There have been a raft of new emoticons recently. Some have been found accidentally, like how I learned of this one:
(Русский) = 
I was using my Android phone’s plurk app, PlurQ, and this was listed. I thought it was (yahoo), but it wasn’t. (I guess it means “Russian” in Russian?)
Then, I saw that there was a new emoticon for Karma 100 users:
(morning) =
When I showed these to my Plurky friends, I was told about
(code) = 
Do you have others to share?
Just in time for the finals, Plurk has enabled another Vuvuzela emoticon:
(dance_bzz) = 
Note that there is one less ‘z’ than (bzzz).
Have fun, and don’t come near me with a real vuvuzela.
Are you watching the FIFA World Cup? Want to show your plurky friends how you feel, or perhaps annoy them with vuvuzelas? Plurk has enabled a couple emoticons for the WC.
(bzzz) = 
(goal) = 
Note that the colors of the vuvuzela change randomly, so adding more than one can create a rainbow of “fun”.
Now you can have a graphically enriching World Cup experience on Plurk, or some such.
blogs they do need love
wineter spring summer autumn
share your love right now
Plurk, having recently celebrated its 2nd birthday, has opended up its blog to contributions from Plurkers and the blog now has regular posts from Plurkers from around the world. There are posts on a range of topics from the thoughts of a veteran Plurker to grand friendship networks that have developed via Plurk and, something all Plurkers will recognise – recipes!
If you’d like to contribute to the Plurk, visit this post, have a read and submit your thoughts now.
If your contribution is used by Plurk, you will get one of these on your Plurk profile:
Someone turn down the sun, eh?
My name is Dave, and I am an airport planner living in Houston, Texas, USA. I am married to a wonderfully understanding woman, and have two kids (one at home, one at college).
My hobbies include Plurking, FBing, Twittering, Buzzing, and Foursquaring. I also am keen on photography, motorcycling, and hamburgers. Believe it or not, all these things work together. To see how, you’ll have to pay attention. :)
I look forward to spending some time with you. If you want to spend time with me, I am Dave77459 on Plurk.
I usually wait until n.1 of any software upgrade to actually upgrade. This tiime, with WP 3.0, I didn’t. I’ve now installed 3.0 on this and one other blog and will be installing a third and configuring a fourth later. Quite impressive, so far.
Even more impressive, though, is the sunset photo above is by Plurkfiend Dave who is also photographer Dave. Visit the flickr page of that photo, look at it at original size. Set it as your dekstop, even. It’s grand. Truly.
3.0 is less grand, though still grand in its own right. :)
| 2 years and 3 days ago I was chatting in #soap (remember IRC?) and was introduced to a new micro-blog – Plurk. My first thought was “Oohhh – pretty”.
2 years and 3 days ago, I opened up Rantz on Plurk. My first few Plurkfiends were people that I had known online for some years. 2 years and 3 days ago, I wondered how long this bit of magnificence would be a part of my life. 2 years and 3 days after that, I know that Plurk has been a part of my life since then. 2 years and 3 days – plenty of time to meet an amazing collection of people covering the whole gamut of my online interests. 2 years and 3 days of grandness. Thank you Plurk. |
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The next Plurk Worldwide Sunset will be on 23 June 2010 – be sure to join in for another round-the-world sunset event.
Shoot the world around you as the sun goes down and post it to the group.
We look forward to seeing your photos for this year and hope you enjoy the slideshow as it stands to date:
The thing about Plurk people is they soon get a bee in their bonnet. Circle mania is a case in point. First seen on the timeline under the artistry of our good friend Rantz. (working in Gimp and as is his character, he duly shared the method in a tutorial.) Having played with polar distortion in the past using photoshop, I quickly realized the error of not selecting good images or the correct image area in the past! A fire was lit under my tail and I mirrored the tutorial for people using photoshop. In a very short time Amazing circles were being traded regularly and circle submissions to PPAD reached a level where a sub group was required… and so Plurk Amazing Circles was formed. At the time of posting: 14 members and already 150 submissions… Congratulations my friends!
Thanks to the wonderful Tamsie, Plurkers have started a new flickr group: Plurk Worldwide Sunset. The slideshow above contains the images from this group so grab a cuppa, enlarge the show to full-screen and sit back and see the beauty of our world.
If you Plurk and flickr and are not yet in this fantastic group, visit Plurk Worldwide Sunset and join – we’d love to have you for our next Worldwide Sunset – date to be determined and will be announced as soon as a decision has been made.
Hoomans. Funny thing they are. We have to have them for obvious reasons.
But really – they chase after us with cameras that have annoying lights on them. They call this fun.
But really – they spend more time doing things with cameras than we do sleeping.
But really – they make jokes about things called pubs.
But really – they Plurk (sounds like Ganzou being sick, that does).
But really – they take lots of pictures of food.
But really – they *travel* way too much.
But really – they write stuff called *poetry*.
But really – they *blah*g.
But really – they *code*.
I’d like my dinner now, thanks.
If you Plurk and are also a flickrer, you could well be interested in the Plurk People Photo-a-Day group on flickr. The idea is to post a photo that you’ve made each and every day.
We’d be pleased to have you join us as we begin this photographic journey through 2010 – visit the group via the link above and request membership – either myself or the Mad Poet will add you to the group as soon as we possibly can.
See you there!
One of the many things I like about Plurk is its user interface – it’s a rather grand , interactive, left-right scrolling timeline that allows user to easily see their own Plurks as well as those of their friends, including an easy way to identify Plurks that have been responded to. I’ve been using Plurk for nigh on eighteen months, having been introduced to it by my online friends that I’ve been in contact with for well over five years.
I’ve tried Twitter -and I still use that for brief contact and posting of links as well as keeping up with various services/organisations that post brief information, often including links – but it’s Plurk that is my preferrred social-networking microblog service. Plurk is easy to use, easy to understand and easy to communicate with. Having used Twitter and having had a go at a mutltitude of microblogging services, Plurk stands out way above the crowd. In short, Plurk rocks.
Like many grand things that rock, it has – unfortunately – been ripped off. Not just by any company – but by Microsoft China. A big corporation ripping off a young startup that is doing amazing work. Surely Microsoft has the resources to do their own work? One would think so – but one would be wrong.
If you’d like more information on this dastardly deed, please see the post on the Plurk blog entitled Microsoft China rips off Asia’s No. 1 Microblogging Service as well as the followup Plurk’s official response to Microsoft’s apology.
I would like to think – and hope – that this will all be resolved in Plurk‘s favour – time will tell.
I had mentioned on Facebook tonight that my wife had made dessert for us: Ice-cream and ‘Schnapps over a slice of pine-apple. The first comment included the recipe below, courtesy of a fellow Facebook-follower:
1. Cover pineapple slice with brown sugar.
2. Pour on Brandy and bake in the oven for a very short time.
3. Cover in a double-shot of Butterscotch Schnapps.
4. Place dollops of icecream over contents to fit size of bowl.
We plan to make this recipe over the weekend! Enjoy!
As some of you might have read on Facebook, I had a chicken-dinner tonight: Chicken Kiev. Amusingly, I tried to google/search for the best method for cooking chicken. All I got was ways to make a Kiev, which was not what I needed. So I asked my followers on Facebook for a great way to cook chicken.
One friend suggested a frying pan and little bit of oil. This is the method I used in my bachelor-days. I remember those years passionately … when my frying pan was best friend in the kitchen!
Another colleague, Richard Pascoe, suggested: 40 to 45 mins, 180 degrees,use a baking tray and then on baking paper, I turn the tray around several times. Less time if fan forced.
After ten years marriage, our kitchen is decked out with a few amazing technical innovations. What I enjoy most is the fan-forced gas oven. As my wife will testify, it allows us to cook an amazing array of recipes, easily though not always quickly. Regardless of time, the food comes out excellent and ready to eat.
But why am I telling you this? Because cooking is an art and not all of us have green-thumbs in the kitchen. So I went on a web-hunt for sites that improve our knowledge of cooking.
Tonight we have five sites that will hopefully teach us how to cook chicken easily and tastily:
1. The Lenards Recipe Category List.
Wow, what a great list! Lenards have put in the effort for every meal of the day, including a few special items for the children to enjoy. Yummo!
2. All About Cooking : Chicken.
According to this site, “Chicken is a major feature of just about every cuisine on the planet, whether roasted, grilled, stewed, fried or cooked in any other way.” So many options and all of them tasty! Something tells me I am going to be cooking more chicken this month!
3. This is the obligatory YouTube video that encompasses chicken, beer and humour — yes, the perfect recipe mix! They say: All you need for this barbecue chicken recipe favourite is two cans of beer (or water if you must), salad oil dressing, 1 onion, salt, pepper, and any favourite basting sauce, such as our garlic butter with soy sauce. Fire up your grill to 325-350f, and in as little as 2 hours you will be dancing right along with the roasters, as their tender and juicy meat falls off the bones.
4. Flat Out Like a Chicken Cooking (Bite Me)
From the website that brings men happiness every day of the week, we have a simple little recipe that includes a good wine to go alongside the meal. Now that is passion!
5. Aussie Chicken Recipes
Because I come from the land down-under, I had to find an Aussie site that gave a decent recipe. This site supplies a whole HOST of great recipes, ranging from cakes to casseroles. Whilst their web site appearance is a little 1990, the information provided is diverse!
Next time I’ll be checking out how to cook a good steak … because every man likes a good steak! How do you like your meat – rare, medium or well done? I prefer meat cooked rare to medium.
This is a real and actual extract from a “Home Economics” book printed all the way back in 1950.
I had the book for a long time, then when I met SWMBO found it on the wall. I married her not because I thought she would follow the instructions, but because we are good friends who enjoyed each others company. Thirteen years on, we are still happily married. Just read the following:
Plan ahead – even the night before – to have a delicious meal ready on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the welcome needed.
Take fifteen minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little jovial and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Make one last rip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys papers, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables.
Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.
Don’t greet him with problems of complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner.
Count this as minor, compared with what he might have gone through that day.
Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces. If they are small, comb their hair, and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures, and he would like to see them playing the part.
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum cleaner. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax – unwind.
You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
If my woman SWMBO read that, you’d be able to hear her laughing in Dreamworld.
