Just Looking

WHO IS BARACK OBAMA???

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:22 CDT

From an email forward of unknown origins:

There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.

...

Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.

...

Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.

...

Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.

Pragmatic Typography

Tue, 27 May 2008 23:44 CDT

John Gruber: "Pragmatic keeps up their tradition of great content from smart developers, presented with atrocious typography."

I'm by no means a typography geek or design nerd but I gotta agree here. The Pragmatic books have always struck me as looking incredibly cheezy compared to O'Reilly, Manning, or Addison-Wesley technical books.

Just compare the quality of the Hunt/Thomas The Pragmatic Programmer (published by Addison-Wesley) to a typical Pragmatic Press book (published by Hunt and Thomas). The difference is striking.

Super Stationmaster Tama

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:09 CDT

After the Wakayama Electric Railroad had to lay off employees at the Kishi Station in Kinokawa, they appointed a cat named Tama to be station master. She greets visitors and even has a little cap.

Tama has become a huge tourist attraction and helped reverse the fortunes of the Wakayama Electric Railroad. Tama is paid in catfood.

Awesome. (Via BBC)

FanChatter Stadium embedding test

Mon, 26 May 2008 19:17 CDT

I was just adding some features to FanChatter Stadium and I need to test out photo embedding. So here goes.

more Minnesota Twins fan photos

(No I did not send in this photo. I got it from the gallery!)

And this one is my favorite fan photo ever:

more Minnesota Twins fan photos

I love the creativity! People have sent in some pretty hilarious photos.

Amazing Track Stand

Fri, 23 May 2008 23:47 CDT

Um, wow.

THE THINKER

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:02 CDT

Here's another LOLcat I made (based off this one).

moar funny pictures

Or should that be "TEH THINKER"?

Extreme Obama

Sun, 18 May 2008 23:20 CDT

MinneBar tomorrow - Saturday, May 10!

Fri, 9 May 2008 18:24 CDT

It's time for another MinneBar, happening tomorrow at the ungodly hour of 8:30 am. Despite the early start, it's stacked up to be an awesome event with more sessions than we've ever had before. There's something for everyone -- design, technology, non-profits, start ups...

So you should come. It's at Coffman Union at the U of M. Details here.

Best Duel Ever

Sat, 3 May 2008 13:45 CDT

Wikipedia: "It is said (though not confirmed) that Otto von Bismarck challenged Rudolf Virchow to a duel. Virchow, as the challenged party had the choice of weapons; he chose two sausages, one of which had been inoculated with cholera. Bismarck is said to have called off the duel at once."

Cholera sausages at dawn!

Bike links

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:02 CDT

I'm rearing to start biking but the weather's not really cooperating (yeah, I'm a big wuss about riding in bad weather).

Here's some links.

First off, I was saddened to learn that Sheldon Brown ( wikipedia entry) passed away recently. His website is one of the best bike resources on the 'net, and I've spent a lot of time reading it.

Dave Moulton's Bike Blog. Thoughts on cycling from a retired frame builder. His post on What to wear inspired the below links.

Bike Commuters. A community for those of us who bike to work -- the nerds of bike culture.

Bike Snob NYC has a humorous look at bike culture in New York, and a distain for the excesses of some of the fixie enthusiasts.

Bike Knickers. Pants that look good, so you can wear them at work, but don't cramp your style (read: junk) while riding.

Portland Bike Forums: non dorky bike pants

Fixed Gear Gallery: Knicker Review

NYT: Pants in a Twist? Try Some Knickers

ChicagoWIG - modified BDUs, $50. You could make a basic version of these yourself easily.
Portland Cyclewear Messenger 3/4 Pant. On sale for $59, they are being replaced with a new design.
Swrve Cycling knickers - got high reviews from the NYT reviewer
Bicycle Fixation Classic Wool Knickers. WANT.

Bike rides. I want to do more, longer rides this year. Paying money to do so is an excellent way to ensure motivation. Here's some coming up ( longer list).

FAIL

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:25 CDT

see more funny political pictures

W(e are )here

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:28 CDT

You should come to my art show on Friday, April 25 at Intermedia Arts! It's called W(e are )here and is all about mapping and data visualization.

Paul Cantrell and I developed an interactive Google Maps mashup called Where We're coming From that helps people visualize their trip to Intermedia Arts. That's just a small part of the show, but it's exciting to have it publically exhibited.

Here's the write-up:

Intermedia Arts and Solutions Twin Cities team up to creatively explore the intersections of communication, technology, and aesthetics. This unique multi-media exhibit invites you to explore and interact with the information around you through data visualization, artistic expression, and interactive installations.

Recent developments in technology are expanding the ways we communicate the concept of "where." Online mapping and info-graphic applications are allowing artists, amateurs, and armchair cartographers to chart the intangibility of "place," etching their own impressions, emotions, and experiences onto the physical world around them. Embracing this new paradigm, the artists in this exhibit are charting unique territories while working towards the development of an emerging visual language that connects place, moment, and emotion across varied scales. Where is expanding. W(e are )here.

The exhibit runs March 31-May 9, but the exhibit party is April 25 from 7-11pm at Intermedia Arts ( map). There will be food, drink, music and interactive exhibits. Hope to see you there!

Take this job and shove it

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:05 CDT

I've always believed that universal healthcare not tied to your employer would be a powerful driver for entrepreneurship in America. A lot of people are in jobs they hate because they need health insurance. A lot of those people would like to start their own business. Most would fail, but some would succeed. It would be good for the economy.

Avoid movies that open in 2,000 theaters

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:34 CDT

Erik Lundegaard: 2007 box office: Why movies that open in 2,000 theaters should be avoided

Erik Lundegaard compares movie release size with Rotten Tomatoes aggregate review score and finds that movies that open in less than 500 theaters (indie pictures) are critic favorites, while movies that open in 3000+ theaters (popcorn movies) are somewhat watchable. In the middle is a no-mans-land of terrible movies. He suggests studios and distributors know what they're doing: good movies that have wide appeal go out to the most theaters, while crappy movies open smaller to save theater space for the better movies.

Imagine that you only saw films that opened on 2000-2999 screens. Here's what you would've seen in the first 12 weeks of 2008: One Missed Call (0% RT rating), Meet the Spartans (3%), College Road Trip (12%), First Sunday (15%), Untraceable (16%), The Eye (19%), Mad Money (20%), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (25%), Never Back Down (26%), Step Up 2 the Streets (27%), Rambo (31%) and Definitely, Maybe (72%).

Yuck.

Obama the populist?

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:25 CDT

He sure sounds like one here:

But will he follow it with action?