Turkey Hill

Went for a 54-mile bike ride, from Centerville in Beverly up through Ipswich and Newburyport, with my friend Linda.

We went through Newburyport on some busy roads, finally turning off onto Turkey Hill Rd. Nowadays, there is actually a good chance that, if something is called Turkey Hill, you will see wild Turkeys there. We didn't see any, but we did stop at the old Quaker Cemetary. Instead of the usual rectangular plot, the 18th Century Marble gravestones were arranged in family goupings (Sawyers, then Browns) along a trail that leads down to the Artichoke Reservoir.

Further along, in Byfield and Rowley, we saw plenty of Turkeys--in fields, yards, and along the side of the road. We passed by a house where Linda has often seen a Peacock standing on top of a car in the driveway. No Peacock this time, but we did see a shy Guinea Hen by the side of a shiny Maroon Lincoln.

Extreme Sport #1

Marathong: Just imagine trying to run 26.2 miles, in uber-uncomfortable underwear that is trying to cut you in half, and you'll have an idea of this exciting new sport. Coming soon to a Patriot's Day near you.

News Flash

Desperate to gain market share, LinkedIn buys Ancestry.com for 1.3 Billion. Now they can send out emails that say, "Laura Packer is connected to the Baal Shem Tov", "Annie Crockett is connected to Queen Elizabeth I", and "Mike Cohen is connected to the Alien that crashed in Roswell in 1947"....

(From the Book of Faces, April 13, 2012)

Time for some Nerd Talk

My computer died this weekend. What to do? Upgrading from one computer to another is tough enough, but replicating a dead one is very difficult and time consuming (and it's never the way it was before).

Did a Hard Drive-ectomy, and put it into an external drive enclosure (after a quick refresher course on SATA vs. IDE drives). Drive still working. Yay! Went to Microcenter in Cambridge, and found what was supposedly the exact same computer (a refurbished Dell Optiplex GX520) for only $149. Back at home, opened the box and discovered it was actually a GX620, which is smaller and laid out differently.

Performed another Drive-ectomy, and then transplanted the original Hard Drive into the new computer. Closed it up, connected the external cables, and turned on the power. Amazingly, "Plug and Pray" actually worked--the BIOS accepted the new drive, and Windows came up. After Windows registered the new box's different hardware (Disk & DVD drive, USB Controllers, etc.) and rebooted, there was my desktop--exactly the way it was before!

Robot Journalist

Just came back from Ignite Boston 9, which is put on by O'Reilly, the Tech Publishing Company. One of the coolest presentations was on Boxie, the Story Gathering Robot:

Imagine a cardboard version of Pixar's Wall-e character, but with added über-cute human voice, and you've got a fair picture of Boxie, Alexander Reben's documentary-video-making robot.

Here is another video:


We sent this robot out to autonomously gather human narrative about its environment. The robot had a specific story capture goal and leveraged humans to attain that goal.

Caption Contest

This was for a caption contest, and I still think my entry was the best:

You know I can't sleep in the upper bunk!

(From the Book of Faces, February 25, 2012 - Thank you, Annie Crockett, and Sleeping in Tents.)

PATRIOTS LOSE THE SUPERBOWL --

BOSTON FANS TRASH VANCOUVER!

Feb 5 - Carrying out a new tradition, the fans of whoever loses a major sports championship now get to destroy downtown Vancouver, BC. The Fung Wah Bus Line has been offering $3.00 fares from both New York and Boston.

The Story Space 20th Anniversary

The Story Space Committee (of which I am a Member), has been working very hard to bring this event together.

Back on Tuesday, February 4th, 1992, Brother Blue and his wife, Ruth Hill, convened a small group of storytellers at the Bookcellar Cafe in Cambridge, MA. This was no ordinary monthly swap meet or "Third Wednesday" open mike. Here in the friendly confines of a bookstore with a noisy espresso machine and a laid-back atmosphere, they began a weekly Storytelling venue, meant for seasoned tellers and newcomers alike. No one had tried to have storytelling every week before, but it caught on - big time! The gatherings grew, both in attendence and fame. People from all over the U.S., and many other countries, came to tell and listen to stories.

How time fies! We're now coming up on our 20th Anniversary, with much to be proud of and to rejoice in. Brother Blue has passed on, but his inspiration lives. The gathering he started is now The Story Space, and it still meets weekly in Cambridge. Inspired by Blue's example, many other storytelling venues have been started all over, but we are still the World's first and only weekly storytelling venue.

So, in recognition of our 20th Anniversary, we're planning quite a celebration, including a performance by Nationally-known, Master Storyteller Jay O'Callahan.

Jay was, by a strange coincidence, the Feature at that very first meeting back in 1992! We'll also by joined by Ruth Hill, esteemed tellers, and other surprise guests.

It's 7pm, Tuesday, February 7th, at the Harvard-Epworth Church, 1555 Mass Ave, Cambridge (just north of Harvard Sq. and the Cambridge Common). See The Story Space/Events  for full details. $15.00 in Advance, $20.00 at the Door.

(From the Book of Faces, February 1, 2012)

The Love That...

Dares Reveal Its Name

After being together for 20+ years (and living together for at least 6), I decided it was time to go public: so yes, I am in a "Relationship" with Anne Crockett.

Plus, now that she's taking classes at Simmons, I can truthfully say that I am going out with a "Hot College Woman". And one that's an "A" Student, as well.

(From the Book of Faces, January 31, 2012 - Thank you, Annie Crockett.)