Sigh. Another Tuesday with numerous critical security updates from Microsoft. If you have automatic updates enabled you probably already know this.
Apple Jungle
My friend Tom Tastewar (yes, that’s a handle) pointed out that Apple has released Beta 3 of its Safari browser for Windows. [Link] Click the thumbnail picture to enlarge a screen cap I made after installing Safari. Overall, it seems slick and smooth, although the Cleartype fonts are a bit overdone to the point of being fuzzy. Safari seems to work all right for viewing my blog, but it screws up the WordPress editor. Perhaps it’s more compatible with the latest version of WordPress, which is something I intend to install in the not distant future.
The Two Sides of Sgt. Pepper
At the moment, I’m listening to WGBH radio in Boston, which is playing “The Two Sides of Sgt. Pepper”, a documentary on the making of the album and its impact and influence, then and now. It’s pretty good, and is available for listening online. [Link]
Today’s Peanuts Reprint
Today’s Peanuts reprint is one I remember laughing at in a paperback book many years ago. It was this sort of whimsy that makes Schulz’s work special, yet his bland personality made him seem incapable of his trademark flights of fancy! Click the thumbnail picture to enlarge.
Eric’s non-Anime Pick — Train Man (Densha Otoko)
A highly-popular recent manga/movie/TV series in Japan is Train Man or, as it’s known there, Densha Otoko. It’s a romantic comedy that is supposed to be based on a true Internet bulletin board thread about an ultra-nerd who helps a girl that is accosted by a drunk on a subway.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUN07/TrainMan.flv 425 240]
This movie is all heart, with none of the mean-spirited macho posturing tone that afflicts The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Another nod to honorable Eric from his humble parents!
Advice for Would-Be Bloggers
Unless you’re into technology for its own sake, I strongly recommend using a blogging service, such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com, rather than maintaining your own Web site, as I am doing. I started blogging as much for the learning experience as for the blogging. Well, sometimes learning is painful. But I have to admit, the hardest lesson I’ve learned is an old one — the absolute necessity of adhering to the rules that are followed where I work:
- Do daily backups
- Do a weekly database analysis
- Do test restorations of backups