“Good news, folks. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has turned his attention to controlling the weather.
Five U.S. Patent and Trade Office patent applications, made public on July 9, propose slowing hurricanes by pumping cold, deep-ocean water in their paths from barges. If issued, the patents offer 18 years of legal rights to the idea for Gates and co-inventors, including climate scientist Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Hurricanes, most famously demonstrated by the deadly intensification of Hurricane Katrina before its landfall in 2005, draw strength from warm waters on the ocean's surface. The patents describe a system for strategically placing turbine-equipped barges in the path of storms to chill sea surfaces with cold water pumped from the depths…”
You know me I shoot my mouth off on everything. I am sort of speechless on this one. It sounds like it might work. On the other hand I could see it having other effects. We might fix something and cause a problem someplace else. My feeling is less is better… But I live in Miami and if this area gets pounded again one day…I think people will go for this idea. I wonder if the barges could be used for something else…give us a two for one deal. Create electric power or something? I guess I did shoot my mouth off… what do you expect from Jim Howard. I speak before I think. Smile
Twitter Message from Scott Rosenberg
Written by Jim Howard
Saturday, 25 July 2009 06:16
“ @n0uwy I acknowledge many examples of predecessors to blogs in book (& video), tho' not yrs. I think u miss my point (no 1st or "inventor")”
Here is Scott Rosenberg’s video from YouTube: The First Blogger, with Scott Rosenberg. He did the video May 28, 2009. I mention the date because much of what he says sounds like my video which I did on YouTube on August 2, 2007. I am NOT saying he even saw my video or anything but I want to make it clear that I was saying it years ago and I did not get any of the points from his video.
Say Everything and Say Nothing
Written by Jim Howard
Saturday, 25 July 2009 04:33
I commented here before about Scott Rosenberg’s book called “Say Everything: How Blogging Began.” I even posted his video from YouTube here: The First Blogger, with Scott Rosenberg. I attempted to post my YouTube video: Did Jim Howard Invent the Blog? as a Video Response but he did not allow any video responses.
I found “Wordyard” which is Scott Rosenberg’s blog. In a post on the blog he mentions that he used the Internet Wayback Machine for his research. No wonder he screwed up his book. In his blog post he mentions “blog historian” Rudolf Ammann and that he found links to Dan Gillmore’s “pioneering” EJournal blog beginning in 1999! My God, I get so tired of this crap. I was doing a blog in 1982! It was written up in “Link-Up” magazine in 1984. I was blogging before the world wide web was invented in 1995. Did I invent the blog? If you watch my video I think I do a pretty good job of covering that subject. I KNOW for a fact that I was doing a blog before ANY of the people that are mentioned as the first to do a blog. They are all mentioned in the 1995-1999 range. I was blogging in 1982! Now some guy may have been doing a blog before me. That is possible and I mention that in my video. Now some people, very few, that give me some credit will say …something to the effect that …yes you were doing a BBS and that was early blogging and you were one of thousands doing a blog…I do not say that I was blogging because I was doing a BBS in 1982. (I did Howard’s Notebook from 1982 until the world wide web was invented in 1995 and then I moved it to the www.) I say I was doing to blog in 1982 because it had all the content of a blog. I commented daily and gave personal views, news and information. I had list of information and you could click on some of the information and my BBS would dial out on the other phone line and connect you to that site. I am not out to be listed as the father of blogging or the inventor of blogging. I am just here saying that blogging was NOT invented in 1999 or in 1995. I KNOW I was doing it in 1982.
The old days – Rec.Nude and Howard’s Notebook
Written by Jim Howard
Saturday, 25 July 2009 14:50
Below is a message that was posted in August of 2008. One thing I find interesting about it is that you will see that it is pulling data from a message in 1994. One year before the invention of the world wide web. You will notice that an one of the email addresses is *.howard.omahug.org” and that is the domain that I was using at the time to send and receive email for the people in the Kansas City (MO) area. I was also using that domain to send and receive newsgroups like Rec.Nude Yes, Howard’s Notebook was doing Internet email, had newsgroups and other features including a blog back in 1994. Well, even before 1994. Most experts say blogging was invented in 1995. Howard’s Notebook was doing all sorts of things including being a blog site long before 1995.
See the message below as proof
quote: I recently learned that there is a test for gays/lesbians that measures how strong their same sex attraction is. All gays are not created equal in this regard. Naturists have this too I guess. Although there is no test to administer, I think I would score pretty high on such a test if it existed.
Searching the Web, I found a couple of tests, but I think they are more than a little dorky -- if we can use that term here. Better, I think, is the N Scale that Dick Williams came up a while back on rec.nude. I asked his permission to run it (with credit, of course) in a little pub I was editing for a friend (another Mormon nudist) who was off on vacation. The "N" Scale 1-7 by
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(Dick Williams) How Nude are You? Nothing today is true black or white--there are shades of gray in nearly all of humankind's activity. So why not a Nude Scale describing a person's placement on the Prude to Nude continuum.
1. Obsessive Anti-nude: Regards all nudity sinful. Often bases
believe on fanatical and narrow interpretation of scripture. No
tolerance level for other views--actively seeks to impose beliefs on
society as a whole via legislation, commercial boycott, candidate
intimidation. In practice--opposed to all forms of nudity: in the
home, in recreation, in art and live or film performances. Might
belong to AFA. Doesn't own a bathing suit because that gets too
close to nudity.
2. Live and Let live Anti-nude. Against it but not obsessively so.
Still can't understand anyone wishing to "parade around naked as a
jay bird". Uncomfortable around nudity in any form. Might accept
some artistic nudity.
3. Not for me but I can understand. Tolerant of artistic nudity.
Might recall childhood skinny dipping. Can laugh at nudity of
others. Non judgmental.
4. Nude curious. Tolerant and accepting, reluctant to practice but
might wish to try in right situation. Understanding of social
nudity in others. Comfortable with casual nudity in the home. Reads
rec.nude but would never post.
5. "When the time's right" nude. Tolerant of nudity practiced by
others. Casual nudity in the home is common. In proper setting
practices discrete social nudity as in a hot tub with friends.
Comfort level depends on surroundings and "safety" of the setting.
Sunbathes nude in a private back yard or pool area. Learns to
enjoy the freedom and feel of sun and water on whole body. Growing
curiosity about CO beaches and clubs.
6. Wholesomely nude. Entirely comfortable with private and social
nudity. Looks forward to monthly or weekly nude recreation when
appropriate. May belong to a local group and support a national
organization. Some non-nude friends may know of this person's nude
recreation. Self confident and enjoys social contacts in nude
setting. May encourage others to try a naturist experience at beach,
lake, or river.
7. Nude to the core. Nudity is a central part of life. Feels best
when dressed the least. Unclothed much of non-working time.
Lifestyle is well known among non-nude friends and relatives.
Housing, work and recreation decisions may be made around a desire
to be without clothing as much as possible. Enjoys sharing and
explaining the nude lifestyle to others. May be a activist or
spokesman on nudity. Vacations nearly always involve nude
recreation. Doesn't own a bathing suit. No need to -- no tan lines.
That covers the 7 steps from prude to nude.
The is also probably an 8th step where nudity becomes an obsession
and dominates -- where every clothed moment is an painful
annoyance -- where every thought and action revolves around nudity.
Where every beach, lake or river is surveyed for possible nude use.
But that couldn't apply to anyone here, nah. So 7 levels will be
enough.
Comments? Additions? Remember, it's just for fun. Like nudity
itself -- not to be taken too seriously -- ever. When wearing only a
smile, one should smile a lot!
Dick Williams K C MO
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Dick adds:
I have a Utah connection -- graduated from the Univ of Utah in 1966.
Attended the U for 2 years, studying meteorology--still working in
that field for the National Weather Service here in Kansas City. In
fact I still forecast for Utah, sometimes. I do aviation forecasting
and we write some aviation products here that pertain to the western
US....
Spent a lot of evenings in the hills above the Univ -- the Med
Center was new then -- watching the sun set over the city and the
Valley -- fully clothed in those days. Nowadays would probably find
a place to disrobe and enjoy it even more.
The N-Scale was just for fun. Actually most people are probably part
this and part that -- openly nude in some settings, closeted among
other associates. But I thought it might prompt some comments or
give someone a chuckle.
This was back in 1994, when e-mail took 2 days and e-mail addresses looked like this:
so, I wouldn't count on Dick's e-mail being the same today.
Also, here's something I sent to Dick back then:
quote:
I actually know of people who would have to be rated lower than
1.0. They never are nude -- not even while taking a bath.
On the other end of the scale, someplace between 7 and 8, is some
one who goes beyond "enjoys sharing and explaining the nude
lifestyle to others" to "can and does bore the bejesus out of
friends and even complete strangers by expounding the nude
lifestyle."
I'd rate myself at 7 but sometimes I worry about the gray area
above there. I'll have to start checking people I'm talking to
to make sure their eyes haven't glazed over.
Not much change in 14 years, I'm afraid.
Dorky Nudist Tests, both user-written on a dorky site:
The Naturist/Nudist Test. I scored 93 percent, but I don't believe anyone can score any higher than this. Something is whack.
The Am I a Nudist? Test. By lying a bit, I got my score up to 200 out of 202. See above. There are several questions that I think the right answers are different from the test's author.
quote:
If I were interested in attending a weekend couples workshop about improving our sex life, I would prefer:
A workshop where clothing was required
A workshop where clothing was optional
A workshop where clothing was absolutely forbidden
I would never attend such a workshop
I think if it's not clothing optional, it's never going to get off the ground. The author thinks the third option is the right one.
quote:
If a saw a person wearing nothing but a sarong in public, I would most likely consider this person to be:
Naked
Offensive
Wearing too much
Wearing a sarong
Author picks the third option, I pick the fourth.
Obviously, the author thinks a nudist has some strict dress code and I think a nudist has no dress code. (Almost wrote "no-dress" code vs no dress code.)
Naturally,
R.O.
