(Now that I know it's an annual event, I'll be more careful to collect some more. I came up a little short, so the last couple are posters I found in classrooms that I snapped pictures of. Kinda meme-y. I hope you don't mind.)
1. I think I saw this on Bluesky, and now I can't find the creator to credit. I showed this to the art students in August as I thought it was something they should see.
2. Same creator as #1. Very good education-type explanation.
3. Also found on Bluesky. You can find the whole comic here.
4. Vintage cartoon.
5.
6.
7. I looked at this. And I looked at this. And then I remembered that that white thing is called a buoy. And then I couldn't stop laughing for five minutes.
8. I love to watch the tracking of everything I order online. I feel this meme so hard.
Sometimes I like to insert a GIF into my blog posts.
And it's super simple to do. If you've been putting images in your blog posts, you already know how to do this.
(This is what you get when I have no good ideas on what to write about. If you have any blogging questions, feel free to ask in the comments. If I know how to do it, I'll write a blog post about it.)
Step one: find a GIF you like. I usually go to Giphy, but there are oodles of sites you can use. You can even make your own (which I don't know how to do, but I'm sure there are instructions somewhere on the internet).
Step two: get the URL of the GIF. On Giphy you can just click on the one you want to use and click on "Copy Link". (You can also "Download", but that's a way more labor intensive way to do this.)
Step three: paste that URL into "Insert Image".
The "Insert Image" is the little picture icon. Click on the arrow to get the drop down menu.
And choose "By URL". You'll get a dialog box where you can paste the URL you copied from the GIF site.
And then you click on "Insert Image". (If there's an error, the GIF won't show up on the screen. Check that you have the URL copied correctly. If everything is correct, then Blogger is being difficult and you'll need to pick a different GIF.)
Once the image is inserted, you can fix the size:
That box should pop up with the image, but if it doesn't, click on the image and it should. The circled icon is for sizing. It'll say "Original", but you can make it small, medium, or large.
Just be careful that it isn't bigger than the size allotted for your blog post. (You can check that by hitting "Preview" in the upper right hand corner. If it's too big, you can go back and use a smaller size.)
And that is all there is to it. Generally it takes me longer to find the GIF I want to use than it takes to insert it in the post.
Do you use GIFs in your posts? Do you have a good idea for a topic I can do on blogging this summer?
I am currently out of town visiting my brother and his family. I wrote all my blog posts for the time I'd be away ahead of time. That's been easy for everything except my "current events" day, or the day I scream into the void about how angry I am about the latest outrage.
So, for today I'm just posting an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. This episode is from May, and it's about AI Chatbots.
Scary stuff, isn't it? (I'm still around visiting blogs. I'm not out in the wilderness or anything.)
Last week I made the decision (while writing last Monday's post) to rip out that second side and start over. I got it fully frogged and restarted when it was finally time to leave. And while I did some work on it on the plane, I'm not quite to where it was before I ripped it out.
(Sorry about the background. I did not pack my off-white fabric that I use for photos.)
Ta-da! Flat.
Of course, I ended up ripping it back a bit on the first leg of my flight. And when I arrived. But I've still made some solid progress.
Now I'm eyeing the first side...
I may rip it back a couple rounds. I'm not sure. I'll see how it goes.
My sister-in-law is impressed with it thus far. I'm not sure how I'm going to make it sweater-shaped, but that's not at issue at the moment. Getting this oval to lie flat is. But at least I got some good feedback.
My crochet companions so far have been Shadow...
...who became fascinated with the yarn and leapt on it (and on me). I yelped and jumped. His claws were out, but he didn't scratch me.
And then there was Delilah...
...who basically just wants attention.
I haven't gotten pictures of Winter or Calliope (the other cats) or Artemis (the other dog) yet. It's been a timing thing.
So, sort of progress, but since I'm out of town and not on my usual schedule, I don't know how much I'm actually going to accomplish. But hey, I didn't leave it at home, so it will be more than if I had left the yarn behind.
This summer's quizzes have a theme: the colors. Quizly did a series of quizzes with one question. Of the choices, only one is the color of the quiz. Today we're looking at blue.
I lucked out with this one and got 20 out of 20. Is blue easier than the other colors? Or were the other choices just more obvious? I knew quite a few of them, but a couple of them were lucky guesses.
How did you do? Are you an expert on blue? Let me know in the comments.
I am getting on a plane today (or I'm on a plane or I'm getting off a plane, depending on when you read this). I am going to visit my brother and his family in Ohio for several days. (They have internet and I am taking my computer with me. I'll be around the blogosphere, although I may not be checking in daily.) So, in honor of my travel day, I thought it would be fun to find the top 13 U.S. airports. Yes, this is a Thursday 13.
You've noticed it, right? In Blogger blogs, the first line of the first paragraph starts a space over.
It's a minor thing, but it bugs me. Why does it do that? How can I fix it?
I don't have an answer to the first question. Not the "why?" anyway. But I do know how it's happening.
If you open a new blank blog post, you're greeted by a blank template. Before you do anything, switch from "Compose view" to "HTML view".
click on the image to make it bigger
And you'll notice there's already some code on your page:
click on the image to make it bigger
It's basically gibberish. It's just some placeholders in between code that means "paragraph". If you look in your toolbar, it'll show "Paragraph" rather than "Normal". "Paragraph" means when you hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard, a gap of a whole line is left after your previous paragraph.
(If you want to use "Normal", that line isn't left, and you have to hit "Enter" again to get that space.)
If you try to delete that code, in Compose view it'll go back to "Normal". If you hit the back button to delete that space in Compose view, things go wonky.
So, most bloggers just leave the space in. But you don't have to.
The way to get rid of the space is to begin the post. If you start with writing, start writing. When you hit "Enter" to get a new paragraph, begin writing the new paragraph.
Only after you have started a second paragraph can you go back to your first word and hit "Backspace" to eliminate that space.
Yes, I know. It's an annoying extra step. But it's the only thing I've found that works.
But what if you start with an image?
If you upload an image using the picture icon in the toolbar, an extra line of space is added to the top of your blog post.
I have not had luck in hitting backspace before the image to make the extra line go away. (If you have, please leave how you get it to work in the comments.) But I can make that extra space disappear by deleting the first paragraph code (in "HTML view") after I've uploaded the image.
If you delete everything highlighted in gray, that space goes away. Be very careful to get both "p"s and the carrots on either side.
When you go back to "Compose view", your post will be back in "Normal". But if you click on the arrow, you can switch it back to "Paragraph", and it'll stick.
Of course, if you haven't noticed this issue and it doesn't bother you, feel free to ignore this post. But things like that irritate me, so I take the time to make sure I don't have that space.
What about you? Do you eliminate the space? Have you never noticed? Or are you on a different blogging platform and don't have the problem? (Or do you know a better way to fix this?)
I haven't really been following the news lately. So much bad news. But, there is some good.
This clip from Rachel Maddow's show last week talks about all the things that are good about having a bad president. Mainly, his incompetence is making it harder for his policies to be implemented.
I mean... not great. But it's something. Keep pushing back. It's us pushing back that's helping.
And right now both are about the same size. Woo-hoo!
But now I have a dilemma. Do I rip back the second side in an effort to tame the wave? Or do I wait?
Normally, I would have ripped this back days ago. But in three days I'm getting on a plane, and I'll see the recipient of the finished sweater (whenever it actually gets finished). And at that time, I can measure it against her.
Although, I have hours on a plane. With nothing to do. I might just have the time to redo what I rip out...
I mean, I was trying to make sure the second side followed the increase pattern of the first, but we saw how that came out. I could instead just do what I did for the first, and see how flat it lies as I figure out which increases to do.
The more I write this out, the more I like this plan. It makes sense.
My mind is whirling. While I may talk myself out of this, it's more likely that by the time you read this, that second side will be completely frogged, and I'll be working my way back.
As I'll be travelling, next Monday's post may or may not be up-to-date. (I've written most of the posts for while I'm away. I'll be checking in. But Monday's posts may or may not appear. I haven't decided yet.)
A funny thing happened over the last few months. The quiz site I currently use, Quizly, did a kind of series of quizzes about color. 'Round about the third color, I thought about making them this summer's quizzes.
Each quiz has one question 20-ish times. Which of the following choices are in the color of the quiz? This is both easier and harder than you think. In some cases I figured it out through process of elimination. I knew the others weren't, so the last one had to be. In some cases I did know which was the right color. And in the rest of them, I wasn't entirely sure.
I hope you join me on this journey through the colors. Today we'll start with green. (Why green? Why not green?)
I've been trying to write this Thursday 13 for something like three years. I finally have thirteen things to list.
I've acquired a few things that until I got them I didn't know they existed. And they definitely solve a problem I had. Some you've probably seen and/or heard about. But there are some I'm sure will be new to you. Let me know in the comments of other gadgets that you have that you've found useful. I'm sure there will be others I want to acquire.
I was at the Orange County Fair more than fifteen years ago. We were in the building where the various vendors sold stuff. And the guy slipped one of these on a bag just as I was walking past. I stopped. What the...?
These are way better than any clips you might use. It seals any bag up very simply and securely. I have used these continuously since I got my first bag and even went back and got more a couple years later. These are the best.
2. Bowl holder
I first saw these at a craft fair. I'm sure they have mass produced ones, but I've only ever gotten them from independent sellers. They can go in the microwave with the bowl while it's heated, and then when you take it out, you don't burn your hands. It's also great to hold a hot bowl (of soup or something) when you're not sitting at a table.
As someone who's rather well-endowed in the chest department, I used to have issues with my seat belt. It never stayed positioned across me in a comfortable manner. It always rode up and choked me. And then I was introduced to this thing, and it is the best. It clips on the lap part of the belt, and the chest strap hooks on it, keeping that from straying up to my neck. I no longer have to adjust my seat belt for my entire drive. Game changer.
Sadly, I only found these on Amazon. And they have all sorts of different types. My link is to one example (as the one I bought I can't find). If you find it at another retailer, let me know so I can buy from them next time.
We got a new shower for my bathroom. (It was a processwhich I detailed in another Thursday 13.) And while it's very nice in some ways, there was one glaring problem. With no bathtub component, I had no place to balance my leg when I would shave in the shower. There had to be a solution for that.
Once I started looking, I found this. And it's perfect. Just what I need in a shower with no way to balance my foot.
When I got my current phone, I discovered MagSafe cases and wireless charging. One thing I had had before was one of those things for the back of the case to help me grip the phone. When I went to purchase a new one for the new phone, I found one that magnetically attaches, and I'm never going back. It helps me grip the phone. It props it up when I've set it down (making my knit pyramid redundant, sigh). And it comes off easily when I charge my phone. I've had this two years, and it still works great. Expensive (for what it is) but worth the price.
When I went to find the link for this, I discovered that they've upgraded it with a finger strap, and now I need a new one...
Speaking of my phone... When I got my first iPhone, I had the best bedside clock. It was a docking station. It charged my phone and it played music from my phone through a speaker. It worked via an app, and I loved this thing. But, the iPhone charging connection changed, the apps were upgraded, and the clock became obsolete.
I'd been looking for a replacement for a decade.
Clock: check. Charging: check (via wireless). Speaker: check (via Bluetooth). And no app to go out of date. Perfect.
This attaches to the side of my bed. I keep my ereader in it. It's big enough for physical books, remote controls, or anything else you might want to keep handy. It's brilliant, and I love mine.
I got mine via Zulily back before it went defunct (but it's back now), but when I searched it online, I found that Target had one, Walmart had one, and there were instructions on how to make your own. I linked to Amazon, but those are not the only options.
I know, most people get these to read by. I use mine to knit (or crochet) with. It's great in the summer (rather than a big task light that heats me up). I didn't buy mine off Amazon or a online yarn retailer, but I've linked to the latter. You can search these up as many retailers have them.
This is one I use at work. Nowadays we don't unlock the classroom doors. Mostly a safety thing. (The doors don't lock from the inside.) But what do you do if you want the door closed, but you want kiddos to be able to get in without knocking? I use this. (The doors are self-closing.) I mean, most teachers have something that works, like a magnet or a blocker, but not all do. It's helpful for the days I need it.
11. Desk ring light with phone holder (where to buy)
When I started making videos (for my YouTube channel), I got this phone holder/light that clipped on the side of a table. It worked, but I needed something better. So, I got one of these.
I haven't used it yet, but the light is much brighter, so it should make my next videos that much nicer.
Did you know you can make hard-boiled eggs in the microwave? I happened upon a gadget that did that a couple years ago, and I'm never going back. (Alas, the first one I used kept failing at the vent hole. The second one I used exploded one day with a force so hard it blew the microwave door open.) This is the third version that I've bought, and so far, this one works pretty well. Will it fail, too? I hope not. This is way easier than boiling the eggs in water.
When I was in elementary school, my father worked in fast food. The way they mashed up the ground beef for the burritos was by using a potato masher. (That's how he taught us to brown ground beef.) But now there's a better tool.
Do you have any gadgets that you don't know how you ever did without?
A fellow blogger asked about why they could no longer log in and use their profile when commenting on others' blogs. They try, but instead of logging them in, the comment resets, and they can either comment using anonymous or it won't let them comment at all.
At that time (three years ago) the Incognito Mode had a screen that looked like this:
The fix was to turn on the cookies. After I did that, my commenting woes disappeared. And everything was fine, until the IT people in my school district decided to disallow Incognito Mode on district Chromebooks. Deep sigh.
(It took me a couple months, but I came up with a solution that worked for me: I bought my very own Chromebook just for work.)
So, I wonder if the logging in and being recognized issue on Blogger blogs is still just a cookies issue.
If you're using Google Chrome, you need to click on your profile (it's your picture in the upper right hand corner), and then you'll choose "Manage Your Google Account".
Then, in the sidebar (on the left side), go into "Data & Privacy".
At this point you'll want to check a few things. Personalization Settings. Data Sharing. (Under my Data Sharing, I am sharing information with Blogger under "Third-party apps & services". If you aren't, this might be the issue with logging into Blogger comments.) This is probably a good thing to explore even if you aren't having issues as there might be some settings you want to check out.
This is a place to start, anyway. Whether it solves the problem or not, I can't be sure.
If you're using a different browser, finding data and tracking and finding the cookies should be similar. Look under your profile and check the settings. Whether you allow all cookies or just for Blogger will be up to you.
Safari (for Apple) has protections in place to disallow tracking, so that might be harder. But there should be a way to opt in to cookies, at least for Blogger.
I hope this helps. Let me know in the comments if it was of any use or not. And if you have a different solution, please also add this into the comments. If anyone can solve the issue, there are many bloggers who would like to know.
I only found this out recently, so some of you may also be unaware.
This July 4th is our semiquincentennial (that's 250th). And now that I've been seeing things about it, I wondered about who was organizing this thing. Turns out that ten years ago a bipartisan congressional committee was formed to organize the celebrations.
Very forward thinking of them. Very organized. They're ready to go.
But, a certain someone who has to be the center of everything signed an executive order to create his own little party. (Here's an article explaining this.) It's called Freedom 250. And we get to ignore it.
Because the official celebration stuff is America250.
(That concert that was announced? And then all the acts backed out? Yeah, that was the fake celebration.)
