SiteMeter tracking for Former Naval Person

Apparently, when I converted to the new layout with Blogger, I used the wrong Javascript for SiteMeter tracking. What I used did not record visits where the browser had Javascript disabled. I have that fixed, now, thanks to SiteMeter support, so I am hoping that the disparity between IndexTools and SiteMeter figures will be reduced.

How about a little global warming?

In an Opinion Journal piece called "The Lowdown on Doomsday: Why the public shrugs at global warming", Jonathan Adler explains why that is true. The reason apparently is that the environmentalist explanation of the problem as excessive pollution and the solution being increased limits is unacceptable. Do you agree with my interpretation?

There continues to be a big disconnect between IndexTools and SiteMeter

I don't understand what is happening with respect to web traffic on the Former Naval Person blog. For a long time, up until this summer, IndexTools and SiteMeter traffic tracked together pretty closely. After a big SiteMeter outage, there has been a great difference between the two. Yesterday, the IndexTools figures were about twice those from SiteMeter. SiteMeter was saying 111 visits and 197 page views. IndexTools said 254 visits and 413 page views!

The Kindle looks cool

Ann Althouse mentioned that she bought a Kindle from Amazon on her blog. I just looked at it and it looks like what I have wanted for some time. I have wanted a way to view images of documents without needing a computer. From what I read, a Kindle would work. I would have to email documents to the Kindle, but Amazon provides the wireless connection, using the wireless data capability that is used in digital wireless phone networks.

Be nice to Google

I would suggest being nice to our benevolent overlords at Google. I must say that I am a big Google customer. I pay for extra storage with Gmail, use Blogger, and even have tried Google Documents. I also appreciate Google Books and would like to see more, expecially if I could pay to see more so that writers and publishers would get a cut while I got access.

SiteMeter traffic sources

I have the premium version of SiteMeter for the Former Naval Person blog. If you look at Search Terms, it looks like you can't tell what the search was. In fact, by looking at the details, you can almost always tell why someone visited. Overwhelmingly, people are looking for Emma Watson racy pics, almost all of which are fakes. There are also a few readers looking for pics of Michelle Manhart or Eva Ionesco.

The job market must be getting better

Not only did I only have four days off between jobs, I am getting many contacts from recruiters about job opportunities. I am off the market, but I am glad to see this. There was a time in the Dallas area when job opportunities were non-existent. I had to work in Minneapolis during that period. Now, IT consulting and fulltime jobs seem to be much more plentiful. If you aer looking for an IT consulting job, my recommendation is to use a service such as Monster.com (which is what I use) and have an active resume. I don't look for jobs there. Instead, recruiters contact me about jobs that do not show up in listings.

IndexTools vs. SiteMeter

Yesterday, there was a huge disparity between the IndexTools and SiteMeter traffic figures for the Former Naval Person blog (NSFW). I hope it is because of SiteMeter and not a problem with IndexTools. SiteMeter changed in some fundamental way earlier this year, after a severe and extended outage on the server used for Former Naval Person tracking. Since then, IndexTools has continued to reflect values consistent with what has become typical.

There are some mails about IT that I instantly delete

There are two topics, in particular, that when I receive an InfoWorld or SD Times email, I immediately delete them. One topic is "Virtualization" and the other is "SOA". The reason is that those are markets in which I am not interested and even find boring and probably unimportant in the long term.

My new phone: a Sanyo S1 Sprint Vision phone

I love my new phone. I just started a new contract at a place that does not allow camera phones. The only Sprint phone that my favorite Radio Shack had was a Sanyo S1 Sprint Vision phone. I only got it on Tuesday afternoon, but the user interface is very similar to the Katana, so I was able to use it right away. The local Sprint repair facility transferred by phone book, so I was immediately in business! I like the fact that the phone is so thin and narrow. They do a good job on the key lock issue, as well.

Phoebe Maltz

Megan McArdle, the center-left libertarian blogger, now blogs at The Atlantic. Today, she commented on Phoebe Maltz's assertion that hipsterism might be over:

Hipsters have been around at least since I was in college, which, as any fogey can tell you, is when the universe began, anyway. To be sure, we did not have iPods, and without cell phones we had to engage in rather elaborate signalling mechanisms so that people would know what bar you were likely to be at on Saturday nights circa 11 pm. But the ironic cynicism, the clothing rumpled with exquisite care, the chain smoking, the obsessive competition over who could discover the obscurest band, all these we had. We even had the habituating of coffee shops, though I'm not sure one could then procure a triple chai latte with soy milk. We used to write in them, you see; we had this stuff called paper that was very useful for creating parodic autobiographies of Karl Marx penned in the style of John Irving.

Frank Rich on "neo-con dead enders"

Our buddy Frank Rich, at the NYT, has an opinion piece where he blames "neo-con dead enders" for the Bush administration threats against Iran. From the tone, he may be using "neo-con" as a codeword for people with last names like Goldberg, Wasserman, and Meyerson. That is my sense, along with a healthy dose of BDS.

The candidate sex rumour

Mickey Kaus mentions the sex scandal that is rumored about one of the major presidential candidates. My guess is that the rumor involves a Democrat. Otherwise, I would think that the press would have leaked the story. The story is in addition to John Edwards, not the story about him.

Some more Google censorship

"Joe's Dartblog" points out another instance of Google censorship, but this time it seems to be politically motivated. Maybe no one else wonders this, but I wonder how long Google can keep censoring and keep their business from shrinking. Almost all the traffic on "Former Naval Person" now comes from a Yahoo-related search. Almost none comes from Google (admittedly, a dubious achievement):

Yahoo      28.30%
Altavista  25.13%
Direct     16.26%
Google      5.70%
AllTheWeb   4.12%

The reason for this is the source of the traffic: all Emma Watson, all the time. Google is apparently suppressing Emma Watson fake racy pics in a big way. That is my explanation, anyway. Tell me if you disagree:

emma watson        52.89%
emma watson nude    8.43%
emma watson fake    7.93%
emma watson naked   5.12%

Megan McArdle

I had thought that Megan McArdle was at least a center-left blogger, but now that she is at The Atlantic, she seems to have moved much further to the left. She is at least a left-leaning libertarian. I am willing to accept her as having libertarian tendencies. On the other hand, she prefers that we have private health insurance and give children vouchers for schools, so that they can attend private schools, if they want.