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Not many people use the search tool on this blog, but every once in while, I need it for myself. When I got no hits for something I knew was there, I realized that something was up. I logged in to Atomz, and discovered that I'd turned-off indexing! When I ran the index, I discovered another cool feature - Atomz automatically does a link check for me. I got back a report of broken links, so I can keep this blog squeaky clean. Ever notice how even the things you love make more work for you?

Yup, my Photoshop 7 upgrade came today, and a bunch of Flash books (Flash MX Studio, Penner's Programming with Flash MX, MX Application and Interface Design, OOP with ActionScript, and Type in Motion) came yesterday.

Then, there's the stuff I'm doing for the jewelry site... I've skimmed the materials on Paypal's shopping cart, and their stuff looks good. By the end of the week, we'll have photo lights, and it's time to start shooting jewelry! Got a bunch of learning curves to climb, but I love it...

I'll probably use Freehand for vector graphics for a good while, since I have a native version of Freehand. I couldn't quite swing the Illustrator upgrade.

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On the new work front, I got a promising lead on a project yesterday. Researching it was fun. For once, it also looks like there won't be a lot of scope creep, either. I'll be putting a proposal together over the next couple of days.

Wow! A day without Blogger is like a year... I couldn't publish the previous post this morning, because the server was down and they were rationing out publishing rights. Didn't quite feel like having a tooth knocked out, but it was a bit uncomfortable. When you wanna publish, you wanna publish! Oh - yes, I'd have had no problem if I'd have been a Blogger Pro user. Hopefully, there won't be a lot more crunches like that.

Using Your Power for Good

From: Louis Benjamin <lou@beansaboutit.com>
Date: Tue Nov 19, 2002 6:48:50 AM US/Eastern
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
Subject: Hello and thanks!

Mike,

Thanks very much for being willing to act and speak from your convictions! I saw "Bowling for Columbine" last night, and I'm blown away! (Hey, is that a gun metaphor?!) This morning, I decided to find out if you had a website, and I'm so glad I did. I'm looking forward to exploring your site. It looks very rich.

I'm also sorry to read that you've lost your mom. I can only imagine what you're going through, but I have a good idea. While I haven't experienced it myself, my wife has lost both her parents over the last 4 years, and both losses were sudden and unexpected. There's not a day that goes by that she doesn't miss them, and she says so. It's an important turning point in each of our lives, and it's touched her very deeply. Your note says the same for you.

I'm very interested in the power of communication, and I'm also deeply concerned about the direction this country's culture is headed. Appropriately, your film didn't have any useless pat answers, but it's pointing to different places than most media -- something that's perhaps more important now, than ever. I think it's brilliant in exhibiting the callous nature of many of our country's "icons" and at beginning to debunk some of the accepted anecdotes about why our country is the way it is.

"Bowling for Columbine" is too rich to fully appreciate in one sitting. There's a lot there, both in terms of the message, and in terms of how the message is presented. I plan to see it again, and assuming it comes out on video, I plan to add it to my collection. I think it's an instant classic.

You probably hear this all the time, but you have an instant friend. You're a brilliant and talented man, and we're all lucky to have you with us, even if folks like Charlton Heston and Dick Clark don't get it. If there's ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.

By the way -- did K-Mart really pull all the ammo after 90 days? A camera might well be the scariest thing in the world to the powers that be.

Best regards,

Lou Benjamin

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I lifted this from Mike's site:

Of all the reasons the Democrats lost the election they should have won, progressive politics was not one of them. We need to send Ms. Pelosi a clear message. There is no need for her to go the way of the New Democrats. The Democrats lost the election because they lost their convictions. Warn Nancy not to lose hers now in this new position of power. We need an opposition party. The center is not the opposite of the Right Wing. We need a progressive leader in DC, one not beholden to money. Send Nancy an e-mail at sf.nancy@mail.house.gov, or give her a call—(202) 225-4965, congratulate her, then tell her what you think.

How poetic...
The last surviving great-granddaughter of Eli Lilly has just bequeathed something like $100 million to Poetry Magazine. Better still, she'd submitted some poetry of her own to the magazine years ago, and it was all rejected. That didn't stop her from supporting the magazine.

"She doesn't want her name on anything, and I doubt she's ever cut a ribbon," Mr. Parisi said. "That's good for us, because you don't get a plaque for supporting poetry. You better get a reward in heaven, because you sure won't get one on earth."

- From "Lilly Heir Makes $100 Million Bequest to Poetry Magazine" — The New York Times [requires registration]

...And just in case you were wondering what time the clock in the White House reads... Thanks Darling!