Monthly Archives: December 2008

The year in review, 2008

Posted on Tuesday, 30 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Meme via Pondering Pikaia: the first sentence of the first post of each month from this blog: 1 January: I really don’t spend as much time out in the field actively birding as I would like to, but I like … Continue reading →

Posted in Memes, Metaposting | Comments Off

My year in hikes, 2008

Posted on Tuesday, 30 December 2008 by David Gorsline

I’ve covered a bit more ground on foot, comparatively, than I have driving or flying this year. Appalachian Trail, Maryland, I-70 to Maryland 77 and on to Pen Mar Park Shenandoah National Park, Little Devils Stairs, Lewis Falls-Blackrock, and Sugarloaf … Continue reading →

Posted in In the Field, Like Life | Comments Off

Some links: 34

Posted on Monday, 29 December 2008 by David Gorsline

I have a new personal/professional profile page, one to take the place of my old TypeKey profile. For a small fee, the folks at Hover provide the redirection.

Posted in Blogs and Internet, Metaposting | Comments Off

Just imagine

Posted on Monday, 29 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Via ArtsJournal, Michael Simkins discloses lobby lies: …what if it’s the biggest turkey before Christmas? * * * A third option is to shimmy your way through with platitudes that can be interpreted to taste. Examples include “Well, what about … Continue reading →

Posted in Theater | Comments Off

One more good reason

Posted on Saturday, 27 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Newly-published research by Shalene Jha and Christopher W. Dick indicates that traditional shade-grown coffee farms provide yet another ecosystem service: maintenance of genetic diversity of trees in the landscape. The paper studies Miconia affinis in Chiapas state, Mexico. The inference … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Natural Sciences | Comments Off

My year in cities, 2008

Posted on Saturday, 27 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Not too much time or money for traveling this year, so the list of out-of-town places I overnighted in this year is short: Nimbus, Calif. (Sacramento suburbs) Martinsburg, W. Va. (3 visits) 2007′s list. 2006′s list. 2005′s list.

Posted in Like Life | Comments Off

Suck-it-up soup

Posted on Wednesday, 24 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Gemma Hooley and Chris Nelson profile my favorite Washington Capital, #21, Brooks Laich. Laich, in his productivity, ruggedness, and general no-glamour attitude, reminds me a little of Cal Ripken. “If I’m tired or sore or whatever, I just think of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ice Hockey | Comments Off

Murky waters

Posted on Wednesday, 24 December 2008 by David Gorsline

The Economist sends a correspondent to look at wildlife in China, specifically birds. It’s not altogether a pretty sight. The press of several hundred million people along the coast threatens marine organisms at risk from river discharges, heavy metals and … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds and Birding, Habitat Conservation | Comments Off

Better view desired

Posted on Tuesday, 23 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Via The Morning News, Esther Addley reports on the efforts of inventor and physics professor Josh Silver to provide eyeglasses for one billion of the world’s poor at a dollar apiece. The trick is in the wearer-tunable lenses.

Posted in Philanthropy, Tools and Technology | Comments Off

Advice to the players

Posted on Tuesday, 23 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Terry Teachout’s advice to professional theater companies hoping for a national review includes some good reminders about basic web site design: If you want to keep traveling critics happy, make very sure that the front page of your Web site … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs and Internet | Comments Off

Some links: 33

Posted on Friday, 19 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Mark Felt, career civil servant and senior official in the FBI, Bob Woodward’s “Deep Throat” source during the investigation of Richard Nixon’s criminal presidency, has passed away. (Link via DCist.)

Posted in In Memoriam | Comments Off

The reality train has left the station

Posted on Friday, 19 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Via Ira and Leta, possibly the strangest Barbie collectible to be offered: Barbie as Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) attacked by crows in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Dressed in a re-creation of the stylish green skirt-suit worn by the film’s ill-fated … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Fun | Comments Off

TMLMTBGB: 2

Posted on Thursday, 18 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Woolly Mammoth brings the Chicago zanies back for another entertaining, provocative installment of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (previously reviewed). At December 17′s manifestation, the troupe nearly succeeded at packing all 30 plays into the allotted 60 … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theater | Comments Off

Some links: 32

Posted on Tuesday, 16 December 2008 by David Gorsline

Hugh Powell explains how cannon nets work and what can go wrong with them in “Twinkling the Whimbrels.” Cannon netting consists of firing three projectiles over a flock of birds, trailing a single net that traps the birds underneath. Setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds and Birding, Tools and Technology | Comments Off

Offers

Posted on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 by David Gorsline

(In response to Via Negativa’s Offers.) I’ve been offered a job several times, and most of them I have accepted. Before I started writing software full-time, I was offered a number-crunching job by a federal agency on a January 19. … Continue reading →

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