Jeff Jarvis on “Freedom Center”

Mr. Jarvis is so right when he calls for “the truest expression of American freedom: commerce.” Instead of a “Freedom Center” (at the site of the World Trade Center), he wants to see life:

I want to see stores that sell scanty clothes, no burkas allowed.
I want to see restaurants that serve liquor.
I want to see movies that show anything, even sex.
I want to see bookstores that celebrate free speech.
I want to see stores selling products from all over the world: the fruits of globalization.
I want to see life there. Defiant, unapologetic life.

stevemays.com

Like a pair of old, soft, faded Levi’s, smays.com is comfortable and familiar. It has been my online home for a long time and I can’t imagine changing it. The only domain that would even tempt me is stevemays.com. Which belongs to Steven F. Mays, an attorney in Washington State. Steven F. offers few clues about himself or his practice. Well, I guess his phone and fax numbers are good “clues” but I’m thinking along more personal lines. For example, what are we to make of his single “Reader’s Recommendation?” The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The Fall and Rise of an American Icon.

I emailed Steven F. asking him if he would sell me his domain. I’m hoping Steven F.’s law practice is thriving and he doesn’t need my money. So my plea was ripped from the script of “Days of Our Lives.” Steven F. is a busy, successful lawyer with no time for web site. If he sells it to me, I’ve promised to care for it and give it loving, daily attention.

I know, it’s a long shot. My only hope is that he reads enough of my posts to get to know me and likes what I’ve done here at smays.com.

PS for Steven F. — It appears you live in a suburb of Seattle. How about we get together for a drink while I’m in town for Gnomedex?

Halley Suitt on class reunions

“Within one week, two fairly nice, rational, reasonable guys I know told me about 1. (first guy) attending a college reunion and loathing the experience and 2. (the other) told me how he was dreading attending an upcoming reunion. I’m sorry, but what the HELL WERE THEY THINKING? Why put yourself through such a thing? Remind me why people even bother going to reunions? If you’re doing a lot better than the people in your graduating class, surely you have something better to do than go rub your former classmates’ noses in it. If you’re doing worse, that’s reason enough not to go. If you still see and like your college friends, have a party at your house and invite them over. Aren’t reunions just a wallet-cleaning activity for the alumni fund-raisers? Wait, wait, do guys go so they can see who ended up with what woman? This might have some logic to it, but what a waste of time!”

—  Halley’s blog

Mase becomes Mays

MASE gravestone

A year ago I posted a photo of a gravestone that I assumed belonged to a distant relative. I was puzzeled by the different spelling (Mase). A few days ago I received an email with some answers. Some distant relative was browsing the web and came across smays.com and discovered the photo (his grandparents). He provided all kinds of names and relationships and a little info regarding the name change.

Only Joseph and one of his brothers for some reason chose the Mays spelling, and of Joseph and Nancy’s children only Vernon and one of his brothers chose to revert to Mase.

Cousin (?) Vernon put me in touch with another relative who has been researching all of this for 30 years and she provided images from an old family bible that has entries dating back to 1825. I’ve never been into family history but can see how this might get a little addictive. And what will genealogy be like 100 years from now with all these blogs out there (here).

Moving Day

To a new office that isn’t vacant yet. I’ve spent a comfy and cozy 16 (17?) years in this office but the wrecking ball is swinging my way. On June 4th I will have been standing in the Learfield for 21 years. When I started we were all packed into this nice old house and most of us shared office space. Where did the time go?

Arianna Huffington’s new blog

It has generated a lot buzz. It feels heavily “produced” to me. Not blog-like in the (can we say “traditional” already?) traditional senses. But, man, they have some pretty witty folks banging out the posts.

My houseboy just informed me that he has located a blog named Huffington is Full of Crap. I would like to inform the smelly blue-collar drone who named this site that while I am sure it was really funny when you mentioned it to your friends down at the labor pool, Arianna is not amused at all, and when she finds out who owns the land on which you park your trailer, she will marry him and make him evict you.

But so does The Onion. And that’s what Huffington’s Toast feels like to me. A well done humor magazine.