http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com theater, conservation, the utterly mundane, and Etruscan 8-tracks Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:46:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Gillian Andrews makes some thoughtful remarks about usability, "web literacy," and human foibles in response to the Facebook login/ReadWriteWeb flap. Interface designers aren't helping. Most URL bars now resolve into search results. This may seem like a good UI solution, but it is a catastrophic mistake from a literacy perspective. URLs ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/16/type-here/ John Brunner anticipates comment-driven media: "... and Puerto Rico today became the latest state to ratify the controversial dichromatism provision of United States eugenic legislation. This leaves only two havens for those who wish to bear disadvantaged children: Nevada and Louisiana. The defeat of the baby-farming lobby removes a ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/11/the-forecast-fo-2010/ This past weekend threatened to burn me out on field work. A trip was rescheduled for Saturday, postponed by previous snows, and I put in some extra time towards my term project, also deferred due to weather. Our final field trip for winter tree ID visited Glen Carlyn and Bluemont ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/09/omnibus-trip-report/ Is the world ready for a corrected edition of Finnegans Wake? (Via Bookslut.) http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/05/howth-castle-environs/ In the European classical tradition, the piano, with its twelve precise divisions of the octave—inflexible, immovable—has dictated musical thinking for several centuries. Once developed, the piano quickly became a machine of almost tyrannical influence throughout the Western world. Its division of the octave into twelve intervals, each mathematically ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/03/slippery/ Over the weekend I did some field work at Huntley Meadows for my tree ID class, and I previewed conditions for the upcoming nest box season. There are still substantial patches of slush on the trails and boardwalk, and lots of downed tree limbs. The fast-growing trees suffered ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/03/at-the-park-32/ Language Log contributor Geoff Nunberg explores new crannies of curmudgeonliness. My kind of guy: I have this notion that "gingerly" shouldn't be used as an adverb, as in, "She hugged the child gingerly," because there's no corresponding adjective "ginger" — you wouldn't say, "She gave the child a ginger hug." ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/03/02/walking-the-dog/ The editors of Nature come out in support of abandoning Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the primary measure of social development and economic wealth: ...GDP is known to be flawed as an indicator. For example, a developing country can accelerate its GDP growth by over-logging its forests, even though this could ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/02/26/counting-rules/ CATF's 2010 season is available for early-bird subscribers from previous seasons. No Blessing nor Dresser, but Lee Sellars! The Eelwax Jesus 3-D Pop Music Show, book and lyrics by Max Baker, music by Lee Sellars (world premiere) Inana by Michele Lowe Lidless by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig Breadcrumbs by Jennifer Haley (world premiere) White ... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/02/26/upcoming-22/ Another office building in Crystal City gets an arts-event invasion (à la Artomatic). This time it's a March-long happening called G40: The Summit. Who knows? Could be great, could be... http://www.ahoneyofananklet.com/2010/02/26/upcoming-21/