House Forlorn

New project?

2011-11-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Well he's at it again, tickling my sensitive regions. What does he hope to accomplish? More ceiling reflectivity without a ceiling? Pshaw!

..HF.

A Poetically Aching House

2011-09-07T17:01:00.001-04:00

"so I wait for you like a lonely house
till you will see me again and live in me.
Till then my windows ache."
— Pablo Neruda (100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor)

..HF.

A diamond necklace???

2010-12-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

...he shouldn't have! (but I like it :-)

..HF.

OMG

2010-12-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

...he and his friend found my cache of coal dust! I _am_ chagrined!

..HF.

Sent from my iPhone

More than ticklish 3

2010-12-02T20:51:00.000-05:00

More than ticklish 2

2010-12-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

More than ticklish!

2010-12-02T20:46:00.000-05:00

I was the main course, or just dessert??

2010-12-01T12:28:00.000-05:00

Tickling 11

2010-12-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

Tickling 10

2010-12-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

Tickling 9

2010-12-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

Tickling 8

2010-12-01T11:40:00.000-05:00

I've had those pretty dropped ceilings concealing my tattoos for 2 decades - why remove them now???

Tickling 7

2010-12-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

Tickle 6

2010-12-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

Kitchen ceiling was green instead of yellow??

Tickling 5

2010-12-01T10:34:00.000-05:00

He was told by the knowledgeable gentleman helping tickle me that all the "baby blue" paint was US Steel blue...

Tickling 4

2010-12-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

Tickling 3

2010-12-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

Tickling 2

2010-12-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

Tickling 1

2010-12-01T10:11:00.001-05:00

He's tickling me! hee hee! :-)

They're eating me! 6

2010-09-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

They're eating me! 5

2010-09-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

They're eating me! 4

2010-09-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

They're eating me! 3

2010-09-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

They're eating me! 2

2010-09-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

They're eating me! 1

2010-09-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

He's back! Who? Oh, my owner, of course. He's been here nearly daily for weeks, stripping carpet, cleaning woodwork, and generally being a nuisance. But look what he found - termite damage! Is it fresh or old history?

..HF.

What am I?

2010-04-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

I am a house. Not a rock or twig, not an apartment building or castle,
but a simle single-family dwelling. Why, the question, why do I feel
compelled to ask?

..HF.

Sent from my iPhone

Temporate Seasonal Activity: Leaf-raking

2009-11-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

I'm very happy to have had this beautifully sunny fall day to enjoy
quiet, with that man coming here for his annual leaf-raking
pilgrimage. Instead he's spending the day caring for the "other"
house, presumably raking deciduous leaves, trimming branches, and
generally neatening up. Although I would enjoy more the presence of
another human family keeping me warm inside, I can deal with enjoying
the delightful wet smell of decaying leaves in my housely solitude.

..HF.

Sent from my iPhone

Mid-Fall '09 trim #2

2009-10-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

Oh! Really! At least the neighbor humans know how stay inside & the
Steelers chase a little pigskin ball....

..HF.

Mid-Fall '09 trim #1

2009-10-25T16:01:00.000-04:00

He calls it a trim ... I call it "unwarranted human intrusion" -- I
like my solitude up here on this Wilkins Twp hill!

..HF.

Rearview Podcamp Pittsburgh 4

2009-10-13T05:01:00.005-04:00

These humans just don't get it. They try to get together in their little podcamp sessions to "Learn. Interact. Apply." but what are they really accomplishing?

I'd like to know of just 5 new things to have come out of Podcamp Pittsburgh 4. Can you tell me? Leave a comment or send email to houseforlorn[at]gmail[dot]com.

..HF.

Pre G-20 Haircut

2009-09-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

Well, he's back, giving my lawn and bushes a pre-G-20 trim. I suspect
that I'll get at least one more pre- Podcamp Pittsburgh 4, which is
coming up on October 10 & 11 at Pittsburgh's Art Institute. Why
humans wouldn't have an entry fee for PCPGH4 is beyond me. But, what
do I know ... I'm just a house!

..HF.

Jealous Cabinetry

2009-07-07T17:29:00.000-04:00

Whoa, yeah, baby! My cabinets would definitely be jealous were these
to be affixed to them!

He found this ad for http://www.exploredplash.com - the site for the
Splash Luxury Home Collection, in the July 2009 issue of Whirl
magazine. While he's at it, he could install a pool from http://www.hydroworx.com
- now, that'd really steam my windows! :-)

..HF.

Free at last! #3

2009-06-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

Free at last! #2

2009-06-27T14:12:00.000-04:00

Those tiger lilies! See how nice they can be when he weeds all the
grass from around them?

..HF.

Free at last! #1

2009-06-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

Looks like he's leaving, finally ... but he can leave those flowers
here for me to enjoy! :-)

..HF.

Ahhhh, trimmed privets on my backside!

2009-06-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

:-)

Idyllic Western Pennsylvania location for a forlorn house

2009-06-27T10:36:00.000-04:00

Need I say more? The driveway does look nice, once he trims the grass,
though I hope he goes soon -- the chirping, singing birds here have
such a beautiful continuous a capella chorus going all around me, even
with the staccato beat of a nearby woodpecker.

..HF.

Tiger Lilies 2

2009-06-18T18:50:00.000-04:00

..HF.

Tiger Lilies 1

2009-06-18T18:49:00.000-04:00

Finally, my favorite flora are bursting forth here in Wilkins Township!

Ignominious Downgrade to Vacation Home!

2009-06-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

So, he's thinking I'm his vacation home, now. What have I done to
deserve such treatment?!

Maybe if he puts a perception kayak in here, I can coax an elephant to
sit on it. Any elephants in Wilkins Township?

..HF.

Veni, vidi, vici?

2009-05-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

Well, he came, he saw, and he... cut the grass, trimmed hedges, and
counted some 35 new phyllostachys vivax culms coming up. Now he's gone
again, high-tailing it for that oh-so-human thing, church.

..HF.

Well, I guess if...

2009-05-03T15:55:00.000-04:00

... he's going to do such a nice job trimming the yard and culling out
dead bamboo culms, he can come here periodically ...

That man again!

2009-05-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Must be summer! He's come to cut my grass ... hope he just sells me
this year!

..HF.

A tempestuous sky on the morn of 2009's 1st uber-warm day!

2009-04-24T07:28:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty in pink! :-)

2009-04-21T19:36:00.000-04:00

Favorite Bac'n

2009-04-10T10:29:00.000-04:00

What kind of bacn does a house like to see in its inbox? How about
weekly house-beautiful tips from HGTV's Frontdoor?

..HF.

Am I so beautiful????

2009-04-05T18:01:00.000-04:00

Am I so beautiful that you have photograph me with my leaves on the
ground?! Why are you peering so intently from amongst the 'boo culms?
Have you never seen such a comely house before?

Bah! Men! Go away!

..HF.

Green, green hosta rising from Winter's ground!

2009-04-05T17:54:00.000-04:00

A house who is clearly comfortable with its houseculinity!

2009-03-25T16:14:00.000-04:00

Alas, where a house cannot go...

2009-03-06T07:19:00.000-05:00

I like to dream. Do you like to dream?

2008-12-30T10:17:00.001-05:00

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.

Forlorn Shrub 2

2008-12-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

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

..HF.

Forlorn Shrub 1

2008-12-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

Why do you suppose he trimmed like that?

..HF.

Laceleaf Maple 3

2008-12-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

Laceleaf Maple 2

2008-12-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Laceleaf Maple 1

2008-12-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

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

House Forlorn Reads: 2008 Book Retrospective

2008-12-28T17:48:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

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

..HF.

Santa in a sunny window with cats 1

2008-12-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

House Forlorn Reads 8

2008-12-07T09:03:00.002-05:00

Click to Play

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

MP3 inline play

mp3 download
MP3 Version

House Forlorn Reads 8 - HFR Transcript

2008-11-29T08:08:00.002-05:00

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.

Pittsburgh Worm on the Walk 2

2008-11-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

Where did my owner snap that pic???

Poor, defenseless, unrepresented worm. :-(

..HF.

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

2008-11-24T13:25:00.000-05:00

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

..HD.

House Forlorn Reads 7

2008-11-24T07:03:00.002-05:00

Click to Play

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

MP3 inline play

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MP3 Version

Been Here Before

2008-11-21T21:59:00.003-05:00

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.

House Forlorn Reads #7: Transcript

2008-11-16T08:25:00.001-05:00

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.

Huron 1

2008-11-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Afternoon Lodgers, pt. 2

2008-11-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

Point in fact: the lodgers trashed this establishment.

..HF.

Afternoon Lodgers

2008-11-11T15:17:00.001-05:00

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!

2008-11-11T12:34:00.003-05:00

"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.

Unadulterated Capitalistic Rant

2008-11-10T03:52:00.008-05:00

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.

House Forlorn Reads 6

2008-11-08T22:43:00.002-05:00

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

Click to Play

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

2008-11-08T21:39:00.005-05:00

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

Click To Play

MP3 Version

I Feel Like a Frog Prince Sometimes

2008-11-08T08:13:00.002-05:00

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.

House Forlorn Reads 6 - HFR Transcript

2008-11-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

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.

House Forlorn Reads 5

2008-11-01T09:42:00.006-04:00

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

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MP3 Version

House Forlorn Reads 5: Transcript

2008-10-29T06:26:00.004-04:00

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.

House Forlorn Reads 4

2008-10-27T14:57:00.006-04:00

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

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MP3 Version

New Home Sales!!??

2008-10-27T11:37:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-27T06:48:00.002-04:00

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.

Owner Says "We're Using Blip.tv"

2008-10-26T08:45:00.005-04:00

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:

Click To Play

House Forlorn Reads 2:

Click To Play

House Forlorn Reads 1:

Click To Play

Impatiently Heinz #2

2008-10-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

..HF.

Impatiently Heinz #1

2008-10-22T14:11:00.000-04:00

..HF.

Biology, Drawing and Horses (HFR #3)

2008-10-22T07:05:00.006-04:00

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:

PCPGH3 Thanks Sponsors

2008-10-21T06:53:00.007-04:00

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.

Murmurs, Recipes and Courts (HFR #2)

2008-10-20T10:04:00.010-04:00

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:

John Carman pushes us towards 2009 & PCPGH4

2008-10-19T16:19:00.001-04:00

..HF.

Blogging Software - low cost & pay

2008-10-19T11:09:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-19T06:48:00.005-04:00

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.

Click To Play

logos.blip.tv

Whew! He's his designated driver ...

2008-10-18T19:31:00.000-04:00

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

Hope he's not partaking ...

2008-10-18T19:26:00.000-04:00

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

Blogging 201 with Cynthia &Mike

2008-10-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

PGHbloggers at PCPGH3

Before You Post That Blog Entry...

2008-10-17T09:39:00.003-04:00

...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)

2008-10-17T07:21:00.006-04:00

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.

Should I Go to a Podcamp?

2008-10-16T22:25:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

Inconsiderable village...

Fort Pitt Museum 5

2008-10-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

Remnants

Fort Pitt Museum 4

2008-10-16T16:28:00.000-04:00

Selling the fort

Fort Pitt Museum 3

2008-10-16T16:25:00.000-04:00

Fort wall and Pgh skyline