Jacob’s Blog

On a New York Times blog, Stephen J. Dubner asks why people comment on blogs, although unfortunately, he didn’t provide any more insight over simply raising the questions.

It is a good topic, and I would love to know what causes people to leave a comment so I can facilitate more comments on my blog. I do know why I often don’t leave comments:

1. Login Required. I hate having to create an account and log in just so I can leave a three sentence comment. The effort is too great.
2. Nothing of value to add. While the post might have been great or insightful, I personally don’t have anything I could write that would add value to the topic, and I’m not going to spend time to sprawl garbage out on your post.
3. If I’m going to add discussion to your presented topic, I might as well write it on my own blog so I can maintain ownership of what I’ve written.

If you have any reasons why you do or don’t write comments, please feel free to leave a comment. No login required.

Additional thoughts added March 21: Apparently, users on ZDNet are discussing talkbacks, which is what they call comments over there. I’ve been reading more and more ZDNet posts because I’ve seen them come up in my Personalized News Google Desktop Gadget. Every once in a while I want to add a comment to either add value to the discussion or to challenge the writer. When I hit the register screen, I give up, mostly because it looks too big scary. More than once I’ve written a slightly longer comment not knowing that I needed to be registered until after I tried to submit it.

I don’t know that ZDNet should eliminate registration altogether or allow fully-anonymous comments, but I do think they should make it easier by:

1. Forcing authentication/registration before the comment form is shown
2. Simplifying their new user registration form
3. Allow alternate forms of authentication such as OpenID

I also have to admit to rarely reading other users’ comments. Although when I do make a comment somewhere, I like to read the replies to my comment.

Google Docs is an online service that provides a word processor, spreadsheet application, and a slide show program. It is available as part of Google Apps, for a specific team, or directly from Google.

Today I visited Google Docs to upload a document with a sugar cookie recipe, and I found that they’ve gone pink for the day. I did’t know the Google Docs folks were so into Valentines Day, but it looks like they’ve got pleanty of love to share.

I found this in a magazine and I really liked it:

Remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

–Henry Ford

I was looking back at a post that was never made public. There were a few brief phrases in the post that I think I’ll share. They are about crushes and dates.
Continue reading Looking back into the seven year mirror…

I’ve heard a number of my friends and other people talk about “meeting someone” or “finding an eternal companion.”

These phrases seem a little odd to me.  They always seem to allude that the particular someone special is a person we haven’t met yet.  I think it may be unfair to think this way.  There are always possibilities that we will marry someone we have already met, but haven’t yet dated.

I think single people should keep an open mind about who they might eventually marry, and not limit their potential companions to those they haven’t yet met.

Furthermore, if singles put themselves in the mind-frame that they will marry someone they haven’t yet met, then they risk creating a habit of always looking for the next person, whom they will never actually find.

I’m thinking about starting a new group on Facebook called:
Coalition in support of increased distribution of mistletoe.

By supporting this cause, you can help to put the joy back into Christmas for many college-aged students everywhere.

Leave a comment below if you support the cause.

I got back to Hillsboro today after watching BYU deliver a decimation to UNLV: 52 to 7. The win (and an Air Force loss to SDSU) puts BYU on top of the Mountain West Conference standings. While the game didn’t contain a lot of suspense, it was an awesome game, in the literal sense that I’m filled with awe about what BYU is capable of. Seriously, I am very impressed with the athleticism of the players and the team in general.

I also wanted to thank some friends who made watching the game very enjoyable. Thank you: C, C, S, W, A, K, K, B, and R. Having good friends like you makes life tons better. I love all of your guts.

I’ll be in Provo starting next Wednesday night through Sunday morning. So far, the only thing I have planned is the Homecoming Parade and Football game, although I would love to do additional things, so suggestions are welcomed. I think I would really enjoy going out on a date, but that probably won’t happen because setting one up from two states away is kind of difficult.

Facebook is a social networking site that allows you to post a picture and have links to friends. On Facebook, you can view all your friends photos as a grid. To do this, select “My Friends” from the left menu, and then select “—-” from the drop down menu next to the text “Show.” Normally it will show “All Friends” or “Recently Updated” friends, but if you select to show “—-” then you get the grid. These images here are scaled down because I have so many friends it would take too much space to show everyone in full size.

I went to a dance last night, and although I might have uttered these words before, it might have been the worst dance that I’ve ever been to. It was so bad, that staying at home and Googling the word boring would have been a more enjoyable experience. There were too few many individuals who could not understand that dancing actually involves foot work, and even fewer individuals who actually decided that a dance was worth their presence. Furthermore, it would be great if the people operating the musical devices (normally I would use the term DJ if their creative talents justified such usage) knew a more diverse portfolio of musical pieces, or at least what the true interpretation of the letters R and B should be.

Maybe I just come from a land where dancing to the band is somewhat more grand. I mean, when scenes from reality musicals break out everyday on the streets, it is difficult to view a dance without tunes as extraordinary, although I do promise that I at least tried to keep an open view.

I got an unexpected text message on my phone today from a friend. It made me feel, well, liked. Thanks. Update,17 Sept: Oh, and phone calls are pretty fabtabulous too.

Its long, curly and soft

–Carson about his chest hair.

Time is funny. We are always running out of it, yet there is always more.

Without words, I could perfectly describe exactly how I feel. With words, not so much.

Dear Roommate,
I know you haven’t seen your girlfriend recently. I know she recently got upgraded from girlfriend to fiancee.

But…

Please don’t make out on the couch, especially when I’m home.

Thanks.