Lundy Says-Amusing Info from Lundy Wilder

If you read this blog you may remember me mentioning Writely, an online word processing application. Google has bought it. From TechDirt: It will be interesting to see what they do with it, but this does seem to fit with Google's past moves. Rather than just a word processor clone, Writely's advantage is in its collaborative tools, leveraging the benefits of being a web-based app. Google has always said they didn't want to just copy Microsoft, unless it was doing something in a different, more sensible way -- and Writely qualifies on that regard. Google has suspended sign-ups while they transfer data to their system, but you can get on the waiting list. It is free.

Funny quote of the day today. "A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment." - Willis Player The big news yesterday: Google agrees to pay $90 mln in click fraud suit Reuters Story Some comments on this from webmasters in a forun I read: Frankly, we've been very aggressive about fraud detection and developed several proprietary tools for that purpose in addition to working, both with our data and our expertise, with a number of Tier 1 fraud specialists around the country (USA), and we've seen very little click fraud coming from Google in the past year or so. 99% of our detected fraud comes from Yahoo. and from another: I had filed a complaint with the FTC 3 years ago when we analyzed our stats and noticed 70% of visitors from Google remained less then 3 seconds on our home page. There are soo many companies that this effect, it's incredible. I just hope this encourages the big players to stop trying to expand their services while their...

Left Memphis about 11 a.m. and I got home in time and happened to turn on the TV and see one of the few shows I find fascinating. Miami Ink. I have absolutely no intention to ever, ever, ever get a tattoo, but I find the quality of work done on that show incredible and the stories of those who want a tattoo interesting. It was nice to spend time with my parents. Fortunately it looks like they have made it thru the winter without flue or pneumonia illness like last year. Currently, Daddy wakes up every morning to report that he was up most of the night and is suffering from a life threatening malady. The complaints vary from day to day. During my short stay I heard about burning eyes, horrible itching bumps all over (others can't see them), itching wrinkles in his skin where the p.j.'s 'dug' into him, hurting back, intestinal conditions you don't want to hear about and probably some ailments that I forgot. He treats himself with a lot of ointments and medications. ...

I drove all Sunday and it was a pretty day for it. The stretch of 'Future I-22' that is usually mostly cows, light traffic and no police had an unexpected surprise. I got a headlight flash from an oncoming car (I love that old-fashioned warning, it is a big help) which gave me a little time to re-arrange things in the front of the car, and sure enuf, up ahead were numerous State Troopers and a roadblock where each and every one's drivers license was inspected--traffic from both directions. I noticed a few vehicles sidelined in a parking lot adjacent to the roadblock area. I was, fortunately, allowed to pass right on thru. Another lucky break was that I called the florist Botanica in Memphis to see if by any chance someone would answer on a Sunday, or if I could leave a message. Low-and-behold, a human voice said 'Hello', so I thought I might have called the wrong number (it is a business)--she took my order for potted flowering plants in a basket so Ken could later...

My friend, Mark Berson, sent me this video by email. It is a family movie of the public beach area in Gulf Shores way back when the "Hang Out" was there. I uploaded it to Google Video so I could post it here more easily. Turn on your speakers and click Start.

Really fun to watch.....turn on your speakers....click start

“When Chinese officials conceived of New Jiangwan City - a “planned metropolis” on the outskirts of Shanghai - the centerpiece of downtown was supposed to be a general recreation area. Instead, clothing company SMP persuaded the government to build a 130,000-square-foot, $26 million temple to a sport many Chinese have never heard of: skateboarding.” - Wired

Just put in your zip code and you get the current gas price for all your neighborhood gas stations. Updated nightly with input from over 90,000 stations. http://autos.msn.com/everyday /gasstations.aspx?zip=&src =Netx Thanks Becca Dean !

Today I decided, in the fabulous weather, to plant the quart of muscadine seeds that had wintered in my refrigerator. In the fall, I bought a ton of fresh muscadines. I ate about half of them and seeded and froze the rest. I saved all the seeds. Reading up on them told me that they needed a distinct cold period to germinate. We can't be sure that we will get enuf cold weather every winter, so I opted to store them in the ice-box. Prompted by my good friend Polly's death, i went around the propertly line w/ a small spade and scratched them into the soil up against tree trucks, fence posts and anywhere I thought they'd have some support to carry the vines on up into the trees. One of the things that bound Polly and me together was the love of muscadines. She and Ken have great muscadines out on their place outside Memphis proper in the Cordova side of Arlington, TN. Lots of years she let me come pick huge buckets of them. Also, in years gone by, Ken had taken me to a friend o...

and I am lovin' it !

Dear friend, Polly Holmes died last nite about 9 p.m. She had battled cancer for several years but she went from vivacious to gone in about a week. It was a big shock to everyone. Two of her 3 daughters were with her when she died. Myra, her oldest called a few minutes ago and said the funeral would probably be on Monday , possibly Tues. so I plan to drive to Memphis on Sunday. I hope to return to Gulf Shores on Wed. I will miss Polly, she was a good bit older than me but had been a wonderful friend for about 15 yrs.

A most excellent idea for a product: A bookmark with electronic dictionary definitions. If anyone sees one of these for sale in some techie catalog, or anywhere, please let me know ! It is always a source of inner turmoil when reading and I run across a word I don't know whether to get up, walk across the room and do a search for a word's definition, or to just stay put and skip over it. Occasionally I make a list on the paper bookmark and look several up at once. But this is not satisfactory, since I never go back and re-read the word in context in my book. Just now , reading The Search , I got up and put this in Google: define:incipient I immediately get a nice set of definitions. I mention this in case you don't know the quick way to get definitions using Google.

" Microsoft will introduce a search engine better than Google in six months in the United States and Britain followed by Europe, its European president said on Wednesday. "What we're saying is that in six months' time we'll be more relevant in the U.S. market place than Google," said Neil Holloway, Microsoft president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. That timing would presumably coincide more or less with the launch of Vista.... Microsoft will put its search engine into its widely used communications tools Windows Messenger and Hotmail. "

Here are a few phot os. PERFECT weather ! and Marcia Ball on Harrah's outdoor stage--what a treat ! Click the photo to see the detail in some of these costumes.

OK-How long has it been since you ran 1. CounterSpy 2. Spybot 3. AdAware Don't even think that the WinXP built in anti-spyware net catches it all. (and how long since you went to Control Panel/ Performance & maintenance/Clean up ?) Go to this page and do what it says: http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/computer-scrapbooking.html and for goodness sakes, if you get a new computer, don't go plugging in every USB device in that you had on your old computer until you dig out the original manuals and driver disks. I witnessed a friend's brand new ultra Sony VAIO desktop go beserk when a external HD back-up was plugged in before the drivers were installed. Just remember back to all those bright orange stickers that was on the stuff you bought that said "DO NOT PLUG IN UNTIL SOFTWARE IS INSTALLED" update: my friend says that something else (a internal manufacturer's hardware problem) may have been at fault w/ his new computer issues. But, just the same, those ...

Click for large PHOTO ! In case you are not aware--it is Mardi Gras time down here. It is a BIG DEAL all along the Gulf Coast. Too bad it hasn't caught on further north. Anyway....Inspired by the car on the sidewalk in Mobile at the Explorium (see post & photos from this week), I decided to buy a 10 dollar purse today from my fashion headquarters , Wal-Mart, and decorate it for use during Mardi Gras. Originally, I was looking for a plain-ish small--ish purse that I could wear to Mardi Gras festivities and on bicycle slung across my body diagonally (Europerean style, I might add). I needed one that was roomy enuf to hold my phone, camera, sm. lady-like Swiss Army knife, various odd things, and my fashion headquarters had this dandy one. I was even already in the check-out line when it 'dawned' on me that I could certainly jazzzzzzzz it up a bit with a little paint. So I ran back to isle #12044 in the land of crafts and grabbed squirt paint. Today was a beautiful, sunny,...

Who is from Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, United States and what goes on there? I thought it was a part of India, but why does PacBell have United States after the district's name? According to Wikipedia: Hyderabad , the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is the fifth largest cosmopolitan city in India, rich in culture, enduring history and industrial growth. It is unique in being one of the few cities where tradition and technology co-exist. Hyderabad , like Bangalore , has become a center for outsourcing . Notable amongst the multinational companies in Hyderabad are Microsoft , Google, Bank of America , Intergraph and Oracle. Can YOU tell us more about this place?

Left Brain-Right Brain On Wed when I went to Mobile, I went to the hands-on fun science museum called The Explorium. I had long wanted to go there. My scientific friend Keith and I got there late afternoon so there were no kid's school groups there and it was basically our playground for about an hour and half. That place is GREAT ! They have Imax, but we didn't do that. One little exhibit item was especially fascinating to me. It had a mirror and a brass plate with a star engraved into it. The idea is to trace the star w/ a wired stylus while looking into the mirror. Your line of direct sight is blocked. The thing is wired like the game 'Operation' so that a buzzer goes off when you veer from the path. I am right handed, so I might have expected to be more adept in acomplishing the task w/ my right hand--but no--amazingly, I did so-so w/ right hand and even got to a turn in the path where it seemed impossible to make my hand push the stylus in the correct direction. On...

Be sure to click the photos here to see the BIG version. I saw this Scion parked on the sidewalk in front of the EXPLOREUM in Mobile this week. Car belongs to an employee of the hands-on fun museum. Maybe she is the director, but seems if you make your car cool enuf you can park where you please. Sidewalks are public property aren't they? I didn't mind walking around it, that way I didn't miss seeing this highly detailed hand painted car. I have always been a great fan of Cars as Art. I mean , here is this traveling billboard, on the road every day, for all to see, why not spice things up. Everyone who knew me 'back then' knows that I had various vehicles w/ interesting add-ons....artistic embellishments.

At Thaipusam Hindu Festival in Penang The word Thaipusam comes from 'Thai', a Tamil month (equivalent to January & February) while 'Pusam' is the name of a star that is at its zenith. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan and his defeat of the evil demon Soorapadam with a lance, or vel. Thaipusam is a huge event for Penang's Hindus, who will celebrate with street processions, prayers, fulfilment of vows, and the breaking of coconuts. Go There--Penang Travel