Ramble: Rx for Latin and Innovation

I had no idea that all that gobbledy gook on my prescriptions was a bunch of Latin abbreviations.

Understanding Your Prescription has a handy table so you can understand your prescriptions. I think it's kinda cool (but also kinda odd and scary) that doctors still use Latin abbreviations on prescriptions.

On a different topic, ClinicalTrials.gov is "a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world." Basically, if you have a medical problem and want to know what researchers are trying to cure or treat it, then this is the place to look.

Music Monday: Dizzy

I remember first seeing Dizzy Gillespie on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Those cheeks were amazing. Only now do I really appreciate his artistry. What a tremendous musician.

Dizzy Gillespie doing Manteca:

• With His Dream Band: This is a tremendous group of musicians.
• in Denmark: Damn, he looks cool in this one. If I had seen that video when I was a kid, I would have wanted nothing more than to be him when I grew up.
• In Finland: The video's aspect ratio is screwed up, but the music is great.

And here Dizzy is on the Muppet Show where they had to distract the noise inspector from Dizzy's performance.

Music Monday: Birthday

Duke Ellington at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival

song: A Train

Starting at 1:25, this song absolutely rocks. Great album.

Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles

song: Cantaloupe Island

My affection for Cantaloupe is already documented, but the whole album is very fine.

The Drums (eponymous album)

songs: Best Friend and Forever & Ever Amen

Fun, light stuff.

Big Boi: Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty

song: Back Up Plan

I don't listen to much rap, but Big Boi gets it done.

Music Monday: Kid British

These guys are fun. When I saw and heard them, I immediately thought of The Specials in the 80's, then saw a video in which The Specials came on stage with Kid British and said they thought the same thing.

• Our House Is Dadless
• Blue Monday
• Two out of Seven
• Drive Through

Web Stuff Friday: Sargent Mashup

Guy Sargent is an amazing photographer.

• What lies beneath the surface
• London, a personal view
• Common progress

Mashup Breakdown is just wonderful. The aforementioned B-Sizzle let me know that Girl Talk has a new album out. It rocks. When I checked out Girl Talk's Twitter feed (@therealgirltalk), I was introduced to this site that shows the mashup visually.

Web Stuff Friday: My Chrome Setup

If you haven't tried Google's Chrome browser, I think you should check it out. It's not perfect, but it is fast, portable, and has some really smooth features and add-ons.

The interface is pretty minimalist, but still provides quick access to your most visited sites as well as your bookmarks.

I have three add-ons installed that I see as small icons to the right of my location bar.

• goo.gl URL shortener. With a single click, I can take the URL of the page I am on, shorten it, and copy the short URL to my clipboard. So, if I see a great article, I just click the goo.gl button and paste it into an email or IM window. Very handy.
• Chrome to Phone allows me to send links to my Droid phone. If I'm on my computer when someone sends me a link about a great android app, I just send the link to my phone and I can check it out later.
• Chrome It Later integrates with Read It Later, which I love. When I see an article I want to read somewhere and somehow, I just click the button and it's saved to my reading list. I can then access my reading list from any browser or from my phone and they all stay in sync.

I live lots of my life in a browser window, so I care about what I use for my Web stuff. Chrome is a good thing.

Ramble: Autumn, Part I

Dew evaporates off the meadow grasses lazily. The resulting mist hangs low enough that the clear autumn sun is unhindered. A 4-point buck stands on the bank of the stream, striking a pose like he is auditioning to be the next model for the Hartford logo. Everyone I see nods in mutual appreciation of the serenity that is this perfect morning in the Glade Stream Valley.

The big, perfect dear watches me plodding along and seems to wonder how I can put out so much effort, yet move so slowly. My top speed when I "run" is more of an amble, but it's not about speed for me. It's about feeling healthy and connected. Activity helps me feel healthier, while mornings like this help with the connectedness.

While raking leaves in the backyard just before dinner, I pause for a moment to look up at the stately oaks towering over me. They still have most of their leaves, so I will get to live this day again in a few weeks. Most excellent.