Trouble with Scrabble on Facebook?

Interesting news article for those of us who use the Scrabulous application in Facebook:

T-R-O-U-B-L-E could loom for a Scrabble knockoff that has become one of the most popular activities on Facebook.

Hasbro Inc., the company that owns the word game's North American rights, sued the creators of the Scrabulous program on Thursday, less than two weeks after the release of an authorized version of Scrabble for Facebook.

Hasbro said in its lawsuit that Scrabulous violates its copyright and trademarks. Separately, Hasbro asked Facebook to block the game.

In the year since Facebook began letting outside developers write Web programs that Facebook members can plug into their personal profile pages, Scrabulous has attracted some half-million daily users, despite efforts by Scrabble's owners to end it.

Seattle: Day 4

So, today was my last full day here in Seattle. Spent a lot of time again in downtown Seattle, wandering the general area between the Seattle Center (home to the Space Needle) and Pike Place Market.

So, I'm really afraid of heights but I decided to go to the top of the Space Needle, anyway. It's pricey; $16 for an adult. Still, it offers awesome views of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound, and all the surrounding cities. In this particular pic, you can see a sea plane flying through downtown.


I'm not sure why, but I struggle to smile for this kind of "MySpace" self pic. I'm still trying to peg the "emotion" on my face. It's probably, "Wow, it's a lot sunnier here today than it was yesterday, which means it's warmer and I chose jeans instead of shorts, and it's also really bright, which is going to leave me with some sun on my face and is making my eyes a little tired, too." Yea. You know that emotion. Don't deny it.



These two photos are from the Olympic Sculpture Park (I think that's the right name), near the waterfront. The most interesting sculptures are the large cones. I felt like I was going to get ticketed for walking into the Cone Zone. Oh, I also rode the monorail through downtown today. Nothing to do with cones or sculptures. But I just thought of it. And these entries are more freeflow than organized.


It scares me to think that at some point, there was an "Unsanitary Public Market" somewhere in the Pike Place neighborhood.


Yep, this photo very clearly made an impact on me. I think it's even funnier than the "Turkey Crossing" signs near my house. Maybe.

Seattle: Day 3

Today was the first day that I finally got into the "real" city of Seattle. I don't have a rental car, so all of my travels are either by foot or by public transit. So far, the bus system has been easy to use, and my decision to find a hotel near a transit center ended up being one of the best decisions I've made for this trip.

I'd never been to Seattle before, so today's itinerary centered around a few "important" places downtown: the waterfront, Pioneer Square District, Pike Place Market, and of course, the original Starbucks.

I was amazed that the public market was much smaller than I had imagined. Perhaps I was thinking of something on the scale of Pier 39 or Ghirardelli Square in SF, or even Cannery Row in Monterey. It wasn't as big as any of those. But it was still an interest site to visit. Managed to not buy anything, either.


Saw some fish-throwing, but the camera on my phone is too slow to catch the action. Had to settle for a pic showing all the non-customer tourists gathered around the shop awaiting a flying fish.


Yeah, seriously, this is the original Starbucks. It isn't very big or impressive, but it feels almost like a shrine with the number of customers filling the store. But I did wait in line, and ordered my venti green tea lemonade with 5 splendas in place of the sweetener. I may not drink coffee, but I'm capable of my own Starbucks addictions.


The store has the semi-original logo on its wall. This is, of course, the "re-introduced" logo that has generated recent controversy because it shows the mermaid's breasts.


My bus route back to my hotel took me past Boeing Field and the Museum of Flight. This is the (apparently rebuilt) building where Boeing got its start. Unfortunately, my bus route also took me along a LOT more city streets than the route I took downtown. So I spent almost 2 hours on the ride to the hotel. Praise God for the iPod!

Seattle: Day 2

Last night, I decided Tuesday would be my "chill" day. So I slept in this morning (only until 10AM, which isn't very late, I guess), and then just relaxed around the hotel for awhile. I caught an afternoon showing of The Dark Knight, along with maybe two dozen other people in a huge theater. Pretty funny.

The movie was great. It has the same dark feel as Batman Begins, but with a lot more action. I'm not sure if I like it more, less, or the same as Batman Begins. Regardless, it was worth seeing. Probably even worth a second view.

This evening's been quiet. Just doing some reading. Couple phone calls. Some texting. Not much else. Weather has been nice and overcast today. The high maybe hit 70.

Wednesday morning I'll head into the city, spend some time in downtown Seattle. Should be fun.

Seattle: Day 1

Got here to Seattle. Technically I'm outside the city in the suburbs because that's the only place I could find a hotel. Downtown seems completely booked. But I'm near a transit center with good access to the city, and I'm near plenty of shopping -- which is also good because I didn't want to pay $400+ for car rental this week. Yea, crazy trip!

This pic is from the flight here. I'm pretty certain these are the Three Sisters mountains in Oregon.

Back in town. And then gone again.

I got back last night from a quick trip down to Orange County, to see the guys at Simply Youth Ministry. I've been doing freelance editing work for them for about 3 years now, and we got together to talk about some upcoming projects.

Trip highlights, you ask? How about these...

• Finally eating a meal at the great, glorified Wahoo's Fish Taco place
• Seeing the new student ministry building at Saddleback, The Refinery, and having oh-so-short chats with Doug Fields and Josh Griffin
• Spending a day in nice OC weather
• Renting a car and remembering how much I really like driving my *own* car
• Hearing Andy Brazelton offer lame excuses on why he was skipping his 10-year high school reunion
• Admiring Nadim Najm's ability to keep a close eye on so many websites every day

Next week I'm in Seattle, for "pure" vacation time. Should be fun.

Smoky skies and hot days.

Life is borderline miserable in this part of California right now. I know it's not as bad as the folks who had flooding in the Midwest last month, and right here in Sacramento we don't actually have wildfires threatening our homes. But our sky is filled with the smoke from fires in the region, and our temperatures are passing 100 again today.

I'm sitting in my office at the church, and when I look outside, there's a dull orange tint to everything. Visibility is limited. It smells like a small valley filled with campers. And if I spend too much time outdoors, my eyes start to sting. All in all, just not a lot of fun to be outside.

Obama finds support in GOP

Interesting article today about conservatives supporting Obama, from the San Francisco Chronicle, on SFGate.com:

The "Obamacans" that Sen. Barack Obama used to joke about - Republican apostates who whispered their support for his candidacy - have morphed into a new phenomenon, or syndrome, as detractors like to call it: the Obamacons.

These are conservatives who have publicly endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee, dissidents from the brain trust of think tanks, ex-officials and policy magazines that have fueled the Republican Party since the 1960s. Scratch the surface of this elite, and one finds a profound dismay that is far more damaging to the GOP than the usual 10 percent of registered Republicans expected to switch sides during a presidential election.

Crazy day for worship teams.

Today's been a wild day. It started when our drummer didn't arrive for service; apparently he got injured but I didn't get the word until 10:40AM. Our main backup wasn't available, but another drummer came through in the pinch to help us out. That was a hue relief! We had a few rough moments during the morning service, but we made it through.

I was exhausted this afternoon, and found myself just sitting around the house vegging. Had some phone calls to return. Missed one from a local number that wasn't in my cell; I'll come back to it in a moment. Anyway, I took a call from a friend who said he needed a vocalist for his youth group's worship team tonight. At first, I wanted to say no because I was tired.

But then I realized. Someone came through to pinch-hit for me and our worship team this morning. It's only appropriate and right that I say yes to these friends. Actually, I kinda looked at it as a way to say "thanks" to God for meeting my need in the morning.

So, things went really well with this youth group tonight. It was great to see some good friends, catch up on things, and spend time together worshiping God. Definitely the right choice.

Well, back to that local call I didn't answer. Turns out it was a friend calling on a different line. He wanted to see if I was up for a game of racquetball. I probably would have said yes, if I had taken the call. But then I wouldn't have been available to help the other worship team tonight.

Funny how that all worked out, eh?

Political musings.

I'm fascinated by this year's presidential for many reasons. One of the biggest fascinations is watching a relatively liberal Democrat vie for the votes of evangelical Christians and a relatively conservative Republican largely ignore (or weakly attempt) to connect with those same voters.

I don't know who I'll vote for this November. It won't be Bob Barr, and it won't be Ralph Nader. Not that I oppose the concept of third parties; I voted for Ross Perot in 1992, the first time I could vote for president. But both Barr and Nader just don't cut it.

Anyway, I've been closely following online articles about Obama and McCain and issues of faith. Here are a couple of interesting articles I found today relating to Obama and faith:

Obama focuses on faith; McCain slams earmarks in crime speech

Obama works to mobilize 'Christian left'

Memories and the senses.

I recently came across a CD that I hadn't listened to in years. Once I tossed it into my car's CD player, I realized that it was filled with all kinds of songs that brought back memories of my first trip to Europe, way back in 1989. On that trip, I took along 1 cassette for my super-hip Walkman, and I practically wore out the tape by the end of the 2.5-week vacation.

But I also unknowingly engrained those songs with memories of Europe. As I listened to each track, my mind was filled with visual and emotional memories of a train between Brussels and Paris... a train station in Paris... walking around the streets of London... experience the Rhine River in Germany... all kinds of wonderful memories.

Last fall, I traveled to Greece with my mom and brother, and I intentionally listened to one album on my iPod repeatedly, in an attempt to re-create this experience.

It worked. Those songs now remind me of the great trip last year.

Our senses seem to be so closely linked to memory. When I smell cigarettes, I often think of smoke-filled sidewalks in Athens. Certain smells remind me of my childhood, including times with my grandparents or other family members. The feel of shag carpet reminds me of my paternal grandparents' floors. A humid evening will stir memories of Missouri or Alabama. Cool weather around Thanksgiving time reminds me of college trips during that holiday. The smells and sounds of Christmas evoke more memories than I can possibly record.

I wonder what senses in a year or five or ten will evoke memories of my life right now.

Religious contradictions?

Came across an interesting article on sfgate.com about seemingly contradictory religious beliefs held by Americans:

Americans remain heavily religious, but their views rarely conform to dogma, according to a massive new survey released this morning.

Seventy percent of religious adherents in the United States believe multiple religions can lead a person to salvation, while 68 percent say there is more than one way to interpret the teachings of their religion.

Those views are at the centerpiece of a survey of 36,000 people released today by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey - unprecedented in its combination of survey pool and breadth of questions - reveals that religious beliefs and practices in America defy doctrine.

- 57 percent of evangelical Christians say that multiple religions can lead to salvation, though nary an evangelical theologian or minister would say that.

- 58 percent of Catholics believe society should accept homosexuality, a view that is greatly at odds with U.S. Catholic bishops, including the Bay Area.

- 12 percent of Eastern Orthodox Christians say they speak in tongues once a week, even though it is a Pentecostal practice that is not in Orthodox liturgy.

- 21 percent of self-defined atheists believe in God.

What also caught my eye in the article was this statement that holds incredible implications for those of us who work closely with people discovering, experiencing, living out, and growing in their faith:

But several scholars who read the study - or were involved in it - said the often counterintuitive results revealed another ongoing theme in American religion: Many believers may know little about the true practices of their own faith, much less others. So the fact that Americans largely see multiple religions leading to salvation may not reveal a trait of true understanding, but possibly naivete.

Cody's is closing for good.

Sad news from the Bay Area. Cody's Books is closing its doors and going out of business. I remember visiting the location on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley a few times when I lived there back in 1999-2000. More books than I could ever possibly consume in my lifetime. Loved the place!

Cody's Books, the legendary Berkeley bookstore that catered to literati nationwide for more than half a century and was firebombed in the 1980s because of its support of the First Amendment, has closed its doors, the victim of lagging sales.

The bookstore, which in recent years had closed its flagship store on Telegraph Avenue and its branches in San Francisco and on Berkeley's Fourth Street, finally settling in early April in one store on Shattuck Avenue, shuttered that store Friday.

Calling it "a heartbreaking moment," Cody's owner, Hiroshi Kagawa of the Japanese firm IBC Publishing, said in a statement, "unfortunately, my current business is not strong enough or rich enough to support Cody's."

"Cody's is my treasure and more than that, Cody's is a real friend of (the) Berkeley community and will be missed," Kagawa said.

Pat Cody, one of the store's co-founders, said the closing "makes me very sad. We worked so hard and we put so much into it, and it meant a lot to the community. It's a big loss."

Today's funny photos.

Two shots from around town today...

Pic #1: The people at Fry's Electronics forgot how to spell the name of this MacBook...



Pic #2: The owner of this car likes the name "Jetta" so much, a second appearance of the name on the back of the car was apparently warranted...

More coverage on killing of a Turlock toddler.

Couple new stories online about the weekend murder of a 2-year-old just outside of Turlock, where I grew up and where my mom still lives:

Article from The Modesto Bee

Article from The San Francisco Chronicle

Political roundup

A few interesting stories I've come across this evening:

Obama the delegator picks when to take reins
International Herald Tribune

Fiorina woos Clinton supporters for McCain
Reuters, via MSNBC

State-run Chinese paper voices doubts about Obama
Reuters, via International Herald Tribune

Analysis: Age an issue in the 2008 campaign?
CNN

Gore endorses Obama and promises to help him
Associated Press, via SFGate

Tragic news from my old hometown.

There's been a bit of covering in the last couple days about the brutal beating of a toddler in Turlock on Saturday night. I grew up in Turlock and worked there (twice) after college. Here's coverage from two media outlets:

The Modesto Bee article

The San Francisco Chronicle article

As of 5:45PM Monday, the Turlock Journal had nothing on its website about the incident. This isn't a surprise, because the Journal is a joke. It has been for many years. I'll admit it was a joke when I worked there, but it got worse when the paper was sold and went to twice-a-week publishing, instead of six days a week.

Schwarzeneggers debate Obama, McCain?

Great article on IHT about Arnold and Maria and the debate over which presidential candidate to support this year. Good read.

Of all the supporters behind the two presumptive nominees for president this year, none are quite as intriguing as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - a Republican who has thrown his support behind John McCain - and his wife, Maria Shriver - a Democrat who is a vocal backer of Barack Obama.

The lawn of their home has dueling campaign signs. The breakfast table has become a casual debating society. Shriver is even threatening to bring a life-size cutout of her preferred candidate into the house, something the governor has seen her do in other elections. "When one of the candidates screws up," Schwarzenegger said of the cutouts, "the kids carry them outside."

The four Schwarzenegger children - who range in age from 10 to 18 - have already taken sides, though only one of them, Katherine, is old enough to vote. She, too, favors Obama.

What will Bush's legacy be?

The time is quickly winding down on the Bush Presidency, and the International Herald Tribune had an interesting article today looking at the legacy question, especially from a European perspective:

The finale of George W. Bush's presidency has never seemed more imminent as it has during his tour of European capitals, a farewell visit in which reminiscence, valediction and even eulogies trailed him.

At the Vatican on Friday, Pope Benedict XVI gave the president a tour of the gardens where he prays each evening - the first time a pontiff has done so - and then offered a gift of four volumes about St. Peter's Basilica with an allusion to a life after office.

"Perhaps you'll have some time to read it," Benedict told him. ...

Legacy is a word over which Bush's aides profess not to dwell, and the president himself seems averse to reflection. "The president does not have second thoughts," his press secretary, Dana Perino, once said.

But his legacy hangs over his eight-day visit to Europe nonetheless - in interviews he has given to foreign journalists, in his friendships with European leaders, in his appearance Thursday night with Berlusconi when he had to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court's rebuke on the Guantánamo Bay prison, which remains an unredeemable blemish for many in Europe and beyond.

Tim Russert died.

Being a former journalist, I pay attention when a former newsperson dies. Was sad to see the news just a few minutes ago about Tim Russert dying:

Tim Russert, who became one of America's leading political journalists as the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died Friday, according to the network. He was 58.

The network said Russert suffered a heart attack while at work and could not be revived. He had just returned from a family vacation in Italy to celebrate the graduation of his son, Luke, from Boston College.

Russert joined the network in 1984 and quickly established himself as the face of the network's political coverage.