Category: Blogs & Blogging

New NewMexiKen poll (well it started out that way)

A reader has written offline to ask that NewMexiKen delete a comment — “It’s not adding anything at all to anything, and it’s just ruining a nice post.”

As a blogger who encourages comments (and requires medication whenever comments are too few), I am troubled at the thought of deleting comments — though I do reserve the right to do so and have, on occasion, done so. (Rather arbitrarily I might add.)

I thought maybe I should ask you, my seven readers, what you think. Do you come to this website seeking diversity of discussion, or do you visit here because it is a sanctuary for correct, intelligent political thinking?

Update: I decided I wasn’t comfortable with the personalization of the poll and have deleted it. I think the comments to this post have been unusually good though, and hope there will be more. Sorry about the change of heart.

Best blogging buddies

If my memory serves me correctly — something increasingly in doubt — Hugh was just the second blogger ever to link to NewMexiKen. (The first was South Knox Bubba, long gone.) You may remember Hugh’s blog, Three Bed, Two Bath.

After a hiatus from blogging he’s back at Permanent Qui Vive.

Hugh, Tom, Luis, Dwight and Annette have been around these parts for four years or so now. And, so far as I know, none is even family. Thanks guys.

I Got Nothin’

Blah blah blah.

There is this from Conan:

“Past couple of days — you’ve all heard about this — Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain have all claimed that they are the person who should answer the phone at the White House if it rings at 3 a.m., but most Americans think the White House should just get a receptionist.”

And this from Letterman:

“I like that John McCain. He looks like a guy who waits all day for the mail to come.”

And —

Bottom line, I’m thinking Elliot isn’t on Hillary’s or Obama’s short list for VP or attorney general anymore.

Oh, and I saw The Other Boleyn Girl. Pretty good, but Natalie Portman was better off as Queen Amidala of Naboo than Queen Anne of England.

Dis ‘n dat

From time-to-time NewMexiKen has linked to mental_floss quizzes, the most recent just yesterday. Some of these quizzes are pretty difficult. I have a subscription to their magazine (thank you again Nora and Jason) and browsing through the letters to the editor I learned just how difficult. Last December they had a quiz about discontinued Ben & Jerry’s flavors. According to a letter, Jerry got just 8 of 10 correct.

More than a thousand page views yesterday (not counting feed readers) but just 12 votes for the day’s Oscar poll.

You will remember that Albuquerque’s Mayor Marty ordered the red light cameras off last week when the legislature passed a bill removing all profit from the city. He was, I guess, trying to bluff the governor in hopes of getting him to veto the bill. Yesterday the mayor ordered the program back on again citing the increase in infractions — and probably because the city council was threatening to overturn him. According to a local political reporter when the mayor “was asked about settling his differences with the Guv,” the mayor “said, ‘He’s got my cell number.'” He’s got your number all right.

Some snow overnight here at Casa NewMexiKen. Covered the bushes and trees, but not the pavement. The temp is above freezing. I haven’t seen any awesome photos of last night’s eclipse yet. If you see any, let me know.

I briefly posted an item yesterday about Lindsay Lohan’s photo shoot to see if I could generate a bunch of Google traffic, but after a few minutes I thought better of it. Just rely on the old standbys I thought — you know, Omarosa.

Some blogger swiped a photo of one of The Sweeties® to illustrate a post about a child spilling ice cream onto the court during an NBA game. I guess this guy was never a kid himself. Anyway, he gave the photo no credit and is using my bandwidth to post it. But, after consulting with the mom, I figured c’est la vie. I wonder if he even knows I know.

The TSA Blog

Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has found “the soon-to-be-propagated Rules” for the new Transportation Security Agency blog. The first three:

1. Commenters must arrive at the blog 45 minutes before attempting to post a comment.

2. Comments cannot last more than three paragraphs.

3. Comments that are longer than three paragraphs are subject to confiscation. For more on the handling of comments, see our post, “Why 1-Quart Zip-Loc Bags are Much More Secure than 1-Gallon Zip-Loc Bags.”

Johnson has more. He also has a funny item about spam here.

A very technical question

I would like to change the structure of the NewMexiKen permalinks. I know how to do that. What I cannot figure out how to do is create the .htaccess rule that will redirect existing permalinks to the new structure.

The current permalink is ^/%year%/%monthnum%/00%post_id%.php

What I want is ^/%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/

The existing .htaccess file is:

RewriteRule (^archives/)(.*) $2 [R=301,L]

# BEGIN WordPress
<ifmodule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</ifmodule>
# END WordPress

The blogger as celebrity

Veronica, official daughter-in-law of NewMexiKen, reports:

So, [Saturday], I went into work for a little while, and then took a break to buy a birthday gift for a friend of mine. I was shopping at a very cool store near Union Square when I saw a familiar-looking, ultra-hip woman sitting on a couch. I couldn’t help but recognize her — it was Heather Armstrong of dooce. I went up to her and said, “You’ve been recognized.” She laughed, and we introduced ourselves.

I told her a really liked her website, etc., and we chatted for about 10 minutes. She’s…really pleasant. I thought it funny that I felt a bit star-struck when talking with her — the blogger as celebrity. When I got back to my office, I wished I’d asked her: “So is it weird talking to me knowing that I read your website and therefore know all these intimate things about you while you know nothing about me?”

Stuff

NewMexiKen’s visit with some of The Sweeties continues through Saturday. Blogging primarily via iPod is limiting, though I’ve been following the comments and especially appreciated all the birthday greetings. Next year you’re all invited for ice cream and cake and a rousing game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

I’d be very interested in reading your thoughts on the remaining presidential candidates—Clinton, Obama and McCain—especially if you feel strongly for or against.

Addendum: How do you people live in this Eastern time zone? It’s early afternoon by the time the day seems to be really underway. Living out west I’m used to blogging at 8 or 9 in the morning and things are already happening. Bad things more often than not, but things to blog about nevertheless.

There Will Be Blogging

Sincere thanks for all the fan mail — even us utility infielders like affirmation.

(And unlike Matt Hasselbeck, none of you sent a message asking me if I could get you a real blogger’s autograph.)

I know I stood there like a puppy demanding that you pet me, but truly what I am hoping for is a little more conversation along the way. I always find NewMexiKen wise, whimsical and witty. I just often question whether you do — and when, of all things, “Omarosa nude” returns after four years as the most searched item, I think it is reasonable of me to wonder.

Keep dropping by and I’ll keep blogging away. And if you see something you like or something you detest, please share the thought.

OK, I gotta go see There Will Be Blood. (Which my desktop widget lists as re Will be Blood, The).

Ballet blogging

Live blogging from the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and New Mexico Ballet Company production of The Nutcracker.

Just because I can and so you’ll know I’m a multi-dimensional guy interested in more than football and politics.

Update: The first act was delightful.

Doldrums

I got nothing.

Last night I did watch the first three episodes ever of the HBO series The Wire and find myself hooked. Disks two and three are on their way from Netflix and I’ll probably watch the first three shows again tonight.

Also, I finally got around to seeing Volver, the film that won Penélope Cruz an Oscar nomination, and The Last King of Scotland, the film with Forest Whitaker in his Oscar-winning portrayal of Idi Amin. Both films were superb — indeed, Whitaker was really just remarkable.

Haven’t paid much attention to fall weather elsewhere in the country, but Albuquerque officially hasn’t reached freezing yet. October 29th is the average date for the first frost. We’ve had no measurable rain for six weeks.

Mental Floss has the date covered: Condi Rice, Joe McCarthy & Prince Charles Were Born (and other things that happened November 14).

Trick or Treat II

NewMexiKen’s journey was diverted and I am not away this week as planned — and I was packed and in the car ready to leave for the airport.

So blogging will resume (it already has), and the 10-day hiatus will be some other time.

Pass the word to my other six regular readers, will you.

Thursday update: I’m still not feeling particularly well, which is why even though I cancelled my 10-day break I haven’t got much enthusiasm for blogging. Nothing serious; expect to be back by tomorrow.