I do not usually think of myself as particularly handy, so successfully replacing a defective switch with a new GCFI switch in the bathroom today was something of an accomplishment.
A New Approach
I look at my change in weblog software as a new approach. Radio UserLand is radically centered on the desktop: all its functions took place on my home computer -- weblog composition, news aggregation, content management. As a result, if my home computer was off, I was temporarily unable to access them. Moreover, since I am not willing to pay for a static IP address (with its attendant security risks), I was not able to access my weblog software remotely. Using Movable Type and News Is Free puts these tasks back on the web. The result is that I sacrifice some control for the sake of more freedom. I can blog when my own computer is off. I can blog from any machine. I can draw on resources greater than my own machine. This is what the Internet is supposed to be about: interconnectedness. Whether it will really work remains to be seen.
Cowboys and Indians
I have almost reached the end of Albert Hourani's History of the Arab Peoples. Not only is the separate history of Morocco fascinating, but also the ruthless colonization of the Maghreb as a whole by the European powers. The situation in Algeria today is much easier to comprehend once one understands the extent to which the French colonizers completely subjugated the Algerian people, reserving land, wealth, education and power to themselves. My friend Rachid once said to me in Morocco: "Nous somme les indiens." At the time, I did not really see the parallel to the American frontier, but the parallel is a little clearer after reading Hourani's account of the colonization of Algeria and its cataclysmic war of independence.
Adjustments
Of course, it is clear that the formatting is going to need some work, and will not really look good until I have posted some new entries.
Biting the Bullet
Despite my protestations to the contrary, I have not been able to resist the temptation to try out Movable Type. It has several attractions, but first and foremost is the fact that my Windows box at home does not have to be running in order for me to post. (Right now, for example, I am typing in Linux.) In fact, I can post anytime, anywhere I have a web browser with a live connection. (Of course, some might say that this is not such a good thing.)