An Unconference is a real thing and not a name you give to some thing you go to that failed to organize in advance.
In fact - I’ll go further … there are even events that have the hall marks of an ‘Unconference’ - and still don’t qualify.
Making sure we all stay honest here.
Where’s Waldo
It all started somewhere - and eventually @Jean did one - and then added a list of other ‘Where’s Waldo’ pages here. So I thought hell, why not … and then it got complicated, because like others, to me - passing through isn’t sufficient, so I added a few caveats. —
- Passing through does NOT do it. To be on the list, I have to have spent at least two nights in that place (so removing those pesky ’en route’ stop overs’.
- I decided that I wanted to separate where I have lived from visited - so I start with a much shorter list before listing all the places.
- As it turns out, a lot of places I have been to has seen me there for longer than a week, and some of the places I have been to more than once …
- Each list is alphabetical
- I’m English - so yes - the UK is four countries. —
Places I Have Lived
Germany
Kenya
New Zealand
Singapore
UK - England
UK - Wales
USA - CA
USA - CT
USA - HI
USA - NY
USA - VA
Places I Have Visited
USA
(Been to in Bold, ’Struck out’ - I do need to visit. (Or do I?) )
Washington DC
AlabamaAlaska- Arizona
Arkansas- California (Lived)
- Colorado
- Connecticut (Lived)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii (Lived)
Idaho- Illinois
- Indiana
Iowa- Kansas
Kentucky- Louisiana
Maine- Maryland
- Massachusetts
Michigan- Minnesota
Mississippi- Missouri
MontanaNebraska- Nevada
New Hampshire- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (Lived)
North CarolinaNorth Dakota- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania*
- Rhode Island
South CarolinaSouth Dakota- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
Vermont- Virginia (Lived)
- Washington
West VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Rest Of World
(The) African Continent
Egypt
Kenya
Mauritius
South Africa
Tunisia
(The) Americas
Bahamas
Bermuda
Canada
Mexico
U.S.A. (see detailed list above)
Asia
China
Hong Kong
India
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
‘Australasia’
New Zealand
Europe
Andora
Austria
Belgium
(The) Czech Republic (Strictly speaking - Czechoslovakia and I didn’t get to Slovakia)
Denmark
Eire / Ireland
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Nederlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovenia and Croatia (Strictly speaking - Yugoslavia and I didn’t get to Bosnia, Serbia or Macedonia)
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey (Or should this be under Asia?)
U.K. - England
U.K. - Wales
U.K. - Scotland
U.K. - Northern Ireland
Yugoslavia
(The) Middle East
U.A.E.
I think that’s it.
“I do remember this security guy saying something nice about Corden until I grimaced, said I’d met him once at a work thing and within half a second wished I hadn’t. Boom. All professional politeness was gone and the guard vented about that man. ()I think I saved him a therapy session.)
💬 William Gallagher
I have no idea if there is any truth in what I read about ‘our James’ and how his soft cuddly exterior does not reflect his true self. But I read it more and more - and Gallagher is not in the ‘rumour mill’ business.
Shame really. There I was thinking you can be nice and ‘make it’.
I Have - So You Don't Have To.
A few links with no ‘search or surf’ needed. All you need to do is click.
You are welcome.
🔗 Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes turns herself in for 11-year prison term. - I didn’t get the popcorn because my guess is that she will be out for ‘good behavior’ before I could finish the box.
🔗 Lawyer ‘Greatly Regrets’ Using ChatGPT in Briefing That Included Fake Citations. … and on a related note 🔗 I cannot believe the shit that morons are getting up to with ChatGPT - because in 2023 it is obligatory for all lists (even micro lists like this) to have at least one link be about ChatGPT, so I went for two - and related as well!
🔗 Tom Evslin: Is AI Dangerous? - turns out yes … and no … because it depends.
🔗 A New Uber Clone With Armed Drivers Is the App for a Violent and Paranoid America (Apple News) - if you follow me, you might know that Uber is not (shall we say) high on my list of innovative and ethical companies - so in that respect they are absolutely an Uber clone.
🔗 The QAnon Shaman Is Out of Prison and Selling Yoga Leggings Now (Apple News) - because of course he is. Beats me why he didn’t start it in prison. Oh wait ….
“That premium in turn has allowed the company to keep selling fresh stock, which allows it to keep paying out dividends, and on it goes, a self-licking ice cream cone that works until the stock price falls, which it now has.”
💬 Liz Hoffman, Semaphor
“self-licking ice cream cone” … aaah the visual.
I read Molly Jong-Fast and had never really thought about it - but - TIL she is the daughter of 🔗 Erica Jong (📚 Fear of Flying) … of course she is … the clue
🔗 Man wielding fish knife attacked home of Benedict Cumberbatch
Putting aside the news for a moment … I have been thinking a lot recently about things like death, legacy, memories, leaving your mark … and noting to myself how little we know about anybody. At all. Even famous / historical people. More on this will emerge in the future … but, case in point, in case you know nothing about Cumberbatch, this is his descriptor …
The Doctor Strange star ….
🔗 Will AI free us from drudgery – or leave us jobless and hungry?
It’s a good question. So much noise abut how AI is going to free up people so thy can live fulfilling lives as drudgery is removed … but that last sentence speaks to the reality …
There is certainly a lot of potential for AI to change the world for the better. I just don’t think there’s an appetite among the people at the top to harness that potential.
🔗 Illinois set to become first state to end book bans.
I never hear Pritzker’s name associated with a potential presidential run - but it should be.
🎵 Malcolm McLaren ... Talentless Hack or Talented Svengali?
🔗 Malcolm McLaren’s Duck Rock at 40: the album that foretold today’s anything-goes pop.
For all of his total lack of skill as a musician / singer .. his ability to constantly break new ground and open listeners ears to new possibilities was quite extraordinary.
Duck Rock never made it to ‘personal favorite’ status, but still extraordinary.
My most favorite McLaren is surely ’Fans’ - 40 years old NEXT year
🔗 Japan PM fires son after pictures emerge of ‘inappropriate’ private party at official residence.
Moral leadership … clearly Japan has still got it … take note U.K. and U.S.A.
🎵 Mirror To The Sky - Yes
I have now listened to the new Yes album maybe 4 times. It is definitely not their greatest album - by any stretch - but it is also far from the worst.
Peak Yes years for me were those leading up to Topographic … and to compete with that era is hard … but this does (though it does lose 😎).
Trivia thought.
I wonder why the ‘title track’ off Mirror To The Sky is called ‘Mirror to the Sky’?
Intentional? If so why?
Sloppy? Very ‘un Yes’.
Favorite opening … the first minute of ‘Unknown Place’ - it falls off very quickly.
Favorite Track … the title track - which also happens to be the longest … I am a sucker for long musical exploration.
‘One Second is Enough’ … meh as is most of ‘disc 2’ … why did they bother?
🎵 My friend Scott Schorr has just made 50 vinyl copies of the Levin Torn White album available for sale, with …
$5 from every purchase will be donated to Music Aid Northwest in Alan’s name.
It is a superb album.
Is he right?
2023 | 05 | 30
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If operations like The Sheraton can’t spell right - why should we bother?
Coffee Shop Detail
The Detail on this mask …
… is only apparent when you get up close and personal.
