Slowly back on line

Nothing, nothing like a close family death on Christmas day.

Anyway, back to the grind. Let me take a moment to point out a couple of retrospective items. The last two We're History segments are available now on the KUAF podcasting site (www.kuaf.org). Both will have extended play extras -- only the farewell to Pluto is posted as of today.

But, with bowl season well underway, enjoy the December edition as we take the We're History concept -- that the modern media has a very limited knowledge of history and lets that cloud its editorial work -- to the sports page.

Brut, Meinke, Champs bowls as shameless commercialism? Well, let us introduce you to the Refrigerator Bowl.

Really, I Have a Written Excuse

The pace of post slows during this hard stretch. While there are lots of things happening, I've not had a lot of time to put those items here on the blog.

Just to keep you up, it appears our family will be headed toward a fifth parent/grandparent funeral here at Christmas in six years. And the sixth year involved moving one parent into extended care after a major accident.

So, not to play for sympathy but if there isn't a lot of activity here in the next week understand it's because we're busy with hospice.

If it's good enough for the Secretary of Defense

Further confirmation of the apocalypse -- at least as the traditionalists are concerned. Deadspin.com is featuring a link from TexAgs.com that that particular board had a very special poster.

Ranger65 changed jobs, and upon heading to his new, higher security gig, he revealed his gig'um identity: none other than the president of Texas A&M, Robert Gates. Jump over the deadspin for details, but consider the implications of that.

The college president is weighing in and reading the message boards.

Obviously, his new job won't allow him to continue giving his opinion.

One of the days Facebook is a good thing

If you are a cross country runner in the northeast, you already know about the Facebook group entitled, “Victims of the NESCAC Rash." If you aren't, you probably needed today's newsfeed from the Chronicle of Higher Ed to call your attention to this event. Apparently a large percentage -- about 75% -- of the runners at this particular meet hosted by Connecticut College have a mystery skin rash. The group has photos and details.
So what's the big deal -- without a Facebook page that reached thousands of college students, would they have been able to come together and realize their common problem. This is one of the times the speed, immediacy and intimacy of the SNW world does good. Kudos on this one.

Digital Assets are Extremely Portable

This is a mantra that I continue to chant to our students (please note, that's not student-athletes -- I tell my 16-year old, our student workers, the Lady'Backs). I have been visited with a particularly nasty incarnation of why this is important.

As I have in the past, the origins of the school, the sport and the athlete are anonymous, but one must be very careful of who one parties with and who one allows to take your picture.

No less dramatic than Brittany and Paris' wonderful commando adventures, this athlete allowed herself to be photographed in a less than discrete lack of clothing. It obviously was made with a camera phone, and photoshopped to add a particularly nasty tagline. It is now being shared with other coaches around the U.S.

The photo was located on a U.S.-based photo server, and that has allowed for some access to have it removed by the offended party. However, if it was off-shore, whoever put up the image may have ultimate control.

It is a reminder of how the Northwestern soccer case broke. The photos were on a server that allowed for outsiders to browse, and that's how the privacy was breached.

I'm sure at the time the photo was taken, it seemed a little racy, some harmless soft porn fun. Harmless until it becomes part of your dossier.

Mahalo for staying in touch

It is hardly acceptable to let two weeks, less almost two months, come between posts, but it has been an interesting month for travel, Lady'Backs, family matters and emergency communications.

Travel took me from the Appalachian lowlands of South Carolina to the peak of Diamond Head on O'ahu -- with a side-trip to the heartland of Tennessee -- in the space of three weeks.

That was a part of playing 10 women's basketball games in 24 days, and all the complications of broadcast operations of those 10 games.

At the start of this November rush, it was time to form, execute and evaluate a major radio exercise for our county amateur radio operators.

To top it off, the health of my wife's adoptive mother took a turn for the worse.

So, as my Kahama aime family on the main island would say, mahalo for your patience.

This week is final exam for the team, and a forced 10-day break in the schedule. It allowed me to catch up on some correspondence, draft a new We're History on bowl games and -- tada -- make a new posting here.

There have been some serious events, particularly on the SNW world, and I will save that for a separate post today.