Sporkworld

Mirror Mirror on the Wall: The Patients' View

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:41:01 -0400

Mirror Mirror on the Wall: The Patients' View:

http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10278-013-9611-x.pdf

My paper Online First for the Journal of Digital Imaging. I don’t think it will be accessible in full text for very long, but I will be able to post a copy eventually on sporkworld, the main site, once updating and maintenance are completed. (The Sporkworld update is a major project.)

"A couple months after his release from jail, it appears Dr. James Corasanti is planning to continue..."

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:38:38 -0400

“A couple months after his release from jail, it appears Dr. James Corasanti is planning to continue practicing medicine. Kaleida Health released a statement Wednesday, stating that Corasanti has applied for and received clinical privileges “that are consistent with his license to practice medicine.””

- http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/corasanti-receives-clinical-privileges

This takes the cake. I love the quote but wonder if the events leading to the quote are worth the potential consequences.

What do you do if you can’t find any birds? Chase Tiger...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:18:54 -0400

What do you do if you can’t find any birds?

Chase Tiger Swallowtail butterfies

Why did the air conditioner guy come to the garden room door at...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:53:50 -0400

Why did the air conditioner guy come to the garden room door at the back of the house when he was working on the compressor at the front of the house?

And why was he carrying a cellphone on which he had taken photographs of the Spork family’s front porch?

And why was he excited and exclaiming that in 25 years working on air conditioners and dodging fierce dogs and fiercer cats this was a first?

And why did the Sporks invite their neighbor over to see what the air conditioner guy saw?

Come to think of it, why did the Sporks have an air conditioner guy’s truck in their driveway anyhow?

An air conditioner compressor that sounded as if it was loaded with loose bolts and washers – that’s why.

And Spork Minor, who has often been designated the meanest Spork even though she isn’t – was nasty enough on this day to include the name of the company that made the broken compresser replaced for a cool 1600 – and we are talking dollars here not francs – in one of the photographs.

Not to mention that the compressor generally lasts for 20 years or so – and this time – didn’t.

The fawn did not mind the unbudgeted expense. It spent the day on the porch while the Sporks snuck out side doors and back doors and didn’t mow the lawn or weed the garden.

Some time after sundown, it was retrieved by its mother.

Coursera Blog: Not Impossible: The Story of Daniel, a 17 Year Old with Severe Autism & His 6 Completed Coursera Courses

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 14:58:21 -0400

Coursera Blog: Not Impossible: The Story of Daniel, a 17 Year Old with Severe Autism & His 6 Completed Coursera Courses:

coursera:

This is a post by Michael, Daniel’s father. Daniel is a 17 year old who has severe Autism. Daniel has, over the past year, taken and completed 6 Coursera courses. Their journey warmed our hearts and we asked Michael to share it with the Coursera community. We hope you enjoy Daniel’s story as much…

I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel on the Mod Po webcast mentioned near the end of this story. I was watching it Live and heard Daniel say his two words. One of the most moving experiences I have ever had online. His participation was truly a family enterprise. Amazing to witness.

Too close to nature The wood tick on my mindwas never...

Mon, 27 May 2013 11:41:46 -0400

Too close to nature

The wood tick on my mind
was never there
except in living memory
a fear of fever
in my mother’s head
inspections yielding little
unless you count the green one
on my baby brother’s head
worthy sacrifice so I thought
my mother otherwise
the drive
the rush
the match
the examination
a bad bug all right
and I innocent
until today
a little bump
not there yesterday
a bump that I removed
it bled my blood
too large for worry
too small for photographs
the yellow “U”
a dead giveaway
and no fever carrier

I guess…

When we bought our house in 2000, there was a small bird...

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:41:00 -0400

Making fence post holes

The gate is hand built and is located on the far side of the sanctuary so that the sight lines for the camera are kept clear.

The new sanctuary is more than double the size of the old one. It will be allowed to fill with weeds grown from seeds dropped by the birds -- unless we decide to plant a few vegetables as well.

The posts will now be driven deep into the ground and then set with concrete.

A robin who is nesting under our eaves is already a frequent visitor.

Original fenced area.

When we bought our house in 2000, there was a small bird sanctuary in the yard where birds were protected from neighborhood cats and coyotes and raccoons by a fence which has detriorated over time. And so — since I often photograph birds there, we have given me the gift of a larger sanctuary, professionally fenced. And today, the deed was done.

Yellow Warbler at 4 Mile Creek State Park, NY.This is actually a...

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:45:56 -0400

Yellow Warbler at 4 Mile Creek State Park, NY.

This is actually a campground that does not welcome outsiders, but someone had reported seeing many warbler species here on Thursday. And I didn’t know it was “only” a campground. Today was Saturday, and the place was full of campers in a beautiful setting. This fellow was one of two that stuck around.

Hazardous Hospitals

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:56:09 -0400

Hazardous Hospitals:

This is a really good piece of work by two gifted investigative health care journalists from ProPublica. Excellent and cohesive presentation. Engaging as well.

No "D" rated hospitals in the entire State of Maine

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:58:11 -0400

No "D" rated hospitals in the entire State of Maine:

A national hospital watchdog group has ranked Maine’s hospitals the safest in the nation, just as another new report shows a drop in serious medical errors in the state. Eighty percent of hospitals in Maine earned an “A” in the Hospital Safety Score ratings released May 8 by the Leapfrog …

For those who are familiar with Buffalo area hospital ratings — mediocre at best — Take a look at this story. Note the hospital spokesperson statements — then gag at what was said locally (in WNY).

Visiting Montezuma Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, NY on...

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:06:28 -0400

Visiting Montezuma Wildlife Refuge near Seneca Falls, NY on Mother’s Day

Great Blue Heron and a Lesser Yellowlegs and — most exciting of all — a Blue Phase Snow Goose (2 views) keeping company with four Canada Geese.

And news of another bird as well: Sporkworld.org has moved to a new server, and we are taking the opportunity to update and maintain the mechanics of the site. So if you go there to look for something and find the maintenance notice page, not to worry.

It should be up and running soon, better than ever.

Another Order to Vacate at Site Threatened by Crane

Sun, 05 May 2013 10:31:25 -0400

Another Order to Vacate at Site Threatened by Crane:

Residents at Alwyn Court were told that they would have to leave their homes once again next weekend while the crane atop the tower One57 was repaired.

Millie’s aunt, after whom she was named, had a penthouse apartment in Alwyn Court. Uncle was a lawyer. If they were still there, I am virtually certain the tenants would not be ordered to vacate on Mother’s Day weekend. (Aunt was on paternal side of Millie’s family.)

"Three months into dealing with losing my daughter I suddenly discovered I needn’t have lost her. It..."

Sun, 05 May 2013 09:59:00 -0400

“Three months into dealing with losing my daughter I suddenly discovered I needn’t have lost her. It is so catastrophic that you basically can’t get your head around it.”

- Martha Deed. From a story by Blythe Bernhard in the St. Louis Dispatch, May 5, 2013

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health/medical-errors-leave-devastating-impact-on-families-professionals/article_0cb6f031-fbc6-5b8f-bed9-610163dbf2f8.html

Yellow-rumped Warbler — Typical view and a strange angle.

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:45:26 -0400

Yellow-rumped Warbler — Typical view and a strange angle.

Yellow-rumped Warbler First warbler of the season in the yard. ...

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:43:40 -0400

Yellow-rumped Warbler First warbler of the season in the yard. This bird moves quickly, and it blends in with the leaves. Takes a long time to get a clear shot.

Blue Jay I have no explanation for this. The bird flew down...

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:40:15 -0400

Blue Jay

I have no explanation for this. The bird flew down from a tree, spread its wings, and lay down on a sandy bank. First quiet, then noisy — as here.

Why? Sunbath?

I like to find a rare bird as much as the next person, but I do...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:12:59 -0400

I like to find a rare bird as much as the next person, but I do not think this one was It.

Someone reported seeing a Greater white-fronted Goose at Tuscarora State Park in Wilson, NY. The person provided such a precise description of the location of this birds (yesterday) that we thought we’d take a shot at seeing it.

And we did. We found it with a Canada Goose (right hand side of the photo with two birds above). But we didn’t feel ecstatic when we saw this bird. We didn’t even feel excited.

Something was off.

We are not experts, not at all. But when we got back home to the field guides, it appeared that we were correct. This goose was clearly larger than the Canada Goose.

It should have been smaller.

This goose had no white on its face and it had a bill shaped differently from a Greater white-fronted Goose. If the bird is an immature, it can be forgiven for no white on its face, but the shape of the bill is not OK for a Greater white-fronted Goose.

It has a thick neck, a big belly and (you’ll forgive me for saying) a large back end.

All of which suggests that this bird started life on a farm where it was bred to be big and fat and tasty. And it took off. Eloped.

So I think this bird, which would have been highly unusual here if it had been the Greater white-fronted Goose — is actually a Greylag Goose (Domestic). I don’t think I had ever seen one of these either, but it does not count as a Life Bird. It counts as a farm bird.

Helpful link for further discussion is

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/greater.htm

And a great photo of a Greylag Goose is here:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mikeatkinson.net/images/GreylagGoose08.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mikeatkinson.net/GreylagGoose.htm&h=566&w=800&sz=72&tbnid=cC44CUhZ2ibbWM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=144&zoom=1&usg=__fw0Zuoesv5yXgCuMrt8r5Xl3YqI=&docid=-3bB5_ME5aAtNM&sa=X&ei=VJJ8Uam-MbSG0QHQ14HIDQ&ved=0CEwQ9QEwBA&dur=7612

It was a lovely, bright and warm day and perfect for a ride in the country.

Finally, a gorgeous day. A windblown Cardinal for a friend, and...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:03:03 -0400

Finally, a gorgeous day. A windblown Cardinal for a friend, and Terns — lots of terns — at Wilson on the lakefront — close by, easy to see, and no fruitless hikes over sand dunes before finding them.

Common Terns are the little guys with orange legs and orange bills dipped in black. They also have gray on their wings tinged with black, which distinguishes them from the other small terns.. Although it is hard to see here, they are quite small — approximately 14 inches long.

Caspian Terns are big with black legs and thick orange bills — approximately 21 inches long. You can’t miss their lumbering flight through the sky.

And we saw something else today — something controversial which will be illustrated and posted separately…

Warning: A Grumpy Post

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:29:41 -0400

The world is a hazardous place — full of sinkholes, manmade and otherwise — providing endless material for self-pity.

I have two websites — http://sporkworld.tumblr.com/
which is often linked to facebook

and http://www.sporkworld.org/
which was Millie Niss’s and my original website, still contains my updated work (publications, videos, etc.), and has had approximately a million visitors since Millie constructed it in 2001.

Got notice late-morning today that sporkworld.org (the main site described above) is about to be de-activated —perhaps as early as Tuesday April 30th. After that, it will no longer be accessible online due to incompatibility with the host’s new server

unless “something” — what? — is done to prevent it.

The day has been derailed while I struggle to sort out this problem.

The larger problem, of course, is one that is occasionally discussed in the new media world. How does one maintain older work so it is not lost in the mists of new versions of old code or by new software and hardware altogether?

This appears to be a more complicated problem than digitalizing public domain literary work (which BTW is subject to the same hazards I am experiencing today) or maintaining museums and libraries.

And an update: The Sporks have some amazing friends who have leapt into the sinkhole as it were. It now appears that Sporkworld.org will go into the dumpster only temporarily, if at all, next week. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of work — many, many hours — may be involved in the levitation.

Millie Niss

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:34:38 -0400

Millie Niss