So, today I spotted a Google Ad in my blog, linking to the campaign of Democrat Bob Casey. Casey is running for Senate in Pennsylvania as a challenger to the Republican incumbent Rick Santorum. It appeared at the top of yesterday’s post about my daughter’s parade comments to a Republican elephant.
I couldn’t be more pleased with the placement… a Casey, a Democrat, online advertising for his campaign, against Santorum, and right here on my humble site. Well done Bob!
“Back off, I’m a Democrat!”
My daughter Colleen to the GOP Elephant marching with Rep. Tom Davis in the Manassas, Virginia St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
It is known that at an earlier meeting, Colleen had extended a hand of friendship to this same Elephant, but only to collect the candy that was being used to lure her 🙂
 How rich are you? >>
I’m loaded. |
Here’s a great site to help you start the week feeling good. Find out how rich you are on The Global Rich List, a web site on which you can enter your annual income and see a calculation on how you compare with every other person on the planet.
It’s an interesting exercise, and important reminder of how fortunate you really are. Certainly other measures such as health, happiness and quality of life are at least as important that a straight dollar tally. But even though my wallet is empty and I’m packing my lunches this week, it’s nice to learn that I’m among the top 0.6% richest people in the world! I need to work at clawing my way into the exclusive ‘Top 35 Million Club’. Later, next week I’m eating out!
thanks to Nathaniel for sharing the link
So far, the Internet has largely received a free pass in terms of federal regulations of online campaign activities. The 2002 Campaign Finance Law’s ‘Electioneering Communications’ provision did not apply to the Internet. Online communications in any form; banner ads, web sites, online commercials, email… all were exempt from regulation. But a Federal judge overturned that exemption and will require the FEC to reconsider its previous hands-off approach to the Internet.
What could that mean? It could mean that forwarding a campaign email to your personal email list, or speaking positively about a campaign in your blog, or linking your web site to a campaign web site could be considered campaign contributions. It could mean a ridiculous attempt to regulate political communications on the Internet.
The success of online campaigning in the 2004 cycle has demonstrated the Internet’s increasingly important role in our elections. The success of online organizing and fundraising, the small but real growth in online political advertising, and the growing impact of bloggers (in some instances, paid by campaigns) are all evidence of this growing impact. As online campaigning continues to mature an it will certainly be subject to greater scrutiny. But an understanding of the unique nature of the Net must be taken into account when trying to regulate it. Old rules just won’t apply. Otherwise, it could be like trying to make airplanes stop at railroad crossings, just because the busses do. It won’t work, and could be disastrous if attempted.
The Coming Crackdown on Blogging
CNET News.com, 3/3/05
Thanks to BOP for the heads up on the CNET article
It’s been a stressful few days, but our Cubs tickets are bought. I’ve spent the last five days endlessly dialing ticket offices and re-loading the online ticket site, in a seemingly futile effort to secure tickets to a game. Now finally, after widening our target window for travel and game selection, I got Cubs tickets for the family and we’ll in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field this summer!
What has become of me? A few short years ago, I couldn’t give a flying f*#! about baseball. Seasons could start and end, with me only barely aware. Now I’m counting days until tickets go on sale, I know when Opening Day is, and I’m actually aware of some general comings and goings on different team rosters. Don’t misunderstand, I’m no encyclopedic sports fanatic or anything. But I guess I’m changing, because I’ve discovered an interest in the game I have had since I was a little leaguer. I’ll be 40 by the time our Cubs game this summer roles around, and I know I’ll enjoy it more than I would have as a kid. I will no longer watch the pros with the little leaguer’s dream of growing up to be one of them one day. I will instead be older than most of the players on the field, and will enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that each beer I drink is helping each of them earn more in that single game than I might earn over many years of work. Wow, it may take several beers to take the sting out of that reality.
Here’s a diversion I came up with for having some fun with your iTunes music library. One statistic that iTunes tracks for the songs in your library is ‘play count’, and it’s used in creating some smart playlists such as the ‘Top 25 Most Played’ list.
I’ve used it to create a different smart playlist called ‘Never Played’ (set ‘play count’ is 0, live updating = on). It gives me a list of all the songs in my library that have never been played, that automatically shrinks as soon as one of the songs in the list has been played. With that, you’re ready to play iTunes Song Survivor. Turn ‘shuffle’ on, so that iTunes plays songs in random order, and listen to your ‘Never Played’ list. One by one, your list will shrink. Which song will be last?Quite a few people find their way to this web site because their name is Casey. Sometimes it’s their first name, other times their last. To all of you I would like to extend a warm welcome, and an invitation to leave a note here in the casey.com guestbook by adding a comment to this posting. Please include your name and location, so that all can see where our collected Caseys are coming from.
NOTE: Unfortunately I get an overwhelming amount of comment spam, and as a result all comments are held for approval until I can separate and approve the genuine from the unwanted. As a result, your comment won’t appear immediately, but will take days or weeks before I get around to reviewing it. But don’t let that discourage you, it’s great fun to hear from all of you Caseys out there.
NEW NOTE: Sorry, but the spammers win. I’ve disabled comments here in the guestbook. Cheers to all my fellow Casey’s out there. And piss off to all the shitbag spammers out there who spoil good things.
Change begets change, and so it is here at casey.com. Since starting my new job, this site is no longer the online home for my work (if you’re looking for Internet strategy and development services, visit my new work home at NGP Software). And so I’m reverting it back to what it once was, my personal online playground. My blog has become my primary online outlet, but this entry page will also attempt to capture and share something about me.There will be dead links and blank spaces as the site develops and matures. But please feel free to poke around the large empty spaces inside my head. Your feedback is welcome.
When it’s cold outside, our cats go crazy with indecision. They all love to be outdoors, but once outside they quickly want back in. We’ve come up with a new solution to our Cat Doorman challenge. Each of the Casey kids has been assigned a cat, and when their cat wants in or out, it’s their job to get the door. Should leave only after hours duty for me, which will still be plenty.
This is Figaro, our original cat who we have had for about 12 years. Figaro would agree that our house has become a bit crowded with cats, and spends even more time outside as a result. Only winter cold and hunger can lure her in, but even when resting inside, Figaro likes to look out the window. If that rubber duck were real, it would be dead. Figaro is a killer with a large trophy shelf of mice, birds, squirrels, and cute little bunnies that she’s killed for the sport of it. Cute kitty.
