Status

I just finished a new book, just not the one some of you have been expecting.

I've been doing technical reviews for several books for O'Reilly, which has kept me busy. Good books, too. Most have been focused on HTML5, with some JavaScript and graphics. Yes, I really do need to start providing some reviews online. We'll see what comes about in the future.

I also just finished a draft for a new book for O'Reilly called HTML5 Media. It's one of O'Reilly's new shorter books—books with page counts of 50 to 100 pages that are more tightly focused, such as on the HTML5 audio and video elements. HTML5 Media is going to be about 100 pages, maybe a little more.

These new style books have shorter production runs, get on the street faster, and are primarily sold as an eBook, though you can print with print on demand. I think it's a good focus area for O'Reilly.

Just a quick note to say our area was not hit by a tornado.

St. Louis did take a significant hit, though, and there are other parts of Missouri that were also hit by tornadoes. To compound the problem. rain is expected until next Thursday, so we're also expected to get flash floods and river flooding.

Our airport also took a major hit. One jet was actually gently lifted up and moved from one gate to another.

So far, no reports of any serious injury or deaths. The reason why the injury count is so low is because we had ample warning, most folks were at home and off the streets, and the timing was such that most people were awake and aware. In addition, most of the structures hit were either solid enough to protect the people, or had basements or other emergency areas.

However, there's a lot of people who no longer have a home in St. Louis.

Thanks to the kindness of my roommate, I was able to take my car in. We decided not to wait when further investigation showed that I had a busted front strut and that the strut was rubbing against the tire. If we waited, we risked losing the tire—though with the way my luck has been lately, I'll probably lose the tire, anyway.

Busted strut and taxes. Taxes and busted strut. Tire, busted strut, and taxes. Between my car, Golden Girl, and Uncle Sam, I'm a quivering mass of broke.

My plan is to put my first self-published book on the digital streets in May, the same time the HTML5 spec goes to Last Call. The book is about HTML5, of course. I'm sure you'll all want a copy—and a copy for your friends and family, too.

I promise the book will be more entertaining than a Justin Bieber conference, and less bizarre than a Lady Gaga dress.

Yesterday, I headed out to take some recycling to the recycling center and to get some groceries. As I pulled out of my parking space, I could hear a loud grinding noise in the right front wheel well. I put the car in reverse and the noise was much softer. Driving forward, though, the noise was definitely loud enough not to ignore.

Pulling back into my spot, I got out to look at the wheel wells. I was so distracted that I forgot to check for ice, which I'm normally paranoid about. Sure enough, as I stepped up over the little mound of icy sleet by the curb, my right foot slipped on ice underneath the snow melt. I've had a lot of bad falls in the past, with the end result of having two bad knees that can't handle a cat sitting on them, much less another fall. I twisted about to try and land on my butt but ended up hitting my hip and side against the ice and the curb.