Pied Type

Just turned on CNN for the first time today, looking for reports on yesterday’s tornado damage around Oklahoma City. I was met with live coverage of damage, but it was from a tornado today that had flattened a large area across Moore and south OKC, including two grade schools. Rescuers are still pulling children from … Continue reading »

I moved away from Oklahoma City and Tornado Alley in 2005, but some days it seems like I’m still there. This afternoon I turned on CNN and was greeted with live video of a tornado funnel in Edmond, immediately north of OKC. I lived there for 10 years. One of my sisters lives there now, … Continue reading »

This hasn’t been a great week in the news for Colorado law enforcement. We learned a few day ago that some 350 inmates had apparently been released early and were at large. It wasn’t that long ago than Evan Ebel was released early by mistake and several weeks later murdered pizza delivery man Nathan Leon … Continue reading »

Anyone else get a pot full of spam this morning? I went to bed last night with an empty email inbox and a clean, up-to-date Akismet screen. This morning I was greeted with 16 comments being held for moderation and the resulting 16 email notifications in my inbox. Every one of them was a “compliment” … Continue reading »

Just about a year ago I posted “WordPress, have you been naughty?” It was about a screenshot disappearing from my media library and thus from the post where it appeared, “Ouch, WordPress lesson learned.” The post was critical of the way WP inserts ads into our posts. I was frustrated, puzzled, and maybe a little paranoid about having … Continue reading »

I‘m still shaking my head over a story I saw on our local 6 pm news this evening. I was on the phone, but I looked up and saw this on the TV: And there was a reporter, standing near the tree with the nesting Great Horned owls, talking about how too many people are … Continue reading »

I had intended to do something self-congratulatory when I got to my 2,000th post on Pied Type, but I managed to miss it. “Password predicaments,” posted May 11, was numero 2,000. Funny, I was watching the number approach, and it seemed to be approaching so slowly. And then it just blew right by me. C’est … Continue reading »

As the world now knows, Commander Chris Hadfield, while on board the International Space Station, was far more than “just” an astronaut. And, oh yes, after 5 months in space, he and his crew landed safely back on Earth Monday at 10:31 p.m. EDT. BTW, is it just me, or do the Russian landings seem shockingly … Continue reading »

Almost everyone has heard of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo, right? It’s where The Shining was filmed. Old, historic, haunted, yada, yada. And as it happened, the kids took me to a Mother’s Day brunch in Estes yesterday. It was a gorgeous day, clear blue skies, about 70°, a light breeze, and the … Continue reading »

This week the government released a massive survey of hospital charges across the the country, showing how much hospitals charge Medicare for a variety of different procedures. If, like me, you were interested in seeing the information on your area hospitals, you might have tried downloading and opening the file. If you got that far, … Continue reading »

Reblogged from Lorelle on WordPress: It’s hard to believe that I’ve learned much from comment spammers over the years. I’ve learned that they are among the most hated folks in the world, yet you have to respect them as well. As I look back on ten years of blogging with WordPress on this 10th Anniversary … Continue reading »

Comedian Don Friesen has a few things to say about Internet passwords: Thanks to Ronni Bennett (and her contributor Darlene Costner) at Time Goes By.

Space Geeks, here’s you chance to send your name, and possibly your haiku, to Mars. NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission will launch in November and the public is invited to submit their names to be carried to the planet on a DVD. Every name submitted by July 1 will be included but only … Continue reading »

On her blog One Cool Site this week, timethief listed some good sources for blogging tips and one in particular piqued my interest. It discusses how and why to have WordPress widget images open in a new tab or window. While I’ve rarely dealt with widget image links, the article did get me thinking about … Continue reading »

It would be laughable it if hadn’t been one of America’s most well-known news outlets. So I suppose that just makes it pitiful. No, scratch that; it really is laughable. Jon Stewart had a ball with it last night. He loves to pick on the “real” news channels, usually Fox News. But lately CNN has … Continue reading »

The US Department of the Interior thought so much of this photo, they’ve circulated it. On Facebook they call it “One of the most spectacular lightning strikes we have ever seen.” It’s a major lightning strike on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, captured last July by Travis Roe. NBC showed it on Nightly News … Continue reading »

The news media are reporting that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) had lap-band surgery in February and has lost approximately 40 pounds since then. Bravo, Governor! Sure, we can assume he’s probably looking ahead to the 2016 presidential race. But more important is his stated reason of wanting to be around for his family. … Continue reading »

This homeless man, known as Clydesdale, has an unusual talent that is sure to make you smile. And yes, YouTube viewers contributed some $3,000 to him through the Whatever channel.

America. Where the TV networks turn a two-minute horse race, the Kentucky Derby, into a three-hour show. But then again it’s called “the fastest two minutes in sports,” not in television. And suddenly it occurs to me how weird that tag line is. Two minutes is two minutes, right? How can you have the fastest … Continue reading »

The following is a reprint of “Plan B: Politics trumps science,” published here December 10, 2011. With minor changes, it is as relevant today as it was in 2011. Remember, a US district judge last month ruled the FDA must make Plan B, the “morning after pill,” available over the counter to all girls and … Continue reading »

Apparently this picture is making the rounds today. A reader sent it in a few hours ago. And then, just now, local TV anchors started chatting about it on the 10 pm news. Not surprising, considering this is what it looked like in Denver yesterday.

Guinness World Records 2013 is available now and these are some of the record-holding animals. That Great Dane is Zeus, the world’s Tallest Living Dog. (Click on any image to start the slideshow and meet the others.) Personally, the only critter here I might want to own or live with is Cupcake, the chihuahua, and … Continue reading »

WordPress announced two new themes today and of course I couldn’t wait to take a look. They are named “Newsworthy” and “Visual.” When I got to the bottom of the page, what should I see but a couple of spam Likes. Or at least what I call spam Likes. It will be interesting to see … Continue reading »

Were you aware that CNN now offers free online games? Games. On CNN. Yes, that CNN. I stumbled across them yesterday and was and am totally perplexed. A cable news channel is now hosting free online games. What’s up with that? Maybe this is just Jeff Zucker’s latest brain fart for how to save CNN. Kind … Continue reading »

Just an update to the earlier note about a man being charged with dumping paint on Denver’s Blue Bear sculpture: The Denver District Attorney said the charges could not be proven with the evidence provided and the man was released. Some local media, who had previously identified the man by name and released his picture, … Continue reading »