Clarity
RSS stuff via Feedburner
Posted 22 Aug 2008
A good day to all you chickenmonkeydoggers who are slick enough to follow us via RSS. We’ve a little favour to ask of you.
Back when we started this little blog, we had only the vaguest clue about the various technologies involved in blogging. We’ve learned a lot in the last few months and continue to roll-out various tech updates and improvements as and when a need develops.
Recently, we set ourselves up with a Feedburner account, so that we can manage our RSS subscriptions more efficiently. We realise that many of you who follow us via RSS have been doing so since before we opened our Feedburner account. So, we’d like to now ask you to update your RSS readers with our new Feedburner-managed RSS feed. (Boy, the last part of that sentence was a mouthful!)
Here is the URL for our new RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/chickenmonkeydog
Holiday Poetry
Posted 22 Aug 2008
Whilst walking about the Isle of Wight on a recent little getaway, I chanced upon a cute little cottage, just a short walk from the sea.
Then I noticed the name of the cottage, painted on the front gate. And I looked closer to read it properly.
And I thought, ‘Well, it’s certainly not the Grammarian’s Corner.’
But then I remembered that Tennyson spent many years of his life in the particular corner of the Isle of Wight in which I was rambling. So, maybe this ‘Poets Corner’ was lodging for E.E. Cummings.
And then I thought I would try to write a little E.E. Cummings style poem.
A family on holiday to the seaside goes,
under sky over cresting waves white as snows
to a place of weekend quiet
the children threw a little riot
night comes calming the nest
the children sleep but not the rest
holiday, holiday, holiday, holiday?
there has to be another way
Unique Olympic Sports
Posted 21 Aug 2008
With the Olympics on TV every minute of every day right now, I couldn’t help but watch at least a few of the swimming relays. I kept wondering: why it is that in swimming, the athletes are forced to use various different "strokes" (i.e. butterfly, free-style, etc.) whereas in other sports, such as running, it is kept nice and simple…go fast! (Of course, Usain Bolt has taken this all too literally and run frighteningly fast.)
And as I got to thinking about it, I realized that I’d like to see some cross-over between the Olympic sports …
Let’s see 100m hopping
Let’s see swimming with hurdles
Let’s see diving long-jump
Let’s see underwater archery
(On a side note to the last suggestion, I bet that event would also be a good way to capture James Bond’s nemeses – they always seem to be shooting something at him under water. It’s kind of the same way that Prince John tried to catch Robin Hood in the Disney cartoon version of that story.)
So readers, what other sports do you think the IOC should approve?
Leave no product behind!
Posted 20 Aug 2008
Daily Life, Signs | 6 Comments
Is this the unofficial motto of the plastic toy Army men? Um … no.
This sign has been posted on the refrigerator at work for several months (with the date updated weekly). Up until last week, I had never taken the time to read it closely, since I rarely use the refrigerator; but upon reading it closely, I must admit that I was puzzled.
Regular readers of chickenmonkeydog will know that when you take the time to read the signs people post, you frequently find befuddling terms, or signs asking for stunning behavior. Today though, I must admit that I have NO IDEA what the writer of this sign means by the term "product" in the list of items which are specifically eligible for discarding.
Can anyone help me out?
Hotel Superhero
Posted 19 Aug 2008
Commuting, Daily Life, News, People, Places, Signs | 5 Comments
Ok. So, after the last time I "saved the day" at a hotel I figured it was a one-off occurrence. I really didn’t anticipate making a "career" out of it, but it seems that I am destined to be a hotel superhero.
When I saw this sign early this week I sprung in to action faster than I even knew I could move. I lifted the handset without even thinking twice about the personal cost to me. As far as I was concerned, helping out the "operator" wasn’t even a choice; it was my duty.
Anyway, I figure that if I am going to be a superhero I might need:
(a) a name
(b) a slogan
(c) an outfit
(d) a sidekick
So if you have any ideas for any of those, please let me know. Hotel staff around the globe will thank you for it.
Note: Don’t worry about me needing a mild-mannered alter-ego. I already have a day job in IT.
