Saturday, January 31, 2009

Complexity And The Sunrise

A friend just told me about her parents. While she described a mission completed and the journey home. It felt remarkably familiar even though a world away. I am still savoring the lingering warmth of her descriptions.

She has both her parents. My wife and I live with my father. He lives at the back of our house in a cottage we built together. He had dinner with us tonight like he does every evening. We talked and laughed and later he crossed the eight feet to his place. We can see him when he sits in his living room watching television. He is eighty-one years old.

He gets angry that telephones are so complicated now, and that the television has more than just on and off and receives more than three broadcast channels. Before electronic circuit boards he could repair almost anything, and was known for it. But with today's required testing procedures for electronics he often ends up in a stalemate.

He often laments the unnecessary complexity of every day items, saying "they just don't have to be so complicated!" Yet he can can still name all the tree, shrub, and flower species in our yard and this part of Florida. He knows when to plant our garden and what grow best in our exposure, even to which way to orient the furrows. Could it be that complexity is in the eye of the beholder?

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Google and Html verification at AdSense.

I started five blog sites and although all five are authenticated by AdSense, All have the big red X saying "not verified."

*freewebs* provided a clue. First, I authenticated the blog site. And trying to verify it I got the big red X, "not verified." http://joe-friday.webs.com/ is my newest site. AdSense told me the HTML code is not in the header.

So I avail myself of *freewebs* again and try to to edit in my google code to be high enough in the page to be seen. AdSense seems to be hinting to me they can see me but I am not in the header (the high rent district).

*freewebs* is indeed free. But only on the ground floor. Almost immediately they pushed me towards the elevator and the paying floors. In the edit mode of *freeweb* the frames are shown laid out like real estate lots. In the frame/header where I want to build my verification bungalow the sign says "upgrade to premium!" Edit Pages says I have to get on the elevator and buy my lot (header) on the paying floor.

AdSense advocates blogging for dollars. But does not mention in the fine print (too fine for me to read), you must purchase and own all of your site, all the frames, the header and be able to tattoo their logo anywhere on it. Or knock out your free site and tattoo the logo on its forehead before it comes to. But how do you keep it from wearing a hat? No ad revenue for you! (ad revenue nazi).

The Qassia Crawl

I want Qassia to *crawl* my site. In order for that to happen I must mutter this incantation,

Have you ever heard of Qassia dollars? Well, the above chant inserted into your blog will deem you worthy to be crawled by Qassia. That results in the accumulation of Qassia dollars. To blog for dollars (anywhere in this universe) one must be seen. Remember, Qassia is an intelligence engine. This must be the smart thing to do.

There are two chants/incantations. One to link you back to your own profile page at Qassia. The other takes you back to the mother ship, Qassia's front page. Because I don't know the difference, I opted for my home in the profile. You too, can be fit to be crawled.

Further, another attempt to verify, google0ae7e0bb1ec100e0.html

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Blog Noviciatus I

Have you ever heard this rustic expression? "A calf looking at a new gate." It explains how I felt once I worked my way into the *AdSense Forum*. I am a novitiate trying to understand a new order.

I discovered that I earned thirty-nine cents in November and a whopping eighteen cents in December. There was a wall of equations that explained how and why I earned so much. Quickly I took out my Indiana Jones notebook and furiously scribbled down the important information.

There certainly is no shortage of explanations at the Forum. I suspected that my no-cost blog sponsors did not register or verify very well when it came to tracking my blog title traffic via AdSense. AdSense called it *site authentication*.

At the AdSense site is plenty of help and plenty of reports, even advance reports. Someone is definitely accomplishing something there. Consider this product proposal/query: "How do I add AdSense for search to my pages." Well . . .

1. Log in to your account at https://www.google.com/adsense

2. Click the *AdSense set-up tab*.

3. Select *AdSense for search* as the product.

4. Select your search type--web search and/or site search--and any other desired options.

5. Design your search box by choosing Google logo placement, background color, and text box size. If you've elected to use site search, you can set it as the default by selecting your site in the example box.

6. Choose your search results style palette. You can choose from our standard color palettes, or customize your palette to include your own colors and logo.

7. Copy and paste the AdSense for search code from the *Your AdSense Code* box into your HTML pages.

I was optimistic that I could have my very own Google search on my blogs. I found the tab for *AdSense set-up* and the product, AdSense for search. It said, "New! Create your Search Engine. After you've saved your search engine you can later edit settings from the *Manage Ads* page." A 'wizard' popped up, offering a myriad of options and away we went.

HTML files and Meta-Tags have been a mystery to me. AdSense speaks of them with a familiarity and chumminess that I have not been able to establish. All AdSense requires is that I be seen with them and I am in, *verified*, formally introduced. I don't need them both--either one will do. In fact, I can select which one.

At this point may be where my blogs are recognized as being from a low-rent district. HTML and Meta-Tag (either one), were supposed to do two things for my blogs. Place the Google search engine in each. And recognize in both, the blog and it's titles; for activity analysis ($$).

HTML and Meta-Tag offered code incantations. Either a string of code (Meta-Tag). Or, several paragraphs of code (HTML). But remember, they have to be seen. So I put them in a post, for the world to see. I put them in my profile, again, for the world to see. In all cases, AdSense gives me a *404* --can't see it, won't verify it. And by the way, the search engine shows up as a logo. But when you use it the result is *Page Not Found*.

My two blog establishments are free. And causes me to believe that is the reason why I'm not making the cut. I am not deterred. I like to write. I just want to find out how to be seen with the right people.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Hooked Up With Technorati!

Verification and a claimed blog with Technorati, I have had a successful evening. And now, for your viewing pleasure I will attempt to install a Technorati button.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Meta Tag Boogie (now HTML)

I will create a HTML dance floor for each of myblog sites in order to dance and be recognized by AdSense.
I fail to be authenticated in spite of many attempts to display my authentication code

google0ae7e0bb1ec100e0.html.

Qassia

This universe of blog and AdSense is an interesting one. It is all about recognition and registration. My New Zealand friend "Hutt" the Kiwi river man turned me on to Qassia, which I think of as an internet brain. But Qassia too, asked me to authenticate my site so they could "see" me. I am supposed to chant this, RKNSBYCXEYAG

Like leaving my tooth under my pillow, I am hoping for a shiny coin in its place when I wake up in the morning. This drill is a familiar one, I have practiced it with several other sites I wanted to establish. So far all I have is a handful of teeth. But I have met some great people and been down some interesting avenues.

I have been asking AdSense and Technorati to recognize me so my coin trickle can begin. Interestingly enough and thanks to Hutt pointing me toward Qassia, I found a personal website I could establish through Google, who is AdSense. That is this website. And if I understand this at all, I can be recognized here and channel through those other websites that require a password protected login. I want to thank Elly, the Australian English Teacher, she explained Blogger in a way that I could grasp and I am setting it up with her advice.

I couldn't have done any of this without help and there were those willing to offer it. I am grateful. If you stumble in here and want to play be sure to make friends. If you try they will call out to you with encouragement, be sure to answer. Sassys at Bloggerparty was the first voice I heard in the blogosphere and she encouraged me to keep going.

(Later) . . . This is great about posting here, it is easy to edit. I didn't get a coin, only a tooth was left. I still can't get authenticated, so Qassia offers me a "sticker". This is a much longer chanting sequence but I will try it.




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Monday, January 26, 2009

"Destilando Amor" Therapy

       About two years ago I had knee surgery. I put it off until I couldn't walk. So while having some down time I began to watch a soap opera with my wife. But it was in Spanish. I don't understand Spanish.

So my wife would TiVo the episodes. And there we were together, me with my leg up, and her stopping the recording and explaining to me what was going on. After some time it came to a point she could ask "did you get that?" and if I did the telenovela could play on. But more often than not, I did not get it.

What a great story it was. All about the real Mexico and the Tequila plantations--love, treachery, and of course: loyalty! I haven't had so much fun since the Saturday afternoon matinee. When Rodrigo punched out the bad guy, Aaron, I jumped to my (good) foot! And who in this world could be prettier and more honest than Gaviota? No one can open their eyes as wide as the Gaviota. It was like the old magic of a Saturday afternoon theater and caused me think of all of the telenovela's characters for the rest of the day. They became real.

Especially James. The slightly goofy English guy that started out as Rodrigo's sister's boyfriend. They met in London, Rodrigo was there for his education. As the story goes, Cambridge. James comes to visit the sister in Tequila, Mexico, and decides to stay. So of course, he becomes Rodrigo's sidekick. For the first few episodes he wears a white shirt and a bow tie, and a cap. But his enthusiasm for the land and the Agave is engaging (Agave is the prime ingredient of Tequila).

While I was still recuperating we found that our niece in California was getting married. Also, that the Wedding was in Mexico! I had never been to Mexico. So off we went to California to stay with my wife's cousin and his family.
The wedding was a once in a lifetime experience, and we were surrounded by a wonderful family, a family I met for the very first time. A very large family! And the hospitality, the tender loving care we received, defies description.

The Cantina. Our cousin insisted we visit a famous cantina. I had no idea where we were except for a very large statue of Abraham Lincoln breaking the chains of slavery in the traffic square out front. Please forgive my ignorance, while wonderful, sometimes the experiences seemed surreal, and often I had no idea as to my location. This great family that I knew for only a few days provided unforgettable moments. I doubt I could ever return to any cantina and feel the way I did that wedding celebration night. And when the cantina musicians played the song from "Destilando Amor" a landmark was planted in my memory. By the way, "Destilando Amor" means distilled love. It was requested by our cousin.

Now I am retired and we live in Florida. My wife just had her birthday and my youngest son sent her the DVD set of the telenovela that was such a landmark memory in our lives. Perhaps you didn't know that Mexican soaps end. There are plenty of episodes but they do end and thankfully, our favorite has a happy ending. Best of all, the birthday present set has English sub-titles! So here we go again. But this time I understand explicitly, and love even more every moment of it. I really understand why Rodrigo had to punch Aaron the first time, and that second time too! I am looking forward to tonight's episodes. All we need is another wedding in Mexico. There is another niece to be married . . . stay tuned!