The always original Jane Siberry now offers "self-determined transactions" at her online store, meaning you can pay nothing or something to download her songs. She explains, "Like many, I'm restless and impatient with living in a world where people are made to feel like shoplifters rather than intelligent peoples with a good sense of balance."
She describes four choices:
1/ free (gift from Jane)
2/ self-determined (pay now)
3/ self-determined (pay later so you are truly educated in your decision)
4/ standard (today's going rate is about .99)
As part of the buying process, in case peer behaviour matters to you, you are shown an average payment for the song you select. But Jane doesn't want anyone to feel pressured. She says, "I am making a choice to work this way and take full responsibility for whatever it may bring to me. You make your own decision and stand by it, too." Good advice any time.
I just tried a "gift" from Jane and now I'm going back for more, this time making an informed payment to this civilized artist. (The store page takes some time to load, but the wait is worth it.)

Posted by lynda at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Had a great time at TorCamp yesterday, listening, talking, eating and just milling around with lots of smart/funny/interesting/passionate people, from ubergeeks to other usability junkies like me (including one of my personal discussion-list heroes, Joe Clark. It was a stress-free info-packed full day loosely organized by David Crow -- thanks, David! -- and hosted and sponsored by several supportive companies and individuals. The open space concept sounded like anarchy at first, but worked very well for the venue and the size of the group (about 50, I think, for most of the day). It's been too long since I was in a situation with so many people talking with sincere passion about software, user experience, web design, you name it. Given the industry's ups and downs, it's not surprising you encounter more gloom and uncertainty in conversations these days than delight and enthusiasm. But clearly there are people out there still chasing rainbows. Hey, gang, wait for me!

Posted by lynda at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Claire is once again safely landed at home from California following her week of girl stuff as maid of honour for her dearest childhood friend, Jane. The wedding was fantastic, she says, and her visit a mad round of visiting and talking and tears and, well, you know. Pictures will apparently soon be on an internet near you, so stay tuned.
She is losing track somewhat of all the cities she's been through. The flight down took her from Buffalo through Detroit, then Salt Lake City (although at first she said Atlantic City, but I knew that was the wrong direction), and ending in Sacramento. Coming back, she enjoyed only one stopover in Minneapolis, at least, the airport thereof. This is a girl who knows how to book a cheap flight. Now if only she could get a handle on geography.

Posted by lynda at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight's entertainment was old-fashioned musical theatre at a local college, a very polished presentation of Sondheim's "Company" by theatre program students. This is a vintage piece of what was in 1970 a radical idea -- concept theatre, not a narrative play. The form is not such a shock these days, but the context of the time speaks volumes. Does anyone born later than 1965 really get the rich evocation that a mini-dress and Twiggy eyelashes deliver for me? I guess not. The lead was effectively indecisive and the spotlight players exceptionally good, including a latter-day Minelli-esque Joanne delivering "Ladies Who Lunch" with confidence and style. The genre was old-fashioned and even the venue was retro with cabaret tables and drinks and snacks on offer, but new-fashioned technology shone in the tiny microphones subtly protruding from each player's ear. I will always prefer live performance over digital delivery, but I can appreciate the enhancement I can get when I'm there. Thanks, Janine!

Posted by lynda at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Knife
Notebook
Pipe
Hairbrush
Key
Six coins
Cards
Diary
Bible
Photos
The personal effects of Private Charles Joseph Pryor, 4th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, were sent to my great, great grandmother, along with a pension of two pounds each fortnight, following his death in action at Gallipoli Peninsula between the sixth and ninth of August 1915. The timespan given for his death merely suggests the terrible carnage that must have faced those charged with the grim collection of bodies and wounded during and after the battles on that otherwise idyllic Aegean seashore.
He had signed up only the previous October, a fair haired, blue-eyed young man of 25, leaving several brothers and sisters, my great grandfather among them, back in south London, joining the thousands in several countries dedicated to fighting the war that was supposed to end them all.

Posted by lynda at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You know, I'm not against good ideas, even wacky ideas, but this one just feels wrong. It's an ad for an LED faucet light that turns running water a bright blue -- handy for washing your hands in the dark, I guess. While people anywhere -- even in our own country -- don't have access to water that won't hurt them, it's just too self-indulgent. Most of you reading this, like me, can count on clean, relatively pure water in our homes in endless quantities. When I read about Kashechewan and the dismal state of the residents' water supply, I was appalled, yet not surprised. While the community's immediate issues are being addressed, dozens of other reserves continue to face similar problems. They are miles away from us and easy to ignore.
Years ago, I belonged to a women's group who made donations of school supplies to Kashechewan. Our efforts seemed small and a bit pathetic at the time, but I think now that small voices yelling together that can make a difference.
Stephen Lewis is not a small voice. He has written a book about his experiences in Africa and his passion for action on the AIDS crisis there. When I read about this recently, I felt small and pathetic again, sad and useless. But no, I am a small voice and I am YELLING. I am going to think about and talk about what people like me can do.

Posted by lynda at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm fortunate to have a variety of work and hobby projects begging attention most of the time, but the research ones are the most dangerous. Not too hard to just zoom around on the net with a specific goal, you think? Well, maybe not for those who have magnificent self-discipline, but that's not me, is it? I find myself wandering down endless electronic alleyways, following any flashing lights that dazzle. Of course the farther I go, the less likely my destination will relate to what I should be researching. In the old days, my mom and I would joke about "knitting a cover for the typewriter" when we were clearly noodling around to avoid working. The technology changes in fantastic ways, but our bad habits don't. Sigh.

Posted by lynda at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)