Showing posts with label miscellany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miscellany. Show all posts
2017-01-11
"Normal" comments enabled again
I had some feedback that the Google comments that I had enabled were not optimum, so I've switched back to more normal comments that don't require a Google sign-in.
2016-12-12
Doomed to failure
Of course I signed up, since there's no down side. However, I think it's doomed to failure.
I received the following offer from my natural gas company:
![Congratulations! You have been randomly selected to participate in our “SoCalGas Advisory – A Call to Conserve Natural Gas” Pilot Rebate Program this winter. Enroll now and you will receive periodic email notifications through March 31, 2017. These email notifications will encourage you to conserve natural gas on designated SoCalGas Advisory days. They will include simple energy-saving tips to help you reduce your natural gas usage, such as “lower your thermostat to 68 degrees” and “wash clothes in cold water.”Stay enrolled in these email notifications until the end of the program and you can receive $2.50 for every therm you save on each SoCalGas Advisory day event. At the end of the winter, we will then add up all your savings on SoCalGas Advisory days and you will receive a rebate equal to your total therms saved multiplied by $2.50 per therm.[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0edi0SmxuGu82G-HjdUpZoJSkIx4okJjXhOuU-Ugcv3HGxfbm349HcyB3fU3NB7xtWpnMiDU2fzJ0ndSPwVqDHifQcGaBwNHdWoRXTMiy-4xK_f_JDR4EW0nMg2AqonU_KqGtIQ/s400/Capture.PNG)
I received the following offer from my natural gas company:
![Congratulations! You have been randomly selected to participate in our “SoCalGas Advisory – A Call to Conserve Natural Gas” Pilot Rebate Program this winter. Enroll now and you will receive periodic email notifications through March 31, 2017. These email notifications will encourage you to conserve natural gas on designated SoCalGas Advisory days. They will include simple energy-saving tips to help you reduce your natural gas usage, such as “lower your thermostat to 68 degrees” and “wash clothes in cold water.”Stay enrolled in these email notifications until the end of the program and you can receive $2.50 for every therm you save on each SoCalGas Advisory day event. At the end of the winter, we will then add up all your savings on SoCalGas Advisory days and you will receive a rebate equal to your total therms saved multiplied by $2.50 per therm.[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0edi0SmxuGu82G-HjdUpZoJSkIx4okJjXhOuU-Ugcv3HGxfbm349HcyB3fU3NB7xtWpnMiDU2fzJ0ndSPwVqDHifQcGaBwNHdWoRXTMiy-4xK_f_JDR4EW0nMg2AqonU_KqGtIQ/s1600/Capture.PNG)
2015-01-28
2014-11-21
2014-10-05
2014-08-06
2014-05-12
Twitter leaves me bitter, but...
...I have an interest in Pinterest.
http://www.pinterest.com/brentamorgan
I'm so new to it, that I had trouble finding the URL that links to my page, but from what I've seen I've completely abandoned previously held Pinterest skeptic point of view. As I figure things out, I'll try to get these blog posts to send automatically to Pinterest, much like I use RSS Graffiti to post to Facebook.
I'm still a Twitter skeptic (though I have had an account for years with all of two tweets being sent); I simply don't want to read about anything 140 characters at a time.
http://www.pinterest.com/brentamorgan
I'm so new to it, that I had trouble finding the URL that links to my page, but from what I've seen I've completely abandoned previously held Pinterest skeptic point of view. As I figure things out, I'll try to get these blog posts to send automatically to Pinterest, much like I use RSS Graffiti to post to Facebook.
I'm still a Twitter skeptic (though I have had an account for years with all of two tweets being sent); I simply don't want to read about anything 140 characters at a time.
2013-09-16
Site redesign
Bear with me while I play: I'm changing the look of my blog.
Update 9/20: After playing with some options, I've given the look and feel of the blog just a light overhaul. Google+ is now integrated and some of the graphics are changed. I've also decided that I'll focus this blog a bit more sharply on California native plants, the outdoors, and gardening which is where my recent activities and posts have been focused anyway.
The template that I'm using seems to want to force me to have a turquoise colored font for blog post titles. If I could change that, I'd feel like I was done. (Changed! I needed to change the "link" color. I spent a long time looking in vain for a title color.) I might have to edit the HTML which has become a whole lot more sophisticated than when I was building web sites a decade ago.
I'm nearing my 1000th blog post, which isn't remarkable, but it is a milestone. This post is number 941, I believe.
As always, the blog will stay advertisement-free. I have borrowed an ad-free graphic (Town Mouse and Country Mouse have used it for years) to emphasize that fact.
Update 9/20: After playing with some options, I've given the look and feel of the blog just a light overhaul. Google+ is now integrated and some of the graphics are changed. I've also decided that I'll focus this blog a bit more sharply on California native plants, the outdoors, and gardening which is where my recent activities and posts have been focused anyway.
The template that I'm using seems to want to force me to have a turquoise colored font for blog post titles. If I could change that, I'd feel like I was done. (Changed! I needed to change the "link" color. I spent a long time looking in vain for a title color.) I might have to edit the HTML which has become a whole lot more sophisticated than when I was building web sites a decade ago.
I'm nearing my 1000th blog post, which isn't remarkable, but it is a milestone. This post is number 941, I believe.
As always, the blog will stay advertisement-free. I have borrowed an ad-free graphic (Town Mouse and Country Mouse have used it for years) to emphasize that fact.
By using this icon on my website I am stating...
1. That I am opposed to the use of corporate advertising on blogs.
2. That I feel the use of corporate advertising on blogs devalues the medium.
3. That I do not accept money in return for advertising space on my blog.
signed,
Brent
2013-08-10
Beach access in Florida
This is what public beach access and dune preservation along Florida's Spacecoast look like.
The trees at right are Mangroves. The grass is oat grass.
- Posted from my iPhone
The trees at right are Mangroves. The grass is oat grass.
- Posted from my iPhone
2013-08-09
Sea oats
Floridians seem to have an awareness that their coastline is best preserved by native plants. Mangrove forests abound too.
- Posted from my iPhone
2012-11-12
Night time at home
- Posted at great expense from my iPhone
2012-03-03
Sunrise view
It's nice to have a view in the morning. In the far distance are mountains that the sun is peeking over.
My mish mash garden of exotic plants in the foreground will eventually be upgraded to more appropriate native plants .
- Posted at great expense from my iPhone
My mish mash garden of exotic plants in the foreground will eventually be upgraded to more appropriate native plants .
- Posted at great expense from my iPhone
2011-10-26
Local trails and busy but not forgotten
I'm busy doing some things other than blogging. One of the fun things I'm doing is familiarizing myself with local trails. It turns out there are plenty of obscure and undocumented ones, such as the "Mailbox Trail" which quickly devolves into a single track along the edge of George F Canyon.
George F turns into another canyon system further along, and the trails are wide and well maintained in this area (for horses).
That's Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) on the left with the red berries and Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) looming over the right hand branch of the trail. They're easy to tell apart this time of year with the red berries only on Toyon, which is also known as Christmas Berry. When they are not in bloom, I think the easiest way to tell them apart is by the leaf edges: Serrations on the Toyon, smooth or wavy on Lemonade Berry. This seems to be locally true, anyway.
I have been assured that all trails are public access, yet already I've run into what appear to be bogus trail closings promulgated by local homeowner groups (thinks to self, "Hmm. I don't see the advertised trail hazard that motivated trail closure with not one but two chain link fences across the trail. Curious - these fences seem designed to cut off down-trail access into a gated community that is advertised as open at the public-access trailhead. Wow, even the horsemen passing within eyeshot of the trail closure don't seem to think there's a hazard.")
I sense some advocacy in my future. Until then, I'm just a quiet trails anthropologist and I'll keep a photo record documenting trail conditions without trying to perturb the system.
I'll be back in a bit to tell you more about native plants - I have tremendous plans for my new yard. Until then, I'm a bit busy. See you on the trails.
That's Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) on the left with the red berries and Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) looming over the right hand branch of the trail. They're easy to tell apart this time of year with the red berries only on Toyon, which is also known as Christmas Berry. When they are not in bloom, I think the easiest way to tell them apart is by the leaf edges: Serrations on the Toyon, smooth or wavy on Lemonade Berry. This seems to be locally true, anyway.
I have been assured that all trails are public access, yet already I've run into what appear to be bogus trail closings promulgated by local homeowner groups (thinks to self, "Hmm. I don't see the advertised trail hazard that motivated trail closure with not one but two chain link fences across the trail. Curious - these fences seem designed to cut off down-trail access into a gated community that is advertised as open at the public-access trailhead. Wow, even the horsemen passing within eyeshot of the trail closure don't seem to think there's a hazard.")
I sense some advocacy in my future. Until then, I'm just a quiet trails anthropologist and I'll keep a photo record documenting trail conditions without trying to perturb the system.
I'll be back in a bit to tell you more about native plants - I have tremendous plans for my new yard. Until then, I'm a bit busy. See you on the trails.
2011-03-30
2010-09-03
Percolation theoretic understanding of landscape ecology
Sometimes I have good ideas. Less often those ideas are new. Given my interest in native plants as habitat, about 6 months ago I thought I would try to model wildlife migration on a grid (which would stand in for typical suburban lots) using percolation theory. However, a quick Google search turns up lots of prior work. So this is only a potentially good idea that isn't even novel.
The first article that I read was confusing on more than one level. Give the first page a read (or not) below. My guess is that you'll quickly get bogged down and skip past it.
Neutral Models: Useful Tools for Understanding Landscape Patterns
SCOTT M. PEARSON and ROBERT H. GARDNER
8.1 Introduction
A neutral model is a minimum set of rules required to generate pattern in the absence of a particular process (or set of processes) being studied. The results of the neutral model provide a means of testing the effect of the measured process on patterns that are actually observed (Caswell l976). If observed patterns do not differ from the neutral model, then the measured process has not significantly affected the observed pattern. Conversely, when results differ from model predictions in a way that is consistent with a particular process, then strong evidence for the importance of this process has been obtained. Several authors have argued that formulation of a proper neutral model is necessary for hypothesis testing, because data often exhibit nonrandom patterns in the absence of the causal mechanisms of interest (Quinn and Dunham 1983). This approach has been discussed extensively in the field of community ecology (e.g., Conner and Simberloff 1984, 1986; Haefner 1988) as well as other areas of biology (Nitecki and Hoffman 1987).
Neutral models are useful in landscape ecology, a field of ecology that emphasizes the complex relationships between landscape pattern and ecological process (Turner 1989, Gardner and O'tieill1991). Processes, such as disturbance, can produce landscape patterns by changing the abundance and location of habitat patches (Baker 1992). Likewise, patterns have important effects on ecological processes. For example, habitat fragmentation affects metapopulation dynamics (Holt et al. 1995), gene flow (Ballal et a1.1994), and dispersal (Santos and Telleria 1994). The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the usefulness of neutral models to landscape ecology by discussing how neutral models (1) assist the investigator in understanding patterns in spatial data and (2) are useful for generating maps for quantifying the effect of landscape pattern on ecological processes.
8.2 A Simple Neutral Model
Neutral models help landscape ecologists understand relationships between measures of spatial pattern and landcover abundance. A simple neutral model designed to explore the effect of changes in the abundance of a habitat on the spatial pattern of landcover (Gardner et al. 1987) was derived from the principles of percolation theory (Stauffer and Aharony 1992).
Was I right?
Even after reading this article several times, I don't have a good plain English understanding of what they are trying to say. This isn't helped by the fact that I seem to have stumbled upon a small tempest in a teapot regarding the use of a neutral model versus a null model. In population ecology and related fields, a null model seems to be a migration model fit with constraints measured from data whereas the neutral model attempts a statistically based description that can be scaled to data. I'm probably wrong, but that's what I'm going with right now.
The first article that I read was confusing on more than one level. Give the first page a read (or not) below. My guess is that you'll quickly get bogged down and skip past it.
Neutral Models: Useful Tools for Understanding Landscape Patterns
SCOTT M. PEARSON and ROBERT H. GARDNER
8.1 Introduction
A neutral model is a minimum set of rules required to generate pattern in the absence of a particular process (or set of processes) being studied. The results of the neutral model provide a means of testing the effect of the measured process on patterns that are actually observed (Caswell l976). If observed patterns do not differ from the neutral model, then the measured process has not significantly affected the observed pattern. Conversely, when results differ from model predictions in a way that is consistent with a particular process, then strong evidence for the importance of this process has been obtained. Several authors have argued that formulation of a proper neutral model is necessary for hypothesis testing, because data often exhibit nonrandom patterns in the absence of the causal mechanisms of interest (Quinn and Dunham 1983). This approach has been discussed extensively in the field of community ecology (e.g., Conner and Simberloff 1984, 1986; Haefner 1988) as well as other areas of biology (Nitecki and Hoffman 1987).
Neutral models are useful in landscape ecology, a field of ecology that emphasizes the complex relationships between landscape pattern and ecological process (Turner 1989, Gardner and O'tieill1991). Processes, such as disturbance, can produce landscape patterns by changing the abundance and location of habitat patches (Baker 1992). Likewise, patterns have important effects on ecological processes. For example, habitat fragmentation affects metapopulation dynamics (Holt et al. 1995), gene flow (Ballal et a1.1994), and dispersal (Santos and Telleria 1994). The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the usefulness of neutral models to landscape ecology by discussing how neutral models (1) assist the investigator in understanding patterns in spatial data and (2) are useful for generating maps for quantifying the effect of landscape pattern on ecological processes.
8.2 A Simple Neutral Model
Neutral models help landscape ecologists understand relationships between measures of spatial pattern and landcover abundance. A simple neutral model designed to explore the effect of changes in the abundance of a habitat on the spatial pattern of landcover (Gardner et al. 1987) was derived from the principles of percolation theory (Stauffer and Aharony 1992).
Was I right?
Even after reading this article several times, I don't have a good plain English understanding of what they are trying to say. This isn't helped by the fact that I seem to have stumbled upon a small tempest in a teapot regarding the use of a neutral model versus a null model. In population ecology and related fields, a null model seems to be a migration model fit with constraints measured from data whereas the neutral model attempts a statistically based description that can be scaled to data. I'm probably wrong, but that's what I'm going with right now.
2010-03-02
NBII LIFE
No, I haven't left the caps lock key on.
NBII LIFE is the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Library of Images from the Environment (LIFE), a collaborative effort to make diverse, high-quality images (photographs, illustrations, and graphics) of the environment freely available for research and other nonprofit uses. This is an outreach effort by the Smithsonian Institution who have a more extensive plants database at http://botany.si.edu/PlantImages.
Another (sometimes parallel) source of images is the USDA's PLANTS database. Whereas LIFE includes everything in categories of animals through weather, PLANTS focuses on plants, of course.
NBII LIFE is the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Library of Images from the Environment (LIFE), a collaborative effort to make diverse, high-quality images (photographs, illustrations, and graphics) of the environment freely available for research and other nonprofit uses. This is an outreach effort by the Smithsonian Institution who have a more extensive plants database at http://botany.si.edu/PlantImages.
Another (sometimes parallel) source of images is the USDA's PLANTS database. Whereas LIFE includes everything in categories of animals through weather, PLANTS focuses on plants, of course.
2010-01-01
2010 blog goals
I typically don't make resolutions, but in the spirit of resolutions, here are my goals for the blog and for myself in 2010.
250 blog posts. 250 was a good number in 2008, but I didn't meet it in 2009. I spent some of my 2009 time distratcted by my new iPhone, but I've found a comfortable way to post from the iPhone now and I'm hoping that it will add to the blog productivity.
Blog content: I want to blog more about gardening and keep the other non-gardening posts about where they are now. I will try to add more food and wine to the mix, as I have had a resurgence of interest in wine.
More diverse outdoor activities. I'm thinking hiking, mostly, but I'll continue to be interested in native plant activities. I had this goal in 2009, but visited the gym instead. I think that with the iPhone in hand blogging from the trail has never been easier. Shifting activities in my personal and family life may free up more time for this as well.
Bloom Day participation. Every 15th, garden bloggers participate in bloom day. I haven't seemed to find time near the 15th, but I'll try to this year. I may have to cheat and post the weekend before. This seems like a fun community effort.
Adapt to change. Change is in the wind, so plan to be adaptable and this blog will hopefully reflect that.
Sleep more. 'nuff said.
Happy New Year!
250 blog posts. 250 was a good number in 2008, but I didn't meet it in 2009. I spent some of my 2009 time distratcted by my new iPhone, but I've found a comfortable way to post from the iPhone now and I'm hoping that it will add to the blog productivity.
Blog content: I want to blog more about gardening and keep the other non-gardening posts about where they are now. I will try to add more food and wine to the mix, as I have had a resurgence of interest in wine.
More diverse outdoor activities. I'm thinking hiking, mostly, but I'll continue to be interested in native plant activities. I had this goal in 2009, but visited the gym instead. I think that with the iPhone in hand blogging from the trail has never been easier. Shifting activities in my personal and family life may free up more time for this as well.
Bloom Day participation. Every 15th, garden bloggers participate in bloom day. I haven't seemed to find time near the 15th, but I'll try to this year. I may have to cheat and post the weekend before. This seems like a fun community effort.
Adapt to change. Change is in the wind, so plan to be adaptable and this blog will hopefully reflect that.
Sleep more. 'nuff said.
Happy New Year!
2009 goals in review
One year ago, I set some modest goals for 2009.
I thought that 250 or so blog posts would be appropriate for this year, but by my count I only had 159, which is only 63% of my goal. I also wanted to post more photos (with tags), but I'm not sure that I did. I'll have to take an F on those combined goals. As an excuse, I'll have to say that while I wasn't blogging, progress was being made on many fronts, some of which don't get much blog time. The blog diverged from majority native plant topics, which I hope is only temporary.
I did spend a little blog time on home improvement projects. One of my 2009 goals was to complete the To Do list items, and I mostly did. I'll give myself an A for that goal. I now have a whole new list of To Do items, but they are less ambitious which is progress of a while different kind.
I also wanted to spend more time doing outside activities in 2009 - I believe that I had native plant classes, hikes, or restorations in mind. I also thought I might want to take up dancing again. I had cautioned that didn't have time for these activities, but it turned out that I made time for regular gym visits instead. So while I didn't meet either goal, so I'll take a B for doing something in a related area. The disadvantage of the gym is that it's not really a bloggable activity, whereas my intended activities would have added to my dismal 159 posts.
My final goal was to get more sleep. I think I am making progress on that front, but not as much as I want, so I'll give myself a C.
With and A, a B, an F, and a C my overall grade for 2009 Resolutions is around C+.
I thought that 250 or so blog posts would be appropriate for this year, but by my count I only had 159, which is only 63% of my goal. I also wanted to post more photos (with tags), but I'm not sure that I did. I'll have to take an F on those combined goals. As an excuse, I'll have to say that while I wasn't blogging, progress was being made on many fronts, some of which don't get much blog time. The blog diverged from majority native plant topics, which I hope is only temporary.
I did spend a little blog time on home improvement projects. One of my 2009 goals was to complete the To Do list items, and I mostly did. I'll give myself an A for that goal. I now have a whole new list of To Do items, but they are less ambitious which is progress of a while different kind.
I also wanted to spend more time doing outside activities in 2009 - I believe that I had native plant classes, hikes, or restorations in mind. I also thought I might want to take up dancing again. I had cautioned that didn't have time for these activities, but it turned out that I made time for regular gym visits instead. So while I didn't meet either goal, so I'll take a B for doing something in a related area. The disadvantage of the gym is that it's not really a bloggable activity, whereas my intended activities would have added to my dismal 159 posts.
My final goal was to get more sleep. I think I am making progress on that front, but not as much as I want, so I'll give myself a C.
With and A, a B, an F, and a C my overall grade for 2009 Resolutions is around C+.
2009-09-24
Blogs I'm reading
I've been enjoying On the public record blog. It reads like an op-ed in the local paper, but larded with links to actual facts and figures. Topics seem to revolve around water public policy and natural resources stewardship with occasional jabs thrown mostly at the right, so if that floats your boat you might want to browse it.
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