http://intheloop.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by In the Loop Group en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:55:09 GMT 2010-01-01T13:55:09Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968196&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace All, I've recently revamped the series and I'm now posting the letters on YouTube as well! I started with a revised version of the letter that got the whole series started: An Open Letter to President . . . Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:36:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968196&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-12-30T05:36:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968120&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Dear President Obama, Each holiday has its own associated stories and tall tales and characters, and as Christmas just passed, I’ve been thinking about Santa and the elves, and other holidays . . . Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:15:19 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968120&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-12-30T04:15:19Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977967628&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling . . . Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:21:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977967628&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Andre W. 2009-12-29T20:21:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977965042&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace     Letter to President Obama #44 | Subject: The “War on Christmas” Dear President Obama, So Christmas has come and gone once again, and with it, we can say goodbye to the . . . Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:54:48 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977965042&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-12-28T01:54:48Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959452&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Dear President Obama, Since everyone in the country is talking about health care right now, I thought I’d chime in too. Well, actually, I’m not going to chime in on the whole health care . . . Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:44:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959452&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-12-22T23:44:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977958132&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace After a break, I'm back to writing letters to the President. In case you don't know, I write one a day (or so), and the letters are silly, random, and usually fairly apolitical, so please check them out. . . . Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:43:16 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977958132&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-12-22T05:43:16Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977925445&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Click on link.   http://www.jumpthecurve.net/index.php/recent_posts/jack_uldrichs_2010_technology_forecast_predictions/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:09:16 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977925445&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-12-01T15:09:16Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977918320&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling . . . Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:56:28 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977918320&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Andre W. 2009-11-26T02:56:28Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977883038&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace     What were the results in your local races?     This is an open opinion-based discussion, so you're welcome to link to your related Gather articles or . . . Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:15:56 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977883038&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Julia Schrenkler 2009-11-03T16:15:56Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977816384&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Here I am, minding my own business, listening to MPR, and on comes an "expert" on getting a job. A caller had been out since November, just like me, so my ears perked up a bit. This expert started out . . . Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:22:33 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977816384&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-09-17T17:22:33Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977816064&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace (As it appeared, with no comments from me) Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service . . . Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:20:42 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977816064&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-09-17T13:20:42Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977808524&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Welfare flourishes in bad economic times, and capitalism flourishes in good economic times. I seriously think some here on Gather are trying to fight high tide. The far left will have to stop complaining . . . Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:57:09 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977808524&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-09-11T13:57:09Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977803498&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Next generation technology is my obsession. Please read.   http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/feature/college_for_99_a_month.php?page=all Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:01:20 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977803498&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-09-08T00:01:20Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977802503&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling . . . Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:45:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977802503&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Andre W. 2009-09-07T03:45:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977777180&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace When economic times are good, people tend to function on auto-pilot. Who needs deep introspection when salaries are rising and profits are rolling in? But hard economic times can force people to re-engage, . . . Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:45:28 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977777180&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Michael Caputo 2009-08-17T17:45:28Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977767787&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace   Letter to President Obama #42 | Subject: Politics Dear President Obama, I guess you could say that I’m a political junkie. I’m pretty interested in politics—I read all sorts . . . Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:33:15 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977767787&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-08-09T00:33:15Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977748574&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace       Dear President Obama,   I was using my computer on the Internet the other day and I got a notification from my security program that a website was “attempting . . . Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:51:02 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977748574&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-24T02:51:02Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977742946&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Letter to President Obama #40 | Subject: Cartoons Dear President Obama, In my experience, cartoons are quite effective when selling things to children, but the U.S. government's record on utilizing . . . Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:18:42 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977742946&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-20T03:18:42Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977742454&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Congratulations to the cast on their three day run. Sgt. Schultz > Judge Sotomayor. Col. Klink > Sen. Patrick Leahy. Hogan > Sen. Al Franken Gen. Burkhalter > Sen. Jefferson Sessions. Ricky . . . Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:38:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977742454&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-07-19T15:38:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977741813&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves arranging words into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who . . . Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:53:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977741813&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Andre W. 2009-07-18T18:53:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977739944&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Letter to President Obama #39 | Subject: Romance Novels and Soap Operas Dear President Obama, I'm writing because I'd like to discuss a pair of topics that don't get much coverage in the mainstream . . . Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:19:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977739944&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-17T04:19:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977737835&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Not that long ago, I mentioned that the company downsizing I (almost) survived, had the specialists at the company dropping like flies. Now it seems, I can't go on any forum without getting further examples . . . Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:27:55 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977737835&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-07-15T14:27:55Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977737566&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace   Letter to President Obama #38 | Subject: Conspiracy Theories Dear President Obama, So it’s almost the 40 th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and that’s got me thinking . . . Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:11:57 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977737566&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-15T05:11:57Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977736606&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace   Letter to President Obama #37 | Subject: The Fourth of July and Parades   Dear President Obama,   As you’re well aware, it was the Fourth of July a little more than a . . . Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:29:54 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977736606&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-14T03:29:54Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977736211&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace I'm sure some people remember a study done several years ago. It seems that conservatives are happy optimists, while liberals are sad pessimists. Conservatives, as a generalization, tend to be pessimistic . . . Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:27:01 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977736211&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-07-13T18:27:01Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977734093&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace   So a major French daily paper, La Tribune, bizarrely opted to use machine translation (Babelfish, anyone) instead of using, you know, actual translators. The results include head-scratchers . . . Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:19:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977734093&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-10T18:19:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977730803&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Letter to President Obama #36 | Subject: A Housewarming Present from the President?   Dear President Obama,   First of all, my apologies for not writing sooner. I’ve been pretty . . . Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:42:47 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977730803&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Brett Ortler 2009-07-07T04:42:47Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977729142&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace The single payer solution must be a compelling argument, though one I never latched onto. The notion I have is that cost cutting is the "soup stock", while insurance is merely water. I hope that many . . . Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:43:57 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977729142&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Tim Nelson 2009-07-04T20:43:57Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977721541&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Fragility and the Evolution of Our Humanity — A Geophysicist's View People often ask me to name my favorite interviews — the people who have made the deepest impression. That is an impossible . . . Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:22:22 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977721541&grpId=3659174697239078&nav=Groupspace Krista Tippett 2009-06-25T21:22:22Z