Web crawling the Technorati blogosphere

"Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it.

Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself"

Chief Seattle, 1854.

I haven't got too adventurous with Technorati yet - there is just so much to weave through. Slowly, slowly at the moment is my motto. Some things I like here, and would probably use the "Popular" button should I venture here by choice. If you were looking for something specific, using Tags or the Blog Directory would certainly give you a more manageable result. It is absolutely mind-boggling what is floating around, and I hesitate to add yet more to this already vast web. If we're being really honest with ourselves, I'm sure we'd all be flattered and delighted to be discovered by the wider blogging community, yet we're also hesitant to open up too much of ourselves. So good on those who have no such qualms, and have joined the Technorati family, but for myself, I think I'll keep slumbering on quietly for a while longer here in the nsl community, honing my skills and gaining more experience.

Howling at the (del.icio.us) moon

I'm feeling a bit lost in space on del-icio-us. I must be missing the point here because I can't make sense of this one. I thought it looked pretty straight forward after watching the video clip, and feel I understand the principles of it - but this is where I seem to hit the proverbial brick wall. And no amount of howling at the moon has so far managed to lift the fog. Like RSS, it's something I will come back to but for my own sanity tonight, I will take a break here and maybe when I come back with fresh eyes next time, the light will be a warm glow. It's almost like the more you think you finally understand - the less you actually seem to know, if that makes any kind of sense. I feel a bit dim as others embarking on this exercise appear to be really enthusiastic about del-icio-us, but each to his own oar is how I justify this. Time to trot back to my wolves, and park this exploration for a brighter day.

Howlin At The Moon, Tonight by Mr. Ed

Tonight, will be a very special one for me
It’s the night of the ‘Sturgeon Full Moon’
It is also National Homeless Animals Day
And tonight, we’ll be howlin a birthday tune

Ancient Native Americans of the Great Lakes
Named this Full Moon – the Sturgeon’s Moon
Since by the light of this moon, they would hunt
The Nahma,¯ while listenin to the cry of the loon

Today is also ‘National Homeless Animals Day’
I’ve found a few of my critters, on this very night

I was bitten by an ancient werewife, many moons ago
But homeless dogs and cats, bring me back to the light

And, it’s Pee Wee Wolfman’s Very Ancient Birthday, Today
I’ll be out on the lake, in the moonlight, slurpin down some brew
The fish, and loons, and wolves, and other critters, always join me
But if you’re a normal human being, I’d be stayin home, if I were you

¯Nahma – The Ojibwa Word for Sturgeon,
The Monster Fish of the Great Lakes.

RSS - Random Subjective Selectivity Sux

I haven't found this exercise particularly easy, and personally RSS is probably not the way I would choose to have my information presented to me. Call me archaic, but I like traditional media to get my news and information. C'mon people - there's nothing quite like the smell of coffee wafting through the air as you sip a leisurely flat white while turning a page perusing the "Green Pages" or Metro sections of The Granny Herald, with the scrunch of newsprint in your ears and the slip of ink on your fingertips. What more could you want? So while it is truly fabulous to be able to receive feeds from recognised media organisations like BBC, CNN - not to mention keeping up with Major League baseball results from the USA as they happen - it's already a struggle to keep up with everything I'd like to read, without adding even more sources to information avalanche.

Snow worries? Turn on the heater.

#6 - An Exercise in utter futility...

Well - I feel like I've spent the last hour going around and around and around and.....
I thought I'd managed to figure out something clever involving exercise #5, but when it came to add said "cleverness" to my blog - it's disappeared somewhere into the ether! No doubt it's sitting forlornly waiting to be uploaded to it's intended place in the world, but for the time being it will have to remain 'parked' until I can gather the energy again to try and retrieve it from wherever it's hiding. There is sure some cool stuff out there, but you either need one of those god-like (?) Tutors sitting at your elbow to lead you down the path of "Right-way" - or you just cross your fingers and toes and hope like mad that when you hit that last "Enter/Go" key, it does GO. Sounds like I'm in desperate need of Auntyof3!
I may just change tack completely and get to grips with my new Sanyo digital camera. Not one to be beaten, I am looking forward to that exploration, although the 50-page manual is a bit of a daunting prospect. "Where to begin", I say?? However, just like my friend le loup/el lobo/il lupo - I will survive and come back even stronger!

Canis latrans (barker)

Death Valley, California.

I spotted this coyote wandering along the side of the highway.

Also called the American jackal, Brush wolf or Prairie wolf. Death Valley is an amazing place and any living creature that can survive in this environment deserves admiration. The temperature on this mid-March day was over 100F (38C), and a group of 3 coyotes were merrily trotting along, which in itself was quite lucky, as they are generally a solitary animal. Not as formidable as el lobo, but at this stage, this is the nearest I've come to seeing a wolf in the wild.

Wolf (1105a)

Wolf (1105a)
Originally uploaded by Geyser Gary

Gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, when 14 individuals were relocated from Canada. Another 17 were added in 1996, and since then they have slowly but surely restored Nature's balance, increasing their own numbers and adjusting the imbalances that had been allowed to flourish in the absence of this top predator.

Thanks to photographer "Geyser Gary" for this lovely photo of a Yellowstone wolf. You can see more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/geysergary/

Flickring Wolves

Well, this is proving to be a very time consuming exercise. I always knew how much "stuff" was floating around out there, and how easy it is to spend hours longer than you intend exploring it all. Now that we have to venture into this wilderness with a definite "end product" in mind - i.e. Week 2 exercise #4 of Web 2.0, so we can once more be awarded the 'tick of genius' - it becomes even more wild! Whoever set 15 minutes a DAY for this as a guide has obviously been at creating this an awful lot longer than me? It's certainly fun, but when you aren't "hooked up" at home, it becomes a real challenge to take the time whilst at work. Hence I'm already falling behind, but will raise the tail and ensure the paws remain trotting to keep up.

I've found so many lovely images of wolves while trolling through flickr, it's tough deciding which/what/how/IF I'm able to use them. This may have to wait for another day for more extensive ogling - it can be frustratingly addictive because you feel like you're never finished! Currently, I am in awe of someone who has posted a heap of photos of - you guessed it - canis lupus on flickr. So many in fact I can't decide which one I like the best. Many of them were taken at a place called Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Indiana, which is somewhere new to me and yet another place I'm going to have to explore http://www.wolfpark.org/.
I'll save that for another day, and in the meantime you can view some of this photographer's amazing gallery for yourself http://www.flickr.com/photos/tberling/sets/72157603306380824/

I will keep a'huntin' and exploring - while trying to stay focused on the exercise. I'm constantly being reminded how much we now have such "easy" access to. However - I still have a few trusty books I constantly come back to on this subject, so will ponder on how I will share these...

In wildness is the preservation of the world ...

(Henry David Thoreau)