Joel Mark Witt from PodCamp SoCal

Joel Mark Witt
Originally uploaded by dewelch

Out at PodCamp SoCal today and enjoying a number of presentations.

More photos available on Flickr. Click the picture to view.

TMUPLive48: Let’s Talk SoHo with Douglas E. Welch

I guested on the Typical Mac User LIVE show this evening. You can hear me talking about all things Small Office/Home Office in this 1 hour 12 minute show. Many thanks to Victor for having me on the show! -- Douglas

Tonight Douglas E. Welch from welchwrite.com joins me to talk about Small Office\Home Office (SoHo) and the Mac. Really interesting show.

Listen to the show

Thanks to listener Steve from Ontario Canada, for the improved show notes that will be out one day after the show airs. He is doing an awesome job and I thank him . You do “Rock!”

Call the Listener Hotline 951-281-6332

Sponsor: Audible.com go get your Free download today

Technorati Tags: audio, live, macintosh, macosx, podcast, podcasting, show

Douglas on tonight's Typical Mac User LIve - Sept 23

I will be the guest of Victor Cajiao on this evenings Typical Mac User Live via Talkshoe.com.

We will be talking about all things Mac including the upcoming Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 release and concerns about updating, switching to a Mac and other Mac-releated concerns.

Join us LIVE on Talkshoe.com at 5 pm PDT/8 pm EDT tonight

You can chat live or call into the show for free and ask your questions LIVE, using the new Shoephone option in the free Talkshoe client software. Set up your free account now to be ready for tonight's show and future LIVE shows on Talkshoe,com.

Technorati Tags: audio, live, macintosh, macosx, podcast, podcasting, show

Book: The House of Lords by John Wells

After watching some friends move out of a long term rental house, both Rosanne and I got the de-clutter bug again. My first attack was at the bookshelves in my office. We all have books that make it to our shelves, but never seem to make it off again, I ended up clearing nearly an entire shelf of un-wanted or un-needed books, which were dispatched to our school's flea market day and other charities around town.

One book caught my eye, though -- The House of Lords by John Wells. I purchased this book in a store on Kensington High Street during our only trip to London, back in 2000. It seemed an appropriate book to read while I was wandering the London Streets, walking by Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Whitehall. I read it quickly while on this mini-grand tour that eventually took us to Paris, Rome and, finally a re-meeting with the relatives in Sicily.

It has been so long since I first read the book, that I feel like I am reading to anew. The House of Lords has a fascinating history and fights for its very existence still today. Like all politics, the story is filled with quirky figures, deadly intrigue and amazing eccentricities. Just a day after re-discovering the book, I am almost halfway through it.

If you have any interest in Britian and its history, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The House of Lords by John Wells. You will most likely find it through a used bookseller on Amazon, as it has been out of print for some time.

Technorati Tags: book, books, read, reading, toread, uk

Event: Franklin Family Campfire - Sep 29

SAT 9/29 7pm

Sooky Goldman Nature Ctr

Franklin Family Campfire

Enjoy old-fashioned family fun with stories, singing and s'mores around the campfire. Meet at the amphitheater. 2hrs WODOC/MRCA

Link: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Info

Elsewhere Online: 50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm (and Full!)

I am always on teh lookout fo rnew recipes and a little time with StumbleUpon introduced me to this blog post. As Winter approaches, crock pot recipes for hearty foods become even more attractive. Of course, Summer is a great time to use your crockpot, too, since it doesn't heat up the house.

50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm (and Full!)
by Maricar on September 17th, 2007

Hot-CiderWith the fall season comes cool weather, school (homework, games, music lessons, carpooling, etc.), thoughts about the holidays, and football. With all the things that are going on, I have even less time to slave away at the kitchen stove to prepare the family meal. But not to worry. Crockpots to the rescue!

(Continues)

(Via Keeping the Castle.)

Douglas in The Crowd at Lunch 2.0

The Crowd at Lunch 2.0
Originally uploaded by Andrew Warner

It seems I rarely turn up in photos from the various events I attend, but here Andrew Warner caught me in avid conversation with another attendee at Lunch 2.0

Event: Full Moon Hike @ Franklin Canyon Ranch - Sept 26

WED 9/26 8pm

Franklin Canyon Ranch

Full Moon Hike

Explore the canyon by moonlight on a moderately strenuous hike. Look and listen for wildlife. Enjoy the view of stars and city from atop the canyon trail. Lots of fun for all ages. 2hrs WODOC/MRCA

Link: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Info

Douglas talks technology on SoHo Tech Podcast's Monday Night Tech

I had a great time on Monday Night Tech with host, Dean Jensen. We talked about what to do when moving an office, weird Norton Internet Security problems, new comptuers and more! You can watch the video below or listen to the audio from Talkshoe.com.



Click to listen to the audio-only version

Event: Cultivating L.A. Japanese-Style Garden Tour - Sept 30

Cultivating L.A. Japanese-Style Garden Tour

Date: September 30, 2007
Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Locations vary and are provided with ticket
Address: Tickets available from L.A. Conservancy , Los Angeles

Region: Downtown LA
Phone: (213) 623-2489

Admission: $30 general public; $25 for members of presenting organizations
Website: www.laconservancy.org

Description: Explore the beauty and history of Japanese-style gardens in L.A.! This special, one-day tour offers a rare glimpse at five sites that reflect the rich Japanese influence on our Southern California landscape.

Sites include the private Storrier-Stearns Garden in Pasadena, spanning nearly two acres and designed by master Japanese landscape designer Kinzuchi Fujii; the richly symbolic James Irvine Japanese Garden in Little Tokyo, designed by acclaimed landscape architect Takeo Uesugi, who is now overseeing its exciting redesign; Roosevelt High School’s Garden of Peace, designed by the school’s Japanese Club in the 1930s, neglected and destroyed after the entire Japanese-American student population was interned during World War II, and forgotten for fifty years, until Latino students discovered its story in the 1990s and rebuilt the garden as a tribute; San Gabriel Nursery & Florist, a third-generation Japanese American business specializing in rare plants including bonsai (bonsai demonstrations throughout tour day!); and the residential gardens of Norton Avenue, a cluster of modest homes fronted by beautiful Japanese-style gardens maintained by gardeners who have lived in the neighborhood for 40 years.

The gardens are beautiful, the stories behind them amazing. Co-presented by the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Japanese American National Museum, the California Garden and Landscape History Society, and the Garden Conservancy.

Walking Tour

Los Angeles Conservancy

From ExperienceLA.com...
http://www.experiencela.com/calendar/eventmore.asp?key=15027

Event: Friends of the Island Fox and Jane Goodall - Sept 23

Friends of the Island Fox and Jane Goodall


Friends of the Island Fox is proud to join our friend Dr. Jane Goodall at the

5th Annual Day of Peace

sponsored by Roots and Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute

Come Join in the Fun at this FREE event:

Sunday, September 23
at GRIFFITH PARK (by the merry-go-round)
11 AM - 4 PM

There will be:

• Live Music
• Arts & Crafts
• Wildlife Displays
• Pet Adoptions
• and the inspiring Parade of Giant Peace Doves

Hear Jane Goodall speak and help celebrate the community and conservation work accomplished by local Roots and Shoots youth groups.

Visit Friends of the Island Fox at our booth. We will selling “Friends of the Island Fox” T-shirts and offering stuffed toy foxes for a $10 donation.

We’ll be raising funds for fox radio collars and looking for schools willing to meet the conservation challenge of becoming Fox Ambassadors.

Come by and say “Hi.”

For more information: rootsandshootsla@aol.com
or www.janegoodall.org/peace-day

(Via Friends of the Island Fox.)

Technorati Tags: animals, art, california, children, communitybuilding, cool, crafts, environment, event, events, free, fun, losangeles, outdoors

On hold at the library: Living: In Small Spaces

I came across mention of this book, Living in Small Spaces, on MoCoLoCo and immediately wanted to request it from the library. Unfortunately, they don't yet have a record in the system, so I will have to put it on my list of books to re-check in a month or so. I am always intrigued by "living small" ideas and this sounds like it should be a good look and read.

While looking at the book's entry at Amazon.com, I also came across this book, Living Large in Small Spaces, and another, The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space, which both sound similar and interesting.

Living: In Small Spaces

I'm intrigued by this title, due out later this month, for two reasons, 1) it's by Loft Publications, who've got a good track record and 2) for the book description in Amazon; "Is a large canvas really necessary to paint a masterpiece? The obvious answer would be that the size of the canvas and the brilliance of a work of art bear no relation. Does this also apply to interior design? Is a creative, elegant and cozy design possible in a 30-40m2 apartment? This book proves that it is... The final result is a philosophy of life based on the small, flexible and adaptable. Not only has the size of our apartments changed, but with it our lifestyle.". Urban nomads take note. Living small requires a surprisingly large number of pages, this paperback edition has 356 pages, all no doubt well illustrated, for $23.07 at Amazon.

(Via MoCoLoco.)

Technorati Tags: art, book, books, read, reading, architecture

Event: Franklin Family Campfire - Sept 15

SAT 9/15 7pm

Sooky Goldman Nature Ctr

Franklin Family Campfire

Enjoy old-fashioned family fun with stories, singing and s'mores around the campfire. Meet at the amphitheater. 2hrs WODOC/MRCA

Panel: The Independent Vision: Writing and Producing Personal Stories for Film, Television, and the Internet

Rosanne and I were part of this panel discussion today on the UCLA Campus for the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. We are teaching Podcasting for Writers, an online course, this session.

The Independent Vision:Writing and Producing Personal Stories for Film, Television, and the Internet

How do you get your film, your story, out to audiences around the world? Learn how today’s screenwriters, directors, and producers are exploring alternative venues for distributing their work, from the world of independent film to public television to YouTube. Discover how you can turn the words in your script into a reality on the screen.

Jonathan Tydor, Douglas E. Welch, Rosanne Welch (chair)

Listen to the Panel Discussion

Talking podcasting at DrupalCampLA

20070908-7- DrupalCamp LA Part3
Originally uploaded by roland

At the end of the day, waiting for sessions to complete before going to dinner, we had a little impromptu podcasting chat in the "huddle" room.

Thinking about Drupal

Thinking about Drupal
Originally uploaded by dewelch

Concentrated thought in a DrupalCampLA session

DrupalCampLA sessions

drupalcampla 017
Originally uploaded by dewelch

Laura Scroggins presents on Project and Portfolio Management

DrupalCampLA sessions

drupalcampla 008
Originally uploaded by dewelch

I am at DrupalCampLA in Beverly Hills today, learning about this content management system with all my LA-based technical peeps.

More photos on Flickr. Click the picture. More photos throughout they day.

Wouldn't this make a great science fair project?

Anytime I come across a neat experiment like this, I always think of upcoming science fair projects. Wouldn't this be cool?!?

Event Re-Cap: Lunch 2.0 in Santa Monica

Lunch 2.0 - Job Openings
Originally uploaded by dewelch

I spent lunch today doing Lunch 2.0 down at the Santa Monica offices of ThisNext, our hosts. I met a lot of great people, working on a lot of great projects. In fact, it seemed a lot of people, including ThisNext were looking for staff. You can click through on this shot of their office white board to see who they are looking for and who to contact with your info.

I look forward to more Lunch 2.0 meetings in the future.

More photos:

Silliest Ticket Fee Yet?

I went online to get tickets for my son and I to attend the Wired Nextfest happening next weekend at the Convention Center.

The system charged a fee of $1.25 to print MY OWN TICKETS!

That's right. To allow me the privilege of using my own paper, ink, computer and internet connection, they only charged me a buck and a quarter.

I know, it is a relatively low fee, but it the little annoyances like this that add up and make life a little less enjoyable.

Oh well!

Jott Blog Post

This is my first test post to my word using the Jott.com service.
Click here to listen

Powered by Jott.com - Try it at 1 (866) JOTT123 -

Hospital Bill 1965

I was poking through some old photos last night and came across this old hospital bill from 1965. The family story is that I pulled a bowl off scalding hot soup off the kitchen table, severely burning my upper arm and chest. I still bear the marks of this childhood accident today, in fact.


Click for larger image

What amazed me the most was the cost for 3 days in the hospital, laboratory fees, drugs and dressing. In case you have a hard time reading the handwriting, the grand total came to $66.25! I am sure that something like this today would cost thousands of dollars, easily.

Just a small reminder of the world I used to live in.

By the campfire...

We had the opportunity to stop by and visit with some friends, and fellow classmate of Joe, while they were camping this weekend at Leo Carillo State Beach.

It was a great time, with lots of kids and lots of play and, of course, a campfire as night fell. No camping experience is complete without s'mores. of course, so we had to imbibe in a few of those as well.

More pictures on Flickr



Technorati Tags: children, fun, kids, outdoors, camp, campfire, camping, fire

Event: Sunday Concerts In The Park at Peter Strauss Ranch - Sep 9

Sunday Concerts In The Park at Peter Strauss Ranch

September 9, 3pm - 5pm

Join us for a concert sponsored bythe Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest and the National Park Service.

See Free Concerts at: www.topangabanjofiddle.org or call 818-382-4819