My Notebook features over 500 posts across over twenty years, covering everything from movies to ethics to personal stories to random links. Browse recent Notebook entries below, or use the category buttons or search to go deeper. The “Clip File” category contains my favorite writing.
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Yes on Question One
Next week, Mainers heading to the polls to vote for president, senator, representative, and local leaders also have the chance to legalize same-sex marriage in a ballot measure commonly known as “Question One”. A similar measure passed in 2009, but was overturned by Maine’s People’s Veto process just seven months later. Three years later, with…
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Groundwork: A WordPress starter theme
Inspired by my love for WordPress theme development and a great presentation by developer Sean Butze I attended at this year’s WordCamp Boston, I’m happy to present Groundwork, a WordPress starter theme. Beyond the usual starter theme basics, Groundwork features many nice customizations to a stock WordPress install, including: Custom log in screen logo & styles; Customized…
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From browse to search – and back
A conversation over lunch at work today got me thinking more about “browse” vs. “search”. These are our two most used paradigms for navigating around the web, but they’re obviously quite different. Ultimately, I wanted to try and distill the differences down to something essential if possible. I think it’s curiosity. On the desktop web, when…
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Why I don’t like the political conventions
Against my better judgement, I’ve found myself tweeting about the Republican and Democratic conventions over the past week. My tweets on the subject are usually sarcastic and/or attempts to be humorous, so I want to explain in a bit more detail why I think these are inane and even poisonous events. Conventions are a shining…
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Warm as you write
From this fascinating Paris Review interview, Ernest Hemingway on creativity and the wring process: When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm…
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Wilson’s Miner’s “When We Build”
If you make anything – websites, cars, fasteners, jewlery, anything – I think you’ll really love watching designer Wilson Miner’s talk on the art and process of building. It’s been a great source of inspiration for me. Wilson Miner – When We Build from Build on Vimeo.
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STLD Friday
It’s Save The Last Dance Friday up here.
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Mike Daisey and this American denial
Two things are really bothering me about today’s news that monolougist Mike Daisey fabricated portions of his hit performance piece “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.” Let me get something out of the way out front: I’ve known Mike since about 1996. He was an advisor/supporter of my high school’s speech & debate…
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Bangor Daily News blurs the line between news and advertising
The Bangor Daily News is back at it with more ethically-questionable practices on its website, this time in the form of its new “BDN Marketplace News” section which attempts to disguise advertisements as news headlines. What’s Going On? At the bottom of article pages, the “BDN Marketplace News” appears directly under a larger “Similar Articles”…
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This time of year.