Tuesday, December 30, 2008

I like to dream. Do you like to dream?

You may like to dream about Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, Humphrey Bogart or Audrey Hepburn, Will Smith or Jada Pinkett Smith.

I like to dream about houses: houses of the past, present and future.  From castles and palaces to hovels and caves, from warm climate cabanas to cold climate insulated chambers.  I also like to think about how all of these dreams would impact me, my current lines, my structure, my chances of landing a new owner, and how I can improve myself for posterity.

I want to structure some future posts on what-if's - for example, what if I built on a medieval tower on my facade, on this hill overlooking the Thompson Run/Turtle Creek valleys, or built out my peripheral decks, or constructed a snaking, curving driveway up to my front door?  How would these augment the way that I feel, the way that I look, the way that I can service the humans living in me.  Many thoughts, directions, reflections....

..HF.






Monday, December 29, 2008

Forlorn Shrub 2

Ah, perhaps he only hand small hand-pruners ... that top branch looks
like branch-lopping shears are needed!

..HF.

Forlorn Shrub 1

Why do you suppose he trimmed like that?

..HF.

Laceleaf Maple 3

Laceleaf Maple 2

Laceleaf Maple 1

So that's what a laceleaf maple looks like in the winter without it's
bright red-green leaves!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

House Forlorn Reads: 2008 Book Retrospective

Aristophanes "The Frogs", 

Harry Beckwith's "Selling the Invisible", 

Peter Drucker's "Management".


Carl Sagan's "Murmurs from Earth", 

Beatrice Corley's "Everyday People Cookbook", 

Olwen Hedley's "Hampton Court Palace"


Johnson, Rayle and Wedberg's "Biology: An Introduction", 

Gerhard Gollwitzer's "The Joy of Drawing: Learn how to observe, then create spontaneously"

Harry Disston's "Know About Horses: A Ready Reference Guide to Horses, Horse People and Horse Sports"


William Betz' "Basic Mathematics", 

Turner and Berry's "The Winemaker's Companion", 

Henry Cooper's "The Search for Life on Mars"


James Herriot's self-named "James Herriot's Yorkshire", 

Ignacio Bernal's "The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology", 

Elizabeth S. Helfman's "Celebrating Nature: Rites and Ceremonies Around the World"


tourist picture guide All Sevilla, 

John Ruffle's "The Egyptians", 

David Weiss' "Naked Came I".


Juan Bonet's "Majorca", 

Betty Ford's "The Times of My Life", 

Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone's "Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World"


and three pamphlets:

the USGS Topographic Instructions, 

Communication with the Deaf, 

The Southwestern Pennsylvania magazine.



--
alex.landefeld@gmail.com
http://houseforlorn.blogspot.com
http://www.chogger.com/user/landalex
http://logos.blip.tv

Santa in a sunny window with cats 2

Wish my windows had real cats sitting on the sills sunning themselves...

..HF.

Santa in a sunny window with cats 1

Sunday, December 7, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 8

Three pamphlets:  the USGS Topographic Instructions, Communication with the Deaf, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania magazine.

House Forlorn Reads is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it.  This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081129
post-production completed: 20081207
Length: 00:16:11


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Saturday, November 29, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 8 - HFR Transcript

House Forlorn Reads 8

Three pamphlets: the USGS Topographic Instructions, Communication with the Deaf, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania magazine.

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.

Date of Production: 20081129
post-production completed: 20081100
Length: 00:00:00
-----------------------

House Forlorn Reads episode 8

You've stumbled upon House Forlorn Reads, Episode 8. I suppose you were hoping to find that recording studio for the Egyptian Mortuary Practices podcast - I think if you walk down to the next pyramid, you'll find that podcast now recording in the main temple in the sub-sub-sub-sub-basement of the tomb.

"House Forlorn Reads" is recorded for you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be linked to via www.HouseForlorn.com.

The music you hear is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV565, produced by James Clarke, of the UK. This and other podcast-friendly music can be found on the "podsafe music network" at music.podshow.com.

I have a thirst for books, which stems from a lack of human (or canine/feline) companionship -- nobody flicking on lights, stomping up and down my stairs, cooking bacon, playing video games for hours on end or barking/meowing at strange noises outside. Where does your thirst for books come from? Send a message to Houseforlorn@gmail.com, and I'll convey your thirst to others via this podcast.

Do you have any stories about your books? My owner was perusing his Twitter feed this morning, and came across a video at BrePettis.com/blog titled "Things - Edith Kollath Creates Books that Breathe". How weird is that? Books that breathe? The art show shows that anything can, and will, be art. An excellent art show!

In today's show, we'll read three excerpts from three paper pamphets for you.

1 First is the "Topographic Instructions of the United States Geological Survey: Color-Separation Scribing", Book 4, Chapters 4B1-4B3, 1961, published by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This is a very cool little booklet that came in some batch of books from an auction, detailing in pictures the methods and tools used to draw topographic maps. You may have seen topographic maps in your travels? They have squiggly lines (that's a technical term) which show the differences in elevation across a particular area of land.

2 Second is "Communication with the Deaf: A Guide for Parents of Deaf Children", Edited by Powrie Vaux Doctor, Ph.D., published by American Annals of the Deaf, 1963, 1969. A child's inability to hear through accident or birth defect can be a harrowing experience for the parent. This paper book seeks to help the frustrated parent by providing many avenues of teaching for developing avenues of communication with the deaf child: speechreading, hand sign language, cued speech and other techniques are discussed to provide an introduction for parents to an activity that will be crucial for the child's survival in this communication-rich society of ours.

3 Third, we have the Number 2 issue of the Southwestern Pennsylvania magazine. This is an excellent little magazine that shows pictorial and written descriptions of the cultural and industrial history of the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. From the migration of Slovenian-Americans into communities such as Granish Hill, Strabane, Bridgeville, Yukon and Herminie, to the building and reconstruction of Southwestern PA's log buildings; from the description of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and their churches, to the introduction to the people of "The Old Time Fiddlers Association", this magazine covers much of the cultures who built the communities of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Interestingly, it has no mention of the African-American experience, though it does specify that "Blacks and Germans" will be covered in a future Issue 4.

First, from the Topographic Instructions, on pages 24 & 25:

Next, I read page 47 of Communication with the Deaf:

Finally, In Southwestern Pennsylvania, a prose poem by John Mark Scott, 1973, titled "John Cooper":

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Link to the HouseForlorn blog via the www.houseforlorn.com landing page. You can follow houseforlorn on Twitter at twitter.com/houseforlorn, and become a fan of the House Forlorn Facebook page. For a transcript of this and previous "House Forlorn Reads" podcasts, google the key phrase "HFR Transcript".

Have a moving day.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pittsburgh Worm on the Walk 2

Oh. Down along the Allegheny River again, on Pittsburgh's Northshore.

That worm's view nearly rivals mine.
:-)

..HF.

Pittsburgh Worm on the Walk 1

Where did my owner snap that pic???

Poor, defenseless, unrepresented worm. :-(

..HF.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Nice day ... If you're a duck!

My owner apparently likes walking in the rain. Me, I'll stay under
this nice shingle roof!

..HD.

House Forlorn Reads 7

Majorca, Ford and Used Books:  Juan Bonet's "Majorca", Betty Ford's "The Times of My Life", and Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone's "Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it.  This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081116
post-production completed: 20081121
Length: 00:15:11



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MP3 Version

Friday, November 21, 2008

Been Here Before

Have you ever?

Have you ever looked through your rooms for that little scuffling noise? I do it all the time. There it is. No, it's over there! Oh, I hear it upstairs!

I wonder how cold it is outside? That's when the scuffling really begins. Porous foundations lead to little visitors entering a house just when the mercury drops. What do I want to do with those scuffling noises?

Why, find where my owner put his little scuffling-noise traps. They snap! and they crack! and put an end, with a bit of peanut butter on the tongue-of-death, to those scuffling noises.

Ahh, silence on a winter night. No more scuffling noises. I'll sit back, on my fieldstone foundation here on the hill and await the sounds of Saint Nick clamboring about on the roofing tiles.

..HF.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

House Forlorn Reads #7: Transcript

House Forlorn Reads 7

Majorca, Ford and Used Books: Juan Bonet's "Majorca", Betty Ford's "The Times of My Life", and Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone's "Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081116
post-production completed: 20081100
Length: 00:00:00
-----------------------

House Forlorn Reads episode 7

You've stumbled upon House Forlorn Reads, Episode 7. If the podcast you were hoping to find is brought to you by the Leaf-rakers Guild of the Southern Hemisphere and concerns proper techniques for leaf-raking with professional leaf-raking implements, then I must disappoint - this is a podcast about books.

"House Forlorn Reads" is recorded for you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be linked to via www.HouseForlorn.com.

The music you hear is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV565, produced by James Clarke, of the UK. This and other podcast-friendly music can be found on the "podsafe music network" at music.podshow.com.

I have a thirst for books, which stems from a lack of human (or canine/feline) companionship -- nobody flicking on lights, stomping up and down my stairs, cooking bacon, playing video games for hours on end or barking/meowing at strange noises outside. Where does your thirst for books come from? Send a message to Houseforlorn@gmail.com, and I'll convey your thirst to others via this podcast.

Do you have any stories about your books? For example, my owner has a old 1963 set of Encyclopedia Britannica's, in which his mother has stuck all sorts of oddments, such as sweetgum, sycamore, maple and olive tree leaves, either between tissues or in contact paper. What strange objects have your family stuck in a book for posterity's sake?

In today's show, we'll read three excerpts from three smallish books for you - touching

1 First on "Majorca" by Juan Bonet, (Editorial Everest, 1969) - this is a picture book showing photos of Spain's largest island, off the country's eastern Mediterranean coast. Majorca, Mallorca in Spanish and Catalan, has been inhabited since paleolithic times, with tombs dating to perhaps 6000 BCE, or about 8000 years ago. Rome initiated habitation in Palma in 123 BCE, when Caecilius Metellus landed on the island. Majorca is the largest island in the Balaeric archipelago, of which Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera are the other three of the larger islands. This pictorial introduction to this island has maps, pictures of the islands industry, including fishing and almond-tree cultivation, pictures of landscape, of religious and secular architecture, of popular swimming beaches, and evidence of sports, such as the popular bull-rings.

2 Second, "The Times of My Life", by Betty Ford with Chris Chase (Ballantine, 1978-79), is an autobiographical overview of Betty Ford's life. Wife of US President Gerald (Jerry) Ford, Betty has a unique view on life, though she describes herself on the first page as "an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time." She says she didn't want her husband to become president, but accepted his decision, saying "You plan your life in one way, it goes another."

3 And third is this neat little book that my owner cannot remember purchasing, but is just the kind of book he'd purchase (as opposed to finding in a box of books at an auction, or outside of a bookstore, like Paradox Books in Wheeling, WV sometimes does): "Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World", by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone, (St. Martin's Griffin, 1998). Lawrence and Nancy were book people: they'd go to Borders or other new-book bookstores and get the latest novels to read. But somehow they accidentally found their way one day into a used book store...and the rest of the story is a wonderful modern-day journey through the ancient world of books.

First, from "Majorca", I read a description of "The olive trees of Majorca", page 74:

Next, I read page 147, which is the first page of chapter 18, titled "The Other Woman" :

Finally, in :

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Link to the HouseForlorn blog via the www.houseforlorn.com landing page. You can follow houseforlorn on Twitter at twitter.com/houseforlorn, and become a fan of the House Forlorn Facebook page. For a transcript of this and previous "House Forlorn Reads" podcasts, google the key phrase "HFR Transcript".

Twitterer Brij, tweets this about a books "Bought few books from Books & Beyond (Music World's new bookstore chain)" -- what books have you procured recently?

My owner recently attended and present at Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 (PCPGH3). See what podcamps may be in your neighborhood at Podcamp.pbwiki.com; use keyword PCPGH3 in your google searches for related articles, blogs, videos and podcasts.

Have a windy day.

..HF.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Huron 1

Hey, this is NOT a view out my window! I think my owner is staying
with relatives, for funerary reasons, up in Huron, Ohio. My leaves
still have not been raked!

..HF.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Afternoon Lodgers, pt. 2

Point in fact: the lodgers trashed this establishment.

..HF.

Afternoon Lodgers

Why can't I find such flocks of lodgers. Well, s'pose I don't want the
accompanying clean-up duties when they fly south!

..HF.

Save Yourselves! Raise Oil Prices!

"The prime minister of Qatar said Tuesday that "fair" oil prices of between $70 to $90 per barrel would ensure that expensive oil exploration could continue, avoiding price spikes in the future.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani said that while oil prices below $70 a barrel would help consumers in the short term, it later could trigger price rallies.

Lower prices mean weaker investment and lower output from oil producers, which risks boosting oil prices once global economic growth picks up again."

Excerpted from an article By Pablo Gorondi, an Associated Press writer, this seems to say that lower global oil prices are bad for global consumers.

Is it true that we should keep oil and associated distillate (e.g., gasoline) prices high so that exploration for new sources can continue? Will this benefit the global consumer? Or merely benefit those seeking sell this weird logic to the consumer?

This house is confused!

..HF.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Unadulterated Capitalistic Rant

What is an "Unadulterated Capitalistic Rant"?

Blogged by a house, no less?

"Buy me".

I don't ask for much, and my owner is lazier (or just not motivated, is that it?) than most. I don't have a nicely painted realtor's "for sale" sign out front, just one of those buy-it-at-Loew's sell-it-yourself for-sale-by-owner plastic placards.

I used to have a Craigslist post... but that expired and is no longer. He hasn't recreated it yet.

Now I have a homepage, blog, a podcast, a FaceBook page, even a blip.tv page which is hosting my podcast. But the blip.tv site doesn't have a "trailer" video. Blip is, after all, a video site... why no video, owner!? Show folks my rooms, my gardens, my bamboo groves, how easy it is to find me (although I'm on a "dead-end" street in little ol' Wilkins Township). Do I have to show them myself??


[URL: Google Maps aerial view]

Also, what do you want to sell me for? What price? You have that listed nowhere on this blog, but you want to sell me? As they say in the blog/twitter world, "WTF"?

Okay, since you won't set a price, I'll set an expectation for the reader. Here's a house which has inspired a weird blog, a slightly more weird podcast (with about four people in the audience, one of whom may be my owner) several videos on Google's video site (under the moderately unassuming and offbeat name "Silurian-Devonian Films"), and countless twitter posts. Well, alright, 84 updates as of this post is not "countless", but there is some energy there. In short, this is a house with global reach, a global audience, essentially a global character...and two mature phyllostachys bamboo groves. This house has an impressive Turtle Creek Valley view (looking up towards Monroeville, PA) from high on an Eastward facing hillside; lush foliage surrounds it; a bustling seasonal greenhouse is situated just down the hill, across the street, originally owned by John Ayers, for whom this plan of lots was named; and lies just 14 miles from downtown Pittsburgh (dahntahn for yinzers), a 20-minute drive down I-376 on the weekends.

Mostly Harmless may be the planet my foundation rests upon, but Mostly Harmless I am not!

What price should I fetch in this depressed, depressing market? I think a global price. What think you?

Had I feet, I'd get down off this soapbox. But a thick, rocky field-stone foundation is all I've got, so I'll just stop.

..HF.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 6

[Note: this second listing for HFR #6 is a cross-post from Blip.tv]

Seville, Ancient Egypt and Auguste Rodin's papa:  tourist picture guide All Sevilla, John Ruffe's "The Egyptians", and David Weiss' "Naked Came I".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it.  This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081102
post-production completed: 20081108
Length: 00:15:45

House Forlorn Reads 6

Seville, Ancient Egypt and Auguste Rodin's papa: tourist picture guide All Sevilla, John Ruffle's "The Egyptians", and David Weiss' "Naked Came I".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081102
post-production completed: 20081108
Length: 00:15:45







MP3 Version

I Feel Like a Frog Prince Sometimes

He was here briefly twice: once two weeks ago to give the lawn a final cutting before fall set in, and again last night, to sweep the leaves off the steps before today's rain kicked in.

But, my for-sale sign is still blank, my rooms still bare, my thermostat set low: in short, he does the bare necessities, but what is he doing to ensure a loving future for me? I've said this before, I'll say it again: I wanna human family living inside me - kids, dogs, parents - people to use me as a house is intended to be used.

I wonder if I'd get more love if I moved to California? Can a house do that?

I've never felt more like the proverbial frog prince - not so much obscure, but just another unselected bachelor amongst millions.

..HF.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 6 - HFR Transcript

Seville, Ancient Egypt and the life of Auguste Rodin. tourist picture guide All Sevilla, John Ruffe's "The Egyptians", and David Weiss' "Naked Came I".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081102
post-production completed: 20080000
Length: 00:00:00
-----------------------
blip:


---------------------------------

House Forlorn Reads episode 6

You've stumbled upon House Forlorn Reads, Episode 6. If you intended on finding a podcast about the continual adversarial relationship between Cleveland sports franchises and those in PIttsburgh, specifically of the pigskin ilk, you're hanging around the wrong Hall of Fame altogether - podcasts on that subject are probably being recorded in Canton, Ohio.

"House Forlorn Reads" is recorded for you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.

The music you hear is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV565, produced by James Clarke, of the UK. This and other podcast-friendly music can be found on the "podsafe music network" at music.podshow.com.

I have a thirst for books, which stems from a lack of human (or canine/feline) companionship -- nobody flicking on lights, stomping up and down my stairs, cooking bacon, showering for hours on end or barking/meowing at strange noises outside.

Where does your thirst for books come from? Send a message to Houseforlorn@gmail.com, and I'll convey your thirst to others via this podcast. Let me know if you're a human or a house, where you're from, and what kind of house, home, apartment or tiny little abode you inhabit or are. Also, tell me what books drive your thirst. I'll leave names out of it, unless your name happens to be something like "colonial", "saltbox", "felt tent", "geodesic dome", "limestone cavern", "apartment" or "flat".

Do you have any stories about your books? For example, my owner recently came across 5 boxes of free books at an estate auction in Circleville, Pennsylvania - people are giving away the nicest books at the lowest prices, all because they don't wanna carry those boxes any further. What strange places have your books come from?

In today's show, we'll read three scupltural excerpts for you - touching on Seville, Ancient Egypt and the life of Auguste Rodin.

"All Sevilla" is the English Edition of a travel guide, with "127 Colour Photographs"; the guide was compiled by the Technical Department of Editorial Escudo De Oro, S.A., in a 6th Edition dated May 1984. This tourist guide to this ancient city in southern Spain covers mostly the religious architecture, but also touchs on bull-fighting, food, paintings of note and secular architecture.

John Ruffles' "The Egyptians" is a an in-depth overview of a culture that flourished for about thirty-one hundred years before running headlong into the Roman civilization that was spreading around the Mediterranean in 31 B.C. Egypt is known for popularizing many ideas and technologies we use today: weaving, calendars, beer and irrigation control for growing crops.

"Naked Came I", by David Weiss, 1963 is not the memoirs of a certain penguin named Opus in the Bloom Country comic strip, but rather a historical novel about the live of sculptor Auguste Rodin. The frontispiece in this book is a quote from Don Quixote, by Cervantes: "Naked came I into this world, and naked must I go out." Wikipedia reminds us that this was also said by Job in the Old Testament, when he said "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return" (Book of Job, 1:21) Rodin was a 19th century french sculptor who's life was controversial in many ways, but very influential artistically.

First, from All Sevilla, pages 72 & 73, the university:

Next, I read pages 170 & 171 from The Egyptians:

Finally, in Naked Came I, we see Rodin's father nearing death on pages 348 & 349:

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Check out the HF blog, photo-blog and comic-strip postings via www.houseforlorn.com. You can also follow houseforlorn on Twitter at twitter.com/houseforlorn. For a transcript of this and previous "House Forlorn Reads" podcasts, google the key phrase "HFR Transcript".

Twitterer pfmDesigner, in Zanesville, Ohio, tweets "Larry Niven's Fleet of Worlds was the first book I read on my Kindle" -- what have you read recently?

My owner recently attended and present at Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 (PCPGH3). See what podcamps may be in your neighborhood at Podcamp.pbwiki.com; use keyword PCPGH3 in your google searches for related articles, blogs, videos and podcasts.

Have a leafy day.

..HF.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 5

House Forlorn Reads 5

Yorkshire, Mexico and Ritual: James Herriot's self-named "James Herriot's Yorkshire, Ignacio Bernal's "The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology", and Elizabeth S. Helfman's "Celebrating Nature: Rites and Ceremonies Around the World".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081028
post-production completed: 20081101
Length: 00:14:41





MP3 Version

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 5: Transcript

House Forlorn Reads 5

HFR Transcript

Yorkshire, Mexico and Ritual: James Herriot's self-named "James Herriot's Yorkshire, Ignacio Bernal's "The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology", and Elizabeth S. Helfman's "Celebrating Nature: Rites and Ceremonies Around the World".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081028
post-production completed: 20081101
Length: 00:00:00

---------------------------------

House Forlorn Reads episode 5

You've stumbled upon House Forlorn Reads, Episode 5. If you intended on finding a podcast about constructing musical instruments out of natural materials, I'm afraid you'll have to go down to that large bamboo grove just down the hill, where you see those people working with freshly cut culms.

"House Forlorn Reads" is recorded for you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.

The music you hear is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV565, produced by James Clarke, of the UK. This and other podcast-friendly music can be found on the "podsafe music network" at music.podshow.com.

I have a thirst for books, which stems from a lack of human (or canine/feline) companionship -- nobody flicking on lights, stomping up and down my stairs, cooking bacon, showering for hours on end or barking/meowing at strange noises outside.

Where does your thirst for books come from? Send a message to Houseforlorn@gmail.com, and I'll convey your thirst to others via this podcast. Let me know if you're a human or a house, where you're from, and what kind of house, home, apartment or tiny little abode you inhabit or are. Also, tell me what books drive your thirst. I'll leave names out of it, unless your name happens to be something like "colonial", "saltbox", "felt tent", "geodesic dome" or "limestone cavern".

Do you have any stories about your books? For example, I like the things you can sometimes find in used books. In Betz's Basic Mathematics, published in 1942, I found several "Prevent TB" stickers, and a public transportation transfer slip, marked "N Wyoming" and "City of Detroit Dept of Street Railways". Who read this book prior to this sad house reading it?

In today's show, we'll read three cultural excerpts for you - touching on Yorkshire, Mexican Anthropology and Religious practices around the world.

James Herriot's self-named "James Herriot's Yorkshire", with photographs by Derry Brabbs, 1979, is "A guided tour with the beloved veterinarian through the land of "All Creatures Great and Small", gloriously photographed and memorably described". This is a delightful picture book depicting many of the towns, scenery and features that spring from the pages of Herrior's book "All Creatures Great and Small", as well as the television series of the same name.

Ignacio Bernal's "The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology", 1968 & 70, Thames and Hudson, London, translated from Spanish by Carolyn B. Czitrom, takes the reader through the anthropological past of Mexico as seen through the collections of the National Museum. Mexico has a rich history of civilization with evidence of that past stretching back to 1500 BCE to 1500 CE, for a 3000 year time-span.

Elizabeth S. Helfman's "Celebrating Nature: Rites and Ceremonies Around the World", 1969 by the Seabury Press, takes us on a very nice tour of the religious cultic practices of indigenous peoples around our globe. Although the early part of the book focuses on the cultures of the Americas, Europe and Western Asia, the latter part moves us toward African and Asian cultures.


First, from Herriot's "James Herriot's Yorkshire", The Snowbound Roads, pages 106 to 110:

Next, I read pages 28 and 29 from Bernals "The Mexican National Museum of Anthropology":

Finally, in Helfman's Celebrating Nature", I read the prelude to the second half of the book, on pages 78-79:

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Check out the HF blog, photo-blog and comic-strip postings via www.houseforlorn.com. You can also follow houseforlorn on Twitter at twitter.com/houseforlorn.

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Check out the HF blog, photo-blog and comic-strip postings via www.houseforlorn.com. You can also follow houseforlorn on Twitter at twitter.com/houseforlorn.

Fellow Twitterer Everywheretrip recently read "Ancient Angkor" by Freeman and Jacques -- what have you read?

My owner recently attended and present at Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 (PCPGH3). See what podcamps may be in your neighborhood at Podcamp.pbwiki.com; use keyword PCPGH3 in your google searches for related articles, blogs, videos and podcasts.

Have a Slushy Day!

..HF.

Monday, October 27, 2008

House Forlorn Reads 4

House Forlorn Reads 4
Arithmancy, Vino and the Red Planet: William Betz' "Basic Mathematics", Turner and Berry's "The Winemaker's Companion", and Henry Cooper's "The Search for Life on Mars".

House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.
Date of Production: 20081027
Length: 00:15:04









MP3 Version

New Home Sales!!??

My owner saw a news blurb this morning about new home sales that "recorded an unexpected increase in September as median home prices dropped to the lowest level in four years, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Sales of new single-family homes rose by 2.7 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000 homes, Commerce said. Economists had expected sales would drop from the August level.

The median price of a new home sold in September declined by 9.1 percent from a year ago to $218,400, the lowest price level since September 2004, a period when home prices were rising rapidly as the country experienced a five-year housing boom."
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer

New home sales???

What about existing home sales??

Ahh, later the author notes:

"The inventory of unsold existing homes is also remaining near historic highs as that market is being increased by a record wave of home foreclosures."

..HF.

House Forlorn Reads 4: Transcript

House Forlorn Reads episode 4

HFR Transcript

You've stumbled upon House Forlorn Reads, Episode 3. If you intended on finding a podcast about your preferred school for young witches and wizards, that's in the next dungeon down the hall, just past the balrog-baiting trophy case.

"House Forlorn Reads" is recorded for you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it. This podcast, along with the House Forlorn blog and selected House Forlorn Chogger comics, can be found at HouseForlorn.com.

The music you hear is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV565, produced by James Clarke, of the UK. This and other podcast-friendly music can be found on the "podsafe music network" at music.podshow.com.

I have a thirst for books, which stems from a lack of human (or canine/feline) companionship -- nobody flicking on lights, stomping up and down my stairs, cooking bacon, showering for hours on end or barking/meowing at strange noises outside.

Where does your thirst for books come from? Send a message to Houseforlorn@gmail.com, and I'll convey your thirst to others via this podcast. Let me know if you're a human or a house, where you're from, and what kind of house, home, apartment or tiny little abode you inhabit or are. Also, tell me what books drive your thirst. I'll leave names out of it, unless your name happens to be something like "colonial", "saltbox", "felt tent", "geodesic dome" or "limestone cavern".

In today's show, we'll read three enervating excerpts for you - touching on mathematics, winemaking and flights of fancy.

"Basic Mathematics", by William Betz, published in 1941, 42 by The Athenaeum Press, reviews in-depth everything in math from addition, subtraction, multiplication & division, up through algebra and trigonometry, with very helpful illustrations and examples peppered throughout.

"The Winemaker's Companion", by BCA Turner and CJJ Berry, 1960, 63, 65 & 67, published by Mills & Boon Limited, is a complete introduction and study of winemaking, with such chapter headings as "Preparing the Must," "Ailments of Wine", and "Cider and Perry".

"The Search for Life on Mars: Evolution of an Idea" by Henry S.F. Cooper, Jr., 1976, 79 & 80, is a biographical sketch of this scientific inquiry led by two camps: Carl Sagan, in one, and Klein, Horowitz, Levin and Oyama in the other. We'll look at an excerpt from the former which includes references to the latter.

First, from Basic Mathematics, "Testing your accuracy in Measurement" on page 130.

Next, I read the beginning of The Winemakers Companion on page 41, The Main Ingredients: I. Yeast.

Finally, on pages 103-4 of the Mars book, we learn a little about testing instrumentation.

Thanks for listening to House Forlorn Reads. Check out the HF blog, photo-blog and comic-strip postings via www.houseforlorn.com. Have a snowy day.

..HF.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Owner Says "We're Using Blip.tv"

I don't understand this computer stuff.

I'm just a simple house, in a simple neighborhood, in a simple town, in a simple, county...well you get the idea. Computer stuff is way beyond me.

I like simple things, like wood framing, pvc plumbing, photovoltaics, hemlock trees, phyllostachys bamboo, freshly-mown grass (ahem!), forced-air heating, beautiful sunrises, etc.

When my owner says we're moving the House Forlorn Reads podcast to Blip.tv...that just doesn't mean anything to me. I didn't know what Apple's iWeb was before, and I don't know what Blip.tv is now. Suffice it to say, he's always trying something new, pushing the envelope. As long as he's not pushing me, I'm fine.

But the grass... Now that's something I'd like him to push something over. Like a lawnmower for the rolling expanses of meadow, a weed trimmer around the curbs, and a couple of muddy knees in the frost-killed flower beds. That's all I ask. Is it too much?

..HF.

House Forlorn Reads 3:



House Forlorn Reads 2:



House Forlorn Reads 1:



Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Impatiently Heinz #2

..HF.

Impatiently Heinz #1

..HF.

Biology, Drawing and Horses (HFR #3)

House Forlorn Reads episode #3 is now available.

"House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it.

Featured books:

Biology: An Introduction, by Johnson, Rayle, Wedberg, 1984
The Joy of Drawing: Learn how to observe, then create spontaneously, by Gerhard Gollwitzer, translated from German in 1961
Know About Horses: A Ready Reference Guide to Horses, Horse People and Horse Sports, by Harry Disston, illustrated by Jean Bowman, (1961).

http://web.mac.com/alex.landefeld/iWeb/Site%203/House%20Forlorn%20Reads/532E3919-AC41-4C26-BBD3-E3F316B8320B.html

House Forlorn Reads #2 MP3:



iTunes RSS:

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

PCPGH3 Thanks Sponsors

When my owner was here the other day, I eavesdropped a bit (those of us with eaves can do that!) on his phone call, in which he was describing the awesome behind-the-scenes help of the Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 sponsors:

* Meakem Becker Venture Capital ( mbvc.com/ ) -- Thanks to Alan Veeck and Aaron Tainter, who were on-hand to help entrepreneurs of all sizes better understand how they can build successful brands and businesses

* Viddler ( viddler.com ) -- In addition to providing a high-quality, interactive video platform (and helping spread the word about PCPGH3), Viddler's Brandice Schnabel also led a session on understanding the ins & outs of web ettiquette

* Blubrry ( www.blubrry.com ) -- Angelo Mondato packed a table with swag to help podcasters of all sizes understand the distribution benefits that Blubrry has to offer

* Wizzard Media ( wizzard.tv ) -- Heather Mallak and the inimitable Dave Mansueto shook things up with a session on ideal video compression, and hot buzz about their "next generation" video distribution platform

* VisitPittsburgh ( visitpittsburgh.com ) -- Special thanks to the many folks at VisitPittsburgh who helped organize and host a "new media tour" of Pittsburgh for 6 of our out-of-town speakers, including Jonny Goldstein ( jonnygoldstein.com ), Chris Brogan ( chrisbrogan.com ), Franklin McMahon ( www.franklinmcmahon.com ), Grace Piper ( www.fearlesscooking.tv ), Nathan King ( blip.tv ), and Jim Russell ( burghdiaspora.blogspot.com )

* ShowClix ( showclix.com ) -- ShowClix's Lynsie Camuso was instrumental in creating our registration system, as she does for event-based clients around the country who need fast mobile check-in solutions

* Pair Networks ( pair.com) -- Pair sent a pair of Ryans -- Silbaugh and Smaretsky -- to help our curious web creators explore ways to improve their webhosting process

* Pittsburgh Gateways ( www.pghgateways.org ) -- We couldn't have done PCPGH3 without Gateways, whose financial assistance helped us keep our books straight and our minds on the details that matter (rather than, you know, taxes...)

* The Art Institute of Pittsburgh ( www.artinstitutes.edu/pittsburgh ) -- Without AIP, we'd have been PodCamping outdoors. Thanks to everyone at the facility for being such generous and gracious hosts for 2 straight years

* Wear Pittsburgh ( www.wearpittsburgh.com ) -- If you didn't get a PCPGH3 t-shirt, celebrate your love for the 'burgh by nabbing one of WearPittsburgh's distinctive "neighborhood" styles (including the much-loved "pierogi" and "parking chair" shirts)

* Jason Cable ( www.jasoncable.com ) -- Jason's GLBT podcast and his passion for activism were front and center at this year's event -- and so were his nifty complementary notepads and PCPGH pens!

* AlphaLab ( alphalab.org ) -- Meredith Benedict and Mike Woycheck know how to throw an icebreaker -- AND they know what it takes to incubate half a dozen local tech startups. Will YOU be their next project?

* ElasticLab ( www.elasticlab.com ) -- ElasticLab's founder, Julie Morey, flew in from Colorado to share her expertise as a web startup whose business plan heavily involves social media -- and she's always searching for new talent to bring into the ElasticLab fold...

* Pittsburgh Technology Council ( www.pghtech.org ) -- Tim Hindes from the PTC was on-hand to represent the practical application of technology in Pittsburgh -- and to help bridge the gap between tech enthusiasts and those who want to take their passion to the next (professional) level

* And, last but certainly not least, Alex and Jennifer Landefeld ( houseforlorn.blogspot.com and www.yeoldebasketcase.com ) are two PCPGH3 organizers who added their own funds to the sponsorship pool as a way to ensure we wouldn't run out of food. (And, unless you count those lulls between pizza deliveries, we didn't!)

..HF.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Murmurs, Recipes and Courts (HFR #2)

House Forlorn Reads episode #2 is now available.

"House Forlorn Reads" is an episodic podcast brought to you by a house whose owners have moved out but haven't yet sold it to new owners. The house is sad and eager to have new humans living in it.

Featured books:

Murmurs of Earth, by Carl Sagan, et al., 1978
Recipes: Everyday People Cookbook, compiled by Beatrice Corley, 1973
Hampton Court Palace, Olwen Hedley, Pitkin Pictorial, 1971

House Forlorn Reads #2 MP3:



iTunes RSS:

Sunday, October 19, 2008

John Carman pushes us towards 2009 & PCPGH4

..HF.

Blogging Software - low cost & pay

Blogger
Wordpress
Squarespace
Typepad
B2
blog.com
onsugar

Micro?
twitter
Tumblr

Photoblogging
Tumblr
Flickr
Picasa
Mac/me.com

Samples
houseforlorn.blogspot.com
groundglassdarkly.blogspot.com
randomsarah.com
whatsitallaboutweb.com
thebusmansholiday.blogspot.com

tips & tricks:
embedding a sound clip (use any site where you can store the file):

A Beautiful Sunny Fall Day

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day on my hillside.

The grass needs to be cut...

...but I think he's at some human event...

...something called Podcamp Pittsburgh 3...

The following moving pictures might help to describe.

..HF.



logos.blip.tv

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Whew! He's his designated driver ...

... So he's just photo-blogging thru me. 649 #2

Hope he's not partaking ...

649 #1 ... They're doing those drinking things at the Red Star...in
honor of Mr. Vallier.

Blogging 201 with Cynthia &Mike

PGHbloggers at PCPGH3

Friday, October 17, 2008

Before You Post That Blog Entry...

...make sure you've set up a Google Analytics account.

Why? Well, suppose you have tons of lurking audience members, who aren't sending you e-mails or leaving comments...how do you know they've even been to your site?

When I decided to start House Forlorn, the blog, I consulted with other houses who have websites (there aren't too many of us), and they each have their methods... but they did agree that having some sort of analytic service is a must if you're interested in seeing what sort of community impact you're creating. Remember, a lot of houses out there just don't want other denizens of the net to know that they're just a house, or an apartment, a flat, a bungalow, a penthouse, or some other form of human habitation or accommodation.

The following picture shows a recent shot of my Google Analytics stats.... can you tell when Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 folks starting finding and looking at houseforlorn.blogspot.com? :-)



..HF.

House Forlorn Reads (HFR #1)

Well, I got it together last night and put together House Forlorn Reads, Episode 1. Can you imagine a house picking through various books and just reading excerpts? Well, here it is. :-)

House Forlorn Reads #1 MP3:



..HF.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Should I Go to a Podcamp?

Suppose you've heard of a Podcamp in your locale, but just aren't sure if it's right for you.

Is a newspaper right for you?

Is a glass of water right for you?

Is talking to your neighbor right for you?

Then, may I submit, Podcamp is right for you.

How do my three questions relate? Look, I'm a house, so it's unlikely that I'll attend Podcamp Pittsburgh, but my owner (now there's a strange bird) will be in attendance. In fact, he helped out, in a few small ways, with the organizing of Podcamp Pittsburgh...and he'll be presenting on something called podcasting.

If you like what you see in a newspaper, and how it makes you think; if you like what you get out of a glass of water (refreshment, lubrication, renewed outlook on life); if you like talking to folks and learning from them...then learning a bit more about today's mass-communications methods via the internet might be the sort of thing you'd like.

Give it a shot. It'll be in Pittsburgh's Art Institute from 9 am to 4 pm this coming Saturday and Sunday. Its an unconference. What could be more appealing?



..HF.

Fort Pitt Museum 6

Inconsiderable village...

Fort Pitt Museum 5

Remnants

Fort Pitt Museum 4

Selling the fort

Fort Pitt Museum 3

Fort wall and Pgh skyline

Fort Pitt Museum 2

Block house

Fort Pitt Museum 1

Don't tread on me!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

House Forlorn Podcast Upcoming???

I don't believe it. He was up late last night finding music on the Podsafe Music Network, then playing with it in his music program, and scheming what to do the podcast about.

Me, probably.

But how do you podcast about a forlorn old house, sitting on a hill, waiting for someone to see the faded "For Sale by Owner" sign, actually call the number, and...well, you get the idea. What's to podcast about? Is it just because of the comic I starred in for him last night?



Well, lets see what he does...here's a pic of his music software:



..HF.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Did You Know That HGTV...

...had a "Great Fall Fix-up Sweepstakes"? The deadline is past...but I found it while trolling through that human-built hyper-house-network. As I'm just a house...well, okay, I entered a couple of billion times, so hopefully I have a shot at the $100K. :-)

That thought, however remote, makes me happy enough to think of the mid-summer flowers that were blooming all around me this past season. Aren't they lovely?



..HF.

Monday, October 6, 2008

How Lowly is Your Home?

Where you leave most of your footprints...is that your home, your house?

..HF.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Power You, Power Me

I liked those pink fountain pic's he took yesterday, in advance of Pittsburgh's 250th birthday celebration. At least he's doing something useful.

Here are two websites with different perspectives on the "250":
Imagine Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh 2050

Did you notice the chill in the air this past week? The chill is not just the reduced chances that someones going to notice the For Sale by Owner sign in front of me, now that mortgage companies are becoming more careful about who they lend to (though my sub-$100K value would make most home buyers swoon with the potential savings over the next 15-30 years), but from the approach of winter to the Northern Hemisphere.

Yes, the leaves are turning, the nights are getting cooler, and soon Cleveland and other North Coast cities will get their first lake-effect snowfalls, making those of us in Pittsburgh (1) wish we had a lake nearby, or (2) thanking our lucky stars that Pittsburgh is several degrees of latitude south of the North Coast.

Of course, with the approach of winter comes thoughts of heating houses, heating cars, heating humans, heating buses, heating schools, heating...well, you get the idea. Will the tanking economy make heating more expensive? Will the lack of apparent demand make heating less expensive?

Did you know that when the utilities talk about gas prices, they mean the residential price, that you and I pay, and not the "wellhead" price? I hadn't thought of it before, either.

Would it surprise you to know that natural gas prices actually go down in the winter, historically? Check out the historical ranges for residential gas...it's very interesting.

Did you know that coal, used generally for electricity generation, is classified in two categories? Yup: thermal coal and metallurgical coal. I didn't know that until he began talking abit about energy suppliers. He'd been aware of Alpha Natural Resources for awhile, as his mother had mentioned them, but he became even more aware when an old-line Cleveland company, Cleveland-Cliffs, announced a bid to buy ANR.

Here's an interesting PDF from the Department of Energy. According to the document, the price of coal generally came down about 66% from 1983 to 2003...according to the Wikipedia article, that price has quadrupled from 2003 to 2008, due in part to the rising global demand for both energy production and steel production. Although the recession that appears to have finally caught up to us (is anyone yet admitting to it?) may/will decrease energy demand worldwide...coal will remain very important in the world energy and steel production realms.

The other day, I noted one other hint to the impending winter: the smell of hardwoods being burned in fireplaces or heating stoves locally. Do you use hardwoods where you live? Does anyone still use coal in their homes? One of my fellow neighborhood houses does...he likes to think he's still in the 19th century, with that thick black smoke wafting heavily from his chimney....

Enjoy your Fall!

..HF.

Friday, October 3, 2008

The Pink, Another View

Happy 250, Pittsburgh!

..HF.

Fountains of Pink

He's wandering at lunchtime, of course, but taking pics of worthwhile
things. This is a fountain screaming "notice me!" ... "photograph
me!" "find something bigger and pinker!" (I find fountains don't
always use proper English).

Why is this fountain (and many others around town) pink. For Breast
Cancer Month, which is October. Go to www.nbcam.org for more info.

..HF.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

House Forlorn #6 - Sad, But Happy & Hopeful

Can you be sad, and yet happy and hopeful? Can you be despondent, and yet see the glimmer of hope somewhere in the darkness? Can you spend a weekend putting together a supportive yet protective bank bailout package, and yet fail to...

...but I digress.

I'm a sad little house, but I see glimmers of hope in the marketplace...far off from this high hillside I sit on. Russia, the US of A, and Starfleet welcome oldest-of-nations China into the self-propelled & peopled space-faring community. Blackberry and iPhone welcome Android into the community of smart-phone operating systems. And Dinosaurs that breathe like birds welcome the 45th Mersenne Prime into the world of science.

Here, let me illustrate these points:



[House Forlorn #6 on Chogger]

Do you have any comments on these blog posts? Are you a house in search of humans, a search that has thus far proved fruitless? Post a comment here, or drop me a line at houseforlorn[at]gmail[dot]com.

..HF.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Stern-gating #5

Just Ducky Tours takes pre-game Steelers fans on a tour of
Pittsburgh's waterfront, adjacent to Heinz Field.

..HF.