Fidalgo Island Crossings
Life in the Weather on South Fidalgo Island, Washington
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June 15The End/The Beginning Please check out the new Fidalgo Island Crossings blog site: http://fidalgoweather.blogspot.com This is where all future posts will be found. I have also used Blogger’s “pages” option to incorporate the Fidalgo Weather website. Here is why I am very happy with the new platform: Works beautifully with Windows Live Writer, better than Spaces; Spaces now loses some formatting after posting; try getting a link to open in a new window here now Commenting works as expected; not limited and can require both moderation and captcha verification if you wish UPDATE: Blogger just implemented a new commenting feature; even without moderation set, suspected spam comments are put on a review list and not posted to the blog; this allows the author to screen them before posting; works beautifully. This is one example of the continuous improvement seen at Blogger. For visit statistics, several third-party options are available, including the state-of-the-art Google Analytics;UPDATE: Blogger just implemented “Blogger Stats” beta, a well-implemented, real-time and detailed visit analysis built right into our accounts Seems to render well in all browsers; have you seen your Spaces site in Google Chrome lately? The templates are clean and fresh looking and not cobbled-up with stuff like office apps, messenger, mail etc.; the blog is the blog; they have a separate page where all of their other services are brought together I have not seen a single advertisement on any Blogger page, anywhere, ever; although my Spaces ID is a premium Hotmail account, my profile displays really tacky advertising when I am not signed in The Friends/Followers structure is completely different; it is a system for following other blogs, not stuffing your email contacts with names you’ll never use; I doubt I will see the lewd, nuisance network invitations I am still getting here; I tried to turn them off, but you cannot completely do that anymore Everybody over there has a blog and a profile; without them, what’s the point? Here, there are people who do nothing whatsoever except invite “friends.” They’re just collectors like the strange old lady down the street with 200 cats. The feature allowing the addition of static web pages blows Spaces out of the water Blogger uses Blogger for its various support and information sites (e.g. http://status.blogger.com/); have you noticed that Windows Live insiders don’t use their own platform? (http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/, http://www.liveside.net/) Spaces seems to be mostly populated by Microsofties all going “Windows 7,” “Windows Live,” “oooh,” “aaah;” the Blogger world is more diverse; it should be easier to find other blogs with common interests In the short time I have been there, I see evidence that Google actually responds to feedback and implements changes accordingly; Microsoft, on the other hand, ignores feedback and posts long articles trying to justify the mickey-mouse going on here. The damage is not limited to Windows Live Spaces. The Office Live Small Business website platform has also been negatively impacted. OLSB clients embedded RSS feeds of Spaces blogs on their websites. This was an important part of the customer service/visitor experience. The crippling of the comments, in particular, has destroyed any essence of interactivity for our OL websites. It looks like Wave 4 for Spaces has become Wave Zero for me. Spaces was my primary Windows Live activity. It’s too bad it was implemented so badly. Spaces could have been the jewel in the crown of Windows Live. Is it possible they want people to leave so they can shut it down? That’s what it feels like. If any of you have Google accounts and appreciate the subject of the blog, stop by the new site and hook up as a follower. Good luck to all of you. 3:10 PM GMT | Read comments(2)June 11BP Spills Coffee Our hearts are broken by the catastrophe in the Gulf and our rage is unbounded. This nation is under assault by a vile and grossly incompetent cabal of corporations, BP, Halliburton and Transocean. BP has a history of outrageous behavior. It was formerly the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In cahoots with the CIA in 1953, it orchestrated the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadeq, to protect its oil interests. This set in motion a chain of events that bring us to the situation we find ourselves today in the Middle East. Do not allow the corporate news media, in league with BP and their advertising dollars, to rebrand this event the “Gulf Oil Spill.” It is the BP Oil Spill, or if you prefer, the BP/Halliburton/Transocean Oil Spill. Also, please do not misinterpret the humor of this video produced by the Upright Citizens Brigade. This parody does not dishonor the eleven men who died in the initial event. Neither is it an insult to the thousands along the Gulf Coast whose lives may be permanently destroyed. Even those gentle, bewildered pelicans are not further harmed by it. It is intended solely to dishonor BP. Period. Can you believe, there is now speculation that this company will file for bankruptcy protection and skip town? This could become the worst environmental disaster since the K-T boundary event. If the oil reaches the Gulf Stream, is it possible to find it eventually washing up on the shores of Iceland, Cornwall or the Hebrides? This may be my last posting here for a while. Windows Live Spaces has always been a fairly weak blogging platform. Because of the recent “upgrades,” they have rendered it nearly useless. I will be exploring other options. It is sad because Spaces could have been the jewel in the crown of Windows Live. So long for now. PS: I am noticing that the links specified to open in a new window in Windows Live Writer no long function as such under “Wave 4.” Also, the video does not appear when this blog is embedded on an Office Live Small Business website. Do you see what I mean about this platform? 10:12 AM GMT | Read comments(2)June 05There’s An App For That Last month I posted an article about my experiences evaluating the use if an iPod Touch at work. I also mentioned how intrigued I was with the device. Despite a few misgivings, I took the plunge and purchased one. So far I have not regretted it. The first time you experience an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you can’t help but be impressed with the user interface. The beautiful, bright display glides at the touch of a finger revealing options, lists and information. Turn it 90° and you get a landscape view. As you begin to explore the application programs or “apps,” you discover the consistency of the user interface among them. Each new program becomes easier to navigate as you learn the standard tools. Perhaps it is the cramped quarters of an iPod screen that forces this uniformity. You begin by creating an iTunes account. Unlike Windows, there appears to be no third party app sources. Apple has this function locked down tight. It’s curious the Europeans haven’t gone after them over this the way they did with Microsoft. This closed shop has apparently not stifled innovation or variety in the apps. Want to train your dog in Swedish? There’s an app for that. Once you have set up your account and your iPod is registered, you are ready to shop. There are two ways to do this, using the iTunes app store on your desktop or directly from the iPod. Then you sync the two. Many apps come in both free and paid versions, the difference being the absence of advertising or perhaps additional features. So, what does a devoted nature geek do with an iPod? Here are some of the apps I have found to serve my passions: iBird Explorer Western Edition: I can recommend the iBird Explorer series to bird watchers at any level. Available in several versions, you can search by name or identification points. I have surfed the net in vain looking for a good bird identification website. iBird does this and you don’t need Wi-Fi service. Spot a bird you don’t recognize, plug in primary color, bill length, location etc. and iBird will list possibilities with images. There are also apps from Audubon, National Geographic and Peterson, but according to the reviews, iBird has the best search and ID functions. I found another pleasant feature. One of my earliest blog posts here was “A Quorum of Flickers” wherein I asked if anyone knew the correct term for a group of flickers. I never got an answer. iBird provides this information: a guttering, menorah or a Peterson of flickers. Imagine that. Those are almost as good as an Exaltation of Larks. AccuWeather: This is my favorite weather app and it’s free. It takes beautiful advantage of the iPhone UI and includes radar images, alarms and alerts. Want to walk the dog? It will tell you if that’s not a good idea. I also installed The Weather Channel free version, another highly rated app. The UI is not as well developed as AccuWeather’s but they are promising an update. I prefer AccuWeather’s radar maps, while Weather Channel provides hourly rain probabilities. Both free apps have ads, but they are not intrusive. Pocket Universe: Ever spot something in the sky and wonder what it was? Is that very bright object Venus or something else? Again, I have found no suitable website where you can set your location and identify what you are seeing at a particular time. Pocket Universe does this with simplicity and great graphics. It takes advantage of the iPhone pinch-zoom effect. Tilt the device up and the image moves higher in the sky. Nifty! Another one I am checking out is Star Walk which seems to have good reviews, but may be more functional on the iPhone than the iPod. Tide Graph: When you live at the beach, or like to go beachcombing, the tide schedules become an important part of your life. This app uses the device’s location services or you can set your tide stations manually. Clever graphics reveal the moon’s phases. iFeltThat: If you live in an earthquake zone, as I do, this app is a fascinating tool. It is amazing to discover all the little quakes that are occurring around you every day. Now, why did the windows just rattle? Haiku Time: For nature geeks who also have right-brains, and I think most of us do, this remarkable app generates haiku poetry. The Japanese verse form describes moments in nature and this app does it surprisingly well. When you catch one you really like, you can save it to your Photos app. Gardening: This is one deficient app category in my opinion. While there are gardening apps available, none of them seem very useful and the databases are limited. I would like to see the Sunset Magazine Western Garden Book database implemented for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Now that would be a killer app. Imagine being able to look up the stuff you are checking out at the nursery. To make it manageable, create versions for specific regions. Wordbook: I am a dictionary buff and where can you find a good one with a thesaurus for $1.99? The Wordbook app is actually easier to use than a hardcopy book. As in Star Trek, I can now see those disappearing altogether in the near future. This app is a great tool for blogging. Wordbook is a database, not a book reader. For reading in general, there are apps for both the Kindle and the Barnes&Noble eReaders. I find the iPod to be a very comfortable reading device. There you have it. After “Putting a Toe in Apple Land,” I have now landed there firmly with an entire foot. I managed to tune the device to get reasonable battery life, even with the Wi-Fi running. I should mention that I installed the Bing app and a mobile version of my Windows Live Home page. I can also receive my Hotmail and Office Live email on the iPod. Hopefully these will keep me in good standing with Microsoft. If I find any other good nature apps, I’ll post them here. Photos: iTunes, Apple.com 6:26 PM GMT | Read comments(1)April 23Corvid EncountersToday I have had new visitors to my bird feeders, a pair of Northwestern Crows, Corvus caurinus. These are slightly smaller cousins to our American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos. Some believe they are actually a subspecies of the American crow. They are monogamous, so I am assuming these were a male and female bonded pair. One was larger than the other. Unlike eagles where the larger bird is the female, in crows, the male is larger. A unique feature of the Northwestern Crow is they make their living as beachcombers. I see them foraging the intertidal zone and shoreline almost every day, year-around. This is considered the primary feature distinguishing them from American Crows. While common on the beach, in more than 20 years, this is the first time I have seen them come to the house. I spotted this pair standing motionless on the beach. For some reason, this struck me as odd and it caught my attention. Then in one big swoop, the pair flew directly up to the feeders in the basement patio. They knew exactly where they were going. They politely took their turns at the tray feeder while the other checked out the planters. Then they flew straight back to the beach in tandem. They returned two more times in the same manner before moving on. While they were here, even the squirrels gave them ground. I believe they nest in the trees along the cliffs bordering Similk Bay. On my hikes, they spot me coming and begin the alarms long before my arrival. If this is the case, their foraging takes them at least two miles from their nest sites. Other local Corvids include the Americans, Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri). Let me tell you, when the Ravens come around, you become aware this is their world, not yours. To Native Americans in this region, Raven was the creator. Around the feeders, Steller’s Jays are bullies. They noisily attempt to intimidate the other birds to gain exclusive access to the food. Like human bullies, they are also cowards easily frightened off. They are unique and beautiful black and indigo-colored jays. I enjoyed the visit by this pair of crows and I hope they will return often. When crows and ravens are observed up close, you see another intelligence. They have an awareness and a presence few other birds exhibit. It is easy to understand why Native Americans revered and respected them. Photo: Ianaré Sévi, Wikimedia 11:34 AM GMT | Read comments(1)June 01C’mon Microsoft, Fix This Service Over several weeks now we have been receiving endless hype about “Wave 4” and how wonderful it will be. Well, WAVE, SHMAVE! I am tired of hearing about it. In all the hype, there has not been a single word about fixing any of the problems with this Windows Live Spaces blog service. For months we have endured the seemingly endless assault by link spammers. We have diligently used the “Report Abuse” link and reported the offenders. We have posted our feelings about this on Microsoft forums. Yet, the problem goes on and on without any apparent solution. Is there anyone at Microsoft who even cares about this? Pardon my lack of political correctness, but has anyone noticed the offenders all seem to be Chinese? Perhaps therein lies your solution. The only defense we had against comment spam has also ceased to function. I am no longer getting email alerts of blog comments. When I contacted the Windows Live Solution Center about this, it took me two weeks of back-and-forth just to prove to them that this function even existed. Only a screenshot of the Windows Live Alerts page convinced them. Are you surprised that their instructions to fix the problem didn’t work? Now comes the lewd, nuisance network invitations at the rate of several a day. Again, Support only offers kind words, “Our product team is aware of this and we assure you that we are working towards a solution.” How many months will this one take? When I link to the inviter’s profile page, are those Chinese characters I see flashing by on the browser tab? Since “Ignore” and “Block” doesn’t work, I have taken the only solution available and shut down all network invitations. If Microsoft won’t fix it, I will. Apparently, complete isolation is necessary to use your social networking service. What a sad state of affairs. Will I also need to shut down blog comments as well? Microsoft, your loyal and long-suffering clients are at the end of their rope. Fixing these issues is long past due. Please stop just crowing about Wave 4 and take care of business. Otherwise, Wave 4 will become Wave Zero for many of us. 7:33 AM GMT | Read comments(0)
Please check out the new Fidalgo Island Crossings blog site: http://fidalgoweather.blogspot.com This is where all future posts will be found. I have also used Blogger’s “pages” option to incorporate the Fidalgo Weather website. Here is why I am very happy with the new platform:
The damage is not limited to Windows Live Spaces. The Office Live Small Business website platform has also been negatively impacted. OLSB clients embedded RSS feeds of Spaces blogs on their websites. This was an important part of the customer service/visitor experience. The crippling of the comments, in particular, has destroyed any essence of interactivity for our OL websites. It looks like Wave 4 for Spaces has become Wave Zero for me. Spaces was my primary Windows Live activity. It’s too bad it was implemented so badly. Spaces could have been the jewel in the crown of Windows Live. Is it possible they want people to leave so they can shut it down? That’s what it feels like. If any of you have Google accounts and appreciate the subject of the blog, stop by the new site and hook up as a follower. Good luck to all of you.
Our hearts are broken by the catastrophe in the Gulf and our rage is unbounded. This nation is under assault by a vile and grossly incompetent cabal of corporations, BP, Halliburton and Transocean. BP has a history of outrageous behavior. It was formerly the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In cahoots with the CIA in 1953, it orchestrated the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadeq, to protect its oil interests. This set in motion a chain of events that bring us to the situation we find ourselves today in the Middle East. Do not allow the corporate news media, in league with BP and their advertising dollars, to rebrand this event the “Gulf Oil Spill.” It is the BP Oil Spill, or if you prefer, the BP/Halliburton/Transocean Oil Spill. Also, please do not misinterpret the humor of this video produced by the Upright Citizens Brigade. This parody does not dishonor the eleven men who died in the initial event. Neither is it an insult to the thousands along the Gulf Coast whose lives may be permanently destroyed. Even those gentle, bewildered pelicans are not further harmed by it. It is intended solely to dishonor BP. Period. Can you believe, there is now speculation that this company will file for bankruptcy protection and skip town? This could become the worst environmental disaster since the K-T boundary event. If the oil reaches the Gulf Stream, is it possible to find it eventually washing up on the shores of Iceland, Cornwall or the Hebrides? This may be my last posting here for a while. Windows Live Spaces has always been a fairly weak blogging platform. Because of the recent “upgrades,” they have rendered it nearly useless. I will be exploring other options. It is sad because Spaces could have been the jewel in the crown of Windows Live. So long for now. PS: I am noticing that the links specified to open in a new window in Windows Live Writer no long function as such under “Wave 4.” Also, the video does not appear when this blog is embedded on an Office Live Small Business website. Do you see what I mean about this platform?
Last month I posted an article about my experiences evaluating the use if an iPod Touch at work. I also mentioned how intrigued I was with the device. Despite a few misgivings, I took the plunge and purchased one. So far I have not regretted it. The first time you experience an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you can’t help but be impressed with the user interface. The beautiful, bright display glides at the touch of a finger revealing options, lists and information. Turn it 90° and you get a landscape view. As you begin to explore the application programs or “apps,” you discover the consistency of the user interface among them. Each new program becomes easier to navigate as you learn the standard tools. Perhaps it is the cramped quarters of an iPod screen that forces this uniformity. You begin by creating an iTunes account. Unlike Windows, there appears to be no third party app sources. Apple has this function locked down tight. It’s curious the Europeans haven’t gone after them over this the way they did with Microsoft. This closed shop has apparently not stifled innovation or variety in the apps. Want to train your dog in Swedish? There’s an app for that. Once you have set up your account and your iPod is registered, you are ready to shop. There are two ways to do this, using the iTunes app store on your desktop or directly from the iPod. Then you sync the two. Many apps come in both free and paid versions, the difference being the absence of advertising or perhaps additional features. So, what does a devoted nature geek do with an iPod? Here are some of the apps I have found to serve my passions: iBird Explorer Western Edition: I can recommend the iBird Explorer series to bird watchers at any level. Available in several versions, you can search by name or identification points. I have surfed the net in vain looking for a good bird identification website. iBird does this and you don’t need Wi-Fi service. Spot a bird you don’t recognize, plug in primary color, bill length, location etc. and iBird will list possibilities with images. There are also apps from Audubon, National Geographic and Peterson, but according to the reviews, iBird has the best search and ID functions. I found another pleasant feature. One of my earliest blog posts here was “A Quorum of Flickers” wherein I asked if anyone knew the correct term for a group of flickers. I never got an answer. iBird provides this information: a guttering, menorah or a Peterson of flickers. Imagine that. Those are almost as good as an Exaltation of Larks. AccuWeather: This is my favorite weather app and it’s free. It takes beautiful advantage of the iPhone UI and includes radar images, alarms and alerts. Want to walk the dog? It will tell you if that’s not a good idea. I also installed The Weather Channel free version, another highly rated app. The UI is not as well developed as AccuWeather’s but they are promising an update. I prefer AccuWeather’s radar maps, while Weather Channel provides hourly rain probabilities. Both free apps have ads, but they are not intrusive. Pocket Universe: Ever spot something in the sky and wonder what it was? Is that very bright object Venus or something else? Again, I have found no suitable website where you can set your location and identify what you are seeing at a particular time. Pocket Universe does this with simplicity and great graphics. It takes advantage of the iPhone pinch-zoom effect. Tilt the device up and the image moves higher in the sky. Nifty! Another one I am checking out is Star Walk which seems to have good reviews, but may be more functional on the iPhone than the iPod. Tide Graph: When you live at the beach, or like to go beachcombing, the tide schedules become an important part of your life. This app uses the device’s location services or you can set your tide stations manually. Clever graphics reveal the moon’s phases. iFeltThat: If you live in an earthquake zone, as I do, this app is a fascinating tool. It is amazing to discover all the little quakes that are occurring around you every day. Now, why did the windows just rattle? Haiku Time: For nature geeks who also have right-brains, and I think most of us do, this remarkable app generates haiku poetry. The Japanese verse form describes moments in nature and this app does it surprisingly well. When you catch one you really like, you can save it to your Photos app. Gardening: This is one deficient app category in my opinion. While there are gardening apps available, none of them seem very useful and the databases are limited. I would like to see the Sunset Magazine Western Garden Book database implemented for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Now that would be a killer app. Imagine being able to look up the stuff you are checking out at the nursery. To make it manageable, create versions for specific regions. Wordbook: I am a dictionary buff and where can you find a good one with a thesaurus for $1.99? The Wordbook app is actually easier to use than a hardcopy book. As in Star Trek, I can now see those disappearing altogether in the near future. This app is a great tool for blogging. Wordbook is a database, not a book reader. For reading in general, there are apps for both the Kindle and the Barnes&Noble eReaders. I find the iPod to be a very comfortable reading device. There you have it. After “Putting a Toe in Apple Land,” I have now landed there firmly with an entire foot. I managed to tune the device to get reasonable battery life, even with the Wi-Fi running. I should mention that I installed the Bing app and a mobile version of my Windows Live Home page. I can also receive my Hotmail and Office Live email on the iPod. Hopefully these will keep me in good standing with Microsoft. If I find any other good nature apps, I’ll post them here. Photos: iTunes, Apple.com
Today I have had new visitors to my bird feeders, a pair of Northwestern Crows, Corvus caurinus. These are slightly smaller cousins to our American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos. Some believe they are actually a subspecies of the American crow. They are monogamous, so I am assuming these were a male and female bonded pair. One was larger than the other. Unlike eagles where the larger bird is the female, in crows, the male is larger. A unique feature of the Northwestern Crow is they make their living as beachcombers. I see them foraging the intertidal zone and shoreline almost every day, year-around. This is considered the primary feature distinguishing them from American Crows. While common on the beach, in more than 20 years, this is the first time I have seen them come to the house. I spotted this pair standing motionless on the beach. For some reason, this struck me as odd and it caught my attention. Then in one big swoop, the pair flew directly up to the feeders in the basement patio. They knew exactly where they were going. They politely took their turns at the tray feeder while the other checked out the planters. Then they flew straight back to the beach in tandem. They returned two more times in the same manner before moving on. While they were here, even the squirrels gave them ground. I believe they nest in the trees along the cliffs bordering Similk Bay. On my hikes, they spot me coming and begin the alarms long before my arrival. If this is the case, their foraging takes them at least two miles from their nest sites. Other local Corvids include the Americans, Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri). Let me tell you, when the Ravens come around, you become aware this is their world, not yours. To Native Americans in this region, Raven was the creator. Around the feeders, Steller’s Jays are bullies. They noisily attempt to intimidate the other birds to gain exclusive access to the food. Like human bullies, they are also cowards easily frightened off. They are unique and beautiful black and indigo-colored jays. I enjoyed the visit by this pair of crows and I hope they will return often. When crows and ravens are observed up close, you see another intelligence. They have an awareness and a presence few other birds exhibit. It is easy to understand why Native Americans revered and respected them. Photo: Ianaré Sévi, Wikimedia
Over several weeks now we have been receiving endless hype about “Wave 4” and how wonderful it will be. Well, WAVE, SHMAVE! I am tired of hearing about it. In all the hype, there has not been a single word about fixing any of the problems with this Windows Live Spaces blog service. For months we have endured the seemingly endless assault by link spammers. We have diligently used the “Report Abuse” link and reported the offenders. We have posted our feelings about this on Microsoft forums. Yet, the problem goes on and on without any apparent solution. Is there anyone at Microsoft who even cares about this? Pardon my lack of political correctness, but has anyone noticed the offenders all seem to be Chinese? Perhaps therein lies your solution. The only defense we had against comment spam has also ceased to function. I am no longer getting email alerts of blog comments. When I contacted the Windows Live Solution Center about this, it took me two weeks of back-and-forth just to prove to them that this function even existed. Only a screenshot of the Windows Live Alerts page convinced them. Are you surprised that their instructions to fix the problem didn’t work? Now comes the lewd, nuisance network invitations at the rate of several a day. Again, Support only offers kind words, “Our product team is aware of this and we assure you that we are working towards a solution.” How many months will this one take? When I link to the inviter’s profile page, are those Chinese characters I see flashing by on the browser tab? Since “Ignore” and “Block” doesn’t work, I have taken the only solution available and shut down all network invitations. If Microsoft won’t fix it, I will. Apparently, complete isolation is necessary to use your social networking service. What a sad state of affairs. Will I also need to shut down blog comments as well? Microsoft, your loyal and long-suffering clients are at the end of their rope. Fixing these issues is long past due. Please stop just crowing about Wave 4 and take care of business. Otherwise, Wave 4 will become Wave Zero for many of us.