james nunn | blog

Chris mentioned to me that while he was searching the Internets that he found a reference to Frisco Pride. This is from a January 2005 post.

It’s also been highly progressive in several respects. The city was the first in the country whose green building ordinance mandated that all houses built within its borders be Energy Star compliant, as well as instituting several other programs designed to increase recycling and reduce waste. The city has purchased seven Toyota Prius hybrids for its city fleet and is planning to replace as many gasoline-only models as possible with hybrids. The local glbt association, Frisco Pride, is heavily-involved in community affairs and is one of the most highly-regarded groups in the city. (emphasis added by me)

I’ve no clue who this guy is that blogged about it, but how cool is that

Ian passed on a link last night to me for a new blog/site that he has been reading called LifeHacker. As I was reading this today, I discovered two very cool posts that I thought needed to be shared.

First, I am a horrible note taker (in class). I am one of these people that insist on writing down everything verbatim, and then scroll through these notes highlighting the key points prior to exams. LifeHacker has a post titled “Take Study-worthy Leture Notes” which outlines the Cornell method for note taking. The article also provides links that either generate preformatted note paper (you can even have it pre-printed with your name and class) in PDF format (so you just print what you need), and outlines how to create a template in Word, in case you are one of these people that taps notes out during class. There is also a link to common abbreviations used during note taking to help you get what you need on paper quicker.

Second, I am on MySpace (yeah, collective sigh). One of the things that annoys me is the lack of taste that is displayed by numerous people who also use MySpace. In some cases you can’t read a page because it is so messed up with bad combinations of styles, or it blares some horrific music out to you as you load the page. Well there is a set of code that you can install into your browser (Firefox, Mozilla) that strips all this away off every page you load. It is pretty bare, but there are no linger any hypnotic or seizure triggers waiting for you beyond the click.

I thought this little comment from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on President Bush’s 9/11 speech was amusing.

Basically the president’s speech was a performance that was as redundant as it was perfunctory. Clearly this president, even without a lead, is running out the clock. Say what you will about his presidency, but after that speech, it is now 15 minutes shorter.

This is actually quite cool, not to mention artistic!

Recently I read an online article that discussed the practice of barebacking (generally an unsafe sex practice) and the increase that appears to be occuring with this activity.

“What we are seeing now is about 60 percent of the population is practicing safe sex most of the time, and about 40 percent of the population are barebacking or not practicing safe sex,” Zians said.

» Read the rest of this entry «

On Thursday evening, I sat in the UNT Colesium and listened to Dr. Maya Angelou. She spoke about Rainbow in the Clouds, and how each person shines as part of that rainbow. It was a good theme, and extremely uplifting and inspirational.

I thought her presentation was very good, and she is indeed a good story teller, mixing a history of her long life, the poetry that she has written and the people that she has met along on her life’s journey. I was suprised to learn about her youth, and through that understanding I discovered the draw that she has with a great many people. It’s not just about her words; it’s about her life. » Read the rest of this entry «

According to breaking news from CNN,

Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, whose brassy, tough-talking persona and trademark white hair cut an indelible profile in Democratic politics, died Wednesday evening at her home in Austin, surrounded by her family, her spokesman, Bill Maddox said.

The Austin American Statesman wrote, amongst many other things, that

On embarking on her 12-year stint as a statewide official, Richards said: “Naturally, I want it to be easier for women to get involved in politics. I want them to think of politics and public service as a good place for them, as something honorable and something worthwhile for them to pursue. And the way they are going to do that is to say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’ “

I know how dear Ann Richards was to many of my friends, and I know they will be experiencing a greater loss tonight as the news of her death filters through.

Courtesy of towleroad, this blog entry over at the Republic of T.