Yay! I finally got all that geeky stuff configured so that I have a wireless network at home! In honor of that, I’m just going to blog with found photos in my unused photos directory, along with a few random thoughts from the week. You have been warned. 🙂
Dotty’s having a contest – guess how much she’ll spend at FibreFest today and you could win a mysterious prize (probably fibery). Remember that your guesses will be in Canadian dollars and guess before 11:59 PDT today, May 11.
I just discovered, over at Minneapolis F*ing Rocks, that today is the anniversary of the day that Minnesota became the 32nd state in 1858. MFR has a fun Minnesota playlist to download to celebrate, if you’re into music.
So quite the buzz about Ravelry, eh? Last week, when I caught up after getting behind on bloglines, it seemed like every other blog I read was talking about Ravelry. I started to feel like I hadn’t been picked to play kickball during recess. In fact, I left a whiney little comment about that at Jennie’s and Elinor took pity on me and sent me an invite. Thanks, Elinor!
Right now Ravelry’s in beta testing and is by invitation only (although you can sign up to be on the waiting list). I don’t have any invites to hand out, alas… But if you’re starting to feel left out, here’s an interesting article to read and think about – Ravelry’s a social networking site. So are MySpace, Facebook, and others. How well do these social networks connect? Are we building bridges between our social networks, or erecting self-contained silos? After the beta testing is over and Ravelry is free and open, will it be inclusionary or exclusionary? Inquiring minds want to know…
Anyway, since last weekend, I’ve been poking around Ravelry and checking things out. I like the integregation with our blogs, which are, with interactive commenting, a type of social network. I don’t like entering all of my project and stash and needles and such, when I already have all of that information on my own computer at home. Hopefully they add some sort of import/export facility for that, because I personally am unlikely to replicate my effort. I also am not as likely to include pictures, since Ravelry just uses Flickr as an image source. If they incorporate other image hosting services, sounds like it will be services like Photobucket. Doesn’t sound like those of us who host our own images and are happy doing so will be able to have images on Ravelry unless we start using Flickr, etc.
Ok, on to lighter things… Who’s going to Shepherd’s Harvest on Saturday? If it’s nice out, Jeanne and I will be there, probably late morning to noonish. If it’s raining, I’ll be there at around the same time. 😉 After my unsuccessful attempt last year, I’m not going to try coordinating a blogger meetup. Who’s good at that sort of thing?
Here’s a picture from 1996 that struck my fancy when I was scanning yesterday’s Colorado pictures:
I used to see that Starry, Starry Night VW everywhere! I loved that car – it made me happy just to see it.
And of course, we must end the week with a cat picture… *sound of rummaging*
“What? I didn’t do it! I swea… Oh, that’s not what you wanted? Never mind. No, I don’t have anything profound to say. Can I get back to watching the bunnies now?” -Mayhem
May’s expression is priceless! Happy weekend to you and the kitties!
May’s got the “I didn’t do it” down pat. I swear she’s in cahoots with Gandalf.
Bunnies?!
Have fun at the Festival! Stash enhancement time?!
I missed the boat on Ravelry as well – I am on the waiting list however. If I went to SH, it would be on Sunday ’cause we have three Lacrose games on Saturday plus a band concert – pfft! One day gone.
We’re wireless here and I HEART IT.
And Chaos. 😉
Congrats on the wireless! I adore it!
Hmmmm… lots to think about.
As for Ravelry, I think the stash & needles section are organizational tools for you to use if you want. My take on it is that it is a place to find ideas for projects and then see other knitters versions of those projects. Which is very helpful for me… I, too, am not crazy about Flikr but can see how it is useful for a two-person operation like they are running.
Have a great weekend! Scritches to May and Chaos!!
Munchkin would like to watch the bunnies with May. : ) I’ll be in class most of the time, but have a qmeeting Deb (Cashmere Dreams) after (noon) in Bldg D to buy her sock yarn. I’ve been on the Ravelry waiting list for a while. I’m hoping for an import/export feature too.
I’m going tomorrow morning, probably get there around 10 or so. Wave at me if you see me. I’m generally oblivious to crowds of people and don’t see individuals!
You’ve got your firewall in place and anti-virus software, right?
Chris- I’ve always wanted a bug. A convertible bug.
Are there bunnies? We have some in our garden, and it drives Kitten-Chow crazy!
The thoughts on commentary remind me of a SF/Fantasy book (title of course forgotten)I read a while ago about a society that only had connection through computer/internet..it was considered too intimate to meet and speak in person etc. I’ll enjoy poking around Ravelry once in awhile, but it’s not my “thang.” HAVE A FAB WEEKEND!
You know, we have no way of knowing whether this was a wired or non-wired post, so until you can provide evidence, let’s keep the high-falutin’ boasting to ourselves capech?
I am Ravelry-less as well. 🙁
Those cats are looking kind of identical to me these days. Am I missing the key differences?
Love the bug 🙂 Ravelry seems pretty cool. Have a great weekend.
I’m with Groucho Marx – I wouldn’t want to be a member of any group that wants me as a member. Oh – I’m sorry, were those grapes sour??
Wireless!? Lucky you!!
That IS a happy beetle-bug! And May is a hoot! You’re absolutely right in that caption, she HAS to be thinking exactly that!
lolol!
Happy Weekend!
(((hugs)))
Why Miss Mayhem, you’re getting closer and closers to Large and In Charge. Show those bunnies how close you are to the big kitty’s size. 🙂 Your mamma knows all the right angles. We have bunny envy. All that we see are fat squirrels, birds and the occasional raccoon. But doesn’t that cat post make the best spot to window stalk? Happy days!-Millie & Bailey
Wireless is good, it lets you blog from all sorts of places that you shouldn’t.
As far as Ravelry – besides the community issue is also the privacy of the data issue and the responsibility for it’s security.
Me? I like my XLS spreadsheets and having access without needing to log onto the internet.
Wireless is addicting — you’ll forget how you functioned without it. You know, back in the day when you always had to sit in the same place when you were online…..
I’m on the Ravelry waiting list, which is actually fine by me. I don’t really have time right now to play with it!
I have been playing around in Ravelry a bit. I don’t see it as a social network — I am not looking for another way to connect with people/other knitters, I’ve never chatted online and don’t plan to start — and it’s definitely not a replacement for blogging.
I do see it as a project network — but it’s only going to be as good and complete as people choose to make it. It’s kind of a pain to enter all the project info (especially if you’ve never been a Flickr user before), but I love that all of my projects are in one place, on one page, along with all of the pertinent info and links (and then some).
I think I’d use it for most is matching yarn to a pattern (or vice versa), seeing what subs people made, what issues they may have had, etc. It’s nice to see all the variations and “real” photographs.
They seem to be adding and making mods all the time and who knows what’ll happen when it’s open/populated/being used by thousands of knitters at a time — last I saw, there were over 3000 on the list. Yikes.
LOVE the wireless and wonder why we hadn’t done it sooner. Do you do wireless printing? That’s kind of sort of on my “to learn/do” wishlist.
I signed up on the waiting list for Ravelry but haven’t played with it. I like the yarn substitutions and projects ideas and to be able to find others who’ve made the same projects I’m considering. Beyond that, I don’t know enough about it to really have an opinion yet.
Have a great weekend! May has got that “I have nothing to say” expression down perfectly. They get to become jaded stars so quickly, these cats.
Your post seemed faster some how. I think it’s ’cause your wireless.
May, I’ve got the bunnies and the birdies AT EYE LEVEL. And no you can’t come over and visit. Hmph.
I can’t wait to walk all over my catstaff’s laptop. That will be fun! But she’s been telling me not to plan on dumping tea on it, but why not? Why can’t I?
why is it that certain things, no matter how odd they are, just make us smile. It’s a good thing about life.
Cute May as always.
I’ve been curious about Ravelry and have signed up for the waiting list, but no access yet. I’m not sure that I’ll use it – or if I do, how extensively I will – but I’m curious about it. if nothing else, it would perhaps be an alternative way to find other people who are knitting the same projects. Or for yarn substitutions or the like.
Miss Suzy asks for May to please send a bunny her way. All she has are blue and green colored mice.
Hurray for wireless!
Nice car! There’s a rhinestone studded (subaru) car around here! I’ll try to get a pic one of these days. I signed up for that beta testing…but I was wondering about some of the things that article and you mention…
I’ll be last in line for Ravelry, I’m sure.
That is one adorable pic of Mayhem!
Congrats on your new wireless internet! Haven’t heard of Ravelry, but don’t think much of MySpace (aka OW MY EYES!-Space). Hope they come up with a better image hosting solution than what you’ve described!
Cute picture of May – Did you say Bunnies?? Pogo wants to see bunnies now 🙂
Yay for wireless! I adore our connection (for both blogging & playing tetris on the ds with folks in japan). Good stuff!
Oh & thanks for the heads up on the playlist! Good stuff!
Sometimes when I am running on my laptop’s battery and surfing the web wirelessly I relaize that I live in the future. It is too cool!
Love that bug. I used to have a white convertible one and I still miss it!
Ravelry is going to be interesting to watch and see what happens with it. I was sent an invite, and uploaded one completed project, but the site is so big that it feels rather overwhelming at this very moment. Maybe when I have more time (hee hee) I’ll go back and poke about some more. It’s a cool concept tho’ –
Interesting thoughts on Ravelry. Of course I’m interested in checking it out, but I have had the same concerns about having to use Flickr.
CRAP! I’ll need to get another site. I already can’t keep up on my LJ, myspace, and facebook.
Congrats on going wireless! I’m not on Ravelry either, but then I’m so far behind on reading blogs it’s not surprising. It will be interesting to see how it develops. I have a Flickr account but I’ve only used it for knitting once. It just seems like too much trouble to upload pictures to Flickr so I can add them to something else.
I don’t have anything profound either, May.
I love our wireless network. 🙂
Hooray for the wireless blog post! Isn’t technology wonderful. The bug picture reminds me of one in a town where I went to college. It was painted metallic gold and the plates read, “By Poe”. I doubt many people picked up on the reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s obscure short story, “The Gold Bug” but it always made me happy to see it.
That’s the best ever “who me, I didn’t do it” cat photo yet.
I love the VW paint job. I need to do mine that way, it’s just plain red.
It will be interesting seeing what happens with Ravelry. I’ve signed up, but my computer time is already overwhelming trying to keep up with blogs. I’m not sure I need another computer social network that needs care and feeding to work. Pretty soon all we’ll all be doing is “computering” about knitting, and not really knitting.
Oh, I’m whiny about Ravelry too. I haven’t had much time for blog reading the past several weeks and I’m bummed I haven’t gotten to check that out…
We’ve had a wireless network at home for some time, but DH just upgraded us a couple weeks ago so now the Microwave and cordless telephone don’t interfere anymore. It is quite exciting!
Oh, and I meant to ask, “isn’t wireless great?”