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Jennifer Van Grove is a Social Media Strategist. She authors a blog about San Diego,
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Google Maps has become the standard mapping
utility for everything from getting directions and finding nearby food options to viewing the
surface of the moon. Are you getting the most out of your Google Maps experience? Keep reading to
get some helpful hints on how to maximize (or minimize) all your mapping desires.
Make sure to leave us a comment and let us know about the Google Maps mashups, tips, and
tweaks you love.
The Basics Search
Be specific. You’ll find what you’re looking for if you type exactly what it is you
want to map. If you’re looking for gas stations, which is especially handy when using the
mobile version on the road, just type “gas.” Based on your present view (city, state,
zip etc), you’ll see gas stations pop up in the same vicinity. Once you’ve clicked on
a specific location you can get directions, search nearby, save for later, or edit the location
by either flagging it as inappropriate, moving it, or claiming it as your own business.
Don’t forget to drag the little man icon onto the map for street view (where available), or
select “More” to view photos and/or wikipedia entries associated with your search.
Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use your keyboard’s arrow keys to move your view slightly North (up arrow), South
(down arrow), East (right arrow), or West (left arrow).
For a bigger jump, use the page up and page down keys to dramatically move North and South. The
home key will jump West and the end key will help you navigate further East.
Likewise, the + key will zoom in and the - key will zoom out. You can also zoom in and out with a
mouse or the two finger touch (up and down) on a Mac. Simple right?
Advanced Tricks Map an Exact Intersection
Should you choose to map a specific intersection without street numbers, simply type
“STREET1 at STREET2, CITY, STATE” for a map of that intersection.
I personally prefer Ubiquity
for my mapping shortcuts. You can select an address on any page, initiate the Ubiquity command
screen, qualify your query with “map,” adjust the map to your liking, and insert it
in an email. Love it!
Reference API Tutorials
Should you choose to leverage the API to create your own concoctions, you might want to reference both the Google Maps API Tutorial, and Google Map Parameters mapki to
the get the most out of your mashup.
More Advanced Tricks
The PCMechanic video below has a few handy tips for using Google Maps, including configuring
Firefox for quick access to google maps (:30), using saved locations (1:12), and finding
latitude/longitude coordinates (1:55).
Maptastic Mashups
One of the coolest things about Google Maps is that users can create and submit their own custom
maps, which means you can have immediate access to these super cool mashups simply by clicking
“My Maps” (it’s right next to “Get Directions”). Think of this area
as your own online map community. It’s where you can find your saved places, search
in-between destinations, and browse pretty useful utilities from weather information to
disaster-related maps.
Search in-between
Search in-between is so simple, but so incredibly useful. Just add it your
maps, select it, type in exactly what you want (like “gas”), add the two location end
points, and you’ll get a map of all the gas stations on your route. This is an especially
convenient app for road trips (I used the search in-between feature on my two cross-country
drives, it really comes in handy when navigating unfamiliar territories).
Plus, if you have an iPhone you can utilize the iPhoneSender Safari bookmarklet or Firefox extension to save all your fabulous
search queries and send them via email, with a phone-friendly link, for safe keeping and easy
access on the go.
GasBuddy
GasBuddy, from GasBuddy.com, is a featured mashup that lets you type in the city, state, or zip
where you want to search for gas prices and locations. It’s another standby for me. Cheap
gas is a godsend in this economy, and GasBuddy is my little angel.
Places of Interest
Places of Interest is another nifty little tool that maps pretty much
anything of interest including bars, ATMs, food (by food type), and even places of worship. This
custom map supports viewing of up to 5 different options at one time.
The action-sports enthusiast may enjoy Outdoor tracks by GPSies.com, which includes custom maps for a variety of
activities including hiking and jogging trails, geocaching locales, and maps for more intense
adventure seekers interested in climbing, mountain biking, and winter sports.
Google Moon
For the moon walker in you, there’s always Google Moon. With geologic and topographic charts, and elevation options,
you’ll feel like a real universe aficionado.
Mashups You Love
I always poll my smart and savvy Twitter network when I need to find the best in web-related
goodies. They recommend:
HousingMaps.com
A clever little mashup, HousingMaps.com
shows Craigslist listings across the country. Users can filter by city, price, housing type,
listings with pictures, and any additional keywords. The end result is a detailed map with
housing options side-by-side with a color coded text list. (Recommended by @searchguru)
Gmaps Pedometer
Gmaps Pedometer is a simple site
that lets you calculate the distance between specific points you plot on the map. You can turn
mile markers, elevation, and the calorie counter on or off based on your personal needs. In
addition, you can save your favorite routes for future reference. (Recommended by @shanehale7 & @CatherineLarsen)
Robocall Tracker
The Twitter Robocall Tracker: Map of
Robocalls is a mashup of a variety of open APIs with the purpose of plotting reported
robocalls (you know those annoying prerecorded calls you can’t avoid). Users can report a
call, view other reported calls by locale, and listen to the actual audio from a handful of
reported calls. All reported incidents are screened and associated with the name of the Twitter
user who submitted the original report. (Created by @EndTheRoboCalls)
Mobile Map Goodness
The beauty of Google Maps is that you’re not restricted to browsing at home. Google Maps for mobile works
on a wide variety of phones including the iPhone, and all phones with Windows Mobile and Android
operating systems. The mobile version supports a majority of the standard Google Maps
functionality including My Location (regardless of whether or not your phone has GPS), Street
View, Directions (public transit), walking, or driving, Business Listings, and Traffic
information.
Wikitude AR Travel Guide for Android
G1 owners (and future Android users) have the added bonus of being able to play with Wikitude AR Travel Guide, an augmented
reality app with location-based Wikipedia content. I haven’t had the opportunity to test
it, but according to their website, one bonus is that “users may hold the phone’s
camera against a spectacular mountain range and see the names and heights displayed as overlay
mapped with the mountains in the camera.” Check out the video below for a really neat peek
at what this app can do. Um yeah, can I get that on my iPhone please?!?
Now It’s Your Turn…
Tell us about the mashups you use, the tricks you live by, and the tweaks that make you weak in
the knees.
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:
Responding to
reporting, followed by confirmation, that President-elect Barack Obama intends to nominate
Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, many in the media, including contributors to
Politico and people appearing on CNN and MSNBC, have raised the specter of personal and
political "drama" -- which they claim accompanies Hillary and Bill Clinton wherever they go --
negatively affecting the Obama administration. The Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page
acknowledged that the media are hoping for "drama" resulting from a Clinton appointment; Page
responded to the question of how Obama is "going to keep the drama at bay" by saying: "Well, do
we want that? We're journalists."
John Isaacs, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation,
summarized the "torrent of media coverage" focused on Obama and Clinton's relationship in a
December 1
piece comparing the two Democrats' foreign policy positions:
President-elect Barack Obama announced today that he will nominate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
to be Secretary of State. Selecting a former rival for the most prestigious of cabinet positions
has unleashed a torrent of media coverage, most of which has focused on grossly exaggerated
disagreements during the presidential campaign and behind-the-scenes political maneuvering.
This reporting misses the point. As Lt. General Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms
Control and Non-Proliferation,
wrote recently, "It's not Hillary, it's the policy stupid!"
Reporters tend to exaggerate conflict because it makes for more interesting copy. The fact is,
however, that when it comes to foreign policy, Obama and Clinton agree far more than they
disagree. [bold in original]
Media Matters for Americapreviouslynoted that several media figures
speculated that Clinton would pursue her own agenda and not Obama's as secretary of state, with
at least one pundit speculating that she would attempt to set up a "parallel government" while
others speculated that Obama was considering the nomination because if Clinton remains in the
Senate, she poses a threat of challenging him for the presidential nomination in 2012 and can
"mak[e] trouble" for him in the Senate.
Politico references to purported Clinton "drama"
In a December 2 Politico
column, chief political columnist Roger Simon described Obama's nomination of Clinton as
one that "took some struggle and considerable drama" and asserted: "Drama and Hillary seem to
go hand in hand, though this is not always her fault. Her husband seems the source of much of
it."
In a December 1
article, chief political writer Mike Allen and executive editor Jim VandeHei stated that
Obama's nominations for his national security team "offer some important evidence on the
best-kept secret of the past two years: how will a President Obama actually govern in these
troubled times?" Allen and VandeHei later asserted that Clinton at the State Department could
"be a disaster if the Clinton family's penchant for personal and political dramas distract the
Obama presidency."
In a November 18 article, senior political writer Ben Smith
claimed that unnamed members of the Obama campaign view "Clinton as a relic of a
drama-filled Democratic past." Smith wrote: "So the transition from viewing Hillary Clinton as
a relic of a drama-filled Democratic past to the top choice to run the foreign policy of an
Obama administration has been difficult for some campaign veterans, to say the least."
CNN references to purported Clinton "drama"
On the December 1 edition of CNN's Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, host Campbell
Brown aired a segment by CNN senior correspondent Joe Johns on Clinton's nomination in which
Johns referred to the Clintons as "America's reigning king and queen of political drama." Johns'
segment aired again later that night during Anderson Cooper 360. Host Anderson Cooper
introduced the segment by saying, "Food fight or partnership? Animal House or
Casablanca? Either way, plenty of drama ahead, on top of plenty of drama just to get
here. We wanted to know what deals were actually made to get the Clintons on board."
During the November 23 edition of Reliable Sources, host Howard Kurtz said to
New Republic senior editor Michelle Cottle, "[T]he mood swings here are almost comical.
The New York Times on Friday quoting an unnamed Hillary friend as saying, 'She decided,
well, she's not going to do it.' Then she decided maybe. So, is the Clinton style, or are
reporters ginning this up by talking to everybody they can?" Cottle responded: "Well, you know,
every time the Clintons are involved there must be high drama. This is kind of the defining
characteristic of the Clintons. So, I'm sure on some level it's, you know, fun for Bill and
Hillary to be out there, and they're the ones who are kind of like, well, playing hard to get or,
you know, along these lines."
On the November 21 edition ofCampbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, a panel discussed
Peggy Noonan's November 21 Wall Street Journal
column, in which Noonan wrote that the "downside" to Obama's selection of Clinton is that
"[t]o invite in the Clintons -- and it's always the Clintons, never a Clinton -- is to invite
in, to summon, drama that will never end. Ever." Stephen Hayes, senior writer for the
conservative Weekly Standard, called Clinton's nomination "a logistical
disaster for the Obama administration." CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin later said in
response: "I think it's a journalistic obsession more than a public obsession. I really don't
think there are a lot of people out there who care what day she accepts this nomination. She's
either gonna be a good secretary of state or not."
New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis then stated: "[I]t is curious. I mean, even
something simple like opening an office in New York for Bill Clinton -- remember that? There was,
the back and the forth, and it couldn't be this place and it couldn't be that place. And then he
goes to Harlem. You know, I mean, 'drama' is the right word. I think, though, that you're right,
that the drama may not mean that much. But you're always gonna get the drama." Toobin replied,
"You are -- we love drama."
While discussing Noonan's column during the November 21 edition of The Situation
Room, The Washington Post's Dana Milbank asserted, "[O]f course there's going to be
drama. They could book out the Kennedy Center and sell tickets." Later, Hayes claimed, "Peggy
Noonan is exactly right," adding: "And this is, I think, why it's going to be a problem going
forward."
During the November 20 edition of Larry King Live, CNN contributor Amy Holmes said,
"I think Republicans would love the get their hands on her [Clinton] in a nomination hearing and
start asking all those tough, sticky questions about her husband's financing." She continued:
"You know, Barack Obama, he campaigned and he said, 'No drama.' Well, this last week, the Clinton
drama has been back. And I think he might have some second thoughts about whether or not he wants
that in his Cabinet."
On the November 17 edition of Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, Brown said that "it
appears Bill Clinton isn't exactly helping her [Hillary Clinton's] case." Brown later asked if
Bill Clinton is "a hindrance" to Hillary Clinton. In response, Louis said:
Well, he's been a -- look, they're a package deal, and I think we always -- we've always known
that. And -- but I'll tell you, as far as the vetting, I don't think that this rules Hillary
Clinton out by any means. Just as they say "no drama Obama," the Clintons, you get really pretty
much the opposite. They're deliberate. They're early boomers. They're the center of attention.
They agonize in public.
MSNBC references to purported Clinton "drama"
During the December 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, Page asserted: "The only thing
about having Hillary Clinton there is we know her and her husband to be drama people, and we've
got 'no drama Obama' as the chief executive." Host Chris Matthews responded: "Well, how is he
going to keep the drama at bay?" Page answered: "Well, do we want that? We're journalists."
On the November 20 edition of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, MSNBC political analyst
Michelle Bernard asserted that "there is a difference between actually working for former
President Clinton and -- and the former first lady and actually having Mrs. Clinton in a Cabinet
position, particularly as the secretary of state, because her husband brings so much baggage."
Bernard continued: "It is -- it's the Clinton era of drama all over again. And really, you know,
we should be sort of basking in the election results of November 4th, and already we're back in
the middle of Clinton drama." Host David Gregory responded: "Right."
Appearing on the November 19 edition of Hardball, Bernard claimed "[t]here is always
drama" surrounding the Clintons. Earlier, Bernard stated that Obama is "now the president-elect,
and once again, all of the headlines in the news are about Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton."
Bernard added: "And again, I have to say to myself, 'Who is the president-elect?' Is it Senator
Obama -- former Senator Obama -- or is it Hillary Clinton? When does it end?" She continued:
She is a leader. She is not a follower. If she's going to be a good diplomat for the United
States government, she has to be able to follow Obama's lead. And let's face it. Senator Clinton
probably still is looking to 2012 and 2016. You can't do that and be an effective diplomat and
also be an effective follower of the president-elect of the United States.
On the November 17 edition of Hardball, Matthews asserted, "The Clintons are drama."
Matthews stated:
When I first heard that the president-elect could pick Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state,
my impulse was, "trouble." The Clintons are drama. They have ambition, and they also have a story
to tell, and to be just by themselves. Why, I asked, does Obama, who has the nickname "No drama
Obama," want to marry himself to drama?
On the November 14 edition of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Gregory asked NBC News
political director Chuck Todd: "[B]ut if you were Obama, and you were concerned about the drama
factor with Hillary Clinton being on your team when you were considering her or not considering
her for vice president, what happens if you bring her into the fold in such a big way and it
doesn't work out now?"
From the December 1 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360:
COOPER: Food fight or partnership? Animal House or Casablanca? Either way,
plenty of drama ahead, on top of plenty of drama just to get here.
We wanted to know what deals were actually made to get the Clintons on board. [CNN senior
correspondent] Joe Johns has the inside story and the "Raw Politics."
[...]
JOHNS [video clip]: And so what did Barack Obama have to give up to get Hillary Clinton as
secretary of state? Well, he had to agree to share the domestic and international spotlight with
America's reigning queen and king of political drama.
From the December 1 edition of CNN's Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull:
BROWN: Joe Johns is here with more on the give and take that put Obama's former rival into the
top spot at the State Department. What happened?
JOHNS: Well, Campbell, if you're a political junkie like I am, and you love to hear about
old-fashioned wheeling and dealing, this story has it all -- the story of how former rivals and a
former president brokered an agreement to put Hillary Clinton on the world stage.
[...]
JOHNS [video clip]: And so what did Barack Obama have to give up to get Hillary Clinton as
secretary of state? Well, he had to agree to share the domestic and international spotlight with
America's reigning queen and king of political drama.
From the November 23 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:
KURTZ: Your -- your phone keeps ringing.
Michelle Cottle, the mood swings here are almost comical. The New York Times on Friday
quoting an unnamed Hillary friend as saying, "She decided, well, she's not going to do it." Then she
decided maybe. So, is this the Clinton style, or are reporters ginning this up by talking to
everybody they can?
COTTLE: Well, you know, every time the Clintons are involved there must be high drama. This is
kind of the defining characteristic of the Clintons. So, I'm sure on some level it's, you know,
fun for Bill and Hillary to be out there, and they're the ones who are kind of like, well,
playing hard to get or, you know, along these lines.
From the November 21 edition of Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull:
BROWN: Well, Steve, the big hurry may be to -- to try to tamp down some of this drama, which we
know that the Obama camp hates. I mean, Peggy Noonan writes in The Wall Street Journal
today "to invite the Clintons is to invite in, to summon drama that will never end. Ever."
I mean, are we seeing that play out right now? And if she does go to work for Obama, is he gonna
be able to keep her on message? Will he be the boss?
HAYES: No, seriously, I mean, this is hilarious. We are now on, like, day nine of this drama.
This is a simple transaction, in theory. Will you accept the job? Yes, I will accept the job. No,
I won't accept the job. I mean, it should be as simple as that. Or maybe I need to take a day or
two to think about it, I'll get back to you. Instead, really, just what we've seen, Campbell, you
point out, in the last 24 hours, you've seen, yes, she's going take it. Well, no, she's not,
that's premature. It's on track. Maybe it's not on track.
This is exactly, I think, the problem with picking Hillary Clinton. As much as I am sort of
relieved as a conservative that she's a good choice for people who believe what I believe in
terms of foreign policy -- she's better than a lot of other options -- this is, I think, a
logistical disaster for the Obama administration.
BROWN: So -- so, Jeff, what -- what are these quote, unquote "discussions" about? What do you
think they're still negotiating? What are the sticking points?
TOOBIN: Well, they are discussing, certainly, Bill's finances. But to call this a disaster is
such a total overstatement. It matters not at all whether she accepts this job on Jan -- on
November 21st or December 1st. That is of zero significance. Barack Obama isn't even going to be
president for two months yet. This is a total fake noncontroversy of no consequence to anyone.
HAYES: No, I'm sorry. It is not -- it is not a fake noncontroversy. It's -- it's not as much what
it's -- what's happening today -- yeah, fine, she could've accepted it a week ago, it doesn't
change it. It's what it says about what's likely to come. And I think to deny that is frankly
just naive. If you think that this is not a preview for what we're likely to see of a Hillary
Clinton secretary of state in the Obama administration, I think it's just naive.
TOOBIN: There are a bunch of conservative journalists who hate the Clintons with such a passion
that everything that they do they find offense at some level.
BROWN: But -- but, Jeff --
TOOBIN: And taking a few days to decide is not a big deal.
HAYES: Come on.
BROWN: It's not just -- in fairness, it's not just conservative journalists. I mean, look at the
way the media in general -- I mean, we're all guilty of this -- covers the Clintons. I mean,
every little up and down is a story, like it or not. And that comes with choosing her,
inevitably. So -- so, don't you think that --
TOOBIN: But -- but I -- I think it is -- it is much more --
BROWN: -- it's a story just by virtue she's -- of the fact she's there.
TOOBIN: I think it's a journalistic obsession more than a public obsession. I really don't think
there are a lot of people out there who care what day she accepts this nomination. She's either
gonna be a good secretary of state or not.
LOUIS: Jeffrey, it is -- it is curious. I mean, even something simple like opening an office in
New York for Bill Clinton -- remember that? There was, the back and the forth, and it couldn't be
this place and it couldn't be that place. And then he goes to Harlem. You know, I mean, "drama"
is the right word. I think, though, that you're right, that the drama may not mean that much. But
you're always gonna get the drama.
TOOBIN: You are -- we love drama.
BROWN: OK, right.
From the November 21 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:
WOLF BLITZER (host): Yeah. Listen to what Peggy Noonan wrote in The Wall Street Journal.
She's a former speechwriter for President Reagan. "To invite in the Clintons -- and it's always
the Clintons, never a Clinton -- is to invite in and to summon drama that will never end. Ever.
This would seem to be at odds with the atmospherics of Obamaland."
What do you think about that?
GLORIA BORGER (CNN senior political analyst): Well, I think it tells you a lot about Obama,
because you think he doesn't know that? Of course he knows that. He'd have to be living under a
rock not to know that.
But I think he's self-confident enough. I think he really wants Hillary Clinton in that job
because of the face she's going to present to the rest of the world. And I think he -- he can
tell her, if things aren't working out well, things -- things have gotta change. So, I think it
shows a very self-confident president-elect.
BLITZER: A lot of people are saying that, Dana. Don't you agree?
MILBANK: Yeah, I think Gloria is absolutely right. I mean, of course there's gonna be drama. They
could book out the Kennedy Center and sell tickets. We know that. And it's -- it's going to be
very --
BORGER: You'd be in the front row.
MILBANK: It's going to be very exciting for us. But it is a sign of confidence. And he said her
assets, which are this huge personality who carries a lot of weight around the world, outweighs
whatever little drama we're gonna have over at the Kennedy Center.
BLITZER: Yeah, and I think it's clear -- at least this is the impression I'm getting -- that this
relationship that is emerging between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is -- they're getting
closer and closer on a daily basis. But, you know, I'm not on the inside.
HAYES: Well --
BLITZER: That's just the impression I'm getting.
HAYES: I -- I would say I get a different impression. I mean, you look at just what's happened
over the past 48 hours. She was going to take it. No, she wasn't. She's thinking seriously about
it. Maybe not. Was it offered, was it not?
I mean, we have honestly had six different turns in this story in 48 hours. This -- this is
unprecedented drama.
MILBANK: That was just the first act.
HAYES: And -- and it's a preview -- it's a preview of what is to come.
BLITZER: Yeah, but, you know, a lot of those leaks are coming from aides -- whether Obama aides
or Clinton aides -- who may or may not be reflecting their own personal feelings, as opposed to
the principals' feelings.
HAYES: There's no doubt. You're right about that. But those aides are going to go with her to the
State Department, in all likelihood.
BORGER: Maybe.
HAYES: I mean this is -- this is exactly the kind of drama that he was known for avoiding. Peggy
Noonan is exactly right. And this is, I think, why it's going to be a problem going forward.
From the November 20 edition of CNN's Larry King Live:
LARRY KING (host): And, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton. What do you think -- how would
Republicans feel about her as secretary of state?
HOLMES: That's an interesting question. I think Republicans would love the get their hands on her
in a nomination hearing and start asking all those tough, sticky questions about her husband's
financing. You know, Barack Obama, he campaigned and he said, "No drama." Well, this last week,
the Clinton drama has been back. And I think he might have some second thoughts about whether or
not he wants that in his Cabinet.
From the November 17 edition of Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull:
BROWN: I mean, once again, it appears Bill Clinton isn't exactly helping her case. And at the
time that the VP debate was happening, we heard, frankly, that that was a reason among the Obama
team that she wasn't really considered. I mean, is he a hindrance here, truly?
LOUIS: Well, he's been a -- look, they're a package deal, and I think we always -- we've always
known that. And -- but I'll tell you, as far as the vetting, I don't think that this rules
Hillary Clinton out by any means. Just as they say "no drama Obama," the Clintons, you get really
pretty much the opposite. They're deliberate. They're early boomers. They're the center of
attention. They agonize in public.
From the December 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: Now, let me start with this one -- Clarence, you first. He makes Hillary Clinton, his
chief rival, who won 18 million votes, the secretary of state. But then he takes Susan Rice, who
he really trusts on foreign policy, makes her ambassador to the U.N., and says she doesn't have
to report to Hillary Clinton. She's going to report to me directly. Two Cabinet secretaries
sitting next to each other at the Cabinet desk. Explain. It seems to me that that is how you deal
with rivals -- you keep them separated.
PAGE: Well, this is a case, to torture what is becoming a cliché, keeping your friend,
Susan Rice, close, and your former enemy, Hillary Clinton, closer. As secretary of state, she
gets the higher position --
MATTHEWS: And not close to each other.
PAGE: -- not close to each other, but reporting directly to him, which is not that unusual. In
the past, you know, national security adviser has always been kind of a rival to the secretary of
state, as well. So it is going to be interesting. The only thing about having Hillary Clinton
there is we know her and her husband to be drama people, and we've got "no drama Obama" as the
chief executive.
MATTHEWS: Well, how is he going to keep the drama at bay?
PAGE: Well, do we want that? We're journalists.
[crosstalk]
MATTHEWS: OK. Do we want a good story? Chris Cillizza [washingtonpost.com writer], your thoughts.
I want to take these one at a time.
From the November 20 edition of MSNBC's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:
GREGORY: Well, Michelle, this is the line that they've been threading all week -- and last week,
too -- as they have named these Clinton veterans to positions of prominence. And, of course, if
Hillary Clinton becomes secretary of state, it doesn't get anymore prominent than that. The
Clinton era is back.
BERNARD: Absolutely. This is, I believe, could be a potentially very significant problem for the
brand new Obama administration. I mean, think about it, we just had the election on November 4th.
Most of us are talking not so much about the president-elect, but about former President Bill
Clinton and about Hillary Clinton.
[...]
BERNARD: But there is a difference between actually working for former President Clinton and --
and the former first lady and actually having Mrs. Clinton in a Cabinet position, particularly as
the secretary of state, because her husband brings so much baggage. It is -- it's the Clinton era
of drama all over again. And really, you know, we should be sort of basking in the election
results of November 4th, and already we're back in the middle of Clinton drama.
GREGORY: Right.
From the November 19 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
BERNARD: When do you ever see in the history of the United States government, people who are up
for Cabinet positions negotiating before the American public? I do ask: How does this end up in
The Washington Post? We call him "No drama Obama." You know, he ran such a disciplined
campaign. He's now the president-elect, and once again, all of the headlines in the news are
about Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton.
And again, I have to say to myself, "Who is the president-elect?" Is it Senator Obama -- former
Senator Obama -- or is it Hillary Clinton? When does it end? She is a leader. She is not a
follower. If she's going to be a good diplomat for the United States government, she has to be
able --
MATTHEWS: Yeah.
JOAN WALSH (Salon.com senior editor-in-chief): Well --
BERNARD: -- to follow Obama's lead. And let's face it. Senator Clinton probably still is looking
to 2012 and 2016. You can't do that and be an effective diplomat and also be an effective
follower of the president-elect of the United States.
WALSH: Then he won't pick her. You know what, Michelle? Then he won't pick her.
But this is what I have to say. I think this is fascinating. While the world was swept by
Obamamania last year -- I confess, I was a late swooner, OK? I had some questions about him, but
he won me over. And now I'm sitting here on the sidelines, admittedly, saying, "I trust Obama to
make the right decision." If he picks her, it will be because he believes she will carry out his
foreign policy. And if he doesn't pick her, there might be many reasons for that, but it'll be
the right choice.
So, you know, I think this whole idea -- first of all, the Clintons are being blamed for leaking
when it's not clear to me who's leaking what and who's talking about the negotiations. That might
be Obama people who want to scuttle this thing. But, as always, the default in any situation is
to blame the Clintons. They're the ones at fault.
[...]
BERNARD: See, I don't think this is a question of whether or not people trust Barack Obama's
judgment to pick her --
WALSH: Well, I do.
BERNARD: -- or not pick her as secretary of state. But there are a lot of questions about the
Clintons. There is always drama.
From the November 17 edition of Hardball:
MATTHEWS: Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews. Welcome to Hardball, tonight from Los
Angeles. Leading off tonight: When I first heard that the president-elect could pick Hillary
Clinton as his secretary of state, my impulse was, "trouble." The Clintons are drama. They have
ambition, and they also have a story to tell, and to be just by themselves. Why, I asked, does
Obama, who has the nickname "No drama Obama," want to marry himself to drama?
[...]
MATTHEWS: Well, isn't that something. Barack -- you're from out in the Midwest, you know Barack's
reputation: "No drama Obama." He doesn't like anybody on his staff being interesting. He doesn't
want even any interesting personalities on his staff like George Stephanopoulos. He doesn't want
anybody interesting. He doesn't like any sideshows, period. The Clintons are always an
interesting(...)
divimg alt=""
src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/65259?ns=guardianpageName=UK+news%3A+Heavy+snow+and+high+winds+forecast+to+cause+travel+chaosch=UK+newsc3=The+Guardianc4=Weather+UK+%28News%29%2CTransport+UK%2CUK+newsc5=Not+commercially+usefulc6=Helen+Carterc7=2008_12_04c8=1128352c9=articlec10=GUc11=UK+newsc12=Weatherc13=c14=h2=GU%2FUK+news%2FWeather"
width="1" height="1" //divpMany parts of the UK were forecast yesterday to wake up today to find a
thick covering of snow making the daily commute treacherous./ppA combination of heavy snow and high
winds was expected to cause blizzards across most of Scotland, northern England and the north
Midlands through last night and into this morning. On higher ground up to 20cm (10 in) of snow was
predicted, with deposits of between 2cm and 5cm lower down in populated areas./ppIn the Scottish
Highlands temperatures were expected to fall to -10C. Hundreds of traffic accidents have already
been reported in Scotland during the cold snap. Wales and parts of the Midlands may also have a
dusting of snow, according to Met Office forecasters./ppAcross southern England and south Wales,
heavy rain was forecast but it could turn icy in places as it falls on cold ground./ppForecasters
said driving conditions during the morning rush hour would be difficult, even in the south where
heavy rain could turn to ice as a result of falling temperatures./ppThe M74 in Scotland was
affected by blizzards yesterday with only one lane open in each direction. About 90 schools in
Aberdeenshire were closed or partially closed due to the weather./ppThe Met Office said a weather
system had begun moving in from the Atlantic from yesterday afternoon. "That will lead to snow in
Northern Ireland, although it will turn back to rain after a couple of hours. The main risk is for
falls of snow across the north Midlands, northern England and Scotland," it said./ppThe snow is
expected to be accompanied by strong winds of up to 40mph, which means there is a real risk of
blizzards and drifting./ppParts of Oxfordshire and the northern home counties may also see snow,
although it was unlikely to settle as it would turn to rain later./ppTraffic in the north-west was
severely disrupted yesterday when the M62 was closed in both directions following a fatal accident
involving a lorry and a car, which killed one person./ppThousands of homes in Kelso, Berwickshire,
were left without gas, where 3,000 properties were affected during sub-zero conditions. Around 70
households were affected in the village of Ednam. It could take several days to restore the supply,
and temperatures would remain below 5C until the end of the week./ppOn Tuesday about 200 schools in
the north-west of England were closed because of snow causing poor driving conditions./ppWilliam
Hill have cut the odds of snow on Christmas day to 4/1 in the UK's major cities. If it does snow on
the 25th it could cost bookmakers pound;1m./ppA spokesman for the firm said: "Make no mistake this
is a massive gamble and snow on Christmas day will be a disaster for us."/ppThe company is offering
considerably longer odds (100/1) that the Thames freezes over between Westminster and Tower
bridge./pdiv style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/weather"Weather/a/lilia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/transport"Transport/a/li/ul/diva
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ismap="true"/img/a/p
divimg alt=""
src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/69710?ns=guardianpageName=Stage%3A+%27My+whole+life+has+been+a+black+comedy%27ch=Stagec3=The+Guardianc4=Theatre%2CCulture+section%2CJoe+Orton+%28Playwright%29%2CStage%2CTelevision+%28Culture%29c5=Not+commercially+useful%2CTelevision+Media%2CTheatrec6=Catherine+Shoardc7=2008_12_04c8=1128305c9=articlec10=GUc11=Stagec12=Theatrec13=c14=h2=GU%2FStage%2FTheatre"
width="1" height="1" //divpIt has been a while since Doon Mackichan was last hung, drawn and
quartered for laughing at the suffering of children. There was a week in August 2001 when you
couldn't pass a newsstand without seeing her handsome, sparrowhawk face, forehead partially
obscured by the word "evil" or "depraved"./ppThe Brass Eye paedophile special is now mostly
remembered as virtuoso satire, so it's easy to forget what a stink it caused at the time. And it
was Mackichan, who played TV presenter Swanchita Haze, who bore the brunt of it. People expected
that sort of thing from Chris Morris, but Doon was a woman with - gulp - children of her own.
"[Mackichan] had seen herself as a major comedy force in the making," wrote the Mail. "She even
dreamt of becoming a film star. But with the Brass Eye disaster as her epitaph, all those plans lie
in tatters."/ppLooking back, it's hard to say her career didn't suffer. There were two more seasons
of Smack the Pony, the girly Channel 4 sketch show with Sally Phillips and Fiona Allen, but to
diminishing returns. There were wifely roles in ropey sitcoms. There was theatre. Then came a
two-year break for unhappier reasons (of which more later). And now she's back, in a play that,
well, laughs at the suffering of children. Adults, too. Especially those six feet under. /ppJoe
Orton's Loot, like Brass Eye, is comedy that sets out to shock. Don't be fooled by its age;
although the play was first performed in 1965, Loot has weathered better than, say, a TV parody of
late-90s news shows. Death doesn't date as a cultural taboo; likewise religion. Rereading Loot is
like having a shower when you hadn't realised the boiler's broken: unexpectedly shocking./pp"Yep,
it's full on," says Mackichan, eating a tuna sandwich between rehearsals in London. "There's this
one line about a really great brothel run by Pakistanis who pimp out their kids for Mars bars." She
smiles: an attractive smile, heavy on the lippy. "I'm like, 'Oh we'll cut that, won't we?' Well,
no, we can't, because what about all the other things people might find offensive? Cut them all and
you won't have much of a play left."/ppOther lines trouble her. Orton's gleeful description of a
sexual assault, complete with tooth-breaking detail. "That specific image is just really horrible.
Do you lose a portion of your audience when you leave that in? Do people stop thinking it's a great
play? Or as my mum would say, 'Ooh, Orton's so kinky; yes, I love all that.' " /ppDoon plays Fay,
an Irish Catholic home nurse and a prolific serial killer (87 in one week alone). She has lately
buried her seventh husband and has her eighth in her crosshairs, having just dispatched his wife
with a syringe of poison. Loot takes place on the day of the wife's funeral, and charts the power
struggle between Fay, Hal (whose mother is being buried), Dennis, Hal's boyfriend, with whom he has
robbed a bank and put the money in mum's coffin, and Detective Truscott, the sinister inspector who
comes calling. /ppOrton's stage instructions put Kay in her late 20s; other than that Mackichan,
46, is a good fit. She is Celtic, by nurture at least. She grew up in Surrey but moved to Fife with
her family when she was nine. She survived the transition, she says, by acting, specialising in
"posh bitches". This is something she still does: she is a natural authoritarian, physically
pneumatic, temperamentally tough - a few years back she swam the English channel with a team of
paratroopers. /pp"Yes, I could kill someone," she says, without thinking too hard about it. "It
must be so easy to just nip a needle in, or hold a pillow over an old person's face. The power and
the buzz you'd get." She has been boning up on True Crime magazine to further understand her
character's homicidal motivation. "But I just can't read the books. There's such an orgasm about
they way they're written. 'Women who kill! Viciously!' When it comes to sex and violence, we're an
island of obsessives. I mean, how does it help people to know the details of how someone was
physically tortured?"/ppTen years ago, Mackichan got her fingers burned over an Anglican sketch on
her Radio 4 show, Doon Your Way, but it hasn't left her any more on-message when it comes to
religion. "It's been extraordinary finding out what Catholics actually believe!" she says of the
research process. "All the rituals and superstition. The whole voyeurism of talking to someone
behind a little screen. The idea that you can think, OK, I'll be a bitch, then on Sunday I'll say,
'Oh, I was a bit of a bitch' and then feel great!"/ppShe is not religious herself, "but I don't
think I'm in an atheistic universe. I do think there's a higher power". Has she ever prayed? "Oh,
I've been down on my knees many times." She pauses and then roars with laughter - it's a genuine,
accidental Orton-ism. /ppIt turns out that Mackichan has had an extremely tough few years. Her
father recently died. She is in the process of getting divorced from her husband, Common As Muck
actor Anthony Barclay, with whom she has three children, India, 11, Louis, 10, and Ella-Rose, four.
And, three years ago, Louis contracted leukaemia. Much of the past three years has been spent with
him in hospital. He is now in remission, but shadows still hollow out her face. She wells up
frequently, and there is something frayed behind the raucous laugh and actorly tics. "I do find
authority hard to deal with now," she growls, after an assistant gives us a 10-minute warning that
she needs to get back to work. "I feel a bit of an anarchist. I don't think I could work for
someone who was an arsehole any more." She gulps down some fruit juice. "I can't actually have
confrontations with people. It's too much. I'm a single muvva with three kids and a show to do."
She laughs but she's dead serious./ppWhen things were at their worst, she says, her monopoly on
heartache was hard to handle. "People would tut behind me in a supermarket queue and I'd have to
go, 'Please, go ahead of me, you've obviously got somewhere to go. I'm just going back to the
children's cancer ward.' I once had an actress telling me her hair was falling out because of her
new kitchen and I thought, I'm not going to say anything, because this is quite interesting,
because I remember how I was before it all." And how was she before it all? "Quite selfish,
neurotic. Up my own arse. It's made me very tough. I do think I have endurance beyond the pale."
/ppWhen Louis was well enough, Mackichan took her children with her to Africa to shoot a BBC2
series, Taking the Flak, loosely based on John Simpson's reporting from poverty-stricken,
war-ravaged places. After such harrowing experiences, how she can cope with her relatively
comfortable existence? "You walk into your house and you go: I'm a millionaire. I'm a princess; I
live in a palace. And you think: I don't have a lot of shoes, but I do have too many shoes. You
look at yourself and think: Party's over, mate. Time to be useful."/ppAnd yet she is not an aid
worker in Africa. She is in north London, rehearsing a play. "I did think, I can't go back to
acting. It's too vain, too ridiculous. I was going to retrain as a play specialist in Louis' cancer
ward. But this is what I've done for 20 years. It's what I do." /ppShe's right. Mackichan is a
natural born thesp, right down to her floaty black blouse and stripy woollen leg-warmers. Slice her
in half and you would see "actor" written right through the middle of her. "I have a real mission
now to be in work that will be cathartic for people. [Work] that's really honest about just how
fucking hard it is to stay afloat."/ppLoot isn't exactly what she had in mind, she admits, but its
no-nonsense attitude to tragedy has been cathartic. "My whole life lately has been a bit of a black
comedy." She snorts. Might she consider turning it into one? "There's a lot of mileage in a
children's cancer-ward comedy. All the opening curtains and waving at people being sick into bowls.
You could set it in the tiny coffin-like kitchen where only the adults are allowed. You see these
little bald children running past the window. It was like suddenly being in a war."/ppCould she
really bear to return there, even imaginatively? "I don't know. They haunt me, those nighttime
corridors. The characters, too: the carers and nurses and staff and the petty quarrels. And getting
high on Quality Street till 3am. But I would like to." /ppstrongmiddot; /strongLoot is at the
Tricycle, London NW6, from December 11. Box office: 020-7328 1000./pdiv style="float: left;
margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatre"Theatre/a/lilia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/orton"Joe Orton/a/lilia
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An Air New Zealand Airbus A320 a
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1objectid=10546224"crashed in the
Meditarreanean last week/a while on an acceptance testing flight at the end of a lease. The tragedy
occurred on the 29th anniversary of the airline's worst disaster, a
href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4398336a6479.html"the crash of sightseeing flight TE901
in the Antarctic/a. Beginning in 1977, the a
href="http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/history/anzbrochure.html"popular one-day flights/a
took passengers on low level flights over the Ross Dependency, with experienced guides providing
commentary. a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_New_Zealand_Flight_901"TE 901/a flew on
beautiful, clear day, and yet the DC-10 collided with the side of a
href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=222036t=kom=1"Mt
Erebus/a, killing all 257 on board. The original accident report cited pilot error, but that was
only the beginning. br / With no mechanical reason for the crash, and the a
href="http://www.airdisaster.com/cvr/anz901tr.shtml"cockpit voice recorder showing no emergency in
the cockpit/a, The report blamed pilot a
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/mt-erebus-crash/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500932objectid=6500438"Jim
Collins/a for descending below a minimum safe altitude of 16,000ft. A subsequent Royal Commission
of Inquiry was launched, and after 75 days of evidence, Justice Peter Mahon concluded that a
href="http://www.investigatemagazine.com/archives/2006/03/investigate_nov_4.html"quot;I am forced
reluctantly to say that I had to listen to an orchestrated litany of lies.quot;/a Exonerating the
pilots, Justice Mahon found a
href="http://www.archives.govt.nz/exhibitions/pastexhibitions/erebus/docs/AntarcticReport.pdf"the
computer navigation track of TE901 had been altered just before the flight/a, shifting the
flightpath from the safe, flat expanse of McMurdo Sound to a collision course with Mt Erebus,
without the pilots being told of the change. The pilots had fallen victim to a phenomenon known as
a href="http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/SystemSafety/Newsletters/tp185/4-02/427.htm"sector
whiteout/a rendering the mountain indistinguishable from the cloud cover. Air New Zealand appealed
the decision, and political establishment turned on Mahon, resulting in his eventual resignation.
He was posthumously awarded for a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4778562a11.html" changing the way
air accidents are investigated worldwide/a.br / br / His findings a
href="http://www.pprune.org/d-g-reporting-points/152934-erebus-25-years-6.html"remain
controversial/a decades later, with a href="http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1121530.php"claims
that Air New Zealand employees have attempted to sanitise the Wikipedia entry on the crash/a, the a
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/mt-erebus-crash/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500932objectid=9002310"original
cockpit voice recorder tape missing/a (leaving inconsistent transcripts), and the Prime Minister at
the time a
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/mt-erebus-crash/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500932objectid=3612368"working
to counter Mahon's findings/a before they were ever released. The wreckage a
href="http://www.archives.govt.nz/exhibitions/currentexhibitions/chch/images/pc-erebus-crashsiteside.jpg"remains
on the ice/a. During warm seasons, it can still be seen from the air.
divimg alt=""
src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/790?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+India+step+up+security+to+prevent+cash+crisisch=Sportc3=guardian.co.ukc4=England+cricket+team%2CIndian+Premier+League+%28cricket%29%2CCricket%2CMumbai+terror+attacks+%28News%29c5=Not+commercially+useful%2CCricketc6=David+Hoppsc7=2008_12_03c8=1128213c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=England+Cricket+Teamc13=c14=h2=GU%2FSport%2FEngland+Cricket+Team"
width="1" height="1" //divpIndia will embark on a major upgrading of security facilities at its
international stadiums in a desperate attempt to prevent the economic collapse of the international
game in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks./ppEmergency levels of security, perhaps
unprecedented in cricket history, have been guaranteed for England's return to India for Tests in
Chennai and Mohali, but there is no guarantee that the Indian government will be so amenable to
special measures — such as the provision of special security forces
— in the future./ppIndian cricket has therefore concluded that permanent
security measures must be introduced for all major competitions to allay players' fears about their
safety, guard against mass withdrawals and to protect the country's status as cricket's thriving
economic powerhouse./ppIndia's greatest worry is that the country that provides roughly 70% of
cricket's revenue will become the country that nobody wants to tour — causing
it to follow Pakistan towards the prospect of a depressing future playing home matches in Abu Dhabi
or Dubai./ppFor India to have to take such a step would ultimately have a disastrous effect on the
finances of the game and England, and its top players, would not be immune./ppThe driving force
behind the security measures is, unsurprisingly, Lalit Modi, vice-president of the Board of Control
for Cricket in India and commissioner of the Indian Premier League. Modi knows that the IPL will
not receive such security support from the state, so he is now pressing for what amounts to a total
modernisation of India's stadiums, with security the overwhelming priority./ppModi said after the
Mumbai atrocities: "Security is something we need to think about seriously because becoming
sidelined like Pakistan due to security threats is something that is logical. We have to ensure
that the security measures we take are the best. We shouldn't allow such attacks to disrupt our
determination."/ppHis response has been swift. He has written to representatives of the eight
grounds that stage IPL Twenty20 cricket — to insist upon new security measures.
He has contacted Shashank Manohar, the board's president, pressing for all cricketing associations
to convene an emergency meeting at the earliest opportunity./ppIt is intended that all these
measures will be in place long before the start of the next IPL tournament in April. Kevin
Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are among the most sought-after England players —
although Flintoff is widely reported as having ruled out a return to India for the Test series when
the England squad makes its expected departure at the end of the week./ppMeasures include the
installation of permanent CCTV cameras at every stadium and the provision of turnstiles
— rather than just manned gates — at entry and exit points
to allow a more controlled check on spectator entry. Security arrangements at the eight IPL grounds
will be managed by a central agency answerable to the IPL and funding will be provided by the
Indian board. Modi also wants disaster management teams to be appointed to devise definite plans in
the event of a terrorist strike at a cricket stadium./ppIndia has always prized its rotation
system, retaining its 21 grounds, including some in such outlying places as Guwahati and
Visakhapatnam, despite much criticism from touring sides, but those grounds that do not
enthusiastically implement the new measures may find that security concerns end their status as an
international venue./ppThe IPL's governing council had already begun to examine development needs
at its eight stadiums, recognising that many of India's stadiums remain disgracefully underfunded
for such a wealthy cricketing country. Security, by necessity, has now shot to the top of the
agenda./pdiv style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/englandcricketteam"England Cricket Team/a/lilia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/indianpremierleague"Indian Premier League/a/lilia
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/cricket"Cricket/a/lilia
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In order to protest global climate change, this man from Red Cross Argentina turned himself into
a puddle and handed out information on ways to protect the planet from imminent climate disaster
such as reusing plastic bags, conserving water, and buying energy efficient cars and appliances.
We just wonder how long it took him to get out of there.
a
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/Read more/a | a
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/Comments/a | a href="http://blog.makezine.com/archive/arts/?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890" /Read more
articles in Arts/a | a
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/Digg this!/a
Spider Robinson's latest podcast installment is a reading of John Varley's towering and brilliant
1979 novella, "The Persistence of Vision," winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. I'm a
gigantic John Varley fan (especially of his short fiction) and this story may be the best of the
lot. "The Persistence of Vision," is the story of a drifter crossing America during a terrible
depression who happens upon a Taos commune run by and for a community of blind-deaf people, the
adult cohort of a decades-gone German measles epidemic. In the commune ("Keller"), the narrator
discovers important, unsuspected truths about independence and interdependence, communication and
community, and the power of hope and perseverance. This story pulls off one of science fiction's
best tricks: exploring the fundamental question of whether disasters demand that you bug out,
heading for the hills to wait out the disaster, or bug in, grabbing your go-bag and heading for
your neighbors' to see how you can help. This is a timely reading -- and not just because the
economy is in free-fall. Technology is rupture -- each new wave of technological change displaces
and remakes us. Today's technocratic winners are tomorrow's superannuated losers. The future of
human history will be about how we answer the bug in/bug out question. Every time I read this
story, it fills me with sorrow and hope and makes me mist over, and Robinson's reading is no
exception. If you only listen to one piece of audio this week, make it Spider's reading of "The
Persistence of Vision." MP3 link to "Persistence of Vision, Spider on the Web podcast feed, Spider
on the Web homepage The John Varley Reader: 30 Years of Short Fiction Previously: Varley#39;s
ROLLING THUNDER: third book in Thunder/Lightning Heinlein ... Varley#39;s Red Thunder qualifies for
preliminary Nebula ballot ... The novel Heinlein would have written about GW Bush#39;s America ...
John Varley selling his toy robot collection - Boing Boing Spider Robinson starts a podcast! -
Boing Boing Spider Robinson#39;s Hugo-winning quot;Melancholy Elephantsquot; online ......br
style="clear: both;"/gt; a
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and reject those that you are not interested in
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Jennifer Van Grove is a Social Media Strategist. She authors a blog about San Diego,
technology, startups and social media at 
