We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
The Associated Press reports “[a]n Italian priest has developed an application that will let priests celebrate Mass with an iPad on the altar instead of the regular Roman missal.”
Read the full story on Yahoo! News: iPad coming to church altars with daily missal app.
A very funny post from the “rants and raves” board on the Lansing, Michigan area Craiglist. It was flagged for removal from Craigslist, but fortunately, I had preserved it in PDF format in case of just such an occurrence. Worth the read for the comic relief! Click to read “To the Straight Guy at the Party Last Night.”
David Spark hits the nail on the head: Blogging advice for people who “have no time to blog”.
The law of unintended consequences at work? Are we actually harming ourselves with our focus on electronic devices? Very interesting read at the New York Times: Your Brain on Computers – Attached to Technology and Paying a Price .
Mashable.com reports that Starbucks Used Social Media to Get One Million to Stores in One Day. Starbucks is leveraging Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter to drive customers into their stores.
I have a bone to pick with California Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont), a candidate for California Attorney General.
Despite California law prohibiting the use of so-called “robo-calling,” Torrico’s campaign has repeatedly used an “automatic dialing-announcement device” to dial our home phone number to deliver a recorded message in support of his campaign.
Sections 2873 and 2874 of the California Public Utilities Code set forth the conditions under which these robo-calls may occur, to wit:
2873. Automatic dialing-announcing devices may be used to place calls over telephone lines only pursuant to a prior agreement between the persons involved, whereby the person called has agreed that he or she consents to receive such calls from the person calling, or as specified in Section 2874.
I have not consented to receive any such calls from Assemblymember Torrico.
2874. (a) Whenever telephone calls are placed through the use of an automatic dialing-announcing device, the device may be operated only after an unrecorded, natural voice announcement has been made to the person called by the person calling. The announcement shall do all of the following:
(1) State the nature of the call and the name, address, and telephone number of the business or organization being represented, if any.
(2) Inquire as to whether the person called consents to hear the prerecorded message of the person calling.(b) The calling person described in subdivision (a) shall disconnect the automatic dialing-announcing device from the telephone line upon the termination of the call by either the person calling or the person called.
(Emphasis added.) Full text of the code available online.
None of these calls has been announced by an unrecorded, natural voice announcement (i.e., a live person), nor have they asked me for permission to play the message, nor have I been offered the opportunity to disconnect, rather than being subjected to the message.
Having failed to qualify as legally dialed robo-calls under California law, these calls are, instead, a violation of the law.
Yes, it is a simple matter to hang up the phone, but the principle matters here. Do we really want an Attorney General — the chief law enforcement officer for the state — who violates the law in his campaign seeking the office? I think not.
I recently graduated from Leadership Mountain View, a 9-month training program for community leaders. I recommend it for its leadership development and community networking opportunities. The LMV web site description of the program reads:
Since 1990, Leadership Mountain View has been an important training ground for community leaders. Each year up to 32 participants are selected to attend the 9 full days and one half day seminar that make up the Leadership Mountain View course.
How does city government work? How does Mountain View fit into the regional picture? What are the important issues facing the local education ad public safety systems? What are the needs in our area’s safety net of health and human services? How can citizens make a difference?
Each class highlights a Leadership Skill through the eyes of a Community theme. It is with the collaboration of these two concepts: Leadership and Community that Leadership Mountain View provides knowledge of the community, enables relationships between people and organizations and builds leadership skills.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Apply online for the class of 2011.
LMV Class of 2010 (click for class roster)
Helen Keller died 42 years ago today. For 85 years, the members of Lions Clubs International have been responding to her challenge to us to be the “Knights of the Blind in the Crusade against Darkness.” Let us all take a moment today to be inspired by this truly remarkable woman who achieved so much during her lifetime, despite the obstacles she faced.
Today we gratefully acknowledge the service of all the men and women of our military, past and present, gay and straight. It’s a pity that the freedoms for which they fought aren’t yet extended to all members of our society.
With the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell pending, here’s a Story from the Frontlines: A Love Letter to a G.I. from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
Mashable.com issues a warning:
Facebook Clickjacking Attack Spreading Through ‘Likes’
The moral of this story? Be very selective when “liking” pages — or installing apps, or even joining groups. All these behaviors carry risks, for that matter. Make sure that you’re interacting with legitimate entities for legitimate purposes.
