10 posts from 2006
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.
Only one, huh? My biggest addiction... reading. Reading anything that I can get my hands on... kinda... I'm a bit more particular than that, but I love books, and lately I love reading things that make me laugh. I don't mind reading other things, from cereal boxes to magazines and newspapers. I love reading. But my bookshelves are starting to overflow... I suppose they started to overflow when I had to start double stacking my books, but that was still ok. But I am definitely addicted to reading :- )
Right now, I'm reading some of Kelley Armstrong's books. I've read Haunted and enjoyed it, now I'm reading Dime Store Magic. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Jim Butcher book as well, and next month, the new Christopher Moore comes out. Then there's all sorts of other books I just can't wait to get...
Did I mention that I'm addicted to reading? ;-)
Show us your desktop.
Submitted by Anthony.
Both are photos I have taken
What are your top 5 books of 2006?
Listed in absolutely no particular order are some of my favourite books from 2006. Not all were written in 2006, but I read all of them this year :)
I consistently enjoy Christopher Moore's books because they are funny, and bizarre, and strange, and they make me laugh. I read this when it came out this year and really enjoyed it. It was basically about grim reapers. I liked the characters in this and I really enjoyed the story. If you've ever seen the show "Dead Like Me" and you enjoyed it, there's a good chance that you will also enjoy this book. I hadn't seen "Dead Like Me" until this year, and my first thought was how much it reminded me of this book.
This is the first book in the Rachel Morgan series about a witch who teams up with a vampire and a pixy to form a bounty hunting team after she leaves the supernatural equivalent of the FBI. There are 3 other books in this series so far, The Good the Bad and the Undead, Every Which Way but Dead, and A Fistful of Charms. There is another new book due out next year. I really enjoy this series because it's definitely action packed, and it's still a really enjoyable story. Plus, I enjoy the titles, shallow, but it made me pick up the books in the first place (that and it was next to my next title down, and looked interesting).
This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire Mysteries) Series. There are 5 other books in this series so far, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, and Definitely Dead. Again, there is a new book due out next year. In these books set in Louisiana, vampires have "come out of the coffin" and are wandering around as part of functioning society thanks to a synthetic blood (True Blood) created by the Japanese. Sookie is a telepath, who can hear people's thoughts. These stories take you through her life and encounters with all manners of supernatural creatures, and they do so in an endearing and funny way. I can't put these books down when I pick them up, and I'm definitely looking forwards to the next book and hopefully even more.
4. Jim Butcher - Storm Front
The first book in the Dresden Files series about a professional Wizard living in Chicago. Now, I was drawn to this because Chicago is my home town, and I thought that it sounded really interesting and fun. And I was right, they are funny, and well written, and overall enjoyable books. There are 7 more books available so far in this series, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, and Proven Guilty. I haven't read Proven Guilty yet, and there is a new book due out next year. But I couldn't help but pick up the next book whenever I finished one. I really enjoy the Harry Dresden character, and I can't wait for the new TV series, The Dresden Files, on the Sci-Fi channel when it starts January 27. I think that they did a really good job picking the actor for Harry Dresden, he really looks to fit the part. And I really can't help but love Bob ;-)
5. MaryJanice Davidson - Undead and Unwed
This year has been all about series with catchy titles for me it seems. This series about Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, is just fun. It's a funny, silly little set of books about a woman who dies and wakes up a vampire, but not just any vampire, one who can go out in the sunlight without dying, doesn't have a problem with garlic or prayer, and has a fantastic obsession with designer shoes ;-) I just enjoyed reading these books because they were light and made me laugh. There are 4 other books in the series so far, Undead and Unemployed, Undead and Unappreciated, Undead and Unreturnable, and Undead and Unpopular. There is a new book due out next year (yes, a common theme with my books here). They are good for a quick read, and they're just quirky, and make me laugh, what can I say, I enjoy them :-)
So, there's my list of my Top 5 Books for 2006, which is really a lot more like a top 24 books since all but one of these books are all parts of series that I started this year (of course, the Christopher Moore book does have characters show up from his past books, they just aren't a series like the other books). I've read and enjoyed all these books aside from where I mentioned that I haven't read the one book because I haven't been able to get it yet.
Can anyone else say that I love to read? :-)
Flickr just changed their upload limits, giving free users 100MB per month free bandwidth, and pro users unlimited bandwidth. I doubt if I'd ever have even reached their 2GB per month limit in the first place, but still, great holiday gift from Flickr :-)
One of my favourite things about Firefox is the ability to use extensions. Of these, Greasemonkey.
If you don't already know what Greasemonkey is, it is an extension that lets you use scripts (I'll get to this in a minute) to change how a webpage looks or acts.
You can get scripts from userscripts which has hundreds of scripts. If you can't find something you're looking for (and probably another dozen scripts you weren't looking for, but thought could be useful anyways), there are communities, such as Flickr Hacks where you can request what you're looking for and possibly get an answer or a script (in this case, scripts related to Flickr).
Where I'm going with this, is my list of my
Top 5 Favourite Flickr Greasemonkey Scripts
1. AllSizes+ by Premasagar
This script brings up a small popup within the window that lets you select the size image that you want to paste into a group discussion. Originally, it modified the page that you went to when you clicked all sizes, but in its most recent incarnation, it has become even more useful. When you click on the all sizes button, it allows you to easily pick your size, copy the code, and even change the html code that you would paste to a BB code for other discussion boards that don't allow html. This is one of my absolute favourite scripts, especially now that it's made things even easier. For more information, go to the discussion page.
2. Move Exif Info on Top by Mortimer
I love this script as well because sometimes you just want to know what camera or settings people used, but by default, that information is located under all the groups and keywords associated with the photo. That list can take a long time to scroll through. This moves the additional information about the photo to the top just under the photostream information. This script is especially handy when combined with number 3.
3. Flickr Exif Info by Mortimer
This script lets you select more exif info to be displayed in the additional information box by way of checkboxes located when you click for more information. You can basically pick whatever exif info is available that you would want to see (provided it's available on the photo you're currently viewing). Once you've set the preferences, you will see that for all photos (again, provided it's available on the photo you're looking at). It makes it so much easier to see all the info that you're interested in when looking at photos.
4. Flickr Refer Comment by Mortimer
I like this script, but some people can't stand it, so it's up to you where you fall on that spectrum. What this script does is insert a line at the bottom of your comment on a person's photo telling them where you saw their photo (e.g. on their photostream, in a group, on the internet). I like this because I like to know how people are finding my photos, I find it really interesting. On the other hand, some people think that it clutters up their comments because many comments will come from the same place, or they feel like it's trying to promote groups.
5. Buddy Icon Reply by doc18
This script is handy for replies in Flickr groups. There's no easy way to reply to a particular post, and posts aren't threaded, so here's a handy script that puts a small link to the right of the user name which lets you post an icon reply. When you reply, it places a smaller version of the buddy icon into the reply for the person you're replying to. It works a treat if you're sick of typing out the username.
So, those are my top 5 flickr / greasemonkey scripts. Know any better ones? Let me know :-) I'm always looking for new ones to try out.
What books did you love as a child?
Submitted by hearts.
I loved any and all books as a child. I would read absolutely anything I could get my hands on. I was one of those geeky little kids that read the dictionary and encyclopedia for fun.
I devoured the words in Golden Books and Serendipity books. I remember going to the Golden Book outlet store and being able to pick out all kinds of books. My Christmas presents included books and I couldn't have been happier. I'd name the books I loved if it weren't for the fact that there were simply so many.
And books like: "Bunnicula", "The Celery Stalks at Midnight", or "Dew Drop Inn" seem to have led to a fondness for books with clever and catchy titles in more recent times.
...Unfortunately, my early love of books has led to a terrible addiction to books now, and I still can never get enough of those lovely words.
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."
Inga: Werewolf!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Werewolf?
Igor: There.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What?
Igor: There wolf, there castle.
Got to love such a classic movie. Hilarious stuff.
If you've never read What the Duck, and you enjoy photography, then now is as good a time as any to start reading. Today, they have put their 100th strip online (Congrats!):
It really is a funny little strip, and adds a bit of humour to start my day :-)
A while ago, I found instructions at Photodoto on how to make a lightbox for taking photos in. I'd seen instructions on a couple of websites, and thought that I would give it a try. I wound up using a large piece of 5mm thick foam board, and some white poster board for the background. The foam board made it more sturdy, and I figure that I can always change the poster board on the back if I want a different colour background.
The box was simple to make. It has 5 sides to it, and the top has a flap that I can fold up or not (partially because the foam board was too short, but I'm saying it's so that I can decide if I want to the box to have a top or not). I'm debating putting flaps on to the sides of the box where I can fold them up and have the light filtered through a piece of paper. I think that it might work, and the box is definitely stable enough. Thankfully this was just my first incarnation of this project and it cost me less than $15 to put together, so not bad at all.
I would try to explain what I did to make it, but I think it's better to point you to places that have instructions (with pictures) that are easier to follow.
Photodoto: Create Your Own Lightbox
Strobist: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
It works well if you're struggling to create a solid background for a small shoot.
Yesterday I went to Castlepoint because it was suggested as one of the New Zealand AA's 101 Must-Do's for Kiwis list.
At the very least though, it provided some really nice photo opportunities, and a really nice panoramic shot of the area.
