Why are so many people leaving Facebook?

Bajillions (hahaha) of subscribers love…err, are subscribed…err, are enchained-enslaved to FB, right?

ABC News reported “that there’s a mass exodus from Facebook.” I don’t know what counts as a mass, but why are people leaving FB? Well, the story provides Araceli Cruz’s take from March of 2013.

Alternatively, just watch Extremely Decent Films’ “A Facebook Update In Real Life”:

No, I’m not quitting. I know there are some quit-FB sites, and I know that Danny Sullivan has reported that Google searches for “delet…” are autofilled with “delete facebook account” as the top item and that “how do I delete my facebook account” is trending up in search frequency over the past few years, but I’ll stick with it. I only check it once or a few times a week, anyway.

Pi day redux

Yep, it’s 14 March again:

π

3.14.

Carol Finch

Carol Finch
11 December 1953—4 March 2013
long-time volunteer around the C’ville racing scene, as she appeared at the North Garden Chicken Run in 2007.

Our friend Carol Finch died last night 4 March 2013. She directed multiple events annually, scored scores and scores of other races during her lifetime, coached lots of novice race directors, served repeatedly on the board of the local track club, and helped in many other ways with Charlottesville’s local racing community. Probably the Charlottesville Track Club’s Lifetime Service Award should be renamed the “Carol Finch Lifetime Service Award” in her honor.

Oh, and don’t forget that she also greeted lots of dogs that visited race sites and was a discerning sampler of any homemade goomies available for post-race snacking.

Update 8 March: Read Mark Lorenzoni’s fine tribute to Carol in his column, The Daily Run. Watch the CTC Website for notes about events celebrating her life. Read the obituary for Carol with recommendations about donations.

Thanks, Jeanne Manford!

Jeanne Manford, the founder of Parents and Friends and Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), died 8 January 2013. She showed a lot of us the way. It’s a sorry time, because she was such a pioneer. As PFLAG says, “It is with great sorrow that we share with all of you the passing of PFLAG’s founder, Jeanne Manford.”

Gunning for me?

How many guns do you own? Using data from the International Small Arms Survey, Max Fisher of the Washington Post reported that there are 270 million weapons in private hands in the United States, or about 9 for every 10 US citizens. In an informal survey, I asked a lot of my friends whether they owned guns, and they said “no.” Thus, there must be a lot of people who own more than one to balance out my social circle.

But, you know, there’s big money being made from guns and ammo. That’s a point that Bill Moyers makes in his editorial (print version; video version linked to accompanying image) that aired 4 January 2013 on his TV show. It’s a dandy of a commentary that includes a clip of Wayne LaPierre making that extraordinary statement about bad and good guys with guns, echoes of Archie Bunker, and a real-life gun dealer who quit selling guns. That’s why, as Mr. Moyers reports, the gun lobby suppresses discussion about sensible control of weapons. Watch the video of his editorial.

Global light maps

NOAA-NASA Satellite Image

I look at maps frequently and at length. I find them fascinating. Aerial images also appeal to me, because they have a map-like quality. Among those that have intrigued me are images of Earth showing lights at night. I came upon a new one to me recently and am sharing it here, in case others might has a similar interest.

I snagged this image from a section of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Web site devoted to the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite. Interested readers can go to the page called “Our Earth at night” to read lots more, but here’s a snippet to explain a bit.

Ahh, Brubeck

As the 1950s turned to the 60s, my family wound up in southern California. Our parents got a stereo, and my brother Frank and I started snagging records from lots of sources (nearby stores, Columbia’s record club, and more). We bought 33 rpm LPs, which were a departure from our elder siblings’ purchases, which had been 45 rpm recordings.

Some covers Brubeck et al. 33 rpm LP albums

CL 1397 “Time Out” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet was one of the big hits we bought on our subscription from Columbia. Oh, we got the Kingston Trio, the Lamplighters, Barbara Streisand, and a host of other artists available through the catalog at that time. But we played the Brubeck album a lot. And when subsequent albums became available, we bought them.