Gelkote

Stopped by Jeffery’s on Friday with the family from WV. There was much more stuff than the last visit overall but not as many pictures in the booths. Cherie did spot a table with a few larger 8x10s and 5x7s going for $1.00 a piece!

Tug of War

Shop Shot

Blueprint Review

There’s been lots of miscellaneous stuff rolling around my head the last week so here’s the brain dump in no particular order.

I was listening to the University of Findlay’s WLFC Thursday morning while driving into work when a song caught my attention. I’m not normally a lyrics kind of person but the song stuck with me. After a few failed attempts at Googling the lyrics, I discovered the song was Home Improvement off local musician Josh Woodward‘s Here Today album. It appears the album was released in 2004 but the song seems so damn relevant considering most of us are a whim away from loosing our jobs. Josh has his tunes out under creative commons so take a listen.

Next up is a quick rant about Hamburger Helper which I’m afraid to admit is an occasionally guilty pleasure. I used to love the Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni flavor. Cook it up steaming hot and yummy! Well it turns out the food scientists at General Mills Betty Crocker we own just about everything you eat company have managed to muck it up with their new shorter time version. Any monkey can make this stuff and mine came out a big congealed mess. Thanks a lot for messing up the once or twice a year joy I’d get from your product with some weird laboratory concocted noodles! The Helping Hand will always hold a special place in my heart but I’m afraid this relationship is over!

Hamburger Helper’s Fired to the Bin

The 2nd volume of WIZZYWIG showed up in my mailbox today. WIZZYWIG is a graphic novel by artist Ed Piskor chronicling the early hacking and phreaking scenes. I learned about Ed through Jason Scott’s blog. I owe both of them thanks for turning me on to the world of graphic novels. Ed works really hard to capture the history accurately. It’s like historical fiction but comic book style. I’m hoping Froggy or Jason will invite Ed to speak at Notacon and Blockparty 2009 but until then check out Ed’s website.

WIZZYWIG Volume 2: Hacker – By Ed Piskor

Next up is an update on the whole 427 LaSalle Avenue Buffalo, NY picture deal. I sent a package out on November 10th with the pictures and a self addressed stamped postcard requesting some sort of reply. Just over two week later and I still haven’t received a word. Holding out hope.

426 LaSalle Avenue Where are you?

I finally picked up a new phone from Verizon after being 4 years out of contract, the Blackberry Storm. Most of the reviews have been poor but I like it. The screen is gorgeous for movies and the new found Internet connectivity makes for some interesting ideas. The phone is able to geotag pictures so I’m thinking some crazy Google Maps mashup. The most interesting is how popular websites like CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Weather Channel and National Public Radio (NPR) automatically flip over to their mobile websites when browsing from a mobile device. This means less pictures, less advertisements and overall less clutter but I must give kudos to NPR’s mobile website which actually replaces the streaming links for their audio stories with a phone number you can call to listen to the story. For example, calling 216-539-8237 will play a segment from All Songs Considered covering The Beatles’ ‘The White Album’. How cool is that?!? So simple and what an eloquent use of technology.

Finally, today marks the 21st anniversary of the release of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Whether your favorite Thanksgiving movie is PT&A, Home for the Holidays, Pieces of April or something else, take a moment of reflection this Thanksgiving to remember what is important in your lives. That which is truly important. Happy Thanksgiving all!

I live about 3 blocks from Donnell Stadium where street parking is about it for games and events. I’m not sure what is going on this evening in 24F weather but the streets are packed and the distant murmur of an announcer can be heard.

Here’s the kicker, I was driving down my own street when someone waving a flashlight offered parking for $5. If anyone ever needs a place to stash their car while attending an event, look me up. I’ll be happy to accommodate for the low low price of free! That’s of course while supplies last. :-P

Spent most of today with my teammates offloading applications from an unrecoverable server. Being told by the server folks that your server is toast makes for a rather crappy day. A friend and client tried to cheer me up with an old printout of Ascii Porn. It made my day a little brighter which is tops in my book.

Cherie and I rolled through Taco Bell this evening. For those fast food illiterates the drill goes like this, order at the screen, pay and get hot sauce at the first window and finally pickup the grub at the second. Tonight we received a bag with one wet nap and a mint at the pay window. I can’t help but believe someone was messing with us.

Taco Bell Gift – November 18th, 2008

I was walking into work last week from one of the distant parking lots when the words “I’ve danced with the devil and he’s no Fred Astaire” jumped into my head. I’ve never danced with the devil and couldn’t pick Fred Astaire out of a line up to save my life. Googling the phrase didn’t reveal much so it must be my overactive brain at work.

Speaking of Devils, I’ve been thinking of purchasing a copy of The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren after seeing Lorraine on the earlier episodes of Paranormal State but haven’t bitten yet. I’ve really enjoyed seeing what her and folks like Chip Coffey add to the show. In the end, I can’t help but wonder if seminaries teach this kind of thing to clergy.

Oh well, crazy thoughts for a Sunday evening. Enjoy the remaining hours as the new work week is almost upon us. :-P

I was checking out my hometown paper the Wetzel Chronicle this evening when I came across an article about New Martinsville School art teachers Sonya Holliday and Deborah Tustin. The two were commended for their leadership and use of technology in art education by children’s art museum website ArtSonia. The K-8 school’s Artsonia Exhibit is ranked number one in West Virginia and 55th in the country for art posted. How neat is that?

The topic came up at lunch today, would it be possible to give Christmas gifts made in the US this year?

I’m thinking candy from places like Dietsch Brothers, Coons, Goetze’s and Spangler. Maybe beer or some booze from a US distillery.  How about something homemade from Etsy or your local artisans.  I suppose magazines and books could work too. They are still published and printed domestically these days, right?

Closer to where I grew up you have ThistleDew Farm and Mountain Crafts selling honey and wooden toys. Just down the river is Rossi Pasta and Fenton Glass.

If only there was a website encouraging folks to only buy US for Christmas. Hum, uschristmas.com & uschristmas.net are taken but uschristmas.info isn’t. How would this work with 42 days until Christmas?

I wasn’t aware of California’s Proposition 8 until after the elections when I learned what it was and how its passing does away with same sex marriages in California.

Why anyone would spend time and money tearing down something that has no affect on their lives is dumbfounding. I recommend everyone take a moment to either watch or read Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment and take his words to heart as they will hopefully resonate way beyond Proposition 8.

I had the opportunity yesterday to witness something amazing, silence.

The entire data center at work was powered down for an extremely rare UPS replacement. In rough figures that would be 400+ servers, 6 frames, racks of switches, backup robots and some HP Tandem equipment. It was all dark, naturally silent and oh so surreal.