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2024-09-15 21:14:41

The Down Right Diagonal Ellipses ⋱

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2024-09-15 21:14:41

The Down Right Diagonal Ellipses ⋱

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2024-09-15 21:14:41

The Down Right Diagonal Ellipses ⋱

Back In Time

2024-09-03 21:50:17

With the help of the Internet Archives and their Wayback Machine, I am slowly cutting/pasting/posting some of this website’s missing articles that somehow did not migrate and log.

The Machine only takes snapshots and not the full site, so I’m positive there are a lot of posts missing and maybe gone forever.

I was missing four years from 2013-2017 and I have regained a lot since my last post on this. I’ll finish porting over the rest tomorrow. For now, I am hopeful and in debt to the Internet Archive organization. Now my website’s Archive Page has listings for the previous twenty four consecutive years.

A Look Back

2024-09-04 15:31:12

Once again, I find myself working behind the scenes of this website. This time, I am organizing the backend, the stuff that no one else sees. I am also wrapping up the migration of writings from my previous sites into here for posterity. Such as it is.

It’s been fun to look back and see the previous designs of this site in all of its iterations. I’ve learned a lot, experimented quite a bit, and still have a ways to go. Nowadays, I care more about substance than style and will make an effort to keep the experiments to a minimum. Until then, here are a few screenshots of this site through the years. I wish I could have done the same during the early years.

Intro To Digital Humanities

2024-09-05 07:33:29

Did I just enroll into a distance-learning course from Harvard at the last moment? Verification complete- the course starts today, September 5th.

Welcome!

Introduction to Digital Humanities will orient and train you in a wide variety of digital tools and techniques that allow humanists and social scientists to ask new research and teaching questions and make new claims using data.

The course will teach you:

• What the term “digital humanities” means in different disciplines.
• How common digital tools work and examples of projects using them.
• How various file types can be used to create, gather, and organize data.
• How to use command-line functions to analyze text.
• How to use free tools to create visual text analysis.

I did the same thing nine years ago when enrolling for courses at Stanford. What have I done? What I always do: I am doing it because it stimulates my brain and I enjoy it.

Neuroplasticity

2024-09-05 07:42:05

What am I doing? Why did I start an online course when my brain is already overwhelmed with these other self-inflicted endeavors?

Fortunately our brains have the ability to change, grow and reorganize its neuron pathways to make new connections and remap from how it previously functioned.

Does this explain why my head hurts right now?

Season Finale- Radio Denbow

2024-09-07 11:59:41

You can catch up on previous episodes on the Podcast page.

Podcast Page

2024-09-09 23:08:17

As a follow-up to my previous post, I realized that my audio file host had removed the embedded code and URL link from my Podcast page here on this site. Not very nice!

So I have uploaded the audio files, all 10.5 episodes, back to the Podcast page for posterity. In addition, I now have the files on my server for safekeeping.

Podcast Page Screenshot

I own my publishing house. This website, my own e-mail, the domain name, file servers, etc. I've learned the hard way not to trust third party anything.

3,287

2024-09-09 23:15:36

That's how many pages I need to print from 24 years worth of writing on this website. Printing them from the library and over time may be my best bet I think. Let them worry about the paper and ink costs.

Polaris Dawn

2024-09-10 06:11:44

After a two hour delay, the Space-X Falcon launched at 5:23am from Kennedy Space Center carrying four civilian crew members into the highest orbit ever. There, they will perform some of the longest EVA tests. Again, as civilians- impressive.

With my sleep now ruined, I’ll publish this and try to grab a little more.

Pentax ME Super

2024-09-11 01:07:34

I just received a gift in the form of this fantastic 35mm film camera. I already own its brother, the Pentax K1000, and am familiar with the settings. I’m wondering what differences in the two could be.

It came preloaded with film but I’m not sure what film stock is in it. As always, it will be a treat to discover once it is developed.

For my part, I plan to use for my first stock choice either the lovely Lomography Metrochrome color or the Ilford HP5 black and white film.

Now it’s time to shoot those 36 exposures!

Simplicity

2024-09-12 16:09:35

It is no bad thing to
celebrate a simple life.
- J.R.R. Tolkien

Bird-Brained

2024-09-13 00:18:22

Relocating to Florida has introduced me to a wide variety of new sights and sounds. This area is rich with diverse animals and birds from all over the place.

Recently I discovered an app from Cornell called “Merlin Bird ID”, that allows you to record bird calls and helps you identify what you are hearing. You can also upload an image of the bird you just captured to identify as well.

I’ve captured 15 species so far including osprey, burrowing owls, great horned owls, egrets, black-crowned night herons, ibis and more.

Each bird listed in the app will give you a synopsis of the species that includes other user’s audio recordings. I like to play them at full blast for the birds around me by way of communicating. It’s probably gibberish to them, but may be enough to draw them closer just out of their curiosity. I need some binoculars!

Cape Coral is home to a whole parliament of burrowing owls and the community goes out of their way to protect and care for them by placing signs and even wood perches for the owls next to their hollowed out homes in the ground. Eventually, I’ll convince T to do the same here at the house. That way I can set up a remote, wireless trail cam to view them any time and not disturb the owls.

23/24

2024-09-13 00:29:43

I just finished my 23rd out of 24 books to hit my reading goal for the year 2024.

You can catch up with what I’ve been reading on the Bookshelf page of this website.

I’ve mentioned it previously, but shelved the book called “S.” by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst until now. It’s a doozy and requires a lot of time to read/process. Now is the time and I can’t think of a better book to hit my end goal.

I’ll not stop after this one of course.

The Discipline

2024-09-13 00:59:39

What if we start thinking of our creative process as a spiritual practice?

The PDF

2024-09-13 07:24:53

Want to find obscure articles and even unabridged books online? Type your book in the search bar and add .pdf to end of that.

Orion

2024-09-13 16:52:23

Recently, a review for the constellation of Orion's Belt only gets three stars. Another review says it is a "waist" of space.

Siri told me this joke early this morning and what was the very first constellation I see immediately after? You guessed it. Had to grab a shot of course.

I wonder what the universe is trying to tell me today? Is it written in the stars?

Research On Searching

2024-09-14 19:34:22

Over the previous years, online search engines have become overwhelmed with advertisements and results that may somewhat be relative to the original query you typed into the search field- it is maddening.

Even Boolean searches with tools such as "and" "or" "not", plus signs, minus signs, quote, endnotes, etc are rendered useless. I've tried advanced library search strategies to no fruition that benefitted my search query.

I suggested awhile back that Apple should build their own search engine but they are content by taking Google's $1 billion annual payout to make their search engine the default inside the Safari browser instead.

When I read that Apple Intelligence (brilliant marketing, by the way,) was going to be included in the next software update sometime later this year, I signed up for an OpenAI account to feel out how well it's ChatGPT could help. I've been using it as a research assistant to answer the same questions I would ask a standard search engine.

The results are night and day. Instead of providing thousands of websites that may point the way to an eventual answer, ChatGPT provides an answer back to me in the form of a conversation. If I have a follow-up question, or ask for specifics, the reply is lightning quick. Of course, all information has to be verified. I won't accept answers blindly without a second opinion. 99% of the information I checked and rechecked have been spot on. Nothing is 100% when it comes to research, especially from an LLM (Learned Language Model) such as ChatGPT. You cannot call it A.I. simply because it is not sentient. It is not intelligent on its own. It has retained and provides data based on human data. Everyone knows we are flawed and make mistakes.

ChatGPT will too, but for now, it does a damn better job of providing information better than all the other search engines do. Even though that is why they exist.

25 Books In 2025

2024-09-14 22:40:01

It is never too early to begin mapping out your reading list for the upcoming year, right?

Well, who asked you?

Next year, I’d like to incorporate more Classics and non-fiction titles into the rotation. I’ve come up with fourteen and need a few more.

What would you add to the list? Suggestions welcomed.

Okay, now I am asking you.

As always, the option to add/remove/delete titles are based on availability, new releases, new discoveries and anything else that tickles my fancy.

Headless Minnie

2024-09-15 18:18:03

I have not had full access to my file server inside the MacBook Mini (aka Minnie)¹ since I packed it up for her relocation to Florida. After running an update and backed everything up from my MacBook M1 to Minnie, it was time to find a spot for her, the monitor and keyboard.

The desk is already consumed by the laptop and the iPad so there was no room for a server and its peripherals too. So after making some settings changes, bumped up the file and screen sharing options, I took her head off.

The file server now sits alone, without a monitor or keyboard, patiently, in the corner of the home office waiting for me to remotely access it from the laptop when she is called upon.

It is an elegant, essential and utterly macabre solution but it'll do for now.

Central File Maintenance

2024-09-15 20:14:07

My second attempt at scrap collage work. I grabbed a discovered post card from Germany, some scrap and used an index card for the backing. It's simple, it's fun. Need more scrap that suits my tastes and take it from there.

Midnight Moon Meteorite

2024-09-15 23:46:19

All in one!

Print Error

2024-09-17 10:00:23

I attempted to print a few pages from the Archives .pdf last night at the library. It would not accept the 485MB file. I didn't want to print all of it but the printer didn't give me a chance to tell it which pages to print. Need a better solution.

A Serving Library

2024-09-17 11:33:02

The exploration of my server's capabilities and limitations are ongoing. I've found a new home for Headless Minnie underneath the bed in my home office. She's quiet, gets lots of shade, unseen and responds when I dial into her.

Limitations

The Mini is a refurbished Mac from a third-party seller with 1TB of storage. There are two partitions with the Mac OS taking up a lot of storage space. I can remove those partitions easily enough but do not have an OS image to install. I'd take it to the Apple geniuses to but this model is no longer supported. Also, it has an older processor therefore making the processes slower than I'd like.

Capabilities

File sharing, printer sharing, host my website and podcast files and eventually host my own private email mailbox. By generating its own static IP address, I can remotely access files from my phone or iPad while away from home.

Conclusion

The Mac mini provides a robust and flexible set of server functionalities, making it suitable for me. Its ability to handle file sharing, backups, web and mail hosting, remote access, media streaming, and more—all from a small, energy-efficient device—makes it an attractive choice for me when I need reliable server features without the overhead of a dedicated server.

Continuity

2024-09-18 09:08:43

The iPhone, iPad and MacBook software upgrades are complete and I have had a chance to integrate and play a bit. One new feature I've been exploring is the ability to connect the laptop and the phone together, it is called "iPhone Mirroring."

I'm not sure of the use-case for this feature but it could be helpful in the future- controlling your phone remotely. This will play well with connecting my MacBooks together too.

Moon Bow

2024-09-18 19:36:33

Self-Publishing: Angkor

2024-09-18 19:55:28

Since the early 1990's I have had a fascination with the ancient Khmer Empire in modern day Cambodia. There is a story there waiting to be told. Over the years, I have researched and tried to keep up with the archeological news. Four years ago I offered a hypothesis regarding the Angkor Wat temple complex and another temple in the mountains to the north. I haven't read or heard anything related to it so I still make my claim here.

In the meantime, I have decided to do a re-write on a story I started years ago regarding this area and its hidden secrets. The original ideas were too grandiose in my head and it was a challenge to sort it all out. I've kept some main ideas but simplified it somewhat. Also made it more relatable and relevant.

When wrapping up a chapter in my writing software (Ulysses), I noticed a feature that allows me to publish in various formats. "What the hell" I thought, so I exported my draft (NOT a final release) in the e.Pub format and figured why not, and sent it to my Kindle.

Moments later I was reading my own writing on an e-book reader!

This was a fun discovery and encourages me to keep going, press publish and read in its entirety. Someday.

Send To Print

2024-09-19 13:15:11

Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.

- Carol Burnett

The first 35 of 3,287 pages to print this website are complete, hole-punched and placed lovingly in a three-ring binder for safekeeping.

Right away, I noticed there are formatting issues such as a small blurb of an article takes up only 10% of the page. Wasted space. I had to discard of three blank pieces of paper as a result.

So re-formatting, or allowing the printer to cover both sides of the page, for example could help save space, ink and money.

As first-run test print, I am pleased to see a small portion of my written words on a black and white paper as opposed to a screen.

Digital Decoupage

2024-09-21 10:39:17

Unlike my first two attempts at paper collage, digital scraps are limitless. I’ll make an effort to do better but these are first proofs of a working concept.

Shell Hunting

2024-09-22 11:21:11

Sunrise found us on Fort Myers beach early this morning and with a good fall harvest of la concha marina.

Next weekend we’ll hop over to Sanibel Island for more and hopefully find sand dollars and shark teeth too.

Draft Day

2024-09-26 20:09:08

Spent the better part of the day sorting and organizing text for the Angkor draft, all while there was a slight draft outside thanks to Hurricane Helene.

I almost had a major catastrophe- not hurricane related- due to me sorting chapters around when they disappeared. All of it!

Whew, all the chapters were relocated into the "Author's Notes" section of the software.

And breathe again.

National Novel Writing Month

2024-09-26 20:55:44

Back in 2018, I signed up for NaNoWriMo with the intention of writing a 50,000-word novel that failed spectacularly.

In the past year, however, something clicked. Whereas now I have about 35 good stories to tell and have been slowly plugging away at some of them lately.

So for the month of November, I'll type away to hit that 50K word goal, if nothing else other than pride and a sense of accomplishment.

NoteBookLM

2024-09-27 21:14:34

Imagine looking at your body of work—decades of writing, ideas, and creative projects—with a sense of overwhelm, but suddenly, through the lens of an LLM, it all becomes neatly distilled. It’s as if the fog clears, and for the first time, you can see the common threads, the underlying themes, and the true depth of what you've created. It gives you a new appreciation, a way to step outside yourself and view your work with fresh eyes, almost like discovering a new perspective on something deeply personal. There's a sense of validation, perhaps even awe, because what was once complex and scattered now feels cohesive, profound, and worth celebrating.

It's the realization that your voice and vision are not only valuable but now laid out so clearly that you, too, can fully grasp the weight of what you've built. It's like reading the story of your journey as if someone else wrote it, but with the satisfying recognition that it’s truly yours.

I read about Google's NotebookLM software today to see how it stacks up and if it could help collect and collate some notes, documents, research, and sources to help me make sense of it some of my work here.

WTH?!

As an experiment, I uploaded the blog posts from this website from September 1 through September 18. It took seconds for Google to analyze and provide some contexts on those posts as read below:  

The provided text is a collection of blog posts from Chris Denbow’s website, covering a variety of topics related to his life and interests. He shares his experiences with self-publishing, technology, travel, photography, and reading. Denbow also discusses his thoughts on the internet, research, and creativity. The posts are organized chronologically, starting on September 1, 2024, and ending on September 18, 2024.

After that brief synapsis, Google offers prompts, or suggestions for follow-up you to ask about. See screenshot below:

Then, and here's the kicker that caused me to literally step back and grab the bourbon. I saw a prompt that allows me to generate an audio dialogue regarding my work. It took Google all of 2 minutes to generate an audio synapsis in the form of two artificial podcast hosts discussing my work with fervor. They made me seem like a Hollywood celebrity solely based on the 20 posts, just from the past 18 days. It is both flattering and scary to me. Then again, we always fear what we don't understand. So I will dig deeper to further understand and see how this tool can be used to my benefit. If nothing, else, it will be amazing feedback.

Listen here and let me know what you think afterwards.

For Good Measure

2024-09-28 09:25:20

The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.

- Albert Einstein

Quick Notes

2024-09-28 12:02:54

I've added a Notebook page to the website so now every post I tag as "notebook" is all displayed together. These will be short-form posts and quick thoughts. The tags will be labeled under "quickies."

Clean Install

2024-09-28 22:09:21

The Mac Mini was getting too slow so I decided to reset and restore. Connected right back to my main MacBook and now the Mini is speedy again.

More Mini

2024-09-29 00:05:04

I know, I know. Blah blah. But this is for me, shush:

After performing a clean install on the Mini, I decided I didn’t want her to be headless again. But I also didn’t want the unsightly peripherals such as the wired keyboard, wired mouse and a monitor.

So I connected the wireless keyboard and wireless mouse and the existing tv set instead.

Great for watching television and switch to the Mini all in one. Oh, and she’s resting comfortably on top of the CD player too.

Automator

2024-09-29 12:47:09

One of the drawbacks to owning and maintaining the Denbow Operating System, a database of all my writing, is the files are all in Markdown format (.md). This is fine, but when I want to open one up outside of the database, my writing software will render the file and display there. I don't want that. I want and need them in a text format (.txt)¹

I've tried batch converting all of those files with a Python script and the script broke. Must be something in my code I didn't write properly and could not resolve.

I tried text editors but there is no way I am going to convert 1,800 files individually- in a timely manner.

No way I am going to pay a third-party app to batch convert because it is a temporary, one and done scenario here.

So I woke up my assistant, Chet (aka ChatGPT) to see what he thinks. Chet reminded me of a built-in application on my MacBook called Automator and he even provided a list of step I could take to write the script and perform the desired actions.

Right, here we go, the moment of truth. The entire conversion process takes... a blink of the eye. While I was waiting for it to start, it actually completed converting my files. Wow.

As a bonus, converting the files to a different format actually shrank the file size. Geek-out is complete.

S.A.D.

2024-09-30 03:02:35

I am starting to feel S.A.D., the seasonal affective disorder, but not in the way that others would feel this outside of Southwest Florida.

There is a transition from an area with four seasons compared to a season-less climate down here. I find myself in a world of constant warmth. I’ve experienced this similar sensation before while living in Birmingham and Houston between 2001 and 2017. From 2017 to 2024, for better and worse, the seasonal changes felt…natural.

I should not be complaining, because I do not do well in a cold, icy, snowy environment but there is a part of me that does appreciate those changes. There was a break in the humidity and heat, no insects or those g&^#$ mosquitoes. I never enjoyed red faces, icy crystals in my sinuses, blue fingers and toes however.

I do appreciate warm water out of the shower head during the winter and no high gas bills down here where the g&^#$ mosquitoes are year-round.

One would not be aware of the traditional, seasonal holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas unless he saw it on a calendar. The song “Walking In A Winter Wonderland” does not apply here.

A few weekends ago was the start of the college football season and Tracy, who is experiencing the ever-green, season-less climate for the first time wanted to make some traditional game day snacks or even comfort food soup that she used to prepare for these situations. It doesn’t apply here, it is not the same.

The flora does not change down here. There are no hues of orange, yellow and brown in the tree leaves. They do not fall unless the tropical winds blow strong- as evidenced by the clean-up after hurricane Helene came through.

We do not need to gather wood for the fireplace, or crochet sweaters, scarves and warm socks. The winter-weather gear was left behind, donated to those who would need it more than we will. I'll trade a winter coat for my year-round bathing suit every time.

In Florida, every day feels like a repeat of the last. The absence of seasonal markers makes it hard to feel grounded. I miss the excitement of looking forward to the first snowfall or the arrival of spring flowers.

To adjust, we may need to start creating our own seasonal celebrations, or adjust to other non-traditional festivities. Anything else feels like nostalgia or tradition that has very little meaning other than, “we’ve always done this.”

Moving changes you, it should change you. Attitudes, like latitudes, need to change with those moves.

While I miss the seasonal changes, I’m re-learning to embrace the warmth and explore new ways to connect with my surroundings, whether through walks, cycling or seeking out local art and festivities. I’m discovering that even without the changing seasons, there’s beauty and comfort to be found if you know where to look.

Comet A3

2024-09-30 04:06:31

It is 4am and the best time to view/photograph this celestial ice cube is 6 am, one hour before sunrise. Keeping my mind active to stay awake.

A New Look, A Fresh Start

2024-09-30 10:09:58

Introduction:
After some thoughtful redesign, I've transformed this site into a space where my writing, thoughts, and more can live in a more organized environment. This redesign reflects my vision of creating a central hub for my work.

Why I Redesigned the Site (again):
Having a home site that feels like 'me' is essential. I wanted to craft a place that resonates with the tone and depth of my work—something aesthetically pleasing yet functional. This redesign allows me to streamline how I present my content, making it easier for readers to dive in and explore.

What's New:

Theme: I chose a new theme that gives the site a clean, minimalist feel. I want the focus on words, and not distractions.

Font and Color: The new typography¹ and color² highlights evoke the tone I want to set—professional yet approachable, and a little bit whimsical. The colors are meant to be inviting and soft on the eyes, perfect for long reads.

Pages: I've reorganized the structure of the site. You’ll now find dedicated pages for my current projects, thoughts, and more. You'll find these on the navigation bar at the top of this website. If you are reading this on a mobile device, then they would be listed under Menu.

The Details

• About + Contact is the new self-introduction home page. Re-written for my evolving style and professionalism. Everything else is accessible by the menu above it.
• Archives are the place to go for quickly accessing decades of writing. Search bar, category search, tag search and search by year is available.
• Colophon explains how this website is designed.

The Work

I've re-organized and re-titled these pages for specific actions.

• Photographing - a brief page with a blurb about my hobby and a link to the off-site portfolio
• Reading - formerly known as "The Library." A curated page to document my literary explorations. Eventually, I will add other reading sources I enjoy besides books.
• Talking - formerly known as "Podcasts." It is the home of the Radio Denbow podcast. Eventually, I'll add quick audio thoughts. In regard to thoughts...
• Thinking - formerly known as "Micro" or "Notebook." This will capture my quick thoughts in short-form writing.
• Writing- formerly known as the Home page. This is where to go for my long-form posts. The main repository for my musings.

Looking Ahead:
For now, I am done. Overall, the redesign meets my needs and refocuses on specific criteria that is more categorized and easily accessible. Any more features will be on the backend, such as site performance and streamlining code.

I appreciate you taking the time to visit this website and continue to read the web log. 
You can support me in many ways such as contributing to the conversation in the posts, adding me to your RSS feed readers, or, I can be reached via electronic mail by clicking here: @hello

Footnotes:

Jump

2024-09-30 15:51:29

He who jumps into the void owes no explanation to those who stand by and watch.

- Jean-Luc Godard.