A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

internet

Looking over Facebook

Facebook is an interesting world.

I’m pretty protective of it. Not that I use it for anything crazy, but I tend to keep it more friends/family. I have certain rules – such as I need to know you in person (there are a few that passed that test without it – because I’ve known them so long in the online world), and I can’t work with you.

Also, I try to keep it at 250 or fewer because I see no need to have a thousand friends on there. I’m not close to being that popular in the real world, so I’m not going to pretend to be so in the online world.

Tonight, I saw a couple of updates from people I had connected with a long time ago. I’m still friends on the ‘Book with them and it’s always nice to see updates. But it makes me wonder, too, if I’ll ever connect with them again – person-to-person.

I’d like to thing that I would, but the reality is some of these people live a long distance away and some are in other countries etc. Therefore, it’s not easy.

Then I wonder – do they even remember who I might be?

It’s kind of funny – I can look through every person in my Facebook friends’ list and know exactly where and – for the most part – when I met somebody. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do that if I had oodles and oodles of people on here, that’s for sure.

I am sure – at some point – I’ll go above that 250 threshold a little higher than wanted (I’m over now – but only by two. Might be purge time!) But I try my best to keep it around there, just because I like to have that connection with people.

So how about you? Do you have a ton of friends? Do you know them all? What are your rules?

Facebook is a crazy world and it’s always interesting to see how people deal with it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

The world of podcasts

Since getting a new car earlier this year and having satellite radio return to my life, I haven’t been as in tune to podcasts as I once was.

I also swore I had blogged about this before, but couldn’t find the post … so I figured I’d try it again.

I still have a few that I love listening to (and I’ll list them below in a moment), but I’m in search for some new ones to add to the rotation. I’m hoping others will be able to comment and give me some ideas of good ones out there.

Below is the current list of podcasts I listen to:

1. The Still Real To Us Show (https://www.facebook.com/TheStillRealToUsShow/)

This is basically the only wrestling podcast  I listen to on a weekly basis. Though centered on WWE for the most part, they do a nice job with what’s going on and giving opinion. I think what I like best is that they are just fans and don’t hide that fact.

2. Geocaching Podcast (http://geocachingpodcast.com/)

I try to listen to this one each week as I like that it’s not too long and it covers some good things in the world of geocaching. Because I don’t geocache as much as I used to, it’s nice to get some news and insight from a podcast. Those that host the show are pretty solid, too, and it’s not too “vanilla.”

3. The Dice Tower (http://www.dicetower.com/)

This is the best board game podcast out there, at least of ones I’ve listened to. They cover a lot in the industry, have excellent segments, and give good insight. Also, they go through games they’ve played and I’ve found I have some similar interests with the hosts, so it’s good to get their feelings on some games.

4. Cardboard Insanity (http://blog.cardboardinsanity.com/)

Another board game podcast done by a solid dude who loves games. It’s a little more in-depth, but there’s some good things with it. Worth giving a listen if you love board gaming.

Sometimes:

Podcacher: another geocaching podcast, but definitely with a family friendly flare. There a lot of games and such that they bring to you and the quality is high. I listen to it at times, but not every week.

Wooooo Nation: I basically try and listen when somebody interests me, but Ric Flair is pretty awesome no matter the guest. However, it’s been on hiatus since like April and the co-host Tweeted a bit back that Flair terminated his contract with the company they do the podcast with, so we’ll see where it goes.

Talk is Jericho: Top-of-the-line wrestling podcast with Chris Jericho.

Ross Report: Wrestling podcast with Jim Ross.

****

So, do any of you listen to podcasts? Got any good ones to recommend? My interests are things I blog about – baseball, geocaching, photography etc.

I’d love to find a good baseball one, but I many are daily and I kind of like the one or two times a week type of podcast. That way, if I get behind, it doesn’t take as long to catch up with things. And, obviously, if there’s a good Phillies podcast out there, I’d be more than happy to take a listen to that one.

Outside of that – what are your podcast listening tendencies? Do it at work? In the car? At home? With podcasts getting bigger and bigger, it’s interesting to see how people utilize that medium.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

F-bombs flying around the ‘net

I try and make it a point to rarely swear in my writing.

In real life, I’ll let a few fly here and there, but I’m way better than I used to be back a few years ago. I try not to do it, especially because many of my friends have kids and such now. Still, I’m not perfect and they do get out here and there.

But my writing, it’s really rare.

There are times — such as with “Life with Earl,” or other things — where “minor” swear words are in my writing. And the big, nasty words? Yeah, I avoid them like the plague.

I did a search to see if I ever used the F-bomb in any posts on my blog. Three came up — two in 2006 and one in 2005. Back before I actually took blogging seriously.

All three of these posts came in earlier renditions of this blog, before I moved it to its own domain and started this baby up. All I did in that moment was take all the other posts and bring them there. I re-read these posts and can’t figure out why I did it. But there were some serious swears.

I’ve obviously taken that to a different level now.

But what is it all of a sudden with swear words — specifically the F-Bomb — being littered all over the place.

These are dropping all over the place!

Facebook.

Twitter.

Blogs.

Blog comments.

E-mail.

What is going on, people? Is is that fun to drop F-Bombs? I can’t think, honestly, of where I’d put it in my writing. Maybe if I was writing some fiction and there was a scene where it really was called for. Maybe a crime scene. Or a drunk scene. Or some comedian telling a joke where the F-Bomb was part of the joke.

I guess what really got my eye recently was a post I was reading about a blogger struggling with their blog etc. In the post were no F-Bombs or anything, which is nice. But the responses drew no fewer than 20 F-Bombs, including more than 10 in one response alone.

In my mind, that made the responses lose credibility. Where’s the need to use the F-word in these situations?

There are some blogs I read where the F-word is used almost as regularly as something like “the.” I’m used to it there because of style. But then I’ll come across blogs that are usually written well and sans swear words. Then, out of the blue, you’ll get something like this:

“Then I asked him, what the F are you F’n thinking, you F’N a-hole.”

My jaw usually drops.

As I said, I realize there are times when the swears work. Some fiction. Maybe when telling a true-life story and the words were used in a conversation you are quoting, or something along those lines.

But random uses? Come on.

My favorite are the blogs where the words are used like it’s an everyday, ho-hum word. I feel like I’m morphed right into the city when reading these blogs.

“So I went to the F’N store tonight and bought some F’N cold cuts.”

Hey, great job there, pal. I can’t imagine that is getting additional readers or hits. It’s not like there’s any shock value there.

Maybe it’s just me. As I said, it’s not like I have a clean mouth when speaking. I swear a times and, usually, after I do it, I want to slap myself in the head because it’s not needed 99.9 percent of the time.

But in writing?

Come on, people. It’s not needed. Remember, the Internet is open to many people of diverse backgrounds and ages. I realize people don’t have to read things, but sometimes they click on things or read comments on something else and the swearing isn’t called for.

So why don’t we clean it the F up?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! 

Will the blackout be enough to help stop SOPA and PIPA?

Wikipedia went dark for 24 hours to protest SOPA and PIPA.

As most regular readers know, I’m not a political person.

I don’t bring politics on this blog because I find that it’s one of the most explosive and one-sided topics out there. By one-sided, I mean this: The person making the argument is going to be right. His or her opponents are going to be right. Why is everyone right? Because the majority of the time, there’s not going to be any bending. People have their beliefs and usually they won’t be swayed.

So I avoid it.

But the blackout that happened with some Internet sites yesterday — Wikipedia had a full blackout of its English language site — to oppose legislation being considered in the U.S. Congress was an admirable gesture.

Did it work?

Google blacked out its logo and linked to a page so people could sign a petition to oppose the legislation.

Only time will tell. What is being opposed are two pieces of legislation that could censor parts of the Internet. It’s being backed by the entertainment industry, which is screaming for this as a way to stop online piracy.

Wikipedia did post some startling statistics and notes from the day of the blackout. It’s worth a read. Check it out here. (There’s a ton of interesting things there, but one thing that stood out to me? More than 162 million saw the Wikipedia blackout page, according to Wikipedia).

The two bills — and maybe you’ve heard of them or seen these being talked about online — are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act). Wikipedia also gives you two links where you can track the progress of the bills through GovTrack — SOPA and PIPA.

I can’t even begin to say I could explain these whole acts. Click the links above and they will take you to the Wikipedia page explaining each act. I’ve read a lot and don’t know if I can grasp it all, but I know this much — we should try and see what’s going on here because the future of the Internet as we know it could be on the line.

Look, I don’t agree with online piracy. I realize it needs to stop. But to have these pieces of legislation pass through — with vague writing and everything else — could possibly give too much power to people in the government and elsewhere. The normal Joe — Joe Plumber — could go to jail or be sued for something extremely small.

It could, essentially, be crippling.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at all of this. I’m not sure I even fully understand it. But there are some great things out there for people to read to try and get a grasp on what this legislation is actually about.

Do you realize that parts of these bills could mean if you sing an artist’s song, record it and put it on YouTube that you could go to jail?

Seriously.

I’m not a fan of Justin Bieber. But he got his start doing this very thing. Find out more info about the bills and hear Bieber’s response to all of this at the website freebieber.org.

One thing is for sure — I don’t need the people in Washington deciding how I use the Internet. Or how I get information. Or if  I want to put a family video up with a song playing in the background. I’m not trying to make money off it. Leave it be.

As a journalist, I am a firm believer in the constitution and what it stands for. It seems those in Washington who support this bill might not believe in it so much. This is the reality — there are a bunch of an older generation in Washington getting ready to vote on a bill that could hamper the growth of technology and the Internet for future generations. I don’t think that should happen, personally.

That small group will decide this.

One group.

Speak up, America.

Here’s a very good video about these bills and what it could mean to all of us, from fightforthefuture.org:

If you follow the link to their website, you can also write congress directly from there and voice your opinion about these bills.

All I ask is that you see what these bills are all about. Speak your mind. Tell your congress people what you think. This is our future. The future of the upcoming generations.

Remember that genius comes from the craziest places. There are some phenomenal internet-based companies that could be shut down or sued because of these bills. Blogs could come under fire for sharing content. Sites people love — YouTube, Facebook etc. — could all get into trouble for having things that are protected. Users could get in trouble.

The Internet as we know it could be done.

Please read some stuff about it. Get educated. Sign the petition if you are against it. But make sure your voice is heard.

The future of the Internet could be in danger, so get your say in while you have the chance.

Google has a lot of information about these bills. This could be a good place to start (and there’s even a place to sign a petition there): End Piracy, Not Liberty.

My final plea is to take a stand against censorship. Do your part. This goes beyond politics. This goes beyond partisan thinking. This is life. Life as we know it. Don’t let the future be dictated by the few people in Washington who are more worried about the bigwigs in the Entertainment industry and their lobbyists.

Speak up before it’s too late.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

 

Notes from my noodle: March 16 edition

It’s funny, a year ago today I was looking forward to my trip to Ireland and was gainfully employed.

A year later, I’m searching and applying for jobs and wishing I was back in Ireland! How fun would it be to be in downtown Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day? Wow. I couldn’t imagine the fun.

And the Guinness. Oh my!

I’m having problems writing cover letters. I don’t know why. I’ve spent so many years of my life writing about other people. Why can’t I write about myself to sell a potential employer on what I can do for them? I can’t figure it out. I’ve gotten decent feedback from people who have read my covers who said they are pretty good. But, I’m not getting calls. I don’t know if it’s a time thing. Or the cover. Or my resume. Or something else.

<sigh>

I’ll keep plugging along. I am close to getting one application out today. I have several jobs printed out and want to have covers and resumes sent to each one by the end of the week.

But these covers… ugh.

***

So I’ve slacked on the Couch-to-5K program.

That’s one of the reasons I didn’t set a certain date for finishing or a certain 5K I wanted to run. Instead, I kept it in my head that I just wanted to be able to run 5K and maybe do one by the end of the summer.

I still think that’s doable.

But the reality is, I can’t be doing this C25K on a treadmill, which is what I’ve been doing. It’s boring. It hurts my feet. I get annoyed and I start counting down the times that I’m on there.

The gym, for now on for me, will be used to use the elliptical machines, maybe a warmup on the treadmill and lifting.

Running has to be taken outdoors.

So as soon as the weather changes for good for the better, I’m going to start taking the C25K outdoors and hope I can complete the program. I might do a couple of the things on the treadmill between now and the better weather, but not the three times a week. It just kills. I know if I do it outside, it’s a lot different.

Speaking of cardio stuff, I’m taking my bike over to the shop sometime this week to get a tuneup. I imagine I’ll get it back in a week or so and then I’m going to get riding it several times a week. I want to get a bike computer (I found a pretty good Schwinn one for about 15 bucks on Amazon) to keep mileage and such like that, so I’ll be looking into that.

***

Turns out something is up with my domains.

I got an e-mail today from the company I host several of my websites through. Apparently one of the domains, of which I haven’t done anything with in a long time (it was for our caching group in this area, but nobody ever really went to it) had somehow been hacked and was being used for spam.

So they sent an e-mail of a warning.

Then shut me off.

I had to go through a bunch of e-mail exchanges and such to try and get my site back. In the end, they lifted the suspension and I deleted the said domain and everything else off my account. I was going to let the site expire soon enough anyway, so no biggie.

I just hope I don’t have to deal with that again.

***

I think I’m going to cut this one short right now. Just not into it tonight. Had a few other things come up and my mind is all over the place.

More later!