Category: Blogging

Am I a senior now?

Today is Rolling Doughnut’s 3rd birthday. A lot has changed over the last year. While not prolific by some standards, I wrote more than 450 entries over the last year. That easily doubled my output for the first two years combined. I’m proud of that total, even though sheer numbers aren’t the best evaluation method. Still, each word has taught me. I feel like I’m finally getting a grasp on this hobby.

I’ve expanded my range of subjects, probably to the annoyance of some. I appreciate the readership I have, even when this home feels more like a battlezone for my frustration. I’m working on being more productive, whether it’s simply understanding why some stories make me angry or offering solutions where ranting might’ve sufficed in the past. I don’t write for the gratification of stats, but knowing that people are out there reading keeps me thinking of how I’m communicating. Just by your presence, I’m a better writer than I would be alone. Perhaps I’m a better thinker, too.

Enough rambling. Thanks again for sticking around and reading. I expect year four to be the best yet for my little outpost on the Internets. I hope you’ll agree.

Flavor Flav teaches economics

By last count Danielle had received more than 800 hits today, thanks to last night’s season premiere of Flavor of Love 2. My highest traffic for one day barely exceeded 100 hits, and that was because a blog with a wide audience linked one of my posts. Most days I slog through issues that matter (subjectively) on a grander scale than a simple reality television show, yet I don’t generate the traffic in a month that one post on Flavor Flav generates. There are various reasons for the disparity, which aren’t necessary for this analysis, but the one constant that remains is a lack of any kind of marketing. Danielle doesn’t link everywhere just to generate fake traffic, a policy to which I adhere, as well. I can only conclude that Google tells the story of the masses. Write what people are interested in and the readership will follow. It’s simple supply and demand.

Post Script: I’ll be watching Flavor of Love 2 from my DVR now, so I won’t piously claim that I’m appalled by the bottom of the entertainment ladder claiming more attention than the top. I just wonder where else those readers are going when they’re done with giant clocks and pretend drama, because it’s not here.

Attention to detail can be a weak point

I didn’t test the site enough before resuming activity. Apparently, the comments link on each entry isn’t working. Until I fix the comments, if you click the permalink, you can comment there with no problem.

Also, I’m still figuring out some of the features in Movable Type 3.2. The most obvious of that is the comment approval section. My current setting is for moderated comments, but that’s not my goal. Frankly, I don’t get enough comments to turn anyone (legitimate) away. I think if you comment once, your comments will show up forever more once I approve the first one. I’m looking into it, though.

Moose out front shoulda told ya

I won’t be blogging much, if at all, over the next few days. Work is ramping up for a software demonstration. This wouldn’t be burdensome, except we “temporarily” shelved the product more than fourteen months ago. I need a refresher, which will consume most of my time.

More than that, my hosting service for Rolling Doughnut expires on Thursday. I could renew, which I’ve done the past few years, but I’m consolidating my web projects onto one hosting account. Rolling Doughnut is the last migration. Obviously it can’t wait any longer, unless I let it go dark. That won’t happen.

The switch involves name server changes and all the fun technical stuff corresponding with setting up a server that could mean down time for the site. I suspect the migration to the new installation of Movable Type will be trouble-free, but there’s no guarantee. If it’s down, don’t fret. Or, fret and refresh repeatedly until the site comes back. You choose. I’m not the boss of you.

Also, I’m still using an old template (from MT 2.64, I think) that’s no longer delivered. I like it because of the color scheme, so I want that to move, too. The site may look a little buggy until I test everything, hopefully over the next few days. The RSS feed should be fine, though. If not, please check back for the new feed later this week if that’s how you read the site. I appreciate that people read Rolling Doughnut, so I want to keep it as convenient as possible. However you read my site, thanks for continuing to read.

Joe Isuzu will present my award

I’m honored to learn that today, June 2nd, Kripsy Kreme is sponsoring Rolling Doughnut Day 2006! It’s amazing to think that a major company like Krispy Kreme would notice the work I’ve been doing here. This wonderful accolade shows the company’s ability to recognize genius. I’m truly flattered. Since I’m so awesome, instead of the cash prize they offered, I’ve asked the company to give a free doughnut to each of my readers today. So, if you go into a Krispy Kreme store today, they’ll give you a free doughnut&#185. Just tell them the I&#178 sent you.


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&#185 Krispy Kreme really will give you a free doughnut today.
&#178 Kip from A Stitch in Haste sent me the information. I’d love to claim the accolades I made up, but Kip actually deserves them. If you’re not reading his blog, you’re missing out on the best best blog around. Thanks, Kip.

He’s teaching me to change my instincts… or at least ignore them.

James Taranto, writing in Opinion Journal’s Best of the Web Today column, points to an article titled “Questions Raised About Kerry War Record”.

When John Kerry* ran for president, he offered one compelling qualification for the world’s highest office: He was a hero of the Vietnam War. True, America lost that war–but it was in spite of, rather than because of, Kerry’s battlefield efforts.

Timely, as opposed to partisan, this information enhances my trust that the only liar in Washington operates in the Senate chambers because he couldn’t win the presidency. Oh, and that the New York Times is biased. Shocking.

What’s most important, though, is the context of that all-powerful asterisk. It holds the key to relentless wit and insight. All included must bow before the “gotcha”.

* At least he served in Vietnam, unlike Harry Pelosi and Nancy Reid!

The same could be said about two important Republicans. But cheap partisan victories are vital to our national conversation. And only liberals in the media are biased.

Update: Kip at A Stitch in Haste dissected Mr. Taranto’s imbecilic attack on libertarianism, which appeared further down in yesterday’s Best of the Web Today. I’m glad he pointed it out, as I stopped reading the rest of Mr. Taranto’s nonsense after the John Kerry story.

The government gets a free pass because you’re careless

I’ve seen a lot of criticism of Glenn Reynolds as an apologist for the current administrations forays into absolute authority. Most times, I’ve thought it overblown. If he doesn’t write about something, it’s illogical to automatically conclude that he’s defending it. Perhaps, but perhaps not. There are a lot of topics that I don’t write about because they don’t coax enough of a response out of me for the effort required to blog. Since that required effort is generally minimal, I’m willing to cut some slack on that. This example from yesterday, while not a brazen as The National Review, seems rather misguided.

YES, THE NSA NUMBER-TRACKING PROGRAM isn’t really “eavesdropping” on calls. But as reader Liz Mauran notes, the misleading press coverage probably doesn’t matter: “It seems to me, judging from the number of people in airports, restaurants, and other public venues talking on their cell phones, that it’s just fine to have a non-private telephone conversation.”

Yes. I wish that people valued their telephonic privacy a bit more. And based on my own experience, I’d pity any NSA agent who was forced to listen to some of the stuff I’ve overheard. . . .

While I understand the pithy point that the reader makes, it’s irrelevant to the NSA’s wire-tapping number-tracking program. So what if Americans want to blab their conversations loud enough for everyone to hear? Yes, it’s annoying, but it is not the same thing. The Constitution says nothing about people voluntarily allowing (forcing?) the world to eavesdrop. But volunteering our intimate details and having them siphoned without our knowledge are not the same thing. As we notice when we read the Fourth Amendment, there’s a nice phrase about being secure against unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as the bit about warrants and probable cause. Surely this qualifies. Only an apologist could argue otherwise.

Day 18 of D-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Over the last eighteen days, I’ve begun to understand “Dell Hell.” Currently, my laptop is in Memphis for repair for the third time since it died in April. During its first repair attempt, Dell replaced the fan and heat sink. When I received the laptop back, I was able to recreate the problem in 50 minutes. When I called, Dell admitted that its staff turned my computer on and let it run for 45 minutes before sending it back. They didn’t bother to examine the laptop to determine a cause. The hardware technician did not diagnose anything beyond what the phone representative imagined as the cause, hence the limited, ineffectual repair.

On its second attempt, Dell replaced the fan, heat sink, and CPU. I do not understand why they believed that a part they replaced a few days before would be the cause of the original problem. The phone representative noted in my case that the next repair attempt should include the motherboard. This did not happen, as I said. When I received the laptop from the repair depot, I managed to kill it in 35 minutes, replicating the original problem by playing a DVD.

So now my laptop is on its third journey. I have no faith that my laptop will be fixed whenever it returns, but that’s mitigated by the knowledge that Dell must continue trying until the problem is resolved. Of course, I have to remind them of that every time I’ve called them, which is frustrating. Why no one at Dell can grasp the simple concept that, because my laptop failed during the warranty period, it is irrelevant that my warranty has since expired if the original problem hasn’t been fixed. Especially when they’ve admitted that they didn’t bother to run a thorough diagnostic or post-repair test.

I’ve learned a few things during this ordeal. Dell is clearly incompetent, which I think is all that works as an explanation. There is an upside to this: my laptop will have all new insides by the time this is resolved. It’s unfortunate that I’m not earning frequent flier miles for all the trips the computer is making to Memphis.

I won’t be buying anything from Dell in the future.

Post Script: Composing anything worth reading on a PocketPC is still virtually impossible, not to mention the hand cramping it causes. Regular blogging will resume soon.

Should I include a “Heh”?

Arnold Kling writes in TCS Daily:

The alternative ideology that I would propose might be called transnational libertarianism. The ideal libertarian world would have no economic borders. There would be no problem of illegal immigration, because all forms of immigration would be legal.

If transnational libertarianism were to become sufficiently popular to emerge as the ideology that determines the world’s institutions, then governments would be local rather than national. Their main role would be to prevent outbreaks of violence among individuals or groups. In the nightclub of life, government would be the bouncer, not the owner or the manager or the dance instructor or the disk jockey.

I don’t imagine it happening in my lifetime, but I can hope. Read the whole thing.