Random Access

Tuesday – 14 September 2010
So far, today is starting off about 16347 times better than yesterday. I’m good with that.

Yesterday did wind up being a decent day. Not too surprisingly, the day got (much) better when I left work… which I did early. I headed home to do some straightening and then ran out to pick up some snacks for the game, as I was expecting company for Monday Night Football. Nathan and Wes from work came by, as did , and Josh. It was fun.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
10 – 9
The Ravens traveled to the New Meadowlands Stadium to take on Rex Ryan’s New York Jets. The game was delayed, due to lightning, but once the kick-off rolled around, it was on. There hasn’t traditionally been a “rivalry” between these teams, but given their history – Jet’s head coach Rex Ryan was the Ravens’ former defensive coordinator – I think that there may be a new match-up on the East Coast. For the past week, there has been a lot of trash talking and posturing… from both sides. Last night it came to a head. The Ravens’ defense was solid, allowing only 74 passing yards and 114 yards on the ground. The offense took a little while to get into gear – the Jets were able to effectively contain the run game – but QB Joe Flacco found new WR Anquan Boldin 7 times for 110 yards (out of a total 278 passing yards). TE Todd Heap put in an impressive performance, as well, snagging 72 passing yards in 6 catches. New addition WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh also pulled in catches for 27 yards. RB Willis McGahee ran in the Ravens’ only TD. On the other side of the ball, the Jets were…very physical, but not everyone seemed to be on the same page.  QB Mark Sanchez looked decent, but couldn’t seem to get his receivers to hold on to passes. Former San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson had a couple rushes, but didn’t get a lot of yards on the ground. The Ravens picked up twenty (20) first downs in the game, compared to the six (6) that the Jets picked up. Penalties also played a large pat in the game: The Jets racked up 10 penalties, for 100 yards, in the first half alone. A lot of them were unnecessary, but did help the Ravens get advantageous field position. All-in-all, it was a tight game… and far closer than I would have liked. But, a win is a win.  Selah.

Yo, Ray..?!  There are some haters out there who say you might be too old to play or that you’ve lost a step or two. What do you have to say about that?

Mmh.  Mmh. MMH!  I know that’s right!

Stray Toasters

• I discovered, late yesterday, that this is National Aerospace Week
• Converse + DC Comics = AWESOME
• I believe that one of SaraRules’ aunts is about to become a member of Improv Everywhere…
  (This makes me smile for a number of reasons.)
• Sukkah vs. Sukkah
• Conservatism does not equal racism. So why do many liberals assume it does?
• 
• Hollywood’s Racism Exposed… by LEGO
• Rumors continue to suggest that Jon Hamm (Don Draper on AMC’s Mad Men) is under consideration to become the next Superman…
• Artificial skins detect the gentlest touch
• Five myths about prostitution
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: School suspends son of murdered man because his eyes were red
• From the “I’ve had it with these motherfucking shuriken on this motherfucking plane” file: Steve Jobs Stopped at Japan Airport over Ninja Stars
• LEGO & Lyrics

Quote of the Day
I was talking with Bill and Scott, a couple of coworkers, a little while ago. Sports came up. Then the distinction between “sports” and “games.” After a few minutes, we hit on motocross. Scott said that he didn’t consider it a sport. Bill and I both countered.  Finally, Bill made this observation:

Anything that causes snot to drip off your chin, I consider a sport.

Amen.

And with that…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 September 2010
The abbreviated work week begins.

The morning commute was accompanied by the radio, which had this in the mix:

Last night, SaraRules and I headed to the local Home Depot – my third trip for the day – to pick up paint supplies to start work on the guest room. As soon as we finish with it, we’ll be done with the upstairs interior. For now.  We’re considering replacing the railing at the stairs to the basement with a half-wall.  We’ll see how that pans out.

I also managed to get in a little time in Nova Praetoria, the “other” setting for CoH: Going Rogue. I like the fact that you get to choose between being a Loyalist (supporting the emperor) or a Resistance member (fighting against the oppressive regime)… or even straddle the line between them. My character is currently a member of the Resistance. Whether or not he remains one will depend on how the story plays out.

Stray Toasters

• It would be nice if the weather could figure out whether it wants to be hot or cool.
• Petraeus Wanrs Against Planned Koran-Burning
  I find it sad that people can’t figure out that this is invective and offensive.  It seems a far way from the “Do unto others…” that I was taught in the churches of my youth.
• 8 Incredible LEGO Mods
• And here’s a little classic Ms. Jackson for your day, too:
• North Van dad-to-be’s final act saves family
  And if the name “Brian Wood” sounds familiar to gamers, it’s because he was the lead designer for Relic Entertainment’s Company of Heroes.
• By way of : Conventions: Another day at the office for celebs
• 
• 8 Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World
• 1930 Art Deco Henderson
• The Ravens (finally) released QB Troy Smith over the weekend; he was picked up by the 49ers.
• Researchers Say Happiness Costs $75k
• xkcd Comic Wedding Cake

Namaste.

Friday – 03 September 2010
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday.
I consider that a good way to kick off a long weekend.

Last night was rather quiet and low-key. The highlights included: Mowing the yard and watching more of Mad Men, season 2. I’ve been trying to follow a tip I saw on DIY Network (I really watch that channel FAR too much…) and have been cutting the grass in different directions each time I mow. The landscaping in the front yard makes it… difficult… but I persevere. The back yard isn’t nearly as annoying to mow, fortunately. And, I also got the mower back behind the gazebo — there was a LOT of ivy/ground cover growth — to see what I was dealing with back there.  Uneven ground. A couple of stumps. A raised planter box.   Yeah, it needs a little attention.  We’ll see what we can do about that.

Stray Toasters

• I just finished chatting with my mother… on Facebook. She seems to be enjoying retirement… for the most part.
• USUO 2010 Fourth Annual Web Sale
• Cinnamon Chip Bread for breakfast!  WIN!
• The crap we put up with getting on and off an airplane
• 
• Preschoolers being radio-tagged
• The Ravens played the Rams last night… and lost. I didn’t see the game, as it wasn’t televised, but ESPN’s Game Center told the tale of the tape.  And these reporters’ comments clarified any further questions. Oh, well… at least the regular season starts soon.
• 
• August jobs report: Signs of life for employment
• Homeroom Security: book about the insanity of zero-tolerance classroom policies
• From the “WAY Too Much Free Time” file comes: Keith Goldman builds Logan’s Run

Time to see what kind(s) of trouble I can get into today…

Namaste.

Friday – 27 August 2010
It’s (almost) the weekend!  Amen.

To kick it off, here’s a little Tony Toni Tone:

That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Last night was D&D Game Night. We had to reschedule it from Wednesday because of ‘s birthday. The encounter was good… and no one died. After the game, it was back home for a late dinner (Pad Thai leftovers) and an episode of Burn Notice.

Stray Toasters

• forwarded a link to this picture, which I thought was pretty awesome.
• forwarded a link to this picture, which was also rather awesome
• For SaraRules: Rube Goldberg: The Man Behind the Machines
• Thanks to for sending me the link to AnyRail.
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The Last Airbender
• The Art of Gene Gonzales
• Happy 15th Birthday to Windows 95, the Ugly Duckling that Conquered Your Desktop
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Tiger cub found inside suitcase
• Bananas are radioactive—But they aren’t a good way to explain radiation exposure
• 5 Things to Always Keep in Your Car
• LA Prisons to Use Burning Heat Ray on Unruly Inmates
• SC high school freshmen take junior ROTC
• Nine lives, ten rockets… You do the math.

Namaste.

Thursday – 12 August 2010
Not only is it an NBN Thursday…
But there’s an NFL preseason game tonight…

The Baltimore Ravens take on the Carolina Panthers, in Baltimore.
As these are my #1 and #2 teams, this comes out as a “Win-Win” for me.

vs. 

Additionally, The Wizard of Oz was released on this date, in 1939.

SaraRules and I, along with her parents, attended the “Epic Dining” at MacCool’s last night. There was a five-course meal, in which each course was paired with a beer from Epic Brewing:

The whole evening was great.  We sat that the table with Dave and Peter, co-owners of Epic, Dave’s wife, Susan and Michael, Peter’s assistant. We got to talk with them about how they decided to start brewing beer, what they enjoyed about it, and whatever else popped into our heads. It was a great evening, with good company and a fantastic dinner. Pictures of the courses – minus the salad, because I neglected to shoot it before devouring it – can be found here.

Just as dinner wrapped up, I got a call from one of the guys on my team: He had been receiving notifications from a wetness sensor in one of the cooling units. This would make the third time in under three months. Not good. As I was closer to the office than he was, I told him that I’d check it out. And with that, SaraRules and I headed left MacCool’s and headed to the office.

When I got there, I took the front panel off of the unit in question and looked inside. Nothing.

::: grblsnrkx :::

I removed the rear panel and checked there. Nothing.

::: braincramp :::

I went back to the front and looked again… just in case I had missed something. This time, I noticed the remnants of a splash of a water droplet next to the sensor cord. I checked the cord itself — it was damp. Okay, this was progress. The only problem: I couldn’t find any sign of a leak or spill. Upon further investigation, I noted that one of the copper pipes was damp with condensation… and it took a bend just above the splash point. Apparently, enough there had been condensation to form a drop and landed next to/on the wetness sensor cord. It was enough for the sensor to register, but not enough to cause a problem – other than sending out alters – that would affect the unit’s operation. Disaster: Averted.

Back home for comfy pants and comics-reading time.

Workout
Wednesday’s step count: 4,649

Stray Toasters

• JetBlue: Sometimes the weird news is about us…
• In Superman’s Hometown, a Labor Dispute over Health
• With a Google Map, You Can Find Doctors Behaving Badly
• 9/11 museum going up underground in New York City
• LEGO Universe is apparently releasing a Beta Client for Mac. Tomorrow.
• Shopkick can lead you to discounts and sales
• 
• Quick Change in Strategy for a Bookseller
• Five Years Later, The Big Easy Pushes Forward
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: City of Beacon, NY enforces archaic law outlawing pinball, closes retro arcade
• gd

Monday – 02 August 2010
Hello, work week… we meet again.

It seems that, for the most part, the network switchover has worked pretty well. There have been some hiccups this morning – that were neither PEBCAK or ID-10-T errors – but those are to be expected. We even uncovered the mystery behind a long-running/long-forgotten problem with one office’s wiring. We’ll see what the rest of the day brings.

Yesterday was a good day, all-around. SaraRules and I went to the gym for a much-needed workout. Later we met up with , and to see Salt. The movie was reminiscent of the Jason Bourne movies… but with Angelina Jolie. It was a good popcorn flick.

After the movie, we went back home for a while and then headed to Logan and Sanaz’ place for dinner. They prepared an excellent meal of stuffed peppers, quinoa (with almond slivers and Craisins) and bread topped with a homemade olive butter.

Back at home, SaraRules and I finally got around to watching The Wild Bunch, which I’ve had for “a while,” from Netflix. It was a good movie… but, as SaraRules noted: It’s a movie with out clear and distinct “good guys” or “bad guys.” Yes, all of the major characters had motivations and seemed to be fairly-well defined, but “morals” and “ethics” for most seemed to have been left by the wayside. It was also a LONG movie, clocking in at nearly 2.5 hours. But, it was definitely worth seeing at least once.

Workout

• Elliptical: 10 minutes/ avg. speed: 5.5 MPH
• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Glutes: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps
  • 1 set @ 135 lbs
  • 2 sets @ 155 lbs
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Curls (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Tricep Press (t-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
• Core (plank): 3 sets/30 seconds

Sunday’s step count: 5,419

Stray Toasters

• Jonathan Coulton: Code Monkey

  
  (video by spiffworld)

• Things to look forward to this week:
  • Rush concert
  • Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture concert at the Deer Valley Music Festival
  • 9/80 Friday off!!!
  • Gaming
• By way of SaraRules: Does Language Influence Culture?
• For SaraRules: Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced a Generation
• Sally Ride Science Academy aims to make kids starry-eyed
• I ran into a problem with LEGO Universe yesterday. As a test, I created a new Minifigure so that I could see if it encountered a similar behavior. Lo and behold, as soon as the new Minifig got to the same point, the same problem occurred. Feh.
• iPad, other high-tech gadget trends differ by region
• Sorry…. teleconference.

Namaste.

Sunday – 01 August 2010
“Summer’s going fast…”
It seems as though July just started, and now we are beginning August.

Yesterday was also Ms. ‘s birthday.

Friday, was Day 5 of The Great Network Conversion. By the end of the (very long) day, it seems as though most things were in order. There was a lot of “hurry up and wait” involved, as we were awaiting some configuration to be completed at the home office. That didn’t help with the “longest day ever” feeling. Just before we left for the day, SaraRules dropped by the office, with a caramel mocha in-hand. (Have I mentioned ‘Coolest Wife Ever,’ recently?) By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was come home and take a nap. And that’s exactly what I did… and then it was off to gather with the rest of the Clitorati crew.

Saturday, I forced myself to sleep in. I know… I know… it sounds odd to have to “force” oneself to sleep in. But, considering that I woke up at 0700 and seriously contemplated getting up and starting the day — and given the fact that between Thursday and Friday, I put in nearly 24 hours in the office — sleep was a good and necessary thing. SaraRules went to the Open House at Repertory Dance Theatre; I stayed at home and did a bit of cleaning…

…until got here. We went to The Train Shoppe. I wanted to see if my new set had arrived. It hadn’t. Apparently, Lionel pushed back its shipping date by nearly a month. So… it should be here either just before or just after we  go camping.

Following that stop and a quick run to Dr. Volt’s, it was back home for a bit. Lunch. Hanging out with SaraRules. Exploring LEGO Universe… when it wasn’t being buggy. *shakes fist*

Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to Rio Tinto Stadium to see Real Salt Lake host a match against DC United:

This also marked the first time that I have seen an MLS game live. (I doubt it will be the last time.) I had gone to MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) games as a teenager, but that really comes under the heading of “same brand, different flavor.”  Or, for the SAT crowd:

Major Indoor Soccer League : Major League Soccer as…

1. Roller Derby : NASCAR
2. Arena Football League : NFL Football
3. BMX : Motocross
4. Stickball : Major League Baseball

The correct answer, in this case, would be “2”

The match was a lot of fun. We sat in the upper level and had a great view of the soccer pitch… AND the seats were very reasonably priced. And they were also covered, which became important when it started raining. RSL won the match 3 – 0, with a couple of goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game.  (I was a little torn about the loss for DCU, though…) I am Ivory Soap sure that we’ll be back in Rio Tinto Stadium to see another match before the season ends.

Workout
Friday’s step count: I don’t recall, but it was somewhere around 3,600 steps
Saturday’s step count:  5,948

Stray Toasters

• Obama gives himself a grade of ‘incomplete’ after 18 months
• UAE to block BlackBerry services
• Holly Golightly: Breaking Rules in a Little Black Dress
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Washing Machine Self-Destructs After Trying to Wash a Brick
  • Sixteen Years in Prison for Videotaping the Police?
• 
• My right bicep hurts, for an as-yet unexplained reason
• This Airplane Luxury Suite Is Way Out of My Budget
• Reading the Writing on Pompeii’s Walls
• The Evo gets Android 2.2 this week.
• Who’d win a battle between a Klingon battlecruiser and the Death Star? We found out!

Now: Breakfast.
Later: Salt.

Monday – 26 July 2010
It’s the beginning of another fun-filled work week.

Today would have been my great-grandmother’s birthday, as well. One of the best stories about my great-grandmother also involves Sib-2 and a Power Wheels truck; nearly 30 years later, it still makes me laugh.

Even though it was a three-day weekend, it still seemed far too short. The highlights of the weekend included:

• A trip to End Zone with Perry and the kids
• Hanging out with the coolest wife ever.
• Helping the coolest wife ever redo the planter bed in front of the house.
• Seeing Inception
  
• Playing City of Heroes for the first time in far too long…
• Playing LEGO Batman for the first time in far too long…
• Hanging out with the Pinup Girl Espresso crew
• Seeing The Book of Eli
  
• Watching Burn Notice

This morning’s musical selection: Orgy – Opticon

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Today’s thought comes from an unknown source:

We all have it within ourselves to rise from feelings of complete hopelessness to a state of renewed strength, clarity, understanding and peace.

Workout

• Friday’s step count: 5,700-something
• Saturday’s step count: 4,200-something
• Sunday’s step count: 2,650

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules has a meeting tonight, which means that I’m a bachelor for a few hours. I think that this calls for Chinese food.  Anyone care to join me?
• Jane Austen’s Fight Club
• Footloose came on the radio during the morning commute.  Whenever I hear the song, it reparses in my head as:
  

  Juice! Fruit juice!
  Or Kool-Aid, if you choose.
  Juice box, please! Or Capri Suns to squeeze!
  It’s a fact: Welch’s Grape is like crack!
  Juice! Fruit Juice!
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
  Everybody drink… Everybody drink… Everybody….
  Everybody drink fruit juice!

• The Other Bomber Girls
• 
• Batman: Under the Red Hood comes out tomorrow.

• My new train set should arrive this week!

• Would I Crush Everything be a good theme song for Cthulhu?

• Namaste.

Tuesday – 13 July 2010
Today is apparently “Embrace Your Geekness” Day.
I’d never heard of it before this morning. *shrug*

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner at Epic Casual Dining, in Midvale. We had talked about going there a few times, but had never managed to actually go. It bills itself as “One of the Salt Lake Valley’s finest restaurants.” I think this might be a bit of an overstatement. That’s not to say that the food wasn’t good – it was – but, I can think of a few “finer” restaurants off the top of my head. Would I eat there again, yes. Would it necessarily be at the top of my list the next time I’m looking for someplace to dine out? No… it would be somewhere in the middle to lower-middle.

After dinner, and a quick stop to say “Hi” to Kate and Perry, we went to Quilts, Etc., so that SaraRules could pick up a pattern block. I am Ivory Soap-sure that the place is a tesseract, because there is no way that the store could be as large as it is inside without employing extradimensional space. No. Way.

After that, we made our way up to the Toys ‘R’ Us in Murray. Why? Well…

1. …because it’s Toys ‘R’ Us.  (Duh.)
2. …because Kate mentioned that they had a different LEGO figure in the store than the one in Sugar House:

Captain Rex
(Imperial Clone Trooper, from Star Wars)

We wandered around the store for a few more minutes, looking at other things, too. SaraRules found this gem:

That’s right: Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965).

After our excursion, we headed home. We wrapped up the evening watching the most awesome thing that we could find on Netflix’ Instant Queue, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus.

That’s right. A movie so awesomely bad that we were compelled to watch it.

The power of Mega Shark compels you!
The power of Mega Shark compels you!

The movie featured:

• Former teen pop star, Debbie Deborah Gibson, as Emma, an oceanographer who first encounters the prehistoric creatures,
• Lorenzo Lamas (best known for his roles on Falcon Crest and Renegade) as the ham-fistedly over-acted government agent-in-charge of overseeing the creatures’ destruction,
• Vic Chao, as Seiji, the Japanese scientist seeking answers about the giant monster that appeared on his nation’s shores and
• Sean Lawlor as Lamar, Emma’s former professor and a former submariner who got drummed out of the Navy because he believed that “every sperm (whale) is sacred” and ran his sub aground rather than sail through the pod.  (Okay, okay… it was actually dolphins, but I couldn’t have made the joke without the whales.)  Added bonus: Mr. Lawlor’s was, hands-down, the worst Irish accent I’ve ever heard… from someone born and raised in Ireland! Genius!

So, what do you get in this movie?  A giant, prehistoric shark and a giant, prehistoric octopus terrorizing the northern Asian and North American Pacific Rim.  (Duh.) You also get bad acting and cheesy special effects. And, at no extra charge, they even throw in a contrived love scene… which, of course, leads to Emma having an apostrophe epiphany as to how to lure the creatures to their doom(s).

I will also admit that I wanted to see this movie because of this one scene:

…the physics of which was explained in this infographic.

Despite all of this, the movie managed to be (hilariously) entertaining, although we should have found a way to turn it into a drinking game or MST3K-ed it. Or both.

This almost – ALMOST – makes me want to see Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, just to see the new battle of the 80’s teen pop music queens: Debbie Gibson vs. Tiffany.  There’s bound to be some comedy/horror in there somewhere…

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,140

Stray Toasters

• George Steinbrenner, Yankees’ Owner, Dies at 80
• What’s the carbon footprint of …a banana?
• Streamlined Train Wonders of the Art Deco Era
• 
• On Testing, Consumer Reports Retracts iPhone 4 Recommendation
• What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain

Namaste.

Thursday – 08 July 2010
Good NBN Comics Thursday!

Last night, SaraRules and I met her parents and aunt and uncle for an evening at Abravanel Hall. Utah Symphony was putting on a ZAP (Zoo, Arts and Parks) concert, benefitting The Road Home. The Symphony performed an encore presentation of their Patriotic Celebration concert. It was quite good. After the concert, we – along with – headed over to Capo Gelateria for gelato. Nice way to cap off the evening.

Today has been relatively uneventful, not to say that it hasn’t been busy-ish. And meetings. Yay!

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 6,458

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been looking at Wikipedia for storylines from DC and Marvel to (hopefully) give me more team ideas for this weekend’s tournament. I discovered that I can actually pull off a few variant teams that could be fun to play… assuming that I actually wind up playing bye rounds.
• made a comment about being “Espresso powered” this morning.
  I think that makes him “Coffeepunk.”
• Printing in 3D
• Someone in the neighborhood near the office has a blimp. Not Goodyear-sized; this one is more like something you’d see at a basketball or football game — maybe about 10 to 12-feet-long.  Still, it was odd seeing it in the air this morning.
• Is THE LAST AIRBENDER Shyamalan’s Last Chance?

  

• SETEC ASTRONOMY
• The Sartorialist
• Thanks to for posting a link to M.C. Escher in LEGO
• eBacon != virtual Kevin Bacon
• 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Namaste.

Thursday – 01 July 2010
It’s kind of nice – and refreshing – to have the start of a brand-new month be an NBN Thursday. It puts a nice spin on things, I think.

It is also Canada Day.

What…?!
Alpha Flight is a team Canadian super-heroes.
(There’s even a maple leaf on Guardian’s costume!)
To me, that’s a “Win-Win.”

Last night, SaraRules fired up the grill and cooked up some mighty tasty burgers. (Have I mentioned: “Coolest Wife Ever,” lately?) After dinner, we headed up to her parents’ place for a bit — We spent some time with the grand’rents and I helped her dad troubleshoot a new wireless router he’d picked up.

Back at home, we wound down the evening with Top Gear and comic books (me) and ice cream (again, me). I tried to make it through the first two segments of The Late Late Show… and failed miserably. So, off to bed.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,937

Stray Toasters

• Someone brought doughnuts to the office this morning.  NOM!
• Again in the “Coolest Wife Ever” category (or at least the “Human of the Day” category): SaraRules just messaged me, asking if I wanted her to pick up tickets for The Last Airbender for tonight.
• LEGO + Futurama = Something Like This
• Toyota says 270,000 vehicles have faulty engines
• Scotty Doesn’t Know (featuring Matt Damon)
• For : A whole blog about the most science fictional garment of all time: The Unitard
• It seems as though the redesign of Wonder Woman’s outfit stirred up a lot of controversy yesterday. I found it all rather amusing.
• By way of SaraRules: Street-Legal Electric TRON Lightcycles for sale on eBay
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: For the greater good
• From the Council for Better Driving: You Only Think Your Commute Sucks

Namaste.

Wednesday – 30 June 2010
Today is Comics and Sushi Wednesday.

It is also the last day of June. That means that when the day is over, the year will be half over. It seems like it just started…

Last night, just after work, SaraRules and I had a surprise visit from her mother… and her grandparents. We knew that the grands were coming to town, but didn’t expect to see them until today. (Good thing that the house was fairly clean and straightened!) They were on their way home from dinner and, as we were on the way, they stopped in to see us. We sat around and chatted for a bit before they continued on.

A little later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to the Salt Lake Art Center for the opening of:

As described on the Salt Lake Art Center site:

As part of its summer programming, the Salt Lake Art Center is exhibiting Contemporary Masters: Artist-Designed Miniature Golf, 18 fully-playable works of contemporary art like you’ve never seen before. Contemporary Masters features original creations by top artists from Utah and around the nation that explore diverse ideas (the current immigration debate, the fragility of personal identity, and the meditative value of Donkey Kong) in equally diverse media, including woven fabrics, video installations, and shredded paper. Deftly exploring the intersection between art and play, Contemporary Masters reminds us that art can and should be a part of our everyday lives.

The exhibit runs all summer and the admission is free – the SLAC does accept donations in their lobby, though. Some of the holes are challenging, to say the least. It is a fun outing and a different way to look at – and experience – art.

When we got back home, SaraRules found Blindness – which was referenced in the article on dystopian 21st Century visions from Monday’s post – on Netflix’ Instant Queue. It was an odd movie. It started off with a man going spontaneously blind. The movie follows him – and others – as his affliction is visited upon others. Julieanne Moore stars as the lone protagonist who retains her sight, hiding this fact from those around her. This movie provides an interesting character study, as well as an interesting social commentary on how quickly things break down when the conventions to which we are accustomed no longer hold true.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4,302

Stray Toasters

• A few months ago, I had a catastrophic hard drive failure at work. On the “plus” side, I had another rig that I could move into the then-dead machine’s place. On the “minus” side, I lost a LOT of company email… or at least I thought I had. I was able to recover a good portion of the lost email. That is a “good” thing. Today, I found an “even better” thing: I was able to find and recover a year-and-a-half gap of mail that I thought was totally gone. Win!
• LEGO for Grownups (a TED talk)
• Sites that ban you from linking to them. Still. In 2010.
• DC Comics has proclaimed this “Wonder Woman Week,” as the Amazon princess’ title hits Issue #600 today. Along with this, new writer J. Michael Straczynski (as in “The guy who created Babylon 5“) is giving Diana a retconned background and a new costume, courtesy of Jim Lee:

  

  • The Source (DC Comic’s blog) also had an interesting essay from Wonder Woman’s most famous portrayer, Wonder Woman Can Save the World, by Lynda Carter, as part of the celebration
• Best Summer Dance Music
  Sidenote: I don’t get all the flak people are giving Lady Gaga/her music. She’s a bit outlandish, yes. Guess what: It’s a persona/image.  Deal with it. And as for the music?  It’s pop music… it’s supposed to be light, fun, and danceable.  If you’re looking for “deep meanings,” you’re barking up the wrong tree.
• Deliver Bad News in a Good Way
• Bad Day for Bengals, Steelers
• 
• 10 Great Racetracks as Seen from Space
• Here come the Men in Black…
• Mad Dash as Homebuyer Tax Credit Deadline Arrives
• Daly, Conroy Return in “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse”
• Since Eclipse just hit theatres, I figured I’d re-repost this:  Why Breaking Dawn Must Be Made into a Movie

Namaste.

Tuesday – 15 June 2010
The middle of the month is upon us.
Beware the Ides of June?
Hm. Doesn’t have the same ring as “…of March.”
Oh, well.

Today is also my friend, Frankie’s, birthday:

The post-work part of yesterday was… “interesting,” to say the least. It went a little something like this:

• On the way to do some shopping, SaraRules’ car decided to break down. On I-215. We managed to get it to her parents’ house without too much trouble.
• Around 21:00, I got a call from my manager: One of the cooling units in our server room had decided to try its hand at being an irrigation unit and was leaking water into the server room… and the ceiling of the floor below us. I headed into work with my father-in-law’s ShopVac in tow.
  ::: cue Jonathan Coulton’s Shop Vac :::

As you can see, it wasn’t the quiet, relaxing night that I had been expecting. But, it did inspire my selection for this morning’s musical selection:

Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland – 4 Minutes to Save the World

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4,993

Stray Toasters

• A couple of features that Microsoft announced for the 360 at yesterday’s E3 session sound intriguing; I’m especially curious about the streaming of ESPN content.
• World Cup 2010 Instant Replay in LEGO
• 
• Excluding The Pie and/or Wasatch Pizza, who makes the best pizza in the SLC metro area?
• Read This Before You Volunteer to Clean Up the BP Oil Disaster
• The Seventeen Magazine Project
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: This Is the Pianist’s Equivalent of the Laptop Bed-Table, Right?
• Awaiting the Genome Payoff
• AT&T Breach May Be Worse Than Initially Thought

He gets right on to
The friction of the day

Namaste.

Monday – 14 June 2010
Today is Flag Day.

What?!  There’s a flag in the picture!  Yes, it is a CoH picture. That’s more of a “Win-Win,” if you ask me.

It’s also my friend, Keith’s, birthday.

And, as it’s Monday morning, let’s have a little somethin’ to kick off the day with a groove. Today’s offering is Maxwell’s Gotta Get: Closer

To paraphrase Ice Cube, yesterday was a good day:

• SaraRules got back from the City of Lost Angels.
• I finished the painting of the family room; we still need to figure out what we want to use for a trim color, but the main job is ovah!
• We saw The A-Team.
  
• We had dinner with Jana, OnlyAly and .

Workout
Saturday’s step count: 4443 steps
Sunday’s count: 1332 steps (official count… because I didn’t put on the pedometer until 4 PM)

The Best: Closer vs. Gotta Get: Closer
Nine Inch Nails vs. Maxwell

Given this morning’s bit of musical oleo, I was reminded that I like both versions of the song. That, in turn, made me think that I should do a juxtaposition and see which version edges out the other for the title “The Best.”

• Nine Inch Nails:

  Let’s just call a spade “a spade:” This song is just straight-up sex. There’s no question about what’s on Trent’s mind. In fact, he tells you. Bluntly. More than once. Let it never be said that the man doesn’t know how to convey what he’s thinking.

• Maxwell:
  (see video at top of post)

  What I like about this version is that Maxwell took the song and put his on spin on it. Yes, I can hear purists saying: “But, it’s not the same!”  No, it’s not. To me, that’s the essence of what makes an artist’s cover of a song a “good” cover: Being able to put their own unique stamp on it. Where NIN’s version is blatant and raw, Maxwell’s version is more… seductive, with a groove to it. To put it another way: Nine Inch Nails’ take is raw and rough sex, whereas Maxwell wants to take his time and enjoy the mood and the moment.

  • A similar example of “same brand, different flavor” along these lines can be found in another pair of songs that were released around the same time: Color Me Badd’s I Wanna Sex You Up and Extreme’s More than Words.

So, which version is “The Best?”

For me, it’s a tie. Why? Because each song holds its own for the mood that the artist is trying to convey. It’s a “Neither is ‘wrong’ and everybody wins” kind of situation.

Stray Toasters

• Who has the best corned beef sandwich in the greater SLC metro area?
• 23 Things Not to Write in an Email
• 100,000 LEGO Bricks Build One Hell of a Robotic Chess Set
• 
• Add It Up: Pricing Out a Visit to TV’s ‘Dr. House’
• Steampunk-Inspired, Hand-crafted Arduino Wristwatch Runs ‘Breakout’
• “Nude is the new Black”
  • That article reminded me of this card: 1, 2
• Pilot Kisses Death on the Lips and Flies Away
• Military Still Failing to Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries

And with that… on to the rest of the day.

Namaste.

Monday – 07 June 2010
It’s my mother’s birthday.

As my friend, Melody M., noted about it being a Monday: “Here we go…”
Which, in turn, reminded me of Here It Goes Again:

OK Go – Here It Goes Again from OK Go on Vimeo.

Yesterday afternoon, SaraRules and I headed up to Park City… okay, “Kimball Junction”… to do a little shopping at the outlets. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun and blue sky. The shopping wasn’t so bad, either. On the way home, we detoured through Emigration Canyon. After some down time at home, we went back to the in-laws’ place for cake presents, as the second part of ‘s pre-birthday:

After we got home for the evening, SaraRules put Doomsday in the 360 and we watched that before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Once again proving that too much free time on my hands is not necessarily a “good” thing, I took this picture because it made me laugh:



• 3 Campaign Ads That Aren’t True; 1 That’s Amazing
• Apollo 12 art caper: Does the moon harbor a tiny museum?
• Thanks to SaraRules for pointing this out: Cake Wrecks author coming to Utah
• Apple and Google square off over smartphone supremacy
• 
• Historic Route 66 bowling alley shuts down
• I just pre-ordered LEGO Universe.
• Adobe acknowledges critical security flaw in software
• 
  Of course, this comic doesn’t help with the indecision I’ve been feeling over starting a new Shadowrun campaign…
• How Times Have Changed, Ex-Playboy Bunnies Say
• Obamas attend Ford’s Theatre gala

Namaste.