Traveling
I'm in New Jersey for the week. On the way, we flew over Soldier Field and what once was Meigs Field.
Fivers
I just noticed that Ghost in the Machine and Follow Me Here both turned five on Monday.
The elite company of five-year-old or older blogs are some of the best. Anil Dash, Backup Brain, Bradlands, Dan Bricklin, Camworld, Flutterby, Hit or Miss, Kestrel's Nest, Kottke, rc3, Medley, Megnut, More like this, Peterme, Plasticbag,nqppaofu, Rebecca Blood, Virulent Memes, and of course, me. There's lots more, but those are the ones that I've always kept an eye on. There use to be a site that categorized weblogs by their blog birthday, but I can't find it.
Locally, five-year old Chicago blogs include Greasy Skillet and slave to the groove.
Blogs are now on the front page of TIME and mentioned everyday on CNN (even if they don't know the difference between a weblog, a blog and a political website), somebody gave Mena 10 MILLION dollars (she's so cute, she said "Ten million dollars is *a lot* of money"), Evan quits doing blogger news and blogs became a category on Jeopardy.
I'm not going to go on about the amazing transformation that has enabled millions to publish their voices.. blah, blah, blah, it has all been said before. I've seen a lot of excellent blogs die in five years, and many of the ones still around aren't the same, because the authors, their voices, their technologies or even the Web itself is in constant change. It's good to know many are still around. Here's a few:
Matt Rossi
I wish I was even able to describe the genre of writing this prolific author. I'm glad he's still writing, and even glader that he's got a book - Things That Never Were . His writings are way to long and way too fascinating to read on screeen.
Riothero
The cutting edge design (which changed weekly if not daily) and hidden text isn't around anymore but it still rings with the same angry political voice from one of the youngest bloggers from the 'early' era. But he's old enough to vote now.
Joe Clark
While his obsession for redheads makes me nervous, I've all learned quite a bit from this Toronto writer about Web standards and accessibility. He's one of the few who doesn't put a wall between his personal and professional opinions.
Prematurity awareness day
Today is prematurity awareness day. via Snowdeal. If you haven't, you should go read the amazing story of Odin. Not only is this a story about medical miracles and the strength of the will to live, but it's a textbook of links and information on the subject of prematurity. Snowdeal has always been one of the best and most prolific webloggers, and the on-going story of his son is loaded links to definitions, explanations, and resources. It's also a great example of the what the medium of weblogging can be used for.
Chicago Blogs
I've been trying to re-do my sidebar links for awhile now, and have finally gotten around to adding a few new chicago blogs to the links. Back in the day, when there was a dozen of us, it was easy, but now that some of the Chicago blog lists have passed the 500 mark, I've restricted my list to include only those bloggers I've met in person. However there are a few other very Chicago-centric blogs I now include:
Chicagoist, I was a little apprehensive at first of New Yorkers reporting on Chicago news, but it turns out the staff is very Chicago, and the site's voice is maturing quite nicely. Nothing you can't get from the Trib or Sun Times, but worthy commentary and perspectives.
Chicago Metblogs Another group blog with news on hip stuff happening around the city, but all without falling into "hipster gentrification" traps.
Eat Chicago I've linked to this Chicago Food blog many times on my own Food Blog, but it deserves a place here.
6:01 See our city through the eyes of a Chicago newbie. Lots of good links from a fresh perspective. (Is it me or are all the New Yorkers moving here?)
Eric Zorn Sure, the pro's can join our little blog community too.
Rebuilding
I've had to rebuild KIPlog in order to upgrade, but I may have done a stupid thing. I may have lost my exported data.
I still have my static archive pages, so all is not lost.
Aurora
I got a chance to see the aurora show last night, which was about as spectacular as the one I saw in the Chicago area around ten years ago. Sheets of lights all the way past the zenith of the sky, but the city's skyshine was a bit too much to make any colors visible. I tried a few shots of them, but my little Nikon Digital just doesn't have enough latitude and makes too much digital noise. Check out this gallery of some aurora shots from all over the country.
Space Weather reports there's a X class solar flare on it's way, so there's a chance to see them again tonight if it's clear. Keep an eye on the Kp index and the Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES to see when it's hitting again.
And if you're really into Ionospheric products, Space Daily reports that " The SEC has created a near real-time ionospheric specification map of total electron content over the continental United States that updates every 15 minutes."
Meet Chad and Dimples
A friend of mine asked for this sign and they gave it to him. I forgot to get a chad as a souvenir.
I was slightly disenfranchised today - I have a polling place directly across the street, but my side of the street's ward was changed. I had to walk another two blocks. Both polls had not much more than a trickle of voters, but apparently a poll in downtown Evanston had a two hour wait.
VOTE
A couple of political quotes:
And some compelling arguments for either side:
Side 1 - Fifty Reasons Why
Side 2 - The Choice
Believe it or not, there really is a third side.