Calm down - most web forms suck

hof1991

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Friday October 18, 2013 · 8:47 AM PDT

2013/10/18 · 08:47

We have seen a few web design pros discuss the difficulty of designing complex web data collection sites, so I thought I would offer a supporting viewpoint. I don't design sites, but as a public librarian, I spend a lot of time helping people with them.

Healthcare.gov isn't great, but I've seen a lot worse.

hof1991

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Thursday April 26, 2012 · 6:43 AM PDT

2012/04/26 · 06:43

Laying down the sword: why we can’t ignore the Bible’s violent verses by Phillip Jenkins

Just like I am a fan of the fiction Laurie B. King, P.D. James and Connie Willis, I am a fan of the non-fiction of Philip Jenkins. Jenkins’ works have focused on religion, sometimes in an historical sense (Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 years), sometimes more as a reporter (The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity). An academic who writes widely in the popular press, Jenkins uses a nice blend of scholarship and accessibility that hits the interested amateur just right.

hof1991

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Monday April 02, 2012 · 6:51 PM PDT

2012/04/02 · 18:51

In listening to Santorum / Gingrich / Romney / Catholic bishops, it is fun to measure just how far back they want to go. Santorum and the obvious culture warriors proclaim that it was the 60s that led everyone astray. Many seem to want to reinstate the pre-Depression rules for banking and the stock market. Some venture into the Jim Crow era, which started the day the Civil War ended. Many of their policies and attitudes hark back to the Gilded Age of the Robber Barons and seem to welcome Dickens level poverty (are there no workhouses?).

But at their core what they want is a return to the agriculture based society, which is dead and buried throughout the Industrial and post-Industrial world.

hof1991

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Monday February 27, 2012 · 10:39 AM PST

2012/02/27 · 10:39

I don’t have time to write anything even informal about most books I read (e.g. just finished Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire and The magician king by Lev Grossman but don’t have much original to say about those two excellent books). I finished Bonobo handshake : a memoir of love and adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods last fall and enjoyed it, but it also reminded me to get around to Sex at dawn : the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha, which had been on my list for some time. While both were worth the time, the second really hits my reading interest profile, so I’ll take the time to explain why.

hof1991

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Saturday January 21, 2012 · 11:21 AM PST

2012/01/21 · 11:21

For more Americans, and even for most of those with an interest in history, the years 1866 – 1900 pass in kind of a blur. It’s where our knowledge of presidents fades. In high school, teachers talk about the Industrial Revolution, an amorphous enough concept to cover many bases. With the Spanish-American War (1898), things get interesting again – Teddy, Model Ts, the Wright brothers. In working on a book, I came across a passing reference to some labor problems in 1877, so when I saw this book, I thought I would get some background. Did I ever. Turns out 1877 was a major turning point, with many lessons about just what America was and would become.

hof1991

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Wednesday March 16, 2011 · 5:49 PM PDT

2011/03/16 · 17:49

Wisconsin Rapids is a mill town, where the unions have been hard hit over the last decade. Hundreds of good jobs have disappeared as the paper mills have changed hands or simply closed. Despite that, it remains a union town.

On Tuesday, the unions called for a rally. In a city of 18,000, about 2,000 people showed to hear our state Senator Julie Lassa. It was a determined group. The local school district was just announcing that 20 teachers would be laid off, with another $3 million still to be cut from an already lean budget.

Photos below (if I remember how to do them). If you like professional photos, I have them too, along with a newspaper article.

hof1991

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Sunday October 10, 2010 · 8:47 AM PDT

2010/10/10 · 08:47

I have voted Democratic since they allowed us 18 year olds to vote in 1972. Even when primaries and such were mostly meaningless, I always felt is just wasn't right to vote for any Republican.

This year, in WI-6, where Dave Obey is retiring, I broke my rule and voted for the weaker Republican candidate - and it worked!

hof1991

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Friday October 01, 2010 · 3:12 PM PDT

2010/10/01 · 15:12

As someone who works with historical documents, I often come across pieces that remind me that the more things change, the more they are the same.

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hof1991

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Sunday October 18, 2009 · 6:25 AM PDT

2009/10/18 · 06:25

I currently have two sons deployed, both with the 32 IBCT (Wisconsin National Guard). One has grad school on hold and the other has law school, a wife and two young children awaiting his return.

Support has been generally good, but one organization deserves a shout out - Serving the 32nd. They started as a support group for the deployed 32nd companies from the Eau Claire area, but expanded their mission to provide some state-wide events. Their efforts are appreciated.

hof1991

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Monday September 07, 2009 · 7:07 PM PDT

2009/09/07 · 19:07

On the current Rec list is a diary I won't be silent - this is not Christian. Lot of truth there. People hijack religion just as they do political parties. Christians should speak up when that happens. It is sometimes obvious that speakers are Christian in name only (CINO). Praying some someone's death is a good sign, as is lying to advance the "truth".

But it is a little more complicated that that.

hof1991

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Sunday April 19, 2009 · 7:48 PM PDT

2009/04/19 · 19:48

08 : a graphic diary of the campaign trail / by Michael Crowley and Dan Goldman.

This a a good example of a niche market where a graphic treatment makes good sense. Not as exhaustive as a standard text treatment, but that's fine. The images give a feel for what most of us remember. Crowley and Goldman use two reporters as a Greek chorus, commenting on the events.

All quotes used are accurate and the events resonate (especially for Democrats) since they are part of our near past, a past that is important to remember as we rocket into the future.

hof1991

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Saturday December 06, 2008 · 7:22 AM PST

2008/12/06 · 07:22

I am not big on "good soldiers" in administrations. Those who have worked diligently to advance the Bush Doctrine (that's you Colin Powell) don't get my respect for their service to the president. They are public servants and they should be serving the country's best interest, not the president's will.

That said, I think that Gates is and will be a good SecDef, though he will be a lot better one under a decent president. Here's why.

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Calm down - most web forms suck

Laying down the sword by Phillip Jenkins [book review]

How far back they want to go and why they won’t succeed

Bonobo handshake and Sex at dawn: a paired book review

1877 : America's year of living violently / by Michael A Bellesiles.

Another Wisconsin (Rapids) Rally - with photos

I vote Republican and embiggen a Tea Partier

Politican attacks poll as biased - the more things change...

Tailgating with the Troops - updated

RINO, DINO and now (CINO) Christian

08 : a graphic diary of the campaign trail

Why Gates is OK with me