This page is an archive, possibly an out-of-date one. You’ll find newer weblog postings at So… and more about norm on his homepage.

The short-form week of 15–21 Aug 2011

22 Aug 2011

The week in review, 140 characters at a time. This week, 60 messages in 51 conversations. (With 9 favorites.)

This document was created automatically from my archive of my Twitter stream. Due to limitations in the Twitter API and occasional glitches in my archiving system, it may not be 100% complete.

Monday at 04:11am

The web-semantique Daily is out! http://t.co/qhMepE8 ▸ Top stories today via @jeenbroekstra @ndw @ericaxel @sclopit @zbeauvais—@networkvb

Monday at 12:21pm

On delaying expense reporting: if there's a $1,500 dinner tab in there, don't delay too long!—@ndw

Monday at 01:15pm

any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simpley not giving the kiss the attention it deserves http://t.co/EOSavxp #q #fb—@gabrielsaldana

Monday at 01:21pm

Comma splices are bad, nobody should use them.—@brentsimmons

In a conversation that started on Monday at 02:03pm

every time I've submitted an expense report in @netsuite, it's dropped one of my receipts from its web interface #fail—@peteaven
@peteaven On a new report, you must click “add” after adding each receipt. On a report you’re editing, you don’t have to do that. #netsuite—@ndw
@ndw thanks! I added receipts fine, even tested links after submission. #netsuite interface always loses 1 later for some reason.—@peteaven
@ndw thing is, I think the receipt is actually in their db, hence the overwrite message, but its not displayed #netsuite #logabug—@peteaven
@peteaven @ndw Last time that happened to me (amazingly NOT #netsuite) it was simply load on the server not displaying all the receipts.—@DALDEI

Monday at 02:44pm

As long as we're complaining about #netsuite, Why-T-F does "Submit and Print" go to a blank page then force me to re-login to print!?—@ndw

Monday at 03:27pm

Building a #MarkLogic cluster in some virtual machines for testing. #cluster #newbie—@ndw

Tuesday at 10:47am

Google CEO: "I need a phone, can someone buy me a Motorola?" - Few hours later: "Done". - "Great, which model?" - "Model …?"—@sjvn

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 10:50am

It’s hard to believe this is even possible. RT @donttrythishttp://t.co/LeZO22G Sheer magic on a bicycle.—@ndw
@ndw @donttrythis for the show they made 4 films. all awesome... see Concrete Circus—@monkchips

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 01:41pm

Huh. First time I've ever wanted nested row groups. I want to group rows within a tbody. #ilose—@ndw
@ndw Try tables in the appropriate tbody rows—@phidip
@phidip Tables in the td’s in the tr’s. Yes. I can do that. But then I’ll have to work harder to get all the columns to align.—@ndw
@ndw Right, it is a pain, but with present dtds the only way I believe—@phidip
@ndw Some webpage says that multiple tbodies are possible, haven't tried it though—@phidip
@phidip Yes. I have multiple tbody’s. I just wish I could nest them. (What, you want to make table formatting *more* complex? Are you mad!?)—@ndw
@ndw Mad? Yes, I hope so. God save us from the so called normal people. In this case I tried to state facts. I don't love tables ;-)—@phidip
@phidip Right. And the parenthetical statement was intended to be self-referential, in case that wasn’t clear :-)—@ndw
@ndw Just put in multiple <tbody> elements.—@tabatkins
@ndw You could put more than one tbody to group them.—@ebruchez
@ndw: Why not use multiple tbody? Or just use nested tables?—@MenteaXML
@MenteaXML I’ve got multiple tbodys. Making the columns align globally when using nested tables is a pain. But nested tables are the answer.—@ndw
@ndw nested tables(duck)?—@DALDEI
@ndw group rows via class attributes? #weak #butmightwork—@RepoRat
@ndw Multiple tbody elements would be one answer.—@docum3nt
@docum3nt Not really. I have multple tbody elements. I want another level of nesting below that. But I’ll work something out.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 04:15pm

Huh. There's no @Evernote desktop client for Linux. That's kind of a shame. Running the Windows version under WINE is not a joyous prospect.—@ndw
@ndw norm, there is an emacs client for evernote. It should run under linux assuming you are an emacs user.—@jayrunkel
@jayrunkel That I HAVE to check out!—@ndw
@jayrunkel @ndw Do you know if that Emacs Evernote client runs on Mac as well?—@chopmo
@chopmo @jayrunkel Not out-of-the-box but I’ll be working on it. Ruby problems mostly, I think.—@ndw
@ndwhttp://t.co/FEf3CmY Try Nevernote under Linux.—@Anubisxian
@ndw there's a web client, fwiw @evernote—@sarahokeefe
@sarahokeefe Yes. But that’s not ideal either.—@ndw
@ndw there is an oss clone called nevernote. Works ok—@iand

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 05:44pm

Documentaries are fantastically expensive to make, I will need to do a kickstarter on them, and I get really harassed when I do kickstarter.—@textfiles
@textfiles Really? I’ll almost certainly pony up.—@ndw

Tuesday at 06:46pm

+1 RT @projectsabs @feliciaday I wish there was a way for me to directly give $ for content w/out having to have cableTV. I'd gladly do it.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 08:44pm

Strange stuff... police just showed up saying they got a 911 call from our house. We have a landline thru Charter - could be a screwup.—@bphogan
@bphogan I think "we have a landline through Charter" is a contradiction. You (and I) have VIOP through Charter.—@ndw
@ndw Our phone system isn't true voip. Calls travel over our internal network instead of the web.—@CharterGeorge

Tuesday at 11:35pm

@ndw I‘m lost, finding your dent in no doubt the wrong context... what is NeverNote and what should I try it for?—@marjoleink

Wednesday at 06:35am

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" isn't so much a title as it is the bare minimum requirement for going to the movies.—@timcarvell

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 08:24am

So, did Apple photoshop the Galaxy Tab to make it look like and iPad? Not the Apple I want to see. http://t.co/bo8Ejdr—@mikeloukides
@mikeloukides Apple has really become a repulsive organization. Or maybe only more so, I dunno.—@ndw

Wednesday at 08:47am

Hollywood, please stop making 3D movies. If I want to watch stupid shit in 3D, I will look out a window.—@me_shell415

Wednesday at 08:53am

Heh. RT @avernet “I gave a Bible to my daughter. That’s how you make an atheist." http://t.co/AEH7EyK—@ndw

Wednesday at 10:12am

The fact that we allow patents and the trolls that come with them to suck this much productive capacity out of the economy is criminal.—@dhh

Wednesday at 10:23am

Heh. RT @codinghorror ”HTML5 standardizes every terrible practice..., making them part of the web forever." http://t.co/TtuSSte—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 11:08am

Keep This In Mind As Google Takes On Apple: Google Has NEVER Been A Great Consumer Company http://t.co/4Ux3XNf—@Kellblog
@Kellblog But it’s not a consumer play, is it? It’s an “avoid bogus patent lawsuits from rapacious company” play.—@ndw

Wednesday at 11:28am

Corporate policies that make you feel like an untrusted cog in a machine are not motivational. #justsayin—@ndw

Wednesday at 04:12pm

Shocking! Shocking I say! (Not!) RT @libbymiller Matt Taibbi exposes the crimes of the SEC ... http://t.co/aggMJXE—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 04:55pm

New blog post: Recap of the Chinese banquet at Balisage. http://t.co/9S9BbRn #marklogic #balisage—@evanlenz
@evanlenz the link for pictures http://t.co/C5bCCOr give me only a message "This page is private." and no photos.—@georgebina
@georgebina Thanks for letting me know! I changed the link to the one I was given originally. Does it work for you now?—@evanlenz
@evanlenz Yes, thanks!—@georgebina
@georgebina @evanlenz Uh. I didn’t actually intend for anyone to publish that private link. I guess they’re public now. Fixed.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 05:31pm

Good #MUGL event this evening. Thanks to @StephenBuxton for making the trip to tantalize us with ML features. Stayed too long at the pub.—@ronhitchens
@ronhitchens I have a 6am train to catch after next month’s meetup. I’m just saying...—@ndw
@ndw You should make it - unless you expect to sleep between pub and train.—@ronhitchens

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 09:55pm

@ndw Good Evening! Just wanted to follow-up to see if you had any questions about the phone service. Please @Charter. http://t.co/WrTYkRR—@CharterGeorge
@CharterGeorge No, I’m fine, thanks.—@ndw

Thursday at 01:14pm

I'm confident your prayers will be every bit as effective as every prayer ever said.—@CcSteff

In a conversation that started on Thursday at 01:17pm

Do or do not, there is no try.—@peteaven
@peteaven that's what my #momsays in a way sort of like #beherenow—@eedeebee
@eedeebee to any # of my previous tweets, "thats what *your* Mom says" would be a much more #awesome reply. ;)—@peteaven
@peteaven Fair enough, but remember that failure is always an option.—@ndw
@ndw well yeah. the good news and the bad news: we learn by making mistakes :)—@peteaven

In a conversation that started on Thursday at 03:56pm

I have to run! See you next week for more live-tweeting! #Torchwood—@JaneEspenson
@JaneEspenson I enjoy the live tweets, even if they’re a few days late on this side of the pond :-)—@ndw

Friday at 02:22am

Think of how many geniuses like the Brontes died young. If only they'd had homeopathy in their day. Oh wait, they did. Just no antibiotics.—@MirabilisDave

Friday at 09:37am

Friday at 09:43am

.@mikeloukides Anyone seen a more complete explanation of what’s really different about the two designs?—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Friday at 01:13pm

So, this exists: http://t.co/J1Ws9c9 and must have functionality since App Store would reject it otherwise, right?—@pgor
@pgor Does it make a falsifiable claim?—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Friday at 02:31pm

Would it be better to align TEI under a standards body instead? that is to say, is "TEI" a methodology or a schema? #teifuture—@rahtz
@rahtz FWIW, I sometimes muse about the other direction for #DocBook.—@ndw
@ndw I was meaning to ask if we could chat about that very aspect next month.—@rahtz
@rahtz We can chat about anything you’d like, sir. Looking forward to it!—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Friday at 03:00pm

serious rain and hail hittin us right now—@peteaven
@peteaven And I’m told in another tweet that it’s storming in Boston. Will it stay sunny long enough to grill dinner? #probablynot—@ndw
@ndw its just dumping outside, constant rumbles and flashes of lightning. eerie, it started so quickly. no grilling here. good luck to you!.—@peteaven
@peteaven Thanks. More important than grilling, really, is mowing the meadow that is growing where a lawn was a month ago. But I think not.—@ndw
@peteaven we're grilling up on the mighty @tokbox rooftop deck grill this afternoon. after the inaugural #stillmanbeerdash—@iansmall

In a conversation that started on Friday at 03:03pm

Changing and renaming half the elements in a schema makes a pig's breakfast of the code to process documents in that schema. #justsayin—@ndw
@ndw I did see a sow eating breakfast this morning...—@abdelazer

Friday at 03:33pm

“This video illusion will destroy your brain” http://t.co/FpiCY9r—@ndw

Friday at 03:58pm

I've decided that @foursquare isn't worth enough to me to bother coding to the stupid JSON-only V2 API. Buh-bye.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Friday at 08:46pm

I have better coworkers than you.—@kendall
That's extraordinarily unlikely. RT @kendall: I have better coworkers than you.—@ndw
@ndw It really, really isn't. You have no idea. :)—@kendall

Saturday at 01:06am

RT @ndw:RT @aaronsw LAPD says anyone who takes photos a suspected terrorist: http://t.co/EEyVr2k.<- if this doesn't scare the crap out of u!—@cdavisafc

Saturday at 04:10am

The web-semantique Daily is out! http://t.co/qhMepE8 ▸ Top stories today via @ndw @titticimmino @ericaxel @pamelump—@networkvb

In a conversation that started on Saturday at 05:11am

Hugh Cayless has some useful comments on #teifuture on his Googleplus but I dunno how to link to them from here. Anyone?—@louBurnard
@louBurnard Pulldown the little triangle on the right side of the post in G+ and choose "link to this post". That'll give you a URI.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Saturday at 11:08am

TEI as W3C Community Group? http://t.co/ZGJ1pSX #teifuture—@rahtz
@rahtz The upside for #TEI is what, exactly?—@ndw
@ndw an appearance of a neutral host? publicity? dunno….—@rahtz
@rahtz Fair enough.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Saturday at 11:56am

not sure that Stuart Yeates' http://t.co/YPZ4mn3 has been widely enough read. I applaud its radicalism! #teifuture—@rahtz
@rahtz I don't see anything unreasonable in there.—@ndw

Saturday at 12:44pm

Defective, ruptures batteries: not our problem. Nice customer service #Apple—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Saturday at 09:06pm

Classic salmon + grill fail—@abdelazer
@abdelazer Classic salmon, or classic fail? Sorry to hear about the fail in any event. :-)—@ndw
@ndw Super classic salmon, with super common, expected grilling mistakes (was fine in the end)—@abdelazer

Sunday at 03:03am

Updated my Convert Lat/Lon tool. http://t.co/kbysQhK Allows you to convert between GPS formats used by Google Earth,... http://t.co/rgjCVBA—@r12a

In a conversation that started on Sunday at 07:50am

#MarkLogic REST library is now out /at http://t.co/58nF6lg . Wondering how this never made to the mailing list /cc @ndw—@dscape
@dscape I flipped the switch to make it public but haven’t written the weblog posting, so haven’t announced it. Uh. Well. Cat. Bag. :-)—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Sunday at 11:02am

I suppose I should make the extension functions available from SaxonHE before I make an official DocBook XSLT 2.0 stylesheet release—@ndw
@ndw The pending release of XSLT2 Docbook stylesheets gets me unreasonably excited. #OMGOMG—@davidpriest_ca

In a conversation that started on Sunday at 09:01pm

I love it! Reddit meta-discussing whether I'm notable enough for wikipedia: http://t.co/SzEZPiI—@merlyn
@merlyn I was long ago voted "not" but I'd have thought you surely were. I'll find you in a lobby and buy you a commiseratory beer :-)—@ndw
@ndw Knowing your notability, I would not accept that beer, but instead offer you your choice of adult beverage should we meet again.—@merlyn
@merlyn tell ya what, lets drink first and argue about who's buying later. When next our paths cross...—@ndw
@ndw deal.—@merlyn