MarsEdit 2

Blogging on WordPress using a Web browser is really quite easy in most respects, but dedicated Weblog editing programs can help make it easier still, particularly when incorporating images.

MarsEdit 2 works as advertised, without fuss, and although you won’t have to spend time reading a long manual in order to start using it, you will find its additional capabilities (such as the ability to set up text macros and templates) as you go along. MarsEdit costs $29.95 but you can try it out for 30 days before deciding whether it’s an asset to you.

Doooo dah di dooooo dah Part 2

It’s that riff again…. It goes something like this:

G2 D2 A1# C2 G1

or:

That’s near enough.

Further to the previous weblog entry on this subject, I’ve just noticed the same riff at the very end of Tangerine Dream’s ‘Ultima Thule Part 2′, from 1971 - which means that they did, after all, come up with it ahead of the competition, it would seem. Of course, it doesn’t really matter, and there may well be earlier examples. Either way, it’s always good to hear Tangerine Dream’s music from this period, if you have any taste at all for space rock

By the way, ‘Ultima Thule’ - parts 1 and 2 - complements the better known releases Alpha Centauri and Atem from the same period in a very interesting way, adding more rock energy that is due not least to Chris Franke’s drumming. It’s easy to forget that he didn’t start off flipping switches on sequencers and playing Moog modular synthesisers!

Beauty Pageant boss denounces “witchcraft” on behalf of God

Along with other Toronto newspapers, The Star * runs the story of a beauty pageant winner, Stephanie Conover, who was allegedly told by another pageant’s director that her presence as a judge would not, after all, be welcome after she told them that her hobbies included interests in reiki healing and tarot cards. The director is quoted as writing:

“Our board of directors has eliminated her as a judge as tarot card reading and reiki are the occult and is not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by witches, spiritists and mediums to consult the dark world”.

It gets funnier (in a “dark world” kind of way, you might say) so have a look at the article; and it’s probably best to laugh at the ludicrous nature of what appears to be an astonishing case of ignorance and intolerance.

Asked if her group is a religious one, Murray replied, “We adhere to God’s principles. We’re God-fearing. I wouldn’t say we’re religious”.

Ms Conover eloquently explains her position in this video on YouTube.

* You may or may not find significance in that.

NetNewsWire

There are some very good newsreaders available for Mac OS X, including Vienna and Shrook, but the old favourite NetNewsWire is hard to beat, particularly now that it too is freeware: the interface can be configured to be just as you like it, synchronisation of subscriptions works perfectly for those who access RSS feeds on more than one Mac, and, as you would expect, navigation using the keyboard is very fast and intuitive.

They also offer a free RSS client for Windows. Apparently.

It’s hard to believe, but many people who would benefit from the ability to rapidly and conveniently check news and updates from Web sites still don’t use RSS. If you don’t know what an RSS reader is by now, try using a search engine such as “Google”. You have heard of “Google”, right?