North

Announcements for March 18, 2009

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:36:42 -0500

The productivity log at right will be published on a (semi-)weekly basis from this point forward.
I'm going to Washington, D.C., next week.
My car is for sale. Price negotiable.
The second Card/Board League event is this Saturday.

Pentel Slicci

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:54:33 -0500

About two weeks ago, I got a new pen. After limited use, I tweeted that it might be my new favorite.

But let's back up for a minute.

My go-to pen has, for quite some time, been the Sanford Uni-Ball Deluxe 0.5 mm.

On a recent trip to Staples I couldn't find a box of the Uni-Ball Deluxe, so I picked up a box of the Uni-Ball Grip. Same tip, different barrel.

I posted this photo of said Uni-Ball Grip pen and the blank pages of a new Moleskine notebook. It was later favorited by the proprietor of The Pen Addict.

After reading a few of the reviews on the site, I came across the Pentel Slicci 0.3 mm.

I hadn't used any pen with a tip smaller than 0.5 mm. My handwriting is pretty small, so even with the 0.5 mm Uni-Ball Deluxe, sometimes the ink would bleed too much and make my already terrible handwriting illegible, even to me. Needless to say, the idea of a smaller-tipped pen was intriguing.

So I ordered the Pentel Slicci 0.3 mm in brown from JetPens.com.

More than a week passed before I had a good opportunity to test it under "normal" conditions: Taking notes during a day-long class.

Notes written with 0.3 mm Pentel Slicci (brown ink) in a Moleskine notebook

Although my first tweet was premature, in that it was sent before I had had time to really use it, it is no less accurate. The 0.3 mm Slicci has officially overtaken the Uni-Ball Deluxe as my favorite pen.

It writes smoothly, the ink flows consistently and the tip is small enough to keep the small strokes of my handwriting from running together.

The barrel is narrow, especially compared with the Uni-Ball Grip I've been using lately. It feels awkward when picked up initially, but once I start writing I forget all about it. And that's what a good pen should do: get out of your way so you can write.

The $45 burger

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:14:32 -0500

Flip Burger Boutique is the latest venue for Richard Blais to show off his culinary creativity. The Top Chef Chicago runner up has bounced several Atlanta kitchens, according to coverage in Creative Loafing. While perhaps not as adventurous as some of his previous gigs (i.e. Element), Flip seems to give him an outlet for his imagination.

As the name suggests, the menu is entirely burger-based and supported by sides and milkshakes. There are 18 burgers to choose from; nine are traditional, beef-based and the other nine are based on alternative patties including mushroom, shrimp and lamb.

The $45 price tag on the Kobe burger immediately caught my eye, but I was unwilling to spend that kind of money for one burger. I called Mike to discuss the options and he, too, was interested in the $45 choice. I repeatedly expressed my opposition, but our conversation was interrupted before a different burger could be settled upon.

About 15 minutes later, I received $45 via PayPal with the following message: "No excuse." And so it came to pass that I ordered a $45 burger.

The burger in question.

For my side, I went with the sweet potato tots, and the liquid nitrogen-cooled Krispy Kreme milkshake rounded out the meal.

The milkshake arrived first. The liquid nitrogen caused a fog that cascaded out of the glass when it was placed on the table. It had a vaguely sci-fi appearance, but the fog dissipated too quickly to snap a photo.

Having heard about the shake prior to our visit, I had high expectations for its re-creation of the famous donut's flavor. I wasn't entirely disappointed, but I didn't find the shake as spectacular as others had. I believe I could re-create it at home using the same technique as for a pie shake (but without the fog of the LN2).

A short time later, the burger and tots arrived. Instead of the traditional barrel form, these tots were shaped like coins or thick discs. I'm not a fan of sweet potato fries, so I was nervous about the tots. My trepidation vanished when I tasted the first one. The sweet potato tots were cooked to perfection -- crispy but soft, and lightly seasoned. I could have made a meal out of them.

The main event was the $45 burger: a japanese Kobe beef patty with foie gras and truffles.

Alternate angle courtesy Thom

The idea of foie gras kind of grosses me out. Thinking about eating liver conjures memories of trying, and violently disliking, liver and onions as a child. And then there's the production method: The forced over-feeding of fowl to produce an oversized liver doesn't sit well with me.

On the other hand, I've eaten some weird food (like a tongue hot dog) and plenty of other people have eaten foie gras and lived to tell the tale. So once I put it in context and got past my initial aversions, I was able to eat freely.

The foie gras spread provided a creamy texture to the burger, which I liked, but I couldn't tell you whether or not I tasted any truffles. I probably did, but I can't identify the flavor with any specificity. And I'm not sure my palate is sensitive or developed enough to discern the difference between Kobe and "regular" beef.

The burger was very good, but not more than four times as good as a $8 to $10 burger from the corner pub. The $45 isn't just paying for a good burger with premium ingredients, though. It's paying for its own price tag. It's paying for the ability to say, "I ate a burger that costs $45." And that stays with you well after you've pushed yourself away from the table.

Even if someone else paid for it.

Three brothers

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:39:12 -0500

From my parents' blog, Ken and Bev in Rwanda
Also posted on my brother's Flickr

Inaugural Card|Board League season announcement

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:07:33 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The inaugural season of Card/Board League competition was announced today in Decatur, Georgia. The 2009 season will consist of 10 events throughout the year, beginning with the Decatur King and Queen Invitational chess tournament on Friday, February 20. The nine remaining events will be announced as scheduling details are finalized.

Players will be awarded points based on their performance in each event throughout the season. (Players are not required to participate in every event.) The top three finishers of each event will receive commemorative medals and the top points-earner for the entire season will be awarded the coveted CBL Cup. The scoring system will be unveiled before the first event.

The official Card/Board League Web site (cardboardleague.com) is in the final stages of development but will soon feature a complete schedule of CBL 2009 events as well as the results from each tournament and overall standings.

Registration for the 2009 season is now open via the Card/Board League Web site. The league commissioner encourages card- and board-game enthusiasts of all skill levels to participate.

Please contact the commissioner with any questions or comments, and check back here for the latest updates.

Play on!

###

Introducing the productivity log

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:52:22 -0500

The productivity log, seen at right, is a new feature here at curtmerrill.com. It is based largely — OK, wholly — on Mike's productivity diary.

Each day I'll post about what I accomplished. In some cases I may have to backfill, as I did recently after traveling without a laptop and reliable internet connectivity.

The goal is to motivate myself to get stuff done because I want to avoid the embarrassment of publicly stating that I didn't.

Here's to getting on the track in 2009.

TweetStats

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:50:52 -0500

According to TweetStats, my top five words are: *****, ****, new, coffee and good. What does that say about me?

Possibility one: Maybe I'm too generous with the five-star ratings.

Possibility two: I'm a coffee fancier.

Any other ideas?

2008 in music

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:19:02 -0500

According to my Last.fm profile, these are the top 15 artists I listened to this year.

The Wombats
Mates of State
Sigur Rós
Vampire Weekend
Weezer
They Might Be Giants
The Roman Candles
MGMT
Death Cab for Cutie
The Shins
Nirvana
The Submarines
Bloc Party
Dr. Dre
Gnarls Barkley

2008 in photos

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:13:43 -0500

The following video is a collection of all the photos in my iPhoto library as of December 18, 2008 played back at 10 frames per second. If you're bothered by rapidly changing images or susceptible to motion sickness, you may want to skip this one.

2008 in photos from curt on Vimeo.

2008 in cities

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:23:32 -0500

Based on my Dopplr stats, I visited the following cities in 2008 (bold indicates cities I had not visited previously):

Memphis, Tennessee
Plains, Georgia
Columbia, Missouri
Portland, Oregon (2x)
Orlando, Florida
Brussels, Belgium
London, England
Kigali, Rwanda
Greensboro, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Seattle, Washington

Two weeks later

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:05:58 -0500

14 days.
14.4 miles.
0 accidents.

So I've had my bike for two weeks now. Getting to the coffeeshop this morning was much easier than the first time, so there's a noticeable improvement in leg fitness, even though I've only been able to ride every three days or so, on average.

The farthest I've gone is still only about 1.5 miles, so I have a ways to go before I can make it all the way to work -- about 6 miles. There is a PATH connection near my apartment, and I hoped to get on and ride for a significant amount of time this weekend, but we're getting the outer reaches of Tropical Storm Fay and I don't want to get caught in the rain.

That's something I'm going to have to deal with though, eventually. I can't expect to go car-free without getting wet once in a while. Really wet.

I did find some good biking maps, thanks to the folks at Intown Bicycles. They pointed me to the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign maps, which highlight bike-friendly roads around town.

Within the next two weeks, I plan to have accomplished a ride of at least 6 miles. I'm not sure I'll be ready to ride to work (downtown is still a little frightening), but I want to at least be able to cover the distance.

For those still reading, here's a video I recorded using a Gorillapod attached to my handlebars:

Bicycle POV from curt on Vimeo.

No more knobbies

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:08:45 -0500

Atlanta roads may be bad, but they’re not that bad. So I replaced the knobby tires that came on the bike (L) with smoother road tires (R).

I didn’t know exactly what size to buy so I bought a pair of 26x1.5 tires — they looked right at the store. I got them home and had a bit of a scare when I saw that my wheels were 26x1.75. I called the shop back, though, and they assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem.

I haven’t had a chance to ride on them yet. By the time I got them on and pumped up, the afternoon showers had rolled in.

New wheels

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:30:54 -0500

I finally bought a bike.

I've been telling myself I would get a bike for more than a year. I finally overcame the inertia and found a good one on craigslist.

I brought it to Sopo Bikes and I learned how to patch and change a tire, along with some basic maintenance stuff. When I got it back home, I rode it to the nearby grocery store to pick up a few things.

My goal is to eventually be able to use the bike instead of a car for most trips. We'll see how it goes.

I need to extend a hearty thank-you to all the people who offered me advice and help as I started my search: Thanks UHX folks and the others who let me bug them via e-mail.

Coldfoot on 'The Daily Show'

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:10:17 -0500

Jon Stewart interviewed Geo Beach (is that really his name?), host of "Tougher in Alaska."

Beach talked about the "metropolis" of Coldfoot (pop. 13), which is weird because I lived there when my dad had the job Beach is talking about.

The segment starts at about 13:50 in the clip below.

Silverbacks in good shape

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:56:32 -0500

Last night's 3-1 win over Puerto Rico snapped a five-game winless streak for the Atlanta Silverbacks. It was looking bleak for a while, but they're still well on track for a playoff spot.

After 12 games, the Silverbacks are sitting in 5th place with 17 points. The standings are misleading, though, because not all of the teams have played the same number of games. The Portland Timbers, for instance, are only one point above Atlanta, but have played two more games.

The chart below shows the team's trajectory so far this season compared to the previous three.

The team finished with 43 points in 2007, 35 in 2006, and 33 in 2005. Source: USL

The team is doing better so far this year than they were last year, which ended in the championship match versus Seattle.

Ultimate time lapse

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:09:45 -0500

Ultimate time lapse from curt on Vimeo.

I set up my digital camera in the corner of the end zone to record a time lapse video during our game of ultimate. The frames are one second apart.

You don't really get a sense of the game in action, except that you can tell the team in white shirts does a lot of walking (ie. not scoring).

Watching the clouds move across the sky is neat, though, as is seeing the shadow overtake the field as the sun sets.

Always use protection

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:37:19 -0500

I recently picked up the Tucano laptop sleeve for my MacBook. I wanted something to protect the computer while it was in my shoulder bag since the ports and disc drive don't have covers of their own.

I was drawn to the neoprene sleeve because of the periodic table styling on the front. Once I got it though, I became impressed with this feature:

An inch or two of material wraps over the edge of the laptop. It definitely feels more secure, but it also protects the case from getting scratched by the zipper.

The sleeve won't protect against series impacts, but I knew that when i got it. It also adds some extra bulk when putting the MacBook in my bag, but the weight is pretty negligible, so it doesn't bother me.

I haven't yet carried liquids alongside the encased computer, so I haven't had the (mis)opportunity to test it's protection against a leaky thermos or water bottle. Apparently, though, the neoprene should be a sufficient shield against small leaks such as those.

Verdict: Recommended

What sleeve do you use for your laptop?

iPhone 3G

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:22:51 -0500

When I first got my iPhone (after the $200 price drop), I was very happy with it. I've been happy with it since. Friends of mine have criticized it for not using the faster 3G network or having any GPS capabilities, especially considering the initial price. Now there doesn't seem to be any room for criticism -- especially considering the price.

I don't think Apple will have any problems meeting their stated goal to sell 10 million iPhones this year. They were already on their way. The upgraded features and downgraded price just eliminated many of the barriers holding back potential buyers. Also, many current iPhone users will be upgrading, pushing sales figures even higher.

But I'll probably hold on to my current phone for now. It still works just as well as it did before today's announcement, and I expect it will work just as well when the new iPhone is available on July 11. And besides, Christmas is only 198 days away.

Get paid for your side projects (sort of)

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:55:29 -0500

In a video for Current TV, Ira Glass talks about creative endeavors. He explains that it takes a lot of practice to create works that match your own expectations. For a long time, the projects you work on won’t be on par with what you know you can do. So you need to practice. Regularly.

I’m bad at producing on a regular schedule. A couple of years ago, I tried to post a blog entry each week for an entire year.

I didn’t make it.

I tried taking a picture every day for a year.

I think I made it a month.  

I know that keeping up with these projects is worthwhile. (Many have extolled the virtues of writing or taking a photo every day to improve their understanding and skills.) Yet I still can’t seem to follow through.

I have a hard time motivating myself to do these things when they are personal projects on my own time. With no deadlines, there are no negative effects if I fall behind or quit.

But now I have a solution.

Cross processing

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:30:51 -0500

With my last roll of Holga photos, I asked the developer to cross process the film. Instead of developing in E-6 (slide) chemicals that the film was designed for, the film was processed in C-41 (negative) chemistry.

The result turned out really well. The prints are high-contrast and ultra saturated.

One of the things that really struck me is how much more pronounced the darkened corners are in the cross processed prints than in negative film I've had processed normally.

Anyway, you can check them all out in my Flickr page.

Bowling data

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:24:24 -0500

I'm working on creating a MySQL database to keep track of bowling statistics. I'm having trouble planning exactly how to set up my tables because there are so many variables in bowling. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Table: GAME
game_id
player_id
date
location

Each bowling game has one player who plays on a certain date in a certain place. Not so bad so far. Each game is made up of 10 frames:

Table: FRAME
frame_id     // unique key
game_id     // each frame belongs to a specific game
frame_no    // identify which frame it is, 1-10
score_this     // the score of this individual frame (max=10)
score_thru     // the score of the game up to and including this frame

Now we can start analyzing the stats. We can find a player's average score by finding all the games played by Player A, then selecting score_thru for frame_no=10 and averaging the results.

For more sophisticated analysis, it would be nice to know the results of each roll in a game. A frame can have 1, 2 or 3 rolls. The minimum number of rolls per game is 12 (perfect 300 score). The maximum number of rolls is 21.

Table: BALL
ball_no     // order of ball within frame (could be 1, 2 or 3)
frame_id     // each ball only belongs to one frame
pins     // number of pins knocked down
strike    // was ball a strike?
split     // was ball a split?

Now we can ask more sophisticated questions. With some complex queries we could determine how many times Player B converts two strikes into a turkey. Or how often any player picks up a split.

Fig. 1: Abridged version of the entity relationship diagram

I feel like I'm on the right track. I'm posting for two reasons: 1) typing it out and explaining is helping me better understand it, and 2) I'm hoping that people who are smarter than me may come across it and point out any problems.

Update, Dec. 2: View the full ERD (73k JPG)

Early November updates

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:16:35 -0500

• E-mail hiccups: I haven't been able to get e-mail sent to me at cmerrill.com for a few days. If you've sent me an e-mail, I'm not ignoring you -- I hope to get the messages eventually. Until then, please use my firstname.lastname @gmail.com address.

• Taco Burger™: Mike and I combined the great tastes of tacos and hamburgers into one palate-pleasing meal. Video is below, and there are a few photos on Flickr

Taco Burger from Mike Merrill on Vimeo.

• Return to PDX: I'll be spending a week in Portland, Oregon, next month. If you live in/near there, we should hang out.

Stages of a Brewers fan

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:51:54 -0500

0245 8400 8285 3604

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 07:22:39 -0500

My family got me the best birthday present ever. THANKS!!!

Pressure in the cabin

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:05:29 -0500

Flying with a stuffy head is one of the worst experiences ever. My right ear didn't "pop" from when I took off in Portland until well after I landed in Atlanta (even at ground level during the short layover in Las Vegas). For more than 8 hours, it felt like someone was pressing the eraser end of a No. 2 pencil into my ear canal. No amount of yawning could equalize the pressure and it was really hard to get any sleep.

Other than the discomfort on the return flight, though, the trip to the West Coast was a lot of fun. Don't believe me? Check the photographic evidence.

Recent events roundup

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:17:23 -0500

It's been a while since I dropped a blog* so I thought I should provide a quick roundup of recent events:

The doctor cleared me to return to the frisbee field. It's nice to be back, even though we got rained on the past two Sundays.

While on a short trip to Minneapolis, I visited Mall of America and got to hang out with Fiona.

I drove up to Greenville, South Carolina, to visit a friend and had some of the best sweet tea around at Stax Omega.

This evening I'm headed out West. I'll be in Anacortes for What the Heck Fest, and in Portland to become an uncle. Keep an eye on Flickr for photos from the trip.

* Hat tip to Tom D. for this phrase.

Baby panda!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:49:09 -0500

I went to the zoo and saw Mei Lan ("Atlanta Beauty"), the 9-month-old panda cub. We didn't get to stick around for long because our group had to move on to make room for the next one, but it was still pretty awesome. There aren't many things cuter than a panda cub.

Exposing 'Northern Exposure'

Sun, 27 May 2007 17:40:36 -0500

When people find out I'm from Alaska, there are some expected questions that I can readily speak to -- Is it really light/dark all the time? Have you seen the northern lights? How cold does it get? -- but there's one question that has come up regularly for which I haven't had an answer: Is Alaska like the TV show "Northern Exposure?"

After watching the first few episodes of season one on DVD, I'm beginning to formulate an answer.

The Premise

The first task was to take on the show's premise. Joel Fleischman is a Jewish doctor from New York who agrees to work in Alaska because the state will repay his school loans.

Joel: I mean do you have any idea what it costs to go through medical school? I mean, a lot! I know what you're thinking, scholarship, right? Let's face it, Jewish doctors are not exactly an endangered species. ... So, seventy five scholarship applications later, seventy four turn-downs, only one comes through. Alaska... [T]he state agreed to finance my medical education to the tune of one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, and in return? I agreed to be their indentured slave for the next four years.

Joel has signed a contract to practice medicine in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The state does have a student loan repayment program for medical personnel, but it looks like it is currently limited to students participating in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) medical education program. The Alaska legislature considered a bill to establish loan repayment programs for a wider range of students, but it looks as though it died in committee.[1]

The National Health Service Corps, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has a loan repayment program for medical personnel who agree to work in under-served (mostly rural) communities. They have many opportunities in Alaska, but the few in Anchorage are scored low, meaning the loan repayment is less.[2]

Verdict: The show's writers appear to be ahead of their time. As of the show's air date, Alaska did not have a loan repayment program for med students outside the WWAMI program, but the state appears to be considering one. There is a federal program, which I assume existed as of the air date, so it's plausible that Joel's service in Alaska is tied to a med school loan repayment program.

Where is Cicely?

Now that it's been established that Joel's motive for going to Alaska is at least plausible, let's examine where he might be. Cicely, Alaska, is fictional, but through clues given throughout the show, we can try to locate where in the Last Frontier it may be located.

Our first clue is that it's a "bus ride from Anchorage." This may not seem very helpful for people outside Alaska, but since most of the state is inaccessible by road, it's actually very helpful.

When Joel gets off the bus, the road is paved, which is also helpful, as it eliminates pretty much everything north of Fairbanks as a possibility.

Later in the first episode, we get another important clue. Maurice mentions that folks traveled from Ninilchik, "300 miles away as the crow flies." Though Maurice is a former Astronaut who is presumably accustomed to precision measurements, I'm guessing this statement is a casual estimation, so we'll give him a 25-mile margin of error on either side. If the actual distance were beyond that, I think he would have rounded to 250 or 350 miles. This helps narrow it down, but not as much as one would think.

This region includes all of Highway 1 from Fairbanks to Tok, the northern half of the Richardson Highway as well as a good chunk of Highway 3 near Fairbanks. We're going to need a little more information.

The fictional town is located in Arrowhead County, which would be helpful in any other state but Alaska: There are no counties in Alaska. The state is divided into regions called "boroughs," and none of them are named "Arrowhead."[3] Not to mention about half of the land is outside any of the 16 boroughs.

In the DVD menu, Cicely's welcome sign places the elevation at 6,572 feet -- or about 1.25 miles. Unfortunately, in our range of possible locations, the highest elevation accessible by road is about 1,200 meters, or about 4,000 feet. So we'll ignore this criteria.

Other clues that might help pinpoint the possible location of Cicely have been scarce. I haven't watched beyond the sixth episode, though, so perhaps I'll run across some more clues. For now, I'm inclined to believe Cicely is somewhere between Tok and Delta Junction. Depending on how much credit you're willing to give the writers, this ambiguity may be intentional. If it were easy to pinpoint exactly where the town was, it would be easy to say there should/shouldn't be a mountain/river/lake/road/etc. Since we don't know exactly where the town is, it's a little easier to take those details on faith and focus on the story instead of the details.

Other items

Weather: In the first episode, Joel says "The median temperature [of Anchorage] is only five degrees lower than French Lick, Indiana." I'm not sure which almanac he was using, but he should consider buying a new one. The chart below shows the range between the average low and average high temperatures throughout the year for French Lick, Indiana, and Anchorage, Alaska. Even if you use the Celcius scale, Anchorage's temps are colder by more than five degrees.

Daylight: In episode two, Dr. Fleischman visits Maggie to give her some pain medication. It's 11 p.m., according to the dialogue, but the sky is pitch black. This doesn't track. If they are as far south as Tok, sunset in July is around 11 p.m. -- if they are closer to Delta Junction, sunset in July is 20-30 minutes later -- according to this sunrise/sunset calculator. (Note: We don't for sure that it's July, but we do know that it's summer. The days are a bit shorter in August, but longer in June, so I picked the middle.)

On the more accurate side, Joel is seen drinking an Alaskan Amber in the bar. Though most self-respecting bars would have it on draft, it's nice to see a local product included in the program.

Conclusion

Despite some inaccuracies and ambiguities, the overall feel of the show is right on. Northern Exposure is one of the best representations of Alaska life available in a fictional TV show or movie (that I've seen). We'll see if there are any changes as I watch more episodes.

[1] This summary of SB 32 says the bill would "establish a loan reimbursement program for registered nurses and doctors who are trained outside the WWAMI program." I take that to mean there is currently no state-sponsored reimbursement program for students outside the WWAMI program. Status of SB 32.

[2] Thanks, Fiona, for the NHSC links.

[3] This is a common factual error in movies and TV shows set in Alaska.

Back on the TXT message wagon

Fri, 25 May 2007 18:56:07 -0500

After a six month hiatus from text messaging, I'm putting my toe back in the water. If the spam assault has abated, which I hope it has but can't be sure, I'll stick around for a while. In the meantime, feel free to send me a note. Just don't expect too speedy a reply; my texting muscles are a little out of shape.

Captured! by Robots at the Earl

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:06:19 -0500

I saw an amazing show last night by Captured! by Robots. It was the opening performance of their 10th anniversary tour. Actually, "their" probably isn't the right possessive pronoun since it's only one guy -- the rest of the performers are robots.

The premise is that JBOT (the sole human) has been Captured! by Robots and is forced to perform in their band against his will. Hence the chains and disembowelment, see picture at right.

In actuality, he built the animatronic performers (a refreshing take on "electronic music") to perform a selection of original songs -- several about Star Trek:TNG, including an anti-Wesley Crusher musical invective -- and a few well-chosen covers. I uploaded a collection of short clips to Vimeo.

It was a great show and I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

The one-armed man

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:07:08 -0500

It's astounding how many things in your day-to-day life require the use of two hands. Since breaking my arm two weeks ago, I've had to adapt to this bi-handed (what's the equivalent of "bipedal" for arms/hands?) world. Here are a few things that become very difficult with one hand:

Typing is an obvious one. The stickler to this is keyboard shortcuts, though. A command I use pretty often is cmd-opt-shift-s in Photoshop to "Save for web." Hitting all four keys at once takes some manual contortionism.

Zip-Loc bags are another toughie. Try it. Some bags aren't so bad, but the name-brand ones with crazy quadruple-seal tops require some creativity -- also known as teeth.

Opening a sealed envelope can be a pain. It takes many times as long if you're only using one hand.

Even if you've got your dominant hand free, writing can pose some difficulties. On a big enough piece of paper, you can use your forearm to keep it in place, and paper on a pad is held steady by the weight of the pad. Writing on small pieces, like credit card receipts or checks, is an order of magnitude more difficult.

Speaking of credit cards, getting them out of and into a wallet requires some extra dexterity. And then carrying your wallet, keys, etc. becomes harder because you can't use half the pockets on your pants. It's really hard to get into the left-side hip pocket on a pair of jeans with your right hand.

Infirm

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:53:53 -0500

Can't write too much... it's tough typing with one hand.

Update, March 16: I still can't type very fast. One would think that I would be able to type half as fast with half as many fingers, but that's not the case.

Anyway, it all started on a beautiful Sunday evening. I was playing an innocent game of ultimate frisbee. We had a good-sized group of people and the field almost to ourselves. After some warm up tosses of the disc, we split into teams and began to play.

There was a quick turn, and I bolted toward the end zone to catch a long pass. The disc was coming directly from behind, so I had to turn around to see it. I jumped up to try to grab it, but it was just out of reach. It bounced off the top of my fingers. I returned to the ground and fell backwards. My outstretched arm broke my fall, but not without breaking itself.

Fortunately, several people present were trained in first-aid and/or medicine, so I was able to get some stabilizing support right away, then it was off to the ER.

The diagnosis was that I broke the ulna and the radius, and might need surgery. Tuesday morning I went to see the orthopedic specialist who took another set of x-rays. He said that the bones were in alignment and that as long as they stayed that way for a few days, I wouldn't need surgery -- a relief. I'm going back next week to get a proper cast, which I will wear for at least another five weeks. Then I can return to the field.

Good brunch for a good cause

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:56:03 -0500

A friend and I had brunch at Cafe 458 this morning.

Cafe 458 is part of Samaritan House. During the week, the cafe serves meals to Atlanta's homeless, but on Saturdays and Sundays Cafe 458 serves brunch to the public, with the proceeds going toward the Samaritan House programs. The kitchen and wait staff are all volunteers (A few friends were volunteering today, so we went to see what it was all about).

Aside from being served by our friends, it felt like any good breakfast place. The food was excellent (I had the biscuits and gravy, pictured), and though it wasn't uncomfortably crowded there was a steady flow of people in and out.

I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good weekend brunch.

Running

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:16:54 -0500

I honestly don't care to run for running's sake. I enjoy running around a field playing Ultimate, but running just to run isn't normally my idea of a good time.

That has somewhat changed thanks to a tiny gadget from Nike and Apple: The Nike+iPod sport kit. You put a sensor in your shoe, attach a receiver to your iPod and it keeps track of how far and how fast you've run.

Thanks to this small device, I still don't enjoy running, but I dislike it less. Here's why (in no particular order):

I'm a bit of a sucker for stats. I like charts and graphs. After uploading run data, I can look and see how fast (or slow, as the case may be) I was going and keep track of how far I've run in the past day, week, month, etc.

(those dips are where I had to wait for traffic before crossing the street)

A little friendly competition/sibling rivalry doesn't hurt. Though I won't be running the farthest in 30 days, or have the fastest mile by the the end of March, it's nice to see how I stack up against friends and family -- mostly family :).

Thirdly, running does give me a chance to listen to otherwise neglected podcasts. My train-ride to and from work is good for this, too, but that's not long enough to get through an episode of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me." Strapping on the shoes and pounding the pavement gives me some extra quality time with my new media.

And though I haven't tried them yet, there are even workout-themed playlists you can buy from the iTunes store. One is a treadmill workout set to OK Go and there are other playlists (iTunes link) for specific goals like speed or endurance training.

So it is thanks to technology that I am motivated to leave the comforts of my couch and TiVo and live a less sedentary life.

Update: March 5

The results for the first month are in. I only ran four times, so my results are expectedly low. I'm encouraged, though, because the winner ran a little over 30 miles in 30 days. If I run 2 miles every other day during the next challenge, I should end up near the top.

Time to lace up the shoes.

NBC shops at IKEA, too

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 20:31:55 -0500

I was watching 30 Rock today (three cheers for time-shifting), and noticed something odd about this scene:

Look closely. Here I'll help:

Now look at this photo.

Anything look familiar?

Don't try this at home

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:44:56 -0500

A while back my digital camera stopped working properly. I had it in a plastic bag with a leaky water bottle and it ended up getting wet.

I let it dry for two days but when I turned it on, the buttons on the back didn't work right. One or two did what they were supposed to, but the others did what other buttons should have done. The net result was that I could take pictures with my camera as long as I was happy with the settings as they were (macro active, flash on) -- which I wasn't.

Since I couldn't really use it, I decided to take it apart.

I got the front cover off, but couldn't really get it apart beyond that. The circuit board and other pieces seemed to have been glued to the back piece, and I didn't want to break it completely. I noticed some sticky gunk on one of the ribbons, which I swabbed clean with a damp paper towel.

As I was turning the exposed innards around in my hand, a small piece fell out. It looked like the pin of a hinge, but I couldn't figure out where to put it back, so I just reattached the face plate without it.

Once the screws were back in, I turned it on to see if I'd messed it up any further.

Lo and behold, all the buttons worked normally. I was able to change all the settings and it took photos and video as it had before the accident. I suppose maybe it was the sticky gunk causing the problem, but I prefer to think I'm like Micah on "Heroes" and have a gift for electronics.

Coffee theory

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:35:07 -0500

Hypothesis: You can tell the quality of coffee by how it tastes once it's cooled. (Or: Good coffee still tastes good once it's cooled.)

Data: Starbucks and Dunkin coffee's don't taste good once they reach room temperature. However, the coffee served at Octane and Java Monkey still taste pretty good, even when the temperature drops.

It could be a function of the serving vessel. When I get coffee at Octane and Java Monkey it's usually in a ceramic mug, whereas Starbucks is served in a paper cup. (I'm not convinced this is the case because plenty of good coffee is also served in paper cups.)

Any coffee afficionado's want to weigh in?

(Photo by KmikeyM)

Bring on the new year

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:58:32 -0500

January 1.

My resolutions this year are not in fibonacci sequence. Instead of new year's resolutions, I'm making weekly/monthly/quarterly plans. By breaking things down into more manageable pieces they'll seem less overwhelming, which I hypthosize will make them more likely to get accomplished.

Actually, I do have one year-long goal, which is to take and upload a photo a day.

Speaking of photos, I moved two years worth of photos from my internal harddrive to an external drive.

Before:

During:

After:

Now that my iPhoto library has 4,500 less photos, it's quite a bit snappier. Here's how I did it:

1. Copy my "iPhoto Library" folder (in /users/[username]/Pictures) to an external drive
2. Rename "iPhoto Library" on external drive to "Photos 2005-2006" (or whatever you want)
3. Delete "iPhoto Library" on internal drive
4. Launch iPhoto and hold down the option key
5. Click Create new library

Now I've got a fresh library to work with. If I ever need/want to access the old library, I can just hold down option while launching iPhoto and it will give me the option to load the old library instead of the new one.

2006 in cities

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:16:14 -0500

Following is a list of cities I visited in 2006. Defining a "visit" to a city is kind of like defining traffic to a web site: There are a number of ways to do it and none of them are perfect. For the purposes of this exercise, I'm being pretty subjective, but basically it's based on how much non-sleeping time I spent in a city. Names in bold are cities I hadn't been to before this year. Also, this list is in no particular order.

Chattanooga, TN
New Orleans, LA
Selmer, TN
Fort Cambpell, KY
Washington, DC
Winthrop, ME
Portland, OR
Elizabethtown, KY
Bardstown, KY
Grand Rapids, MI
Pittsburgh, PA
Clifton Park, NY
New York City, NY
Spartanburg, SC
Las Vegas, NV

Not bad for one year. It's nice to see so many new places on the list. I wonder if I'll be able to do better in 2007. But how do I define "better": Is it more total cities, more new cities, or a larger portion of new cities?

Top singles of 2006

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:45:22 -0500

It's getting close to the end of the year, which means its time to take a look back. Here are the 10 songs I've listened to most often during 2006 (according to last.fm):

Bowling: A Subliminal Program -- Side A, by Mind Communicaiton, Inc.
Bowling: A Subliminal Program -- Side B, by Mind Communicaiton, Inc.
Lazy Sunday, by SNL
One Sided Tapes, by The Roman Candles (Alaska, represent!)
El Chupa NIbre, by Dangerdoom
Crazy, by Gnarls Barkley
Necromancer, by Gnarls Barkley
I Will Follow You into the Dark, by Death Cab for Cutie
Perfect Hair, by Dangerdoom
Sofa King, by Dangerdoom

Since these are the songs I've played most often, it's heavily skewed toward music I've had for longer periods of time. In fact, six of those 10 I've had since before January 1, 2006. And the top two tracks -- the subliminal bowling tape -- I listened to every day for a month or so, but haven't listened to since. Music I've purchased recently, like Rodrigo y Gabriela, don't stand a chance, unless I listen to them over and over and over and over in the next few days.

SimCurt: Technicolor edition

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 11:52:33 -0500

As you probably know, I've moved into a new apartment. Well, yesterday, I painted. It's not quite the same orange as autumn blaze: It's called "last tango," and it's bit darker.

I took about 8 hours (including a mandated 2-hour wait before applying the second coat) and almost two gallons of paint to cover the nearly 360-square-foot wall. I left a 2-inch border of white around the edges and the outlets. I'm going to paint a 2-inch border of orange around the outlets and switches on the other walls to bring the color to other parts of the room.

It looks awesome, if I do say so myself.

Boxed in

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:48:09 -0500

Whew. I'm out of my old place, but not quite into my new one.

Anyone who needs my new address, please send me an e-mail (you can use this handy form if you need it).

If you want to come visit, you're more than welcome -- but at least wait for me to finish unpacking first.

I'm going to miss my old neighborhood, but I look forward to getting to know my new one. I'm also looking forward to having central air when the temperature and humidity rise like urban housing prices.

P.S. Many props to Ken for his assistance with the bookshelves and other heavy and/or pain-in-the-ass-to-carry items.

Thanksgiving Bowling

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 13:16:38 -0500

After a hearty meal and plenty of dessert, it was time to hit the hardwood:

I managed to take home the trophy this time, but I'm going to need to stay on my game if I want to defend my title next year.

No more TXTing

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:04:17 -0500

Due to an enormous influx of spam sent to my cell phone, I called my provider and requested to have all text messages blocked. They were very nice and even voided some of the charges since the amount of spam was well over the 50 free messages I was alotted per month. I can deal with a certain amount of spam, but I draw the line when I have to pay 10 cents per message. Unfortunately, this means I can no longer accept legitimate text messages, so anyone wishing to TXT me will have to come up with an alternate means of communication (I recommend e-mail or an actual phone call).

Speedy delivery

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 22:08:34 -0500

I've got two letters to drop in the mail tomorrow. I won't tell you where they're going except to say that one is going to a zip code that starts with 99.

According to my calculations, I only have three more letters to write and send before the end of the year to accomplish my New Year's resolution.

I thought that writing letters by hand would improve my handwriting. I don't think it has. Maybe if I concentrated more on my penmanship instead of just getting to the end of the page, it would get better.

Haltimatoween (Halloween+Ultimate)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:00:29 -0500

On the Sunday before Halloween, folks dressed up for our weekly game of Ultimate. I dressed as Harry Potter, which included a shirt and tie, sweater, robe, scarf and stocking cap. It didn't take much running around the field before I became unbearably warm and had to disrobe. Not to mention my scarf kept falling off in the middle of play.

Afterwards we went to a neighborhood bar and tried our best in a game of trivia. We were the only people dressed up (It was two days before Halloween, after all), and though I don't think the costumes helped, we did OK. All in all, it was an enjoyable way to spend the eve of Halloween eve.

Photos by Katherine

Friendly reminder

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:54:27 -0500

I just realized that some people may have an old URL in their rss/feed readers. When I switched from Wordpress to Movable Type, the URL changed. Here is the new, correct URL: http://www.cmerrill.com/mt/atom.xml.

Posts have been relatively few and far between lately, but I expect things to pick up a bit as the end of the year approaches. Readers can expect some new episodes of SimCurt as I'm moving to a new place in about a month. I predict some of them will be interactive editions (I'll need help deciding what color to paint, for example).

Also on the horizon is a visit to Portland, Oregon, for the Thanksgiving holiday, which should provide kindling for some fun content.

I got a haircut

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 14:57:23 -0500

I forgot to take a picture pre-haircut, but you can look at other recent photos to compare.

Beers of the eastern U.S.

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:10:17 -0500

While Mike and I were ramblin' around the eastern United States, we decided to pick up local beers from each of the places we visited. We ended up with a selection of seven brews (in sequential order):

Kentucky Ale (Lexington, KY)
Oberon Ale (Kalamazoo, MI)
Dirty Bastard (Grand Rapids, MI)
Pipe Organ Pale Ale (Pittsburgh, PA)
Celestial Gold (Pittsburgh, PA)
Blue Heron Pale Ale (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Brooklyn Pilsner (Brooklyn, NY)

Once collected, it was time to taste.

Look who came to visit!

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:40:24 -0500

Road trip data: Numbers

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:34:25 -0500

Total travel time (est.): 296 hours
Total miles traveled in Grasshopper: 3,291
Total miles driven by Mike: 194
Portion of miles driven by Mike: 5.9 percent
Total gallons of unleaded, 87-octane gasoline: 117.8
Total spent on gasoline: $276.02
Average fuel economy: 27.9 mpg
Average cost per gallon: $2.34
Average cost per mile: $0.08
Windshield wipers lost: 2
Windshield wipers recovered: 1
Windshield wipers replaced: 1
Number of state lines crossed: 17
Number of states visited: 14
Total photos and videos taken by Curt: 670 photos, 2 videos (2.1 GB total)
Photos uploaded to Flickr by Mike and Curt: 397 (incomplete)
Videos uploaded to Vimeo by Mike and Curt: 16 (incomplete)

Road trip data: Music

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 12:28:48 -0500

We listened to a lot of music in the car. While we can't track the music we heard on the various local radio stations we checked out, we do have a record of all the songs played from our iPods. Below is a list of all the songs played from my iPod. Some of the songs may have been played more than once, but will only appear in the list based on their most recent listening.

The list of songs played from Mike's Nano is coming soon.

Welcome to New York

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:47:19 -0500

By no small miracle, Mike and I arrived in Brooklyn, New York, yesterday evening.

It all started on the way out of Clifton Park, in upstate New York. As we pulled up to a stoplight before getting on the freeway, the passenger-side windshield wiper flew off its arm. Mike was able to jump out and grab it before the light turned green, then we headed to the gas station to reattach it.

After filling up we turned on "Faith" by George Michael, which we listened to on repeat for the next five hours.

There was a light rain that came and went as we cruised down I-87 toward the city. We decided to maintain a reasonable speed on the freeway after racing (not literally, but close) to Clifton Park the day before.

Somewhere around the 30th iteration of "I gotta think twice / before giving my heart away," the driver-side wiper couldn't take it anymore and ejected itself into freeway traffic.

Fortunately the rain had let up and we made it safely to the next service exit. Unfortunately, the gas station didn't have any wipers for sale, so we promoted the passenger-side wiper to the driver side and continued on our way.

Roughly 20 miles later we lost our Google Maps-charted course. We were on the edge of the city and had to rely on highway signage to guide us in.

We entered Manhattan on the H. Hudson Parkway in the upperest, westest side. "How hard could this be?" we thought. We know roughly where we're going, and we know that avenues run north-south and streets run east-west; and close to all of them are numbered, so we should be able to figure out where we are on the island based on the intersections.

Unfortunately, we were trying to cross the entire island of Manhattan, not only during rush hour, but also during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

We exited the H. Hudson Parkway at 56th Street and began our trek east. With the help of his instant-message-capable Sidekick, Mike was able to get in touch with Josh in Portland and learn we didn't want the Lincoln Tunnel (which we were looking for based on our limited memories of our now-useless map), but either the Holland Tunnel or Brooklyn Bridge.

After several blocks of driving in Manhattan, I learned in order to survive in the concrete jungle, you have to act like you're the only car on the road. Unless the other cars are city buses and have you surrounded, then you just have to get the hell out of their way.

It was close to an hour later when we made a left turn and found ourselves on a street facing a bridge. As we got closer we learned that it was the Williamsburg Bridge -- not necessarily the one we were looking for, but it would get us out of Manhattan all the same.

The bridge had two pairs of lanes separated by a large concrete barrier. We had to commit to the left pair of lanes before we could read the signs indicating the difference. We got the wrong pair. We were now on the expressway (though there was nothing "express" about it) to Queens.

Like Neo being chased by Agent Smith, we needed an exit. Fast. Of course, we were in the far-left lane of a packed highway with less than a mile to get to the far-right exit lane. If my Georgia tags didn't give it away already, my use of turn signals surely let everyone know I wasn't from around here.

I focused on not hitting the car in front of me while Mike looked behind to check for open spots in the next lane big enough for the Saturn. We made it across several lanes of traffic with about a quarter-mile to spare.

So we were in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the map we have only showed a small portion immediately surrounding our intended destination. We knew we were north of there, so we pointed the car south and hoped we run into a street whose name was on the map.

Eventually we hit a cross street on the corner of our map and navigated the much less hectic streets of Brooklyn to our destination. Parking and turning off the car (and George Michael) was the most amazing feeling; the blood returned to my previously white knuckles and I was able to relax for the first time in hours.

Welcome to New York.

Michigan

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 12:47:30 -0500

I got to cross off Michigan on the list of states I haven't been to. We arrived in Grand Rapids just in time to catch George's movie on the bridge. It was an awesome event, but I was too tired to last more than a few minutes into the movie, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg."

On Friday, we were able to check out the city in the daylight. We had a hearty breakfast, then checked out East Grand Rapids (which is where "American Pie" is based, but it's called East Great Falls in the movie). Then it was off to see Lake Michigan in the town of Grand Haven (which is where "American Pie 2" is based, but it's called something else in the movie).

We stopped at the Michigan Rag Co. in Grand Haven to get a look at the Maroöshka prints. George has been collecting them for some time and was excited to meet the guy that's continuing to make the prints in the same way they've been made since the 1960s. I picked up a good-sized print (50% off!) before we headed for the pier.

Since we've established a no-chain rule, we've been eating at small local places, and our Grand Rapids meals have probably been the best of the trip so far.

One place we ate was in the side of a liquor store. Chef Rainbow's Hole in the Wall served everything from veggie burritos to burgers to pasta, and insisted on delivering our meal -- which tasted very good.

The other food-related tidbit worth noting is that hot dogs in Michigan don't come with relish; instead they are topped with shredded pickles. I haven't seen that anywhere else, which is too bad because it's way better.

After a full day of GR sights, including the DAAC, Nest, UICA and Civic Studio, we had to cram in a few more in the morning before driving east. We saw the Calder sculpture, which is now part of the city's logo, and the giant tire swing downtown.

By any measure, our short visit to Grand Rapids was a success.

More of my photos from Michigan, and here are Mike's

SimCurt: Interactive road trip edition

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:21:36 -0500

On Tuesday, September 19, Mike and I will be driving from Clifton Park to New York City. Inspired by Steve of Coudal Partners, we will listen to one song on repeat for the duration of the approximately 185-mile, three-hour ride. Here's where you get choose which song we listen to. The options are:

Mr. Roboto -- Styx
Ride -- Captain Ahab
Faith -- George Michael
Since U Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson
Bullets Fever -- Nils Lofgren
Other -- please specify

Voting is now open on UHX. Cast your ballot by Monday.

(videos and photos from our trip so far)

Bourbon festival

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:00:53 -0500

Updated: Now with audio

I wouldn't really consider myself a bourbon fan, but my taste for the drink increased exponentially after visiting the Maker's Mark distillery.

Bourbon is a specific kind of whiskey. In order to be called bourbon, the drink has to be distilled in the United States. Bourbon has to contain a certain amount of corn. It has to be aged in barrels that have not been used before. And there are a couple of other stipulations limiting the proof and other ingredients.

There are 85 employees at Maker's Mark distillery. They output more than 600,000 cases (12 bottles per case) of bourbon each year. Each bottle is hand-dipped in a can of resin-based wax, creating the signature drip down the neck. Workers can dip a bottle every two seconds. It took me considerably longer.

After touring the distillery, we hit the "Racing with the Spirits" event. We weren't really sure what to expect, and considered bailing early, but it turned out to be amazing.

We were given $1,000 in play money (featuring bourbon industry luminaries in place of presidents) with which to bet on horse racing events. Some races were pre-recorded videos that had been dubbed over with distillery-themed names. Other races featured attendees on wheeled carts.

I raced once, but my horse belonged in a glue factory.

The featured event was a race among the master distillers. Mike lost his money on the guy from Maker's Mark, but was able to meet him after the race.

After the final race, people used their winnings to bid on bourbon-based gift baskets. Click the button at right to listen to sounds from the auction.

We didn't have enough fake money to win any of the prizes, which was unfortunate, but we'd had a good time, enjoying the appetizer and dessert buffets as well as the open bourbon bar.

I would drive 400 miles...

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:03:03 -0500

...and I would drive 400 more...

Mike and I set out this morning from Atlanta and are now in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Before we set out, I applied Rain-X to the windshield and replaced the wiper blades. It turned out to be the best decision in the history of driving: It started raining after we left Chattanooga and hasn't stopped. There's nothing like driving in the middle lane of an Interstate between two semi-trailer trucks while sheets of rain reduce visibility to a few car lengths and water flows on the road's surface keep your tires from making direct contact with the asphalt.

We've discovered that driving long distances can be made quite tolerable with regular (but not too frequent) stops and iPods full of music. Some video-capable digital cameras don't hurt either. I've been doing the driving so far, so I don't have (m)any pictures to post yet, but Mike is uploading photos and videos to Flickr and Vimeo. We're also keeping a travel log, which we'll probably post when we get back.

Tomorrow is our visit to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which should result in more photos and videos. We'll be betting on video horse racing and hopefully venturing to the Maker's Mark distillery.

Check out Make it Happen for more trip details, including our rules of the road.

Revving up

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 18:09:48 -0500

Read in the voice of movie trailer master Don LaFontaine: In a world held under seige by soaring gas prices, two brothers defy the odds and hit the Interstates in search of something larger than themselves...

In six days, Mike and I are firing up the Grasshopper's four cylinders for a lap around the eastern United States. We'll be traveling nearly 3,000 miles -- passing through about 15 states -- in 12 days. Here's a list of our scheduled stops:

Day one of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival
Hang out with G-Rad folks in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Visit Emily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
See Kathryn for the first time in nine years in upstate New York
Chill with Liz before she moves to Denver
Possibly stop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (home of Dollywood)
and Catch a round of the PPA Southern Putting Tour

We should have somewhat regular access to the Internet, and I expect lots of pictures will be taken and posted to Flickr, and even some video clips to share via Vimeo.

...But these two travelers will learn what they're looking for comes from within -- if they don't kill each other after being in a cramped car for thousands of miles first.

The greatest game show on radio

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:53:38 -0500

My new favorite radio show is "Says You!" It appeals directly to the werd nerd in me: Two teams face off in friendly challenges involving made-up definitions (a la Balderdash), etymology and other random word-related trivia.

The teams are awarded points on a somewhat arbitrary basis, but the end score is hardly the point. The host and players entertain with their fast thinking and as a sucker for puns, I love the vocabulary-based humor. The show is recorded with a live audience, who often get to participate by helping stumped players.

I think I'll get a Radio Shark (think TiVo for radio), so I won't miss an episode. Or I could just drive around for half an hour every Thursday evening when it's on WABE.

CDs from the street

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 19:24:08 -0500

On my way to lunch yesterday in Little Five Points, I was stopped by a guy selling his CD. Cipher Kenni was carrying a CD player and headphones to let prospective buyers sample his wares and had a rhyming sales pitch, which I can't remember now but remember being impressed by. After trying on the headphones, it wasn't long before I was bobbing my head to his rapid flow and production. Mostly, though, I appreciated the effort it takes to stand around on a hot, humid summer day trying to move a product he's obviously proud of. I happily bought a copy.

Kenni doesn't have any tracks availble on his MySpace profile, but here's a short (~45 sec) sample.

I'm baaaack

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 11:01:33 -0500

I guess my hiatus has gone on long enough. It's time to lay a blog*.

First a quick recap: In the last month and four days, I've been to Maine and back (you can see the photographic evidence on Flickr), and I've done some renovations here at cmerrill.com. This is Version X. Not X as in "ten," but X as in an unknown variable, because I honestly have no idea how many times I've changed, reworked, renovated, or otherwise rebuilt the site. I hope you enjoy it, because I'm not changing it for at least six months, starting now. Let's see how long my will power can hold out. Any bets?

Looking forward, the rest of 2006 is shaping up to be very exciting. In two weeks, Mike and I will be embarking on a roughly 2,750-mile road trip. In October, a friend from Fairbanks is visiting for a week or so and sometime before the end of the year, I'll be headed to the Pacific Northwest.

Now is the time on North when we review my resolutions for 2006. With two-thirds of the year now behind us, let's check in:

Goal: Zero credit card debt
Status: 37.5% complete
Outlook: I'm going to be cutting this one close, but I think I can do it.

Goal: One entry per week
Status: 82% complete
Outlook: This is effectively a gimme.

Goal: One letter per month
Status: 50% complete
Outlook: I've got one in my bag, I just need to mail it. With the holiday season approaching, I don't foresee any problems reaching 100 percent.

Goal: Two new CDs per month
Status: 45% complete
Outlook: I've got a shopping list, I just need to make it to the record store.

Goal: Run three miles in 25.5 minutes
Status: unknown
Outlook: I've been getting some regular exercise playing Ultimate Frisbee twice a week, but that involves a lot of short sprints instead of longer distance running. I still think this is doable in the next four months.

Goal: Leave the state five times
Status: 120% complete
Outlook: With at least two more trips across the border in the next four months, I've got this one more than covered.

Goal: Spend eight days in Par-- London
Status: Not gonna happen
Outlook: Replacing the alternator in the Grasshopper effectively killed this goal. It will definitely be revived for next year, though.

Goal: Read 13 books
Status: 38% complete
Outlook: I'm currently reading "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," which is awesome, and I have a couple more on my to-read list. I shouldn't have any problem reaching this goal.

Goal: Prepare 21 meals per month
Status: 17% complete
Outlook: Yikes. I hope to raise this up to at least 30 percent before the end of the year, but I honestly don't see myself achieving this one.

Goal: Post 34 minutes of A/V content
Status: 22% complete
Outlook: It looks like I'm pretty far behind, but the upcoming road trip should generate plenty of opportunities for audio/video stuff.

* Thanks to Tom D. for this phrase.

Time to settle this...

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 22:07:11 -0500

... After school, on the soccer field.

OK, not really after school -- but it will happen at the school's soccer field. "What?" you ask? The winner of the World Cup pool will be crowned tomorrow. But not until the score is settled.

Let's rewind a bit...

Following helpful advice from the folks at UBS, I picked Italy to win the 2006 World Cup. But not before picking the results of the other 62 games leading up to finals.

I managed to maintain a ranking in the middle of the pack throughout most of the tournament. I was 10 points shy of the lead going into the final match. Fortunately, no one else had Italy in the final, so if the Azzurri were to win, I'd be tied for first place.

Well, as we all know -- since the tournament ended two weeks ago -- Italy defeated France. The first tie-breaker (because there can be only one highlan-- er, winner) was picking the 10-minute window when the final goal of the game would be scored. In order for me to win the pool, Italy needed to win, and the last goal of the game needed to be scored between the 75th and 85th minutes. If they won, but the final goal was between the 64th and 74th minutes: tie broken, I lose.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last two weeks, you know Italy won on penalty kicks after 120 minutes play. The only goals in regulation came in the first half; I got my 10 points but no tie was broken, which brings us to the present.

Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET, two worthy competitors will face off at a middle school soccer field for a penalty kick shootout. On the line: Bragging rights until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the $160 prize pool.

Update: I lost 6-4 (photos).

Notes to self, football edition

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 10:07:39 -0500

These are some tips to myself after photographing the Silverbacks v. Timbers match (Multimedia piece on True Fan).

Don't leave your water bottle in the car. When you're going to be outside for 4 1/2 hours in 85-plus-degrees and enough humidity to swim through, a little hydration goes a long way.

Don't show up so early. I wouldn't have had to spend 4.5 hours outside if I wouldn't have gotten to the game two hours early.

Bring an extra camera body. It's hard to detach and safely stow one lens and try to unpack and attach another quickly. It would be a lot easier to just switch between two cameras with lenses pre-attached.

Bring an extra memory card. I thought a 2-gigabyte card would be plenty. It wasn't. See graphic at right.

There are other tips, too, that aren't so simple. Like focusing. Soccer is a fast-moving sport, and it's tough to keep up, much less maintain focus. Of those 1,000+ photos, around 10 percent are -- what I would call -- properly focused. I imagine this is a matter of experience: From knowing the game, like being able to anticipate where a play is headed, to knowing the equipment, like being comfortable with the sensitivity of the lens's focus ring.

It was also the first time I've shot with a monopod. A monopod is pretty handy, but it also takes getting used to.

First Holga photos

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:07:28 -0500

I recently picked up an all-plastic Holga camera and a couple rolls of 120 film. I just got the first roll of photos back from the lab.

This is the first time I've shot on film in more than two years, probably closer to three. It's a bit strange to flip through actual, physical prints instead of just scrolling through iPhoto.

People tout instant gratification as one of the main advantages of digital. You know whether you got the shot as soon as you release the shutter. And I agree that's very convenient, especially when you have limited time with a subject, so you want to make sure you get it right. But the combination of Holga's unpredictable results and a two-day wait for processing makes for an exciting reveal when you finally open the envelope for your first glimpse of your glossies (or mattes).

There wasn't anything too out of the ordinary on this set of black and white photos. Holgas are known for light leaks and other "problems," which is all part of the charm. I wonder, though, how my color prints will turn out when I get my second roll back from the lab. There may be oddly exposed areas that don't show up in black and white. Plus, it's a roll of 120-speed film instead of the black and white's 400.

My Holga links and more Holga photos

Thunderbolt of lightning

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:07:43 -0500

Mother nature decided to provide her own fireworks last night. I managed to catch a couple shots of lightning outside my window.

World Cup bracket

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:06:57 -0500

The 2006 FIFA World Cup begins tomorrow at noon ET when Germany face Costa Rica in the opening match. Below is my tournament bracket for the office pool. The goal is to earn the most points, which are awarded thusly:

Group stage: 1 point for predicting the result (winner/loser), 3 extra points for getting the correct score, of each game. 2 points for each team correctly predicted to make it to the second round. Note: the first round contains 32 teams in 8 groups of 4. Each team plays the other teams in their group once. The top two teams from each group advance.
Second round: 2 points for result, 4 extra points for score.
Quarterfinals: 3 points for result, 6 extra points for score.
Semifinals: 5 points for result, 10 extra for score.
Final: 10 for result, 20 extra for score.

I'll update the chart after each day's games with the actual results and my scores.

Group Stage			Pts
Germany	4 2 1 2	Costa Rica	1
Poland	0 2 2 2	Ecuador	+0=1
England	1 2 1 0	Paraguay	+1=2
Trinidad	0 0 2 0	Sweden	+0=2
Argentina	2 3 1 1	Ivory Coast	+1=3
Serbia	0 0 2 1	Netherlands	+1=4
Mexico	3 2 0 1	Iran	+1=5
Angola	0 0 3 1	Portugal	+1=6
Italy	2 0	Ghana	+4=10
USA	0 2 1 3	Czech Rep	+0=10
Australia	3 1 0 1	Japan	+1=11
Brazil	1 3 1 0	Croatia	+1=12
France	0 2 2 0	Switzerland	+1=13
South Korea	2 2 0 1	Togo	+1=14
Spain	4 3 1 0	Ukraine	+1=15
Tunisia	2 1 1 2	Saudi Arabia	+1=16
Germany	1 2 2 0	Poland	+0=16
Ecuador	3 1 2 0	Costa Rica	+0=16
England	2 3 1 0	Trinidad	+1=17
Sweden	1 1 1 0	Paraguay	+0=17
Argentina	6 1 0 0	Serbia	+1=18
Netherlands	2 2 0 1	Ivory Coast	+1=19
Mexico	0 2 0 0	Angola	+0=19
Portugal	2 2 1 0	Iran	+1=20
Italy	1 2 1 1	USA	+0=20
Czech Rep	0 3 1 2	Ghana	+0=20
Brazil	2 0	Australia	+4=24
Japan	0 1 2 0	Croatia	+0=24
France	1 3 1 1	South Korea	+0=24
Togo	0 2	Switzerland	+4=28
Spain	3 2 1 1	Tunisia	+1=29
Saudi Arabia	0 1 3 4	Ukraine	+1=30
Ecuador	0 1 2 3	Germany	+1=31
Costa Rica	1 0 1 2	Poland	+1=32
Sweden	2 1 1 2	England	+1=33
Paraguay	2 0	Trinidad	+4=37
Netherlands	0 1 1 0	Argentina	+1=38
Ivory Coast	3 2 0 2	Serbia	+1=39
Portugal	2 2 2 1	Mexico	+0=39
Iran	1 1 0 1	Angola	+0=39
Czech Rep	0 1 1 2	Italy	+0=39
Ghana	2 0 3 1	USA	+0=39
Japan	1 1 3 4	Brazil	+1=40
Croatia	2 1 1 2	Australia	+1=41
Togo	0 0 3 2	France	+1=42
Switzerland	2 1 1 0	South Korea	+0=42
Saudi Arabia	0 0 3 1	Spain	+1=43
Ukraine	1 2 2 0	Tunisia	+0=43
Advancing teams: 13 of 16			+26=69
Second round
Germany	2 2 1 0	Sweden	+2=71
Netherlands Argentina	1 2 1 0	Mexico	+0=71
England	1 3 2 0	Ecuador Poland	+2=73
Portugal	1 1 2 0	Netherlands Argentina	+0=73
Italy	1 2 1 0	Australia Croatia	+2=75
France Switzerland	0 3 2 0*	Ukraine (PKs)	+0=75
Brazil	3 3 1 0	Ghana USA	+2=77
Spain	1 2 0 3	France Switzerland	+0=77
Quarterfinals
Germany	1* 3 2 1	Argentina Netherlands	+3=80
Italy	3 2 1 0	Ukraine France	+3=83
England	0 1 0 0*	Portugal Argentina	+0=83
Brazil	0 3 1 1	France Spain	+0=83
Semifinals
Germany	0 1 2 2	Italy	+5=88
England Portugal	0 1 2 1	France Brazil	+0=88
Final
Italy	1* 3 2 1	France Brazil	+10=98

The North grid

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 13:06:58 -0500

Note: Extremely nerdy content follows. Also, the following CSS/HTML excerpts have been edited for brevity/relevance.

The Grid

The underlying grid for cmerrill.com is a 935-pixel wide container with nine 95-pixel columns separated by 10-pixel gutters.

I have set of classes to define the widths for any size box from one column to nine columns.
.col1 { width: 95px; } ... .col4 { width: 410px; } ... .col9 { width: 935px; }

The columns aren't multiples of 95 because of the built-in gutters. So to get four columns, the width needs to accomodate all four colums (4 x 95) plus the gutters between the columns (3 X 10) for a total of 410 pixels.

With this system, there are a ton of potential layouts: one 9-column area, three 3-column areas, two 4-column areas plus one 1-column area, one 5-column area plus one 4-column area, etc.

leftMiddle vs. rightmost

In order to maintain the gutter space between columns, I need 10 pixels of margin between two columns. But, I don't want any margin on the far left or far right of grid. To manage this, I created two classes: leftMiddle and rightmost.
.leftMiddle { margin-right: 10px; } .rightmost { margin-right: 0; }

Basically, any column that has another column to the right gets the margin. The column furthest to the right doesn't get the margin.

By assigning multiple classes to a single div, I'm able to create the layout. For a two-column layout (one 5-col and one 4-col), the HTML looks like this:

...

...

For a three column layout, it might look like this:

...



...


...

Horizontal divisions

The system of columns breaks up the page vertically, but there are also sections of the page split horizontally, which I'll refer to as "rows". Unlike the columns, whose widths are fixed, the height of a row isn't specified, it should grow and shrink depending on the contents.

I have five rows defined in the CSS (names influenced by my newspaper layout experience): header, aboveFold, fold, belowFold and footer.

The header is the brown area with the North logotype, aboveFold is the main content area, fold is the blue strip, belowFold is the brown area near the bottom and footer is at the very bottom of the page (though it's currently not used).

The glue

If you open a wide browser window, you'll notice the content is centered, but the brown background of the header and footer areas extends across the entire
page. This is where the container div comes in to keep the different areas aligned.

Normally, for fixed-width pages, the container div would be the outermost div.

...

But if I were to do that, the background colors of the header, belowFold and fold would only be 935 pixels -- not stretched across the entire page. So what I've done is used a container div inside each of the rows to rein in the content.

...

The outer div (belowFold) specifies the background color and extends across the page. The container div centers the content and keeps it within a 9-column wide area.
.container { margin: 0 auto; width: 935px; }

Sidebar

When you have two adjacent pieces in a print publication, you need someway to differentiate them visually. Otherwise it's easy to assume they're part of the same piece. This is usually accomplished by using a thin rule to separate the elements, or shading the background of one of the elements.

I chose to shade the background of the sidebar. This created a particular challenge. My 10-pixel gutter between columns separated the main content from the sidebar, but the content inside the sidebar was running up against the edge

I had to create a new class, sidebar, to alleviate this problem.
.sidebar { padding: 10px; }

This created another problem. Now the content area of the sidebar is 20 pixels narrower than normal. So my regular column classes won't fit.

In a 4-column sidebar, my content area is now 390 pixels. But if I want to put two 2-column sections inside, their total is still 410 pixels. My workaround is to create a special case for a smaller col2 class that will fit in the sidebar.
.sidebar .col2 { width: 190px !important; }

Now, anytime a col2 div occurs within a sidebar div, it's smaller to accomodate the padding on the sidebar. Here's what the HTML looks like:



...


...

For now, I've only created the special case for using col2 within the sidebar because that's the only size I'm using so far. If I ever decide to use other widths within the sidebar, I can create modified versions of the other column classes.

Conclusion

Using a grid system gives me plenty of layout options while helping to maintain visual consistenty across the site.

The main problem I see with this system is the large amount of nested divs. I'm sure people smarter than I could create a more streamlined CSS/HTML version of the same thing, and at some point, I'll probably try to go back and see if I can trim some of the fat. For now, though, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Questions, comments and recommendations are welcome.

Short bits

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 17:06:32 -0500

I don't have the focus necessary to create a "full" post out of any of the following items, so here's a series of briefs as to what I've been up to of late.

North 2k6Hopefully you've noticed a change in appearance on this corner of the Web. It was a while in the making, and even still needs some polish. At some point in the future I'll write about the grid system I established. Web nerds who poke under the hood will probably gasp at the number of extra div tags, but at the moment, I'm not sure there's a workaround. The survey responses were helpful, so another thank you to those who participated is in order: Thank you.

TXT meI removed the TXT me feature which was located at the bottom of the site. I picked up my phone today and had several spam messages. Now that I'm back on an official plan, I don't have free incoming text messages anymore and I'd rather not have to pay for spam -- I get enough for free as it is. Please feel free to recommend features or content to include in the space that once was used by the TXT form.

Ultimate FrisbeeI recently joined a group of people to play pick-up ultimate a couple times a week. I've only been once so far but it was a blast. I didn't realize how out of shape I was. Hopefully regular activity will help me accomplish my 3-miles-in-25.5-minutes resolution. I may even start going to the gym at work. Sitting at a desk for at least 8 hours a day plus my intake of Chick-Fil-A at regular intervals isn't doing much good for my stamina.

SoccerThe FIFA World Cup begins in less than a week, which is exciting. I'm looking forward to going up the street and watching some games at the pub. Tonight is also the first home game for the Atlanta Silverbacks. They have a new stadium this season, so expect to see more details and photos in the coming days.

BowlingMy subliminal bowling project is still in progress. In addition to the subliminal bowling, I'm joining the UrHo team of the IBL.

Hunting

Sat, 27 May 2006 18:05:57 -0500

After hearing rumors of the infamous "Big Chicken," I decided it was time to seek out the mythological creature for myself. Ken joined me for the quest and together we braved traffic and ventured to lands Outside the Perimeter.

As we neared its native habitat of Marietta, I had only my instincts (and Google Maps) to guide me.

Our journey was not without trials -- we lost the track on more than one occasion -- but each wrong turn only strengthened our determination, until finally, we spotted the monstrous beast:

Another successful hunt for C.Merrill, intrepid explorer of suburbs. (More photos)

Reader survey results

Fri, 26 May 2006 17:05:05 -0500

As promised, here are some results from the first ever North Reader Survey:

I was surprised to see that two-thirds of North readers don't use the RSS feature. I guess RSS isn't as mainstream as I thought.

If I extrapolate the survey response to include all users, everyone who has visited the site has left a comment at some point. Then again, the margin of error is probably exceedingly high considering the number of responses, so I imagine that it's unwise to think that everyone who visits will leave a comment.

Everyone loves Flickr -- almost. This chart will help me determine how prominent these features are in the upcoming restyling of the site.

Apparently no one is actively uninterested in anything I post. I guess that makes sense since 100% of the responses came from people who knew me directly, and therefore are the most likely to want to know what I'm up to.

One of the most fun things about this survey is trying to figure out whose survey was whose. I can guess a few pretty easily based on the comments, but others are tougher. I imagine this is how it feels to be a professer getting evaluations at the end of the year and trying to figure out which student is which based on the handwriting.

Sneak peek

Sun, 21 May 2006 10:05:41 -0500

It's been relatively quiet around here lately because I've been working behind the scenes. At right is a little piece of what's brewing.

On another note, thanks to everyone who participated in the first-ever North reader survey. The results, which I will post here soon, will be helpful.

No longer Out of touch

Sat, 13 May 2006 14:05:54 -0500

Update (May 26, 2006): I'm now receiving calls from T-Mobile users. All is well.

Update (May 23, 2006): I learned this weekend that I'm not getting calls or voicemail from T-Mobile users. Hopefully this, too, shall pass.

Update (May 13, 2006): I've got my phone and plan activated. Feel free to call.

Previously (May 7, 2006): After switching to pre-paid, I'm taking my number and jumping back on the monthly plan bandwagon. During the transition, I'll probably be a little scarce for telephone conversations.

Subliminal sample

Wed, 10 May 2006 20:05:31 -0500

I got a cheap-o cassette player and ripped the sublimlinal bowling tape. I present, for your listening pleasure, the introduction (470k MP3). I thought about posting the whole thing, but I don't want Mike to cheat.

David Blaine: Drowned Alive reflections

Wed, 10 May 2006 16:05:07 -0500

(The liveblog is on Warm Glow.)

Even though David Blaine didn't make it nine minutes while holding his breath, it was a respectable attempt, but the show still didn't meet some of my expectations.

When the show began, I was really looking forward to seeing segments of David Blaine's street magic. There were a few, but far too few for a two-hour special. I have to say watching him take out a woman's teeth and then spit them back into place was dumbfounding and that trick alone made the entire two hours worth watching.

I was also somewhat surprised by the stunt itself. I had expected him to be wrapped in chains, but instead he simply had handcuffs on his hands and feet. Also, he had the key to the handcuffs. I could escape from underwater if I had the key to the handcuffs (though admittedly, not after holding my breath for four minutes already).

The skepticism I held for the stunt was tossed when he was pulled unconscious from the tank. His lips were the darkest shade of purple I've ever seen occur naturally. As they pulled him body out so he could sit on the platform his body was convulsing. I respect the fact that he's pushing his body to the limit (and beyond), but these stunts just aren't as entertaining as his street magic.

Liveblogging the show was a challenge. It was hard to keep up, and I feel like I missed some good moments because I was briefly looking at the monitor instead of the TV. As the countdown began, it got really tough, because the save and post function ate up precious time that I wanted to spend typing about what was going on. Looking back over the text, though, I feel like I captured the general sense of the show, but only those were keeping up as I was going can really testify to that.

Reader survey

Fri, 05 May 2006 11:05:13 -0500

Please take a moment to fill out the first ever North reader survey. I will leave the survey open for two weeks, and then compile and report the results.

Update: Survey closed

Bowling database

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 18:04:48 -0500

I'm creating a MySQL database to keep track of bowling scores. It is a three-table database that should contain everything I need it to.

These are a couple of sample questions that I'd like to able to answer with the data: When I get a strike, what is the average score for that frame? If I start a game with three marks (strikes and/or spares), what is the average score for the entire game? How often to I pick up a spare when my first ball scores 5 or less?

Here's how I have it set up:

Table 1: Players
First Name
Last Name
Average
PlayerID

Table 2: Games
Player ID
Month, Day, Year
City, State
Final Score
GameID

Table 3: Frames
FrameID
GameID
Frame No.
Ball 1 score
Ball 2 score
Ball 3 score (if frame 10)
Strike (yes/no)
Spare (yes/no)
Frame score (if spare or strike, include next ball(s))

Now I just need to enter the data from the last five weeks of bowling, and learn how to write SQL queries to pull the data to answer questions like the ones above.

I just realized I didn't create an column for splits. I guess I'll have to do without for now. I'm not sure I can go back and see where I had gotten splits during last few games, anyway.

Best icon ever

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:04:50 -0500

This is my new favorite icon.

It's from the Aqua series at Iconfactory.

Soda is gross

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 21:04:15 -0500

Last weekend, I decided to see if I could go a week without soda (or "pop" depending on where you're from). I am happy to report that I made it a full seven days without partaking and, in retrospect, it wasn't all that hard.

During the first couple of days, it was tough. If I felt thirsty, my first response was to reach for a soda. Soda is everywhere, and it's cheap. But where there's soda, there's almost always an alternative. It was easy to order water instead of soda at most places, and even fast food soda fountains have a non-carbonated alternative like HI-C (though admittedly, it may not be that much better for you).

I found that carrying a small (16- to 20-oz) bottle of water in my shoulder bag (aka man purse) was helpful to avoid the temptations of buying soda. The convenience made it easier to quench my thirst when I needed it, and it also appealed to my frugal side by saving me a buck.

A couple of times during the last week I had a dream where I accidentally drank half a glass of soda. Upon realizing my error, I threw the glass across the room and became really disappointed in myself.

By the end of the week, avoiding soda didn't require a second thought.

After the seven days of self-imposed exile, I put an aluminum can to my lips and tasted the forbidden carbonated fruit. I couldn't believe how bad it tasted. It was drinkable, but left a sickeningly sweet coating over the back of my throat, and didn't do anything for my thirst.

The end result of this week is that I probably won't give up soda for good (I really want to try Coke Blak), though I will certainly be cutting back.

Dilated pupils

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:04:29 -0500

Guess where I went today.

Bowling update

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 23:04:21 -0500

We're three weeks into our bowling experiment. Before the start of the experiment, I would have put my bowling average at about 125. My scores have varied pretty wildly, as you will see in the graphics below.

Week 1: Las Vegas

I find it interesting that I actually got better as the games went on. I guess I was just getting more comfortable, but I would have thought I would have been getting tired and not as focused. That 179 was a personal best.

Week 2: Atlanta

This was probably the best 3-game series I've ever rolled, including a new single-game personal best (like last week, also in the third game).

Week 3: Atlanta

And this is where things return to "normal."

Graph time

At this stage in the experiment, my single-game average is 146 and my series average is 440. With such a wide range of scores (102-186), there's no clear trends to take away, but at least it's a good looking chart.

The magic is real

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:04:17 -0500

I just watched David Blaine: Fearless. I feel like I "get" magic. Or at least I did until I saw this DVD (which is a collection of three of Blaine's TV specials).

I understood that "magic" was the mastery of slight-of-hand and optical illusions. But David Blaine has taken it way beyond that. You can't explain a playing card located inside an inflated basketball with slight-of-hand. His endurance stunts I get. He stood in a block of ice for 61 hours -- I feel like anyone who is willing to train their body and mind could handle that. But a playing card inside a basketball? That's magic. And sending a homeless guy into a store to buy a scratch-off ticket, which just happens to win over $10,000? You would need the infinite improbablity engine to calculate the odds of that -- magic.

One of the most entertaining things about watching the DVD is watching people's reactions to his tricks. The hysteria that follows when he levitates is particularly amusing. Of course that's easy for me to say, safely removed via camera and TV from the situation. Were I to see it in person, I would probably have a similar reaction.

The day after watching the DVD, I learned of Blaine's newest stunt. And I just found his blog, where he posts short, philosophical, fortune-cookie-style sayings.

All of this is basically to say David Blaine, your magic is real.

Book: 'The New New Journalism'

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 12:04:58 -0500

I just finished "The New New Journalism." It's a collection of interviews with writers such as Ted Conover, William Langewiesche, Gay Talese and Jon Krakauer to name a few.

The interviews follow a consistent path and cover topics such as how the writers develop their ideas into stories, there reportorial methods and writing techniques. It's interesting to read the similarities and differences. Some swear by tape recorders for interviews and some avoid them. One writer will have a very structured environment for writing, but the next can write anywhere. I especially like Ron Rosenbaum's response to the question, "Do you have to be in any particular location to write?":

I find it helps to write in coffee shops ... Adopting the pose of the writer in public in some way helps you to actually start getting writing done. There you are in the coffee shop: "What am I supposed to be doing? Am I just a poseur? No, I'm a writer! I'd better get some writing done."

One thing all of the writers have in common is the extensive amount of time they spend with their subjects: years in some cases. Another commonality is they all (with a couple of exceptions) have been staff writers at "The New Yorker" at some point during their careers.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in writing (either fiction or nonfiction) in general or journalism in particular.

Two down, 11 to go

One of many

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 10:04:28 -0500

Last night I bowled the first of four calibration games.

View this clip on Vimeo

There was plenty more where that came from.

Q106 status report

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 17:04:49 -0500

Zero credit card balance by Dec. 31

Status: 16% (behind schedule) Review: Unexpected expenses have slowed progress on this goal. Outlook: If I were a Magic 8-Ball, I would say "It's likely." I'm scheduled for some overtime, which will help me get back on track.

Post one entry per week to cmerrill.com

Status: 42% (ahead of schedule) Review: Despite some weeklong lapses, I've maintained a better production rate than proposed. Outlook: Though I could take a two-month sabbatical and still be in the black, I expect to maintain current output levels.

Write one handwritten letter each month

Status: 25% (on schedule) Review: Two letters and a post card. Outlook: Continued coffee house visits should facilitate remaining on schedule.

Buy two new CDs per month

Status: 12% (behind schedule) Review: Previously mentioned expenses have made this goal a lower priority. Outlook: There are still nine months to go -- it's not too late to come back.

Be able to run three miles in 25.5 minutes

Status: 0% (way behind schedule) Review: No excuses. Outlook: I could try to come up with a motivating monologue, but the reality is I just need to get off my ass.

Leave the state five times

Status: 60% (ahead of schedule) Review: Three trips in three months. Outlook: I won't be able to keep that pace, but completing this goal should be no problem.

Spend eight days in Par-er, London

Status: 0% (on schedule) Review: Previously cut back plans. Outlook: This one is still in the planning stages, but definitely on the schedule.

Read 13 books

Status: 8% (behind schedule) Review: Finished "Blink." Outlook: Will finish No. 2: ("The New New Journalism") tomorrow or the day after. With a little more focus, this shouldn't be a problem.

Prepare/cook 21 meals per month

Status: 12% (behind schedule) Review: Still eating out too much. Outlook: Aforementioned financial status will necessitate putting more effort toward this goal. It's a lot cheaper to eat in. I think it's still doable.

Produce and upload 34 minutes of audio/video content

Status: 11% (behind schedule) Review: Aquarium video & Park panorama w/sound Outlook: With an interest in podcasting and other multimedia projects, there are no inherent barriers to getting back on schedule.

4 of 10 goals on/ahead of schedule

Now is the time in the presentation for questions and answers.

Black 33

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:03:21 -0500

I've been sticking it to the man here in Las Vegas. Won $10 the first night playing roulette. Didn't bet anything on the second night. Last night was big: Won $5 playing video blackjack; then won $46 playing roulette; then skunked Mike at bowling for another 5-spot; and on the way out, Steve and I stopped at the roulette table. We both put our night's winnings on the table. I chose black, he chose odd. Black 33! We both doubled up and walked away.

Abridged history of North

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:03:21 -0500

With the help of the Wayback Machine, I am pleased to present an abridged history of North as it has appeared through the ages.

March 3, 2001I think I was using Dreamweaver to create templates for the pages, but then editing by hand. I'm most likely using table and font tags at this point.

January 22, 2002Still using combination of hand-coding and Dreamweaver.

August 4, 2002Upgraded to Blogger. Able to provide more frequent updates about how my broomball team was doing.

August 23, 2003I've switched to Movable Type by this point. Definitely using CSS instead of tables.

June 18, 2004

September 9, 2004

March 5, 2005

This doesn't include anything since my switch to Wordpress -- which has encompassed at least three different appearances (including the default WP theme). There's at least one version missing from within the sequence, too. It would have been my first CSS based layout. I worked on it over winter break in Portland, must have been December 2002-January 2003.

Also not included are pre-North sites. I think I've had a web presence since at least 1996, but those files are long gone. Even if the Wayback Machine has records of them, I don't remember the URLs to be able to look them up.

Of these samples, I like the look of August 2003 the best.

Now with sound

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 12:03:11 -0500

This weekend I shot another panorama of Centennial Olympic Park. But this time, it's got sound.

First tone-mapped image

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:03:42 -0500

This is a (misnamed) high dymanic range, or HDR, image. HDR isn't actually accurate, though. As Erik describes, monitors can't actually display HDR images, so the extra information is adjusted in order to be viewable in a process called tone mapping. I imagine this is analogous to how infrared images are mapped into the visual spectrum to generate false-color photos and video.

The tone-mapped image is generated from multiple photos of the same subject. In this case, three photos were taken: one at 0 EV (properly exposed according to automatic settings in camera, seen below), one at -2 EV (underexposed by two stops) and one at +2 EV.

I used a program called Photomatix to create the tone-mapped image. This example isn't particularly dramatic, but there are more interesting samples in the Flickr HDR group.

Better bowling through listening

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:03:04 -0500

I found this cassette in a pile of freebies in my building's laundry room. I haven't listened to it yet, but the affirmation list looks amazing.

You can't really make out the text on the cassette in this picture, but it reads, "Play for one hour per day for at least 30 days, and thereafter as needed, for best results."

The copyright is dated 1984 by a company called Mind Communication, Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Any G-Rad folks know if this company is still around? The address on the tape, "945 Burton S.W.," doesn't seem to exist. 945 Burton St SE does, but it looks like a residential area.

I need to find a cassette player, then I'll try listening to the tape and see if my bowling improves.

Also found in the pile of cassettes was "Star Trek: Sound Effects from Original TV Soundtrack."

Google Maps is the best

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:03:51 -0500

... double true!

I've been playing around with Google Maps and created a map of the towns in which I've lived.

If you zoom in on some of the places, the markers are off a bit. I used the lat./long. data from Google Earth, which seems to be off by a couple miles compared to Google Maps.

The points are loaded from an external XML file, so each time I move, I can just add another line to the file and the map will load the new locator, too.

My long-term goal with this is to create a mini-guide to Atlanta. The data would be stored in a MySQL database, which would be accessed through PHP to generate the XML file for Google Maps to read via Javascript. It's kind of a convoluted process -- there may be a simpler way.

Updated March 16: I'm stupid. Google Maps and Google Earth are totally sync'd, I just wasn't converting the coordinates correctly. My apologies to the staff members at Google, who are much smarter than me.

Jury duty

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 23:03:51 -0500

I got a summons for jury duty the other day but I have to request a postponement because I'm going to be out of town. I'm a little disappointed.

Why do so many people dislike jury duty? I have this impression (which could easily be way off base) that people tend to avoid jury duty like the plague. Is it just because you have to miss your regular job, and therefore earn less money that pay period? Are there other reasons?

Updated March 16: My summons has been deferred. I'm now scheduled for may.

Hotel room QTVR

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:03:57 -0500

Here is a QTVR of the hotel room I stayed in.

You can see panoramas of New Orleans at CNN.com.

NOLA food

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:03:36 -0500

Good eats.

Not pictured is the Muffuletta sandwich I had. It was at least a foot in diameter and three or four inches thick in the middle. I ate 3/4 of it before having to throw in the napkin. When I woke up the next morning, I was still full.

Brick and neon

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 20:02:23 -0500

Panorama notes: Zoom control

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:02:10 -0500

I'm learning how to create QTVR panoramas using PTMac. I'll be posting my notes here as I figure things out in case anyone else ends up with the same questions as me.

Today's lesson: controlling the zoom feature.

If we use the default settings (Figure 1, right), we can zoom *way* in on our panorama until the viewing area is filled with unrecognizable giant blocks of color. Ideally (in my opinion), users should be able to zoom in until they see the actual-size image: one pixel in the QTVR equals one pixel in the source, or raw, image. A comparison is shown in Figure 2, below.

The left image is a partial screen grab of what it looks like when we zoom in all the way using the default setting. In the middle is a partial screen grab of the source image viewed at 100% in Photoshop. On the right is a partial screen grab of what it looks like when we zoom in all the way on the QTVR using adjusted settings. (Note: the image is crappy to begin with because the photos were accidentally taken out of focus.)

To control how much we can zoom in and out, we adjust the minimum and maximum FOV (field of view), which is given in angular degrees (360 degrees in a full circle). For now we're only worried about the minimum FOV. Decreasing the FOV is effectively zooming in. Think of your digital camera. When your camera is zoomed all the way out, you can see more of the scene: Your field of view is greater. When you zoom in, you decrease your field of you by narrowing in on the subject you're photographing.

First, we have to figure out how large our flattened source image is. In this case, my image is 3,200 pixels wide.

If we divide that by 360, that will tell us the angular resolution in pixels per degree. 3200 / 360 = 8.888.

Next we need to know the pixel width of the shortest side of our viewing window. In our case, the viewing window is 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels tall, so we'll use 300.

Divide 300 by 8.888 to get the desired minumum FOV: ~33 degrees in our example. Now we can only zoom in until we are viewing the image at actual size (Figure 2c).

Four things (the interweb meme)

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 01:02:05 -0500

This meme has been going around a while and I was recently tagged by Sara.

Four Jobs I've Had:

Petroleum distribution engineer (I pumped gas)

Newspaper editor (and writer, photographer, page designer, circulation manager, ...)

Radio station manager

Burger flipper at McD's

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:

Sneakers ("Cow mutilations are up.")

High Fidelity

Spirited Away

Gattaca

Four Places I've Lived:

Coldfoot, Alaska (Wikipedia entry)

Sitka, Alaska

Fairbanks, Alaska

Atlanta, Georgia

Four TV Shows I Love:

Lost (I'm filling out this form because I just watched an episode and don't want to go to sleep right away)

Family Guy

West Wing

Sopranos

Four Places I've Vacationed:

Hawaii

Key West, Florida

Winthrop, Maine

Portland, Oregon

Four of My Favorite Dishes:

Yellow curry

"The special"

Garlic smashed potatoes

German chocolate cake

Four Sites I Visit Daily:

Google

Urbanhonking

CSOF

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:

In bed

Portland, Oregon

Tokyo, Japan

London, England

Four People Who I Would Like to Read Four Things About:
If any of you follow suit, let me know and I'll link it up

Kyle

Heather

January status report

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 23:02:36 -0500

Update: Now in color and with pictures

We're now roughly 10 percent of the way through 2006, and it's time to take stock of my progress on each of my resolutions.

Zero credit card balance

Status: Behind schedule

This situation has actually gotten worse since January 1. I was making reasonable progress until I purchased a ticket to Las Vegas. That shouldn't have affected my goal too much, until it was compounded by unforseen expenses related to my recent hard drive failure.

I think I can still make this goal happen, but it comes at the expense of another. My plans for visiting Europe this fall have become abbreviated: Instead of one week in Paris and one in London, I'm planning on only spending a week in/around London.

Post one entry per week to cmerrill.com

Status: Ahead of schedule

While some may argue the merits of some of my entires, I'm currently well-ahead of schedule, averaging 1.25 entries per week. In theory, I could not write another entry for 2 more weeks and still be on track for accomplishing this goal.

Write one handwritten letter per month

Status: Behind schedule

I haven't written one yet. Since we're still early in the year, I don't anticipate any problems catching up.

Buy two new CDs per month

Status: On schedule

I bought two CDs in January: Cat Power's "The Greatest" and "Tales from Turnpike House" by Saint Etienne. I'm pleased with both selections and look forward to my next purchase. If you have any suggestions for new discs, please leave them in the comments. Keep in mind I'm trying to restrict my selection to music released in 2006, but will make exceptions.

Be able to run three miles in 25.5 minutes

Status: Way behind schedule

I don't think I've even laced up my running shoes this year.

Leave the state five times

Status: On schedule

Toward the end of January, I visited the Tennessee Aquarium in Chatanooga. I was only out of the state for a few hours, but outside the state is outside the state. Future plans include a trip to Las Vegas next month and a trip to London in the fall. That leaves two more extra-state trips to plan before the year is out.

Spend eight days in Paris London

Status: Revised

Due to financial constraints, this goal is being revised to spending eight days in London.

Read 13 books

Status: On schedule

Book No. 1 was "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell. Book No. 2 is in progress: "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. I didn't read Amazon's description very carefully, so I was surprised when it turned out to be almost a thousand pages. I'm enjoying it so far.

Prepare/cook 21 meals per month

Status: Behind schedule

I was doing OK at the beginning of January, but have since fallen behind. I think I can catch up, though -- especially considering that accomplishing this goal means spending less money, leaving more for paying down the credit card.

Produce and upload 34 minutes of audio/video content

Status: On schedule

The video from the aquarium visit is a bit over three minutes long, which means that I've finished 10 percent of this goal and we're about 10 percent of the way through the year. It doesn't get much more on schedule than that.

Conclusion

I obviously have some catching up to do, but I'm not yet so far behind that any goal is out of reach.

Cut off

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 23:02:22 -0500

Due to computer troubles, I'm effectively offline. If you send me e-mail and I don't get back to you right away, it's not because I'm ignoring you. Feel free to call or send me a text message if you need to reach me.

On a deserted island

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:01:06 -0500

Wow.

I've only seen the first three episodes and I'm hooked.

When I first saw ads for "Lost," I thought it was just some show cooked up to capitalize on the "Survivor" craze, but now I'm blown away.

I love how the characters are revealed so slowly. First, it makes it a little easier to keep up. The producers/writers must have realized that it would be insane to try to develop all the characters in the first couple of episodes because there are so many. Also, it adds to the suspense. Each episode provides just a few more details about a couple of characters, which sometimes just raises more questions -- as if there aren't enough of those to go around as it is.

Then there's the island, which seems to be the paramount mystery, and a character unto itself. I'm not going to say any more, because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone who hasn't seen it yet (like I have a lot of room to talk, I've seen only three episodes).

If you don't care about spoilers, you can check out Liz's entries on Warm Glow, and I'm sure there's plenty of talk on various "Lost" forums.

As for me, I'm going to avoid any references to the show until I'm caught up.

Aquarium pics

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:01:33 -0500

More photos on Flickr.

Aqua friends

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 23:01:17 -0500

I went to the Georgia Aquarium this morning before work. Please enjoy this short video of my visit (music by YACHT).

I also have a bunch of pictures, which I will be uploading soon.

Under Construction complete

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 14:01:58 -0500

In classic 1995 / Web 1.0 fashion, I'm declaring this site Under Construction.

Note: this post does not count toward my resolutions.

Update: I'm now prepared to declare this a stable, 1.0 design.

Overpromised, underdelivered

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:01:22 -0500

This package of Grapples (pronounced grape-el) caught my eye at the grocery store.

I was a little anxious before my first bite. I didn't know if the inside would be like an apple or a grape -- and I didn't know what to expect it would taste like.

As it turns out, the Grapple has the consistency and texture of a Granny Smith. The taste? Exactly like an apple -- but not a particularly flavorful one -- with a faint aftertaste of artificial grape, like a popsicle.

I'm unimpressed, and will buy regular apples in the future.

The only use I can forsee is a mild prank. It would be amusing to see someone's reaction if they thought they were eating regular apples.

SimCurt: Escher

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:01:04 -0500

I added a new piece of art to my walls (thanks, Sara). The photo doesn't really do it justice, it looks really good in person.

I'm going to try to create a QTVR (or a crude facsimile thereof) of my apartment in the near future. It's certainly come a long way since I first moved in.

Out with Firefox, in with Safari

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:01:25 -0500

After my computer scare last month, I decided to check out Firefox, based on reading several reviews comparing it favorably to Safari. I went so far as to make it my default browser.

No longer.

I can understand the appeal of Firefox (especially for Windows users who have few alternatives), and I like the customizations available through extensions, some of which add features that should be standard in any browser, like linky. And the web developer toolbar is awesome. But for day-in day-out browsing, I'll take Safari.

First of all (these are in no particular order by the way), Safari's much more responsive on my machine (1GHz 12" PowerBook G4). Firefox took much longer to launch and I experienced noticable lag when doing simple actions like opening new tabs.

Second, I like being able to close a tab with out switching to it. Firefox provides one 'X' button at the end of the row of tabs which will close your current tab, but Safari provides an 'X' button on each tab so you can close without switching.

Third, I like using cmd-shift-left and cmd-shift-right to cycle between tabs. Similarly, I like being able to use cmd-~ to switch between open windows. Also in the keyboard shortcuts department, I like that I can use cmd-# (where # is a number, like 2) to open links stored in my bookmarks bar. That kind of access to frequently used links is great.

Lastly, I like the aqua-style radio buttons, checkboxes and submit buttons in HTML forms.

I know there are extensions that recreate some of these features in Firefox, but why track them down when I have them all in one package already?

Accountability

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 01:01:23 -0500

I've been learning PHP lately. One of my first scripts will help me (and you) keep track of how I'm doing on my New Year's resolutions. Based on the numbers I provide, the script generates graphs for each one. You can see the results on my new Resolutions page. I didn't create a graph for the "3 miles in 25.5 minutes" goal because it doesn't really lend itself to a one-dimensional percentage-based chart.

Update: Here's the source if anyone wants to take a look.

Chuck roast

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 12:01:35 -0500

This is one of the times when smell-o-vision would be cool. This will get me well on my way to keeping my New Year's resolutions. A) I can easily get three or four meals out of this, B) It cost less than $20, and C) I'm writing a post about it.

Upgrade complete

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 18:12:35 -0500

Just upgraded Wordpress version 2. Will be replacing the default theme in the near future.

Looking ahead to aught-six

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:12:51 -0500

Here are my quantifiable New Years resolutions (listed in Fibonacci sequence):

Zero credit card balance by Dec. 31

Post one entry per week to cmerrill.com

Write one handwritten letter each month

Buy two new CDs per month

Be able to run three miles in 25.5 minutes

Leave the state five times

Spend eight days in Paris, France

Read 13 books

Prepare/cook 21 meals per month

Produce and upload 34 minutes of audio/video content

And I think I will try to follow these qualitative goals from the BBC (thanks, Freddy!).

Panorama test

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 09:12:50 -0500

The printer I got for Christmas (thanks mom and dad!) came with software for stitching together panoramas. It works better than the stitching in Photoshop CS (maybe it's improved in CS2). Here's downtown Portland from the east side of the Willamette river.

Parents' surprise

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 20:12:56 -0500

My brothers and I got our parents a Mac mini for Christmas. They weren't quite sure what to make of it when they unwrapped it: Watch the video.

Traveling

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 20:12:07 -0500

The plane carrying me from Atlanta to Boston began its descent over NYC. I was on the wrong side of the plane for the best view but took a photo anyway.

Now with video

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:12:42 -0500

iMovie and Quicktime don't like the movies created by my Sony camera, but now I have a program that does (thanks, Steve!). Here's a video I took on the bus before a baseball game this summer.

SimCurt: Interactive edition -- The finale

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 18:12:17 -0500

Note: To Armand -- Your text message got cut off, but all the original content on the site is available under a Creative Commons license.

After carefully considering all of your comments, I finally got my new bed.

I got to IKEA shortly after they opened so I could avoid the crowds and to make sure I would have time to put my purchase together before going on holiday tomorrow morning.

After returning home, I moved my existing furniture out of the way and opened the flat-pack box. I was immediately intimidated by the large number of pieces so I went up the street to Manuel's Tavern for lunch.

Fully recharged, I set about the initial stages of assembly. I inserted small wooden pegs into their designated holes per the first page of the instructions. Step two was inserting screws to securely fasten the pieces together. As anyone who has assembled IKEA furniture knows, they use a special hexagonal tool for their fasteners. Well, my box didn't come with one. At this point I uttered the first of what would become many non broadcast-friendly words.

Fortunately I had saved the tool from my last IKEA purchase, and was able to proceed.

It wasn't too much farther along, perhaps page two or three of the instructions, that I began to realize IKEA doesn't kid around when they recommend two people. Trying to hold a six-foot-long piece of lumber steady while you manually screw another piece onto the end is a frustrating experience to say the least -- but I had plenty more than "the least" to say.

The next surprise was that some of the holes required for assembly didn't exist. Fortunately, again, I had a power drill to drive the screws into the proper locations without too much of a fuss. But then I came across a hex fastener that was too big for the IKEA standard tool. I was lucky enough to have a piece that worked in a set of bits that came with the drill.

About five hours after unpacking the pieces (including the lunch break), I was finally done with the assembly. Looking back, it doesn't seem like it was too bad a process, but there were at least three points where I wouldn't have been able to continue if not for already having certain tools on hand. Anyway, here's the finished product:

As you can see its not the HEIMDAL or ANEBODA. Although ANEBODA received more votes, it was out of stock, so I went with the next best cheaper option. The DALSELV , though, combines the best features of the other options. The wood frame is inviting and the headboard facilitates the use of handcuffs.

Back to school

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:12:11 -0500

I just signed up for a beginning Spanish class at Emory. Ninety minutes a week for nine weeks starting in January.

Recovering

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 22:12:06 -0500

I was driving to the coffee shop yesterday afternoon. I was going to work on some stuff online. My computer was in my shoulder bag on the passenger seat. A traffic light turned and I had to stop rather swiftly. Inertia, however, ruled the day and my shoulder bag rolled from the seat onto the floor.

I ordered a coffee and sat down. I opened the lid of my laptop and it awoke from sleep quite normally. About a minute later, I got the BBOD in Safari. It's not uncommon, so I launched iChat while waiting it out. The iChat icon bounced in the dock a couple of times, then froze mid-bounce. I tried to open the force quit menu, but there was no response. I held the power button to do a hard shut down.

When I powered back up, the Apple logo and spinner appeared. But then nothing happened. So I waited. And waited. Still spinning. I waited a couple more minutes. Nothing.

I shut the machine down and slowly resigned myself to the fact that I would soon be the owner of a new laptop.

I tried using target-disk mode to mount the drive on a desktop machine, but it wasn't recognized. I tried booting from an OS install CD so I could try to run disk utility, but it launched right into the installer. I calculated how long it would take me to pay off my credit card with a new computer purchase added.

Mike mentioned the possibility that there might be a loose connection between the drive and motherboard, which raised my spirits a little. This morning I got up and immediately drove to the Apple store to visit the genius bar.

I signed in and waited my turn. I passed the time fiddling with Motion -- which is a pretty sweet application, but I digress.

Finally my name was called and I pulled the laptop out of my bag and explained my predicament. The genius hit the power button and held down the keys to enable verbose mode. I watched as the boot process commenced and then was pleasantly surprised to see the login screen.

Classic tech support story... when you bring it in, the problem goes away. Despite appearances, he advised reformatting and reinstalling the OS. We booted the machine one more time at the store; no problem. I shut down and came home.

I had just backed up my Users folder (which contains the most important files on my drive) within the past week or so, but I booted once again and copied the System and Library folders to an external drive, then began the process of reinstalling the OS.

I'm back up and running, but I still have to finish getting everything set up. There are preferences to restore and other things to make sure are set, but for the most part, I'm back in action.

The morals of the story are a) put fragile items on the floor of your car when traveling (there's less of a fall that way), and b) back up your stuff because you never know when something may happen.

Distorted self portrait

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 13:12:26 -0500

Foggy night

Sun, 27 Nov 2005 23:11:58 -0500

Foto Challenge: Science

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:11:03 -0500

This is a bit of a stretch, but it was on short notice. Tomorrow's theme: Indulgence.

Merrill Foto Challenge: Day 1

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:11:20 -0500

The challenge: Each day of the week, post a photo taken that day. A theme may sometimes be involved, but not necessarily.

SimCurt: Interactive edition

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:11:14 -0500

I need a bed. I've narrowed the options down to two choices, shown above. In true internet fashion, I'm going to let you decide which one I should get. Leave a comment with your choice. In two weeks, I will go to IKEA and buy whichever receives the most votes. In the event that the most-voted-for bed is out of stock, I will buy the other. Unless, of course, that one, too, is out of stock, in which case voting will continue for two more weeks and I will go back and try again. The ballot box is officially open. One vote per person, please.

SimCurt: New photo

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 13:11:51 -0500

I bought this photo from Daniel way back in April, and finally got it matted and framed.

The power of numbers

Sat, 29 Oct 2005 15:10:19 -0500

I've signed up for another season of Fantasy Basketball. Although I know only marginally more about the sport and players than I did last season, I have a much better feeling about the outcome this time around. I've employed my inner nerd as assistant coach and statistician in order to better plan my weekly lineups.

This illustration shows the comparison between my team, the Decepticons (top) and Cameroon Robusto, my week 1 opponent. Unfortunately, the only stats I have for comparison are last season's totals, which I don't think are going to be very representative. However, using the function and conditional formatting features of Excel, I can get an idea of how my team will fare. According to this chart, I should win every category the first week. I don't think that's likely, however, because of the unrepresentative data.

Once the season gets into swing, though, I can use the weekly numbers for each player, which will be much better indicators of performance. Since the totals are automatically calculated, I can instantly see the effect of swapping a player in my lineup with one from my roster's bench (or from a trade/free agent).

I recognize that numbers are only part of the story, though. I still need to keep up with the teams and players. An injury or trade (in the real-world) could certainly affect a player's minutes, and thus, my projections.

It's not cold

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:10:50 -0500

Ahhh... The temperature has finally dropped into comfortable levels. Although I enjoy it when the mercury is in the 40-60 F range, people who have lived in Atlanta a while don't seem to be as welcoming of the cool air. When people complained about the "cold," I used to respond by saying how it's really nice and that cold is when your face hurts as soon as you step outside, or cold is when your spit freezes before it hits the ground, or cold is when air loses its ability to hold any moisture at all (-40 F/C), and then tell stories of riding to school in said conditions with studded tires on my bike. Or walking 3/4 of a mile to class to the U. Park building with many layers of clothes on but without my glasses because they got too cold to wear, etc. Lately, though, I've been holding my tongue. I've kind of gotten tired of all those anecdotes, and I don't want to appear to be a one-note conversationalist, so I'll only mention them if asked, which I invariably am when someone finds out I'm from Alaska. Even when I see people wearing wool hats and heavy jackets in the very pleasant fall climate.

At the drive-in

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 15:10:04 -0500

I went to a drive-in theater for the first time. It was kind of a surreal experience -- I've only seen drive-ins in movies and TV shows. For the most part, it's a lot like going to a traditional theater. Visually, it was just the same, but the audio wasn't as good (no surround sound in the car). We saw Wallace and Gromit, which was great.

Nickel Creek

Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:10:15 -0500

Dad and I went to see Nickel Creek last night. It was a really fun show. The band's new album features an ode to Stumptown in Portland, which mandolinist Chris Thile called his favorite coffee shop.

Shirts

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:10:31 -0500

I just ordered a couple of new shirts from Threadless. At left is Tomorrow's Already Friday and the one on the right is Flower Power.

Straight up pre-paid

Fri, 07 Oct 2005 01:10:32 -0500

After crunching some numbers in my head, I decided that a pre-paid cell plan would be a bit more cost effecient. I went to the T-Mobile store in the mall and asked if I could switch from my monthly plan to pre-paid. I was told I could, but I would not be able to keep my phone number. Not acceptable.

I wasn't entirely confident in the employee's knowledge, though, and I called customer service. I told the customer service representative that I wanted to switch to pre-paid as long as I could keep my number. I was forwarded to a pre-paid customer service rep and explained that I was interested in the pre-paid plan as long as I could keep my number. He said it was possible and forwarded me to an activation rep, who I told that I wanted to switch and keep my number. I was then forwarded to someone else because my request wasn't just a simple activation, it was a transfer. After she filled out the requisite form, she asked if I had any other questions about pre-paid service, which I did, so I was transfered back to pre-paid customer service, where my question was answered and I was off the phone.

Although on first reading it probably sounds like a horrible experience, it was actually quite pleasant (for a customer service call). My hold times were minimal (less than a minute for each transfer), all the representatives were friendly and my request was taken care of. It just seemed weird to get transferred so rapidly.

And with that short (and likely pointless) story, I leave you with this: Fees, shorty, fees.

Update: Here's the cost comparison: My monthly plan was about $50. $40 for the main plan (600 whenever minutes, free nights and weekends), $3 for 300 text messages (incoming and outgoing) and $7 in various fees and taxes. I've never come anywhere close to using all 600 minutes in a month.

With prepaid, I can get 1,000 minutes for $100 ($.10/min). I get free incoming text messages and outgoing messages cost $.10 (1 min). If those 1,000 minutes last more than 2 months, which shouldn't be a problem, I come out ahead.

Happy birthday, Mario!

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 23:10:47 -0500

This is one from the archives, circa 2002.

Squeaky Chucks

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:10:20 -0500

What is it about Chuck Taylors? Every pair I can remember owning begins to squeak after wearing them for a while.

Right after the heel touches the ground and my foot begins rolling forward, the shoe squeaks. It doesn't matter whether the floor is soft, like grass or carpet, or hard, like hardwood or concrete. Squeak, squeak, squeak, every step.

New digs

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 23:10:34 -0500

Things have changed around here once again. Creating WordPress templates is a bit harder than MT templates, but I've managed to get pretty far today. There are still some style and content elements to take care of, but I have the layout pretty much set. I'm particularly proud of the photo section at the bottom of the page (Go ahead and scroll down, I'll wait).

Once I put the finishing touches on the presentation, I'll work harder on providing actual content since that seems to be why most of you visit the site (based on the public outcry). The curtledoodles.org domain is available, though, if anyone is still interested.

OK, OK...

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:09:09 -0500

I'm not dead.

Are you happy now?

From the sixth row

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 12:08:59 -0500

I watched the Braves play the Padres yesterday from the 6th row... I couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 feet away from the field. Being able to hear the slap of the ball against the leather of the catcher's mitt, or the crack as the hitter connects with a 90 mph pitch is amazing. One pitch was clocked at 101 mph!

The only downside is that I was sitting in the sun for 12 innings and am now suffering for it. I missed the Padres' winning grand slam in the 13th because I had to get out of the sun and into some A/C.

Change is good

Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:08:52 -0500

As you can probably see, things around here look a little different today. I've migrated from MovableType to WordPress to run the site. Mostly I made the switch out of curiosity. Wordpress seems to be gaining popularity and i wanted to try it out. It's also based on PHP, which i'm told lightens the load a bit on the server side of the equation. Now I need to learn the basics of PHP, but I'm willing to take on that responsiblity.

The move is actually relatively easy. It looks like some of the entries got some new categories assigned to them, but other than that, everything else seems to have moved smoothly. If you've bookmarked specific entries, those URLs will continue to work, but feel free to find the entries using the new system to update your bookmark.

This design is not of my own creation. As I learn more about PHP and WordPress templates, I'll be slowly changing the look, but this was my favorite template of the multitude available.

Happy birthday...

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 10:08:03 -0500

... to me :)

Today's agenda includes Braves v. Pirates at Turner Field, a brewery tour, good dinner and probably some other stuff.

update: Braves lost to the Pirates 4-1. If Atlanta could have held on to the ball (3 errors), we might have fared better. We couldn't make it from the game to the brewery in time because of an insane amount of traffic. Not only were people leaving the ballgame, but rush hour was just starting.

Gentlemen, behold!

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 13:07:38 -0500

The Pizza Burger (patent pending).

Are you in good hands?

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 01:07:12 -0500

I wonder if this was covered by his insurance policy.

Although the vast majority of meteors is much smaller and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, the average homeowner should expect to repair direct meteor damage every hundred million years.

Watch this

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 11:07:07 -0500

I got a new watch. I haven't worn a watch in almost a year since the last one I had stopped ticking after getting soaked in a couple of tropical storms (kind of like this one). My new watch is from Japan, which means it looks awesome and lights up.

Watch the watch in action (200 KB - Quicktime)

Fireballs

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:07:27 -0500

My first isometric art

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 10:07:03 -0500

Using RhysD's tutorial as a guide, I created the isometric rendering of a Powermac G5 you see at right. It took some trial and error to figure out the handles, but I think they turned out pretty well. Eventually, I'd like to create an entire scene -- of what, I'm not sure yet, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Famous ATLiens: An ongoing series

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 18:06:20 -0500

Update: Poker professional Josh Arieh lives in ATL.

July 10, 2004Everyone knows Outkast are from Atlanta. As is Ted Turner. What I recently discovered is that the duo behind Homestarrunner.com are also from the area. Other famous (to varying degrees -- see this Let's Get Famous post for more about "fame") residents include designer Todd Dominey and the late Margaret Mitchell, writer. I also have reason to believe that the offices of Adult Swim are in this fair city, and am working to confirm.

Top pizza in ATL

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 18:06:05 -0500

You're looking at two slices of "the special" from Little 5 Pizza (also available at Fellini's). This is one of the best pizzas in town. There are other excellent pizzas in town, but this one is tops for me. It has everything: pepperoni, sausage, ham, olives (black and green), onions, green peppers, mushrooms and probably some other stuff hidden underneath the generous helping of cheese. (The knife and fork are required utensils because the crust can't handle the weight of the toppings.)

Other top pizzas: Savage Pizza and Mellow Mushroom

New Chucks

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 12:06:27 -0500

Inspired by Mike's recent shopping spree, I, too, bought some new shoes (pictured right). Chuck Taylors must be the most versatile shoes around. There's a pair for pretty much every occasion, even to go with your pin-stripe suit.

SimCurt: Bookshelf

Fri, 17 Jun 2005 16:06:16 -0500

The instructions recommended two people to to put this thing together.

I also recommend two people.

Just when you think you're making progress, the pieces start separating. I had to start almost completely over a couple of times because the lower shelves would misalign as I tried to add on the higher shelf pieces. Lifting it up was hard, too. I head to wedge cardboard underneath it a piece at a time until there was enough room for my fingers to grab on. It's ineffably heavy.

But now it's done and I can unpack my boxes to populate the cubes (next episode).

Fly fishin'

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 02:06:05 -0500

I went fishing this weekend. It was the first time I've been fishing in at least eight years, and the very first time I've been fly fishing. At first I was intimidated by the fly rod -- I've always considered fly fishing the pinnacle of angling.

After a couple of beginner's tips from my uncle and a few casts, I learned it's not as difficult as I imagined. That's not to say there's no skill involved; far from it. There's definitely a learning curve and I'm at the bottom. It was fun to learn and slowly let out the line, though, but there were times when my cousin and I sat in the canoe and just watched the skilled anglers, hoping that maybe fly fishing skills were somehow passed down genetically.

I managed to get two fish on my line (not at the same time), but both got away before we could get them in the boat.

I'm going to go watch "A River Runs Through It" in slow-mo now.

Traveling

Thu, 09 Jun 2005 03:06:55 -0500

For all you flight trackers:
Thursday: ATL-BOS on Delta 1140; BOS-PWM on Delta 5545
Monday: PWM-ATL on Delta 4581

SimCurt: A Preview

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 09:06:48 -0500

Good advice

Thu, 26 May 2005 12:05:36 -0500

Does it get any nerdier?

Thu, 19 May 2005 03:05:03 -0500

Top 5 Anticipated Movies of 2005

Tue, 17 May 2005 23:05:59 -0500

OK, we're already a quarter of the way through the year, so this is actually the Top 5 Anticipated Movies of the Remainder of 2005.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter
Batman Begins
Wallace and Gromit
Star Wars Episode III

Fantastic Four almost made the list but I don't think it's going to be very good. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a lot of potential, but I'm not as excited about it as the others.

Dark Side of the iPod

Sun, 08 May 2005 23:05:39 -0500

I like my iPod. Its 20-gigabyte drive can hold about 5,000 songs, which makes my commute to work about 5,000 times better. Solitaire helps pass the time while waiting at the DMV. And it's just plain pretty. But the svelte device has a dark side that isn't often talked about.

The problem is that I don't spend quality time with my music anymore. Whenever I used to get a new CD, I would listen to it exclusively for at least a week, learning the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of each song. I'd start humming the first bars of the second track as the first was coming to a close. As I flipped the pages of my CaseLogic, I could look at CD art and instantly know what I could expect from each disc.

Now I have an iPod. There are so many songs (380 albums' worth, at present) that I get overwhelmed by the decision. I cop out and click Shuffle Songs. I still buy physical CDs, but they go on the iPod right away. I listen to the new album a couple times, but then I start feeling guilty for not listening to the other 379 I'm carrying with me. Shuffle Songs only seems fair -- give each one an equal shot at being heard.

Some have praised the shuffle feature for its serendipitous selections -- playing the perfect song for a particular moment. I admit it has it's merits, but I miss the deep associations I used to develop. When I would devote myself to one album at a time, all the events during that time became affiliated through the music. Years later, certain songs are aural triggers for those memories. With shuffle, those musical-memory bonds just don't form like they used to. My temporal lobe lacks the repetition and consistency necessary to develop long-term memories and relationships.

All that said, will I give up my membership in the clan of white earbuds? Not a chance, but I am removing Shuffle Songs from my main menu and setting repeat to all.

A spectacle to behold

Sat, 07 May 2005 22:05:40 -0500

Back when I posted my Top 5 Live Shows I had no idea that exactly two months later I would see something that blows every one of them away.

I just got back from watching Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular -- and it was Spectacular with a capital "S."

On the turntables, DJ Shake was incredible. During one portion of the show he handled the wheels of steel with every part of his body. Yes, all 2000 of them. Just before the finale of his set, he picked the mixer out of the DJ coffin and balanced it on the back of his neck, reaching behind his head with his hands to flick the slider back and forth while keeping the records in time. As his momentum built, he was frantically working the turntables and mixer in all sorts of contortions -- behind is back, under his leg, with his nose -- and then brought both records to a stop with his Chuck Taylors, his upper body hidden from view behind the table.

The drummer, Peter Rabbit, was equally mind-blowing. His first set utilized three plastic buckets, with which he made more sounds than one would think possible. The drumming was so fast it sounded like he had four arms -- and at times it looked like it, too, because his hands and sticks were just blurs above the tops of the buckets. Later on, he pounded out rhythms on an actual drum set, but wasn't content sitting on the stool: He stood up, and drummed his way around the set, using every surface of everything he passed by, sides and bottoms of drums, mic stands, the stage... unbelievable.

Then, of course, there's the dancing. The balance, power, grace, humor, speed and rhythm were uncanny. Poppin', Lockin', Breakin' and everything in between, all happening just two rows in front of me.

Before walking into the theater, I expected to enjoy the show. But I didn't think I would step out onto the sidewalk two hours later, shaking my head in silence still trying to process what I had just seen.

Top 5 Restaurants/Bars in Fairbanks

Tue, 03 May 2005 11:05:38 -0500

Airport Way Family Restaurant
The only 24-hour restaurant actually open for 24 hours. Denny's and, if memory serves, Dillinger's both closed for an hour or two after the bars closed on weekends -- too many incidents.

The Marlin
Convenient (within walking distance of campus) and a good place for music or just hanging out.

Sweet Basil
Best Thai food in town.

Captain Bartlett Inn
The bar at CBI has an actual name, but I don't remember what it is. They serve good food if you're hungry, or you can snack on the free peanuts (and throw the shells on the floor). Overall, a good place to just grab a beer and hang out.

The Blue Loon
They started showing second-run/indie movies, which earns them a spot on the list. They also have the only Galaxia machine in town.

It's the return

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:04:10 -0500

PDX has free wi-fi, which is nice when your flight is delayed an hour.

Music as Masquerade

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 15:04:40 -0500

photo by Josh

I joined some friends for the 2005 Pop Conference at the EMP in Seattle. For the uninitiated, it's a gathering of music journalists presenting and discussing music in a sort of academic format. We only dropped in for two sessions out of four days of events, so all observations herein should not necessarily be taken as representative of the entire conference.

Based on my previous expo/conference experience, I was expecting more workshop-like sessions, wherein experienced music writers would share their work and panels would critique and discuss articles, genres and the industry as a whole. To my surprise, the first panel we attended, "Cool Icons" (pictured above), was nearly the opposite of my preconceived ideas. Instead of workshopping and critique the panelists presented academic papers about music icons based on significant amounts of research.

Because I was caught off guard (and also because I'd slept only 8 of the last 48 hours), I didn't absorb as much of the content as I would have liked. I wish I could tell you the parallels between Courtney Love and Miles Davis as presented by Julianne Shepherd (far left in the picture) and Krin Gabbard (second from right), respectively. Unfortunately, the best I can do is express my admiration for the panelists who are orders of magnitude more knowledgeable than me about music.

The second, and final (for us), session was a roundtable discussion about music and blogs. This panel was more in line with what I expected. Despite a moderator who was anything but, the speakers had some interesting things to say about the role of music blogs and their relationship to professional music journalism. I should have taken notes because there was some legit discussion. Instead, I walked away with only a list of names to Google (assuming I can read the name cards in the photo).

I could definitely see myself attending this conference again. Next time I'll be armed with more representative expectations, a pen and some paper so I can walk away with more than a vague idea of what just happened.

Top 5 Media Movies

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:04:32 -0500

These are movies of particular interest to people who work in journalism and media, but they're also just plain good movies that anyone will enjoy.

The Paper
This is a good story about a scrappy underdog newspaper getting the big scoop. But it's also about the struggles between business and journalism and the struggle to balance life at work and at home.

All The President's Men
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are two of the (if not the) most renown journalists. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman are two of the most renown actors. Not a bad combination for a movie.

Citizen Kane
Orson Welles wrote, directed and starred in the story of a ruthless but lonely newspaper mogul. The character of Kane was based on several power brokers of the era, but William Randolph Hearst was the most signficant inspiration.

Broadcast News
Albert Brooks and William Hurt are reporters working at the same D.C. station and fighting for attention of their same female producer.

Shattered Glass
Stephen Glass is one of the most infamous writers. Shattered Glass tells the story of his fabricat.ions and manipulations at The New Republic.

More like Rem Coolhaas

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 21:04:01 -0500

While in Seattle, we visited the Seattle Public Library. Rem Koolhaas's library puts Frank Gehry's EMP to shame. Enjoy this short video, and check out Flickr for photos.

Wheels up!

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 01:04:13 -0500

I'm scheduled to depart Atlanta at about 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. out West). If you get bored, you can track my 5-hour flight.

The next 14 days are going to be a lot of fun. If I'm coming to your area (Portland, Seattle, Anchorage or Fairbanks), get in touch and we'll hang out. I have some activities scheduled -- Pop Conference, BlogFest '05, Blazers v. Lakers and a Mercury meeting, among others -- but most of my time is currently unaccounted for.

Top 5 Comedians

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:04:38 -0500

Among the many passings last week (The pope, Terri Schiavo, Johnnie Cochran) was comedian Mitch Hedberg. This week's list is in his honor.

Mitch Hedberg
"I can't tell you what hotel I'm staying at, but there are two trees involved."

Dane Cook
"I'm just a stupid clock playing stupid clock games."

Tony Woods
"He's a monkey!"

Jim Gaffigan
"People become morons when they write postcards, 'This city has big buildings. I like food. Bye.'"

...
Wow, I can't really think of anyone else who really stands out. There are the big obvious names like Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Bernie Mac, but they don't really fit into this list. I'm sure if I thought about it long enough, I could come up with someone to fill the fifth slot, but that name wouldn't really mean anything.

Pope John Paul II

Sun, 03 Apr 2005 23:04:39 -0500

In 1979, Pope John Paul II made his first visit to the United States to address the United Nations. During his visit he met with some journalists covering the story. Here's some of what he had to say:

"If your reporting does not always command the attention you would desire, or if it does not always conclude with the success you would wish, do not grow discouraged. Be faithful to the truth and to its transmission, for truth endures, truth will not go away ... the service of humanity through the medium of truth is something worthy of your best years, your most dedicated efforts."

Top 5 rescheduled

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 10:03:27 -0500

I'm rescheduling Top 5 Tuesdays to every other week. To get you through the transition, here's Mike's list of top 5 Mac apps.

Top 5 Famous Alaskans

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 00:03:06 -0500

I'm running a bit late this week, so this will probably be quite short.

Curt Schilling
Mr. Schilling is probably best known for his recent World Series win with the Boston Red Sox, but he also garnered some attention by testifying before Congress about steroid use in Major League Baseball. He was born in Anchorage.

Scott Gomez
Also from Anchorage, Mr. Gomez is well known for winning a Stanley Cup in his rookie season with the New Jersey Devils a few years back.

Carlos Boozer
Speaking of sports, Mr. Boozer now plays for the Utah Jazz (used to play for the Cavs). I remember watching him dunk over players from my school when he played for Juneau-Douglas High. He led JDHS to the state championship game a couple times, I think.

Jewel
Jewel spent a reasonable amount of time in Homer. She's more infamous than famous in Alaska, though. After she got on MTV she started saying she was from California (where she moved when she left the Last Frontier) and canceled two concerts in the 49th state. I'm willing to bet she has yet to perform in Alaska since her break. Then again, it doesn't seem like she's doing much performing anywhere these days.

Sen. Ted Stevens
As chair of the appropriations committee, Sen. Stevens is one of the most powerful men in the Senate. He secures a lot of funding for projects in Alaska. I like the fact that he has an Incredible Hulk tie that he wears when he's expecting a tough day on the Senate floor.

I know there are others, but those are the five most famous that I can think of right now.

Licensed to drive

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 22:03:19 -0500

It took me several tries but I've finally done it. I am now licensed to drive in the Peach State.

The first time I went to the DMV was a Monday in November. It turns out that the office I went to is closed Mondays. I found this out after the hour-long trip by foot, train and bus.

The office was open the second time, but I didn't have the requisite paperwork (birth certificate, social security card, proof of address). It turns out I didn't have a copy of my birth certificate, so I had to order one.

The third time I went, I put my birth certificate and social security card in my bag and went on my way. I was about to get on the bus (after walking and riding the train for 30 minutes) and realized I didn't have anything with me showing my current address. At least I didn't get on the bus and waste another 30 minutes each way.

Today, I finally remembered all my paperwork and even stopped by the ATM to make sure I had cash for the fee -- turns out this DMV is a cash-only establishment. I even brought a book and my iPod because I knew there would be a bit of a wait. I arrived just after noon and took my number, F636, and sat down.

Long story short: After finishing the last half of my book, lots of iPod solitaire, a round of minigolf on my phone and more staring at a blank wall than anyone should do in a lifetime, they called my number. I filled out some paperwork then moved down the counter to sign my name, provide my index fingerprints and have my picture taken. A few minutes after that I had my Georgia license. Not including transportation, the process only took 4 hours.

I know the DMV is known for being slow, but I never knew how bad it really was. The only other DMV offices I've been to are in Sitka and Fairbanks and I guess there just aren't enough people in those places to generate the kind of backlog that takes 4 hours to get through.

I couldn't help but wonder why states haven't figured out how to speed up the processes of issuing licenses and registrations. Perhaps the first step is to fully staff the counter. Only half of the available stations were staffed 90% of the time. For an hour or so, all but one of the nine stations were staffed. I would think having the extra stations open would pay for themselves. If each station can serve 3 people an hour (very conservative estimate) and a license costs $15, that should provide way more than enough to cover the costs of the labor.

While I waited, I remembered a line from Dane Cook about how DMVs should hire someone to punch you in the face when you walk in the door, then waiting wouldn't seem so bad.

Top 5 Albums in High School

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 23:03:31 -0500

I think the most significant development of a person's musical taste begins in high school. It's a time when most people are starting their first jobs and beginning to purchase their own music. College is a time for enlightenment and refinement, but only after the base is established in high school. With that in mind, here are the top five albums of my high school years.

Weezer
This is still one of my all-time favorite CDs. In fact, I think this is the first CD I ever bought. Surf Wax America was the first song I heard and I was hooked. Maybe its because I listened to it so much, but I don't think Weezer will ever be able to top this CD.

Green Day, Dookie
I'm pretty sure this was my first introduction to hidden tracks ("I was all by myself"). But Basket Case was the defining track; I can still hear the guitar riff even though I haven't actually heard the song in several years.

TMBG, Lincoln
I remember I had this one on tape. I can still sing along with every song on this album. I used to be able to recite the lyrics without musical accompaniment, but now I need a guiding track (isn't that what the kids are calling it these days?). I first got hooked on TMBG in junior high when I heard Pencil Rain -- "They're searching the yonder blue / They look out for No. 2" -- but it was Lincoln that provided my fix throughout high school. My yearbook quote is actually a line from this cd: "Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of." That's some legacy.

Live, Throwing Copper
I don't have a lot to say about this CD, I just remember playing it. A lot. I haven't heard any of these songs in a long time, but I know it was always within reach.

Star Wars: A New Hope
No, not the John Williams score, the actual movie. I dubbed the movie from laserdisc to two cassettes (2 hour movie = 2 60-minute tapes). I don't know what happened to the first tape, but the second one was better anyway. For some reason it was usually one of the only tapes in the car, so it got played a lot. Needless to say, there was a point where I could recite the movie with little to no prompting. It was also fun to drive during the TIE fighter/X-wing dogfights in the assault on the Death Star scenes -- "We're going in full throttle, that oughtta keep those fighters off our backs" -- while crusing down Sawmill Creek and Halibut Point roads at 40 mph.

Four cities, three states

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:03:30 -0500

I've just finalized transportation arrangements for the North Spring 2005 Tri-State Tour.

April 14: Transit ATL-PDX-SEA
April 17: Transit SEA-PDX
April 22: Transit PDX-ANC
April 24: Transit ANC-FAI
April 29: Transit FAI-PDX
April 30: Transit PDX-ATL

This schedule is subject to change without notice. All sales final. Not valid with any other offer.

Top 5 Live Shows

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:03:02 -0500

In chronological order (I have some pictures of the second and third ones on the list but they're prints and/or slides which are still in boxes)...

Green Day, Anchorage
This was the first "real" concert I ever attended. I was seated in the second tier near the back, so I couldn't see very well. It wasn't until after the show that I learned that no matter what your ticket says, you should try to get into the festival seating (standing?) area.

Depeche Mode, The Gorge
Traveling with friends to The Gorge was a great trip. It was the end of July and the weather was beautiful. I wasn't as big a fan of the band as my friend, but it was still a good show. Since we got there a day early, we camped out and I spent the next day in the sun. I didn't really notice until it was too late, but I got the worst sunburn of my life that day.

Matt Hopper and friends, Healy
Healy is about 120 miles from Fairbanks. I skipped out on the first half of my shift at work to ride down with Mike and see Matt Hopper and Jared Woods. It was a pretty uneventful ride down, but when we got there, we could hear air leaking from Mike's tire. We knew it would still be there after the show so we went in and listened. Afterward, Mike tried to use a can of Fix-a-flat to get the tire stable. Several people walked by and made insightful comments like, "Looks like you've got a flat." A fellow Fairbanksan let us borrow their jack and we changed the tire and made it home A-OK. (This story is funnier in my head than on the screen.)

Sigur Ros, Vegas

I wasn't very familiar with Sigur Ros, but I trusted Chip's recommendation. I was not disappointed. The music was so moving and beautiful. The opening act, The Album Leaf, were also very good.

Blue Man Group, Vegas
Less than a week afte seeing Sigur Ros, we saw Blue Man Group. The show was much better than their Pentium adverts would lead you to believe. The aural and visual experience was mind-blowing. Since I was sitting in the third row, I was given a poncho to protect against any stray materials, but it was rather pointless, which was the only disappointment (and a very minor one).

Hot tactical espionage action

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 10:03:20 -0500

I just finished my first boss battle, so I thought I would share some of my impressions about MGS3: Snake Eater.

Backstory

To get the most out of this game, you should be familiar with the stories and characters of the Metal Gear franchise. I recognize a lot of names and faces, but I don't fully realize their significance. I don't feel like I'm at a disadvantage, or that the game is different, but I know I'm missing some clues and possibly plot points that connect the games together.

This game takes place in the 1960s, and is full of humor related to that fact. The characters talk about the just-released James Bond movie and how it was so good that Hollywood will probably make 20 more.

Camoflauge

The biggest difference to me between MGS2 and Snake Eater is that there is no radar. Instead you get a camoflauge rating, and a handful of uniforms and face paint patterns. Throughout the game, you'll find new ones, like this Zombie pattern.

Not having a radar forces you to move through the areas much more slowly; You constantly have to switch to first-person view to look around for soldiers that might be just beyond your field of third-person vision.

Survival

MGS3 also introduced the stamina guage. If it drops too low, your hands will shake when aiming and you won't be able to swim or hang from ledges very long. Eating replenishes stamina and you can eat pretty much anything: snakes, crabs, mice, rabbits. Some taste better than others and increase your stamina accordingly.

You also have to heal your wounds. After a firefight you may have to treat your gunshot. After swimming, you have to burn leeches off.

Overall

So far, this is one of the funnest games I've played. It's a slow-moving action game, which is challenging, but not throw-your-controller-against-the-wall impossible. The most frustrating thing is that many actions require half-presses of buttons, and holding them in the half-pressed position. When you're holding down L1, R1 and R2, it's hard to hold square half way down to aim, then press it all the way down to fire, but only release it half way to keep your sights targeted.

Considering I just fought the first boss battle and I've been playing the game more than 5 hours, I think I have plenty of "tactical espionage action" ahead.

(Please comment at GameThumb.)

From scratch

Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:03:06 -0500

This is a stereotypical "I'm redesigning the site, please bear with me" blog post.

Update March 5:3 a.m.: The front page is starting to come together.Noon: The front page is really starting to come together.4:20 p.m.: All pages stable. Only housekeeping tasks remain.

Top 5 Supporting Actors

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 09:02:22 -0500

With the Oscars coming up, I thought I'd list some of my favorite supporting actors. Some of these guys have held a lead role, but I think their supporting work is great.

John Turturro - He was a star of O, Brother Where Art Thou, but he was also really good in Rounders and The Big Lebowski ("Jesus doesn't care if it's Saturday!")
John C. Reilly -- He's also held the lead in Criminal and one of my favorite movies, Hard Eight, but his supporting role in Boogie Nights was great, as well as others including Gangs of New York and Good Girl
Philip Seymour Hoffman -- He was the sleazy mattress salesman in Punch Drunk Love, how much more do you need? How about Boogie Nights, Almost Famous and Red Dragon?
Steve Buscemi -- Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Monsters, Inc., Ghost World -- need I saw more?
Luiz Guzman -- He was in (what else?) Boogie Nights, but also Traffic and Punch Drunk Love.

Normally I wouldn't do this, but I have to include a couple of honorable mentions: Don Cheadle, and William H. Macy.

Phone cam in Florida

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:02:40 -0500

The only camera I had handy on my recent visit to Florida was my Cell phone.

"Can someone get this thing off me?"*

Of course.

These guys were really friendly while we had food, but once we ran out, they couldn't really be bothered anymore.

Mmmm. 1,400 Calories of beef, bacon and cheese (not including fries).

* No parents were harmed while taking this picture.

Top 5 Hip-hop lines

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:02:42 -0500

Better early than never, right? I'm not sure if I'll be online tomorrow so I'm taking care of this now. This was actually a harder list to come up with than I thought. There's a lot of good stuff that I thought I could include, but a lot of artists who have great songs don't necessarily have specific one-liners (e.g. Aesop Rock, Deltron, etc.).

"If she ever comes in, she won't stay over my place / Wake up with drool and boogers all froze to her face" -- Alaskan Fishermen, Cold Up In Here
"We go through episodes, too, like 'Attack of the Clones'" -- Talib Kweli, Get By
"We're only humans, girl, we make mistakes / To make it up I'd do whatever it takes / I love you like a fat kid loves cake" -- 50 Cent, 21 Questions
"I ain't need Miss Cleo to reassure me that I gotta / Score big like the opening weekend of Harry Potter" -- The Grits, Be Mine
"A shell hit my jaw, I ain't wait for doc to get it out / hit my wisdom tooth, I kuh-too -- spit it out" -- 50 Cent, U Not Like Me

Search technology

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 16:02:08 -0500

Today I discovered a crack in the armor of my cell phone only policy: If I misplace my cell phone, I don't have a way to call and use its ring to help me find it.

Top 5 Soundtracks

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 23:02:32 -0500

Welcome to a (hopefully) weekly feature of North. (Approximately) each week on (or near) Tuesday I'll post my five favorite somethings. Visitors are encouraged to post their five favorite somethings in the comments (or suggest different somethings for future lists). The caveat here is that the top five lists only represent my five favorite somethings at the time of writing.

This week's Top 5 category: Soundtracks (in no particular order)

Trainspotting
About a Boy
Garden State
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
A Mighty Wind

Applescript: Encode on Add

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 20:02:12 -0500

Instead of cleaning or doing laundry today*, I wrote an Applescript for Mike. The script is a folder action -- when installed it watches a user-specified folder for new files. When new files are added, the script automatically runs Audion and encodes the files using whichever encoder is set in Audion's preferences (MP3 is default). The files also get saved to the Encoding folder set in Audion's preferences.

Only files that are added to the specified folder will get converted. This means that if you have 15 aiff files in the folder already, and then you add ObamaDNCspeech.aiff, only ObamaDNCspeech.aiff will be converted, not all 16 files. The script will not react when files are removed from the folder.

Note: Ideally, if you attach MirrorOnAdd.scpt to Audion's encoding folder, you would be able to convert (compress) and upload audio files just by dropping them in a folder. Unfortunately, this doesn't work as expected because the MirrorOnAdd.scpt is triggered as soon as Audion creates the new file (well before the encoding is complete), so only a portion of each file will be uploaded. A script is coming shortly that will both encode and upload.

System Requirements
Mac OS X (10.3.7) - Will likely work with other versions of OS X, but hasn't been tested.
Audion 3 - It's free now!

Installation
Once you've downloaded and unzipped the file, put EncodeOnAdd.scpt into your Folder Actions folder. You can either use /Users/[username]/Library/Scripts/Folder Action Scripts/ or /Library/Scripts/Folder Action Scripts/.

Set Up
First, you need to turn on folder actions. You can do this by right-clicking (ctrl-click) on any folder and selecting "Enable Folder Actions" from the pop-up menu.

Second, you need to attach the EncodeOnAdd.scpt to whichever folder you choose. You do this by right-clicking (ctrl-click) and selecting "Attach Folder Action..." from the pop-up menu. Select EncodeOnAdd.scpt and click "Choose."

Step Three: There is no step three. You're all set.

Download zipped file

* At least I went grocery shopping

Wash and Fold

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 09:02:06 -0500

I really dislike doing laundry -- I might even go so far as to say I hate it. Fortunately, there's a laundromat a block from my apartment that provides wash and fold service. Drop off a bag of dirty clothes; pick up clean and folded clothes a few days later.

I normally spend $4 to wash and dry two loads of laundry. It takes about two hours total to complete those two loads (30 mins in washer, 60 mins in dryer, 30 mins for incidentals like getting clothes to laundry room, moving from washer to dryer and folding). At minimum wage (assuming $6), two loads cost a total of $16 (2 hours x $6/hour + $4).

It cost $12.60 at the laundromat -- clean, dry and folded.

Woah! Blast from the past

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 00:01:38 -0500

Mike and John both wrote about the new Bjork video. Contained in said video is a scene where the cat is watching television. What struck me is that on the television (seen here) is a video of a dude in a mouse suit riding a scooter, which is a scene from "Mouse," a skateboard video from the Girl skateboard company (very unhelpful Web site) that I remember watching repeatedly with my friends in high school, circa 1997. The only decent reference I can find is this page for the soundtrack to the video. If I'm not mistaken, the mouse is holding a skateboard in his right hand.

Home cooking

Sat, 15 Jan 2005 13:01:12 -0500

I admit it: I'm only posting this picture to make Mike jealous.

SimCurt: New couch

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 01:01:20 -0500

I caught the post-Christmas/New Year sale at the furniture store and picked up a new couch. It's much more comfortable than the alternative: the hardwood floor. It's secondary function is toning down the echo, although I don't think it's up to the task by itself.

In the Shadow of Def

Sat, 08 Jan 2005 21:01:18 -0500

My friend Mike (aka DJ Hipnotyk) sent me a mix CD several weeks ago. It's taken me a while to write about it because I had to get over the "wow" factor.

First, I hadn't heard of the majority of artists, so I really had no idea what to expect. Second, all of the tracks are cross-faded together to create a continuous flow of sound. It's been a while since I've heard that, especially on a CD, which seems more suited to individual, separate tracks.

Speaking of flow, there's an unspoken narrative woven throughout the length of the disc. There's peaks and valleys of tempo and ambience then a crescendo and climax at the end. Taking cues from the music, the story could be almost anthing your mind can come up with. I like a David-vs-Goliath/Good-vs-Evil theme with a climactic battle involving ninjas and swords, but you could just as easily imagine a goofy buddy-cop or romantic comedy story arc. On second thought: I'm not so sure about the romantic comedy.

One of my favorite aspects of the CD is that most of the songs are instrumental. It makes a great soundtrack for riding the train into work because I can absorb the music without being distracted by lyrics.

When you add in all those elements you end up with a disc that is more than the sum of its parts, and one that will be getting serious rotation 'round these parts.

Track list:

William S. Burroughs - Words of Advice for Young People
Funki Porcini - B Monkey
9 Lazy 9 - Swingpool
DJ Cam - Mad Blunted Jazz
Funki Porcini - Wicked, Cruel, Nasty and Bad
Mouse on Mars - Schnick SchanckMelimade
Doughty (w/Mecca Bodega) - Love on the A Train
Mecca Bodega - Stump
Bjork - Hyperballad
Phil Tornton & Hossam Ramzy - Last Words by the Temple
Graeme Revell - City of Angels
Graeme Revell - Mirangula: Sign of the Crow
Graeme Revell - Santa Muerte
Up, Bustle & Out - Rain in Tibet
DJ Cam - Romantic Love
Orbital - PETROL
Ganja Beats - The Pipes of Zen
Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honor or Humanity

SimCurt: New 'Desk'

Fri, 07 Jan 2005 22:01:31 -0500

I assembed my desk weeks ago and am finally getting around to posting an image. This is a very simple desk: It consists of two bookshelves and a door. The advantage of using a door is that there's a hole built in to help manage cords. When you buy a new door it doesn't come with a hole -- minor setback. Another advantage of using a door is that a new one costs about $20 at Home Depot. Throw in the bookshelves at $25/each and you have ample working space for well under the cost of an actual desk. My only complaint is that the surface sits a little high, but a proper chair will compensate for that. In the meantime, I'll have to deal with less-than-perfect ergonomics.

First Post of 2005!

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 22:01:33 -0500

Out with the old and in with the new

2-oh-4 was definitely a year of change, not the least of which was relocation from the Arctic climate of Fairbanks to the Southern comfort of Atlanta. But there were smaller changes and lessons, too.

One of those lessons is it's hard to keep a joke running for an entire year. The Firsts of 2004 began as a joke on New Years when everything was the first of 2004. The point was to parody the "new-ness" of a year by celebrating all of the mundane things like credit card purchases.

Another important lesson was the power of backups. I didn't know exactly what would happen when I tried to upgrade MovableType on Urbanhonking. Having backed up the nearly 40 blogs and I don't know how many entries and comments (thousands?), when the upgrade script choked, it much less of a catastrophe than it could have been. Now we're back up and running at near 100%, ready to finally remove the perpetual "beta" that has taunted us for so long.

On the subject of catastrophes, my first job interview of the year didn't go so well. Thankfully I aced the second one. And I think everything worked out for the best.

Also catastrophic is the performance of the North Snowdrifts. After sitting in 5th place following two strong opening weeks, the 'Drifts are headed for the bottom of the league. Apparently trading away all of your good players isn't a recipe for fantasy basket success.

2004 was a busy travel year. Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Washington, Maine, New York, Maine again and a 2-day, 11-state drive to settle in Atlanta (not necessarily in that order).

A look back wouldn't be complete without checking in on last year's resolutions:

Read 1 (one) non-school related book each month (fiction or non-fiction)
Accomplished. Although I didn't exactly pace myself to one a month, I did 12 books this year.

Get and remain effectively organized
Partially accomplished. I've come to the conclusion that this will always be an ongoing process.

Work smarter, not longer hours
Accomplished. This was mostly an early 2004 resolution when I was "in charge." Now that I have a job in the "real world," I have a regular schedule.

Spend more time being social, less time at work
Partially accomplished. First half of 2004 was a success socially -- later in the year, not so much. See previous for the work part.

Cook a decent meal three times a week
Failed. But getting better. This is a good goal, which I will continue to reach for. Good financially and good healthily (I don't think that's a word, but whatever).

Take control of financial situation
Accomplished. All the bills are paid and the credit card balance is decreasing. I guess that's under control.

In leiu of resolutions, I have multiple projects I'd like to start and/or complete in 2005. Urbanhonking is an ongoing project, including expansion plans. Other planned projects include a new issue of "To Serve and Protect," upgrades to themerrills and a public release of the North Financial Management Plan�, just to name a few. Travel arrangements are in the works for a tour of the Northwest, to include a blog seminar -- likely to happen in late April or early May.

And those are just the things I know about right now... who knows what else will come up.

Bring on Aught Five: The Year of the Rooster.

First Donation of 2004

Thu, 30 Dec 2004 05:12:03 -0500

I made my first donation to the Red Cross. While donating probably deserves a high five, it's impossible to gather the enthusiasm under the circumstances. The AP photo at right is of a Swedish boy whose parents were swept out to see when tsunamis hit Thailand. With more than 80,000 (and rising) dead, there are certainly more stories like his. There are bright spots, like families being reunited after being separated by currents and the fact that as of this writing people have donated more than $3.7 million to the Red Cross through Amazon, not to mention other donation methods and relief organizations.

SimCurt: New TV

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 11:12:00 -0500

After several missed connections, I was able to meet the UPS delivery guy who brought me my new TV. Not long after, I also received some wall decorations (thanks for the flag, Tom). There's still not much here, but it's starting to look like someone actually lives here, not a squatter's hideout.

New music day (was last week)!

Wed, 24 Nov 2004 20:11:26 -0500

I got a new CD. The second release of the Mixtape Xchange was sent out and received.

I love getting music from other people. When I buy music, I know what I'm going to get. I may not know what purchase I'll make when I walk into the store, but I rarely (if ever) buy music from a band I haven't heard of, so there are few surprises. However, when I get music from other people, it's usually from artists I don't know about or haven't heard, which is great -- and what the Mixtape Xchange is all about.

I just got Kelly's mix and it's really good. She titled it Afro-Asiatic Invasion, and included a lot of ethnic sounds and instruments including great percussion and a healthy serving of the sitar (pic).

The opening track, Spirit of the Forest by Baka Beyond, really sets the tone for this collection of tracks. While most of the artists can problably be found shelved under "world" at the record store (couldn't all artists be on that shelf? another story perhaps), it would be tough to narrow them down any further. Baka Beyond's site describes them as "the original African-Celtic crossover band." Crossover. That pretty much sums up all the tracks. Whether it's blending two cultural styles, or melding traditional with modern (or both), the range of artists and styles is awesome.

Tracklist (*= standout track):

Spirit of the Forest, Baka Beyond*
Breathing Light, Nitin Sawhney*
Instinct, Karsh Kale
Butterfly, Talvin Singh
Aquired Dreams, Nitin Sawhney
Mbe, Baka Beyond
West Naima, Hossam Ramzy*
Bhangra Fever, MIDIval PunditZ
Mundian To Bach Ke, Panjabi MC
Jim I Nim, Moroccan Spirit
Eclipse, Talvin Singh
Jogi, Panjabi MC
Leily, Dania
Homelands Nitin Sawhney
Ashes, Karsh Kale*

First IKEA purchase of 2004

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 12:11:11 -0500

The UPS man cometh.

I received my first order from IKEA today (high five!). I've now covered a few square feet of floor space with a TV stand (no TV yet) and coffee table.

As you can see from the picture (click to enlarge), there is still a ways to go -- I still don't have a place to sit down and eat, for example -- but the recent additions are an encouraging step toward a more comfortable future.

First New Mattress of 2004

Mon, 08 Nov 2004 18:11:48 -0500

After sleeping on an air mattress for five months, I am now the proud owner of one brand-new queen-size pillow-top mattress. Having never purchased a mattress before, I didn't really know what to expect when I walked into the store.

There are a lot of mattresses. It's overwhelming at first because there are so many, and they all look very similar. The salesman was very helpful in helping me find the right mattress. He asked a few questions as soon as I arrived about different mattress options, and I had no idea what to tell him. I hadn't given it much thought: Any mattress would be a step up from the air mattress*.

Fortunately, I had at least one important criteria to help narrow down the options: price. The salesman led me to an area of the store where several mattresses were standing against the wall. He pulled one down and I tried it out. It was OK. Then he pulled another one down, which was much better, but a little over my budget. The third one was just right!

The second obstacle was getting it to my home. This was no problem since they provide same-day delivery (same day!) for $50. Not a bad deal considering how much it would cost me to rent a vehicle and find someone to help me move a mattress on my own. It is now the most significant piece of furniture in my empty apartment.

*Note: As much as I've maligned the air mattress, it was much better than a bare hardwood floor, and I owe many thanks to my parents for lending it to me.

The Draft

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 21:10:16 -0500

Here's the line-up for the North Snowdrifts. The only name on this team I recognize is Iverson, but it looks like a pretty decent line-up (click the image for the list showing last season's stats).

The beginning of the draft was very intense. As the clock counted down the minutes until the first round, I started getting very nervous. Once it started, the nervousness morphed into anticipation for my first pick. The wait between picks was the hardest, at least during the first rounds. At about round 8 (of 12) I settled down and tried to make good picks based on what little knowledge of the game I had.

The draft just ended and people are already making trades, which is overwhelming. I need to spend some time and do some research on my players and try to figure out who (if anyone) should get traded. Fortunately the regular season doesn't start for a couple weeks.

Fun with Government

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 10:10:52 -0500

You know those commercials for the Library of Congress that have kids duct taping a cutout of Lincoln to a skateboard? I think the tag line is something like "history can be fun."

CoolGov proves that the government can be fun, too, by linking to various .gov Web sites that contain fun, bizarre and neat morsels of information.

Example one: Video of a plane full of crash test dummies doing what crash test dummies do best... crashing.

Example two: Think you're really one-of-a-kind? Check out the most popular baby names. (896 boys born in 2003 were named Curtis, 3,110 were named Stephen.)

Example three: Video of an F-4 Phantom being introduced to 3.6 meters of concrete.

This site is defintely getting bookmarked.

Cinderella Story

Fri, 08 Oct 2004 11:10:34 -0500

Like any media mogul, I need to own a [fantasy] sports team. Thus, I introduce to you the North Snowdrifts. The Snowdrifts are certainly not the favorite to win the UHXFBC League title, but I think it will be a very spirited season of competition. As manager, I am particularly looking forward to facing off against division rival Cameroon Robusto.

As a new owner of a newly-minted team, I am soliciting applications for people to join my coaching staff. Basketball knowledge is preferred, but not required. As an assistant coach, you will be asked to provide recommendations regarding the team roster. The assistant coach position will not require much time (approx an hour a week -- maybe). As Manager/Head Coach, I reserve the right to ignore any and all recommendations. Please send your resume (or c.v.) and salary requirements in plain-text format to coach@cmerrill.com. The deadline for applications is Saturday, October 16 at 9:30 p.m. ET (24 hours prior to the draft). I look forward to hearing from potential candidates.

Failing media?

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 16:10:59 -0500

Jason Deraleau has a post on Oreilly's MacDevCenter blog about the ubiquitous iPod, and also some of the competition. I don't have a problem with the post as a whole, just one line:

...few will want to get locked into another failing Sony medium. (Didn't they learn anything from Betamax and MiniDisc?)

I don't agree that Betamax and MiniDisc are failing. Betamax led to Betacam XL and SP, which are routinely used in professional video settings, including most television newsrooms in the country. Likewise, MiniDisc is a medium of choice for audio production and broadcast studios. Just because consumers don't have these in their homes, doesn't mean they're failing technologies.

In fact, this argument should sound familiar to Mac users. It wasn't long ago when Mac message boards would fume whenever a new article was published that predicted the demise of Apple because of it's market share. The refrain often included pronouncements that creative professionals in design, publishing, audio and video loved Macs, even if ordinary consumers didn't.

Just because a product isn't in living rooms does not mean that it's failing. Maybe the old Mac-as-Betamax comparison isn't so far off the mark after all.

Things I miss about Alaska

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 01:10:30 -0500

I've been in Atlanta for almost four months and I'm really enjoying it. I'm still learning my way around the city and experiencing new things. That said, there are a few things I miss:

Seeing local bands like Hegemony (pictured) at the Marlin.

Snow, and the frolicking therein.

Broomball.

The Aurora Borealis (photo by Jan Curtis).

I don't think I'll ever miss the -40 temperatures, but I do miss the absence of humidity.

Why settle

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 22:09:53 -0500

Why settle for a condo in the city when for the same price (US$5.4 million) you can own an entire town?

Potentate of the Rose

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 21:09:25 -0500

It may have taken me over 50 tries, but I figured out the Petals of the Rose.

In the spirit of the game, I cannot reveal the mystery. Give it a few tries and see if you can figure it out.

First trip to NYC of 2004!

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 20:09:06 -0500

Three days is not enough time to spend in New York. Then again, I don't think three months would be enough time. Three years? Maybe. Anyway, I got to go to New York for the first time of 2004 (High Five!).

The convention was good and the city was great. I created a short video including some random moments. Most times, I didn't have the foresight to get my camera ready. I was able to take a handful of pictures and make this 1-minute, 10-second video. (10MB MPEG-4)

Ground Zero, Three Years Later

Sat, 11 Sep 2004 21:09:11 -0500

ESB from Hotel 31

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 21:09:47 -0500

Business Meeting

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 21:09:35 -0500

Bushit

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 21:09:48 -0500

Mack and Chrysler

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 21:09:13 -0500

Manhattan Skyline

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 21:09:04 -0500

No more tuition

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 17:09:13 -0500

I got this e-mail today from my alma mater:

If you haven't done so already, don't forget to pay your tuition and fees by September 10!

Ha Ha! I don't have to pay tuition any more!

My school e-mail address must not be cancelled yet. I wonder how long they'll keep forwarding my e-mail.

Zell Miller, Sith lord?

Sun, 05 Sep 2004 01:09:39 -0500

Georgia Sen. Zell Miller has been called a lot of things lately, mostly involving puns and alliteration: Zell-out, Zig-Zag Zell, etc.

Regardless of his former or current politics, what worries me is his uncanny resemblance to Senator/Emperor Palpatine. Applying the Superman/Clark Kent test may shed some light on the subject. Superman and Clark Kent are never seen in the same room at the same time (which you would think would have occured to the folks of Metropolis, but that's another story). Likewise, Sen. Miller and Sen. Palpatine have never been seen in the same room at the same time. Hmmm.

ATL-NYC Itinerary

Fri, 03 Sep 2004 21:09:46 -0500

Leave ATL September 8 at 9:45 p.m.
Arrive NYC (Kennedy) September 9 at 12:05 a.m.

Leave NYC (Kennedy) September 12 at 2:55 p.m.
Arrive ATL September 12 at 5:20 p.m.

Update: You can view the entire convention schedule online. Appointments in the sidebar may be updated sporadically (based on internet accessibility).

Mountain Dew: Pitch Black

Fri, 27 Aug 2004 17:08:06 -0500

I had read about this a couple weeks ago, so when I saw a lone bottle in the cooler at Kroger, curiosity got the better of me.

I opened the bottle and inhaled the aroma. It smelled like a combination of citrus kitchen cleaner and cough syrup. This made me a bit wary, but I figured since this product is "limited edition" I should go through with my trial, since I may never get another chance.

Fortunately, it doesn't taste like citrus kitchen cleaner or cough syrup. Well, maybe a little like cough syrup. I think the same flavor could be achieved by adding grape juice to Hawaiian Punch and carbonating the result. For those without access to a carbonation machine, you might also get the same effect by mixing Pepsi Blue and MD: Code Red.

It's not a bad flavor, but it's not good either. If I want grape soda, I'll buy Shasta; if I want Mountain Dew, I'll buy the original. (For the record, I feel the same way about MD: Livewire -- replace grape with orange in this case.)

First iTMS album purchase of 2004

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 19:08:58 -0500

I bought my first album from the iTunes Music Store today. I watched Garden State yesterday and heard the Nick Drake song. That reminded me of The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack which also has a Nick Drake track. Then I remembered the Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, from 1999 or so, which included "Pink Moon." Then I saw (via iChat status)Afryl was playing Nick Drake and that was one too many encounters for me not to buy Way to Blue. High Five.

How I spent my parent's summer vacation

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 18:08:43 -0500

My parents came to ATL to visit during my 3-day weekend. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to think of enough things to do around town, since I'm still learning my way around, but we managed to stay pretty busy.

Atlanta History Center

The Atlanta History Center was impressive, to say the least. Most noteworthy is the Swan House, a house built in the 1920s that just recently underwent a $5 million restoration. At the time of building the house and 28 acres of land sold for just over $100k. It's now worth a whole lot more.

The original residents, Mr. and Mrs. Inman, imported pretty much everything from overseas. He inhereted his father's cotton brokerage, and all the money that went along with it, and they made sure to show it off. Some interesting stories about the Inmans: Mr. Inman earned a couple trophies car racing, but back then, the chauffeur drove the cars while Mr. Inman sat shotgun. Also, Mrs. Inman was a bit obsessive compulsive. She worried about scratches on her tiled floors (especially the black tiles) so when the grandkids moved in, they weren't allowed to walk on the black tiles. They also weren't allowed to use the showcase stairs.

Anyway, in addition to the Swan House, the museum features an incredible exhibit on the Civil War and also an impressive research library, among other things.

Cyclorama

The Cyclorama is the largest oil painting in the United States. It's a 360-degree panorama of the Battle of Atlanta. It was commissioned in the late 1800s and used to be parted down so it could travel, but now it makes its permanent home in Atlanta and has undergone restoration and preservation. Impressive.

Bark in the Park

The Atlanta Symphony hosts free concerts in Piedmont Park. Earning the "bark" name, there was also a disc-dog show with championship disc-fetching dog routines. Keeping with the theme, the symphony played pieces about animals from Swan Lake to Flight of the Bumblebee. We arrived about 90 minutes before the scheduled start, and easily found a reasonable place to sit on the grass. By the time the show started, the lawn was packed with people and their dogs. Some brought full table settings of wine and cheese and candles to enjoy while listening to the Grammy-award-winning musicians.

CNN Studio Tour

I know, I work there, but the studio tour is pretty neat anyway. There were a few things I hadn't seen yet.

Underground Atlanta

This is probably the weakest place we went. It's a mall. That's underground. Lots of touristy T-shirt and trinket-type stands and other stores. It's kind of an obligatory stop on your first visit to ATL, though.

Fernbank Natural History Museum/IMAX

The natural history museum is cool. We spent most of our time in the "interactive exhibit" area getting freaked out by the different tricks our senses (mostly eyes) play when our bodies encounter unexpected events. But the tricks are explained, so in addition to being entertained, you get to learn something, too.

The highlight of Fernbank is the IMAX theatre. We watched a film about NASCAR. Normally, I think 500 miles of left-hand turns are pretty boring, but with 12,000 watts of sound and a 40-foot screen it's pretty exciting. The movie wasn't a 500-mile race, anyway, it was a pretty cool documentary about all aspects of the organization and industry.

First Experimental Waffles of 2004

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 00:07:14 -0500

When I was at the mall last week, I responded to a survey about my frozen-waffle-eating habits. I was given a box of frozen waffles (and $2 for my trouble) to eat and report back to the research organization. I wrote a full report over on Digest.

Applescript: Mirror with Transmit

Sun, 25 Jul 2004 17:07:12 -0500

I've created an Applescript Folder Action that will mirror the contents of a local folder to a server folder using Transmit. Directions for using the script are in a ReadMe file included with the script. Download the script (8k).

If you like it (or not), please let me know via a comment to this entry.

Misadventure in Midtown

Mon, 12 Jul 2004 23:07:53 -0500

Today I went in search of the Adult Swim offices. I had looked at the location on the map the night before and knew the cross streets when I set out. I learned my lesson last time, so I was going to double-check the location before I left the house, but my internet connection was malfunctioning.

I got off the train at N4:Midtown and proceeded west to Spring Street. Following Spring St. south, I should have run into 12th Ave. The first numbered street I remember seeing was 6th St. "Hm," I thought, "perhaps there's a difference between streets and avenues." I walked a couple more blocks and realized that I had thought wrong. I walked east one block to Williams Street (Hence the name of the Adult Swim production company) and proceeded north. The street was running parallel to the interstate, and seemed to end at a on/off ramp not much farther beyond 8th Street. At this point, the heat and humidity were sapping my energy like Death to inattentive Gauntlet players -- Curt needs food... badly.

Upon returning home, I checked the map to see how close I was. It turns out the street didn't end where I thought -- it was just some heat exhaustion-induced mirage -- and I was only about a 1/3 mile away. I'll have to try again another day.

The World of Coca-Cola

Mon, 12 Jul 2004 19:07:54 -0500

I spent some time at the World of Coca-Cola today. I learned a lot about the origin and development of the world's number one soft drink. For instance: In the early days of the product, a high sales day was nine glasses.

When the president of Coca-Cola, Asa Candler, was approached with the idea of selling the soft-drink in bottles, he didn't think it would work, so he sold the bottling rights for $1. The bottlers then bought the syrup and proceded to make a significant amount of money.

Coca-Cola was (one of) the first global brands. They had bottlers in several countries by the 1920s. The company is the longest continuous sponsor of the Olympic Games, and currently sponsors numerous other events world-wide, including World Cup Soccer (The World Cup Italy mascot is shown here). It wasn't until the mid 1900s that Coca-Cola trademarked, and began using, it's shortened name, Coke.

The coolest parts of the World of Coca-Cola, though, are the tasting rooms. One room contains domestic beverages including Coke, Sprite, Barq's and several others. The other room contains Coke beverages from around the world. I tried a watermelon drink from China that was... interesting. There was a tour group of kids so I couldn't reasonably muscle my way back to the tasting fountain to try other drinks, like lychee nut.

Bibo is a boxed drink sold in Africa, but the box is shaped like the frozen treats that used to come with my elementary school lunches. I'm not sure where you'd puncture the straw into these triangular forms.

Like any attraction worth its price of admission, the World of Coca-Cola tour ends in a gift shop where you can buy all sorts of Coke-branded merchandise from t-shirts and hats to ice-cream scoops and alarm clocks. I managed to escape with the contents of my wallet in tact, but other visitors weren't so lucky. The World of Coca-Cola is definitely worth visiting if you're ever in Atlanta, especially since you can make up the $7 admission by drinking as much soda as you want in the tasting rooms.

E3: Inman Park/Reynoldstown

Sun, 11 Jul 2004 18:07:27 -0500

Taken in a MARTA station on my way home from a recent excursion.

Abandoned Hospital

Sat, 10 Jul 2004 12:07:55 -0500

This flash project, takes a surreal look at an abandoned hospital. Make sure you have some time to look at all the rooms and explore the sublime environments.

Like the Energizer Bunny

Fri, 09 Jul 2004 09:07:54 -0500

A Chilling Effect?, which has already won awards at the Online News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists Region 10 convention, is a finalist in three categories for awards from the SPJ National Convention in September.

(First) Fireflies (of 2004)

Tue, 06 Jul 2004 00:07:53 -0500

After my shift ended last night, I went to a party with some co-workers. We hung out outside (it was probably around 72 F, and there were no threat of thunderstorms) and chilled out. What really stands out in my mind, though, was seeing fireflies for the first time ever (high five). There was something watching the light fly around then turn off, and trying to guess where it would come back on was very surreal.

First Slaw Dogs of 2004

Sat, 03 Jul 2004 16:07:01 -0500

Today I visited the Varsity and had my first Slaw Dogs of 2004 (high five!). The Varsity was featured in The Hot Dog Program which has aired on PBS stations around the country. A Slaw Dog is pretty simple -- hot dog + cole slaw -- and very good. The building is very unique. It's like a diner collided with a school. There are different rooms in which to sit and eat, and the seating units are school-desks. Although I only saw a third of the interior, so other areas may have different furnishings.

First MLB Game of 2004

Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:07:57 -0500

A co-worker invited me to tonight's showdown between the Marlins of Florida and the Braves of Atlanta. We had amazing seats: second row, right next to the dugout (high five). The game was kind of a wash -- Braves won 9-1 -- but it was fun to be inside Turner Field and watch a professional sporting event. I wrote some more about it over at True Fan, if you're interested. Oh, that's not my photo, although if I hadn't left my camera in the car, I probably could have gotten a shot like that from where I was sitting, it's from atlantabraves.com.

Thunder and Lightning

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:06:21 -0500

In addition to heat and humidity, Atlanta is also blessed with plenty of thunderstorms. The lightning and thunder is pretty cool, but I could do without the sheets of rain. It's fun to count the seconds between flash and thunder and estimate how far away the strikes are (number of seconds between light and sound is approximately equal the number of miles between you and strike). This fewer seconds there are, the more fun it is (as long as you're safely inside). Right now it seems like there's a group of paparazzi outside my window the flashes are coming so often. The 10-day forecast (pictured at right) doesn't show any signs of letting up in the near future.

Swashbuckling!

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 20:06:58 -0500

I went to the Titan Games the other night and posted some comments and photos to True Fan.

Calling Samus Aran

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 20:06:32 -0500

This picture (as wallpaper) plus this midi file (as ringtone) equals awesome (geeky) cell phone.

Mixtape No. 1 released

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 18:06:10 -0500

For those of you participating in the Mixtape Exchange (all three of you), I just mailed the first CD. You should receive it before the end of the week. It's a collection of mellow tracks, mostly electronic-based, titled "The Big Chill." It's great for listening to while relaxing next to the air conditioner and reading McSweeney's Quarterly Concern vol. 13. Click the continue link for the track listing.

Essex, by The Album Leaf
Acrid Avid Jam Shred, by Aphex Twin
3, by Sigur Ros
Spiral, by Dim Dim
Then and Now, by The New Deal
A Head That Smells so Good, by Y.A.C.H.T.
Easy Muffin, by Amon Tobin
8, by Yume Bitsu
Bubble and Spike, by Telefon Tel Aviv
Parallel Lines, by Kings of Convenience

Morning Fog

Sun, 20 Jun 2004 12:06:37 -0500

Looking downtown from Centennial Olympic Park before my first day at work. The tall circular building on the left is the Westin hotel. It's the tallest hotel in the U.S. (formerly the world, but now there's one taller in the Gulf emirate of Dubai).

Peachtree Station

Sat, 19 Jun 2004 22:06:33 -0500

The escalator to the Peachtree MARTA stop (N1) is the longest escalator I've ever ridden. It's also the coolest. Something about slowly descending beneath the city in a flourescent-lit tunnel makes me get off the rail a stop early and walk extra blocks, just to use this escalator.

First New Cell Phone of 2004

Sat, 19 Jun 2004 16:06:12 -0500

I am now the proud owner of a brand new Sony/Ericsson T610 phone (High Five!) I had originally tried to order it from Amazon because they have some good rebate offers, but the order kept getting delayed, so I canceled it and went to the mall and walked out with an activated phone in-hand. It's taking a little bit of time to get adjusted to the layout and interface, but so far I'm very pleased with it.

Atlanta Film Festival: Experimental Shorts

Wed, 16 Jun 2004 19:06:13 -0500

It turns out that while I was looking for the library yesterday, I literally walked right past it. Twice. I stood at an information kiosk that had a "You are here" sticker covering up the building on the map. Today, without the pressure of impending rain, I found the library quite easily.

The show started at 6:30, but I arrived at 5:30. I bought my ticket and was going to wander around the air-conditioned library, but was told that the currently playing feature was free, so I caught the tail end of the day's Teen Screen. These shorts were entertaining, and it was clear that the students who put them together had a good time.

The Experimental Shorts were a mixture of brilliance and buffoonery. The opening "Fast Film" was AMAZING. It was a montage of sorts of many classic films ranging from spaghetti westerns to James Bond. Each "character" was a piece of paper, sometimes folded into origami, sometimes torn from the source film, to create a dynamic and entertaining action story that ends with the guy getting the girl.

Also noteworthy was "Pornographic Apathetic" which featured four characters reciting lines from a porn movie while seated at a table. The monotone recitation of lines and stillness of the characters on screen showed how absurd porn movies are. "30 Miles" showed the progress (and lack thereof) of the last 30 years in 2.5 minutes. Two time-lapse accounts of a 30-mile drive were shown side-by-side. One was from the 1970s, the other from 2003. It was amazing how much had changed along the road, but also how much had stayed the same. "Baby Eat Baby" was a humorous, if morbid, short. I'm sure the director has some idea of what "it means," but I found the combination of live-action and claymation well-done and the ending was priceless, even though the audience knew it was coming based on the title. The last noteworthy short was "She Sells." This animation set to music expressed the exploitation of women by others and themselves. Whether intended as a simple narrative or cautionary tale, it was successful.

I didn't find the other films really worth watching. They were abstract pieces that, in some cases, would certainly have triggered seisures if any epileptics were in the audience, and did make me wish I had an aspirin for my headache. There was no narrative structures. There was definitely a rhythm, as most were musical based, but strobing primary colors doesn't make for a very pleasurable experience.

The collection was definitely worth the $6.50, and I'm glad I went. My main thought after leaving the theater was that I need to get a good camera and produce some projects of my own.

GPS plus Digicam

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 20:06:57 -0500

MacDevCenter has a cool piece about merging GPS and digital photo meta-data to create a map of where and when your photos are taken. His current workflow requires Windows, but maybe someone can fill the MacOS void. Regardless of platform, the final product is pretty cool.

When it Rains it Pours

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 17:06:53 -0500

I had a plan today. I was going to go downtown and see some films as part of the Atlanta Film Festival. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her own plans.

I got off the MARTA and proceeded toward the Fulton Co. Library where the movies were going to play. I didn't pay enough attention to the map, though, and couldn't find it. I missed the 4:00 p.m. start of "Teen Screen," a collection of shorts by 18-and-under filmmakers.

The next film didn't start until 6:30, so I thought I would go to Caribou Coffee and relax until then. On my way it started to rain. It wasn't raining too hard and was a little refreshing. After walking two more blocks it started raining hard. Fortunately, the buildings downtown had a few awnings that I could use for cover as I made my way toward the coffee shop.

As I neared the coffee shop, the rain subsided. The problem was that I apparently didn't pay enough attention to the map again, and couldn't find it. No big deal, I thought, I'll go back toward the library (having located it on an information kiosk) and find a place to get some food until the next film.

While searching for the coffee shop, I lost my bearings a little. I knew I was heading in the general direction of the library, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was. At this point, the rain started again. It was refreshing for a while, until it started raining more, and more... and more (thunder and lightning too). In less than a block my clothes and body absorbed more water than SpongeBob.

I wasn't about to sit in an air-conditioned room for two hours while soaking wet, so I made my way to the MARTA. From the train, I transferred to a bus for a short ride home. The bus's A/C -- which would have been nice under dryer conditions -- cooled my wet clothes, and I became very cold.

Luckily, the Film Festival lasts until the weekend, so I still have a chance to catch some films. In the meantime, I'm changing into some dry clothes and making dinner.

Addresses

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 09:06:03 -0500

Anyone interested in receiving the first CD from the Mixtape Xchange needs to send their mailing address to mixtape (at) cmerrill (dot) com. I plan on sending it Monday. Even if you think I already have it, go ahead and send it to me anyway, just to make sure.

Interstate Travel Pictures

Sat, 12 Jun 2004 21:06:10 -0500

My dad drove me 1,320 miles from Maine to Atlanta. Here is a collection of photos from the passenger seat during the nine-state trip. Interesting aside: it's 360 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Those are the two largest cities in Alaska, and that's not even half the distance across the state. In that same distance, we covered five states. (18 pictures, may load slowly)

Writing Tools

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 20:06:54 -0500

The Poynter Institute has a series of pieces called Fifty Writing Tools. Each week a new tool is added to the box (currently on number 9). Each one has a short description, with examples, of the technique, followed by workshop tasks for you to do on your own. Although the primary audience is journalists, these pieces could also be applied to any other form of prose.

New Job, New City, New Design

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 14:06:25 -0500

I'm moving to ATL in three days. I thought it was time to cook up a new design for the site. I've integrated the 2-oh-4 entries into the main area and will start using categories to label content. I haven't done extensive testing on the new layout yet, so if you notice something that's not working right, be a dear and let me know via e-mail or with a comment to this entry. Thanks.

First Kayaking of 2004

Tue, 08 Jun 2004 07:06:18 -0500

The Sun was shining and the wind was calm. Perfect conditions to paddle around Annabessacook Lake (high five!). I tried to sneak up on a trio of loons for a photo, but they're a lot faster in the water than I am. Being able to fly didn't hurt them either.

First Turtle of 2004

Fri, 04 Jun 2004 01:06:36 -0500

Today a turtle came up from the lake and laid eggs in the lawn. She dug a hole, dropped her eggs and left. I'm not sure how long it will be before they hatch, but I don't think it matters. I don't think the eggs will take kindly to the lawn mower.

Mix Tape Exchange, redux

Mon, 31 May 2004 18:05:56 -0500

A while back, I tried to start an informal group to exchange mix tapes/cds. It didn't go very well before, but I'm going to try again. This will basically work like a "CD of the Month" club, but the only costs are the time to put together one mix tape/cd, blank media to copy it a few times, and postage to send it to the other people who are participating. Please e-mail mixtape@cmerrill.com if you're interested or have any questions or comments.

East Coasting

Sat, 29 May 2004 12:05:10 -0500

The Alaska chapter of my life is now over. I left last week and won't be returning in the forseeable future.

The unemployment chapter of my life is now beginning. I received my last paycheck yesterday and won't be getting another in the forseeable future.

From Soldotna, I flew to Washingon, DC, for my job interview. It didn't go quite as well as I thought it would, but I still may get the job. Even if I don't, the company is large and has my resume on file for future openings that might be a good fit. I also learned a great deal about interviewing and the types of questions to expect. Many are vague, such as "How do you work with people?" Those can be hard to answer when put on the spot, because there are so many possibilities depending on the virtually unlimited number of circumstances.

I'd seen the weather forecasts that predicted 90-degree weather in DC, but I still wasn't prepared for the heat+humidity combination. Walking a couple blocks in a suit felt like it would be life-threatening, but I tolerated it well (mostly by spending a lot of time indoors with A/C). The cicadas are something else, though. The periodical cicadas, which spring up every 17 years, happened to be out in full force during my visit. They're big, ugly and loud, but fortunately don't bite or sting. Their periodic and harmless nature makes them a more appealing bug than Alaska's mosquitoes.

Now that the interview is done, I'm staying with my parents near Augusta, Maine. It's somewhat weird being here. I've come on vacation, but now I'm "living" here, and I'm not sure for how long. Fortunately, I did receive word from CNN Interactive that there is a chance I might be able to do an internship there. I hadn't heard from them in quite some time and had written it off, but then I got an e-mail this week. We'll see what happens. If it doesn't, then if anyone needs an accomplished web/flash designer/journalist, please let me know.

First Job Interview of 2004

Sun, 23 May 2004 09:05:26 -0500

I finished my first job interview of 2004 (high five!). It went well: I'm not sure I'll get the job, but I learned a lot about interviewing and got to spend some time in the Washington, D.C., area.

First Out-of-State Move of 2004

Sat, 22 May 2004 09:05:45 -0500

I no longer have any belongings in the state of Alaska. I loaded up everything I own (after selling or otherwise getting rid of many things) into my dad's truck and he drove it to Maine, where I'm now staying until something comes along. After 23 years in Alaska, I've eluded its grasp (high five!).

Crossing off the to-do list

Wed, 19 May 2004 15:05:37 -0500

I've been meaning to do this for months, and now it's finally done. Cowboyz 'n' Poodles has a fresh new face to show the world.

Books: Blue Wizard is About to Die

Sat, 15 May 2004 19:05:10 -0500

Originally published on Game Thumb. Republished here with permission.

I'm surprised this hadn't been done sooner.

Blue Wizard is About to Die is a book of poems about video games ranging from the jungle of Pitfall to the urban sprwal of Vice City. It's a short, entertaining read. Although the poetry won't win any awards, it's value comes from how much the reader can relate to the content. From haikus about Mega-Man to epics that span epochs and genres, Barkan captures the emotions of conquering bosses and feeding countless quarters into mind-numbing button-mashers.

My favorite poem is "The Long Night of The Law," a lengthy tale of bringing vigilante justice to Vice City using the Hunter (military helicopter).

Tommy-boy has been converted. He now seesthe error of his ways, and wishes onlyto pay his debt to society in the currency of corpses,the only realy coinage he understands.

Another gem recalls the expansionist "Oregon Trail"

I was always thrilled when we passed another oneof our gravesites (which appeared with ever-increasingfrequency as spots were filled):Here Lies Brent, Took ill with Dysentery and Just Couldn't Hack it.Here Lies Margo, Died of Exhaustion, the Lazy Bitch

These two poems particularly struck me because of my vivid memories, having spent countless hours at the helm of each at different points in my life.

At $15 Blue Wizard will make a solid addition to any gamers library.

T-Shirt Revolution

Fri, 14 May 2004 18:05:05 -0500

I can't really express how excited I am by seeing this. Folding a T-Shirt should not generate this kind of excitement, but this is truly amazing. I watched the video three times and still didn't believe it. Then I tried it. I'm actually looking forward to doing laundry this week in order to use this technique. via Boing Boing.

First Arby's of 2004

Fri, 14 May 2004 02:05:10 -0500

The nearest Arby's to Fairbanks is about 300 miles away. The nearest Arby's to Soldotna is only 11 miles. Today I ate Arby's for the first time of 2004 (High Five). I had one of their Market Fresh sandwiches. I don't have the necessary skill to rate its freshness, but it did taste good.

Deja Vu

Wed, 12 May 2004 19:05:39 -0500

[ramble]I'm back in Soldotna, Alaska, after moving away around 12 years ago. Being here is both strange and familiar. If you asked me where the Carr's in Kenai was two days ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you, but driving by it today was a pretty surreal experience. Everything seems a lot closer than when I left. Maybe it's because I'm bigger, so the scale is different. Maybe it's because I'm driving, and not limited by my old 5-speed bike, so I get to places faster.

Today I smelled Soldotna. It was really weird. I inhaled through my nose, and recalled the odor from when we lived here years ago. They say that the strongest memories are tied to the sense of smell. I would certainly believe it today.

Everywhere I go, I get Deja Vu. The elementary school, the library, Beemun's Variety store, Cadre Feed. All the places I used to frequent. I still remember crossing the highway to play Street Fighter II at the 7-Eleven (now a Tesoro). Playing video games at Godfathers where the family would go for the lunch buffet.

This experience is particularly poignant since I've come from Fairbanks, where I've spent the last six years. In the midst of dealing with the idea that I may not see some of those people, I'm remembering people and places that I had forgotten. It's a strange feeling, but one of hope. When I left Soldotna, I didn't have the luxury of e-mail or web sites to keep up with friends. I didn't have a convenient way to reach the friends I'd left behind and conjur up the stories, but now that I'm here, I'm remembering them. All the places are triggering memories of experiences.[/ramble]

First Moose Encounter of 2004

Wed, 12 May 2004 02:05:35 -0500

I'm kind of cheating here. I'm sure I've seen a moose this year, but this is the first one I have proof of via photograph. I've lived in Alaska my entire life, and I never get tired of seeing these animals.

First Graduation of 2004

Sun, 09 May 2004 03:05:54 -0500

I am now officially a college graduate (high five!). Well, actually, I will be when grades have been turned in which will be next week sometime. Regardless, I sat through the commencement ceremony today. It was boring, but worth it.

La Fin.

Wed, 05 May 2004 22:05:15 -0500

Today marks the end of my undergraduate school work. I spent three hours at my professor's house with my class as we took part in a potluck dinner and reported our final assignments.

Tomorrow will be my last day at the radio station. I'll finish up some paperwork and prepare some documents for my predecessor. I'll leave the cell phone on the desk and turn in my keys Friday when the key shop opens. Friday night I'm going to a party where it is likely I'll see some of my friends for the last time.

Saturday is commencement practice and a barbeque for graduating students sponsored by the chancellor's office. Then in the evening a barbeque for graduating journalism students at an instructor's house.

Sunday is commencement (and Mother's Day), and Monday I'll be leaving Fairbanks for quite some time (although I hope to be back in July for my friend's wedding, but that will be a temporary visit).

The finality of this weekend is starting to catch up to me. There are a lot of people who I would very much like to keep in contact with and visit and get to know better, and it's wierd to think that I can e-mail and call them, but I may never actually see them again. On one hand I wish I were sticking around for another week or so to spend more time with them, but on the other hand, how much of a difference would that seven days really make?

Similarly, I'm really excited about moving out of Fairbanks. Except for the people who live here, there's really nothing for me now that I'm done with school. I'm also nervous about going somewhere new. I'm a pretty reserved person (some would say too much so), and without the forced interaction of dorm life and classes, I have to say I'm a bit worried about meeting cool people wherever I end up.

Ultimately, I have positive feelings about leaving here and arriving there, but I can't help but be nervous, too. [insert inspirational quote about going into the unknown here]

First Jazz Recital of 2004

Sat, 01 May 2004 03:05:49 -0500

Etsuko is graduating from UAF with a masters degree and performed her thesis recital today. I found out about it because she's a DJ at KSUA. I went and enjoyed the jazz and classical pieces she performed. Now I want to learn more about jazz.

First Bonfire of 2004

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 02:04:46 -0500

After a long week of school, it was nice to enjoy my first bonfire of 2004 (high five). Nearly all the snow is gone, and the mosquitoes haven't started coming out yet. It's a good time to be outside by a warm fire.

First Final Exam of 2004

Wed, 28 Apr 2004 10:04:10 -0500

I just took my BA390: Organizational Theory and Behavior exam. I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked, but I think I did reasonably well. Besides, there's a saying around here that I increasingly agree with as I get closer to graduation: C's get degrees.

Criticism

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 17:04:48 -0500

I've often tried my hand at criticism, and I use that word neutrally, whether reviewing a movie, book, album or what-have-you. I find that I'm generally not very good at it. I have positive or negative reactions, but find it difficult to express my reactions and the reasoning behind them. I feel like I'm getting better, depending on the subject, and now I have a guide to help me. Design Observer, a blog I've started reading of late, presents a brief critic's code of conduct (my words, not theirs) that I think critics of any medium, from music to food, could benefit from. Here are a couple of good samples: 28. The search for influences quickly degenerates into meaningless name-dropping; and 5. It is the duty of the critic to be aware of the stylistic development of art up to the present.

First Bowling of 2004

Fri, 23 Apr 2004 09:04:06 -0500

At 3 o'clock in the morning, Mike, Ben and I went bowling at the Orleans (High Five!) There were 70 lanes open 24 hours. It was awesome. I set a new personal best by rolling a 180. I also kept choking on potential turkeys. I'd get two strikes in a row, but then I'd screw up the third.

First Fountain Show of 2004

Thu, 22 Apr 2004 09:04:56 -0500

The fountain show at the Bellagio is the best free attraction on the strip. The lions at MGM Grand come close, but its not much fun to watch a big cat sleep. The Sirens of TI at Treasure Island is just horrible. Well, except for the little kid behind us who said stuff like, "Wake up pirates, don't be lazy" and "Hurry up pirates, it's past my bedtime!" Even better than the Sirens of TI are the moving sidewalks at the Venetian.

Sightings: Chris Moneymaker

Tue, 20 Apr 2004 09:04:28 -0500

We were walking through the Bellagio yesterday and stumbled on a World Poker Tour event. I managed to snap this shot of Chris Moneymaker before being told that photography was not allowed. Gene recognized a few of the other players, and I found out later that Ben Affleck and John Favreau apparently enjoy Texas Hold 'em. Not 20 minutes earlier we walked through the Venetian, where some filming was about to take place. I didn't see anyone I recognized, though.

First Casino Gambling of 2004

Tue, 20 Apr 2004 09:04:03 -0500

I spent four days in Las Vegas before spending any money on gambling. I lost $100 during the day I did spend gambling so I quit for the next four days I was there. I like to think of it like this: I gambled, among other activities, for close to seven hours so I spent $14/hr to be entertained... not bad considering most of the shows along the strip cost as much as $50 or $60 for not even two hours of entertainment.

Las Vegas/NAB: Part 2

Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:04:28 -0500

Observation: Despite the number of people on The Strip, Las Vegas is lonely place.

Observation: I'm at the wrong conference.

Spending time on Las Vegas Boulevard by oneself is not very fun. There are all kinds of things to do, but without someone to do them with, the fun is sapped from nearly all activity.

I'm not at the wrong conference, per se. The station paid for me to attend NAB. I'm doing that. However, there are multiple tracks of conferences, and I'm in the wrong one. This was made apparent when I went to the Small Market Idea Swap session. I was hoping to get ideas for things KSUA could do to improve our role at UAF. Unfortunately, the session was entirely about sales. I understand that any commercial enterprise relies on sales of products and services to operate. Unfortunately, KSUA isn't a commercial enterprise. While some of the sales ideas can be adapted to the non-commercial nature of college radio, I don't face the problems of salaries and compensation packages that were discussed for 45 minutes of a 1:15 idea swap session.

The conference I would like to have attended was the Post-Production World conference. The schedule for this series included all sorts of ways to use Final Cut Pro and Pro Tools to produce quality video and audio programming. Unfortunately, the two tracks are separate and therefore must be paid for separately, which neither the station nor I can afford.

Not all is lost, though. There are several sessions in this conference that I am interested in. The FCC indecency panel and regulatory face-off affect my college radio station and I'm looking forward to learning about the nature of indecency and what changes the FCC is making.

Las Vegas/NAB: Part 1

Sun, 18 Apr 2004 12:04:51 -0500

I landed in Las Vegas at approximately 10 p.m. Friday. It was midnight when I opened the door to my hotel room.

My friend offered to pick me up at the airport, but I didn't want to bother him so I decided I would take a cab. The line for cabs at the airport was as bad as the line for Space Mountain at Disneyworld. It was probably 45 minutes before I was seated in a cab headed for the Tropicana.

The cab ride was relatively uneventful. There was a video screen advert in the car and whenever it would start, the driver smacked it with his fist to knock the disc off its track. After the third false start, the driver vowed revenge on the mechanic who reinstalled the device.

The Tropicana is on the strip. It's at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave. The other businesses on the corner are the MGM Grand, New York New York and Excalibur. I walked into the front door to check in. As with every building on the strip, the first things you see and hear upon entering are slot machines. Some hotels bury their front desk within the depths of their expansive first floors. Fortunately, the front desk for the Tropicana was very close to the front door.

Upon checking in, I was told that only one night of my week-long stay was paid for. This was (bad) news to me. The purchasing department at the university wouldn't be in until Monday, so I paid for two nights on my credit card. It wasn't quite that easy, though, I was standing at the check-in desk for at least 30 minutes. Finally I had my key card... now I just had to find my room. Of course the room is a quarter-mile away, through the casino, past the Trop Shops and lounge singer, around the corner from the convention center and up 16 floors (actually 15, since 13 is skipped).

After dropping off my stuff, I went back downstairs to use the pay phone, since I hadn't paid the $1 to make phone calls from my room. I left a voice-mail at the university so I could get the hotel stuff figured out, then called my friends to go eat a late dinner.

We ate and chatted and listened to a very funny comedian. I got back to my room at about 5:30 a.m. and went to sleep. I woke up at 11 and went down to the business center to check e-mail and find the home number of the university staffer I needed to contact. Because I need the phone number right away, I paid the $.99/min to use thier ethernet port. I hope I never have to pay $.99/min for internet access again. I can't believe they charge that much.

Anyway, Saturday was spent walking up and down the strip, getting some food and then watching quite a bit of television. I also practiced blackjack. I vowed to learn the basic stategy before sitting down at the table. I was going to catch dinner with Mike but he was stuck at work until 1 a.m.

Sunday morning I woke up, showered, and took a cab to the Convention Center. I picked up my registration badge, free bag and conference information packet and waited around. I showed up before 11 and the first thing i wanted to attend was noon. Now I'm paying $5 for an hour of wi-fi access at the center. More on the convention next time.

First Media Conference of 2004

Sun, 18 Apr 2004 09:04:28 -0500

I spent several days at the annual NAB conference and expo. If you look very closely at the picture, you'll see Oprah talking during the opening keynote. (Aside: after playing Taboo! with Adam, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear Oprah's name is "Fat! Thin! Fat!")

First Hotel Stay of 2004

Fri, 16 Apr 2004 09:04:06 -0500

I stayed in a hotel for the first time this week (High Five!). The Tropicana is a tropical themed hotel. The most notable architectural features are (1) The tower I stayed in was 200 yards down a corridor from the front desk. (2) The elevator has a glass wall so you get a good view when going up to the 16th floor. (3) The headboard for the king-size bed has a mirror that continues on to the ceiling over the bed.

The New Trend in Spam?

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:04:48 -0500

behavior or hanging political mine self private seat wool rain act to argument skin talk military example or deep decision

together level hope voice worm smile cat strange north shelf start political shock crime recordreg rice wall shade sun unit interest tail still thin base bulb hollow short burst art word animal under south hearing framegarden against mother connection on roll a pocket line please finger page number bath last train touch...

This is only a fourth of the entire message. Am I wrong, or is the point of spam to sell something? A page of random words isn't a very good sales pitch. If you want to sell me V!@GR4, tell me that it's going to make me rich, attractive and famous, not "hope voice worm smile cat..."

First Wedding Invitation of 2004

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 06:04:04 -0500

I received my first wedding invitation of 2004 in the mail today (high five!). I seriously hope I can make it. I don't know where I'll be or whom I'll be working for, so there's plenty of variables to consider, but until I know different, I'm planning on going.

Found: "Zine Seen"

Wed, 14 Apr 2004 23:04:40 -0500

I came across a small Zine on campus today. It's called Zine Scene and seems to be an advert/encouragement for people to create their own zines. (click on pages to pop up a larger version)

It only uses one 8.5x11" piece of paper and is folded into eighths. It's mostly handdrawn with some text that has been cut and pasted. There's a page that says "follow the theme" and the line wraps around to other pages.

I'm really excited about this. There's a line that says "[zine seen] will copy and distribute yer zine fer FREE." Also written is "migration deadline 4.29.04" and the word migration is illustrated on the back page.

The destination, Pirate Records, is a relatively new independent music store in town. I've briefly met the proprietor and could see him promoting indy publishing. There may be some alterior motive -- he serves as distribution point, drawing people into his store -- which is cool by me. My favorite page has tips for starting a zine like "make 'em small, foldem up style... or make one big," "8 1/2 x11 or watevah" "we no ceah" "jus' make one".

I really like the handmade quality of the zine. I've spent quite a bit of time with desktop publishing programs like QuarkXpress and Pagemaker/Indesign, but producing something by hand makes it so much more personal. I think this is the first Zine I've seen since I've been in Fairbanks (6 years), and it makes me want to show up with one of my own in hand. I'm definitely going to show up.

First Backup of 2004

Sun, 11 Apr 2004 09:04:49 -0500

When I got my external hard drive back in January (Thanks, Gene!), I told myself I would be responsible and perform regular backups of my harddrive. I finally came through today after finding Carbon Copy Cloner. I can now mirror my data to my external drive with the click of a button (and plenty of time... 40GB is a lot of info, even for firewire). High Five! I tried a roll-your-own backup script from MacDevCenter, but after a couple of bug-fix attempts, I went with the simpler, and equally effective (for me), solution.

First RC Cola of 2004

Sat, 10 Apr 2004 09:04:15 -0500

Today I had my first RC Cola of 2004 (High Five!). All this time, I'd been buying Coke, then I saw RC in the beverage cooler at my campus bookstore. It's rare that alternative beverages make it to Alaska, there just isn't a very big market for them up here.

Papercuts: GQ v. Details (Mar '04)

Tue, 06 Apr 2004 21:04:01 -0500

This inaugural issue of Papercuts puts two men's magazines in the ring to see which has the stronger spine.

Comments have been re-enabled, please provide feedback.

The Weigh-In


Cover Photo	Angelina Jolie	Ethan Hawke
Price	$3.50	$3.95
Pages	280	268
Page Size	10.8125x7.75"	10.8125x9"
Area (sq. in.)	23,463.125	26,079
Ad Pages	141	141
Ad percentage	50.38%	52.61%

Commentary

Physically, Details has the advantage. The extra 1.25" of page-width more than makes up for having 12 fewer pages by giving the magazine almost 3,000 more square inches of potential content. And, Details is one-sixteenth of an inch thicker despite having fewer pages.

Internally, GQ has a slight advantage: The Ad-Content ratio is closer to 1:1 than Details, but not by much. Advertorials were counted as ads in both magazines, even though their content generally fits well with the magazine's content. Details had two relatively large advertorials, whereas GQ only had one.

The striking thing about these mags is their simlarity. The first few pages of both are adverts for the same companies: Prada, BMW and Calvin Klein -- in that order for both publications. There are about 40 pages of ads before the tables of contents. If, by some crazy machination, you reached for GQ and accidentally picked up Details, you probably wouldn't notice for quite some time.

The clothing and fashion in both magazines is also similar. Most of the clothing is from high-end designers like Dolce and Gabbana and Versace. The exception to the rule is GQ's fashion section this month that showcases ensembles from Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart (Target's outfits being the best, but that's another story).

Frankly, even the stories don't do much, if anything, to distinguish themselves. Details has a thoroughly reported story about AIDS and Straight Men and GQs journalism piece is about the Dean's campaign manager. Details also has a piece comparing Bush and Dean. GQ has pieces on Snoop Dog and Nick Lachey. Details has Ethan Hawke (which is a great piece, even though it's mostly Q&A) and a nudist family.

Final Word

In this contest, content is king. With that in mind, the edge goes to GQ. Details' Ethan Hawke piece is almost enough to take the battle of March issues, but GQ comes through with better reporting and writing (David Sedaris is a regular contributor, how do you compete with that?). Also, the box store fashion spread is a lot better than Details' layering style pages (pictured above). GQ triumphs.

Discoveries

Tue, 06 Apr 2004 15:04:59 -0500

I love being introduced to new things. I love the thrill of experiencing something great that I haven't seen, heard or otherwise experienced. Yesterday a friend of mine introduced me to Deltron 3030. She sent me a sample song and I was hooked. After listening to this one song, I wanted to know more about it. I found out through several sources that Deltron 3030 is Del the Funkee Homosapien, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala. These three dudes are masterful, and the sum of their powers is greater than the parts.

Magazine Archives

Mon, 05 Apr 2004 22:04:19 -0500

Why would a magazine not put old content online? I can understand not putting current material online, since it would potentially hurt newsstand sales, but back issues aren't going to get sold except to people already reading the magazine. If you put material online, readers who can't buy the print copy at their newsstand will be able to evaluate the content and potentially subscribe, and subscribers are what the newspaper sells to advertisers. Few people will buy back issues of a magazine they've never read, so you're not losing money by giving away old content online.

NAB Conference Coming Up

Mon, 05 Apr 2004 14:04:17 -0500

In a couple weeks I will be heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the National Association of Broadcasters Annual Convention/Expo. As with most major conferences, some events are scheduled at the same time as others, so I won't be able to attend all of them. Fortunately, the expo staff record most of the sessions so they can be purchased on CD and listened to later. I've posted a schedule of sessions wanted to see if anyone is interested in "notes" from any of them. There is also a group of sessions about video production. When I get those posted to the schedule, I'll let you know.

That's a Wrap

Sat, 03 Apr 2004 15:04:04 -0500

Yesterday was a monumental milestone in the development of UAF Weekly News. After four episodes of tweaks and changes, the fifth show was an amazing success.

The first four episodes were all quite experimental. Each one would try to solve the problems of the previous, while maintaining the qualities that worked. The fifth newscast was a result of hard work, but they was standardization.

In the beginning, we planned on rotating duties each week. The idea was to give everyone an opportunity to learn the different aspects of production, from anchoring to audio, from switching to floor managing. We soon learned that trying to train a new person on the switcher each week was too much, so after the second show, key positions were maintained by the same people. By cutting down on that variable, other problem areas were more easily identified.

Deadlines were posing a problem early in the show. We strived to make a 5:00 start, but often we had to push it back to 5:30 or later because scripts and tapes weren't ready. The friday afternoon deadline, only 3 hours before the scheduled fade up, was causing too much congestion for our limited resources. This week, several staff met Thursday afternoon and prepared the material that was available at the time. Although it wasn't much compared with the totality of the cast (maybe 15%), it made a big difference on Friday as the group was more calm and worked more efficiently.

Another area that was causing problems was the control room. Each week, we would deal with new technical problems. The VTRs wouldn't eject the tapes fast enough, so we had to plan around that. The way the VTRs and Mics were hooked up caused feedback in certain situations, so workarounds were necessary. After several weeks of testing, we finally got the graphics system working.

When we first began planning this program in mid-January, I don't think any of us knew it would take us until April to produce a show we were proud of. After nearly two months, our post-show drinks are celebratory instead of an attempt to forget the problems we'd experienced.

I have a newfound respect for stations around the country, especially the small ones with limited resources, who do on a daily basis what we're barely managing to do once a week.

First Doctor Visit of 2004

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 09:03:36 -0500

I went to the doctor today for the first time in 2004. I have a rash called pityriasis rosea. It's a viral rash that will likely go away after several weeks, but may last several months.

New TMBG EP

Fri, 26 Mar 2004 08:03:13 -0500

TMBG is releasing new material on Barsuk. I was surprised to see the Seattle-label releasing the Brooklyn band's EP. It seems like a lot of reknown artists are moving to small or self-owned labels for their music. Good trend.

Update: TMBG's first two albums were released on Bar/None. They were signed by Elektra for four albums. The next album of new material, Severe Tire Damage, was released on Restless. Long Tall Weekend was exclusively sold on eMusic, digital music sales pioneer. Restless released the next two albums, "Man It's So Loud In Here" and "Mink Car." "No! Songs for Children" was released by Rounder. There were also a plethora of singles, EPs and compilations, generally released by whichever label was outputting the albums. For a complete discography, check out The Unofficial TMBG site, which is very comprehensive.

Brevity is the new Verbose

Wed, 24 Mar 2004 16:03:35 -0500

My trip to SEA and PDX was awesome. Now I'm busy. I'll write more soon.

First Cemetary Visit of 2004

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 02:03:53 -0500

While in Seattle, I visited the grave of Bruce and Brandon Lee. I didn't really expect graves of celebrities to be so accessible. For some reason I think of celebrities as living (and dying) in a world far removed from "normal" folks like me.

First Movie Over 10k Feet of 2004

Mon, 15 Mar 2004 01:03:21 -0500

After watching Amelie, I worked on some homework while cruising somewhere above 10,000 feet (the threshold for using electronic devices in-flight). High Five!

First New Tie of 2004

Sun, 14 Mar 2004 09:03:13 -0500

In preparation for tomorrow's trip, I bought a new tie today (High Five!). It's dark blue with a light blue pattern (I'll have a picture soon). Mike first encouraged me to dress for success while traveling, and it has paid off. The last time I flew while wearing a tie, I got moved up to first class.

First Non-Shootout Win of 2004

Tue, 09 Mar 2004 10:03:50 -0500

The Deadites are moving to the next round of the tournament (High Five!). After a grueling 20 minutes of regulation play, both teams had big ol' goose eggs. It looked like the game was going to a shoot out as the other team was holding their own in overtime. Then one of the opposing team members earned two minutes in the sin bin, giving us a three-on-two opportunity (overtime is played 3-on-3, plus goalies). Rob took advantage of a pass from Greg and put the ball in the back of the net, winning the game for the Deadites.

The picture above is actually from Thursday's game.

First Grad. Announcements of 2004

Mon, 08 Mar 2004 05:03:19 -0500

I addressed and sealed 22 graduation announcements today. I'm not planning to send them for a couple weeks, though, so if you want one, send me your address. Although if you're reading this, I probably already have it.

Life Changing Event

Fri, 05 Mar 2004 19:03:35 -0500

The UAF's department of computing and communications recently upgraded the 802.11 antennae in the campus center. This normally wouldn't be life changing, except for the fact that I now get a great signal from inside the Pub. I'm no longer restricted to offline activities while enjoying a beer and pretzel.

D-O double-G

Fri, 05 Mar 2004 13:03:35 -0500

How does Snoop Dogg keep his whites white? (highlight between brackets for answers) [Bleeatch]

What's Snoop Dogg's favorite kind of weather? [Drizzle]

What's Snoop Dogg's favorite cereal? [Alpha-Beeats]

Thanks to Chip and Kyle for the jokes. Please add your own Snoop Dogg jokes in the comments.

First Win of 2004

Fri, 05 Mar 2004 08:03:19 -0500

After an entire season of losses (and one tie), the Deadites earned our first "W" (High Five!). The other team scored at 11:00 and then Matt nailed a shot to even the score six or seven minutes later. If it was the regular season, it would have been a tie, but as Don Cheadle might say, this is the playoffs. No one scored in the five-minute overtime, so the game was down to a shootout. Shootouts are fun, but stressful, as the game rests on my shoulders. Fortunately, I was able to stop or deflect the other teams attempts, while Ed scored one for the Deadites and we left the ice rink at 1:30 a.m. in good spirits.

First Sledding of 2004

Thu, 04 Mar 2004 08:03:35 -0500

Last night two of my roommates and I did our first sledding of 2004 (High Five!). Theresa bought a Wham-O sled and we brought it to a hill on campus. At first I was skeptical, but once we got to the hill, I had to try a run. And it was fun.

204 Monthly Statement

Wed, 03 Mar 2004 10:03:58 -0500

In this short month, I've made steps forward in some areas, but fallen back in others. It's like that one song: "Two steps forward and one step back..."

Read 1 (one) non-school related book each month
OK, I'm batting .500 on this goal now. I do have a book in mind for March, but I need to finish it. Hopefully spring break will give me an opportunity to do that.

Get and remain effectively organized
Still working on this one. I would say I'm making progress, but I still have a ways to go. I wish I could hire a consultant to anaylize me and figure out what kind of system would work. Or a personal assistant, so i wouldn't have to worry about it.

Work smarter, not longer hours
This is one area that has been a success. I've been getting work done during the work day. The trick has been breaking tasks down into their smaller, more managable, components.

Spend more time being social, less time at work
My weekday social life isn't quite top-notch, but there was only one weekend in February that I spent at home, and it was by concious choice, I needed to watch Sneakers and be lazy instead of going out.

Cook a decent meal three times a week
I'm certainly doing better at this that I was last month, but I have some work yet to do here.

Take control of financial situation
I've made some poor decisions this month, and now I'm paying for them. It's not serious, but it's adding up. This is a focus area for March.

Other goals
My non-stated goals are progressing, but slowly. I was hoping to have made more progress by now, but things haven't regressed, so I guess that's good.

Analysis
If stocks of me were traded on Wall Street, I'd recommend Hold. SCM performed slightly below expectations this Month, but significant gains should be coming in the near future.

Fun With Voicemail

Fri, 27 Feb 2004 11:02:50 -0500

Last night I fit my cell-phone into my helmet so I could give an audio feed of the broomball game. I called my brother's work to leave a voicemail, which would get turned into an audio file. Unfortunately, I got cut off after only three minutes, which happened to be the exact time the game actually started. I didn't have time during the game to redial, which is probably for the best since we were demoralized 7-0 (or something like that... the scoreboard wasn't working, and I lost count of the goals after four). Anyway, here's the 3 MB .au file of the call.

Organization

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 20:02:09 -0500

I'm really bad at organization. Actually, I take that back: I'm good at organization; I'm bad at staying organized. Today I sat in the Pub and got myself organized. How did I do it?

My first idea was to hang a big piece of poster paper in my room and use Post-It� Notes to keep track of all the things I was working on. I could arrange the notes by due-date or project and it would be available to look at all the time. Except I'm not home all the time. I'm hardly home at all except to sleep, and if I'm home and not sleeping, I'm probably watching TV.

My second idea was to use computer-based solutions like iCal and Omni Outliner. The problem is that I don't always have reasonable access to my computer. I usually carry it with me, but it's not convenient for quick entries, especially in the middle of class.

After considering the problem after work today, I think I've got a solution. I purchased some folders, Post-It� Notes and folder labels, then went to the pub, ordered a PBR and spread the contents of my shoulder bag onto the table.

I created a folder for each major project. One for each class, one for each project outside of class and one for small projects. I labelled each folder then put loose papers from my bag into their appropriate container. I used the Post-It notes to "chunkify" the tasks for each project into smaller pieces, then stick them inside the folder.

This solves both of the above problems. The folders remain in my bag, so I have access to them when I need them and I also have a Post-It notepad in my bag, so I can write quick notes and add them to the folders quicker and less conspicuously than entering things in my laptop. I still use iCal for scheduling, but I don't need to refer to it as often, because each Post-It has a due date, so I can see what's coming up.

Only time will tell if this system will work, but it seems to have quite a bit going for it. I just need to make sure I check the folders on a regular basis so I can avoid missing deadlines. I'm also sure that I haven't thought of all possible problems, but the system seems flexible enough to adapt to most hiccups I'll encounter.

First Road Trip of 2004

Mon, 23 Feb 2004 04:02:32 -0500

This weekend, one of my roommates and I rented a car and drove to Anchorage (high five!) We were gone for a grand total of 30 hours, 12 of which were spent driving to and from the big city. The drive was nice both ways; there were just a few icy parts of the road. Being in Anchorage felt almost like summer. The 40-degree temperatures felt amazing compared to the -20 that we've been experiencing lately (although it's warmed up to about 20 today). The funny thing about the trip was that we went to Anchorage to look up some court records. The clerk told us that the cases had closed so the records were sent back to Fairbanks just a few days before we got there. We also got to have a visit (albeit a short one) with my friend who recently moved there.

First Mock Newscast of 2004

Fri, 20 Feb 2004 10:02:12 -0500

On Friday, the UAF Weekly team completed our first dry run (high five!). The dry run is important because we need to practice working as a team and get familiar with the equipment. Before we got started, we had to adjust the lights and move the furniture to get more dimension for the anchors. The backdrop looks really good on camera and there were few technical problems. Next week will be a second, but more thorough, dry run and following week's program will be scheduled for broadcast.

First Non-Loss of 2004

Thu, 19 Feb 2004 08:02:46 -0500

Everyone's favorite broomball team, the Deadites, didn't lose! (High Five!) I was working hard in the crease. I caught one of the first shots, but then got hit by the shooter. I started sliding back into the goal so I had to get rid of the ball before it crossed the goal line. It was an awesome save. I had several other good saves, too. I wish I would have taped the game. One shot snuck between my elbow and body, but then Matt scored tying the game 1-1.

First 100% Audio-CapableBuddylist of 2004

Tue, 17 Feb 2004 04:02:56 -0500

iChatAV has been out for a while and it finally looks as though people are taking advantage of audio conferencing available (high five). This is the first time that everyone online has had audio conference capabilities.

Penny Press Issue Two

Sat, 14 Feb 2004 19:02:42 -0500

The newest issue of Penny Press has been published. Lots of great writing that everyone should read.

First Banff Film Festival of 2004

Sat, 14 Feb 2004 08:02:23 -0500

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour makes a stop in Fairbanks each year. It's aMAZing. The grand-prize winner, The Other Final, was incredibly well produced and truly awe-inspiring to watch. There are video clips available on the web site.

Peristaltic

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:02:06 -0500

I will never misspell the word peristaltic again.

Last night two fellow journalism students and I participated in the 12th Annual Biz Bee. It's a fundraiser for the Literacy Council of Alaska where businesses and organizations sponsor teams to compete in a spelling bee. There were twenty-two teams of three, including us. Based on our table position, we were to go last in each round.

As each team was given words like "mage" and "rudimentary," we thought we would be able to pretty easily make it to the second round. One by one, teams spelled their words. A few even got out the first round, but bought back in (it is a fund-raiser after all). As each team spelled or misspelled their words, our excitement clicked toward nervousness. After the team from UAF's Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, the CRAYons, the spotlight was on us.

Our word: peristaltic. Only one of us had ever heard it, and that was a long time ago. We spelled it parystaltic. When asked if we wished to buy back in for $100, I was feeling frisky and said, "On a journalist's salary?"

Although I have no idea what peristaltic means (other than having something to do with the throat), I'll always remember how to spell it.

Highlight Reel

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:02:19 -0500

Last night's broomball game went much better than the one before it. We still lost, making our record 0-4-0 in conference play, but they only scored one very lucky goal. Check out the Highlight Reel (1.8 MB Quicktime).

Some of you might be asking why there's only footage of the goalie. Well, the first reason is that I'm the goalie and this is my web site. The second (more practical) reason is that there's no one to man the camera so it has to remain stationary, and the goalie doesn't move around the ice too much.

Share the Road

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:02:15 -0500

Bicycle friendly folks will likely be able to relate to this simple quiz.

Hardware

Thu, 12 Feb 2004 22:02:39 -0500

For the first time in this blog, when I refer to hardware, I'm actually referring to stuff you buy at a hardware store. I got to use power tools yesterday and I must say, it was FUN. I was simply cutting 1x3s to length in order to build the backdrop for our TV News program. Then I got to glue braces and drill screws with a drill (I have used a drill before, but I hadn't used the miter saw).

Today I earned my first pair of paint-stained jeans while applying paint to our muslin backdrop. Tomorrow is second coat and then texture. I've got video of some of our work, and I'll be getting some more, so keep an eye out.

First Spelling Bee of 2004

Thu, 12 Feb 2004 07:02:39 -0500

I participated in a spelling bee for charity. High Five! It was fun, but our team was eliminated in the first round by the word "peristaltic." I had never heard it before, but I'll never misspell it again. In case you're wondering, it has something to do with muscles in the throat and intestines that coordinate in such a way to keep food and other stuff moving.

Agony of Defeat

Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:02:23 -0500

When you play on any team, it's hard to get everyone to show up at 12:45 a.m. on a weeknight. Such is the plight of The Deadites. Last night we lost 3-0 to Team Ramrod, partially because some teammates didn't show and partially because i had to use loaner pads, which threw off my game. Mostly the helmet, actually, because it was falling apart.

PS: Next time, I'll zoom in with the camera.

First Video Editing of 2004

Tue, 10 Feb 2004 07:02:14 -0500

I'm in charge of archiving the file footage for UAF Weekly, a start-up student-produced newscast (high five!). I captured clips from MiniDV tapes and will burn them to DVD. The other option was to archive them back on one MiniDV, but then whenever they were needed the reporter/editor would have to recapture the clips. By burning the clips to DVD (as a data disc) we'll save time because we can just use the clips without spending the time to capture.

Music Compilation Revelation

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 12:02:25 -0500

I recently made some mix CDs for a couple friends and didn't include a track list. I had originally forgot to print one and include it in the mailing, but now I think I'm glad I left it out.

Part of the fun of getting a mix tape or CD is the element of surprise. You're heart rate increases everytime a track ends, because you just don't know what's next. Is it club banger or soul-bearing confession? When those seconds-turned-hours of silence finally come to a close and the first notes come through the speakers you feel a release, only to have the tension begin to rise as the next track approaches.

Another reason to leave the track list behind is to prevent any preconceived notions. If you get a CD or tape and it has a song by an artist you normally wouldn't consider listening to, it's easy to skip over to the next track. But if you don't know what the songs are, you'll listen to each one and accept it on it's individual merits, outside of any preconceived notions, and you'll also consider it's context within the mix. Even if it's by an artist you dislike, the track may make perfect sense based on its placement alongside the other songs.

One might argue that one point of making a mix is to expose others to good music they probably haven't heard, so if you leave the track list out they won't know who's playing the good stuff. My workaround is to save a copy of the list so the recipient can ask me for it after he or she has had a chance to listen to it.

Fun Links for You

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:02:26 -0500

(1) In a South Park episode, Cartman tricks Butters into staying in a fridge for a week so Cartman can go with Kyle to Casa Bonita, a Mexican theme-park restaurant. It turns out, the restaurant is very much like it's described in the episode.

(2) This goes out to all my hiking and camping homies: Portable stoves can be expensive, but now you can build one of your own from cans of Pepsi and Guinness.

(3) Photographer Emese Gall discusses the relationship between photoblogging and professional photography.

(4) From the folks who brought you Gawker: Wonkette.

Monthly Status Report

Mon, 02 Feb 2004 15:02:11 -0500

According to Phil, we've got six more weeks of winter ahead, but I'm actually looking to the past to see how I've done on my New Year's Resolutions.

Read one book per month. I started strong, completing a third of a book in the first few days of the month. Unfortunately, that book sat on the shelf for quite some time and it was looking like I might not be able to claim a win for the book-reading category. Fortunately, I rallied in the last days of the month to finish Neal Stephenson's The Big U mere hours before the deadline.

Get and Remain effectively organized. I have made some progress in this area. Moving has proved both a help and hinderance. On one hand, it forces me to clear out clutter that has accumulated, but on the other hand, I have to pack everything and then unpack it, which is usually quite chaotic. I haven't let papers pile up on my desk for a significant length of time, but I definitely have room for improvement.

Work smarter, not longer hours. This is an area I'm doing well in. I feel like I'm actually making progress on work projects and am leaving the office at a reasonable hour. (the limited bus schedule kind of forces this, which is nice)

Spend more time being social. I've gone out more than 50% of weekends so far this year, which is about right. Sometimes I need to spend some time at home and relax. My weekdays have been less social, and is a place I will try to improve this month.

Cook a decent meal three times a week. January has been an utter failure in this regard. Mostly this is because I moved and so my cooking utensils were packed for most of it. February is my time to rally in the kitchen.

Take control of financial situation. My financial situation isn't bad, but I need to keep it from deteriorating. I do have some debt to pay off and I want to have a decent amount saved up by the time I graduate. Also, I wouldn't mind setting up a long-term savings plan like an IRA or mutual fund investment.

OVERALL SCORE (not an average): 57%
If the year were to end right now, I wouldn't be satisfied with the result. Fortunately, I've got 11 more months to shape up. There are other non-contractual obligations that I have yet to Make Happen also, contributing to a lower score than I would like.

First Super Bowl Party of 2004

Sun, 01 Feb 2004 12:02:46 -0500

[no picture] I went to my friend's house for one of the best Super Bowl games, ever (high five!). I was rooting for the Patriot's the whole time, but I was glad to see Carolina give them a run for their money.

First Book of 2004

Sat, 31 Jan 2004 12:01:25 -0500

I finished Neal Stephenson's The Big U. Like the other Stephenson books I've read, it was very good. The story moved along and there were plenty of interesting characters.

Boxes

Fri, 30 Jan 2004 11:01:42 -0500

This picture displays all of my current belongings except for some clothes hanging in the closet and my bed (which is really just a futon mattress). It's surprisingly not very much stuff, although I have quite a bit more in storage in my parent's basement.

When I first arrived in Fairbanks I had two decent sized boxes, a two duffel bags and a computer (which was pretty big). Now I've got all this extra stuff. Some of it hasn't left it's box from the last time I moved (1 year ago).

First Move of 2004

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 04:01:24 -0500

As of about 3 p.m. today I am officially out of my apartment (High Five!) It's amazing how much stuff I got rid of. A lot of the furniture I brought to the reuse area of the transfer site, and before my friend and I had a chance to put it on the ground, someone claimed it. If I had had more time, I probably could have sold some of it, but for me it's worth getting rid of just so I don't have to move it again in four months.

Cable TV and other luxuries

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:01:05 -0500

My new place (see previous entry) has Cable TV. I watched Iron Chef for the first time ever. It was awesome. Cheesy, but awesome. Other than a few choice programs, though, having more channels just means having more channels of crap to cycle through when I'm bored.

There are things greater than cable TV, though: in-house washer and dryer and dishwasher. No more saving quarters to wash clothes. Awesome.

New Digs

Mon, 26 Jan 2004 10:01:38 -0500

This weekend I moved out of my apartment and into a house with some friends. It's nice to have the move completed, but it's been a little awkward moving into a house with people who have been living together for a while now.

Kyle and I were very communal. Sometimes I'd buy groceries, sometimes he would, but we didn't worry much about about who ate what. The system in the new place is a little different so I'm trying to figure out how to integrate myself into the new community. Everyone's pretty cool, so i don't expect any problems, but it's an interesting process.

Naming Systems

Fri, 23 Jan 2004 13:01:31 -0500

Are all the machines in your office still named "Macintosh HD"? Or do they all have completely unrelated names that no one can make sense of? Have no more worries, help is on the way with a few simple guidelines and ideas for naming all those machines.

Guideline #1: Choose a theme that is reasonably limited. If you have five machines, don't pick "superheroes" because there are too many to choose from. Narrow down the category with a related modifier. For instance, if you work at publication, you can choose "superhero reporters." That list is more limited, but allows for some room to grow.

Guideline #2: Choose a theme that is somewhat related to your business. If you work in a music environment and have a few machines, you could name them after members of Wu-Tang Clan (or some other relatively large music group).

Examples

Comic Book Reporters

Peter Parker
Ben Ulrich
Lois Lane
Clark Kent
Jimmy Olsen
J. Jonah Jameson
Spider Jerusalem

Gibson warning: ultra geeky

Zer0 Cool
Crash Override
Acid Burn
Lord Nikon
Phantom Phreak
Cerial Killer
Joey
Razor
Blade

SETEC Astronomy warning: somewhat geeky

Bish
Crease
Mother
Whistler
Carl
Liz
Cozmo

Living Vicariously

Fri, 23 Jan 2004 01:01:40 -0500

A friend of mine is learning about computers. He's taking a course titled Mutlimedia for Educators. He's learning how to use iMovie and other cool stuff. As a graduate student, he's able to get a one-time loan (per academic year or once only, i'm not sure) for a computer for himself. Tonight I helped him set up a machine within his budget. Are you ready for this?

Seriously, Are you ready?

He can spend $11,000.

That's not a typo: eleven thousand dollars.

Anyway, after talking to him we got him hooked up with a Dual 2GHz G5 with 2GB of RAM, two 250G harddrives and twenty-effing-three inch cinema display. That didn't set him back to far, so we threw in a Epson 2200 printer, Adobe CS, Keynote, Final Cut Express, a 15GB iPod with all kinds of accessories, a Canon Powershot G5 with two 256MB and two 512MB compact flash cards (he plans on getting a Canon 10D relatively soon), and probably some other stuff that I can't remember now.

I've spent plenty of time at the Apple Store building a kickin' system, but never have I imagined actually being able to purchase it. I can't wait for him to submit the proposal and order all that cool stuff. He'll probably need a new keyboard after I salivate while oogling the 23" display.

Heat Wave

Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:01:34 -0500

Three days ago it was 45 degrees below zero. One day later it was 1 degree above. The temperature increased by 46 degrees in 24 hours. For most areas a temperature change of that magnitude would be crazy. Imagine the temperature rising from 40 to 86 degrees.

In Fairbanks, though, it just means that you can spend a few more minutes outside before your face freezes off. But you want to know what's really strange? On Tuesday, when it was 1 degree. I wouldn't have thought of walking home (1.25 miles) as an option. Yesterday, though, at 8 degrees, I walked home with only mild discomfort. That means that a change of 7 degrees was more significant than a change of 46 degrees.

First Awesome Weekend of 2004

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 04:01:53 -0500

This weekend was great. The campus shuttle dropped us off at the bar (well, technically, we got dropped off at the campus office next door) and we got to see a band play (pictured). I had my first flaming pumpkin, which is an impressive sight. After a few drinks and some good tunes, we went back to campus and watched the end of a movie on TV then passed out. Woke up and read some comics, then caught the bus home. It was great. I didn't think about school or work or any responsibility.

Warren Ellis on Organic Food

Thu, 15 Jan 2004 08:01:12 -0500

I don't have anything against Organic Foods, but I do enjoy it when Warren Ellis rants.

First Day of School of 2004

Thu, 15 Jan 2004 04:01:43 -0500

Today was the first day of classes. High Five! All my classes are going to be interesting, as well as keeping me busy throughout the semester. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of any of my classes, but I'll work on it.

First Finished Redesign of 2004

Sun, 11 Jan 2004 11:01:58 -0500

After spending several hours in front of my computer today, I finally got the Penny Press site completed (high five!). Now we just need to get some good content up there.

First Scary Ad of 2004

Wed, 07 Jan 2004 11:01:33 -0500

This ad was on the wall at the bus stop. I'd like to think this is one of those things that you'd only see in Alaska, but somehow I doubt that's true.

Macworld Keynote Reactions

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 11:01:16 -0500

iLife: I was expecting updates to the iLife apps, but a whole new one was quite a surprise, especially one as cool as GarageBand. I'm not really feeling the name, but it makes sense. I am, however, very much into what it does. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on it and mixing up some loops (I don't play piano or guitar) to use in video projects.

iPod mini: I like the smaller size and choice of colors, but I don't like the math. Steve's main point was that for $50 more than a Rio with 256 MB of flash memory, you get 4 GB of storage and Apple's sweet user interface. That puts the iPod mini at $250. Well, for $50 more dollars you can get 15 GB of storage from the regular-sized iPod. If I'm wiling to shell out $250 for an MP3 player, I'm sure I'd be willing to shell out another $50 to get the extra 11 GB of storage. I'll just go without a couple pizza deliveries next month. It's still early, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. (conversely: shrinking costs money)

xServe: Only in my wildest dreams would I need one of these, so any announcements are going in one ear and out the other. I'm sure it's great for those people that need them.

MS Office: MS Office '04 looks pretty legit. I'm glad there are some people at Microsoft actually doing something constructive.

20th Anniversary: Apple should get into the 20th anniversary thing. Their only new ad is just an addition to their previous set if iPod ads. I really wanted another awesome Superbowl ad.

First Haircut of 2004

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 08:01:11 -0500

Looking good with my first haircut of 2004 (high five!). The last time I got my haircut was way back in '03 and I was long overdue. According to the barber, most cowlicks go away by age 23, but since mine's still around, it's around for good. He also said 75% of people inherit qualities of hair from their mothers. Interesting.

From the desk of...

Mon, 05 Jan 2004 17:01:13 -0500

After spending several hours with MovableType, Transmit and SubEthaEdit, cmerrill.com is now (almost) complete.

At left you'll see Latest Entries, which shows the latest five entries to the main blog, which you're reading now. At right, you'll see the monthly archive from the main blog, including entries that have been moved from Urbanhonking and Blogger before that.

Also on the left is Recent Photos. As you'd expect, it contains the five most recently posted photos, followed by a link to the main photos section.

Below Recent photos is Recent Firsts. Recent Firsts is a new section keeping track of each First of 2004. There's only one posted right now, but before the week is out, I'll get caught up.

Below the Firsts are Resume and Press, neither of which are active right now. Resume will be a link to my resume in three formats (PDF, HTML and TXT) and Press will be a collection of press clippings about me or related projects.

As with any redesign, it will be a little bit of time before the kinks are worked out. There are subtle formatting changes that I plan to make in the near future, and if anyone has any suggestions for improvements, please let me know by e-mailing MT at c merrill dot com.

First Day at Work of 2004

Mon, 05 Jan 2004 08:01:26 -0500

Not much to say about my first day at work of 2004 (regular five). I spent some time excavating my desk from the piles of paperwork and even accomplished some stuff. There's a lot to do before school starts next week... sigh.

First DVD of 2004

Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:01:07 -0500

My roommate got me the first season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force on DVD (high five!). It doesn't get much better than the shenannigans of Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad.

First Flight of 2004

Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:01:28 -0500

This is a cool photo. I like how the top half is a reflection of me in window and the bottom is the tarmac of SeaTac. This was taken during a layover on my first flight of 2004 (high five!). After spending 13 hours completing a trip that should have only taken seven or eight I was back in my home. Coming home after a trip is always nice. Oh yeah, click the photo for a larger version.

First Motion Picture of 2004

Fri, 02 Jan 2004 12:01:23 -0500

I saw Return of the King. It was good, and we got to see our friend's name in the credits (High Five!).

First Credit Card Transaction of 2004

Fri, 02 Jan 2004 12:01:16 -0500

This is the receipt from my first credit card transaction of 2004 (High Five!). I bought a roll of christmas wrapping paper from the Nob Hill Pharmacy for my brother. It was 50% off.