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Shelly's Web of Wonder Posts

November 28, 2008
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Dad Update

Posted in Random Personal Nonsense

My online friends have been a real help to me in the past few days. Thank you all. A hospital room is a decidedly offline place; not very connected at all to the usual kinds of communication and trappings of a plugged-in life. So when I come back to my computer, it’s both comforting to find you here, and jarring to the part of me that has just left the institutional environment. Dad did indeed have a stroke; two small ones, actually. Various tests and scans are ongoing, and he’ll have a heart scan on Monday (Monday is a long…

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November 26, 2008
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My Dad is in the Hospital

Posted in Random Personal Nonsense

Good news first. My dad is alert, awake, and cranky about being stuck in a hospital bed. This post is mostly about getting the basic info out to all the wonderful people who have been supporting me and my family with prayers, virtual hugs, and best wishes. Thank you all. It means a lot. I’ll post more later about how we’re all feeling. My coping mechanism is to be very focused and to try to ask the right questions. Last night around dinnertime, my dad, who uses a wheelchair, was unable to get himself from his recliner into the wheelchair,…

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October 14, 2008
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Connections: Help Save A Life

Posted in New Media and Tech, and Politics and Public Affairs

I met RocketBoom founder Andrew Baron in the press room at Portable Media Expo in 2006. He recorded one of those “This is Andrew, and you’re listening to…” IDs for a podcast I was producing. Later, as managing editor of Blogger & Podcaster, I interviewed Andrew for a feature I was planning. The article was killed by higher powers, unfortunately. What I didn’t know when our paths crossed, was that I had a much older connection to Andrew. In 1991, when I worked for the Texas Attorney General’s Office, I met a wonderful woman named Joan Baron. Joan is Andrew’s…

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September 11, 2008
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Rewarding Innovation with your Vote

Posted in Politics and Public Affairs

I was reading a Robert Scoble blog post just now. Honestly, that’s something I try to avoid, but what can I say, I’m very click-y today. Scoble was reminding us of his idea that the United States needs a chief technology officer (CTO)., and that he thinks Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig is just the guy to take that on. While I’m not hear to advocate for or against Mr. Lessig being offered such a position, the idea reminded me of something that is critical in my personal political decision-making, particularly at the presidential level, who will run the government…

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September 9, 2008
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Another new nano?

Posted in New Media and Tech

Am I really the only person who finds Apple’s frequent tinkering with the iPod nano design tedious? The first nano had physical problems (read, it got scratched a lot), the second was a thing of beauty, the third was chunky and awkward, and the fourth, well, I haven’t seen one, so I’m withholding judgment. Other than an altered menu system and the ability to play video (do y’all play video on your nanos?) it’s essentially the same device that was released in 2005. I love the nano. In all versions, the size was just about right, both physically, and in…

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September 2, 2008
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Thoughts on Sarah Palin

Posted in Politics and Public Affairs

On a purely emotional level, I wanted to like Sarah Palin. She’s energetic, she’s interesting, she’s my age, and she talks about the things I care about, namely reform of government. And I suspected that her approach to governing included a healthy dollop of civility. Also good, in my book. On the other hand, I’m a Democrat, and there’s no chance I’ll be voting for Palin and John McCain. My party has a point when it notes Palin’s lack of national experience, and the briefness of her executive experience. And yes, this “goes to judgment” where John McCain is concerned,…

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August 22, 2008
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veepPhone

Posted in New Media and Tech, and Politics and Public Affairs

The collective press, and even my Twitter stream has been infected by veepstakes fever, mostly on the Obama side. It’s become a little annoying at this point, I’ll admit. And by the way, I haven’t given my cell number to the Obama campaign for this purpose, though I’ve been on his text message list in the past. What I realized this morning, as I read the Mashable story about fake iPhone lines in Poland, is how similar this week’s veep frenzy has been to the run-up to an Apple launch. Of course, the iPhone lines are not Apple’s doing, but…

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August 20, 2008
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New Media Expo’s Middle Year

Posted in New Media and Tech, and Podcasting

Last week’s New Media Expo was, to a large degree, what I expected it to be. Frankly, I had hoped that my original expectations would be proven wrong, because I like attending this event, and I think its focus on the podcasting aspect of new media (despite the more inclusive name) is a valuable concentration for those who are more interested in making and producing audio and video than they are in finding new ways to market themselves in 140 characters. Despite assurances to the contrary, it has seemed to me since the announcement that NME would move from the…

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August 6, 2008
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Six Random Things…

Posted in Random Personal Nonsense

I’ve been tagged. The delightful folks over at For Whatever Reason insist that I share Six Random Things About Me. I’ve done this before, but what the hay? Also, don’t it seem as though the very act of podcasting consists mostly of random things about oneself? The Things: When in my own home, I am usually barefoot. At age 10, I accidentally stabbed myself with a Girl Scout pocket knife. I have the memories and a little scar in my right palm. My dad’s nickname for me was Chickadee. (chirp, chirp). I built my first Web site in 1994. My…

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