bard's tales
Question everything.
My son was doing his English homework the other night, and he asked me “What does ‘context’ mean? I’ve never understood that.”
I explained to him that context meant the other words, phrases and sentences around a particular word, phrase or sentence that provide clues to make it easier to understand what it means.
Since a basic understanding of “context” was essential to completing any part of the assignment, I told him, “That’s really a question you should ask your teacher when he gives the assignment. You don’t really understand how to complete it if you don’t know what that word means.”
“I hate asking questions. It makes me feel dumb.” …
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Articles are a little more informative, and a little less personal, than stories. Here are the most recent articles here at iBard. Enjoy!
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Internet Explorer Disclaimer
If you have the misfortune to be viewing this site in Microsoft Internet Explorer, I regret that the design is probably broken. It may or may not remain that way.
I recently revamped my site with a customization of the Brandford Magazine theme. After four years of coding entire sites properly, and THEN coding them so they'll look right in IE, I am officially done. I think Microsoft probably has the resources to build a standards-compliant browser. I, however, no longer have the resources in free time to keep building an entirely unnecessary second customized theme every time I redesign.
Luckily, since it's 2008, you have plenty of options when it comes to free, excellent web browsers. I highly recommend that you download and install either Mozilla Firefox, or Google's new Chrome browser, to enjoy this site as it's meant to be viewed.
bard's tales
You are not behind.
I talk to a lot of people who feel overwhelmed. Almost every week, I hear people say in relation to social media and the explosion of web 2.0 applications and services, "I feel like I'm so far behind." Or "I recognize that we're way behind on getting up to speed on ...
How I Discovered Social Media
I think everyone who is passionate about social media has a story about how they personally discovered the power of the collaborative, community-focused part of the web. I figure it might be time to share mine. It was 2001, and I found myself with a Problem. Not a small problem. A ...
It seems like lately, everyone is getting all existentially-angsty about work. I blame gas prices. (Just kidding! Mostly...) Apparently, a lot of folks on the web are pondering work/life balance, the cost vs. benefit analysis of commuting, and how the nature of employment itself is changing. This is a topic that ...
I was a cranky Kat last week. Come to think of it, I was kind of cranky the week before that, too. I think I realized tonight what was making me Mrs. Cranky McNastypants. I stopped having fun. Ironically, somewhere in the last year or so, just as I found myself in ...
digital storytelling
Who is Hans Van Eeghen? LOST begins it’s new ARG for 2008 If you know me at all, you know that I’m a completely obsessed fan of ABC’s mind-bending, time-jumping, crazyfest LOST. In fact, I’m such a LOST geek, they even let me ask Damon and Carlton a question in a video podcast this Spring.
As a new media geek and storyteller at heart, I also love Alternate [...]
community & connection
Would you rather be Scarlet O’Hara, or Melanie Wilkes? Gone with the Wind was one of my favorite movies growing up. I liked the movie so much, I actually waded through all of Margaret Mitchell’s novel as well (and the sequel by Alexandra Ripley, which in my opinion, was better than most people gave it credit for.)
A thought struck me out of the blue [...]
writing process & projects
Protecting Your Voice Last week, I had a little real-life communication mix-up. I was trying to say something very straightforward and direct, but because our contemporary American communication style is so steeped in irony and sarcasm, irony and sarcasm are inferred even when they’re not intended.
It got me thinking that if I have difficulty being understood clearly through [...]
the juggling act
Setting Up Google Reader: the No-Brainer Edition This post is the next in an ongoing series, “Geek Decoder Ring.” If you’re not a geek, have no desire to become a geek, but would like to understand what the heck the geeks in your life are talking about, this series is for you.
Okay, so in our last post in the series, we talked [...]
