and address without anyone posting emails or personal information on the blog here. I’ll probably just comment with my facebook link and have whoever personal message me over there (unless I already know the person and their email, which would be easier for me).

Anyway, start thinking of answers to the question…

Reasons Why ‘Doctor Who’ Stamps Are Not A Good Idea

I just saw an article about Britain’s Royal mail is going to be issuing Doctor Who stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the show. As much as I understand the desire to do this (I loved many of the seasons of the show, though not the later and know many of my friends hated it), I just don’t think this is a good idea. There are just so many ways that this could go wrong.

I mean, first of all, let us consider the fact that this could cause mail to become the target of the Dalek community. Sure, the Dalek’s are supposed to be imaginary characters from the show, but what if? Are they prepared to have mail ‘EXTERMINATE’d? Dalek’s seemed to have little to do in the show other than go after the doctor. Seems like putting his face on mail is asking for trouble.

Also, let us not forget the fact that the doctor seemed completely unable during the majority of the show to be able to steer his ship, the Tardis. It always seemed to end up in places he didn’t intend, and often at different times. Sometimes it seemed like he was just pretending to have any idea how to control it and in fact traveled randomly (though this may have just been pretend as well so he could go where and when he wanted instead of where and when he was supposed to go). Regardless, is this what they want from the mail? It seems like a bad precedent. You wanted that letter to go to your mother by Thursday? Sorry, it went to Pakistan in the year 3044.

Granted, these stamps will probably do just fine and work like any other stamps. My concerns are probably groundless. However, I still think these things should be considered. I hope the Royal mail is on the ball on this one.

My Book “Bones Buried in the Dirt” is Now Published And Available!

I just wanted to take today to let everyone know that my first book, Bones Buried in the Dirt, is now published by River Otter Press and is available. You can buy it here over at Amazon.com. I appreciate the support if you decide to buy a copy and appreciate it even more if you review the book over at Amazon.com and/or Goodreads.

2012 in review

I was informed that the WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for my blog. Thought I’d take today to share that.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 43,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 10 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

It’s Going To Feel Real Weird To Write A Blog Post Tomorrow

It’s going to feel real weird to write a blog post tomorrow. I probably shouldn’t be admitting this, but it’s not like I haven’t admitted when I’ve done stuff like this in the past. You see, I haven’t actually written a post in about two weeks.

I know it doesn’t seem that way, but it’s true. Normally, I try to write a post every day. However, I had written a few days ahead because I had a post that needed to post on a particular day. I was also pretty busy right about then, so I wrote posts for a couple of days before that. Then I realized that I was going to be traveling for about a week and wrote posts for that. Before long, I realized that I had two weeks of posts scheduled ahead of time.

Again, this probably isn’t really a problem…but the fact remains that by the time this goes live I won’t have written a post in about two weeks. I’ll have gotten out of the habit and will have to get back into it.

It just seems like that’ll feel weird.

Oh well, at least I got a post out of the thought. That’s something. Writing almost two weeks of posts in the space of about a day or two starts running you out of ideas pretty fast. Hopefully no one noticed.

I Still Can’t Have An iPhone

I’ll admit it, I’ve wanted an iPhone for a long time. I don’t really know why, given that I haven’t compared the features available with any other smart phone, but I’ve always wanted one. Maybe I’m just falling into the rep surrounding the iPhone, but I’ve wanted one for a while.

For a long time, it wasn’t an option. I’ve been a Sprint customer for almost a decade now. Until recently, iPhones weren’t even an option. As such, I could look longingly at the iPhones, but I couldn’t get one unless I switched networks. I really didn’t want that kind of hassle.

But, then Sprint got iPhones. I could finally get one…except I couldn’t. As cool as they seem, I still need a physical keyboard. I’ve got calluses on the ends of my fingers. Every time I try to use virtual keyboards, I type even slower than back when I had to use a numeric keypad. It just doesn’t work, and I get pissed.

So, what does this mean? Well, I’m probably never going to be able to get an iPhone. I doubt they are ever going to make one with a physical keyboard. I’m stuck with my HTC touch. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t an iPhone.

I just want to be one of the cool kids.

We Should Convert To Single Sex Compartment Bathrooms Like France

I was out at a restaurant the other day and went to use the bathroom. While I was in there, a guy came in with his little girl. He seemed kind of embarrassed, though I didn’t think it was a big deal. It got me thinking though, and I think we should switch to unisex chamber bathrooms like I ran across in France.

I don’t know where it came form in France, because it wasn’t everywhere, but it seemed like a good idea. It was probably an available space issue, but I ran across bathrooms that were unisex and had a shared sink area with lockable doors for individual little toilet rooms.

This seems like a good idea to me. Frankly, the only reason we have separate men’s and women’s restrooms is to keep the sexes separate for privacy purposes. However, it really isn’t that simple these days and really never was. The separate little closets provided plenty of privacy in France, and that is really the only part where we need privacy.

Think about that guy. He was embarrassed to take his little girl into a men’s room, but I’m guessing there was no woman to take her into the women’s. Somebody had to take her, and I’m betting he would have had more of a problem if he took her into the women’s room himself. A little kid is one thing, but a grown man is another. There wouldn’t have been an issue at all if he’d taken her into one of the bathrooms like I ran into in France.

Frankly, it would solve other bathroom issues as well. With no need for separate women’s and men’s restrooms, there would be no need to demand someone to identify their gender and/or argue with them about it when they went to a public bathroom. It simply wouldn’t be anyone’s business. A person would pick a stall whether they were a man or a woman, born with particular genitalia or not, or appeared to be either.

Plus, we’d save a lot of real estate space in restaurants and such. It’s a simple idea, private, and would simplify a lot of things for a lot of people. It could be done, but it isn’t. It’s probably more tradition than anything else, and that’s a lousy excuse.