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I just renewed my membership to TidBITS. If you’ve never heard of TidBITS, you should check them out. They have been publishing continuously online for 28 years, and their content is second to none. They also host an amazing online discussion list, TidBITS-Talk. The site’s content is focused on Apple news and technology, but the quality of the journalism is so high and the coverage is broad enough that there is likely something there for everyone.

Membership is completely optional, so check it out. It is not hyperbole to say that TidBITS has improved the quality of my life every week for the past quarter century.

–Ron

Summer 2013

We define summer three ways. There’s the celestial season: from the summer solstice on June 21st to the autumnal equinox on September 22nd. There’s the traditional vacation season, from Memorial Day on May 27th through Labor Day on September 2nd. Last, there’s summer vacation from school which, for us, ran all too quickly from June 6th through August 14th.

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Jungle Music

I have a distant memory of a scene from The Buddy Holly Story in which (as I recall) his father is berating Buddy for wasting his time playing “that… that… that Jungle music.” I probably remember the line because of my realization that “Jungle” was a euphemism for a word we still don’t use, but the message to the audience was clear: Dad was out of touch with a music genre that would soon revolutionize popular art and define a generation.

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Thankslist

Auburn Bob Brian Caper Carol Ann Elizabeth Emily Esther Gary Jack Jamie Jennifer Jim Joshua Julie Kathy Kristi Leslie Lori Mark Marlyn Matthew Megan Monica Nina Pam Pepper Ray Rob Rosa Ruth Sonny Susan Terry and… you know who you are.

Ron – 2011-11-23

The DMV Gets It!

Hard on the heels of my experience with the San Juan Unified School District came one of startling contrast, even more so because it came from such an unexpected quarter: the much-maligned California Department of Motor Vehicles. Was the experience a good one? Not really. Did it contrast in almost every way with the one at San Juan? Remarkably so, in that the DMV has clearly put thought into almost every aspect of their interaction with their customers, all with an eye toward reducing the anxiety of the public. To wit:
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Getting It: how the San Juan Unified School District could do better

who got it

In the late 1990s, word around the internet was that web search was pretty much a closed book. The search engine du jour was a site named Alta Vista, and it’s where nearly everyone went to get their searching done. They needed to productize and monetize their site, and so their search page started growing ads and portal features and flashing ads and animated ads… it was said that advertisers could even pay to influence the placement of search results. Alta Vista had to, right? Else how could they stay open, let alone make any money?

Continue reading Getting It: how the San Juan Unified School District could do better