I'm going to be out of commission the next few days (recovering from getting my wisdom teeth out), so this list is going to be extra long!
The roots and Gym Class heroes in Chicago! Any interest??? [live nation]
don't fuck with the Soviet Union..esp if you are Polish [reuters]
I've already read 9 of the 30, looks like some long reading ahead....how many have you read? [marc and angel]
Big Brother isn't the federal government, its your ISP! [slate magazine]
bored at work? see what you'd look like as a long haired hippe! [tech crunch]
I love lists, so here's 4 good ones:
10 rules for investing from a Merrill Lynch legend [the big picture]
8 essential skills they don't teach you in school [lifehack.org]
7 powerful ways to get the most out of any situation [zenhabits]
5 reasons to write down what you eat [dumb little man]
Finally, confirmation (no matter what some rigged poll says) that the Michigan winged helmet is in fact the best in the nation [espn on youtube]
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Using a List to Be Better
for some reason, i've taken a liking to Earl Hickey, and his "My Name is Earl" show. If you aren't familiar with the show's plot, here goes:
- Earl is a thief that lives his life by scamming people
- He wins the lottery (scratcher) and gets hit by a car literally seconds later...losses the winning lottery ticket
- while laying in a hospital, comes across Carson Daley, and hears Carson talking about karma
- Earl decides that he wants to right his wrongs, and creates a list of all the things that he's done bad in his lift.
- Each episode focuses on the wacky adventures to cross an item off his list.
So, take away the fun backstory, and this show is literally about a guy crossing off items his to-do list. I use my to-do list to manage my random tasks throughout the day. The typical day has about 10 random things, from updating my blog,scheduling doctor's appointments, and now, staying on track with graduate school applications. I get tons of shit from my friends about this ("My Dad doesn't even do that!", "lame.....what a geek"), but it helps me get shit done!
Now you have 2 examples (yes, 1 is a ton more entertaining and interesting than the other) of using a list to get shit done. If Earl can use his list to become a better person (and earn some good-karma points), and I can use mine to stay employed, stay healthy, and get into a top-tier grad school (hopefully), imagine what you can do with yours........
once you decide to make the plunge, here's are good links to check out. Some are overboard, but they get give you the idea....
building a smarter to-do list [43 folders]
Executing your to-do list [zen habits]
- Earl is a thief that lives his life by scamming people
- He wins the lottery (scratcher) and gets hit by a car literally seconds later...losses the winning lottery ticket
- while laying in a hospital, comes across Carson Daley, and hears Carson talking about karma
- Earl decides that he wants to right his wrongs, and creates a list of all the things that he's done bad in his lift.
- Each episode focuses on the wacky adventures to cross an item off his list.
So, take away the fun backstory, and this show is literally about a guy crossing off items his to-do list. I use my to-do list to manage my random tasks throughout the day. The typical day has about 10 random things, from updating my blog,scheduling doctor's appointments, and now, staying on track with graduate school applications. I get tons of shit from my friends about this ("My Dad doesn't even do that!", "lame.....what a geek"), but it helps me get shit done!
Now you have 2 examples (yes, 1 is a ton more entertaining and interesting than the other) of using a list to get shit done. If Earl can use his list to become a better person (and earn some good-karma points), and I can use mine to stay employed, stay healthy, and get into a top-tier grad school (hopefully), imagine what you can do with yours........
once you decide to make the plunge, here's are good links to check out. Some are overboard, but they get give you the idea....
building a smarter to-do list [43 folders]
Executing your to-do list [zen habits]
Monday, August 18, 2008
random links
Paging Dave Robicheaux! This is the plot from the "Tin Roof Blowdown" [bbc online]
we already have the CIA, FBI, and mossad...do we really need a TSA secret spy service?? [msnbc]
more fakery from the Opening Ceremony. The way things are going, a month from now, we'll learn that the Olympics never actually happened....[irish times]
R.I.P. album covers.....wihtout you, I would have never bought Nirvana's Nevermind [gigwise]
Right now, Blackberry > iPhone. Here's how to keep it that way...[arstechnica]
More olympic questions.....why so few medals for India? [marginal revolution]
we already have the CIA, FBI, and mossad...do we really need a TSA secret spy service?? [msnbc]
more fakery from the Opening Ceremony. The way things are going, a month from now, we'll learn that the Olympics never actually happened....[irish times]
R.I.P. album covers.....wihtout you, I would have never bought Nirvana's Nevermind [gigwise]
Right now, Blackberry > iPhone. Here's how to keep it that way...[arstechnica]
More olympic questions.....why so few medals for India? [marginal revolution]
Friday, August 15, 2008
random links
I want my startup to end up in google's empire...don't i? [Slate Magazine]
what would you do if diagnosed with an incurable terminal illness? probably not more than this guy. [Putting Things Off]
Chicago isn't considered a very spiritual city (must be the Weiner Cirle).....these 5 cities are worth fighting for. [Brave new traveler]
I'm not really pro-war, but this is pretty frickin cool.....[bbc online]
I want #16, 26, 35, 40, and 48. Which championships would you want? [espn page 2]
put down that book! turn on the TV! don't you realize that books are rotting your mind!!! [io9]
what would you do if diagnosed with an incurable terminal illness? probably not more than this guy. [Putting Things Off]
Chicago isn't considered a very spiritual city (must be the Weiner Cirle).....these 5 cities are worth fighting for. [Brave new traveler]
I'm not really pro-war, but this is pretty frickin cool.....[bbc online]
I want #16, 26, 35, 40, and 48. Which championships would you want? [espn page 2]
put down that book! turn on the TV! don't you realize that books are rotting your mind!!! [io9]
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Insurance Companies believe in Michael Phelps....do you?
By now, everybody has heard the story of Michael Phelps, and how he's on pace to win an unprecedented 8 Olympic gold medals this year. He's the main event at the Olympics, the golden-boy. So I'm not going to rehash how incredible he's been (and yes, that is exactly what he is, incredible).
As I drove to work, Mike & Mike were discussing Phelps, and I learned something new. Speedo, his primary sponsor and maker of his swimsuit, has a deal where if Phelps wins 7+ golds this year, he will earn an additional $1 million in bonus money. But this isn't the first time that he's had this deal.
In the 2004 Athens Games, Speedo had the same deal with Phelps. You win 7 golds, you take home a cool million. That year, Speedo insured this deal, so that if Phelps won, Speedo would only have to pay $300k of the prize, leaving the remainder to the insurance company. Of course, he went on to win 6 Gold medals, and didn't win the prize.
Fast forward to this year. Speedo largely left the deal the same, win 7, go home rich. They shopped the deal around...and one-by-on....GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, Loyd's of London, etc.....all passed! Now Speedo is on the hook for the entire $1 in the event that he shatters all 8 events.
so, if the bean counters and actuaries at the world's largest insurance companies believe in him....do you?
As I drove to work, Mike & Mike were discussing Phelps, and I learned something new. Speedo, his primary sponsor and maker of his swimsuit, has a deal where if Phelps wins 7+ golds this year, he will earn an additional $1 million in bonus money. But this isn't the first time that he's had this deal.
In the 2004 Athens Games, Speedo had the same deal with Phelps. You win 7 golds, you take home a cool million. That year, Speedo insured this deal, so that if Phelps won, Speedo would only have to pay $300k of the prize, leaving the remainder to the insurance company. Of course, he went on to win 6 Gold medals, and didn't win the prize.
Fast forward to this year. Speedo largely left the deal the same, win 7, go home rich. They shopped the deal around...and one-by-on....GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, Loyd's of London, etc.....all passed! Now Speedo is on the hook for the entire $1 in the event that he shatters all 8 events.
so, if the bean counters and actuaries at the world's largest insurance companies believe in him....do you?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
random links
A preview of President Obama's cabinet. Fox News is ready to explode [link]
Is the downturn contained to only 2 sectors..[link] found via [abnormal returns]
This guy has earned his commission....portfolio turnover twice a day? [link] found via [abnormal returns]
If you can train cops how to do their job, you can get a prison break [link] found via [fark]
Suffering from Tech-overload......see inside [link]
Even without Radiohead's score, Chuck Palahniuk's Choke is going to rock....[link]
Is the downturn contained to only 2 sectors..[link] found via [abnormal returns]
This guy has earned his commission....portfolio turnover twice a day? [link] found via [abnormal returns]
If you can train cops how to do their job, you can get a prison break [link] found via [fark]
Suffering from Tech-overload......see inside [link]
Even without Radiohead's score, Chuck Palahniuk's Choke is going to rock....[link]
Half Marathon Done!
I've written about running a ton in the past (click on the "Running" category link on your right), but I finally did it....I ran a half marathon.
My official time clocked in at 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 19 seconds. Not a world record, city record, or course record by any means, but was still a significant accomplishment for myself......My average pace worked out to about 9:48 min/mile...
So, now that I'm done with the race, and my body has recovered, I thought that I'd share some lessons that I picked up along the way..
1) Registration is powerful - For years, I wanted to run a half marathon, but it didn't happen. I found excuses, told myself that I didn't have the dedictation, energy, or time, and allowed myeslf to fail. Until I paid the $55 registration fee put the date in my planner. All of a sudden, I found time, energy, and the will to train.
2) Find a plan - Ok, I'm registered, do I suddenly run 13.1 miles? Of course not....since I had never run this far before, I decided to find a training plan online. Find a plan, stick to it.
Here are some links to get you started:
Hal Higdon - Official Coach of the Chicago Marathon
Runner's World Magazine
There are a million plans online, so find one that works with your schedule, and try to stick to it. I used the Hal Higdon "novice" plan, and it gently brought me from running 3 miles to 10.
3) Listen to yourself - At first, I'd find ways to trick myself into believing that I was sore, so I couldn't work out. Eventually, you need to find a way to differentiate between fake pain and actual pain. Don't run if you are hurt....take time to rest.
4) Explore your city - Probably works better in the summertime, but I did the majority of my running in either Chicago or Tampa. Unless weather forced me indoors, I preferred to run outside.
In Chicago, I explored the Lake Michigan Coast, figuring out where the coldest drinking fountains are (no question....the ones near the Recreation Drive tennis courts), the best way to avoid mosquitos (don't run at night), and where the coolest boats are (Montrose Harbour).
In Tampa, I ran along Tampa Bay, following BayShore Ave. The sightseeing wasn't as scenic as Chicago, but sometimes I'd see some cool boats or pelicans.
5) Have Fun With It - Running a half marathon is tough work. From an evolutionary standpoint, the human body isn't designed to run long distances (yes, i just made that up, but it works..sue me). Most people don't wake up and decide to run 13.1 miles, so if you are going to do it....then might as well have fun with it. Load up your ipod with some cool tunes and enjoy the day.
or, if you are a geek like me, load up your ipod with some good audiobooks, and get some "reading" done during your training. I listened to the following books during my training:
- Shantaram -
- Team of Rivals -
- Snuff - (by the writer of Fight Club)
and at the finish of the race, I'm halfway through The Tin Roof Blowdown. so yes, you can multitask and get some reading done while running.
6) Enjoy it - On race day, realize that you have trained for 3 months for this day. So, line up with your number, and soak in the feeling. If you need to walk, walk. Stop and get water and gatoraid. Talk to your fellow runners. When its over, grab a great celebratory meal (just not at Old Town's Flat Top Grill - link), and bask in the glory of your race.
Looking back, I probably made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I know that I'm in much better shape now that back in May when I started training.
Last point....your time is just a number that you will beat the next time out. That being said, what's the best race that you've run in? My next half marathon will probably be in the Jan-March timeframe, so any suggestions??? I'm not locked into Chicago, and ideally, I'd like to travel for it...and see a new city in the process...
My official time clocked in at 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 19 seconds. Not a world record, city record, or course record by any means, but was still a significant accomplishment for myself......My average pace worked out to about 9:48 min/mile...
So, now that I'm done with the race, and my body has recovered, I thought that I'd share some lessons that I picked up along the way..
1) Registration is powerful - For years, I wanted to run a half marathon, but it didn't happen. I found excuses, told myself that I didn't have the dedictation, energy, or time, and allowed myeslf to fail. Until I paid the $55 registration fee put the date in my planner. All of a sudden, I found time, energy, and the will to train.
2) Find a plan - Ok, I'm registered, do I suddenly run 13.1 miles? Of course not....since I had never run this far before, I decided to find a training plan online. Find a plan, stick to it.
Here are some links to get you started:
Hal Higdon - Official Coach of the Chicago Marathon
Runner's World Magazine
There are a million plans online, so find one that works with your schedule, and try to stick to it. I used the Hal Higdon "novice" plan, and it gently brought me from running 3 miles to 10.
3) Listen to yourself - At first, I'd find ways to trick myself into believing that I was sore, so I couldn't work out. Eventually, you need to find a way to differentiate between fake pain and actual pain. Don't run if you are hurt....take time to rest.
4) Explore your city - Probably works better in the summertime, but I did the majority of my running in either Chicago or Tampa. Unless weather forced me indoors, I preferred to run outside.
In Chicago, I explored the Lake Michigan Coast, figuring out where the coldest drinking fountains are (no question....the ones near the Recreation Drive tennis courts), the best way to avoid mosquitos (don't run at night), and where the coolest boats are (Montrose Harbour).
In Tampa, I ran along Tampa Bay, following BayShore Ave. The sightseeing wasn't as scenic as Chicago, but sometimes I'd see some cool boats or pelicans.
5) Have Fun With It - Running a half marathon is tough work. From an evolutionary standpoint, the human body isn't designed to run long distances (yes, i just made that up, but it works..sue me). Most people don't wake up and decide to run 13.1 miles, so if you are going to do it....then might as well have fun with it. Load up your ipod with some cool tunes and enjoy the day.
or, if you are a geek like me, load up your ipod with some good audiobooks, and get some "reading" done during your training. I listened to the following books during my training:
- Shantaram -
- Team of Rivals -
- Snuff - (by the writer of Fight Club)
and at the finish of the race, I'm halfway through The Tin Roof Blowdown. so yes, you can multitask and get some reading done while running.
6) Enjoy it - On race day, realize that you have trained for 3 months for this day. So, line up with your number, and soak in the feeling. If you need to walk, walk. Stop and get water and gatoraid. Talk to your fellow runners. When its over, grab a great celebratory meal (just not at Old Town's Flat Top Grill - link), and bask in the glory of your race.
Looking back, I probably made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I know that I'm in much better shape now that back in May when I started training.
Last point....your time is just a number that you will beat the next time out. That being said, what's the best race that you've run in? My next half marathon will probably be in the Jan-March timeframe, so any suggestions??? I'm not locked into Chicago, and ideally, I'd like to travel for it...and see a new city in the process...
I heart Hart
Found via a message board on thewolverine.com
Little Mikey Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan football history, is the little engine that just keeps rumbling to success. He did it in high school, he did it in college, and now, he's starting to do it in the NFL.
link
I loved him as a Wolverine because he never gave up on a play, always took and gave a beating, and just flat out gamed. Ultra reliable (until the Citrus Bowl), he talked a huge game, but backed it up on the playing field.....Since taking the reins as #1 RB as a true freshman, he was the heart and soul of the program.....
Glad to see him doing great things for Tony Dunge in Indy.....
.
Little Mikey Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan football history, is the little engine that just keeps rumbling to success. He did it in high school, he did it in college, and now, he's starting to do it in the NFL.
link
I loved him as a Wolverine because he never gave up on a play, always took and gave a beating, and just flat out gamed. Ultra reliable (until the Citrus Bowl), he talked a huge game, but backed it up on the playing field.....Since taking the reins as #1 RB as a true freshman, he was the heart and soul of the program.....
Glad to see him doing great things for Tony Dunge in Indy.....
.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Indians at the Olympics
Lost in all the Michael Phelps / Lebron James / Kobe Bryant hubub is that the fact that 2 Indians have won medals already at this year's Olympics....
The first was Indian national Abhinav Bindra, who won the Gold medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Shooting competition. Considering that I've never shot a gun, and almost all the Indians I know haven't shot one, I don't really think of Indians as proficient marksmen, but I'm working with a small sample. Maybe Bindra is a sign of the changing times in India, where young desis are growing up dreaming of winning Olympic glory in the Air Rifle.
The other was Indian American Raj Bhavsar, who won the Brozne as part of the American gynmanastics team. According to ESPN, he replaced Paul Hamm at the last minute, and helped the team take a surprising Brozne in the artistic competition.
Congrats Raj and Abhivav!
The first was Indian national Abhinav Bindra, who won the Gold medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Shooting competition. Considering that I've never shot a gun, and almost all the Indians I know haven't shot one, I don't really think of Indians as proficient marksmen, but I'm working with a small sample. Maybe Bindra is a sign of the changing times in India, where young desis are growing up dreaming of winning Olympic glory in the Air Rifle.
The other was Indian American Raj Bhavsar, who won the Brozne as part of the American gynmanastics team. According to ESPN, he replaced Paul Hamm at the last minute, and helped the team take a surprising Brozne in the artistic competition.
Congrats Raj and Abhivav!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Book Review - The Beach
Its been awhile since I've done this, but I finally finished a book!
The book was Alex Garland's wonderful "The Beach". The book has been described as some sort of "Lord of hte Flies" for Generation X, but I disagree.
Its about a backpacker who's searching for the ultimate holiday spot, a beach that hasn't been discovered by other tourists. By random chance, he bunked next to a dying man named "Daffy Duck" in a Thai hostel. The dying man told Richard (the traveller) about a Beach that was beautiful, untamed, and an absolute must see....he even drew a map for Richard.
Richard, being the backpacker that he is, decides to recruit some other people to join him. They find the beach, and becoming a part of the official unofficial beach clan. Run like a commune, with rules, orders, and jobs for everybody, Richard and his friends learn to the love the beach..until they discover its underbelly..........can't give away more about the plot without giving it away....
The plot was absolutely riveting....a bit slow to begin, but once you get a bit into it, you won't want to put it down. The author leveraged all 5 senses when describing locations, actions, and intentions.....you can really close your eyes and picture the scene (cliche in a review, i konw, but i'm serious)..
the pace...again, a bit slow to begin, but picks up nicely. really short chapters, I almost felt like I was reading a book by Chuck Palahniuk (the dude that wrote Fight Club), but witty enough to feel like something by Kurt Vonnegut (and so it goes).....
overall, I really loved the book, and would recommend it to anybody that likes adventure stories and traveling. I haven't seen the movie yet (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), but I would add it to my netflix queue (provided that I start an account with them first)......
The book was Alex Garland's wonderful "The Beach". The book has been described as some sort of "Lord of hte Flies" for Generation X, but I disagree.
Its about a backpacker who's searching for the ultimate holiday spot, a beach that hasn't been discovered by other tourists. By random chance, he bunked next to a dying man named "Daffy Duck" in a Thai hostel. The dying man told Richard (the traveller) about a Beach that was beautiful, untamed, and an absolute must see....he even drew a map for Richard.
Richard, being the backpacker that he is, decides to recruit some other people to join him. They find the beach, and becoming a part of the official unofficial beach clan. Run like a commune, with rules, orders, and jobs for everybody, Richard and his friends learn to the love the beach..until they discover its underbelly..........can't give away more about the plot without giving it away....
The plot was absolutely riveting....a bit slow to begin, but once you get a bit into it, you won't want to put it down. The author leveraged all 5 senses when describing locations, actions, and intentions.....you can really close your eyes and picture the scene (cliche in a review, i konw, but i'm serious)..
the pace...again, a bit slow to begin, but picks up nicely. really short chapters, I almost felt like I was reading a book by Chuck Palahniuk (the dude that wrote Fight Club), but witty enough to feel like something by Kurt Vonnegut (and so it goes).....
overall, I really loved the book, and would recommend it to anybody that likes adventure stories and traveling. I haven't seen the movie yet (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), but I would add it to my netflix queue (provided that I start an account with them first)......
random links....
raising money for a poilitical campaign is easier with a cute little cartoon......link
frozen fish? why am i getting flashbacks from elementary school? washington post
since reading a book about it, I've been fascinated with Burma...here's an first news update to come out of Burma since 1988....bbc news
I love my moleskin, but need to start writing down my goals...here's why....get rich slowly
- an example of writing down your goals and doing well.....Inc. Magazine
Africa, where computers go to die....bbc news
Microsoft thinks that Messenger is responsible for 1/2 of all global IM traffic??? I'm shocked!, also, we are really only 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon.....daily galaxy, found via digg
frozen fish? why am i getting flashbacks from elementary school? washington post
since reading a book about it, I've been fascinated with Burma...here's an first news update to come out of Burma since 1988....bbc news
I love my moleskin, but need to start writing down my goals...here's why....get rich slowly
- an example of writing down your goals and doing well.....Inc. Magazine
Africa, where computers go to die....bbc news
Microsoft thinks that Messenger is responsible for 1/2 of all global IM traffic??? I'm shocked!, also, we are really only 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon.....daily galaxy, found via digg
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
random links
need a spreadsheet.....visit here
paging Jay Sherman! America needs its favorite animated critic! found via digg
most gyms are gross enough....here's how to be better about it - link
we already knew that jazz listeners were misfits and loners....here's proof
too bad real currency isn't made of nicotine...maybe my Altria stock would finally appreciate. read about the underground market in POW Camps
paging Jay Sherman! America needs its favorite animated critic! found via digg
most gyms are gross enough....here's how to be better about it - link
we already knew that jazz listeners were misfits and loners....here's proof
too bad real currency isn't made of nicotine...maybe my Altria stock would finally appreciate. read about the underground market in POW Camps
Salon.com's "Ask the Pilot"
As a regular traveler, I try to keep up in air-travel trends. From frequent flier bonus schemes, to updated airline security standards, its in my best interest to keep on top of all this madness.
So lately, I've started reading salon.com's execellet "Ask the Pilot" weekly editorial. The author, Patrick Smith, is a commercial pilot for a US carrier, and flies a ton more than I do. So, I find his rants and raves mildly entertaining.....
I was catching up with my pilot reading, when I saw his article about TSA insanity (link). As a regular traveler, I agree that the TSA has become way too large, way too bureaucratic, and way too gestapo-ish (is that even a word?). I've read about travelers getting their laptops seized as they cross borders.....apparntly terrorists haven't learned of data encryption and proper backup procedures....
Since its summer storm season both in Tampa and Chicago, I've been doing my part to avoid ORD like the plague. It isn't too bad on Monday morning, but its hell trying to get home on Thursday night. But, luckily, there's another option...Midway. Flying from Tampa to Midway means Southwest, and it means going through the Southwest terminal in Tampa.
For some reason, the TSA agents at the Southwest terminal (and only at this terminal, i haven't had any problems at the AA terminal) hassle me weekly about my saline solution bottle. Since its considered a medical supply (being for my contact lenses, which I use to see), it isn't required to be less than 3 oz, and isn't required to go into the 1 Quart Bag of Freedom. I get asked, "why do you need so much solution" (because i use it daily), "why not buy little bottles" (they are expensive, and its unsanitary to transfer from the large to the small bottle), "why not just wear glasses when you travel" (um, are you seriously trying to tell me what I can wear and what I can't? where are your qualifications to give medical advice? I travel every week and I like wearing contacts...deal with it).....i know that I'm ranting, but I'm sick of inconsistent madness that I go through on a weekly basis.....
How do you guys deal with outlandish airport security? Do you remeber to remove your belt, cell phone, laptop, liquids (both medical and non-medical), dvd player, xbox, and shoes...and place in seperate bins?
So lately, I've started reading salon.com's execellet "Ask the Pilot" weekly editorial. The author, Patrick Smith, is a commercial pilot for a US carrier, and flies a ton more than I do. So, I find his rants and raves mildly entertaining.....
I was catching up with my pilot reading, when I saw his article about TSA insanity (link). As a regular traveler, I agree that the TSA has become way too large, way too bureaucratic, and way too gestapo-ish (is that even a word?). I've read about travelers getting their laptops seized as they cross borders.....apparntly terrorists haven't learned of data encryption and proper backup procedures....
Since its summer storm season both in Tampa and Chicago, I've been doing my part to avoid ORD like the plague. It isn't too bad on Monday morning, but its hell trying to get home on Thursday night. But, luckily, there's another option...Midway. Flying from Tampa to Midway means Southwest, and it means going through the Southwest terminal in Tampa.
For some reason, the TSA agents at the Southwest terminal (and only at this terminal, i haven't had any problems at the AA terminal) hassle me weekly about my saline solution bottle. Since its considered a medical supply (being for my contact lenses, which I use to see), it isn't required to be less than 3 oz, and isn't required to go into the 1 Quart Bag of Freedom. I get asked, "why do you need so much solution" (because i use it daily), "why not buy little bottles" (they are expensive, and its unsanitary to transfer from the large to the small bottle), "why not just wear glasses when you travel" (um, are you seriously trying to tell me what I can wear and what I can't? where are your qualifications to give medical advice? I travel every week and I like wearing contacts...deal with it).....i know that I'm ranting, but I'm sick of inconsistent madness that I go through on a weekly basis.....
How do you guys deal with outlandish airport security? Do you remeber to remove your belt, cell phone, laptop, liquids (both medical and non-medical), dvd player, xbox, and shoes...and place in seperate bins?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Links...and a potentially new format
Back in late March, I started this site for a few reasons:
1) share the random thoughts that I have running through my head
2) become more comfortable writing my thoughts, and hopefully becoming a better, more interesting writer in the process
5 months in, I'm starting to hit a wall. As most of my readers have started to realize, my life just isn't all that interesting. But, I firmly believe that there's a opportunity in every experience, so I'm not going to give up. I'm slowly starting my business school applications, so I'm hoping that I can vent about the frustrations that are associated with that.
In the meantime, I know that I spend more time trolling the net for random links and random knowledge than the average user. So, I'm going to start sharing some of my interesting finds. I can't promise that I'll update this on a daily basis, but this site would be pretty useless if I didn't update it regularly.
With all that said.....here's my first attempt to share some random knowledge for the web!
for introverts (like me), learn how to diplomatically ignore extraverts....for extraverts, learn how to keep bothering introverts - via pickthebrain.com
i like tshirts...and I'm proud of my tshirt collection. add to yours...$10 / each.....@ busted teas, found via bargainist
I would vote for a McCain / Harvey Dent ticket.....but I'd love an Obama / Lando ticket better.....what's your favorite? - via film school rejects
want to see Fenway park? Chicago O'Hare to Boston Logan for $173 round trip - via airfarewatchdog
a list of the greatest speeches in history...curiously, "This is Sparata" is missing - via the art of manliness
1) share the random thoughts that I have running through my head
2) become more comfortable writing my thoughts, and hopefully becoming a better, more interesting writer in the process
5 months in, I'm starting to hit a wall. As most of my readers have started to realize, my life just isn't all that interesting. But, I firmly believe that there's a opportunity in every experience, so I'm not going to give up. I'm slowly starting my business school applications, so I'm hoping that I can vent about the frustrations that are associated with that.
In the meantime, I know that I spend more time trolling the net for random links and random knowledge than the average user. So, I'm going to start sharing some of my interesting finds. I can't promise that I'll update this on a daily basis, but this site would be pretty useless if I didn't update it regularly.
With all that said.....here's my first attempt to share some random knowledge for the web!
for introverts (like me), learn how to diplomatically ignore extraverts....for extraverts, learn how to keep bothering introverts - via pickthebrain.com
i like tshirts...and I'm proud of my tshirt collection. add to yours...$10 / each.....@ busted teas, found via bargainist
I would vote for a McCain / Harvey Dent ticket.....but I'd love an Obama / Lando ticket better.....what's your favorite? - via film school rejects
want to see Fenway park? Chicago O'Hare to Boston Logan for $173 round trip - via airfarewatchdog
a list of the greatest speeches in history...curiously, "This is Sparata" is missing - via the art of manliness
A potentially interesting read......a journalist's take on HBS
Over my morning breakfast, I came across this article (Back to School, Turning Crimson) in the Wall Street Journal. Its a quick review of Broughton Philip Delves' Ahead of the Curve, an insider's perspective on the Harvard Business School.
While there are numberous books written by HBS grads (their 900 large class makes this easier), this one is different becuase its actually written by a journalist that attended the school.
I haven't read the book yet, but it may find a way onto my list......thought i'd pass it along.
While there are numberous books written by HBS grads (their 900 large class makes this easier), this one is different becuase its actually written by a journalist that attended the school.
I haven't read the book yet, but it may find a way onto my list......thought i'd pass it along.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Running Update
So last week, I wrote about my apparently inability to run 10 miles. I'm happy to report an update...
After moving into my new place on Thursday, and spending Friday and Saturday getting settled in, I went for a post-move stress-free run on Sunday morning, and actually completed the full 10 (10.01 in total) miles!
Total Time - 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 58 second......an average of 8:23 min/mile pace.
I plugged this run into a race calculator (link), and it claims that I'll finish my upcoming half-marathon in under 2 hours!!!
Thanks to everybody that gave me support over the last week, or over the last 3 months...and helping push me towards this goal........
After moving into my new place on Thursday, and spending Friday and Saturday getting settled in, I went for a post-move stress-free run on Sunday morning, and actually completed the full 10 (10.01 in total) miles!
Total Time - 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 58 second......an average of 8:23 min/mile pace.
I plugged this run into a race calculator (link), and it claims that I'll finish my upcoming half-marathon in under 2 hours!!!
Thanks to everybody that gave me support over the last week, or over the last 3 months...and helping push me towards this goal........
lifehacking.....
Lifehacking....
Computer enthusiasts effectionally wear the badge of "hacker" proudly. Contrary to popular opinion, hacking is not breaking into other people's systems, setting off nuclear bombs, and crashing financial systems. The hackers that I know use their knowledge to help find innovative, unique, or interesting ways to perform random tasks with technology.
From "overclocking" their processor to gain more speed, to "modding" their Tivo to hold a larger hard drive....hackers often find a way to gain productivity that was not possible under conventional methods.
An article in the Economist brought to be the popular blog Lifehacker (www.lifehacker.com) a few years ago. The premise of lifehacker was simple, using the hacker ethics to work and life more productively.
My random visit to Lifehacker drove me into more research....reading David Allen's "Getting things done", to other sites like zenhabits, lifehack.org, and 43folders.com
As a result of my interest in lifehacking, I've become a slave to my "hipster pda"....a moleskin notebook and nice pen. My friends have seen me writing in it, and I constantly write down to-dos and random notes to myself.
also, through lifehacking, I have become devoted to "better living through measurement". I've started slowly, measuring my progress in jogging. A few weeks ago, I widened my measurement net, and started measuring my caffeine consumption, with the ultimate goal of quitting caffine. Once I get that under wraps, I plan on logging my food.....and hopefully finding peace with a healthier diet.
While I'm still not organized, and as my coworkers can attest, still incredibly unproductive...I'm making baby steps towards my personal and professional goals....and I thank lifehacking for lighting a fire under me.
Some resources to getting started:
Online -
Lifehacker - my original foreay into this concept. While it is more technology driven, there is occassionally a great article written there.
Lifehack.org - Doesn't provide specific systems for productivity, but I've come to rely on this site for interest quotes.
43folders.com - utterly devoted to David Allen's concept of "Getting Things Done". newbies might find it to be a little too much, but, I like it.
Books -
"Getting Things Done" by David Allen
"The 4 Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferris
Tools-
Moleskin notebook - i know its just a notebook...but I love mine, and I'm completely lost without it...
Parker pen - yes, its a $5 pen, but since I knew that I spent $5 on it, the pen is always next to my moleskin
Quicken (or MS Money) - the ultimate for data geeks. I use it to track credit cards, investments, and plan for my financial future.
I know that this list is nowhere near exhaustive, so....what have you guys found helpful? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Computer enthusiasts effectionally wear the badge of "hacker" proudly. Contrary to popular opinion, hacking is not breaking into other people's systems, setting off nuclear bombs, and crashing financial systems. The hackers that I know use their knowledge to help find innovative, unique, or interesting ways to perform random tasks with technology.
From "overclocking" their processor to gain more speed, to "modding" their Tivo to hold a larger hard drive....hackers often find a way to gain productivity that was not possible under conventional methods.
An article in the Economist brought to be the popular blog Lifehacker (www.lifehacker.com) a few years ago. The premise of lifehacker was simple, using the hacker ethics to work and life more productively.
My random visit to Lifehacker drove me into more research....reading David Allen's "Getting things done", to other sites like zenhabits, lifehack.org, and 43folders.com
As a result of my interest in lifehacking, I've become a slave to my "hipster pda"....a moleskin notebook and nice pen. My friends have seen me writing in it, and I constantly write down to-dos and random notes to myself.
also, through lifehacking, I have become devoted to "better living through measurement". I've started slowly, measuring my progress in jogging. A few weeks ago, I widened my measurement net, and started measuring my caffeine consumption, with the ultimate goal of quitting caffine. Once I get that under wraps, I plan on logging my food.....and hopefully finding peace with a healthier diet.
While I'm still not organized, and as my coworkers can attest, still incredibly unproductive...I'm making baby steps towards my personal and professional goals....and I thank lifehacking for lighting a fire under me.
Some resources to getting started:
Online -
Lifehacker - my original foreay into this concept. While it is more technology driven, there is occassionally a great article written there.
Lifehack.org - Doesn't provide specific systems for productivity, but I've come to rely on this site for interest quotes.
43folders.com - utterly devoted to David Allen's concept of "Getting Things Done". newbies might find it to be a little too much, but, I like it.
Books -
"Getting Things Done" by David Allen
"The 4 Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferris
Tools-
Moleskin notebook - i know its just a notebook...but I love mine, and I'm completely lost without it...
Parker pen - yes, its a $5 pen, but since I knew that I spent $5 on it, the pen is always next to my moleskin
Quicken (or MS Money) - the ultimate for data geeks. I use it to track credit cards, investments, and plan for my financial future.
I know that this list is nowhere near exhaustive, so....what have you guys found helpful? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mad Men is blowing up
Season 2's premiere hit 2 million viewers last Sunday, which is more than double the viewers it averaged per episode in Season 1. link
I missed the premiere, so I'll have to catch it during their weekly reruns.
A quick recap of Mad Men's accomplishments, awards, and accolades:
Golden Globes -
Best Television Series
Best Performance by an actor in a television series - Jon Hamm (Donald Draper)
2007 Young Hollywood Award to Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell)
2007 Peabody Award
Nominated for 16 Emmy Awards
(awards shamelessly ripped from wiki)
I missed the premiere, so I'll have to catch it during their weekly reruns.
A quick recap of Mad Men's accomplishments, awards, and accolades:
Golden Globes -
Best Television Series
Best Performance by an actor in a television series - Jon Hamm (Donald Draper)
2007 Young Hollywood Award to Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell)
2007 Peabody Award
Nominated for 16 Emmy Awards
(awards shamelessly ripped from wiki)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Stress, and how it affects my running
So, I've got a lot of things on my mind lately.....I'm moving in 3 days (i hate moving), I'm running a half marathon in a week, and this fall, I'm applying to business school.
Of the 3 items, obviously applying to business school is the biggest, most daunting task on my list. But, having gone through the process before (unsuccessfully), it still sucks, but hopefully shouldn't be as bad as last year. I'm trying to keep it from crippling my life like it did last year....
Of course I've moved before, but I stil hate it. It'll be done by this Friday, and I can cross that off the list.
The last item...the half marathon...is something that I've written about in the past, but its rearing its ugly head. I've faithfully followed Hal Higdon's training program (its sweet, I highly recommend it. get it here link), I've watched my diet, and I've given up drinking (for the most part)......so what's teh problem? I'm still somehow pysching myself out.
I've slowly progressed from a 4 mile long run up til a 9 mile run. Last Saturday, I was set to cross the threshold, and finish my first double digit run. I was out on the lakefront, finishing up mile 3, and somehow, I panicked. That run was over, and I decided to try it again later on.
This morning, I was supposed to run the 10 mile run. Mission - Failed. Somehow, I've set up a mindblock that tells me that 10 miles is too much, and that I shouldn't be running that distance. Of course, this mindset keeps me from finishing the training run, and keeps me from accomplishing my goal.
Any tips from veteran runners? how do you keep self-defeating thoughts away from your runs?
Of the 3 items, obviously applying to business school is the biggest, most daunting task on my list. But, having gone through the process before (unsuccessfully), it still sucks, but hopefully shouldn't be as bad as last year. I'm trying to keep it from crippling my life like it did last year....
Of course I've moved before, but I stil hate it. It'll be done by this Friday, and I can cross that off the list.
The last item...the half marathon...is something that I've written about in the past, but its rearing its ugly head. I've faithfully followed Hal Higdon's training program (its sweet, I highly recommend it. get it here link), I've watched my diet, and I've given up drinking (for the most part)......so what's teh problem? I'm still somehow pysching myself out.
I've slowly progressed from a 4 mile long run up til a 9 mile run. Last Saturday, I was set to cross the threshold, and finish my first double digit run. I was out on the lakefront, finishing up mile 3, and somehow, I panicked. That run was over, and I decided to try it again later on.
This morning, I was supposed to run the 10 mile run. Mission - Failed. Somehow, I've set up a mindblock that tells me that 10 miles is too much, and that I shouldn't be running that distance. Of course, this mindset keeps me from finishing the training run, and keeps me from accomplishing my goal.
Any tips from veteran runners? how do you keep self-defeating thoughts away from your runs?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Coming Soon to an airport near you - Bud Light X-Ray Vision
Wow..just wow....this is the classic example of giving government an inch, and having them take a 100 yards.
First, the knee-jerk creation of the Department of Homeland Security.....then, removing laptops (in retrospect, probably a good move, but comeon..everybody has a laptop now, can't they find a way to screen for laptops without removing them), then, removing our shoes on the grungy, nasty airport ground...and finally, the whole liquid fiasco.
Now, the TSA has procurred a new scanning machine that scans you and "look through clothing to create an explicit silhouette of the traveler—showing shapes, folds of fat and other anatomical characteristics—to identify possible hidden objects."
Granted, I fly every week, so I'm a bit jaded by the TSA and travel. Given the complete idiots that I see working in the TSA, I wouldn't trust them to professionally view this "graphic image" and make a judgement call about security.
If I was selected for further screening.....call me old fashioned, but I'm going for the pat-down. If they are going to violate my civil liberties, I might as well get a piece myself.....
read the full article here - chicago tribune
Sarah - thanks for the link....
First, the knee-jerk creation of the Department of Homeland Security.....then, removing laptops (in retrospect, probably a good move, but comeon..everybody has a laptop now, can't they find a way to screen for laptops without removing them), then, removing our shoes on the grungy, nasty airport ground...and finally, the whole liquid fiasco.
Now, the TSA has procurred a new scanning machine that scans you and "look through clothing to create an explicit silhouette of the traveler—showing shapes, folds of fat and other anatomical characteristics—to identify possible hidden objects."
Granted, I fly every week, so I'm a bit jaded by the TSA and travel. Given the complete idiots that I see working in the TSA, I wouldn't trust them to professionally view this "graphic image" and make a judgement call about security.
If I was selected for further screening.....call me old fashioned, but I'm going for the pat-down. If they are going to violate my civil liberties, I might as well get a piece myself.....
read the full article here - chicago tribune
Sarah - thanks for the link....
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The ultimate spreadsheet for Data Junkies
Yale University is sponsoring a project to collect random economic and geographic data for every country in the world, with the hopes that this data can be used to do something (I've read through some of the pages, but am still unclear what the data can be used for).
but, they have published their entire dataset for the 1990 "gross cell product" (something similar to GNP) calculation....
its something to play with if you are bored at work, and want to try your hand at a little data manipulation...check it out - link
found via the big picture
Monday, July 21, 2008
Renewed interest in the Caped Cruisader
With "The Dark Knight" shattering box office records every day (will it shatter the all important Monday matinee record?), it seems like everybody is talking about Batman. Heath Ledger was on the cover of more than a few magazine last week. NPR ran a piece that dug into Batman's creation...with comic artist Bob Kane.
hell, even the History Channel ran a special digging into the Bruce Wayne psychology......very interesting stuff indeed.
Since I haven't seen the movie yet (Chicago's IMAX next Saturday, 1 pm), this revival is paying off in 2 ways. First of all, it is much much easier for me to find episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" online to watch. Growing up, I had the perfect after-school lineup:
- Tiny Toons
- Animanics
- Batman the Animated Series
the second way, is that somebody just snagged my copy of the campy Adam West/Burt Ward Batman from half.com. I've had that movie online for almost a year, but it took the Dark Knight to finally sell it!
hell, even the History Channel ran a special digging into the Bruce Wayne psychology......very interesting stuff indeed.
Since I haven't seen the movie yet (Chicago's IMAX next Saturday, 1 pm), this revival is paying off in 2 ways. First of all, it is much much easier for me to find episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" online to watch. Growing up, I had the perfect after-school lineup:
- Tiny Toons
- Animanics
- Batman the Animated Series
the second way, is that somebody just snagged my copy of the campy Adam West/Burt Ward Batman from half.com. I've had that movie online for almost a year, but it took the Dark Knight to finally sell it!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The wire...anybody watch it yet?
With the heralded "Generation Kill" set to start this weekend on HBO, I decided to take up creater Edward Burns' first show...the Wire.
I'm on episode 3 of the first season, and while I enjoy the nuaced, prodding style of storytelling, I'm wondering if the action picks up. So far, I'm also loving all the random players that I recognize from other movies/tv shows...
so far, here's who I've identified:
Detective Bunk = The anti-hacker dude in the very cheesy (but glorious) "Hackers"
Lt Daniels = the creepy dude that recruits people in "Lost"
Detective Herk = Vince's friend from the old neighborhood who steals the Shrek doll (Entourage)
The Commish = Dennis Leary's partner in the Thomas Crown Affair
I'm sure there are more random people popping up, but so far, I'm really digging this show...
I'm on episode 3 of the first season, and while I enjoy the nuaced, prodding style of storytelling, I'm wondering if the action picks up. So far, I'm also loving all the random players that I recognize from other movies/tv shows...
so far, here's who I've identified:
Detective Bunk = The anti-hacker dude in the very cheesy (but glorious) "Hackers"
Lt Daniels = the creepy dude that recruits people in "Lost"
Detective Herk = Vince's friend from the old neighborhood who steals the Shrek doll (Entourage)
The Commish = Dennis Leary's partner in the Thomas Crown Affair
I'm sure there are more random people popping up, but so far, I'm really digging this show...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The unintended benefits of Google Reader
I'm a huge Google Reader fan. Its probably (along with the LA Times crossword puzzle and gmail) among the most indispensible sites that I visit. While I'd like to think that I'm a well rounded person, and that I read a wide variety of blogs and items, I really don't. Most of my blogs have to do with finance/economic trends, personal productivity, sports, and technology. wow, i'm really boring....
so, that's where Google Reader's best feature comes into play....Sharing!
Sharing is caring, and this is absoultely true within Google Reader. By complete coincidence, where I lack the diversity in reading within my reader list, my friend's pick up the slack.
I have a friend that's from Detroit, so I get the daily update on the automakers, Michigan football, and the Detroit Pistons (not a huge Pistons fan after they let go of Flip..but that's another topic for a different day). Another friend trolls the internet for the most ridiculous stories and viral videos, so I feel plugged into pop culture through him. One of my friends is all about international news, so I feel cultured reading about the Middle East or Africa. And another of my friends thinks that he's Al Gore, so I get to read about cutting edge green technology.
I would not be as cultured and "well read" (as it comes to blogs) without Google Reader.....try it out...and drop me a note if you want to share articles with me...I'm always looking for interesting things to read!
so, that's where Google Reader's best feature comes into play....Sharing!
Sharing is caring, and this is absoultely true within Google Reader. By complete coincidence, where I lack the diversity in reading within my reader list, my friend's pick up the slack.
I have a friend that's from Detroit, so I get the daily update on the automakers, Michigan football, and the Detroit Pistons (not a huge Pistons fan after they let go of Flip..but that's another topic for a different day). Another friend trolls the internet for the most ridiculous stories and viral videos, so I feel plugged into pop culture through him. One of my friends is all about international news, so I feel cultured reading about the Middle East or Africa. And another of my friends thinks that he's Al Gore, so I get to read about cutting edge green technology.
I would not be as cultured and "well read" (as it comes to blogs) without Google Reader.....try it out...and drop me a note if you want to share articles with me...I'm always looking for interesting things to read!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Cheat Sheets are fun
Found via digg...
6 cheatsheets to make you more productive while working:
- Google Search
- Windows (including Word, Excel, and Outlook)
- Google Reader
- Gmail
- Firefox (windows and Mac)
- Mac OS
I just grabbed the Windows one, and already picked up some cool Excel tricks (yes, I'm an excel geek...go ahead, make fun of me)....you should check it out
link
6 cheatsheets to make you more productive while working:
- Google Search
- Windows (including Word, Excel, and Outlook)
- Google Reader
- Gmail
- Firefox (windows and Mac)
- Mac OS
I just grabbed the Windows one, and already picked up some cool Excel tricks (yes, I'm an excel geek...go ahead, make fun of me)....you should check it out
link
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Why Vasa at the Airport
What type of sweatheart deal did VASA water sign with the Department of Homeland Security? As a consultant, I've been to many airports...and they all serve VASA water. Not Aquafina. Not Dasani. And not Nestle.......but Vasa. I've never seen Vasa anywhere else...have you?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Yankee Stadium lovefest = gag
Watching the home run derby, and had some thoughts about the Yankee Stadium Lovefest:
1) The stadium isn't closing today.....there's still a half year left.....
2) really, Arod's 500th homerun is the best homerun at Yankee Stadium? I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'd think that they could find a much more fitting end to their "Homeruns at Yankee Stadium montage". Maybe Reggie Jackson...Roger Maris...or, to stick it to Red Sox fans, Aaron F'n Boone?
3) yes, people do visit other stadiums to tour the place. I did it as a kid in Minneapolis (at the Metrodome)....and I know that people have done so in Boston (at Fenway) before too......get your shit together ESPN
Granted, as the standings are today, the Yankees aren't going to be playing in the postseason this year....so, I guess the All Star game is the last major event there.....carry on ESPN
1) The stadium isn't closing today.....there's still a half year left.....
2) really, Arod's 500th homerun is the best homerun at Yankee Stadium? I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'd think that they could find a much more fitting end to their "Homeruns at Yankee Stadium montage". Maybe Reggie Jackson...Roger Maris...or, to stick it to Red Sox fans, Aaron F'n Boone?
3) yes, people do visit other stadiums to tour the place. I did it as a kid in Minneapolis (at the Metrodome)....and I know that people have done so in Boston (at Fenway) before too......get your shit together ESPN
Granted, as the standings are today, the Yankees aren't going to be playing in the postseason this year....so, I guess the All Star game is the last major event there.....carry on ESPN
The Joy of Home Cooked Food
No, I'm not talking about Mom's wonderful cooking, I'm talking about the food that you actually prepare yourself.
So this past week, Mona and I embarked on an unplanned experiment, and somehow pieced together the ability to cook all of our meals. From a Friday night dinner party, to the next morning's hangover eggs and hashbrowns.....a non-leftover lunch, to an entirely fresh dinner on Saturday......and finally, Tandori chicken on Sunday night.....it was pretty incredible.
The Pros:
- I picked up some tips, and gained some much needed kitchen confidence.
- The food tasted incredible, and was probably much much healither than the junk that I'd eat if we ate out
The Cons:
- It seemed like I was in the kitchen the whole weekend. Either chopping up veggies, boiling water, preheating the oven, or washing dishes....
- We probably more money cooking, vs. grabbing take out food.....
Overall:
Maybe dial it back a bit, but keep up the cooking. I'm really starting to get into cooking, and I hope to keep learning new tricks and dishes....oh yeah, I ate a ton this weekend, and I still weigh less than i normally would on a Monday morning. also, I don't feel nearly as "greasy" as I normally would after the weekend....win-win
So this past week, Mona and I embarked on an unplanned experiment, and somehow pieced together the ability to cook all of our meals. From a Friday night dinner party, to the next morning's hangover eggs and hashbrowns.....a non-leftover lunch, to an entirely fresh dinner on Saturday......and finally, Tandori chicken on Sunday night.....it was pretty incredible.
The Pros:
- I picked up some tips, and gained some much needed kitchen confidence.
- The food tasted incredible, and was probably much much healither than the junk that I'd eat if we ate out
The Cons:
- It seemed like I was in the kitchen the whole weekend. Either chopping up veggies, boiling water, preheating the oven, or washing dishes....
- We probably more money cooking, vs. grabbing take out food.....
Overall:
Maybe dial it back a bit, but keep up the cooking. I'm really starting to get into cooking, and I hope to keep learning new tricks and dishes....oh yeah, I ate a ton this weekend, and I still weigh less than i normally would on a Monday morning. also, I don't feel nearly as "greasy" as I normally would after the weekend....win-win
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Chicago's Bus Tracking System
I've been reading about Chicago's fancy new bus tracking system that works with Smartphones, iphones, and blackberries, but never had a chance to try it.
They've been slowly adding busses to the roster, but most that I take still aren't on the list. But this morning, I happened to be heading down Belmont to the soccer field, so I decided to give it a shot.
Pulling up the website on my Blackberry, I saw that the #77 Belmont bus would be at my stop in 5 minutes. Low and behold, the bus pulled in exactly 5 minutes......test 1 passed!
After match soccer game (we suck, we were killed 4-2), I walked back to a bus stop, and pulled up the site on my phone again. This time, the bus would be here in 8 minutes, and it showed up exactly 7 minutes later....test 2 passed.
So the CTA is going to be adding more and more buses weekly....hopefully they put the #22, #36, #76, and #134 soon!
chicago residents, check it out, it actually seems to work!!
They've been slowly adding busses to the roster, but most that I take still aren't on the list. But this morning, I happened to be heading down Belmont to the soccer field, so I decided to give it a shot.
Pulling up the website on my Blackberry, I saw that the #77 Belmont bus would be at my stop in 5 minutes. Low and behold, the bus pulled in exactly 5 minutes......test 1 passed!
After match soccer game (we suck, we were killed 4-2), I walked back to a bus stop, and pulled up the site on my phone again. This time, the bus would be here in 8 minutes, and it showed up exactly 7 minutes later....test 2 passed.
So the CTA is going to be adding more and more buses weekly....hopefully they put the #22, #36, #76, and #134 soon!
chicago residents, check it out, it actually seems to work!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wall-E Review
Yes, you guys have probably already heard of Wall-E, and have seen the rave reviews...but I felt it necessary to add another to the long list :)
Storyline -
Started out incredibly slowly, but came on strong. It was a bold decision by Pixar to completely eliminate all dialogue in the first half hour of the movie, but it definetly paid off. I walked away from the story completely wow'd by where the story takes us...
Visuals -
Of course, you go to a Pixar movie for the visuals...and they do not disappoint. More than once, Mona had to ask me if the movie was actually animated...since it was so lifelike. Completely amazed by the visuals....bravo Pixar, bravo
"Acting" and Intangibles -
For an animated movie about a little robot that only says "Wall-E" and "Eva", the acting was incredible. People left the theatres with tears in their eyes.....
Go see the movie. Its fantastic.....yes, there's a lot of hype, but I think it lived up to it. Def not a kids movie, but has a deeper purpose about the future cost of today's rampant consumerism. Also, a not so subtle jab at our complete reliance on technology......from a company born out of Apple Computer, love it....
Storyline -
Started out incredibly slowly, but came on strong. It was a bold decision by Pixar to completely eliminate all dialogue in the first half hour of the movie, but it definetly paid off. I walked away from the story completely wow'd by where the story takes us...
Visuals -
Of course, you go to a Pixar movie for the visuals...and they do not disappoint. More than once, Mona had to ask me if the movie was actually animated...since it was so lifelike. Completely amazed by the visuals....bravo Pixar, bravo
"Acting" and Intangibles -
For an animated movie about a little robot that only says "Wall-E" and "Eva", the acting was incredible. People left the theatres with tears in their eyes.....
Go see the movie. Its fantastic.....yes, there's a lot of hype, but I think it lived up to it. Def not a kids movie, but has a deeper purpose about the future cost of today's rampant consumerism. Also, a not so subtle jab at our complete reliance on technology......from a company born out of Apple Computer, love it....
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Feed your wanderlust!
Since returning from Costa Rica a little more than a month ago, I've been looking hit the road again. No, not the normal "hit the road" (my weekly trips down to Tampa), but something more substantial and meaningful. I want to go abroad again!
While I'm looking at my finances, my schedule, and my interests......I came across this excellent list of great travel books.
Looking over the list, I have some reading to do. Here's what I've read:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson
Lord of the Flies by William S. Golding
Here's what I want to read off that list:
Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Beach by Alex Garland
Has anybody read any of the books? Anything else that I should add to my ever growing reading list?
While I'm looking at my finances, my schedule, and my interests......I came across this excellent list of great travel books.
Looking over the list, I have some reading to do. Here's what I've read:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson
Lord of the Flies by William S. Golding
Here's what I want to read off that list:
Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Beach by Alex Garland
Has anybody read any of the books? Anything else that I should add to my ever growing reading list?
Farve at the Dome? Playing FOR the Vikes?
Rumors on the net are flying that everybody's favorite (well, everybody that lives in Wisconsin) aging quarterback is thinking about coming back to the NFL.
While I'm not surprised that he'd come back, I'm surprised that the Green Bay Packers aren't more suppportive. This guy was your franchise for the last decade, he brought 2 Super Bowl titles there, and he's a living legend.
Yes, he's a legend, and it pains me to say that as a lifelong Viking fan. So, with Farve in check, the Vikings might be more than a decent team next year.....think about it...
Brett Farve as QB. Adrian Peterson. we still have some receivers, they just haven't caught a pass in a long time.....our D line will be dominant....the pieces are there....
So yes, if Farve returns, I'd put aside the pain that he's caused my team, and welcome him to the Metrodome.....for that the happen, Green Bay would have to be dumb to pin their hopes on Aaron Rogers and give him up to a division rival.
the question - Is Green Bay dumb enough to allow Farve to suit up for the Vikings?
While I'm not surprised that he'd come back, I'm surprised that the Green Bay Packers aren't more suppportive. This guy was your franchise for the last decade, he brought 2 Super Bowl titles there, and he's a living legend.
Yes, he's a legend, and it pains me to say that as a lifelong Viking fan. So, with Farve in check, the Vikings might be more than a decent team next year.....think about it...
Brett Farve as QB. Adrian Peterson. we still have some receivers, they just haven't caught a pass in a long time.....our D line will be dominant....the pieces are there....
So yes, if Farve returns, I'd put aside the pain that he's caused my team, and welcome him to the Metrodome.....for that the happen, Green Bay would have to be dumb to pin their hopes on Aaron Rogers and give him up to a division rival.
the question - Is Green Bay dumb enough to allow Farve to suit up for the Vikings?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Mumu = Fat? Apparently yes, according to Nutrisystem
If you've any amount of time watching ESPN, the History Channel, or the National Geographic Channel (ok, that's what I watch....go ahead, hate me), you have absolutely run across the ridiculous Nutrisystem commercials.
If not, here's a rundown. Take some recognizable athlete that is past his prime, show a before and after picture of him, and then offer your product. It worked for Don Shula (never an athlete, but a coach....I wonder if it'd work with John Madden), Dan Marino, Mike Golic, and some other random football players.
But in an attempt to appeal to women, Nutrisystem decided to show a before and after picture of Jilian Barbierie....check it out:
So apparently wearing a mumu for a picture, then changing into a more normal, tight-fitting outfit = weight loss?
Sold!
screenshot taken from youtube...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Stuck at the airport
Stuck in Tampa and my flight is delayed.
I'm just minding my own business, and am reading a book. This lady sits next to me and she is literally carrying 4 cartons of smokes.
Either she is a ridiculously heavy smoker or this is a great cig arbitrage opportunity
Volunteer Vacations....anybody done them?
So, a coworker just forwarded me an email from his older sister. His sister just returned from Costa Rica (I want to go back!), but instead of partying and seeing the sights, she went down there to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. After her Habitat project was done, she did get to hang out with the monkeys in Manual Antonio, and watch Arenal erupt.....
Over the last year, I've thought about going on a volunteer vacation. The basic premise is that instead of relaxing, you get to help others out....
While I can't swing another trip down to Costa Rica, I'm thinking about heading down to Louisiana to help out in the post-Katrina madness. Do a little bit of good while visiting a place that I've never been...seems like a win-win to me.
Has anybody done this before? Anything that I should know before I start booking flights???
Over the last year, I've thought about going on a volunteer vacation. The basic premise is that instead of relaxing, you get to help others out....
While I can't swing another trip down to Costa Rica, I'm thinking about heading down to Louisiana to help out in the post-Katrina madness. Do a little bit of good while visiting a place that I've never been...seems like a win-win to me.
Has anybody done this before? Anything that I should know before I start booking flights???
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Big Brother is watching you!
Just read this pretty interesting / explosive article about a Chinese program called "Golden Shield". Piloting in the special economic zone of Shenzhen, the program aims to create a total monitoring and government surveillance network.
Linking together biometric scanning, face-recognition software, and a citywide network of high definition cameras, the governemnt is trying to tie together all the data to monitor and protect its citizens.
Its a long read, but well worth it.....especially since it features cameos by good American firms like General Electric, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Cisco, and google.
check it out.....Rolling Stone link
found via Brave New Traveler
Are you better off now than 8 years ago?
I was reading a blog post about happiness (link), and it got me thinking. Am I better off now than I was 8 years ago?
To answer this question, I need to rewind to this day eight years ago. Since July 1, 2000, I have:
- survived brain surgery
- began my undergrad education at the University of Minnesota
- transferred to the University of Michigan
- Graduated from school
- Started my career as an IT consultant
- Earned a promotion
- Met and began dating my girlfriend Mona (going on 4 and a half years now!)
- Moved to Chicago
- Traveled to Scotland, London, and Costa Rica
- became an elite traveler in the eyes of Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Starwood Hotels, and Marriott Hotels
Ok, so there were some pitfalls in the past 8 years...I didn't get into graduate school, I'm still working as an IT consultant, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with the progress that I've made in 8 years.
This leads me to believe that regardless of who's in charge in Chicago (like Mayor Daley is ever going to leave), Springfield, or Washington, I'm pretty capable of bettering myself.
Perhaps through the gloom and doom of inflation, terrorism, oil prices, credit crunch, Iraq, and Bill O'Reily, its helpful and important to know that there are more important things in life...and that you are solely responsible for achieving them.
How have you grown in the past 8 years?
To answer this question, I need to rewind to this day eight years ago. Since July 1, 2000, I have:
- survived brain surgery
- began my undergrad education at the University of Minnesota
- transferred to the University of Michigan
- Graduated from school
- Started my career as an IT consultant
- Earned a promotion
- Met and began dating my girlfriend Mona (going on 4 and a half years now!)
- Moved to Chicago
- Traveled to Scotland, London, and Costa Rica
- became an elite traveler in the eyes of Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Starwood Hotels, and Marriott Hotels
Ok, so there were some pitfalls in the past 8 years...I didn't get into graduate school, I'm still working as an IT consultant, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with the progress that I've made in 8 years.
This leads me to believe that regardless of who's in charge in Chicago (like Mayor Daley is ever going to leave), Springfield, or Washington, I'm pretty capable of bettering myself.
Perhaps through the gloom and doom of inflation, terrorism, oil prices, credit crunch, Iraq, and Bill O'Reily, its helpful and important to know that there are more important things in life...and that you are solely responsible for achieving them.
How have you grown in the past 8 years?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Suggestion for Airlines.....
As an elite business traveler, there is one feature that I would absolutely switch airlines over.
If an airline provided a seating chart to its elite travelers that showed the location of all the babies. That way, I could (as an elite traveler) pick a seat furthest away from them..and could get to work well rested :)
I know that I'm being picky, but this morning's flight was painful. 2 crying babies right behind me = no sleep.....
If an airline provided a seating chart to its elite travelers that showed the location of all the babies. That way, I could (as an elite traveler) pick a seat furthest away from them..and could get to work well rested :)
I know that I'm being picky, but this morning's flight was painful. 2 crying babies right behind me = no sleep.....
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Book Review - Thunderstruck
Just finished Erik Larson's "Thunderstruck", and I was significantly underwhelmed by it. I loved his earlier "Devil in the White City", and he seems to follow a very similar plot line in this novel. First an innovative product/fair, and a gruesome murder, and then tie the 2 together.
The formula worked in "devil" because of a few things:
(1) The Chicago World's Fair was a much more interesting story than Marconi's wireless kit.
(2) The murderer actually worked within the Chicago World's Fair....so the book was more integrated
(3) Dr. Crippen's murder was pretty bland...
so, if you are really into your Marconi set....or, really into post-Jack the Ripper London....then check this book out. Otherwise, pick up Devil in the White City...its a far superior book in every way!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
How will Kevin McHale mess up the draft?
Growing up as a Timberwolves fan in Minnesota, I grew accustomed to watching the Twolves through away their lottery picks.
Here's a rundown of the franchise lottery history:
1989 - Pooh Richardson
1990 - Felton Spensor
1991 - Luc Longley
1992 - Christian Laettner
1993 - Isaiah "J.R" Rider
1994 - Donyell Marshall
1995 - Kevin Garnett
1996 - Ray Allen (traded to Milwaukee for Stephen Marbury on draft day)
1999 - Wally Szczcerbiak
2005 - Rashad McCants
2006 - Brandon Roy
2007 - Corey Brewer
So, ignoring the 1 great pick (KG), what else has the franchise done on draft day? We could have paired up KG with one of the greatest pure shooters of all time (Ray Allen), but instead, traded him for the ultimate headache (Marbury). Also, keep in mind the great Joe Smith debacle. Signing an illegal deal for the career journeyman, which stripped the Twolves of 5 draft picks...most likely 5 lottery choices.
With reports that the Miami Heat are high on OJ Mayo, and not that high on Michael Beasley, Kevin McHale should be working on a draft day deal to grab Mayo, send him to Miami for Beasley.
Instead, here's what I think he'll do:
1) Draft and keep Mayo - you don't want a guy like OJ Mayo in Minneapolis. He'll leave in 3 years.
2) Draft an unknown foreign player, and then keep him in his home country for a few years.
3) Grab a soft inside defender like Brooke Lopez - great guy, total goofball....but not tough inside. the wolves need an inside presence
4) overspending on a Kevin Love / Joe Alexander. Both are great players...both should be in a Minnesota uniform....but both are not worth the #3 pick.
Can Kevin McHale find a way to leverage his #3 pick into soemthing worthwhile....or, will we be watching the pingpong balls during the next playoffs?
Here's a rundown of the franchise lottery history:
1989 - Pooh Richardson
1990 - Felton Spensor
1991 - Luc Longley
1992 - Christian Laettner
1993 - Isaiah "J.R" Rider
1994 - Donyell Marshall
1995 - Kevin Garnett
1996 - Ray Allen (traded to Milwaukee for Stephen Marbury on draft day)
1999 - Wally Szczcerbiak
2005 - Rashad McCants
2006 - Brandon Roy
2007 - Corey Brewer
So, ignoring the 1 great pick (KG), what else has the franchise done on draft day? We could have paired up KG with one of the greatest pure shooters of all time (Ray Allen), but instead, traded him for the ultimate headache (Marbury). Also, keep in mind the great Joe Smith debacle. Signing an illegal deal for the career journeyman, which stripped the Twolves of 5 draft picks...most likely 5 lottery choices.
With reports that the Miami Heat are high on OJ Mayo, and not that high on Michael Beasley, Kevin McHale should be working on a draft day deal to grab Mayo, send him to Miami for Beasley.
Instead, here's what I think he'll do:
1) Draft and keep Mayo - you don't want a guy like OJ Mayo in Minneapolis. He'll leave in 3 years.
2) Draft an unknown foreign player, and then keep him in his home country for a few years.
3) Grab a soft inside defender like Brooke Lopez - great guy, total goofball....but not tough inside. the wolves need an inside presence
4) overspending on a Kevin Love / Joe Alexander. Both are great players...both should be in a Minnesota uniform....but both are not worth the #3 pick.
Can Kevin McHale find a way to leverage his #3 pick into soemthing worthwhile....or, will we be watching the pingpong balls during the next playoffs?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Go Turks! (and no, I'm not talking about Chris Turk)
so with today's futbol match between the heavily favored Germans and the injured/crippled/suspended Turks, I felt that it was a good time to post a movie review for the German/Turkish movie Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven).
The movie tells a story in an intense, non-linear fashion....very much like Pulp Fiction or Memento. Its about the search for a Turkish girl. Her mother was a prostitute in Germany, but was murdered by a Turkish national in Germany. The national's son feels the need to compensate the girl, so he voyages to Istanbul to find her....
While that brief synopsis doesn't do the movie justice, its the best that I can do without giving away too much of the plot. Beyond the actual story itself, the timing, pacing, and imagery presented by Fatih Akin (the director) is incredible.
Interweaving scenes from Istanbul, Berlin, and Bonn.....from Turkish, to English, to German....he manages to captivate the viewer into caring about this girl and her dead prostitute mother....
If you are in the mood for a good "thinking" movie, don't mind reading the dialogue (no dubbing....read the subtitles people!), and have a few hours to spare...check it out.....
you'll walk away from it, better for having seen it.....its that good.
The movie tells a story in an intense, non-linear fashion....very much like Pulp Fiction or Memento. Its about the search for a Turkish girl. Her mother was a prostitute in Germany, but was murdered by a Turkish national in Germany. The national's son feels the need to compensate the girl, so he voyages to Istanbul to find her....
While that brief synopsis doesn't do the movie justice, its the best that I can do without giving away too much of the plot. Beyond the actual story itself, the timing, pacing, and imagery presented by Fatih Akin (the director) is incredible.
Interweaving scenes from Istanbul, Berlin, and Bonn.....from Turkish, to English, to German....he manages to captivate the viewer into caring about this girl and her dead prostitute mother....
If you are in the mood for a good "thinking" movie, don't mind reading the dialogue (no dubbing....read the subtitles people!), and have a few hours to spare...check it out.....
you'll walk away from it, better for having seen it.....its that good.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Still using AOL?
I'm a huge college football junkie...so when there's an article on espn.com about college football, I'll read it.
The article was Pat Forde's thoughts on the upcoming season...and was a pretty standard article, nothing too shocking in it.
until I got to the end....
Really Forde? Aol.com ? I haven't received an AOL cd in a long time.....so I figured that they stopped operating.....
can somebody send this guy a gmail invite?
The article was Pat Forde's thoughts on the upcoming season...and was a pretty standard article, nothing too shocking in it.
until I got to the end....
Really Forde? Aol.com ? I haven't received an AOL cd in a long time.....so I figured that they stopped operating.....
can somebody send this guy a gmail invite?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Must See TV - Mad Men
The Sunday NYTimes Magazine had a glowing (and ridiculously long 10 page) preview of the upcoming season of Mad Men, on AMC.
I'm about midway through the first season, and I'm blown away by it. Created by Sopranos' writer Matthew Weiener, the show follows the fictitious Sterling Cooper advertising agency, in the middle of its heyday, back in 1959.
granted, I wasn't around in 1959, but from what i've read, the show is incredibly authentic in its set design, mannerisms, and most importantly, the advertising of the day. People back then cared about futuristic things like shaving cream from a can...or if the Russians were coming.
This show is absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend it. It picked up a Golden Globe (Best Actor) and was nominated for Best Dramatic Show.....so the experts are in line too.....
Season 1 dvd comes out july1....
I'm about midway through the first season, and I'm blown away by it. Created by Sopranos' writer Matthew Weiener, the show follows the fictitious Sterling Cooper advertising agency, in the middle of its heyday, back in 1959.
granted, I wasn't around in 1959, but from what i've read, the show is incredibly authentic in its set design, mannerisms, and most importantly, the advertising of the day. People back then cared about futuristic things like shaving cream from a can...or if the Russians were coming.
This show is absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend it. It picked up a Golden Globe (Best Actor) and was nominated for Best Dramatic Show.....so the experts are in line too.....
Season 1 dvd comes out july1....
Which Cubs Games to Attend?
So, I travel during the week....and I'm taking a Saturday morning class...so I'm really limited in the games that I go to....
Looking at the list, this what I might be able to attend:
July 13 - San Francisco Giants
July 27 - Florida Marlins
August 24 - Washington Senators - sorry..nationals
August 31 - Philadelphia Phillies
September 21 - St. Louis Cardinals
So...which game or games should I go to? And..which games will you join me at????
Looking at the list, this what I might be able to attend:
July 13 - San Francisco Giants
July 27 - Florida Marlins
August 24 - Washington Senators - sorry..nationals
August 31 - Philadelphia Phillies
September 21 - St. Louis Cardinals
So...which game or games should I go to? And..which games will you join me at????
RE < C
If you have some spare time, have $5, and are interested in the future of energy, make sure that you pick up the current issue of the Economist.
There's a 14 page section that outlines the various "alternative" energy sources, discusses their pros and cons, and talks about the firms that are making big bets on them.
The google founders coined the term RC < style="font-weight: bold;">Renewable Energy below the current cost of Coal. For some reason, it resonated with me.....and apparently most of hte alternative energy field uses it.......go figure..
of the different options (solar, wind, biofuel, etc.), the coolest idea is geothermal. Just poke some holes down into the magma, and use the heat to boil water, and then use the steam to power a turbine.....way cool......
check it out, you will walk away from it much more informed than you were before....
There's a 14 page section that outlines the various "alternative" energy sources, discusses their pros and cons, and talks about the firms that are making big bets on them.
The google founders coined the term RC < style="font-weight: bold;">Renewable Energy below the current cost of Coal. For some reason, it resonated with me.....and apparently most of hte alternative energy field uses it.......go figure..
of the different options (solar, wind, biofuel, etc.), the coolest idea is geothermal. Just poke some holes down into the magma, and use the heat to boil water, and then use the steam to power a turbine.....way cool......
check it out, you will walk away from it much more informed than you were before....
Friday, June 20, 2008
Amazing Zipcar Deal
Found via consumerist (and via spoofee).....
an amazing deal for zipcar. For those of you that don't know, zipcar is a car-sharing service that rents out cars by the hour. They are all over the place in major metro cities like Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Here's the deal:
Zipcar is offering a year membership + $150 driving credit.
You have to agree to not drive your own car from 07/21~08/15.
During those dates, they ask that you use their zip car, carpool, take public transits, !?walk?!, etc.
The offer is valid in the following cities
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Washington DC
I'm a huge zipcar fan...and I signed up for this. just thought that I'd play it forward....
an amazing deal for zipcar. For those of you that don't know, zipcar is a car-sharing service that rents out cars by the hour. They are all over the place in major metro cities like Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Here's the deal:
Zipcar is offering a year membership + $150 driving credit.
You have to agree to not drive your own car from 07/21~08/15.
During those dates, they ask that you use their zip car, carpool, take public transits, !?walk?!, etc.
The offer is valid in the following cities
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Washington DC
I'm a huge zipcar fan...and I signed up for this. just thought that I'd play it forward....
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Brickbreaker
I just passed 300,000 points on my blackberrys brickbreaker game!
I am a brickbreaker machine.
A great list of blogs to add
The Wall Street Journal has published a great list of blogs to add to your reader. Being the WSJ, they are decidedly business orientated, but some of them really stood out for me.
1) The Eco-Capitalist - making money while saving the planet....win - win
2) Seth Godin's Blog - random thoughts from an entrepreneur who sold out to Yahoo
3) Craig Newark's Blog - yes, the Craig from Craigslist.....his random thoughts
and of course, can't leave out Mark Cuban's blog.
If you get a chance, its a great list...check it out free at the WSJ.
1) The Eco-Capitalist - making money while saving the planet....win - win
2) Seth Godin's Blog - random thoughts from an entrepreneur who sold out to Yahoo
3) Craig Newark's Blog - yes, the Craig from Craigslist.....his random thoughts
and of course, can't leave out Mark Cuban's blog.
If you get a chance, its a great list...check it out free at the WSJ.
G.R.E.A.M. - Google Rules Everything Around Me
I'm a huge Google fan. I've visited their impressive Googleplex headquarters twice, dined in their incredibly tasty (and free) cafeterias, and absolutely drink their "do no evil" kool-aid.
So, what happens if Google starts "doing evil"? The scenario that I'm laying out wouldn't be that far fetched.
Since going public in 2004, Google's stock has done extremely well (why didn't I buy at IPO????, I could have retired!). But, what happens when they miss quarterly earnings a few times in a row? If some upstart comes up with a better search algorithm? Or if (heaven forbid) something happens to Larry, Sergey, or Eric?
Each of Google's incredibly useful (and free) products is designed to do 2 things:
1) make your life easier to live
2) gather more data about your life
Each time you use gmail, google reader, picassa, google maps, google finance, google health, google docs, or blogger, you are updating the massive profile that Google is building about you.
Now, since Google is the undisputed King of the internet, they are sticking to their "do no evil" pledge. Note that they found it necessary to include such a pledge as one of their guiding principles.
But, say one of the items above happens, and they are no longer the King. Do they start mining that data for more nefarious purposes?
So, what happens if Google starts "doing evil"? The scenario that I'm laying out wouldn't be that far fetched.
Since going public in 2004, Google's stock has done extremely well (why didn't I buy at IPO????, I could have retired!). But, what happens when they miss quarterly earnings a few times in a row? If some upstart comes up with a better search algorithm? Or if (heaven forbid) something happens to Larry, Sergey, or Eric?
Each of Google's incredibly useful (and free) products is designed to do 2 things:
1) make your life easier to live
2) gather more data about your life
Each time you use gmail, google reader, picassa, google maps, google finance, google health, google docs, or blogger, you are updating the massive profile that Google is building about you.
Now, since Google is the undisputed King of the internet, they are sticking to their "do no evil" pledge. Note that they found it necessary to include such a pledge as one of their guiding principles.
But, say one of the items above happens, and they are no longer the King. Do they start mining that data for more nefarious purposes?
Why even earn American AAdvantage miles?
So as a platinum (the 2nd highest level) AAdvantage member, what's my incentive to keep flying on American?
I just received an email with these program updates:
AADVANTAGE AND UPGRADE AWARD CHANGES
Beginning October 1, 2008, mileage levels will be changing for select AAdvantage(R) award tickets and upgrade awards. This change will not impact the 25,000 mile domestic economy MileSAAver(SM) award. Members may book and ticket any of the current awards through September 30, 2008. On October 1, 2008, the new award structure will apply. For more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tnStMd94gvxl976
So in theory, there will still be a 25k domestic mile saver ticket....but how many of them will actually exist?
Also effective October 1, 2008, a nonrefundable co-payment of $150 will be required to claim upgrade awards used with most discount economy fares when traveling between North America and Colombia, Ecuador, Peru or Venezuela. Go to for more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tnStMd94gvxl976
Hm, they must have heard of my plans to use miles to fly to Peru....while should pay to use my hard earned miles?
Effective June 21, 2008, a $5 USD Award Processing Fee applies per person to award reservations ticketed via AA.com. AAdvantage Executive Platinum members using miles from their own account and members subject to AAdvantage Award Fees are exempt from the Award Processing Fee. Learn more at:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/?key=9kS9svbp5k3tn19nzlqff93S0l
WHAT? More fees to use miles that you have already paid for? I can understand paying to book a ticket over the phone, but online? What's next, paying to check in online?
Here are some unchanged items regarding their award program:
they are free if you book 21 days in advance.
$100 if between 20 - 8 days in advance
$150 if between 7 - 1.......
I just received an email with these program updates:
AADVANTAGE AND UPGRADE AWARD CHANGES
Beginning October 1, 2008, mileage levels will be changing for select AAdvantage(R) award tickets and upgrade awards. This change will not impact the 25,000 mile domestic economy MileSAAver(SM) award. Members may book and ticket any of the current awards through September 30, 2008. On October 1, 2008, the new award structure will apply. For more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/
So in theory, there will still be a 25k domestic mile saver ticket....but how many of them will actually exist?
Also effective October 1, 2008, a nonrefundable co-payment of $150 will be required to claim upgrade awards used with most discount economy fares when traveling between North America and Colombia, Ecuador, Peru or Venezuela. Go to for more details:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/
Hm, they must have heard of my plans to use miles to fly to Peru....while should pay to use my hard earned miles?
Effective June 21, 2008, a $5 USD Award Processing Fee applies per person to award reservations ticketed via AA.com. AAdvantage Executive Platinum members using miles from their own account and members subject to AAdvantage Award Fees are exempt from the Award Processing Fee. Learn more at:
http://aadvantage.info.aa.com/
WHAT? More fees to use miles that you have already paid for? I can understand paying to book a ticket over the phone, but online? What's next, paying to check in online?
Here are some unchanged items regarding their award program:
they are free if you book 21 days in advance.
$100 if between 20 - 8 days in advance
$150 if between 7 - 1.......
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Time.com's Top 50 Sites
Time.com's annual list of their Top 50 Sites. I looked through the list, and while the list included a ton of social networking / web 2.0 sites, I found some intriguing sites. Here's what I found intriguing (and why):
- tripkick - similiar to seatguru, but for hotel rooms. helps you find the best room in any given hotel
- Afri Gadget - keep updated on African innovations and inventions. I like innovations and inventions....
- Rate my Professor - as a wanna be MBA student, this site may come in handy.
- Tiny URL - I sent out a ton of links. this will make them easier.
- Mobaganda - a no registration evite...i'm in
- imeem - a new streaming music site...in case you are sick of last.fm
- Kongregate - more free flash games
- Penny Arcade - comics making fun of geeks...me likey
- Apartment Therapy - interior design for renters
- Digital Vaults - for wanna be Nicholas Cage types....search through the national archives
- Free Rice - sharpen your vocab. Help malnurtioned Asians. win-win
- WikiSky - space...the final frontier....while at work!
Time.com's 10 Essential Sites
Time magazine and its online component (time.com) has released their annual list of "10 Essential Sites". Some of them I use religiously, some never.....so I have mixed feelings, but I agree with some of them.
Here's the list:
1) wikipedia.com - no brainer, deserves a spot on the list...but the top spot? I probably use this site a few times a week, max
2) yahoo finance - what is this....2003? yahoo finance used to be great, but I've moved over to google finance and haven't looked back. the differences....cleaner interface, interactive charts, and google's search
3) craigslist - no qualms, I love cl....in fact, I listed my apartment on there [shameless plug]. any takers?
4) espn.com - go there every day. need to figure out how to use my espn360 account.
5) yelp - I've heard great things, but I rarely use this site.
6) facebook - I used to be addicted to facebook, but stopped making hourly updates a year ago. of course, starting this site probably just cut into my fb time. I am probably less productive now than I was with facebook....go figure
7) digg - love it. I use it to gather fodder for this site, to find new blogs to read, and to find out about random stories.
8) google - should be on the top spot of this list. it (along with gmail and google reader) is probably the most indispensible site on this list
9) tmv - I'm proud to say that I've never been here. I sometimes catch some of their show when flipping channels, and I always feel dirty afterwards. I really don't want to feel like that at work...
and finally...
10) flickr - people seem to love it. Since I started using Photoshop Elements, I have been forced to use it (easy integration), so I'm not gaga about it yet...but i might still be.
What are some other essential sites that the list left off.....here's some from my daily surfing:
- google reader
- the USA Today & LA Times Crosswords (they are free!)
- orb.com - streaming media from your home pc
- rotten tomatoes - a movie review aggregator. I trust their tomato ranking system, and it hasn't let me down....well, once....I still want my $ back from Atonement.
am I leaving anything off?
Here's the list:
1) wikipedia.com - no brainer, deserves a spot on the list...but the top spot? I probably use this site a few times a week, max
2) yahoo finance - what is this....2003? yahoo finance used to be great, but I've moved over to google finance and haven't looked back. the differences....cleaner interface, interactive charts, and google's search
3) craigslist - no qualms, I love cl....in fact, I listed my apartment on there [shameless plug]. any takers?
4) espn.com - go there every day. need to figure out how to use my espn360 account.
5) yelp - I've heard great things, but I rarely use this site.
6) facebook - I used to be addicted to facebook, but stopped making hourly updates a year ago. of course, starting this site probably just cut into my fb time. I am probably less productive now than I was with facebook....go figure
7) digg - love it. I use it to gather fodder for this site, to find new blogs to read, and to find out about random stories.
8) google - should be on the top spot of this list. it (along with gmail and google reader) is probably the most indispensible site on this list
9) tmv - I'm proud to say that I've never been here. I sometimes catch some of their show when flipping channels, and I always feel dirty afterwards. I really don't want to feel like that at work...
and finally...
10) flickr - people seem to love it. Since I started using Photoshop Elements, I have been forced to use it (easy integration), so I'm not gaga about it yet...but i might still be.
What are some other essential sites that the list left off.....here's some from my daily surfing:
- google reader
- the USA Today & LA Times Crosswords (they are free!)
- orb.com - streaming media from your home pc
- rotten tomatoes - a movie review aggregator. I trust their tomato ranking system, and it hasn't let me down....well, once....I still want my $ back from Atonement.
am I leaving anything off?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The ultimate coach's dilemma...
I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I've definitely caught the Euro Cup 2008 bug. I'm sitting here at work, following (not watching streaming vid..couldn't find it...but constantly refreshing a tracker) the Italy/France and Netherlands/Romania matches....and a thought hit me.
Netherlands has already advanced to the next round of the tourney, beating Romania today will not help their stock or seed in any way. However, if Romania beats the Netherlands, Romania will advance to the next round with the Netherlands. If Romania and the Netherlands both advance, then perennial powers France and reigning World Cup Champion Italy are heading home.
If you were a coach, assuming that the game's outcome didn't affect your future prospects, would you take a dive to ensure that a powerhouse did not advance?
Netherlands has already advanced to the next round of the tourney, beating Romania today will not help their stock or seed in any way. However, if Romania beats the Netherlands, Romania will advance to the next round with the Netherlands. If Romania and the Netherlands both advance, then perennial powers France and reigning World Cup Champion Italy are heading home.
If you were a coach, assuming that the game's outcome didn't affect your future prospects, would you take a dive to ensure that a powerhouse did not advance?
Watch out - the Luggage Police are coming!
The Wall Street Journal ran an article this morning about the impending "luggage police" that will be roaming the concourses, looking for oversized bags. The article also talked about reinstitution of a device that would reject large bags from entering the TSA security screen...
As a frequent traveler, I know how much I can pack in order to fit it into the overhead cabin...so this would probably not affect me. But this affects the regular person that doesn't travel enough to become Elite. Since I'm required to be at client sites, I (and ultimately, my clients) are willing to pay for that privilege.
Instead of targeting the regular person who rarely travels, wouldn't it make sense to target Elite travelers who aren't paying their own expenses?
As a frequent traveler, I know how much I can pack in order to fit it into the overhead cabin...so this would probably not affect me. But this affects the regular person that doesn't travel enough to become Elite. Since I'm required to be at client sites, I (and ultimately, my clients) are willing to pay for that privilege.
Instead of targeting the regular person who rarely travels, wouldn't it make sense to target Elite travelers who aren't paying their own expenses?
Monday, June 16, 2008
Negotiation Genius Strikes CNBC!
Hey guys...just a head's up
My brother-in-law will be on tonight's "Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" on CNBC. Its on at 10 Eastern/9 Central.....
He's going to be discussing competition, and will probably be plugging his book....check it out!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Movie Review - The Orphanage
Just watched the Spanish thriller El Orfanato (The Orphanage) last night, and I was blown away. After seeing the Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth, I became a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro. While he didn't direct this movie, he attached himself to it as the producer, so, I gave it a shot.
The movie's protagonist Laura grew up in an Orphanage but was adopted by a family when she was a little girl. Now, as an adult, she and her husband (Carlos) bought the old orphanage, and dreamed of turning it into a home for special needs children. A noble ambition, but may have been driven by the needs of their own adopted son, Simon, who was born HIV positive.
With no other children to play with, Simon invents friends to play with. His new friend Tomas is particularly creepy....seen wearing a cloth bag over his head.....On the new orphanage's opening party, Simon disappears, and the general creepiness ensues.
I don't want to go into further details on the plot, but just wanted to comment on the production values. Juan Antonio Bayona, the director, knew where to place cameras in order to capture the mood and tension in his actor's face. He masterfully used music and dark lighting to accent the creepiness....
The actors, primarily Belén Rueda (Laura) and Roger PrÃncep (Simon) were incredible. Laura captured the agony of a mother who lost her son.....the mood swings, the arguments with her husband, and the pain. Simon, as the main child, breaks through upon learning of his disease and his adoption.
yes, the movie is in Spanish, but go see it. Its out on DVD, and its well worth a rental, especially if its dark and windy outside....see it, you won't regret it.
The movie's protagonist Laura grew up in an Orphanage but was adopted by a family when she was a little girl. Now, as an adult, she and her husband (Carlos) bought the old orphanage, and dreamed of turning it into a home for special needs children. A noble ambition, but may have been driven by the needs of their own adopted son, Simon, who was born HIV positive.
With no other children to play with, Simon invents friends to play with. His new friend Tomas is particularly creepy....seen wearing a cloth bag over his head.....On the new orphanage's opening party, Simon disappears, and the general creepiness ensues.
I don't want to go into further details on the plot, but just wanted to comment on the production values. Juan Antonio Bayona, the director, knew where to place cameras in order to capture the mood and tension in his actor's face. He masterfully used music and dark lighting to accent the creepiness....
The actors, primarily Belén Rueda (Laura) and Roger PrÃncep (Simon) were incredible. Laura captured the agony of a mother who lost her son.....the mood swings, the arguments with her husband, and the pain. Simon, as the main child, breaks through upon learning of his disease and his adoption.
yes, the movie is in Spanish, but go see it. Its out on DVD, and its well worth a rental, especially if its dark and windy outside....see it, you won't regret it.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Inflamed passions at the Euro Cup
In yesterday's Euro Cup action, Poland was leading Austria 1-0 late in the match....when the ref called a penalty kick in the 90th (read - last minute) of the match.
Austrian Ivica Vastic nailed the penalty kick, tying the match, and keeping the Austrians in the tournament.
Afterwards, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed that he wanted to kill the English ref....he has since backtracked on those words...but could you imagine an elder U.S. statesman making comments like that after a college football game?
link
Austrian Ivica Vastic nailed the penalty kick, tying the match, and keeping the Austrians in the tournament.
Afterwards, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed that he wanted to kill the English ref....he has since backtracked on those words...but could you imagine an elder U.S. statesman making comments like that after a college football game?
link
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Agent Zigzag.....Eddie Chapman
Sitting at the Tampa International Airport, I just finished the most incredible story. Its the TRUE story of Eddie Chapman, a career British criminal turned Nazi spy....turned British MI-5 agent....
Eddie's journey starts in lower class London, and takes you through Jersey (the island....not the Eastern US), to Paris, to Bonn, to Lisbon, Oslo, back to London, and ultimately to Ireland....
his riveting story, written by Ben Macintyre, tells the tale of love, betrayal, hope, espionage, and ultimately, patriotism...
this guy Eddie was one of the most secret spies of World War 2.....people like Goerring (head of the SS), J. Edgar Hoover (American FBI), and Winston Churchill followed his movements....the only British citizen to ever be awarded the German Iron Cross....the man was an enigma.
his story crosses paths with Ian Fleming, then a British Naval Intelligence officer, who used his memory of Eddie Chapman in creating James Bond.....he also was buddies with Terrance Young, who went on to direct Dr. No and From Russian with Love.
this book was incredible, I couldn't put it down, and I highly recommend it. It reads like a Tom Clancy thriller, James Bond script, and exercise in war brinkmanship......go out, and read it....you won't regret it.
On Senator McCain....
while the media has spent the last few months focused on the race between Obama and Clinton, I'm more curious in what John McCain has been up to.
I've heard vague notions of reviving the Straight Talk Express, something about bringing the soldiers home not being a priority, and that his tax plan will help Bill Gates and only Bill Gates.
So, has he picked a VP yet? Since he is going to be 72 when he takes office, his pick of VP will be scrutinized much more than Obama's VP. Here are my thoughts on some of the "top picks" (according to the LA Times):
Mitt Romney - good hair, good business background, Governor of a solid Dem state, and good at pleasing everybody. but, does he stand for anything?
Mike Huckabee - plays bass, is from Hope, Arkansas, and likes to quote the Bible. But, likes to quote the Bible a bit too much....would his name tarnish the maverick reputation of McCain?
Charlie Crist - governor of Florida (we all know how important Florida is), but wisely avoided the whole Teri Shiavo situation.....don't know much more about him, could be interesting.
Tim Pawlenty - Despite being from Minnesota, I don't know much about him. According to wiki, he has close ties to Dick Cheney, and is the most conservative Governor in Minnesota since the 1920s.
Dick Cheney - pros: tons of experience, can easily step into the presidency
cons - he's Dick Cheney, he's already been President for 8 years.
I've heard vague notions of reviving the Straight Talk Express, something about bringing the soldiers home not being a priority, and that his tax plan will help Bill Gates and only Bill Gates.
So, has he picked a VP yet? Since he is going to be 72 when he takes office, his pick of VP will be scrutinized much more than Obama's VP. Here are my thoughts on some of the "top picks" (according to the LA Times):
Mitt Romney - good hair, good business background, Governor of a solid Dem state, and good at pleasing everybody. but, does he stand for anything?
Mike Huckabee - plays bass, is from Hope, Arkansas, and likes to quote the Bible. But, likes to quote the Bible a bit too much....would his name tarnish the maverick reputation of McCain?
Charlie Crist - governor of Florida (we all know how important Florida is), but wisely avoided the whole Teri Shiavo situation.....don't know much more about him, could be interesting.
Tim Pawlenty - Despite being from Minnesota, I don't know much about him. According to wiki, he has close ties to Dick Cheney, and is the most conservative Governor in Minnesota since the 1920s.
Dick Cheney - pros: tons of experience, can easily step into the presidency
cons - he's Dick Cheney, he's already been President for 8 years.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
No Creativity in Hollywood?
What happened to coming up with original ideas? Granted, I shouldn't talk, since I'm not the most original person, but at least I'm not making movies with $100 million budgets.
All the big budget movies over the past years are either:
a) sequels
b) adapted from comic books or books
c) regurgitated from our memories
Of the 3 categories, I'm most upset with (c). First Transformers, now the Smurfs?
You have to be kidding me??? Why can't Hollywood get its act together, and stop blaming piracy for its lack of profitability?
All the big budget movies over the past years are either:
a) sequels
b) adapted from comic books or books
c) regurgitated from our memories
Of the 3 categories, I'm most upset with (c). First Transformers, now the Smurfs?
You have to be kidding me??? Why can't Hollywood get its act together, and stop blaming piracy for its lack of profitability?
Random sites NSFW.....weird
what are some random websites that are blocked at your work......
i'll start:
menshealth.com
theonion.com
cracked.com
Granted, the onion and cracked are complete time wasters, but, shouldn't my bosses applaud my efforts to improve my diet, health, fitness, and style?
what are some random sites that your corporate overlords don't want you navigating to?
i'll start:
menshealth.com
theonion.com
cracked.com
Granted, the onion and cracked are complete time wasters, but, shouldn't my bosses applaud my efforts to improve my diet, health, fitness, and style?
what are some random sites that your corporate overlords don't want you navigating to?
Fun with FM Transmitters
Since I've switched over to the Westin Hotel in Tampa, I now have a 25 minute commute into work. Rather than listen to the rush hour junk on the radio, I decided to dig up my ipod and my FM transmitter.
My FM transmitter (seen below) is not the best, in fact, its a piece of junk. But it was cheap (somehting like $20 a few years ago), and manages to semi-work....
So I'm listening to my tunes, and I pull up at a stop light. All of a sudden, my radio switches from the Kings of Leon (great group, check them out), to some random country music. I chalked it up to the stop light and the car next to me.
Of course, as it turns out, the car next to me was going to the same place that I was, so I was treated to country, random club techno, and the song from Back to the Future at every stoplight.
I wonder what I'll get to listen to on my way home......it isn't my own music, but its still better than the crap on the radio.
My FM transmitter (seen below) is not the best, in fact, its a piece of junk. But it was cheap (somehting like $20 a few years ago), and manages to semi-work....
So I'm listening to my tunes, and I pull up at a stop light. All of a sudden, my radio switches from the Kings of Leon (great group, check them out), to some random country music. I chalked it up to the stop light and the car next to me.
Of course, as it turns out, the car next to me was going to the same place that I was, so I was treated to country, random club techno, and the song from Back to the Future at every stoplight.
I wonder what I'll get to listen to on my way home......it isn't my own music, but its still better than the crap on the radio.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Why Wait?
If you know that you need to do something....why wait?
I used to drive my parents crazy with "I'll do it in five minutes". But why would I do that? Why do people procrastinate?
The work isn't going to change in 5 minutes, next month, or next year. It still needs to get done, so why wait?
Case in point. I woke up this morning with the intention of going for a 4 mile run. I was out of bed, ready to go, and then got lazy, and went back to sleep. I rationalized it with "I'll run at night. Besides night running will help me unwind, so really, its a disservice to run in the morning."
Of course, the procrastination gods are punishing me....weather.com just listed a 60% chance of rain tonight.....doh!
I used to drive my parents crazy with "I'll do it in five minutes". But why would I do that? Why do people procrastinate?
The work isn't going to change in 5 minutes, next month, or next year. It still needs to get done, so why wait?
Case in point. I woke up this morning with the intention of going for a 4 mile run. I was out of bed, ready to go, and then got lazy, and went back to sleep. I rationalized it with "I'll run at night. Besides night running will help me unwind, so really, its a disservice to run in the morning."
Of course, the procrastination gods are punishing me....weather.com just listed a 60% chance of rain tonight.....doh!
Monday, June 9, 2008
No Caffeine - end of day 2
so, the work day has come and gone....and I survived. Even more impressive given that I was awake at 4:15 am to catch my flight down to Tampa this morning.
I drank 4 cups of decaf green tea to match my 3 liters of water. But, I'm happy to report zero soda, zero coffee, and zero caffeine.
Even snuck in a quick little workout, and I'm planning a much more ambitious 4 mile run tomorrow morning.
wish me luck
Fancy biking.....too fancy for me...
The Flobots claim that they can ride their bikes with no handlebars. way too fancy for me.....but great, catchy song.
check it out
Video Link via youtube
Thanks for the rec Niraj....
check it out
Video Link via youtube
Thanks for the rec Niraj....
Day 2 - No caffiene
tired, groggy, but still trying to pull through.
any tips for a tired, soon-to-be-ex-coffee drinker?
any tips for a tired, soon-to-be-ex-coffee drinker?
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Fubol Passion....
I'm watching Fox Soccer Channel...and watching some Argentinian futbol championship league, and some team named River Plate beat Olimpo BB for their league championship.
While the match was interesting, I was more into crowd watching. The place was insane!
The announcer claimed that the scene was bedlam, and I don't disagree at all....random fights, chants, streamers, and even fireworks being launched from the stands....madness
this match got me thinking. Latin America and Europe have soccer, Africa and Asia have cricket, and Canadians have hockey...what do normal Americans have?
The usual suspects are American style football or baseball. While they are both worthy, neither seems to inflame the passions of humans as much as soccer does. The closest that we may have is college football, which while being awesome, its decidedly tame compared to the soccer spectacle. With a straight face, can you say that the bedlam at a Michigan / Ohio State game....or a Texas / Oklahoma game will come anywhere near to any of the matches between Arsenal and Chelsea?
While the match was interesting, I was more into crowd watching. The place was insane!
The announcer claimed that the scene was bedlam, and I don't disagree at all....random fights, chants, streamers, and even fireworks being launched from the stands....madness
this match got me thinking. Latin America and Europe have soccer, Africa and Asia have cricket, and Canadians have hockey...what do normal Americans have?
The usual suspects are American style football or baseball. While they are both worthy, neither seems to inflame the passions of humans as much as soccer does. The closest that we may have is college football, which while being awesome, its decidedly tame compared to the soccer spectacle. With a straight face, can you say that the bedlam at a Michigan / Ohio State game....or a Texas / Oklahoma game will come anywhere near to any of the matches between Arsenal and Chelsea?
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Hot Deals at the Public Library
Just got back from the Chicago Public Library (Lincoln Park branch - Racine and Fullerton), and as I was checking out, my eyes caught sight of this board.
The board contained a list of the most popular Chicago area museums, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. Each museum had a status of either "In" or "Out" next to it.
So, being an inquring mind, I asked the librarian what the deal was. So here's the skinny:
Each Chicago area library (I'm sure that other cities have this as well) have free passes to the museums. They have up to 5 for each place, and each pass is good for up to 4 people. You can't reserve them in advance, but if you score one, you get to keep it for up to a week.
So when its raining, and you want to check out some fish, but not pay $25/each to go to Shedd...seek out your public library.
note - i also picked up Erik Larson's "Thunderstuck". Pretty stoked about this book....
The board contained a list of the most popular Chicago area museums, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. Each museum had a status of either "In" or "Out" next to it.
So, being an inquring mind, I asked the librarian what the deal was. So here's the skinny:
Each Chicago area library (I'm sure that other cities have this as well) have free passes to the museums. They have up to 5 for each place, and each pass is good for up to 4 people. You can't reserve them in advance, but if you score one, you get to keep it for up to a week.
So when its raining, and you want to check out some fish, but not pay $25/each to go to Shedd...seek out your public library.
note - i also picked up Erik Larson's "Thunderstuck". Pretty stoked about this book....
Summertime = Volunteering
Now that the weather is over 70 degrees, and the humidity is kicking in, I think its safe to declare that summer is officially here.
Being a Midwesterner who is buried under snow for 6 months a year, I love the summer. I love being outside and running, playing basketball, going to the beach, and....volunteering?
I've wrote about my time with the American Brain Tumor Association. While that's definetly a worthy cause (especially given my past), but in the summertime, I like to help out Chicago Cares.
Chicagocares.org is a listing service that updates various community projects on a daily basis. This morning, Mona and I went out to the Drake Community Gardens, and helped them get their place in order.
Being outside, working with our hands, enjoying the weather, and helping the community. all around, a great event, and I can't wait to sign up for my next event.
If you're in Chicago, check out Chicago Cares. If not in Chicago, I'm sure that your city has its own list, so seek it out! happy volunteering!
Being a Midwesterner who is buried under snow for 6 months a year, I love the summer. I love being outside and running, playing basketball, going to the beach, and....volunteering?
I've wrote about my time with the American Brain Tumor Association. While that's definetly a worthy cause (especially given my past), but in the summertime, I like to help out Chicago Cares.
Chicagocares.org is a listing service that updates various community projects on a daily basis. This morning, Mona and I went out to the Drake Community Gardens, and helped them get their place in order.
Being outside, working with our hands, enjoying the weather, and helping the community. all around, a great event, and I can't wait to sign up for my next event.
If you're in Chicago, check out Chicago Cares. If not in Chicago, I'm sure that your city has its own list, so seek it out! happy volunteering!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Memories associated to music
its weird how music can trigger random and disparate memories.
For example, whenever I hear Metallica's "The Unforgiven", I think of Bram Stoker's Dracula. As it turns out, when I read Dracula for the first time (way back in 7th grade), The Unforgiven happened to be my favorite song, so the 2 random items became linked. Now, I can't read one (or listen to one) without thinking of the other.
So I'm at work today, listening to my ipod. Rather than going to my normal go-to disc (Lupe Fiasco's "the cool"), I decided to dig digger. I ended up on the Band of Horses. Not realizing it, but the last time I listened to them was the day that I was officially rejected from all 4 of the business schools that I applied to. So now, I'm rocking out to the Band of Horses while trying to ignore the pangs of my bshool failure.
its weird how such a great band (the band of horses) is now forever linked with that day....
For example, whenever I hear Metallica's "The Unforgiven", I think of Bram Stoker's Dracula. As it turns out, when I read Dracula for the first time (way back in 7th grade), The Unforgiven happened to be my favorite song, so the 2 random items became linked. Now, I can't read one (or listen to one) without thinking of the other.
So I'm at work today, listening to my ipod. Rather than going to my normal go-to disc (Lupe Fiasco's "the cool"), I decided to dig digger. I ended up on the Band of Horses. Not realizing it, but the last time I listened to them was the day that I was officially rejected from all 4 of the business schools that I applied to. So now, I'm rocking out to the Band of Horses while trying to ignore the pangs of my bshool failure.
its weird how such a great band (the band of horses) is now forever linked with that day....
True Crime
For the past year, I've been on a true crime / non-fiction espionage kick. I grew up loving Tom Clancy and Hardy Boy books, and somehow made the switch over to the non-fiction side.
Some of the books that I've enjoyed are:
1) Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - murder and mayhem during the Chicago World's Fair
2) Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner - history of the C.I.A.
3) The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright - history of Islamic fundamentalism and Al Qaeda
I'm currently reading "Agent Zigzag", which is about a Nazi spy in World War 2. Once I'm done with this...I'll be looking for something new. Any good recommendations??
Some of the books that I've enjoyed are:
1) Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - murder and mayhem during the Chicago World's Fair
2) Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner - history of the C.I.A.
3) The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright - history of Islamic fundamentalism and Al Qaeda
I'm currently reading "Agent Zigzag", which is about a Nazi spy in World War 2. Once I'm done with this...I'll be looking for something new. Any good recommendations??
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
5 Lessons Learned from training for a Marathon
On June 1, I completed the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon in 4 hours 50 minutes and 23 seconds. This was my first marathon that I have ever run. I started training for the race in late January 2008 and continued for the next 5 months. I wanted to share 5 lessons that I learned while I was training for the race...
1. Less is more...I started out with a training program that called for running 5 days a week. I was able to maintain this program for the first 8 weeks of the 20 week program. I gradually realized that I was becoming exhausted at the end of the week and would start skipping runs because my body was too tired from the runs earlier in the week. Eventually I switched to a program that called for running 3 days a week. Not only did this reduce the amount of times I was running, it also gave me the added flexibility of moving the runs to different days when I had other obligations going on. If I were to do it again, I would use the same 3 day a week program. You can generate the 3 day a week program at http://www.runnersworld.com/.
2. Walking is acceptable...Before I started training for the marathon, I received a book that detailed how to train for a marathon. One of the themes of this book was that it was OK to walk during a marathon. The author, Jeff Galloway, an expert marathon runner, has done numerous marathons over the past 30 years and coached others to run in them. His basic premise was that by taking walk breaks, you are able to rest the muscles that you use when running. He also says that if you take the right amount of walk breaks, you will have more energy at the end of the race. His observation was that people slow down at the end of the race. I followed a somewhat modified Galloway style race. Instead of walking say every 10 minutes or every mile, I walked through each aid station to make sure I drank enough water throughout the race. I did this because the course was supposed to be relatively flat (more on this in a minute) and each station was about every 1.5 miles. I will say that I agree with him on slowing down at the end of the race. However, I feel the reason I slowed down was not because I didn't do enough walking, but due to all the hills during the last 5 miles of the run. Next time, I wish the organizers would be a little more kinder in their race design and put the hills in the beginning!
3. Prepare to eat and eat and eat...I thought I was going to lose some additional weight by training for a marathon. I didn't realize how much food my body would be demanding from all the running I was doing (especially early on). I think I ate somewhere around 18-20 pounds of spaghetti over the course of 5 months. The problem is you are burning so many calories that you need to keep eating in order to keep running. I'm glad I can go back to running shorter distances, lifting weights, and eating less!
4. Training is easier with a friend...Ok, so I was insane enough to agree to run a marathon, but was I up to the task of training by myself during the height of the cold Minnesota winter? For the most part, yes. I did long runs of 15,16,18,and 20 miles by myself. The 15 and 18 mile runs were on a treadmill. The 16 and 20 mile runs were done outside. There were severl 10-12 mile runs that I did outside as well. The last two weeks of training I found someone to run with me. Those last two weeks were 10 mile runs each and they went by easier with someone else running with me. This also gets me to the actual race itself. I'm really glad I had a friend there who ran with me. Not only was it nice to be able to run with someone I know, but this person was able to keep me going and push me forward. If you'd ask my friend the same question, he'd answer the same way I have.
5. Finishing feels great...The moment I crossed the finish line, I knew that the last 5 months of training were not wasted. I joined an elite group of individuals that can say they have completed a marathon. It was really a sense of great accomplishment once I crossed the finish line. Will I do it again? Probably, but not this year. Preparing for a marathon takes a great deal of time and I have some other goals I would like to work on this year. I will continue running and staying fit - I'm running a 10K at the end of June.
If and when I do train for my next marathon, I will try to remember these lessons and strategize accordingly. I leave you with a picture of me running to the finish line. Whatever your goal that you have in mind, may you succeed in reaching it.
Note: I am the white guy on the far left of the picture.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Thoughts on Lost....
I just finished Season 4 of Lost, and while I will continue to watch this glorious show, I now firmly believe that the writer's are starting to wing it.
While the 4th season was the shortest season, it was also one of my favorites. As I finished watching the finale, the thought struck me.
Why introduce an oddball / unknown character ("Jeremy Bentham") in the last epsidoe, only to reveal his identity. In previous seasons, the writers would have performed a slow burn.....peppering the entire season (or multiple seasons) with references to Jeremy Bentham....and in the process, driving the audience insane (see..."the numbers").
Anywho, still a huge Lost fan, will continue to watch and debate the show religiously....but....has the show jumped the shark?
While the 4th season was the shortest season, it was also one of my favorites. As I finished watching the finale, the thought struck me.
Why introduce an oddball / unknown character ("Jeremy Bentham") in the last epsidoe, only to reveal his identity. In previous seasons, the writers would have performed a slow burn.....peppering the entire season (or multiple seasons) with references to Jeremy Bentham....and in the process, driving the audience insane (see..."the numbers").
Anywho, still a huge Lost fan, will continue to watch and debate the show religiously....but....has the show jumped the shark?
Photoshop Elements Review
I just came back from Costa Rica, and I have a ton of pictues. Since I've been relying on windows to keep me organized (bad move), I just realized that I have no idea what img788234.jpg means.
So, I decided to give Adobe Photoshop Elements a shot. I read that the software is a mishmash of regular Photoshop and a good photo Organizer.
After installing, I let the program sift through the "My Pictures" folder...and it pulled all the images in. From there, I can go through and tag my pictures with the people in it (ala facebook), places, events, etc. Bascially, any way that I want to organize my pictures, Photoshop Elements will do it for me. great feature.
So now that my pictures are tagged (some, not all), I decided to play with some of the photoshop-ish features. In Costa Rica, we went ziplining during a tropical storm. I brought along my little Canon Point-and-Shoot, and while getting some amazing shots, most of them had huge raindrops on the image sensor. With Photoshop Elements, no problem...the cloning tool took care of most o fthem.
I've only had this software for about 12 hours, and its already starting to replace Picasa.
I've heard that it integrates with flickr, which integrates with Blogger....which means that it might be a few days before pics are posted...but thye will be.
stay tuned for more...
So, I decided to give Adobe Photoshop Elements a shot. I read that the software is a mishmash of regular Photoshop and a good photo Organizer.
After installing, I let the program sift through the "My Pictures" folder...and it pulled all the images in. From there, I can go through and tag my pictures with the people in it (ala facebook), places, events, etc. Bascially, any way that I want to organize my pictures, Photoshop Elements will do it for me. great feature.
So now that my pictures are tagged (some, not all), I decided to play with some of the photoshop-ish features. In Costa Rica, we went ziplining during a tropical storm. I brought along my little Canon Point-and-Shoot, and while getting some amazing shots, most of them had huge raindrops on the image sensor. With Photoshop Elements, no problem...the cloning tool took care of most o fthem.
I've only had this software for about 12 hours, and its already starting to replace Picasa.
I've heard that it integrates with flickr, which integrates with Blogger....which means that it might be a few days before pics are posted...but thye will be.
stay tuned for more...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Back Home......from Costa Rica
Just got back from Costa Rica late last night....and the trip was incredibly amazing!
I'm planning on detailing out my vacation in future posts, but I'm doing some laundry, cleaning up, and getting back into the swing of things. Some of the things that I'm going to talk about:
- 10 trips down the worst road in the world
- attack of the white faced monkeys
- repelling down a 250 foot waterfall
- Tropical Storm Alma
- lava flow
- the boldest driver in the world
tim - thanks for taking care of the blog while I was away. Good luck tomorrow!
hopefully more details, and some very incredible pictures in the near future
I'm planning on detailing out my vacation in future posts, but I'm doing some laundry, cleaning up, and getting back into the swing of things. Some of the things that I'm going to talk about:
- 10 trips down the worst road in the world
- attack of the white faced monkeys
- repelling down a 250 foot waterfall
- Tropical Storm Alma
- lava flow
- the boldest driver in the world
tim - thanks for taking care of the blog while I was away. Good luck tomorrow!
hopefully more details, and some very incredible pictures in the near future
Friday, May 30, 2008
Random...but interesting....the failed Dot Com's of the 90s....
In today's random but interesting find, I saw an article talking about the failed dot com's of the 90s, reasons for their failures, and what the founders of each dot com are doing today. I am not going to go into a great amount of detail here because the article does a fairly decent job of laying out why each of them failed. However, my favorite reason listed for failure...
Webvan.com --> Greed.
Here's to the next internet bubble and cashing in before the burst!
Webvan.com --> Greed.
Here's to the next internet bubble and cashing in before the burst!
Something cool to do with the tv show "Lost"...
I know how much of a huge fan Sharad is about the t.v. show - Lost. I admit that I have avoided watching the show because I don't want to get sucked into another series. I've heard lots of good things about the show though and may one day decide to watch it.
With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when a family friend emailed me a link to a USA Today article. Apparently, my brother who teaches physics at Illinois Wesleyan University was quoted twice in article.
I'll share the quotes (bolded) and give a link to the article.
From the article...
If you are a fan of the show, this article is a good read.
Pretty cool to be quoted twice in a national newspaper.
With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when a family friend emailed me a link to a USA Today article. Apparently, my brother who teaches physics at Illinois Wesleyan University was quoted twice in article.
I'll share the quotes (bolded) and give a link to the article.
From the article...
"Andrew Morrison, a Lost viewer who teaches physics at Illinois Wesleyan University, says the producers have so far avoided the physically impossible.
They "have seemingly not (yet) violated any laws of physics, although the technology for how the effects would be accomplished are way beyond present-day engineering capabilities." "
"The Casimir Effect is believed to demonstrate "negative energy," which would be considered necessary to stabilize a wormhole for safe travel", Morrison says."
Article Link...If you are a fan of the show, this article is a good read.
Pretty cool to be quoted twice in a national newspaper.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Spurs vs Lakers - Game 4
Disclaimer: I am a Spurs fan and my comments below may reflect this opinion.
I wanted to quickly write up on the Spurs/Lakers Game4 that I just got done watching. Overall, it was a good game. However, I thought that the last shot of the game that Derek Fisher most definitely committed a foul on Brent Barry. From the replays, it was obvious there was a lot of contact and should have been called a foul. In my opinion, the "no-call" that the officials decided to do was a bad decision. Obviously, this is a big game for both teams and a must win game for the Spurs. With this in mind, the officials need to be on top of calling fouls even when the clock is winding down. The series is now 3-1 in the Lakers favor...I'm not sure if the Spurs can win this series or not. I know many in the NBA front office are dying for a Lakers vs Celtics final. I don't want to be too much of a conspiracy theorist here but this should have been called a foul!
What's your take on Game 4 and the final shot? Bad call? or Good "no-call" by the officials?
I wanted to quickly write up on the Spurs/Lakers Game4 that I just got done watching. Overall, it was a good game. However, I thought that the last shot of the game that Derek Fisher most definitely committed a foul on Brent Barry. From the replays, it was obvious there was a lot of contact and should have been called a foul. In my opinion, the "no-call" that the officials decided to do was a bad decision. Obviously, this is a big game for both teams and a must win game for the Spurs. With this in mind, the officials need to be on top of calling fouls even when the clock is winding down. The series is now 3-1 in the Lakers favor...I'm not sure if the Spurs can win this series or not. I know many in the NBA front office are dying for a Lakers vs Celtics final. I don't want to be too much of a conspiracy theorist here but this should have been called a foul!
What's your take on Game 4 and the final shot? Bad call? or Good "no-call" by the officials?
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