Ellipsis for me

Unlike Jennifer (Parenthesis) "Life as I Know It", I *can* often resist these online quizzes, however tonight I appear to have been in the mood. I almost quit right near the beginning because none of the optional answers appeared precisely relevant... I might do it again using other answers and see what happens.

On first go around I am apparently an:

ellipsis

I scored 46% Sociability and 64% Sophistication!

Your life can be difficult because of your insecurities, but you should know that it isn't your fault. YOU didn't ask to be thrown in around thirty times per page in every bodice-ripper on the shelf! Those who overuse you can kiss your . . . you know. You need to learn to hold your head high and glory in your solitude. You really do have excellent, scholarly tastes. You must never forget that your friend, the period, will be there to support you at the end of every sentence where you truly belong, and, if what is left out is as important as what is said, why, then you are as vital as the alphabet!

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

?Dodge Chrysler 318 v8 poppet valve clearances

I have a search challenge to play with. There was a patron in at the SMB library today who had been very well helped by the staff to find within the library what information was there.

He had been hoping to find the workshop manual for a Dodge Chrysler 318 v8 from which he might learn what clearance is recommended for the input and exhaust valves - he is fixing up the motor of such a car himself. Unfortunately we don't have a copy of that manual. I wondered to myself whether I might find the information he needs online.

I couldn't see anything immediately useful among the websites recommended by the TAFE for automotive students. The Yahoo autos directory mentions a Charger Club in WA catering to all Chrysler vehicles.

Hm, I've been googling with interest, but I'm not turning up anything that I can see being useful. There is a Chrysler owners club in Queensland, and an Australian Chryslers webring... Ah Chrysler restorers clubs... South Australia, Victoria.

LibraryLink responds to search for Dodge Chrysler manuals that there are manuals at Goldfields and Maribyrnong library services - only I have to check the details for each - and none appear to refer to the Dodge Chrysler 318. Actually there is only one that mentions a "Dodge Chrysler"again no 318 specified... how can I tell whether it would be useful?

I guess unless someone works out how to find online the specific information he wants, he might email one of the clubs.

Scribd - fantastic

I've just been helping Graham Bates with his blog over at Are we the Clever Country? His blog traces progress since he published his idea and rationale to colocate a thermal desalination plant at Portland Aluminium Smelter. After trying a variety of online document services we were able to publish a pdf version at Scribd and embed the document within the blog - so curious people did not have to leave the blog.

Today we wanted to check some of the references and couldn't read the embedded (ie relatively small text) version too well, so popped in to the Dying of Thirst document at Scribd. We discovered some of the features we hadn't noticed first time around:

• Where people are who view the document, list and map
  
• how they were referred to it (eg which searches / link sources), chart and list
  
• comments
• "Like it"
• favourites
• bookmarlets (people could digg it or del.icio.us tag it) (something we haven't been able to do with the pdfs Graham has cited).
  

I've just discovered that more people have viewed Graham's other document "Hot Topic or just Hot Air", yet they don't appear to have also viewed the otherone. I think we need to link from one to the other through description and/or comment.

Procrastination

Tammy Takahashi contends that Procrastination Is a Great Tool for getting things done. However what her explanation really reveals is that a valued large goal, broken into manageable chunks can actually be achieved if one is sufficiently motivated to complete the chunks and not procrastinate them.

I made sure to read the post because my day began with me wondering whether I might discover my own procrastination to have any value. Perhaps I'll examine the idea more thoroughly another time but for now I'll back to whatever I choose to do next: a task early; an overdue task; fun-easy or fun-challenging or not-fun... I won't know till I stop this one and move into the next moment.