My blog provider, typepad, are offering some limited edition blog templates provided by HP.
I thought I'd try them out, but as with most of the typepad templates, I'm finding the font size too small.
But because it's from HP - well, I just love the brand!
[ One of the consequences is that the layout of old blog posts gets a bit higgledy piggledy. See how you go ....]
Jason Kottke reckons that this piece by Errol Morris may well be the best blog post he has every read.
Morris is blogging there on the New York Times site, and there are more than 700 comments to the post.
He talks about two almost identical photographs taken by Roger Fenton in 1855 during the Crimean War.
It's interesting.
Matt Huggins has scoured the 'net to bring you these.
[ tip from Joe Wikert ]
I've recently rekindled my interest in golf. I played lots of golf as a young man, but not so much in the past 15 years.
Now there's the internet and podcasts and blogs to add to all the old things which spur the obsession that is golf.
I was listening to some outstanding podcasts from GolfSmarter, hosted by Fred Greene. They are so professionally produced, they are a welcome change from many of the amatuerish podcasts of all genres out there.
It's possible to subscribe to the podcasts via iTunes, or to listen to the podcasts directly from the Golfsmarter podcasts website.
Since I can't link directly to the podcast (neither on the website nor on iTumes), if you want to listen to the ones I'm about to review, then go to the website, and scroll down to the podcast episode's date and click to listen.:
Apr 20 2006 - "Once you're on the course" with PGA director of instruction Joe Sievers. :
Here Sievers talks about mental attitude on the golf course, and the importance of playing the shot you are about to play. Not the last shot, not the next shot, just the one you are about to play. Sort of the power of positive thinking for golfers. He explains it better than I can. That's why the podcast takes about 20 minutes.
Apr 04 2006 - Jim Fazio, legendary course designer, on The Country Club of Oxford, a new project. :
Fazio has been designing golf courses for more than 40 years, and here talks about how he does it, his philosophy behind his designs and the practical aspects of building a new course, or redesigning an old one. There's also hints for golfers on how to play his courses, and these probably apply to lots of other designers' courses too. For reasons which are explained on the podcast, he also talks at length about The Country Club of Oxford, one of his most recent works.
Oct 31 2006 - David Leadbetter Academy Senior Instructor Aaron Fagan. :
Fagan talks about his experience working with Leadbetter, swing aids, and what to do during the months when golf cannot be played in cold (freezing) climates such as the northern U.S.
Dec 12 2006 - Playing the Top 100 courses in the world.:
This was probably the most enjoyable and fascinating of the podcasts. It's an interview with a guy, who remains anonymous, who has made it his quest to play all 100 of the best golf courses in the world as rated on a particular list. He writes his blog anonymously so that his frank opinions will not embarrass members who may have invited him to play a particular course as their guest. He talks in the interview at length about how he came to start his mission, and about his favorite courses amongst the 100. Expecially interesting are his hints about how to gain access to ultra private clubs. The sense of irony and humour which is apparent from my subsequent reading of his blog also comes out in the interview, as is the sense of humour of the interviewer, Fred Greene. It's easy for the listener to relate to the blogger, as he is of intermediate standard as a golfer, having a 16 handicap.
Here's his blog:
Playing the top 100 Courses in the World.
"One of the characteristics you need to play the top 100 golf courses in the world is an open mind, a great sense of curiosity and a love of golf, travel and adventure. It is in this spirit that I am always looking for new ways to get onto golf courses I haven't yet played."
and here's a course he raves about in the odcast interview, one of his favourites, Sand Hills Golf Club.
ADDED: For more on the Sand Hills Golf Club, see this analysis from golfclubatlas.com. After noting how the course designers and builders have improved on nature, scroll to the bottom of that page for a stunning, nay shocking, photograph of a man belittled by the sand bunker in which he is standing.
e writes a fine blog about Ice Hockey A Theory of Ice. I stop by now and again to read it , and today I was struck by some of what she had to say about losing in sports.
Losing is not sad, or even infuriating, so much as it is itchy. A loss is uncomfortable, awkward, a disturbance in the force, and it doesn’t matter how many times it happens, it always feels that way
and
A team wins by doing the few clear but immensely difficult things that all its members have known, for their entire careers, that they must do
and
... there is a great deal of nuance to losses. There are games lost on unfortunate bounces, on injuries, on fatigue, on bad calls. There are close, down-to-the-wire losses and losses so one-sided that it’s as if only one team was even there. A game can be lost on one bad play or twenty, and sometimes even on none at all. Each of these losses is different, they feel different and they are, in fact, structurally different.
and
It is true, then, that a game can be lost easily on individual failings. But it can only be won as a team.
e, I don't know if you aspire to a job as a sportswriter. If you do, I hope someone spots you soon and gives you a job. I like what you say and how you say it. You go, girl.
As it happens, I root for the Sharks myself.
It's a great list. Read it here.
I particularly like number 1:
Turn your mistakes into a reference library, not a room to live in.
[tip from Joe Wikert]
This morning I was listening to the radio traffic report by Vic Lorusso at around 8.30am. At the end of his bit, as usual, he read an advert. This was for the Gotcha Blog by Gary Hughes. Vic's ad read went something close to this,
"Are we winning the war on drugs? Have your say on the Gotcha Blog."
Interesting. Advertising a blog on radio. Never heard that before.
I'm just testing posting photos to see if I can get it to show a larger thumbnail..
Looks like it worked. (This is an old photo of Ed)
Doc Searls has got a good blog post about the Oireachtas banning employees from reading or writing blogs. Doc says Speak Freely. Just don't read any.
Doc also links to tuppenceworth.ie which blogs about the blog ban. At tuppenceworth, I noted this:
Section 18 of the FOI Act allows anyone personally effected by a public body’s decision to demand an explanation of why they took it.
Sounds like a good idea. Government of the people by the people for the people.
A seditious idea in some countries, but not here.
The Australian War Memorial has started a blog about an upcoming exhibition about T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and the Australian Light Horse Regiments in Palestine during World War I.
It's got a really good visual and navigational design. The fascination lies in the window it gives into the curatorial process. Notice too the usual use of links behind the photographs on the blog. On most blogs if you click on a photo it brings up a larger version of the photograph. On this blog, clicking on the photo sometimes links to the AWM catalogue page for the image or topic, thus giving some in-depth background.
As many of you know, I've got a great interest in film, and the movie Lawrence of Arabia, a biopic about T. E. Lawrence is one I recommend. It's number 30 on the AFI 100 years, 100 cheers list and it's also on Jim Fleming's list of 101 movies you must see before you die. Of course, being Hollywood, some historical inaccuracies occur in the film.
My interest in film led me to discover the AWM blog, too.
I've noticed that a new film directed by Clint Eastwood Flags of Our Fathers was recently released in the USA and has been garnering some good reviews. At it's core is Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph of raising the USA flag over Iwo Jima during World War II.
It was on my mind to research a bit further about Iwo Jima. I wasn't sure if the Australian military had played any part in the battle for Iwo Jima, so I went to the Australian War Memorial home page to search the collection. A search on "Iwo Jima" returned only one result; for a propaganda leaflet. But on the plus side, I did notice the pointer to the new blog!
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