For visitors coming here after news of Divester’s retirement, hello!

It was a great run thanks to Willy’s devotion. Sadly, there isn’t a replacement for Divester and where you thnk it would exist (something centralized from PADI or ScubaDiving.com), it doesn’t. But you can be sure that wherever you find Willy, you’ll find the center of the diving blogosphere.

My personal blog (hint: you are here) is a hodge-podge of topics but stick around. I’ll resume posting “eco-ocean-friendly” stories for subjects that really light me up. If you’re a recent Mac convert or considering becoming one, stay tuned for a project I’m launching in mid-February.

Drop me a note if you keep a blog and I’ll add you to my RSS reader.

In September I wrote about killing the clutter in my personal workspace. How did it go? I cleared up all of the gadgets except the most important: LCD monitor, PowerBook, speakers, and cell phone. I needed to add an external Firewire drive for data backup and things like a 50+ GB iTunes library and rapidly expanding iPhoto library.

The satisfaction of shedding tech gadgets was nice while it lasted. I realized that e-mail, documents, paper, and projects were still the same: stacking up and making me cower in fear. Around October I discovered Merlin Mann’s 43 Folders and GTD: Getting Things Done. By the very title I was hooked.

It turns out this wasn’t some creation of Merlin’s but that of David Allen. His book, Getting Things Done, is about just that. Create a workspace that allows you to take things out of your head and into a more permanent system. He cites we’re inundated with things to do and how can we possibly remember them all, let alone get them done?

I realize why clutter kills my motivation: it’s a constant reminder of everything I haven’t done such as those speakers sitting in my bedroom, those unripped CDs, magazines to read, bills to pay, people to call, letters to write, paperwork to file…the list goes on.

According to GTD I need to “get to zero” and the first item to tackle is a better (read: simpler) filing system. Stay tuned.

Halo is Microsoft’s creme-de-la-creme of console games. It sold like wildfire on the original Xbox and became an instant classic. The latest sequel, Halo 3, is slated to roll out on the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista later this year.

Bungie, the game’s developer, has opened (limited) beta testing to the public and I got the good news this afternoon - I’m in. I made the first-round selection process when I read about it at Xbox360Fanboy and I’m glad since the other selection methods involve more than a simple registration.

I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art with my family in December 2003. In one of the galleries I was spellbound by a painting. The scene was dusk with the outline of masted ships to the left, street in the center, and row homes on the right. It was raining. The row homes were built upon cafes, their warm light glowing and reflected in the wet street.

It was oil on canvas but resembled a photograph. It was vivid, detailed, real. I noted the artist and the work and sought to find a print for purchase. Scouring the net presented nothing and my inquiry to the museum was replied as such:

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide photographic images or release permission for this work. The Grimshaw is actually on loan to the Museum, and is not part of the permanent collection. The lender wishes to remain anonymous, and has not granted permission to release any photography of the work.

The artist in question is John Atkinson Grimshaw, born and lived in Engalnd during the latter half of the 1800s. A recent search netted quite a number of prints for purchase. His body of work includes people, landscapes, and fairies but it’s those near dark images which are genius.

That first painting that caught my eye, titled London Wharf at Night with Carriages or London Wharf at Sunset is not to be found, still traveling the world by way of an anonymous lender.

What I anticipated being a 10 minute process turned to 30. In trying to return a Maxtor drive (it failed in warranty) and clicking through many links I was dumped to Seagate’s site. I guess we know who owns who.

There the fun begins. I confirm my drive is in warranty but must register a user account. The process doesn’t work with Safari - don’t bother trying. Using Firefox the account creation takes forever. Now logged in you must re-enter the drive info, click Submit, click another Validate option, click Submit again (or yet again…I’ve lost track).

It worked on my third attempt. The first two acknowledged my drive in warranty then told me it wasn’t; changing a field from Model Name to Model Number worked.

To Seagate’s credit they warn you to use IE or Firefox but how often does that really matter? The convoluted registration and warranty verification process isn’t user friendly any way you look at it.

Better luck next time Seagate.