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		<title>Tag Dropdown Widget V1.7 Just Released</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/mGxDcEaohe0/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/08/21/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-7-just-released/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:08:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tag Dropdown Widget]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2906</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For complete details on the latest release of my Tag Dropdown Widget plugin for WordPress, visit http://plugindev.ethitter.com/2010/08/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-7-now-available/. Related posts:Tag Dropdown Widget Now Supports Trimming In More InstancesYesterday, I released version 1.0 of the Tag Dropdown Widget... Tag Dropdown Widget V1.0 Now AvailableAfter struggling to find a solution to the problem of... Ongoing Server Problems Test [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/17/tag-dropdown-widget-now-supports-trimming-in-more-instances/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tag Dropdown Widget Now Supports Trimming In More Instances'>Tag Dropdown Widget Now Supports Trimming In More Instances</a><small>Yesterday, I released version 1.0 of the Tag Dropdown Widget...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/16/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-0-now-available/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tag Dropdown Widget V1.0 Now Available'>Tag Dropdown Widget V1.0 Now Available</a><small>After struggling to find a solution to the problem of...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/19/ongoing-server-problems-test-my-patience-hamper-productivity/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ongoing Server Problems Test My Patience, Hamper Productivity'>Ongoing Server Problems Test My Patience, Hamper Productivity</a><small>As visitors may have noticed, disparate.info has suffered a number...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/26/plugins-move-to-ethitter-complugins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins'>Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins</a><small>To better showcase my web development work, I&#8217;ve relocated the...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/06/18/introducing-wordpress-3-featuring-custom-post-types-a-native-menu-editor-and-more/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More'>Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More</a><small>The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, cmurrayconsulting.com. Today’s...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For complete details on the latest release of my Tag Dropdown Widget plugin for WordPress, visit <a href="http://plugindev.ethitter.com/2010/08/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-7-now-available/">http://plugindev.ethitter.com/2010/08/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-7-now-available/</a>.</p>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/17/tag-dropdown-widget-now-supports-trimming-in-more-instances/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tag Dropdown Widget Now Supports Trimming In More Instances'>Tag Dropdown Widget Now Supports Trimming In More Instances</a><small>Yesterday, I released version 1.0 of the Tag Dropdown Widget...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/16/tag-dropdown-widget-v1-0-now-available/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tag Dropdown Widget V1.0 Now Available'>Tag Dropdown Widget V1.0 Now Available</a><small>After struggling to find a solution to the problem of...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/19/ongoing-server-problems-test-my-patience-hamper-productivity/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ongoing Server Problems Test My Patience, Hamper Productivity'>Ongoing Server Problems Test My Patience, Hamper Productivity</a><small>As visitors may have noticed, disparate.info has suffered a number...</small></li>
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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/06/18/introducing-wordpress-3-featuring-custom-post-types-a-native-menu-editor-and-more/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More'>Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More</a><small>The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, cmurrayconsulting.com. Today’s...</small></li>
</ol>
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		<item>
		<title>The Art of Career Change</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/Dmg2Kc2kkhU/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/07/03/the-art-of-career-change/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accounting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPA Exam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Musings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2869</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the years since I began high school, I&#8217;ve pursued four distinct career paths, each so very different from the last that most people conclude that I&#8217;m insane when I list them. I began high school set on a career in architecture, and I even took numerous courses that taught hand and computer-aided drafting, architecture [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the years since I began high school, I&#8217;ve pursued four distinct career paths, each so very different from the last that most people conclude that I&#8217;m insane when I list them.</p>
<p>I began high school set on a career in architecture, and I even took numerous courses that taught hand and computer-aided drafting, architecture terminology, and so on. By the beginning of my senior year, however, it was clear that architecture was the wrong career path for me. For one, I despised the tediousness of creating elevations, and I always seemed to struggle with floor plan layout. I would inevitably end up with some odd space that didn&#8217;t quite fit into any of the surrounding rooms, forcing me to call upon a classmate to assist me as I reworked the design. At the same time, thankfully, a hobby had developed into a full-time obsession and thus seemed like a logical career path.</p>
<p><span id="more-2869"></span>So, as I looked toward college and what I expected would become my career, I set upon audio engineering as a viable path. As I mentioned, what began as a hobby turned into a weekend-consuming obsession that took priority over most everything else, including my junior prom. By the time I realized architecture wasn&#8217;t for me, I was traveling with a local band, working regularly at an area venue, and had run sound at a side stage for a large music festival. Thus, I sought out and found what I believed was a viable degree program at the University of Hartford that would prepare me for a long career as an audio engineer. Oh how I was mistaken.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I did not realize how utterly deficient the University of Hartford&#8217;s Audio Engineering Technology program was until it was too late. Considering the dearth of programs I could transfer my credits to, and the lack of job prospects my overrated degree brought, I yet again contemplated a different career path. Looking over the non-engineering courses I&#8217;d taken at the University, I recognized that I had truly enjoyed the accounting courses taken as part of my minor in Business Administration. After speaking with the director of the University&#8217;s accounting department, I made the decision to pursue a Masters degree in accounting after completing my Bachelors in audio engineering.</p>
<p>After completing my degree programs, I quickly secured multiple job offers in the accounting industry, providing near-instant gratification that my third career change was a prudent decision. Everything seemed to be going fine until the recession of the late 2000s took its toll on the accounting firm that had employed me since graduation. In June 2009, near the peak of the unemployment crisis, I lost my job. For months I pursued another position in the accounting industry, only to find that positions did not exist. After all, I specialized in non-profit accounting, and the organizations that needed such expertise were disproportionately impacted by the recession.</p>


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</ol>
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		<title>Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/nLY9ygmoCs8/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/06/18/introducing-wordpress-3-featuring-custom-post-types-a-native-menu-editor-and-more/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2894</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, cmurrayconsulting.com. Today’s release of WordPress 3.0 brings some exciting enhancements and new features that strengthen the software’s position in the realm of content management systems. For developers such as us, two sets of features in particular should prove invaluable in implementing WordPress-based solutions for our clients. First, [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, <a href="http://www.cmurrayconsulting.com">cmurrayconsulting.com</a>.</em></p>
<p>Today’s release of WordPress 3.0 brings some exciting enhancements and new features that strengthen the software’s position in the realm of content management systems. For developers such as us, two sets of features in particular should prove invaluable in implementing WordPress-based solutions for our clients.</p>
<p>First, version 3 expands WordPress beyond the traditional blogging constructs of posts and pages by allowing users to specify custom post types. These custom types can function either like posts, organized linearly, or like pages, having a hierarchical structure. This feature builds on the custom taxonomies introduced in WordPress 2.9, which let users expand the organizational options for content beyond just categories and tags. Now, combining custom post types with custom taxonomies, users have complete control over how content is organized and displayed.</p>
<p>Custom post types don’t just let users segregate press releases from product pages, for example, but also simplify the addition of fields specific to each post type. A product post type could include pricing and availability, whereas a press release could hold media contact information. Following this example, separate taxonomies can be assigned to each, reaffirming a clear organization of content.</p>
<p><span id="more-2894"></span>Second, WordPress 3 brings a number of new theme functions that provide greater control and customization for end users, the most significant being a new menu management system. When enabled for the active theme, menus can be controlled entirely from with the administration interface. New menu items can easily be added, or new pages set to automatically appear in a given menu. Administrators can also reorder menu items in seconds by simply dragging and dropping them into place, add links to any desired address, and effortlessly link to specific category archive pages.</p>
<p>The latest version also supports custom header images that can be specified on a per-post (or per-custom-post-type) and per-page basis, allowing content creators to highlight a particular aspect of any given entry. Imagine, for example, being able to prominently feature a product’s branding atop its product page, while including a pertinent image atop a press release. By simply adding support for header images to one’s theme, the full capabilities of this new feature (and the built-in media uploader) are unlocked and available from the comfort and familiarity of the post edit screen.</p>
<p>These are just a few of the new features included in WordPress 3 that will be of particular usefulness to anyone building sites on the increasingly-popular content management system. In addition to the enhancements discussed here, this latest update corrects 1,200+ bugs and merges WordPress with its multi-blog sister WordPress MU.</p>
<p>For a complete rundown of the changes, including more details on the integration of WordPress MU into WordPress core, visit <a href="http://codex.wordpress.org/Version_3.0" target="_blank">http://codex.wordpress.org/Version_3.0</a>. Or, if you’d prefer, you can grab a copy of the latest release at <a href="http://wordpress.org/download/" target="_blank">http://wordpress.org/download/</a>.</p>


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		<title>iPhone Coming to Verizon on June 26?</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/phmurDCFULU/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/05/01/iphone-coming-to-verizon-on-june-26/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 May 2010 12:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AT&T]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verizon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verizon Wireless]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2855</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago, I stopped by my local Verizon Wireless store. In the course of conversation, the subject of the iPhone inevitably came up. Rather than the standard &#8220;I don&#8217;t know&#8221; response, the gentleman helping me gave a somewhat cryptic but clear response: &#8220;Someone, somewhere, is making an announcement on June 26.&#8221; Playing along [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks ago, I stopped by my local Verizon Wireless store. In the course of conversation, the subject of the iPhone inevitably came up. Rather than the standard &#8220;I don&#8217;t know&#8221; response, the gentleman helping me gave a somewhat cryptic but clear response: &#8220;Someone, somewhere, is making an announcement on June 26.&#8221; Playing along (albeit a bit taken aback by his forthrightness), I mused that the person making this announcement might be wearing a turtleneck and tight jeans while standing on a starkly-black stage. The Verizon employee nodded affirmatively.</p>
<p>While I understand that rumors appear and disappear regularly on this subject, never before has an employee of Verizon Wireless provided such direct responses when I&#8217;ve brought up the iPhone&#8217;s availability on the carrier&#8217;s network. Some may respond with skepticism founded on doubts that store employees not at a managerial level would have such knowledge, but if the announcement does come on June 26, I can only suspect that Verizon&#8217;s preparations for the melee that will ensue include informing its entire staff of its plan for handling the throngs that will turn out for the device. The staff alone needed to process all of those individuals looking to transfer their service from AT&amp;T will likely require a carefully coordinated effort on Verizon&#8217;s part.</p>
<p>Come the end of June, I can only hope that this rumor is confirmed as my upgrade eligibility date follows soon thereafter.</p>


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		<title>Congressional Actions Necessitate Professional Tax Preparers</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/VgbkagxCV8g/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/03/10/congressional-actions-necessitate-professional-tax-preparers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:03:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accounting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With just over one month until individual income taxes must be filed with the IRS, Congress is yet again considering a last-minute change to tax laws that will only further complicate the preparation of 2009 income tax returns. Following the earthquake in Chile, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee introduced legislation that [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With just over one month until individual income taxes must be filed with the IRS, Congress is yet again considering a last-minute change to tax laws that will only further complicate the preparation of 2009 income tax returns.</p>
<p>Following the earthquake in Chile, <a href="http://www.webcpa.com/news/Bill-Would-Speed-Chile-Quake-Relief-Tax-Deductions-53539-1.html" target="_blank">the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee introduced legislation</a> that would allow taxpayers to deduct on their 2009 income tax returns donations made in 2010 for Chilean earthquake relief. Congress took the same action in response to the earthquake that struck Haiti earlier this year.</p>
<p><span id="more-2842"></span>When Congress makes last-minute changes like this, their action only further complicates an already mind-boggling system of taxation. Is it any surprise, then, that <a href="http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=217781,00.html" target="_blank">most Americans rely on professional tax preparers to file their annual income tax returns</a>?</p>
<p>While the motivation may be noble—to encourage charitable contributions to aid those affected by natural disaster—the taxpayer ultimately sees no benefit from such a change. This is because deducting the donation in 2009 simply means it won&#8217;t be deducted in 2010<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2842-1' id='fnref-2842-1'>1</a></sup>.</p>
<p>In the end, if a taxpayer planned on donating to earthquake relief regardless of Congressional action, professional tax preparers are the only individuals who benefit from this legislation.
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2842-1'>The legislation also assumes that the taxpayer isn&#8217;t taking the standard deduction, but instead itemizes. In many cases, filers who don&#8217;t own a home or incur <em>significant</em> medical expenses receive a greater benefit from the standard deduction. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2842-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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		<title>Foursquare’s Fail Whale</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/N8jBSw9OeX0/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/02/16/foursquares-fail-whale/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:15:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fail Whale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foursquare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2818</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Foursquare, the location-based service where users check in and earn badges1, is becoming a victim of its own success. Recently surpassing one million checkins per week, the service has experienced very short, intermittent interruptions. Twice in the last two weeks, I&#8217;ve encountered Foursquare&#8217;s version of Twitter&#8217;s now-infamous &#8220;Fail Whale.&#8221; In Foursquare&#8217;s case, the outage notice [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.foursquare.com" target="_blank">Foursquare</a>, the location-based service where users check in and earn badges<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2818-1' id='fnref-2818-1'>1</a></sup>, is becoming a victim of its own success. Recently <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/05/foursquare-check-ins-2/" target="_blank">surpassing one million checkins per week</a>, the service has experienced very short, intermittent interruptions.</p>
<p>Twice in the last two weeks, I&#8217;ve encountered Foursquare&#8217;s version of Twitter&#8217;s now-infamous &#8220;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#Outages" target="_blank">Fail Whale</a>.&#8221; In Foursquare&#8217;s case, the outage notice depicts a a mayor<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2818-2' id='fnref-2818-2'>2</a></sup> adorned with a cracked crown accompanied by the message, &#8220;Looks like we&#8217;ve got some problems on our end. We&#8217;re on it though &#8211; stay tuned!&#8221;</p>
<p>Granted, a short outage once a week is nothing to complain about, but it further confirms the service&#8217;s growing popularity.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2820" title="Foursquare: Looks like we've got some problems on our end. We're on it though - stay tuned!" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/foursquare-525x290.png" alt="Foursquare: Looks like we've got some problems on our end. We're on it though - stay tuned!" width="525" height="290" />
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2818-1'>Badges are awarded based on various accomplishments, such as checking in at 50 different venues or check in to one location with 50 or more people. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2818-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2818-2'>Any Foursquare user who checks in to one location the most number of times in a two-month period is labeled the mayor of that location. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2818-2'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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</ol>
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		<title>Sirius|XM Premium Online Service Comes to BlackBerry</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/BDK-AlAHBGM/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/02/10/siriusxm-premium-online-service-comes-to-blackberry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:30:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BlackBerry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sirius]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sirius|XM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2782</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This past Thursday, Sirius&#124;XM released its Premium Online streaming application for the BlackBerry Curve (8500 &#38; 8900), Bold (9000 &#38; 9700), Storm, Storm2 and Tour. As a longtime subscriber to Sirius (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a shareholder), I must admit I got overly excited about the announcement. My excitement waned, however, when [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This past Thursday, Sirius|XM released its Premium Online streaming application for the BlackBerry Curve (8500 &amp; 8900), Bold (9000 &amp; 9700), Storm, Storm2 and Tour. As a longtime subscriber to Sirius (and, in the interest of full disclosure, a shareholder), I must admit I got overly excited about the announcement. My excitement waned, however, when I realized that a separate subscription is needed after the seven-day free trial.</p>
<p><span id="more-2782"></span><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2786" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" title="Sirius|XM for BlackBerry. ©Sirius|XM Satellite Radio" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/device_9500-202x300.jpg" alt="Sirius|XM for BlackBerry. ©Sirius|XM Satellite Radio" width="202" height="300" /><br />
<strong>Subscription</strong></p>
<p>That a separate subscription is required for the streaming apps shouldn&#8217;t come as a surprise. For quite some time now, Sirius|XM has offered two tiers to the streams available on the combined broadcaster&#8217;s websites. For $2.99 per month, subscribers have access to both the Premium streams at sirius.com and xmradio.com, and the smartphone apps now available for the iPhone and newer BlackBerry models. On the upside, carriers haven&#8217;t placed any restrictions on the application, so it should be available via any US mobile provider<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2782-1' id='fnref-2782-1'>1</a></sup> that offers a supported BlackBerry model.</p>
<p><strong>Interface</strong></p>
<p>In the few days I&#8217;ve had to test the new app, I must say it is well designed. The interface is attractive and well laid out. On my Storm, buttons are spaced far enough apart that there&#8217;s little risk I&#8217;ll choose the wrong option. There are two rather small buttons present when a station is playing, but they are placed on opposite sides of the screen. The first is a play/pause button roughly 1/8&#8243; in diameter that appears above and to the left of the &#8220;now playing&#8221; information. The second is an information button of the same diameter appearing in the upper righthand corner of the same display. While the former&#8217;s purpose is self-evident, the latter presents a menu of the following options:</p>
<ul>
<li>Channel detail &#8211; presents a short description of the selected channel, similar to what is  available by visiting either the Sirius or XM websites.</li>
<li>Add or remove from favorites</li>
<li>Help Settings &#8211; it should probably read Help &amp; Settings or Help/Settings as it brings the user to the Settings screen.</li>
<li>Subscription Options</li>
<li>Minimize</li>
<li>Exit</li>
<li>Close Menu</li>
</ul>
<p>Centered on the screen below these two buttons is the name of the current channel, followed by the track name and artist. Along the bottom edge of the screen are five buttons:</p>
<ul>
<li>Home</li>
<li>Categories</li>
<li>Channels</li>
<li>Favorites</li>
<li>Settings</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2798" title="Sirius|XM for BlackBerry. &amp;copy Sirius|XM Satellite Radio" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/device_tour-202x300.jpg" alt="Sirius|XM for BlackBerry. &amp;copy Sirius|XM Satellite Radio" width="202" height="300" />Again, each of these buttons provides a self-evident function. Categories mirror those available on a satellite receiver, as do the channel names. To avoid confusion between the Sirius and XM channel numbering schemes, numbers are omitted entirely.</p>
<p><strong>Channel Lineup</strong></p>
<p>As best I can tell, every music channel available via a satellite receiver is accessible through the BlackBerry application. Most non-music channels are also available, with some exceptions. While an NPR channel is provided, it is neither NPR Now or NPR Talk, but instead a special lineup created just for the internet and smartphone services. Also missing are Howard Stern&#8217;s channels, but Sirius|XM Stars is present. For a complete lineup of channels, one must download the Sirius channel guide from <a href="http://www.sirius.com/pdf/channelguide.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.sirius.com/pdf/channelguide.pdf</a> and look for a small blue dot to the right of each channel. If the dot is missing, the channel is not available.</p>
<p>When browsing the channel lineup, the track currently playing on each station is displayed, providing a preview of what you might expect to hear on a given channel. Adding a particular channel to the Favorites list is as simple as pressing the BlackBerry button and selecting &#8220;Add to Favorites.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Audio Quality</strong></p>
<p>As for the audio quality, I was surprised by how good the streams sound. The quality is on par with both the Pandora and Slacker Radio applications available for BlackBerry, which, considering that I am listening through a small mobile phone speaker, is a positive sign. The application buffers a respectable portion of a selected channel, so even in areas of poor wireless coverage, the stream generally continues uninterrupted.</p>
<p><strong>Battery Life</strong></p>
<p>Not surprisingly, the application does drain the battery fairly quickly, though no faster than similar offerings from Pandora or Slacker. In just under two hours of testing, my BlackBerry was ready to be recharged.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>While visually appealing and quite functional, in my opinion, the Sirius|XM BlackBerry app is only worthwhile for the access to sports, talk, news, and entertainment programming it provides. That being said, I do not often listen to the non-music programming available through Sirius, and certainly not with enough regularity to justify access to that content via my BlackBerry.</p>
<p>Though I enjoy the variety of music available through Sirius|XM, with no-fee competitors such as Pandora and Slacker Radio, I cannot justify spending $2.99 per month for the premium streaming service.</p>
<p>The fee notwithstanding, I rarely use Pandora on my phone, further reducing the likelihood I would listen to music via the Sirius|XM application often enough for a subscription to be a sensible investment.</p>
<p><small>Screenshots copyright Sirius|XM Satellite Radio</small>
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2782-1'>The Terms of Service indicate that the Premium Online service is only available to subscribers in the &#8220;48 Contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, and for SIRIUS subscribers only, Puerto Rico.&#8221; As the Canadian units are still independent companies, I am not entirely surprised that the service isn&#8217;t available there. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2782-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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</ol>
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		<item>
		<title>No CAPTCHAs for Intense Debate</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/xIaYd2RB6AY/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/02/06/no-captchas-for-intense-debate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intense Debate]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2757</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since switching this site to the Intense Debate (ID) commenting system, one function I missed was the ability to integrate reCAPTCHA1 into my comment forms. While I understand some are not fans of the system that adds nearly inscrutable text to a form that then must be typed in to the accompanying box to continue, [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Since switching this site to the Intense Debate (ID) commenting system, one function I missed was the ability to integrate <a href="http://recaptcha.net/" target="_blank">reCAPTCHA</a><sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2757-1' id='fnref-2757-1'>1</a></sup> into my comment forms. While I understand some are not fans of the system that adds nearly inscrutable text to a form that then must be typed in to the accompanying box to continue, the mechanism does significantly reduce the volume of comment spam.</p>
<div align="center"><div id="attachment_2762" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 466px"><img class="size-full wp-image-2762" title="reCAPTCHA" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/recaptcha.png" alt="reCAPTCHA" width="456" height="122" /><p class="wp-caption-text">reCAPTCHA challenge - the obscured text must be entered into the box below it before a form is submitted</p></div></div>
<p><span id="more-2757"></span>After contending with a few hundred spam comments daily, all of which seemed to escape the Akismet and banned-word filters already present in Intense Debate, I contacted support to suggest that a CAPTCHA system be offered as an optional feature.</p>
<p>As the following response to my inquiry indicates, no such system is planned for Intense Debate. Instead, the people at Automattic (the company behind WordPress, Intense Debate, and Akismet) are working to improve Akismet&#8217;s effectiveness, an endeavor that, if successful, will benefit anyone using the spam-filtering service, not just the users of Intense Debate.</p>
<blockquote><p>Currently we do not offer a reCaptcha option. However we have found that reCaptcha is not a long-term solution to spam, in fact it’s becoming less effective than ever because it’s cheap for spammers to pay people to fill out reCAPTCHAs all day long. Solutions need to be content based, like Akismet is, and <strong>we&#8217;re currently working with our colleagues at Automattic on enhanced Akismet integrations</strong>.</p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
Michael Koenig<br />
Intense Debate | Automattic</p></blockquote>
<p>While I have nothing but anecdote to contradict the assertion that spammers are willing to pay people to complete CAPTCHAs for them, I certainly had less comment spam when such a mechanism was in place. That notwithstanding, the features offered by Intense Debate are important enough that I intend to leave the system in place.
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2757-1'>reCAPTCHA is one form of a challenge system, known as CAPTCHA or Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, developed at Carnegie Mellon University. More information is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA" target="_blank">available on Wikipedia</a>. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2757-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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		<title>On Being Unemployed, Six Months On</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/N5gsKrhnYfo/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/02/03/on-being-unemployed-six-months-on/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Musings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployed Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordCamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Having recently passed the six-months-on-unemployment mark, I&#8217;ve been thinking a lot about what this experience has meant for me. Overwhelmingly, my thoughts turned to whether or not I&#8217;m using my unintentional freedom to identify and further my career goals, improve my mental health, and expand my social network. Even though I still find myself without [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Having recently passed the six-months-on-unemployment mark, I&#8217;ve been thinking a lot about what this experience has meant for me. Overwhelmingly, my thoughts turned to whether or not I&#8217;m using my unintentional freedom to identify and further my career goals, improve my mental health, and expand my social network. Even though I still find myself without a job, I believe the answer to all three inquiries is yes.</p>
<p>After taking a rather circuitous route to becoming an accountant, I never identified the role I saw the degree playing in my career path. I assumed that at some point I would become a CPA, but beyond that, I had no plan. My intentions were always focused on the near future, on matters such as where I would live and how I would pay the bills. For some months after losing my job, my nearsightedness continued. I was content to travel, put off studying for the CPA exam, and <a href="http://www.ethitter.com/plugins/" target="_blank">tinker with WordPress</a>.</p>
<p><span id="more-2739"></span>In the fall, almost entirely by accident, I became an organizer for <a href="http://wordcampboston.com/" target="_blank">WordCamp Boston 2010</a>. I was familiar with WordPress, but had not, as recently as October, heard of WordCamp. As I learned of WordCamp New York on the day the event began, I researched upcoming iterations of the community-organized gatherings for WordPress users and developers. Much to my surprise, one had never been held in Boston, but was under consideration by John Eckman and Amanda Blum. With an abundance of free time and an intense desire to become more involved with the Boston-area tech community, I offered my services to the organizers. My message to John must have been convincing, because I soon became part of a small group of individuals planning an event that would eventually expand to more than 400 speakers and attendees.</p>
<p>As I had never organized an event of this size before, I patiently waited for John or Amanda to ask if I could tackle one task or another. Throughout the process, I gained valuable insight into the effort involved with making such a large gathering a success. That knowledge notwithstanding, the connections I made during the conference have proven wholly invaluable.</p>
<p>Without my CPA designation, there is little I can do in the accounting realm, and there is a pronounced shortage of positions available for accountants whose experience lies predominantly with non-profit and financial accounting. With that understanding, I decided to pursue freelance web  development opportunities as a way to augment my unemployment income while I study for the CPA exam. Already this appears to be a wise decision, as I have received a number of requests for proposals to implement WordPress as a content management system, while a friendship with a WordCamp Boston volunteer has led to my involvement with his tech startup. Though the former offers only tangentially utilize my accounting background, the latter will rely almost entirely on this skill set in my role as Head of Business Development.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/on-being-unemployed/" target="_blank">I wrote previously</a>, losing my job was an immeasurable benefit to my mental state, and the time granted by this opportunity allowed me to identify my career goals and act thereon. It is clear to me now that my ability to combine accounting services and technology consulting should be my focus going forward as there lies a niche I can readily satisfy. Continued involvement in Boston tech gatherings will only further expand my social network and provide valuable learning experiences, reinforcing my belief that I have ultimately benefited from unemployment.</p>


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		<title>Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/alRzFyEDklE/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/26/plugins-move-to-ethitter-complugins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:29:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2730</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[To better showcase my web development work, I&#8217;ve relocated the pages related to my WordPress plugins to http://www.ethitter.com/plugins/. Any future announcements concerning plugin updates and new offerings will be hosted at ethitter.com. As part of the move, my plugin development feed is now http://feeds.ldmh.us/ETHPluginDev. FeedBurner does not automatically redirect renamed feeds, so please update your [...]


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>To better showcase my web development work, I&#8217;ve relocated the pages related to my WordPress plugins to <a href="http://www.ethitter.com/plugins/" target="_blank">http://www.ethitter.com/plugins/</a>. Any future announcements concerning plugin updates and new offerings will be hosted at <em>ethitter.com</em>.</p>
<p>As part of the move, my plugin development feed is now <a href="http://feeds.ldmh.us/ETHPluginDev" target="_blank">http://feeds.ldmh.us/ETHPluginDev</a>. FeedBurner does not automatically redirect renamed feeds, so please update your reader accordingly. Anyone subscribed by email, however, should continue to receive updates.</p>


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		<title>In Ongoing Battle with IRS, UBS and Swiss Bank Privacy Score Minor Win</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/obT_hILrTR4/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/26/in-ongoing-battle-with-irs-ubs-and-swiss-bank-privacy-score-minor-win/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:07:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accounting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IRS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tax fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2715</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As the Journal of Accountancy reported yesterday, a Swiss court blocked the release of confidential information identifying the owners of 26 Swiss bank accounts sought in the IRS&#8217; ongoing tax-fraud investigation. Considering that the earlier settlement entitled the IRS to information on 4,450 accounts, this is an almost imperceptible victory for proponents of Swiss bank [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/ubs-swiss-government-reach-settlement-with-irs/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS, Swiss Government Reach Settlement with IRS'>UBS, Swiss Government Reach Settlement with IRS</a><small>Following months of negotiations and often-negative press, it appears that...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/30/ubs-to-provide-4450-names/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS to Provide 4,450 Names'>UBS to Provide 4,450 Names</a><small>As The Wall Street Journal reports, UBS plans to release...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/09/15/eight-more-days-to-disclose-unreported-foreign-bank-accounts/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Eight More Days to Disclose Unreported Foreign Bank Accounts'>Eight More Days to Disclose Unreported Foreign Bank Accounts</a><small>In the IRS&#8217; ongoing battle against tax evasion, a key...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/19/ubs-troubles-spread-to-hong-kong/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS&#8217; Troubles Spread to Hong Kong'>UBS&#8217; Troubles Spread to Hong Kong</a><small>Following the settlement between the IRS, UBS, and the Swiss...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2008/06/24/pwc-can-appeal-russian-tax-ruling/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: PwC Can Appeal Russian Tax Ruling'>PwC Can Appeal Russian Tax Ruling</a><small>The Wall Street Journal today reported that PricewaterhouseCoopers has won...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As the <a href="http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Web/20102540.htm" target="_blank"><em>Journal of Accountancy</em> reported yesterday</a>, a Swiss court blocked the release of confidential information identifying the owners of 26 Swiss bank accounts sought in the IRS&#8217; ongoing tax-fraud investigation. Considering that the <a href="http://disparate.info/2009/08/30/ubs-to-provide-4450-names/">earlier settlement entitled the IRS to information on 4,450 accounts</a>, this is an almost imperceptible victory for proponents of Swiss bank secrecy. Nonetheless, for the owners of those accounts, the decision is certainly more than welcome.</p>
<p>The ruling, delivered by a Swiss administrative tribunal, determined that simply failing to file an informational form identifying the account owner as a U.S. citizen (<a href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf">IRS From W-9</a>) does not constitute tax fraud. Since the tribunal ruled that its decision could not be appealed, the owners of the 26 accounts in question are, at least for now, safe from further scrutiny, and ultimately, penalties and interest on unreported earnings. As the settlement reached earlier this year between the IRS and Swiss government called for the <a href="http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/ubs-swiss-government-reach-settlement-with-irs/">release of roughly 10,000 names</a>, the IRS will likely let the 26 accounts covered by the Bundesverwaltungsgericht&#8217;s<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2715-1' id='fnref-2715-1'>1</a></sup> ruling in <em>U.S.  Taxpayers v. Swiss Federal Tax Administration</em> forgo further investigation. It is unclear, however, whether more of the 10,000 names to be released will benefit from this ruling.
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2715-1'>Swiss federal administrative tribunal <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2715-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/ubs-swiss-government-reach-settlement-with-irs/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS, Swiss Government Reach Settlement with IRS'>UBS, Swiss Government Reach Settlement with IRS</a><small>Following months of negotiations and often-negative press, it appears that...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/30/ubs-to-provide-4450-names/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS to Provide 4,450 Names'>UBS to Provide 4,450 Names</a><small>As The Wall Street Journal reports, UBS plans to release...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/09/15/eight-more-days-to-disclose-unreported-foreign-bank-accounts/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Eight More Days to Disclose Unreported Foreign Bank Accounts'>Eight More Days to Disclose Unreported Foreign Bank Accounts</a><small>In the IRS&#8217; ongoing battle against tax evasion, a key...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/19/ubs-troubles-spread-to-hong-kong/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: UBS&#8217; Troubles Spread to Hong Kong'>UBS&#8217; Troubles Spread to Hong Kong</a><small>Following the settlement between the IRS, UBS, and the Swiss...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2008/06/24/pwc-can-appeal-russian-tax-ruling/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: PwC Can Appeal Russian Tax Ruling'>PwC Can Appeal Russian Tax Ruling</a><small>The Wall Street Journal today reported that PricewaterhouseCoopers has won...</small></li>
</ol>
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		<title>No, Really, The Procrastination Must End!</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/5ESHK651bMc/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/25/no-really-the-procrastination-must-end/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:24:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Accounting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPA Exam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2705</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was laid off in June 2009, and a typical response to what I planned to do with my newfound free time was, &#8220;I&#8217;ll study and sit for the CPA exam.&#8221; It&#8217;s now the end of January, and I&#8217;ve done neither. To be honest, money was always a problem. The exam isn&#8217;t exactly inexpensive to [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/06/preparing-for-the-cpa-exam/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Preparing For the CPA Exam'>Preparing For the CPA Exam</a><small>The procrastination is over. After six months of relaxing, I&#8217;ve...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/on-being-unemployed/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: On Being Unemployed'>On Being Unemployed</a><small>Last month (technically, June 26), I was laid off, completely...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2008/07/08/and-so-it-begins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: And So It Begins'>And So It Begins</a><small>This week, I start the process of becoming a CPA....</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/on-being-unemployed/" target="_self">I was laid off in June 2009</a>, and a typical response to what I planned to do with my newfound free time was, &#8220;I&#8217;ll study and sit for the CPA exam.&#8221; It&#8217;s now the end of January, and I&#8217;ve done neither.</p>
<p>To be honest, money was always a problem. The exam isn&#8217;t exactly inexpensive to take, comprising of four parts that each cost roughly $200 to register for. Then there&#8217;s the initial registration fee exacted simply to find out whether my education qualifies me. That second part always made me nervous, since my Bachelors degree is in Audio Engineering Technology. But, earlier this month, <a href="http://disparate.info/2010/01/06/preparing-for-the-cpa-exam/" target="_self">I finally sent my application</a> and a check equivalent to my monthly car payment to the processing center in Tennessee.</p>
<p>On Saturday, I received an email from NTS Notification Service<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2705-1' id='fnref-2705-1'>1</a></sup> that I was too afraid to open. After all, as an organizer for <a href="http://wordcampboston.com." target="_blank">WordCamp Boston</a>, I was too preoccupied to concern myself with the notice, and if the message was a rejection, I didn&#8217;t want to distract myself with that nightmare.</p>
<p>Thankfully, when I finally opened the email this morning, my apprehension was met with the following relief:</p>
<blockquote><p>CPA Examination Candidate:</p>
<p>Your state board has found you eligible to take the Uniform CPA Examination.</p></blockquote>
<p>So, having received my Notice to Schedule, I now have until late July to sit for the first section of the exam. That gives me 18 months from now to complete all four parts. Clearly, my procrastination (a skill that could likely earn me a doctorate, at least an honorary one) must end.</p>
<p>How ironic that the notice comes just as I&#8217;ve involved myself in myriad other engagements ranging from freelance web design and programming to audio engineering.
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2705-1'><em>NTS</em> stands for <em>Notice to Schedule</em>, the official clearance that permits me to schedule a particular section of the exam. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2705-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/on-being-unemployed/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: On Being Unemployed'>On Being Unemployed</a><small>Last month (technically, June 26), I was laid off, completely...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2008/07/08/and-so-it-begins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: And So It Begins'>And So It Begins</a><small>This week, I start the process of becoming a CPA....</small></li>
</ol>
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		<title>A Random January Road Trip</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/QMXE15B7NeE/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/22/a-random-january-road-trip/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:38:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Protected Areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road Trippin']]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Wildlife Refuge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State Park]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2624</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit another four National Wildlife Refuges. On Saturday, I traveled to Virginia for an Eddie from Ohio show at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, VA, and, as part of my trip, planned enough time to visit a few refuges along the way. My first stop took [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/31/my-southern-excursion-part-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 1'>My Southern Excursion, Part 1</a><small>Last month, I had the opportunity to visit my brother...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/12/my-southern-excursion-part-2/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 2'>My Southern Excursion, Part 2</a><small>A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first half...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/07/my-southern-excursion-part-4/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 4'>My Southern Excursion, Part 4</a><small>The following is the fourth and final installment recounting my...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/13/great-meadows-national-wildlife-refuge/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge'>Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge</a><small>Finding myself with some time to kill this afternoon, I...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/19/skyline-drive-round-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Skyline Drive, Round 1'>Skyline Drive, Round 1</a><small>Back in May, I had the chance to traverse Skyline...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit another four <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;ptab=2&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;view=map&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=110440795793875987747.00047d36d795af033f92e&amp;z=5" target="_blank">National Wildlife Refuges</a>. On Saturday, I traveled to Virginia for an <a href="http://efohio.com/" target="_blank">Eddie from Ohio</a> show at <a href="http://www.birchmere.com/" target="_blank">The Birchmere Music Hall</a> in Alexandria, VA, and, as part of my trip, planned enough time to visit a few refuges along the way.</p>
<p>My first stop took me to <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=52530" target="_blank">Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge</a> in Basking Ridge, NJ. This location features numerous boardwalks and viewing blinds, permitting visitors access to areas deep within the refuge while simultaneously providing protection to view wildlife without disturbance. After four hours on the road, the opportunity to walk around for a bit was welcome, and I found myself amidst numerous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer" target="_blank">white-tailed deer</a>. Unfortunately, my shoes on the composite deck material of the boardwalks made enough noise to alert the deer and I was unable to photograph any. After wandering around Great Swamp for an hour in the relative warmth of 45° sunshine under a bright blue sky, I continued south towards Philadelphia.</p>
<p><span id="more-2624"></span>Just south of Philadelphia, wedged between I-95 and Darby Creek, is <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=52570" target="_blank">John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum</a>. The refuge is located directly across I-95 from Philadelphia International Airport, creating a striking juxtaposition between the busyness of a major airport and the preserved area surrounding Pennsylvania&#8217;s only remaining fresh-water tidal marsh. Trails throughout the refuge provide many miles of walking and biking opportunities, and its placement along the Atlantic Flyway means it is visited by 300+ species of birds, 80 of which nest within its boundaries.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2624-1' id='fnref-2624-1'>1</a></sup> During my visit, however, I saw just two species. Along the shore of the refuge impoundment, I came across a number of ducks either walking atop the ice or wading in the limited areas of open water.<img style="float: right; margin: 10px 0px 3px 7px;" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nwrs.jpg" border="0" alt="National Wildlife Refuge System" width="126" height="169" /> Then, as I returned to the parking area, I encountered a bird I could not identify perched atop a random pole in a clearing. Satisfied that I&#8217;d stretched my legs and experienced as much of the refuge as my schedule permitted, I headed south yet again, crossing back into New Jersey on my way to the final refuge I planned to visit that day.</p>
<p>In Pennsville, NJ, I stopped at an isolated refuge known as <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=52571" target="_blank">Supawna Meadows</a>. Much of the refuge&#8217;s 3,020 acres is inaccessible except by boat, owing to its location on the Delaware Bay. The area encompassed by the refuge is largely comprised of brackish tidal marshes and represents another important resting area for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2624-2' id='fnref-2624-2'>2</a></sup> As my visit came during winter, there was little to see, but the location&#8217;s potential beauty is apparent. A visit during the summer months is necessary to fully appreciate this refuge. A boat might help as well, as it would provide access to the Boat Trail and marshes at the southern end of the refuge.</p>
<p>Adjacent to Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is New Jersey&#8217;s <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/fortmott.html" target="_blank">Fort Mott State Park</a>. This 19th century fort-turned-state-park features myriad defensive structures including gun mounts and observation towers previously used to secure the Delaware River. During summer months, a ferry also runs from the park to Pea Patch Island, home to <a href="http://www.destateparks.com/park/fort-delaware/index.asp" target="_blank">Fort Delaware</a>. Having just three hours to travel from this part of South Jersey to the concert venue near Washington, DC, I could not explore Fort Mott extensively, but anyone with an interest in pre-World War I military history would certainly benefit from a visit to the park.</p>
<p>Departing Fort Mott, I arrived in Alexandria, VA an hour before the Eddie from Ohio show began. After securing a table at The Birchmere, I ordered dinner and waited for the concert to begin. As expected, the performance was well-worth the drive from New Hampshire and better yet, recordings of the show were available for purchase immediately following the show. After picking up my two-CD recording, I drove through Washington on my way to Laurel, MD to spend the evening.</p>
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2624-1'>Per the refuge brochures available to visitors. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2624-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2624-2'>Also per the refuge brochure provided for visitors. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2624-2'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/31/my-southern-excursion-part-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 1'>My Southern Excursion, Part 1</a><small>Last month, I had the opportunity to visit my brother...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/12/my-southern-excursion-part-2/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 2'>My Southern Excursion, Part 2</a><small>A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first half...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/07/my-southern-excursion-part-4/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Southern Excursion, Part 4'>My Southern Excursion, Part 4</a><small>The following is the fourth and final installment recounting my...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/13/great-meadows-national-wildlife-refuge/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge'>Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge</a><small>Finding myself with some time to kill this afternoon, I...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/19/skyline-drive-round-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Skyline Drive, Round 1'>Skyline Drive, Round 1</a><small>Back in May, I had the chance to traverse Skyline...</small></li>
</ol>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DisparateInfo/~4/QMXE15B7NeE" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Twitter’s Creative Error Messages</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/i9VVjeazbQ8/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/21/twitters-creative-error-messages/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:22:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wcbos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordCamp Boston]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2640</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The now-infamous Fail Whale isn&#8217;t Twitter&#8217;s only creative way of responding to problems with its service. As I discovered last week while creating a Twitter list of everyone involved with WordCamp Boston, the folks behind the service have some other, equally creative, graphics to inform users that something has gone wrong. Related posts:Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/14/twitters-newest-feature-aims-to-standardize-user-initiated-convention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention'>Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention</a><small>As Twitter grapples with its explosive growth over the past...</small></li>
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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/02/16/foursquares-fail-whale/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Foursquare&#8217;s Fail Whale'>Foursquare&#8217;s Fail Whale</a><small>Foursquare, the location-based service where users check in and earn...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The now-infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#Outages" target="_blank">Fail Whale</a> isn&#8217;t Twitter&#8217;s only creative way of responding to problems with its service. As I discovered last week while creating a <a href="http://twitter.com/WordCampBoston/all-wordcampers" target="_blank">Twitter list of everyone involved with WordCamp Boston</a>, the folks behind the service have some other, equally creative, graphics to inform users that something has gone wrong.</p>
<div align="center"><div id="attachment_2642" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 535px"><a href="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter_error.png"><img class="size-large wp-image-2642" title="Twitter Error - something is technically wrong" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter_error-525x263.png" alt="Twitter: &quot;Something is technically wrong. Thanks for noticing—we're going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.&quot;" width="525" height="263" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Twitter&#39;s error indicating something has substantially gone awry.</p></div></div>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/14/twitters-newest-feature-aims-to-standardize-user-initiated-convention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention'>Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention</a><small>As Twitter grapples with its explosive growth over the past...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/15/street-view-fail-hartfords-pearl-street-a-blur/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Street View Fail: Hartford&#8217;s Pearl Street A Blur'>Street View Fail: Hartford&#8217;s Pearl Street A Blur</a><small>So, apparently Google&#8217;s got something against Hartford, CT&#8217;s Pearl Street....</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/14/twitter-copyright-missed-the-ball-drop/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter Copyright Missed The Ball Drop'>Twitter Copyright Missed The Ball Drop</a><small>Browsing Twitter today, I noticed that the copyright notice in...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2008/08/05/is-there-something-wrong-with-this/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Is There Something Wrong With This?'>Is There Something Wrong With This?</a><small>Source: &#8220;The Right Road to America?,&#8221; The Washington Post, December...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/02/16/foursquares-fail-whale/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Foursquare&#8217;s Fail Whale'>Foursquare&#8217;s Fail Whale</a><small>Foursquare, the location-based service where users check in and earn...</small></li>
</ol>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DisparateInfo/~4/i9VVjeazbQ8" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>WordCamp Boston 2010</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/NVjH09gaHDg/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/20/wordcamp-boston-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:42:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wcbos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordCamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordCamp Boston]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2630</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the past few months, I&#8217;ve helped organize the inaugural WordCamp Boston, happening this weekend in Cambridge. For the uninitiated, WordCamps are community-organized events for users of the WordPress platform of all experience levels (WordPress just so happens to power this site). Having never organized a conference before, the experience has been enlightening, to say [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/02/03/on-being-unemployed-six-months-on/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: On Being Unemployed, Six Months On'>On Being Unemployed, Six Months On</a><small>Having recently passed the six-months-on-unemployment mark, I&#8217;ve been thinking a...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/06/18/introducing-wordpress-3-featuring-custom-post-types-a-native-menu-editor-and-more/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More'>Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More</a><small>The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, cmurrayconsulting.com. Today’s...</small></li>
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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/21/twitters-creative-error-messages/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages'>Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages</a><small>The now-infamous Fail Whale isn&#8217;t Twitter&#8217;s only creative way of...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/26/plugins-move-to-ethitter-complugins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins'>Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins</a><small>To better showcase my web development work, I&#8217;ve relocated the...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For the past few months, I&#8217;ve helped organize the inaugural WordCamp Boston, happening this weekend in Cambridge. For the uninitiated, WordCamps are community-organized events for users of the <a href="http://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress</a> platform of all experience levels (WordPress just so happens to power this site).</p>
<p>Having never organized a conference before, the experience has been enlightening, to say the least. Luckily for our attendees, my fellow organizers have much more experience with these types of things, ensuring this weekend&#8217;s event will be one of the coolest, most unique <a href="http://central.wordcamp.org/" target="_blank">WordCamps</a> thus far.</p>
<p>If you can&#8217;t make it or couldn&#8217;t get a ticket, be sure to keep an eye on <a href="http://wordcampboston.com/" target="_blank"><strong>wordcampboston.com</strong></a> throughout the day Saturday for a glimpse into what the camp holds. In the weeks following the event, videos of the sessions will be available online, likely at <a href="http://wordpress.tv/" target="_blank">WordPress.tv</a>.</p>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/02/03/on-being-unemployed-six-months-on/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: On Being Unemployed, Six Months On'>On Being Unemployed, Six Months On</a><small>Having recently passed the six-months-on-unemployment mark, I&#8217;ve been thinking a...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/06/18/introducing-wordpress-3-featuring-custom-post-types-a-native-menu-editor-and-more/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More'>Introducing WordPress 3, Featuring Custom Post Types, A Native Menu Editor, and More</a><small>The following first appeared on my employer&#8217;s site, cmurrayconsulting.com. Today’s...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/25/response-from-dreamhost-regarding-its-ongoing-nightmare/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Response from DreamHost Regarding Its Ongoing Nightmare'>Response from DreamHost Regarding Its Ongoing Nightmare</a><small>My web host, DreamHost, recently moved its operations to a...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/21/twitters-creative-error-messages/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages'>Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages</a><small>The now-infamous Fail Whale isn&#8217;t Twitter&#8217;s only creative way of...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/26/plugins-move-to-ethitter-complugins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins'>Plugins Move to ethitter.com/plugins</a><small>To better showcase my web development work, I&#8217;ve relocated the...</small></li>
</ol>
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		<item>
		<title>Twitter Copyright Missed The Ball Drop</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/MBP_pAOvwLs/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/14/twitter-copyright-missed-the-ball-drop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:47:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2612</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Browsing Twitter today, I noticed that the copyright notice in the footer still displays the year as 2009. It&#8217;s not a big deal, but it may show that the folks running the site are busy with more important things, like preventing updates regarding the earthquake in Haiti from overloading its servers. On the other hand, [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/21/twitters-creative-error-messages/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages'>Twitter&#8217;s Creative Error Messages</a><small>The now-infamous Fail Whale isn&#8217;t Twitter&#8217;s only creative way of...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/14/twitters-newest-feature-aims-to-standardize-user-initiated-convention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention'>Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention</a><small>As Twitter grapples with its explosive growth over the past...</small></li>
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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Browsing Twitter today, I noticed that the copyright notice in the footer still displays the year as 2009.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not a big deal, but it may show that the folks running the site are busy with more important things, like preventing <a href="http://twitter.com/ethitter/statuses/7754312175" target="_blank">updates regarding the earthquake in Haiti from overloading its servers</a>.</p>
<p>On the other hand, why not automatically render the year and present the copyright notice as <strong>© Twitter 2006 &#8211; XXXX</strong>?</p>
<p><a href="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter_copyright.png"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2614" title="Twitter Footer" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter_copyright-525x37.png" border="0" alt="Twitter footer showing 2009 copyright" width="525" height="37" /></a></p>


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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/14/twitters-newest-feature-aims-to-standardize-user-initiated-convention/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention'>Twitter&#8217;s Newest Feature Aims to Standardize User-Initiated Convention</a><small>As Twitter grapples with its explosive growth over the past...</small></li>
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		<item>
		<title>Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/Y5IX4F5ne00/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/13/great-meadows-national-wildlife-refuge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:33:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Protected Areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Wildlife Refuge]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2606</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finding myself with some time to kill this afternoon, I stopped at the two units that comprise the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Both units are located near Boston, one in Sudbury surrounding the river of the same name, the second in Concord, also near a river with which the unit shares its name. While [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Finding myself with some time to kill this afternoon, I stopped at the two units that comprise the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Both units are located near Boston, one in Sudbury surrounding the river of the same name, the second in Concord, also near a river with which the unit shares its name.</p>
<p>While the weather wasn&#8217;t optimal for either hiking or taking pictures, it was still a worthwhile diversion. I certainly intend to return with my hiking boots and warmer clothing to wander the many miles of trails throughout the refuge.</p>
<p>Below are a few of the better images I captured.</p>
<p><span id="more-2606"></span>
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								<img title="At the Sudbury Unit, looking towards the river from the Refuge Headquarters" alt="At the Sudbury Unit, looking towards the river from the Refuge Headquarters" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/gallery/great-meadows-nwr-in-snow/thumbs/thumbs_100_3668.jpg" width="100" height="75" />
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								<img title="At the Concord Unit, looking west at the Upper and Lower Pools, separated by the Dike Trail" alt="At the Concord Unit, looking west at the Upper and Lower Pools, separated by the Dike Trail" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/gallery/great-meadows-nwr-in-snow/thumbs/thumbs_100_3675.jpg" width="100" height="75" />
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								<img title="Looking east across the Upper Pool from the observation tower at the Concord Unit" alt="Looking east across the Upper Pool from the observation tower at the Concord Unit" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/gallery/great-meadows-nwr-in-snow/thumbs/thumbs_100_3678.jpg" width="100" height="75" />
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</p>
<p>The complete album from my trip is available at <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ehitter/GreatMeadowsNationalWildlifeRefuge" target="_blank">http://picasaweb.google.com/ehitter/GreatMeadowsNationalWildlifeRefuge</a>.</p>


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		<title>A Constitutional Argument For Same-Sex Marriage</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/d_AFu1IOYFQ/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/11/a-constitutional-argument-for-same-sex-marriage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Musings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defense of Marriage Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Same-sex marriage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before the vitriol-filled comments begin, let me say that I do not believe that one group&#8217;s religious views are a sufficient basis for denying other Americans their civil rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution. In a San Francisco federal court today (see NPR, The Washington Post), a challenge to the constitutionality of California&#8217;s ban on same-sex marriage [...]


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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Before the vitriol-filled comments begin, let me say that</em><em> I do not believe that one group&#8217;s religious views are a sufficient basis for denying other Americans their civil rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution.</em></p>
<p>In a San Francisco federal court today (see <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122436128" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/10/AR2010011002606.html" target="_blank"><em>The Washington Post</em></a>), a challenge to the constitutionality of California&#8217;s ban on same-sex marriage will be heard by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, in a that case focuses on the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-1' id='fnref-2420-1'>1</a></sup></p>
<p>The United States Constitution provides the framework from which our civil liberties are derived, yet in the case of same-sex marriage, these rights are ignored and result in the violation of one group&#8217;s rights. Opponents argue that marriage is an institution of the church, and thus must be protected, but this argument is at odds with present-day legal realities and simultaneously conflicts with the First Amendment. At an even more basic level, denying one group a right afforded another violates the Fourteenth Amendment.</p>
<p><span id="more-2420"></span><strong>Equal protection under the U.S. Constitution</strong></p>
<p>The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, in part,</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States&#8230;nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.&#8221;<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-2' id='fnref-2420-2'>2</a></sup></p></blockquote>
<p>In direct conflict with the 14th Amendment, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996, provides the framework under which states can deny same-sex couples the right to marry and is comprised of two parts. The first, codified in <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/1/7.html" target="_blank">1 U.S.C. §7</a>, defines marriage for federal purposes<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-3' id='fnref-2420-3'>3</a></sup> as a union between one man and one woman. The second, codified in <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/28/1738C.html" target="_blank">28 U.S.C. §1738C</a>, excludes same-sex marriage from the recognition required under the Full Faith and Credit Clause<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-4' id='fnref-2420-4'>4</a></sup> of the U.S. Constitution, meaning that unlike traditional marriage, states are not required to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.</p>
<p>Both DOMA and similar state regulations directly violate the protection afforded by the Fourteenth Amendment by providing a right to one group that is denied to another and by permitting states to discriminate against one type of marriage. DOMA contradicts precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court when, in <em>Loving v. Virginia</em>, the court struck down Virginia&#8217;s prohibition on interracial marriage as unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-5' id='fnref-2420-5'>5</a></sup></p>
<p><strong>Marriage is a <em>state</em> institution with its origins in religion<br />
</strong></p>
<p>While marriage does have its roots in religion, in the United States, marriage is a function of the state. When a couple wishes to marry, approval of a religious organization is not a prerequisite. Instead, the couple applies for a marriage license with some division of the government in the state where that couple resides.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-6' id='fnref-2420-6'>6</a></sup></p>
<p>When a couple wishes to dissolve their union, they seek such action through the courts.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-7' id='fnref-2420-7'>7</a></sup> While certain religions do annul or otherwise terminate marriages, such actions have no legal standing. Until the appropriate court issues a divorce decree or legal annulment<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-8' id='fnref-2420-8'>8</a></sup>, a marriage still exists.</p>
<p><strong>Separation of church and state<br />
</strong></p>
<p>Recognizing that marriage is a concept born of religion but now governed by state and federal law, the separation of church and state prescribed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-9' id='fnref-2420-9'>9</a></sup> demands that the equal protection afforded by the 14th Amendment supersede any religious arguments against same-sex marriage.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>As Rob Schmitz noted in his piece for NPR&#8217;s <em>Morning Edition</em>, whatever Judge Walker decides in the case that begins today, his ruling will surely be appealed to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and, ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court. Unlike the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in 1972 not to hear a same-sex marriage case from Minnesota &#8220;for want of a substantial federal question,&#8221;<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-2420-10' id='fnref-2420-10'>10</a></sup> such a situation does today exist as embodied in <em><a href="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gill-complaint-03-03-09.pdf" target="_blank">Gill v. Office of Personnel Management</a></em>, a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts District Court challenging the Defense of Marriage Act.
<div class='footnotes'><strong>Footnotes:</strong>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-2420-1'>As an aside, Judge Walker ruled that proceedings in this case can be posted to YouTube on a daily basis. According to both NPR and <em>The Washington Post</em>, this is the first such instance of court proceedings appearing on Google&#8217;s video-sharing service. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-2'><a href="http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv" target="_blank">Amendment 14</a>. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-2'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-3'>&#8220;Federal purposes&#8221; include denying Social Security Administration Surviving Spouse benefits and the ability to make end-of-life decisions for one&#8217;s partner, as well as excluding federal employee&#8217;s domestic partners from healthcare coverage, among myriad other exclusions. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-3'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-4'>The Full Faith and Credit Clause allows Congress to establish laws regarding how states will interpret the laws of other states. <a href="http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiv" target="_blank">Article 4, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution</a>. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-4'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-5'><a href="http://laws.findlaw.com/us/388/1.html" target="_blank"><em>Loving v. Virginia</em></a>. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-5'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-6'><a href="http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/marriage" target="_blank">Marriage</a>, Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-6'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-7'><a href="http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/divorce" target="_blank">Divorce and separation: an overview</a>, Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-7'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-8'><a href="http://www.expertlaw.com/library/family_law/annulment.html" target="_blank">Annulment Law</a>, Aaron Larson, Law Offices of. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-8'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-9'><a href="http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights" target="_blank">Amendment 1</a>. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-9'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-2420-10'>Vick, Karl. &#8220;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/10/AR2010011002606.html" target="_blank">Same-sex marriage set for big day in federal court</a>,&#8221; <em>The Washington Post</em>, January, 11, 2010. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-2420-10'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>


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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/22/updated-ftc-guides-seek-to-deny-bloggers-first-amendment-rights/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Updated FTC Guides Seek To Deny Bloggers&#8217; First Amendment Rights'>Updated FTC Guides Seek To Deny Bloggers&#8217; First Amendment Rights</a><small>Recently-released updates to the Federal Trade Commission&#8217;s (FTC) &#8220;Guides Concerning...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/01/marijuana-budget-deficits-and-the-wars-on-drugs-and-terror/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Marijuana, Budget Deficits, and the Wars on Drugs and Terror'>Marijuana, Budget Deficits, and the Wars on Drugs and Terror</a><small>As President Obama prepares to announce his plan for the...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2010/01/05/my-family-thinks-im-liberal-but-i-dont/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: My Family Thinks I&#8217;m Liberal, But I Disagree'>My Family Thinks I&#8217;m Liberal, But I Disagree</a><small>While camping over a holiday weekend last year, a family...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/15/do-stringent-underage-drinking-prohibitions-exacerbate-the-problem/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do Stringent Underage Drinking Prohibitions Exacerbate The Problem?'>Do Stringent Underage Drinking Prohibitions Exacerbate The Problem?</a><small>After New London, NH police arrested 91 Colby Sawyer College...</small></li>
</ol>
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DisparateInfo/~4/d_AFu1IOYFQ" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Google Voice Invite Contest Redux</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/-rcXwtPGsr8/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/08/google-voice-invite-contest-redux/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:23:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Voice]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2558</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the spirit of having new toys to play with over the weekend, I&#8217;m giving away three (3) Google Voice invites. And because Google Wave nominations are apparently as popular as fruitcake, each winner of a Google Voice invite will receive be nominated for Google Wave. What can I say, I&#8217;m feeling generous. To participate, [...]


<strong>Related posts:</strong><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/18/google-wave-invite-contest-redux/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave Invite Contest Redux'>Google Wave Invite Contest Redux</a><small>Last month, I tried to give away fifteen Google Wave...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/22/google-voice-invite-contest/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invite Contest'>Google Voice Invite Contest</a><small>Interested in Google Voice? As it happens, I have an...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/15/google-voice-invites-a-promising-sign/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invites A Promising Sign'>Google Voice Invites A Promising Sign</a><small>I logged into my Google Voice account today to discover...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/05/google-voice-invites-for-military-personnel/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel'>Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel</a><small>Google announced yesterday that it is giving priority to Google...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/30/google-wave-invites/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave Invites'>Google Wave Invites</a><small>I have 15 Google Wave invitations to give away. Know...</small></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the spirit of having new toys to play with over the weekend, I&#8217;m giving away <strong>three (3)</strong> Google Voice invites.</p>
<p>And because Google Wave nominations are apparently as popular as fruitcake, each winner of a Google Voice invite will receive be nominated for Google Wave. What can I say, I&#8217;m feeling generous.</p>
<p><strong>To participate</strong>, simply leave a comment on this post describing how you will benefit from Google Voice. I will select three entrants who provide particularly compelling responses.</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2564" style="float: left; margin: 0px 2px 2px 0px;" title="Google Voice" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Google-Voice-64.png" alt="Google Voice" width="64" height="64" />Comments must be posted by <strong>8:30pm EST (20:30 EST) today</strong>. I will announce the winners and send along the invitations shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>When commenting, be aware that all comments are moderated, so your entry will not appear immediately.</p>
<p><strong>BONUS: </strong>If you would like to be separately considered for a Google Wave nomination, check out my <a href="http://disparate.info/2009/12/18/google-wave-invite-contest-redux/">Google Wave Invite Contest Redux</a>.</p>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/12/18/google-wave-invite-contest-redux/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave Invite Contest Redux'>Google Wave Invite Contest Redux</a><small>Last month, I tried to give away fifteen Google Wave...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/22/google-voice-invite-contest/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invite Contest'>Google Voice Invite Contest</a><small>Interested in Google Voice? As it happens, I have an...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/15/google-voice-invites-a-promising-sign/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invites A Promising Sign'>Google Voice Invites A Promising Sign</a><small>I logged into my Google Voice account today to discover...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/05/google-voice-invites-for-military-personnel/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel'>Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel</a><small>Google announced yesterday that it is giving priority to Google...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/11/30/google-wave-invites/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Wave Invites'>Google Wave Invites</a><small>I have 15 Google Wave invitations to give away. Know...</small></li>
</ol>
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		<title>Fun with Fluid – Bringing Web Applications to the OS X Desktop</title>
		<link>http://feeds.ldmh.us/~r/DisparateInfo/~3/2qvon5LU7Ic/</link>
		<comments>http://disparate.info/2010/01/07/fun-with-fluid-bringing-web-applications-to-the-os-x-desktop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:13:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erick</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fluid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OS X]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://disparate.info/?p=2521</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently I discovered Fluid, and I fell in love immediately. Its simple interface belies the power this tool provides. Because I rely so heavily on web-based applications, particularly the services Google offers, Fluid provides convenient access to the sites I visit hundreds of times a day. Fluid, a single site browser generator for Mac OS [...]


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<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/12/can-atts-network-handle-the-iphones-voip-traffic/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Can AT&#038;T&#8217;s Network Handle the iPhone&#8217;s VoIP Traffic?'>Can AT&#038;T&#8217;s Network Handle the iPhone&#8217;s VoIP Traffic?</a><small>AT&amp;T&#8217;s recent decision to allow iPhone-based internet voice applications (VoIP)...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/09/28/att-takes-aim-at-google-voice/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: AT&#038;T Takes Aim at Google Voice'>AT&#038;T Takes Aim at Google Voice</a><small>It was only a matter of time until AT&amp;T jumped...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/03/netflix-app-for-iphone-is-problematic-for-apple/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Netflix App for iPhone is Problematic for Apple'>Netflix App for iPhone is Problematic for Apple</a><small>As Multichannel News reported last week, Netflix is moving to...</small></li>
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</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Recently I discovered <a href="http://fluidapp.com/" target="_blank">Fluid</a>, and I fell in love immediately. Its simple interface belies the power this tool provides. Because I rely so heavily on web-based applications, particularly the services Google offers, Fluid provides convenient access to the sites I visit hundreds of times a day.</p>
<p>Fluid, a single site browser generator for Mac OS X, takes a specific website and turns it into a standalone desktop application. With support for <a href="http://www.userscripts.org/" target="_blank">Userscripts.org</a>, the applications generated by Fluid can be extensively customized and integrated with existing desktop applications. Particularly useful is Fluid&#8217;s support for <a href="http://growl.info/" target="_blank">Growl</a>, which provides notification support for many OS X programs.</p>
<p><span id="more-2521"></span><strong>Creating Applications</strong></p>
<p>Turning a web-based application, such as Gmail or WordPress, into a standalone Mac application, takes under a minute. Fluid requires only two inputs, the application&#8217;s web address and the name for the resulting program. Optionally, as the screenshot shows, you can specify an icon (highly recommended), otherwise Fluid will grab the icon provided by the website (its &#8220;favicon&#8221;).</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2531" title="Fluid interface" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fluid.png" alt="Fluid interface" width="595" height="356" /></p>
<p>Thankfully, recognizing that favicons are quite small and generate poor application icons, Fluid users have created icons for most popular sites and published them to a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/fluid_icons/" target="_blank">Flickr group</a>. In some cases, such as <a href="http://support.cotweet.com/forums/38351/entries/27691" target="_blank">cotweet</a>, sites will even provide icons.</p>
<p><strong>Customization</strong></p>
<p>As I mentioned in the introduction, Fluid supports extensions by way of Userscripts.org, a site that (as the name implies) lets users share code that enhances your web browser&#8217;s interaction with many sites.</p>
<p>In the case of Fluid-built apps, the more useful (in my opinion) scripts add notification support, such as allowing Gmail and Google Voice to display Growl-powered popups letting me know of new email or voice messages.</p>
<p>The beauty of supporting a system such as Userscripts.org is that the scripts are written by other users of the sites you frequent, meaning there is probably a script to accomplish just about anything you can imagine. If you identify a functionality that doesn&#8217;t exist, Userscripts.org has a forum where you can publicize requests.</p>
<p><strong>Practical Uses</strong></p>
<p>For me, there are certain sites, such as Gmail or my WordPress installation, that I access with such regularity that I would leave them open in a Firefox tab whenever my laptop was running. Then, in the course of my day, I would open dozens of other tabs as I checked my email, read the news, searched for a job, and so on. Eventually, I would lose track of the more-important tabs and out of frustration, restart Firefox to begin a fresh session. Inevitably, someone would contact me through Gmail chat and I would miss the message, or an important email would come in and my response would be delayed. Or, quite frustratingly, I would shutdown Firefox without saving a WordPress post and lose some of my work.</p>
<p>Using Fluid, I created standalone applications for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Gmail,</li>
<li>Google Calendar,</li>
<li>Google Voice,</li>
<li>Google Reader,</li>
<li>Google Docs,</li>
<li>Google Wave,</li>
<li>cotweet,</li>
<li>WordPress, and</li>
<li>Pandora Radio.</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, by simply looking at my dock, I can tell if I have new email or voice messages and I can readily access the web-based applications I use most often. As I continue to explore Fluid&#8217;s functionality, I undoubtedly will discover more benefits than I&#8217;ve enumerated here, but in just a few days, it has already simplified my daily tasks immensely. Without question, Fluid is a must-have for any OS X user who relies on web-based applications.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2542" title="OS X dock showing applications created by Fluid" src="http://disparate.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fluid_dock.png" alt="OS X dock showing applications created by Fluid" width="212" height="56" /></p>
<p><strong>Compatibility &amp; Availability</strong></p>
<p>Fluid is freely available at <a href="http://fluidapp.com/" target="_blank">http://fluidapp.com/</a> and runs on Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, supporting both PowerPC and Intel processors. The browsers Fluid creates are WebKit-based, so any website that functions in Safari should work as a standalone application.</p>
<p>If I encounter any sites that aren&#8217;t compatible with Fluid, I&#8217;ll post an update here. So far, though, I&#8217;ve had no issues.</p>


<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p><ol><li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/01/fcc-to-probe-apples-rejection-of-google-voice-application-for-iphone/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: FCC to Probe Apple&#8217;s Rejection of Google Voice application for iPhone'>FCC to Probe Apple&#8217;s Rejection of Google Voice application for iPhone</a><small>Following Apple&#8217;s rejection of the Google Voice application for iPhone,...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/10/12/can-atts-network-handle-the-iphones-voip-traffic/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Can AT&#038;T&#8217;s Network Handle the iPhone&#8217;s VoIP Traffic?'>Can AT&#038;T&#8217;s Network Handle the iPhone&#8217;s VoIP Traffic?</a><small>AT&amp;T&#8217;s recent decision to allow iPhone-based internet voice applications (VoIP)...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/09/28/att-takes-aim-at-google-voice/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: AT&#038;T Takes Aim at Google Voice'>AT&#038;T Takes Aim at Google Voice</a><small>It was only a matter of time until AT&amp;T jumped...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/03/netflix-app-for-iphone-is-problematic-for-apple/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Netflix App for iPhone is Problematic for Apple'>Netflix App for iPhone is Problematic for Apple</a><small>As Multichannel News reported last week, Netflix is moving to...</small></li>
<li><a href='http://disparate.info/2009/08/05/google-voice-invites-for-military-personnel/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel'>Google Voice Invites for Military Personnel</a><small>Google announced yesterday that it is giving priority to Google...</small></li>
</ol>
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