A Lesson in Conceptualization: Steve Jobs 1955-2011

"Efforts to conceptualize the history and structure of the universe were already running into trouble because . . . the universe was not as uniform as had been assumed" ~John Noble Wilford

This ability

of Steve Jobs

to conceptualize

yet more than that

to create from a point defined

in abstract

brought to life

in a practical solution

unwasted

useable

life-altering

something to covet

technology in the palm of your hand

one for the books

another to entertain

three for the money

all in amazing connection

from stars to glory

trailing bytes

transforming dots

willingly giving a place

to the ever inventive

"i"

as a miracle

portrayed from efforts of many great minds

thinking alike

yet differently

being motivated by an unusual visionary

mindful of genius

teaching us all in the end

of dreams coming true

changing how we communicate

think

create

write

all within a lesson

formed from an "i"

to conceptualization.

Thank you, Steve Jobs.

We will remember.

***

*photo credit: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2011/10/06/steve-jobs-dead-pioneering-apple-founder-dies-aged-56-115875-23470343/

**note: I posted this at dVerse~ poets pub which is an amazing place to be captivated by other poets. Go ahead, read what they're sharing or join in!

Let's Talk Tech: Feed 101 (Guest Post)

I feel a connection/sparked by a glance/your eyes/I want to talk to you/know you/but we are strangers/i look different/same within we remain

#micropoetry by me, Julie.

Today, I'm happy to bring you a guest post from my online friend, Rainy. How you can find out more about her is at the bottom of this post. Please take a minute to visit her, say "hi" and thank her for her ideas.
After all, relax, read up and let's talk tech!

Feed 101

Feed is a service which allows a blog author to easily notify about blog updates. It is sometimes collectively called “RSS” or “Atom”, but that is mistaken. Those are actually different types of feed services. Regardless of what type of feed you use, the end result is the same.

People can subscribe to feed in numerous ways. They might use a service like Google Reader, which centralizes all their subscriptions online. Or they might use their smart phone, or even software which supports it, such as some e-mail clients.

Feed is also handy for syndicating. For example, the famous Technorati website utilizes blog feed to keep profiles updated. The popular Blogspot blog roll which shows the latest blog posts of links in its list also relies on feed. In fact, feed is working in the background more often than you might realize.

If you'd like to use feed to keep up on your favorite blogs, first decide what service you would like to use. Google Reader is a great place to start. Next, visit the blogs you wish to follow and look for their “Feed”, “RSS” or “Atom” option. The button usually has a “broadcasting” symbol. Copy that link into your reader and save it. Now you can visit the reader to see all the new blog posts for each blog you added, instead of visiting each website individually or flooding your inbox with newsletters.

If you'd like to add a feed option to your website, don't worry—it's easy! Most blog software has it built in. For example, at the bottom of a Blogspot blog, you will usually see a link that says “Subscribe to posts”. That's the feed. If you use Wordpress, the feed can usually be found by visiting www.yourdomain.com/feed/.

You can also use a free service like Feedburner. Just burn your feed once and follow the directions. You will not need to burn the feed with every update. Only once is necessary.

There is a few disadvantages with using feed. Most feed services do not have a counter of any kind, so there's no way of knowing exactly how many people are subscribed. Feedburner does count, but it's better to consider it to be approximate and not exact.

Also, just because you offer Feedburner doesn't mean everyone is using it. People who know how blog software works may opt to not use Feedburner and instead use the built-in one, which won't register anywhere. So, as with most things, it's probably better to rely on your hits counter than trying to track how many people are subscribed.

That aside, feed is an awesome service which makes life as both a blog author and blog reader much easier.

Do you use feed to follow blogs? What service do you use?


***When Rainy Kaye isn't plotting world domination, she enjoys coaching others about it on her blog http://www.rainyofthedark.com.
She also likes fluffy kittens.




**Credit: Thanks to Find a Kitten for this image.

Poem: Within Pain

Thinking back
when you feel pain
it hurts
highly affected
hard to believe
how it hurts so much
Answers may not be visible
meds may not be correct
turn your world around
keep finding a way past the pain
Don't give up
Look and see
someone is reaching out
to wish you comfort
as you have waited
find a dream
feel solace
know that friends care
find within hearts
love
that may ease some
pain
Remain hopeful.

D9: #Novelpi ~ The space between thoughts...

I need space to think at times. There are so many things to do or to say so I need to feel like I can. I’m tired yet wide awake. I’m not sure where that fits in this grand scheme of my plans. I feel selfish when I feel like this. I feel frustration and sadness too. It hurts when I am angry and I don’t mean to hurt anyone ever, at all.

I love you but then I’m not sure if I really can enough. I need you yet I want my space. What is this all supposed to mean? This is a process of figuring out that at times you have to do what’s best even if you feel differently. Yet, navigating this can be so hard. I’ll find a way to understand you without judgement and this might help. I’m sorry is the simplest way to say it but it is also really hard. I want to quit at times but that really isn’t an option because it would lead to different problems and a whole set of others too. Instead, I look inward and dare to wish forward. In the end, it all changes and comes to a finish line which is hard to determine.

***
For #Novelpi, word count: 254 ~ Still writing and still learning!

D8: #Novelpi ~ A Flower

I crept down the moonlit path. I didn't look too far ahead or to the sides. All around the thick air I could feel the immensity in waves of destruction. This feeling I could not shake even if I wasn't sure it was true. I dared not look around. I kept moving.Through all of this effort, a thought raged inside, to keep me focused toward the relief I needed to come. This was most important.

A massive feeling of doom threatened to overtake my heart but I managed to stave this ominous feeling by taking a minute to find a flower. I bent down to look at it closely. It was small, barely visible in the dust. Yet it peeked through the dirt in its purple and white brightness. It brought a smile to my lips as I realized that those colors were my school colors. I reveled in the memories of meeting the creature at this moment. I didn’t know why but it was happening in my memory now and I felt so relieved instead of the anxiety that a moment before had been upon me.

Looking forward enhanced the beauty of the experience and that’s when I had seen the flower. Yet looking back in the windows of memory had helped control my frustration that a critical moment like this with so much destruction had delivered. This had been my whole world but now it was no longer. My memory windows would have to work harder to replace this scene set before me. I closed my eyes for minute to think. I didn’t pick the flower. I left it there and I hope that it will bring hope to the next eyes who might see it. I hope they look and find it visibly there. I felt it would bring them the same hope that it did for me. This image in my mind felt wonderful.
***

For #Novelpi, word count: 283 ~ I'm still hanging on and processing many thoughts.

D7: #Novelpi ~ Favorite Music: Matchbox20 & Rob Thomas

Anyone else fans of Matchbox20 and/or Rob Thomas?

I am! Here's one of his performances of Cradlesong at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA, on September 30, 2009.

Also, a superb Matchbox20 song. Bright Lights performed LIVE for Hard Rock Orlando.

Since I love an excuse to write, talk, research, listen to or learn about this band, I signed up to write articles for a fan site called Matchbox20Plus. Right now, you can vote for them as "Best Fan Site." I'm enjoying writing for this site! I'll continue to improve and I appreciate their patience with me as I learn the ropes.

For #Novelpi today, I did do better about getting down to the business of writing although my word count of 426 felt low, I'm still meeting my goal. I signed up for a goal of 250 words per day but personally I'm aiming for 500 words per day.

Last but not least, here's my poem about Rob Thomas as a singer:


This is for you, Rob


Wait - be prepared

to stop exactly on the spot

where I am

as the music starts

identify

Rob's strong voice

already listening

I start to feel

elevated ~


Then again as I watch

Rob's performance

I'm reminded from

lines on his face

'bright lights' in his eyes

it's his ever-pounding heart

what's inside his blood

escaping from his soul

as he shares fragments

of himself

proving how much

this element called music

means to him in his life

willingly sharing

this kind fervor

with his fans

allowing them to feel

his elation ~


Realizing

after all those

long days

always

it's the fans

giving you

time

to keep creating

what you love

most.

Thanks for the music

and here's to even more!

***

D6: #Novelpi ~ Poem: Clarity

Find a way to fight past the confusion
leave behind
old suitcases
battered shoes
from streets of tiny rocks
combining to make a pathway
to finding treasures of the soul
wasting away
words that meet us in the middle of our minds
until a picture is formed from their image
stolen secrets of time
faded deep inside our memories
as a beaten drum
returning a constant beat
glorifying a dedication
to return to who one might long to be
finding time
capturing lines
in flight of fancy
concluding slowly and spreading out
to meet the wind
as the shadows roll in
looking for a way to join
the blue skies
in traveling away from cluttered thoughts
to remain in clarity.
***


I enjoyed the process in my mind as this poem took shape. I may be biased but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

For #novelpi today, I felt as if I put off my writing time and then barely squeaked out 428 words. I didn't like the way that felt. I had started to feel better about being regular in my writing even if my word count is low I'm happy when I don't procrastinate. I'm looking forward to doing better!