Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tomorrow is the best annual Google day of the year!

What will Google do for its annual April Fools' Day hoax???? Any speculation? I bet it'll be a zinger!

On a personal note, I did finish the paper on using webservices in a Taiwanese college EFL drama performance class.

  • A shocker: one service's online features were changed about two weeks ago.
  • A crusher: One of my main sites, Studeous.com, went out of business and vanished into the aether. . .and I just found out about it about 2 PM yesterday. . .a couple of hours before the deadline!! That was off-putting. I was distinctly nonplussed--minused, even! Sink me!
Well, I found an alternative--in fact, I found many other related sites that have similar services to a greater or lesser degree, but I could not look into all of them fully, obviously, yet. I picked http://www.ectolearning.com as a substitute as it seemed to have all the features that I was talking about in the paper, making it easier to switch the services out in a hurry.
But OH the chagrin, chagrin (sha na na na na na, na na na na na na)!!
Chagrin, I tells ya! With rue my heart was ruddy well laden!

But anyhoo. . .
I got it done and it is confirmed IN. Next, to prepare other versions for two other submissions, one of which is also already accepted.
I am now getting ready for a talk tomorrow morning on studying abroad, the TOEFL, study plans, etc. . . All's I have now is a skimpy outline done in 20 minutes. Not promising. . .but I DID promise!

I'd better throw another lager on the fire and get to work.
Fish and Goggles, Slurmikins!
Chris

My Tweets

  • 15:10 RIP, Studeous! I will miss you!! Trying Ecto instead; seems OK as a substitute. Today was the deadline for a conference paper on Studeous!! #
  • 15:13 wants to cry! Studeous is dead! And today is the deadline for a conference paper on that specific service! So... plurk.com/p/lre31 #
  • 15:15 says damn damn damn damn damn it all to Helios! Gimme shelter! Just make life stop stinking!! X-( plurk.com/p/lrefp #
  • 15:37 says sorry, sorry! My life does NOT stink; I am blessed. But this situation is distressing. ANyway. . .I'll ge... plurk.com/p/lrhz0 #
  • 15:42 As reparation, why not join Plurk. I just joined yesterday but I am enjoying it! plurk.com/philosoraptor/invite #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Monday, March 30, 2009

My Tweets

  • 17:38 thinks it's gonna be a long long time. . . plurk.com/p/lmgn9 #
  • 17:47 @pennjillette Thanks Penn! This is a joy and a half. #
  • 17:52 shares tinyurl.com/c8vntr the unreleased "Revolution Take 20"! Thanks to Penn Jilette!! plurk.com/p/lmig7 #
  • 08:38 hopes he can finish all the brave projects he has to do today!--2 calls for papers; presentation Weds; classes... plurk.com/p/lplct #
  • 11:41 is annoyed that the timeline moves backwards! That's screwed up! plurk.com/p/lqf73 #
  • 11:42 needs to write the doggammed paper! plurk.com/p/lqfa3 #
  • 11:49 Enjoyed @alyankovic's picture of the restaurant featuring specifically DEAD chicken. I further hope for de-feathered, deboned, beheaded.... #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Sunday, March 29, 2009

My Tweets

  • 16:30 Preserving pages of public domain print for posterity at www.pgdp.net/! Reading new Gutenberg text of Harry Harrison! Huzzah! #
  • 23:12 wonders why he can't stay focused! plurk.com/p/lj5qh #
  • 23:16 wonders why my plurks on the timeline seem to be moving backwards. plurk.com/p/lj6eb #
  • 23:25 remembers being at peace. . .with longing. . .and needs to sleep! :'-( plurk.com/p/lj87d #
  • 23:32 @cccliu Thanks for adding me to your plurk list, Ms. Liu! :-) #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Saturday, March 28, 2009

The life of the party tonight is Deathworld, by Harry Harrison!

Free, legal Harry Harrison! Recently published to Project Gutenberg after rounds at Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders--it's Deathworld! You might possibly know his "Stainess Steel Rat" stories. . .this is with another hero but rather similar in general feeling. Fun stuff! Grooviolo!
I've been volunteering at Distributed Proofreaders off and on for years, trying to save the world's printed media from oblivion. It's great and it makes me feel like I'm doing something positive for the world's intellectual good. I didn't proof this book, but--hey, there it is!
I'm also working at LibriVox, a project which has as its goal to audiorecord as many public domain texts as it can into audiobook format--with all reading and other functions done by committed volunteers (and their therapists (just kidding)).

Here's a clip from Deathworld:

For the first time Jason was silent. Trying to imagine what life could be like on a planet constantly at war with itself.

"I've saved the best for last," Kerk said with grim humor.
"Now that you have an idea of what the environment is like—think of the kind of life forms that would populate it. I doubt if there is one off-world species that would live a minute. Plants and animals on Pyrrus are tough. They fight the world and they fight each other. Hundreds of thousands of years of genetic weeding-out have produced things that would give even an electronic brain nightmares. Armor-plated, poisonous, claw-tipped and fanged-mouthed. That describes everything that walks, flaps or just sits and grows. Ever see a plant with teeth—that bite? I don't think you want to. You'd have to be on Pyrrus and that means you would be dead within seconds of leaving the ship. Even I'll have to take a refresher course before I'll be able to go outside the landing buildings. The unending war for survival keeps the life forms competing and changing. Death is simple, but the ways of dealing it too numerous to list."
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Deathworld, by Harry Harrison
Blogged with the Flock Browser

My Tweets

  • 12:02 Updating my Voicecrafting blog; grateful for an extension on the call4papers; trying to live up to that trust. . .distracte--what? #
  • 12:59 Up early for trip to Taipei. Destinations: AIT and Feelin model agency Despite my nerves it was very smooth. Trust Amy! Got Consula.. #
  • 12:59 Co up early with Gma for Matzu fest. Brought back crap food. I fed Jonnie and then up to work. But distracted! Got lotsa voice acti.. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Recent activity on my Voicecrafting blog

I've just updated O'Brien on Voicecrafting with some great interviews with Corey Burton and Billy West, and a cluster of information and links on Paul Frees. Further, I introduce my new voice acting project: reading audiobooks for Librivox. Please take a look!
Also, as you may have gathered already, I missed the deadline for Conference #3's fulltext, but it's OK so far, as they extended me a later deadline: Monday! It will be an effort, but I'll get it, I bet!

Friday, March 27, 2009

My Tweets

  • 15:24 Positively giddy with stress. I've had to beg for an extension on the paper==which we were already accepted for by the conference confreres #
  • 18:34 Checking rules for this conference. Sounds like I'd better send something, satisfied or not. . .and hope they will let me polish it. #
  • 21:30 @debbie210 . . . and you didn't go to school on Wednesday, I guess! You can make up the improvisation games next week. Be cheerful! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Thursday, March 26, 2009

My Tweets

  • 21:49 Staying up late to finish a draft of the paper due tomorrow. Wish me success! Lots of time with Eowyn these days. Jonnie doing great. #
  • 21:56 Up early to the sound of junk TV. Amy gave Eowyn and I a ride to the train Picked up bike near gate. E to school. Me to work. Teach.. #
  • 04:57 Alarm off at 2:30. No go. Up again at 4. Now up. Ted Striker: "I've got...to concentrate (concentrate--concentrate--)!" .. #
  • 10:02 added thisMoment: "Confusion and Irritation" bit.ly/gDkPv #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Monday, March 23, 2009

My Tweets

  • 21:00 Got up early to prep to leave Ctr with Amy and Co but not Jonnie While I taught Eva, Amy and Gma went back to Yongjing to tidy. The.. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Sunday, March 22, 2009

My Tweets

  • 14:34 @starwars Thanks for this article on one of my favorite voice actors! #
  • 14:39 A great interview with super voice actor and fellow Paul Frees admirer Corey Burton. www.starwars.com/theclonewars/news20090320.html #
  • 14:54 Up a bit early to cover things for the exterms. Teaching frustrating Gma made me go to Yuetze Ctr. With girls. Then Co to dance. I'.. #
  • 20:58 @RichMiller How slowly are you waking? Have a radiant, terrific, humble, thingumajig of a time. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Saturday, March 21, 2009

My Tweets

  • 12:40 At the confinement center with all the girls. Preparing to bring Co to dance and then get Gma. It's extermination day! @1:00 PM Groovy! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Friday, March 20, 2009

My Tweets

  • 13:49 Trying out Flock again in an effort to collage my online lifestyle. Possible? #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Thursday, March 19, 2009

My Tweets

  • 13:43 Preparing 4 the exterminators 2 come Saturday PM. Also hoping to finish 2 papers in a hurry. Also, why do I need 2 pay 4 the conference? #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Trying out improv in Taiwan

I'm trying out some of the Whose Line games with my students: "Number of Words," "Questions Only," and "90-second Alphabet" (augmented sometimes to Eight Minute Alphabet). Some success, but rather slow! Here is a board I'm working on for them.


If you have done any improv you should know the challenges and hopefully the fun of it too. You could see their homepage for more notes.

Monday, March 16, 2009

My Tweets

  • 18:22 Amy back at the Yuetze (Confinement) center today till Weds week due to allergies at home that could bring her recovering immune system down #
  • 18:55 Amy discovered fleas in the house! She is allergic!! This is no good for her in her post-birth condition. Decided to pack her.. #
  • 18:55 Metal and plastic recycling. Teaching 9-12. Was going to directly get Amy and bring to ctr but DELAYS Now I'm at the ctr and the ki.. #
  • 13:54 Doing scads of errands. Moved the fish back to the office. More recycling. Amy has no new bites. Sound out for Chesterfields. K'plah! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

My Tweets

  • 11:01 @twitter Thanks, Twitter! Right, I didn't know. I have been using LoudTwitter to post my tweets into the blog instead. Kudos!! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Monday, March 9, 2009

My Tweets

  • 20:26 Just made a little video with my MacBook, "Knife," of Jonathan, Mommy, and Daddy. #
  • 21:23 Here is Jonnie's first video! tinyurl.com/adcpz4 Hope it is not infuriating! #
  • 22:06 Taught in Shetou. Late for class due to jam. Did moving for Gma Chen. Got ink w/ Coral. Bought milk pump thingy and milk. Pai.. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Jonnie's first video!

Here it is from the center of confinement in Yuan Lin, Taiwan! Sorry for the jerky video; my MacBook was running slowly!

My Tweets

  • 16:50 Got 4 new jobs--gigs--judging and papering and such. Gotta do a new Call for Papers for Monday and finish the one that shoulda been done. #
  • 17:00 Was expecting to go to bring girls to Amy early but Co has no class till PM Always expecting to go out but all changed minds. Tried.. #
  • 20:54 Getting ready to chat with my family in America, in 2 different locations. #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Thursday, March 5, 2009

My Tweets

  • 09:10 Just took Eowyn to her K by bicycle. Looking at the fish, especially the yellow one. Reading the Haunted Mansion book to Coral and Eowyn. :) #
  • 14:02 Call for Papers #03 just accepted! Conference on May 2nd. . .the same day as another conference. . . #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

My Tweets

  • 00:46 twitpic.com/1su1k - What does a deadline look like in Taiwan? Take a look. #
  • 01:26 Left the house rather early Got to school expecting to finish CFP draft Discovered that the flash disk was missing! So back 1 hr home and.. #
  • 01:26 To work on the draft. Now 12:52 AM. Better WRITE MOFO! These memories were recorded on Memiary, th.. #
  • 11:15 twitpic.com/1t9ax - I am bemusing to Mr. Smith! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Monday, March 2, 2009

My Tweets

  • 14:55 Makin' progress on the paper but slow goin' and fast runnin' out. Gee, those apostrophes don't save any characters out of 140. With Amy. :-) #
  • 09:23 twitpic.com/1sez2 - Just a reminder about the important things in life. . . #
  • 09:25 twitpic.com/1sf1m - Just a reminder about the important things in life. . . #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Sunday, March 1, 2009

My Tweets

  • 16:23 Class; I did recycling--full car but only $75! Then to Amy. Made 3 copies of house key for $150. After class Co came to hosp. .. #
  • 17:36 Not succeeding so very well at concentrating on my paper here at Amy's Confinement Center. Coral here too. Jonnie husky and fine. Hyahh! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter