ferocious pixie

two fun words

2010-10-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

From a National Geographic blurb about Friday the 13th: 'triskaidekaphobia'
Definition: Date: circa 1911: fear of the number 13

From my friend Dan, referring to his potential vampire costume for Halloween: 'sanguine'. What a cool word. It can mean 'cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident'. It can also mean bloody or refer to a blood-red color.

'Sanguine' is definitely a homonym and almost seems like an 'auto-antonym', which is also a cool new word that I recently discovered.

File under: Are you CRAZY?, part 2

2010-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Oooh, telephone service on a Singapore airline. What a great idea.

"Singapore Airlines on Tuesday said it plans to roll out inflight wireless Internet and mobile device connectivity and evaluate the ability to make mobile phone calls on transpacific flights beginning in the first half of next year."

I can't wait to be trapped in my airplane seat listening to someone discuss his upcoming sales presentation, steak dinner, thumb up his ass... I SWEAR that I will whip out my cell phone in defense and loudly, obnoxiously talk to an imaginary friend someone until my seatmate's conversation stops.

evocative Words of the Day

2010-10-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

Dictionary.com has delivered some evocative goodz as their Word of the Day lately. (and 'evocative' would be a good choice as well.)

Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn\, adjective: Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous

frabjous \FRAB-juhs\, adjective: Wonderful, elegant, superb, or delicious. Frabjous is one of many words coined by Lewis Caroll in Through the Looking-Glass.

nympholepsy \NIM-fuh-lep-see\, noun:
1. A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable.
2. An ecstasy supposed by the ancients to be inspired by nymphs.

trashy art

2010-10-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

SF Recology is fun to visit, despite the wallet toll. The workers have created many sculptures, large and small, from disposed items.

This creation hangs next to the check-in station.

This frontier of cowboys & injuns & unidentifiable heroes is along the hillside above the drive-in entrance where all good things are sorted and dumped.

shopping & dancing with the stars

2010-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if I'm most appalled by this website, the content on this website, or that I was reading the content and website. But anyway, here is the Dancing with Stars section of the TV Guide website.

See...? Appalling. When I saw Jennifer Gray's name appear somewhere in my news feed, my '80's nostalgia kicked in and I clicked to land here. When I hovered over the photo of the actress, this shopping legend appeared. It's a very smart integration of pop culture, tabloid content and targeted marketing. But the zeal of the sale makes me shudder.

File under: Are you CRAZY?

2010-09-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

And now one of the worst communication ideas ever, in the realm of cell phones on an airplane: Social media between drivers on the road. Let drivers text pissy messages to each other while driving.

"Thrower's startup is hoping drivers will want to join the new mobile social network, which is tied to car license plate numbers, so they can send those driver-to-driver messages." With advertising thrown in, oh what joy. "What Groupon did for coupons, Bump.com is going to do for real time, real world unique identifier messaging and marketing[.]"

Very civil, super safe. Go Bump Network!

captchas, part 2

2010-09-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

This captcha appeared when I changed my PGE information today. 'teril ruschenberger' Sounds like the name of someone who got kicked out of private school. Is the electric company being exotic or overly concerned about a robot guessing like a human?

Baby carrots with sex appeal

2010-09-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Interesting DailyFinance article about carrot manufacturers trying to market baby carrots with junk food appeal (but healthy content).

"In the past, [healthy food marketing] has been pretty functional: 'These things are healthy and eat them three times a day'," Jeffrey Dunn, chief executive of Bolthouse, told DailyFinance. "It's boring. By using the tactics of junk food against the consumer, we think what we do has the best chance to get them to think differently about this... My friends at Frito-Lay got people to eat cheeseburger-flavored Doritos, so if they can get people to eat those, we can get them to eat baby carrots."

Bollywood breeds prostitutes (who would never succeed in America)

2010-09-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Came across this article on Slate.com about high profile female prostitutes in India. It's called 'Do Bollywood Brothels Exist? Why a series of Indian actresses have been arrested for prostitution.'

These women are all really 'actress/model/singers', just like our talented women in the US, but they have the misfortune of living in a more openly misogynistic society. Just like this gorgeous and brilliant model who apparently lost more brain cells at Burning Man this year than I did. ANYWAY...

The Slate article talked about "the ultimate Indian male fantasy" and how it conflicts with their repressed, anti-female society and opens the floodgates for prostituion. "Demand for sex with actresses is very high in India, for a number of reasons. Indian actresses personify sexual liberation in a socially conservative country that places a high value on modesty and chastity. The gap between female sexuality and behavior on the Indian silver screen and in society is colossal."

The most interesting part of the article is a link to another article about one of the alleged prostitutes, who sounds like a smart business woman. What grabs my attention is her photos. Can you imagine this woman being a popular sex symbol in America?

facebook doggie

2010-09-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

I love when my dog comes up as a suggested friend on Facebook.

amen to the SF parking gods

2010-08-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Interesting article on SmartPlanet about parking in San Francisco. The article is about smart parking meters that are being implemented but the concluding paragraph is what resonated with me.

"With SFPark’s demand-sensitive metering, drivers will be better informed about parking spot availability. It is estimated that 30 percent of driving time in San Francisco is spent searching for parking."

Pray to the parking gods. Just today I made dinner plans with a friend. I was hesitant to meet at her place, which is near California and Divisidero streets, until she texted the magic words: "You can pull up in front of my driveway if you'd like."

Just like that, our date was sealed. Amen.

proof that I'm over 40

2010-08-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

When vitamins are really candy

2010-08-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Subtitle: What is worse than Flinstones chew tablets?

Further proof that people who shop at Costco need some really strenuous strong-arming in figuring out how to stay healthy.

catchy headline for newsletter

2010-08-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

Usually I coast past newsletters, just as you probably do. It takes a lot for me to pay attention to a newsletter email sitting in my inbox, especially since I write that stuff for both of my jobs.

This newsletter from a printing company I've used did catch my eye. The 'cute puppy' hook is almost better than a photo of a pretty girl. I also appreciate that the copy plays on the graphic it accompanies.

Can foods overwrite each other?

2010-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

If I eat an inside out carrot cake cookie and no one is looking... do the calories count? If I eat a Lean Cuisine for dinner afterwards, do these foods cancel each other out?

captchas, part 1

2010-05-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

While I find captchas as annoying as, well, everyone else does, I also enjoy the beauty of their randomness. A few days ago, I posted an ad in the Talent section of Craigslist. The captcha that I had to fill out, ‘discontented bacon’, was geekiness to its max. More on what this talent ad was for in a few days… we’re excited.

Yesterday I registered my software company for a new Twitter name and the captcha that came up made me giggle. The term ‘the overusing’ perfectly describes how Twitter is often handled.

Dark Tower makes me blush

2010-04-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am equal parts terrified and thrilled to the point of pinching myself, having seen reports today about the Dark Tower series being in production. I read some time ago that King sold the screenrights for $19, a significant number in that literature.

Deadline.com: Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' Set For Film Trilogy, TV Series.

RealTVaddict.com: Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' Gets Film and TV Series.

Dark Tower is my favorite work of fiction, going way beyond my appreciation for other serial epics like Lord of the Rings and even the Golden Compass (the book, not movie, is a close second). Funny since Dark Tower was King's response to write an epic that rivaled and paid homage to Tolkien.

good headlines can be spam

2010-04-28T13:13:00.001-07:00

Great title for this email spam, 'Software sales in your robe and slippers'. I like well written headlines, even if they are unsolicited.

This spam title also had a reasonable hook. At least I glanced at the email before hitting Delete.

Still life with kitten & ladder.

2010-04-28T11:38:00.001-07:00

From the kitchen renovation files.

love the apples but dislike their tree

2010-04-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Interesting evolution of the lost 4G iPhone prototype case, as reported in SFGate.com.

"Local law enforcement officers seized several computers and other devices Friday from a Fremont journalist at Gizmodo, a technology blog that recently purchased an iPhone prototype lost by an Apple engineer. According to the warrant reposted on Gizmodo's Web site, detectives seized several digital cameras, external hard drives, flash drives, a credit card and credit card bills from the house of Gizmodo blogger and editor Jason Chen, who has written extensively about the next-generation iPhone an Apple engineer lost at a Redwood City bar in March."

Image borrowed from Gizmondo.

Do the Bay Area police not have better things to do that are related to, let's say, a real crime? Maybe these officers have been promised a fast track to buying an iPad in exchange for their assistance. Many fanboy Mac news outlets -- including a technical list of crusty old Mac diehards that I belong to -- have posited that Apple planted the device as a publicity stunt. Certainly Gizmondo.com has benefited from the PR, good and bad. Personally, I don't think Apple needs to generate false attention. They surely did go into their standard nasty fight mode, being 'ruthlessly secretive and even vindictive' as this Gizmondo article states.

I love Mac products but definitely have issues their maker.

Beyond even the power of pixel dust

2010-04-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stumbled upon NotAlwaysRight.com. This site covers customer service bloopers and my favorite entry by far is Beyond Even The Power Of Pixel Dust. This details a customer asking a copy shop employee to remove one of three people in a photo. From my hometown Philly, which is cherry on the cake as well as embarrassing.

"Customer: “Hi, I’d like a copy of this photo, but I need one the people cropped out. “

(The customer hands me a photo of three men, arms around each other’s shoulders in front of a brick wall.)

Me: “Which one needs to be cropped out?”

Customer: “The guy in the middle.”

Me: “Well, we really can’t do that. That is more for a photo-refinishing artist.”

Customer: “Can’t you just erase the guy in the middle?”

Me: “We could, but then there would be a blank space were he once was. It would be pretty obvious.”

Customer: “Oh, you won’t just see the wall behind him if he is removed?”

Me: “No, the camera doesn’t take a picture of what is behind the person, just what you see.”

Customer: “What if it was a digital camera?”

Archie Comics introduces first gay character

2010-04-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted -- apparently house renovations make me tired, even though I'm not actually doing them -- but this article in SFGate inspired me to restart.

"Archie Comics announced Thursday that in an issue out Sept. 1, the long-running comic will introduce its first "openly gay" character, Kevin Keller... Jon Goldwater, co-CEO of Archie Comics, says the introduction of Kevin is "about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive."

Archie and Richie Rich comics were the fabric of my youth. My dad gave me one when I cleaned the kitchen pantry or vacuumed the entrance stairs, and the Tooth Fairy gave me two in exchange for each present under my pillow.

As I got out of elementary school, I also graduated to more adult titles like Teen Titans and Elfquest. But for me, Archie comics will always be iconic and I'm happy to see the title is evolving. Never seemed to be each time I have glanced at the cover while in a supermarket check-out line. This comic review website gives some interesting insight into that subject.

Tyra Banks hearts tapeworms

2010-03-01T00:30:00.001-08:00

Wow. Forget going to pilates and yoga three times a week. Sign me up for the tapeworm diet as highlighted on the Tyra Banks show. I found this article on the 'green gossip' site Ecorazzi.com. It's a little old, dating to Dec 2009, but new enough to shock me.

From the article: "The highlight was Tyra introducing viewers to “The Tapeworm Diet”, which isn’t something you eat, but ingest. That’s right: You eat a parasite so that you can keep on eating tons of food. According to Diet Review, “[The Tapeworm] secretes proteins in our intestinal tract that make our digestion of food much less efficient. A less efficient digestive systems means that you can consume more calories through your food since your “body guest” is also noshing on them for his own growth purposes. Some scientists estimate that those infected with a single tapeworm can lose up to one or two pounds each week.”"

Image taken from Tapewormdiet.net. Here is more about that diet in the LA Times.

What disgusts me the most about this segment that Tyra Banks has consistently been under fire for having a more voluptuous form than most ex-models. So why is she promoting fad diets that are probably also detrimental to one's health?

Maybe Tyra will next discuss how ingesting earthworms on the playground really keeps toddlers skinny.

personal NASA flying suit

2010-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

One of the cooler gadgets I have stumbled across, previewed on Smartplanet.com: NASA unveils personal flying suit named ‘Puffin’; flies at 150 mph A personal flying suit in development by NASA. I doubt the 'Puffin' will be shown at CES next year, but keep your eyes peeled in the sky!

Bay Area doggie links

2010-01-23T11:17:00.001-08:00

Now that i'm a dog owner, I am getting sucked into reading silly things about dogs. I've been looking on the SF Gate doggie blog called Tails of the City. (oy)

One post called 'Science says it's so: we really do look like our pets' linked me to NSNBC coverage of a U of Cali, San Diego study called 'Study: People pick purebreds that resemble them'.

"Research at the University of California, San Diego indicates that when people pick a dog, they look for one that, at some level, bears some resemblance to them. And when they get a purebred dog, they get what they want... When given a choice of two dogs, judges correctly matched 25 purebreds with their owners nearly two out of three times. With mutts, however, the pattern went to the dogs... There were no significant correlation between dogs and owners on the basis of size, attractiveness, friendliness and energy level when considered separately. “People are attracted to looks and temperaments that reflect themselves or how they perceive themselves,” said Gail Miller, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club."

I've also been peppering myself online looking for Bay Area places to take my pooch. Here's a good list of resources.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sigmund-stern-grove-san-francisco
http://www.yelp.com/topic/san-francisco-dog-friendly-places#rs2GMDQLh8LqFuE1hualcA
http://www.yelp.com/list/lolas-list-san-francisco
http://www.diningwithsophie.com/dogs/petfriendly
http://www.bahiker.com/doghikes.html
http://www.dogfriendly.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-gate-park-carousel-san-francisco

philly NYE kit

2009-12-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Found this New Years Eve kit at the party store in South San Francisco. Brings up strong memories of freezing my arse off on New Years Day in Philadelphia, watching the Mummers Parade as a child. Yo Philly!

lowfat cookie dough

2009-12-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Why does Costco put lowfat cottage cheese next to the chocolate chip cookie dough? Isn't that like having a Baskin Robbins next to a 24 Hour Fitness?

holidaze food, part 2: hamentashen

2009-12-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

Mom's 'secret' hamentashen cookies. Actually, I think this was grandma's recipe originally. Wrong holiday, since this foodstuff is traditionally made for Purim and we are currently halfway through Hanukah. But these cookies are yummy anytime of the year.

Doughy stuff
--1 cup vegetable shortening or margerine
--3/4 cup sugar
--1/2 cup OJ
--2 eggs
--4 cups flour
--1 t. salt
--3 t. baking powder
--1 t. vanilla extract

Cherry filling:
--1 can cherries
--2 T. cornstarch
--1/4 t. almond extract (note: I use vanilla extract since it's already here for the dough)
--2 T. butter
--1/3 sugar

1. cream margarine and sugar
2. add OH, eggs, salt, vanilla, then mix
3. add 2 cups flour and baking powder, then mix
4. add 2 cups flour by hand, slowly, arrrgh!
5. refrigerate 1 hour (until cold)
6. roll out dough, cut into circles size of jar top
7. add filling in center of each circle
8. pinch dough around filling
9. on greased baking sheets, bake at 325 for about 40 minutes

holidaze food, part 1: corn latke

2009-12-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

My mom's corn latke recipe. Except my dad always made these. My head and belly are swimming with Hanukkah. yummm.

--1 large can of cream corn
--1 large can of regular corn
--1 large egg
--Salt, pepper, honey, cinnamon -- bit of each
--1.5 cup flour, 1/2 matzah meal
--1/2 t. of vanilla
--heaping t. of baking powder

Mix everything together, then fry in nyafat or veggie oil or corn oil.

the lost political Tiger

2009-12-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Poor Tiger Woods. I could care less if he had an affair. Or three. He's a superstar and most people who are driven to that kind of height also have a strong sexual drive. Surely his wife knew or suspected and they had an agreeable arrangement. Until now. Even if they didn't, once again, who should really care? Seems like he wasn't putting himself in the public eye as a role model; everyone else was forcing him to be one for branding purposes. Not that he didn't go along with the farce, of course.

This WSJ article 'The Tiger We Thought We Knew' has the most compelling points that I've read about what Tiger has actually lost. Hadn't thought about him as being a future political candidate but the logic is sensible.

"Five years ago, during the 2004 presidential campaign, I wrote a cover story for a golf magazine about Mr. Woods's potential as a presidential candidate. Not immediately, but some distant day after he retired from golf, if he got the itch to dive into politics the way Dwight Eisenhower did after his military career ended, and Ronald Reagan did after he was done acting.

"I interviewed savvy political operatives and several well-known athletes-turned-politicians, and to a person they agreed that his political potential was astronomical, if he ever chose to move in that direction, and that, up to that point, he had doing everything right and nothing wrong to establish a framework for such a career.

"Rather than committing to half-baked political ideas that could only get him into trouble later, he was remaining essentially apolitical. Was he Republican or Democrat? No one knew, which only increased his value to both parties."

crazy mayor likes Snoopy, hates faux muslims

2009-12-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

From SF Gate last week, Tenn. mayor claims Obama blocked 'Peanuts' special

"The mayor of a suburban Memphis city accused President Barack Obama of deliberately timing his speech about the war in Afghanistan this week to block the airing of the "Peanuts" Christmas television special... "We sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that wasn't done on purpose," he wrote, according to the newspaper."

Which yet again proves that elected officials aren't necessarily smarter than Snoopy and the Peanuts gang.

Burger King's bikini campaign

2009-12-10T14:18:00.001-08:00

I am now a fan of Burger King, and not just 'cause they're proponents of mayo in the burger. This promotion is brilliant. I was personally only able to get through about 35 seconds of each video -- too dumb -- but brilliant nonetheless.

From the Adage 'Advertising Age' website:

"The www.singingintheshower.co.uk website is billed as "the world's first guilt-free shower-cam," where visitors can ask a 20-year-old woman to wear a different bikini and sing a different song as she takes her morning shower each day. Burger King invites customers to "watch the shower babe shake her bits to the hits at 9:30 a.m. every morning." And it doesn't end there -- you can also win a date with the "sizzling shower babe" by filling out a form saying why you deserve to be chosen. A Burger King spokesman explained the blatantly male bias of the campaign. He said, "Our research showed that breakfast is a male-centric audience for Burger King; it doesn't resonate as well with women -- we are targeting the people who are buying breakfast.""

good spam, lame spam, green eggs & spam

2009-11-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

Not sure which part of this spam email is more appalling, the design layout or the lack of marketing perspective.

In contrast, this spam was worded correctly and because it seemed to be from the al-mighty Facebook, I almost clicked through. Then i noticed the Zip attachment and slapped my digital wrist. But it almost got me.

Similarly, this spam almost caught me because of perceived familiarity. My company uses a tshirt manufacturer of a similar name.

Males - who needs 'em?

2009-11-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

From the NY Daily News feature 'Amazing animals: Kingdom oddities', a blurb and photo about a female only ant colony.

Males - who needs 'em? Not the species of ant known as Mycocepurus smithii, which scientists have discovered is exclusively female and reproduces asexually by cloning the queen. Reproduction without sex is fairly common in the ant world, but the Mycocepurus smithii is the first known to be a male-free species. The phenomenon takes the stress out of finding a mate and may help keep the peace in colonies, the scientists believe.

synergy

2009-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

red carpet treatment, aka, why i hate United Airlines

2009-11-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

I recently flew United instead of one of the carriers I prefer, which are Southwest and Jet Blue. United seems to do everything possible to make you feel unimportant if you don't pay a couple extra hundred for their upgrades.

For instance, for the first round of boarding, the ticket staff put out a red carpet. Or rather, a red square of carpet, as evidenced by the photo below. Then one staffer announced over loud speaker that the 'premiere executive exalted guests' -- or whatever -- were welcome to walk the red carpet into the terminal entrance. Once those maybe 5 people took their 30 cushy steps, that 4 foot direct entryway was cordoned off and a lengthy windy path was constructed for the rest of us. Honestly, I felt embarrassed for the United staffers going through those comical motions.

Here's another insulting gesture from United. This is a screenshot from their checkout process. The checkout consistently threw in upgrade suggestions that added costs to my total which i then had to recognize and cancel, rather than giving me the more typical (and less greedy) option of adding the upgrade myself. I felt like punching my screen by the time they *allowed* me to buy the ticket.

jailbreak & jailbait of content

2009-11-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

Kind of an awesome story on ZNET about iPhones being hacked and sent a ransom email.

The first thing I thought was, wow, that kid is going to get a job out of this scandal. Second thought was, he spelled 'you're' incorrectly, but that's okay because he is Dutch.

Another ZNET article about insecure data. This time, featuring Google, who is becoming my least favorite company in terms of them poking their big fat digital finger into everyone's bellybutton.

This article reports stolen content as well, this time from Monty Python by, gasp, a Republican. Kind of funny considering the slew of articles recently that celebrate Monty Python's 40 year anniversary and how the comedy troupe was formed in part as a lambaste of the conservative politics of the UK in the 1960's.

sidewalk pearls of wisdom

2009-09-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last year I made a conscious effort to look up as I walk, to see the gorgeous building tops that are typically missed. Lately I have been looking down instead at the sidewalk art and messaging. This was tagged in the upper Haight near my yoga studio.

x

stupid spam, now with pizza sauce

2009-09-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Utterly useful to me here in the States.

gonna party like it's 5769

2009-09-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Tequilla goes perfectly with apples & honey. A sweet and salty new year (a few days late).

golf bag for multi-purpose

2009-09-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Definitely getting towards the final throes of packing when the golf bag gets stuffed with a gun, a baseball bat, and anything else long and flat.

even dogs have self-respect

2009-09-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

What self-respecting dog would play with these toys?

This is how Sugar Bear and I 'roll'.

unpacking is tiring for fluff-balls

2009-09-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the help with unpacking! (No wonder I'm into my eighth week of moving.)

stupid spam of the day

2009-09-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

I assume by 'jerk', this guy is referring to himself. I really don't mind getting spam but I wish the spammer could get his spelling and grammar straightened out. "Even if your not ready" and "he charging like 150 bucks". Thank you for the public service.

reading words

2009-09-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

August flew by.

I think that 'gray' and 'grey' should really be two different words. 'Grey' is the soft color of a kitten's fur. 'Gray' is the color of storm clouds and or a bad mood.

Words that I constantly mistype: htat hte adn cna wiht cna't

An friend told me recently about a study that determined that people really discern a word based on the first and last letters. So we can 'alliterate' words quite a bit and the sentence will still be readable.

---really over it---

2009-08-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

About 37 seconds before the first scratch. But it's progress.

...over it...

2009-08-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'm over it. Get along.

standoff

2009-08-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Peppy le Phew.

And his beloved kitten.

real & fake news from SF

2009-07-30T00:51:00.000-07:00

Real news: Kinky Coffeehouse

The Kinkiest Coffeehouse in the West Violet Blue: The literal mix of coffee and fetish at Wicked Grounds Yes, we've got some of the best cafes and coffee in the world; but for the attitude at some places, you might as well visit a dominatrix and get your money's worth. (And you'll want thank the Mistress for her "17-foot Ceiling" rather than pour your $5 Four Barrel down the drain.) This hot caffeination might have been the inspiration for Wicked Grounds, opening in SOMA within the next two weeks. Combining San Francisco's notorious BDSM culture -- and the embarrassment of riches we have in kinky people, places and things -- with coffee fetishism and cafe culture, it will be a don't-miss experience for anyone over 18 who'd love to mix cafe culture, great coffee, and decadent fantasy.

Fake news: iPhone addicts

In a move expected to revolutionize the mobile device industry, Apple launched its fastest and most powerful iPhone to date Tuesday, an innovative new model that can only be seen by the company's hippest and most dedicated customers... "Those who really understand what we do here at Apple are going to love this new product," Schiller continued. "Unless, you know, they happen to be totally lame." Retailing for $599, the iPhone 3GI offers only the most special Apple consumers—the ones who believe in the company more than anything else in the world, and who would never, ever dream of questioning it—the ability to open dozens of powerful applications at once. In addition, the new multimedia device will provide true Apple fans with a high-definition video camera, one-tap editing with Final Cut Pro, and cut and paste.

Not sure which is odder.

fearless flirt

2009-07-27T12:59:00.001-07:00

My new car seat cover on the driver's side. The passenger's side is a black cover with a silver dragon.

me & sasha baron cohen = allegeric bleach reaction

2009-07-24T01:37:00.000-07:00

What do Sasha Cohen and i have in common, other than his first name having been the name of my favorite female gender doll when i was growing up? We both experienced intimate allergies to bleaching our hair.

While doing a search for 'allergic reaction to bleach', I found this very important news item titled 'Sacha Baron Cohen Suffers Allergic Reaction to Body Hair Bleaching'.

From the article: "“Sacha is committed to as much realism as he can muster in his films. He’d heard that all-over hairlessness is a popular trend, so he thought he’d bleach all his hair so it looked invisible. But it quickly turned into a disaster. Shortly after having the procedure done he felt a burning sensation and it grew steadily worse. He had a bad allergic reaction to hydrogen peroxide, which is a strong bleaching agent.” the tab writes, citing the insider. In fact, Sacha’s reaction was so severe that he actually had to drop by the emergency room at the hospital for fear it could develop into something even worse. “It was so severe around a certain part of his anatomy that he couldn’t sit down for three days."

Well, if i had stumbled upon this news item this afternoon, I would have laughed and moved along. But considering how I watched my face blow up over the past few hours, and the rest of my limbs and skin follow in suit, the article caught my attention.

I bleached my hair tonight. Just the roots, as I often do, in anticipation of lightening my hair for a red dye self-treatment. But I felt lazy this time and glopped a patch of bleach directly onto my roots instead of brushing the bleach onto the hairs strands as is typical.

I almost immediately felt a prickling on my scalp but figured that was no big deal. Hadn't felt that reaction before when bleaching, but it didn't strike me as a reaction, just as a sensation.

First i felt the itchiness in my palms. Then the bottom of feet. Then my crotch area! As the itch crept into my upepr back and neck and head and just about everywhere, I decided to jump into the shower and some cool water. Passed by the bathroom mirror and gasped because my face was inflamed. Tomato paste. When I undressed, there were red rings where the wastebands and armsleeves had encircled my skin.

I jumped in the shower to scrub the bleach crap off my scalp. I couldn't see if my scalp was reddened, but there were red patches all over my body and even small hives. The pores on my legs were prickled. My face was burning like I had severe sunburn and a fever, and it was hot and puffy, and the skin was red almost to my jaw and hairline. I jumped out of the water and I slathered on Vaseline Aloe intensive care lotion. That lotion felt a little tingly but also a bit soothing. Poked around the medicine cabinet for an antihistamine but since i never have allergic reactions, there was no medicine other than a nasal decongestant with a small amount of antihistamine.

I jumped online and googled 'allergic reaction to bleach'. This long list of info gathering sites came up. It's astounding how many conglom sites there are: Yahoo Answers, Wiki Answers, Burtit (cool name), Allexperts, and more.

The Sascha Baron Cohen story was in this list of links.

Feels now like I am at the tail end of a sunburn in terms of the stiffness of my skin and some residue redness. This was definitely an allergic reaction to the bleach. Luckily there were no hives appearing on my face; that would have really scared me. Gonna be more careful next time and not put the bleach directly against my scalp. Or maybe I'll just stop dying my hair. Nah...!

non-political political observations

2009-07-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Some non-political political observations.

This article about Sarah Palin on Philly.com just says it all. A comic book about her life, except for the relevant controversial parts, is a hot seller. Oy.

We lost an easy target of cartoonists -- Michael Jackson -- but gained a new one in Al Franken. So excited about this. I love the political commentary on this website.

Gizmondo giggles

2009-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

The website Gizmondo.com often makes me laugh, and this series of articles about using one's Personal Digital Assistant during social time is the latest giggle. I have been thinking lately about how often i look at my iThing when I'm bored, nervous, or even happy. Think I'm somewhere in between the two camps below.

Pro-PDA at any cost

"Lisa at Boingboing—OK, actually, my girlfriend—wrote about our long standing debate about checking email in public. Reading it I felt indignation, and then shame, but in the end I have to yet again disagree... Times are changing and the reality is that the social conventions that define when its appropriate to use gadgets in person are going to change, too. But for now there are nay sayers. To them, I'd say that I see these glimpses of work and fun intermingling as a gift[.]"

Against public PDA'ing

"When Brian first brought his iPhone home, it was like he'd taken a mistress. All day, all night, he fondled its touchscreen and gawked at its shiny face. He couldn't keep his eyes off of it for more than five minutes at a time... I don't mean to sound like a luddite. I also like to send text messages and check email during the random intervals in my life. I just think that for a relationship to work, we can't forget to make real human connections, especially in bed or over a good meal. "

Bullitt car chase, now in GPS

2009-07-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

I finally watched Bullitt -- yes, I am far behind in my viewing of classic movies -- and learned the proper spelling of the film title.

The part i liked the most was the car chase scene. Of course! But mostly because of the streets themselves. It was fun to watch the cars moving along San Francisco and instantly recognize that the chase does not follow a continuous path. Whatsoever.

I googled the topic 'what part of san francisco chase scene bullitt' thinking that i would find a shot breakdown by someone. There are a lot of smart people with time on their hands. But i found something astoundingly better.

The website Seero has a side-by-side GPS comparison of the car chase. Life just doesn't get any better than this, unless i was able to afford any of the astounding apartments that the main characters seem to have, or if i were to find street parking even one quarter as quickly as the main character does.

J Street & salty yiddish

2009-07-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

This article in J Weekly feels quite significant for contemporary Jewish culture. It is about a photography project called the 'J Street' project. Image below borrowed from the online article.

"Walking around Berlin some years ago, artist Susan Hiller saw the street sign above her: It read Judenstrasse, or Jews’ Street. How odd, she thought, in a land that nearly wiped out its Jews, that there should be a Jews’ Street... Titled the J. Street Project, the exhibit opened June 18 at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum and runs through Aug. 18... “I found 303 places that have these names,” Hiller says from her London home, “and there must have been more. Whether Judenstrasse, Judenbergstrasse or Judenpfad, the streets were named for Jewish neighborhoods through which they ran. The Nazis changed all 303 names in an effort to erase Jewish history in Germany, but after the war, the denazification process included restoring nearly all of the streets to their original Jewish names."

I would love to see this exhibit. And perhaps I'll drink sum.a.dis for a salt injection. Soy Vey! I am such a cultural Jew.

thylacine...what does it mean?

2009-07-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

I took this photo of a chalk stamp on the pavement in the Haight neightborhood of SF. The image appealed to me and I was curious what 'Thylacine' meant. Turns out it is a generally extinct, but still sighted and possibly mythological creature.

See this Bizzare & Extinct website for more Thylacine images like the borrowed one below. They are also called Tasmanian Tigers.

news that really shouldn't be

2009-07-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing about Hulu.com recently. Or 'finally', since even my mom has been watching TV online for a couple of months. Last night I watched a pilot Fox show called Glee on Hulot and became obsessed with rewatching the characters' mostly Acapella rendition of Journey's Don't Stop Believing. omg. I don't even like Journey beyond the nostalgia.

Then I did a little searching online to find out about the availability of shows like Heros and Lost, which were SO painful to stream on ABC's website last year. I was rewarded with happy information and then I stumbled upon this little gem about a contestant freaking out on a reality show called Dance Your Ass Off. Which linked to this more bizarre though completely understandable freakout on She's Got the Look.

I watched both clips and remembered exactly why I don't have a TV and thus am researching Hulu.

Overall though, I really do need to pay more attention to pop culture events instead of doing silly stuff like, oh, working hard. In a Maureen Dodd article in the NYT called 'Obama’s Fly Move' I found out belatedly about something almost as exciting as Obama getting a dog.

"[T]here are some Americans who think the president got an excess of attention from an excitable news media for expeditiously executing a fly that was buzzing around his face during an interview with CNBC and the Times’s John Harwood. And there are others who see a mystical, metaphorical dimension to the way the president nonchalantly lasered in on the meddlesome insect after it ignored his admonition, “Hey, get outta here.” Without even uncrossing his legs or lunging about, the Chill One caught it, crushed it and kicked it aside and then said to Harwood, “Now, where were we?” before returning to his point about regulatory reform... The moment may have resonated so much because some Americans fear that President Obama is too prone to negotiation, comity and splitting the difference, that he could have been tougher on avaricious banks and vicious Iranian dictators."

This news tidbit is related to the world of politics but the press coverage does reek of entertainment news. At least Obama didn't swallow the fly.

Weird ads, part 2

2009-06-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Why yes, I am utterly annoyed that Facebook keeps flipping me this advertisement. At least they could write the copy properly: That's 'San Fran Women IN THEIR 40's'. And get someone local to produce the ad since anyone who lives in San Francisco calls the city 'SF'.

I am slightly terrified by the little girl in this email solicitation.

Koogle your kosher needs

2009-06-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

There is a new search engine in town, ok in Israel, and I don't think it will be overtaking Google anytime soon. Meet Koogle, the kosher search engine, arf arf.

From an article in the New Yawk Times:

"Religiously devout Jews barred by rabbis from surfing the Internet may now "Koogle" it on a new "kosher" search engine, the site manager said on Sunday. Yossi Altman said Koogle, a play on the names of a Jewish noodle pudding and the ubiquitous Google, appears to meet the standards of Orthodox rabbis, who restrict use of the Web to ensure followers avoid viewing sexually explicit material... Nothing can be posted on the Jewish Sabbath, when religious law bans all types of work and business, Altman said. "If you try to buy something on the Sabbath, it gets stuck and won't let you."

Oy. At least the name and logo are clever. Shows there's someone in that community with a sense of humor.

Oh coffee, how I love thee.

2009-06-18T20:02:00.001-07:00

I've read that just smelling coffee will psychologically stimulate coffee lovers into feeling relaxed and/or more awake.

I'll take that concept one step further and acknowledge that searching through this wonderful free fonts website, Fontspace.com, for Coffee themed typefaces has made me feel slightly less neurotic about my workload.

Except now that I've found the font I need -- SF Expresso Shack -- I now have a product logo design that needs completion. Hmm, maybe I should take a hint from the title and make some java...

popular pet hangouts

2009-06-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

My workstation's shelf seems to be a popular hangout these days. The little orange Fierce Peanut has followed her older sister's lead.

Damn cat still won't sit in my lap though.

doggie does Pine Lake park

2009-06-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sugar Bear and I have been going for 2 or 3 walks a day. (I've been outside more in the past two months than i was in the past two years, but that's another blog post...) We've been going at least every other day to Pine Lake Park, which is a grassy dog park bounded by trees on the backside of Stern Grove in SF. Great writeups here on Yelp.com.

There's a terrific manmade lake at the end of the park and, thus, the name.

The lake is flanked by a very odd bronze statue of a male rabbit in casual clothing talking on a cell phone. Not sure what the significance is. The park also has fire hydrants spread throughout and I swear they are for doggie decor and recreation.

Sugar Bear still hasn't entirely gotten the hang of fetching a ball or dipping his toes into water. But we both enjoy the wind. My hair is pure Philly here.

my dad's comic books

2009-06-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

The spread of comic books from my dad's collection. There are now maybe 12 boxes left, each holding roughly 500 comics. I shipped about two dozen boxes maybe two years ago and have whittled away at their sale over time. It's been a lot of work but pretty fun.

The Silver Age comics are mostly sold. Sadly, there were no Golden age ones. What's left is the Bronze Age stuff, and my dad truly had an errr wide range of taste. There are the 'normal' ones, and some of them are quite beautiful, like a few Marvel family editions with an acetate cover and watercolor-style drawings inside. Plus Superman, Spiderman, Conan the Barbarian, blah blah, and a slew of one-offs and more interesting titles, like 'Cement' and 'The Question'.

Then there are the comics that delve into the extremes. Note the comic titled 'Sex Warrieor'. Guess how this superheroine regenerates her powers? And the comic called 'Faust' is one of numerous titles that explore the occult, satan worshiping, and other violent subjects.

I know dad wasn't *really* into these topics. His appetite for comics was simply vast. The titles range artistically and conceptually, and these are some of the less innocuous examples. But... sheesh.

stuffy, not stuffed, animals

2009-06-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Whenever my housemate goes away, our two kittens get antsy. In particular, the fat gray one, Molotov Cupcake, uncharacteristically shows me a little love. She climbed on top of my workstation and snuggled in with the stuffed animals. Can you pick her out?

Yeah...not that difficult. But CUTE!

when English doesn't always fit

2009-06-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Saw this food item in the massive Chinese grocery store that I have been frequenting.

In memory of Divot

2009-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend's doggie passed away on Friday night. He was a cool cat, and that's saying something for being a dog. He had an unnoticed tumor in his stomach which burst. Mercifully, it seemed as if he was more dazed than in pain during the two hours that he stayed with us.

the best of semi-spam

2009-05-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't care if I receive semi-spam. You know, the kind of email that you receive from an acquaintance that either (a) isn't entirely appropriate for them to reach out to you, or (b) doesn't resonate with you and unfortunately comes serially once or twice a month, or (c) is just stupid information that you feel annoyed about having to take the time to skim. Really, it's not a big deal to hit the delete button a few extra times.

However...

...I completely object to a classmate from high school, who I haven't spoken to for over 20 years, who I wasn't remotely friendly with during those school years, who only has my email address because the alumni board spammed both of us a few months ago, sending me an email that is purportedly written by her 9 year old son, asking me to send money abroad to help his friend's medical condition. For once, I emailed an annoyed response and told her to take me off her list.

more political crapp & fallout

2009-05-20T00:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a few days behind in reading all of this, but poor Craigslist. As if erotic ads didn't exist before, here is Salon.com's report on the further battering of Craigslist.

"The World Wide Web's most infamous red light district, and its array of virtual window girls and purposefully miZspellD cuuum onZ, is being shuttered. After relentless pressure by a team of state attorneys general -- not to mention the recent high-profile case of the "Craigslist Killer," who allegedly used the site to lure sex workers to their death -- the classified service is eliminating its erotic services section across all U.S. sites within one week. Its replacement will be an "adult" area, where ads cost $10 a pop and are strictly screened for illegal services."

If we just legalized erotic massages and other forms of prostitution, then our city of SF (and the nation) would get out of debt. And all of the two-faced politicians would be safe from breaking the silly rules they insist on putting into place.

I placed an ad on Craigslist last month giving away some furniture, and was surprised to find that their posting method had changed. Tightened, that is. I had to create an account just to post free stuff. Guess this kind of issue and the stunningly high number of fraud warnings plastered all over the website are why.

trip to Reno NV

2009-05-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Sugar Bear and I took a trip to broiling Reno NV this past weekend. He traveled in style sitting on a dog bed in the back of a pickup truck, his nose to the wind for many miles.

The notable place that we visited -- other than any building that was cooler than the previous one -- was Peg's diner in the old casino section of downtown Reno. I skipped the glorified eggs & ham and went for a veggie egg concoction with Hollandaise sauce. My tummy is still full.

church tax evasion, now with Flash animation!

2009-05-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

A friend linked me to this website a few weeks ago and it is fascinating. Basically a haven for church orgs that don't want to pay taxes. Yeesh. Thanks for the overladen Flash intro. Guess that's a good way to throw off the IRS. No one has time or blink rate to sit through it.

This reminds me of an advertisement that I saw a few years ago. It seemed so bizarre that I saved the image. An airbrushed, rockstar-esque hunky priest. Who is this image for? Other priests? Certainly not for the nuns.

politically motivated shenanigans

2009-05-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about this developing situation. I don't agree with Miss California's position on gay marriage. She is against same sex unions. From an article on NJ.com (yo, joisey!):

"Controversial Miss California Carrie Prejean may be stripped of her crown after stripping (well, most of the way) for cameras when she was a teenager, the Associated Press reports... They're also taking into consideration Prejean's decision to lobby with a national group that opposes same-sex marriage. Her contract reportedly prohibits the pageant winner from making personal appearances, doing interviews or filming commercials without permission from the pageant directors. Prejean, the Miss USA runner-up who claims she lost the crown after saying she opposed gay marriage, says the release of pictures is an attempt by gay marriage supporters to intimidate her into silence, "as if opinion is only a one-way street."

While I completely disagree with Prejean's position, I do think there's truth to her statement that she is being targeted because of her socio-political views.

My opinion of the fairness in this issue is completely different than how I feel about the Craigslist witch hunt that has been circulating. That website has been an incredible resource for me and virtually every person I know who has needed to sell, buy, give away or advertise stuff and services. Rather than commit to the trash dump, I've even given away bags of packing Styrofoam on Craigslist! It's a community and social service without end. And yet, from an article on Znet.com:

"If you’re a pol who wants to garner some headlines there’s one easy route to news coverage: Kick Craigslist... As most of you are aware, Craigslist has been cited in a few unfortunate incidents, most recently a Boston murder of woman. The alleged murderer, Philip Markoff, found his victim via Craigslist. These incidents attract politicians like flames attract moths. Pols can’t resist."

Of course, there's the recent development of Schwartzenasshole bringing up the financial positives of legalizing drugs, without actually admitting an opinion or favoring the idea. Thank you for showing your balls. From the Huffington post:

"Schwarzenegger was asked at a press conference if it was finally time to legalize marijuana. "No, I think that it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate," he said, according to a transcript provided by Schwarzenegger's office. "And I think that we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what affect it had on those countries, and are they happy with that decision."

Lastly, the release of Elizabeth Edward's book, Resilience. She defends her husband and, according to most reporters, comes away seeming determined, controlled, resolute... and sad. How could she not. The man embarrassed his wife, embarrassed himself, his family, the values they proposed to stand for. It's simply awful, as you can read on the Chicago Tribune site:

"The Oprah interview, like her book, are Edwards' way of trying to regain control. Her husband humiliated her in public so there's a certain logic in her effort to heal in public and to return the hurt on the same big stage. But nothing she says or does in public can cure her sadness. It's hard to see how it even helps. If it does, and if it doesn't damage her children, good for her. But let's not dress it up as inspiration."

weird times, weird ads

2009-05-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Like many people across the nation, I have been paying attention to the H1N1 swine reports. Not due to any worrisome feelings, but rather from an social anthropological angle, checking out the range of reactions and/or inaction that people have.

A few days ago, I had to laugh at the content-relational (or so they say) advertisements that appeared when I searched for the difference between the words 'pandemic' and 'epidemic'. How does wondering 'is my husband gay' have anything to do with concern about a flu outbreak?

I was also reading about a Bay Area woman who is claiming that her dad was the infamous Zodiac killer from the 1970's. And what ads peppered themselves? Some stuff about movies and fashion. But also an article link about building fashionable housing for the homeless. An odd choice of resources.

iLike some of iStock

2009-05-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

My software company is a big fan of Artbeats stock footage, but recently we have also used the site iStockphoto.com. Mainly this is because Artbeats focuses on video footage, which our company used to use a lot of when we had video products. Now we are a Photoshop-centric developer and need still images, and lots of 'em.

iStockphoto has nice images that are _relatively_ inexpensive. But moreso, I really enjoy their visual brand. The graphics are a beautiful blend of vector shapes and photo snippets. I assume these images are available for sale on the site...

my dark handsome man

2009-04-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

Today concludes a week of cohabitation with my new puppy love. His name has settled into being Sugar Bear. I tried other names that were, let's say, a little more masculine, but none of them fit so well. He's big and strong and wants to be loved and kissed. But his secret name is Dov D'vash, which means Honey Bear in Hebrew.

Actually, Sugar Bear isn't a puppy; he's guesstimated at two years old. But he is my new love, and as lovers are want to do, we had a reckoning earlier this week. He melted down upon me leaving for two hours for a much-needed yoga class. The poor guy has massive separation anxiety and i hadn't been certain about how to deal with the situation other than sticking by him for many consecutive days. I left the class early when my housemate pinged me in a disarray and that night, I did some online research to figure out how to train him and therefore his anxiety.

The website www.pet-tails.com has a terrific section on Dog Training. I began with their article called 'Teach Your Dog to Sit'. It starts out:

"A recent study by The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) discovered that 96% of the dogs surrendered to animal shelters had not received any obedience training. What this statistic boils down to is a lack of communication. Training doesn't mean classes or dog shows or tedious exercises. If people take 5 minutes to teach a puppy to sit, training happens and communication occurs between the dog and owner. Teaching the sit command is absolutely the most important thing you can do to improve the relationship you have with your dog. It doesn't matter how old your dog is; he can learn to sit. And every time you give the command, you quietly, humanely, and positively establish your leadership over the dog. For this reason, many behavior problems can be helped or even solved if your dog knows the sit command. For example, here's an obvious one: your dog cannot jump if it is sitting down."

Then I found the website www.dogbreedinfo.com and an excellent article called 'The proper way to walk your dog on a leash - Pack Walks.' It says:

"Walk your dog, do not let your dog walk you. If you allow your dog to walk in front of you while on a lead you are reinforcing in the dog's mind that the dog is alpha over you. Leader goes first. This can lead to many behavioral issues that some regard as a "Breed Trait" or "Personality" when actually it is just your dog in charge of it's humans. A dog walking in front does not drain their mental energy. They are not relaxed and following, as they have a big responsibility to be leading the pack. This mental anguish can build up inside of a dog. When a dog is hyper or high strung it means the dog is not getting the proper amount and or type of exercise."

The article says other interesting stuff like:
- Dogs should also be walked before they eat, fulfilling the dog's instinct to work for food.
- Dogs can sense tension or lack of confidence. Walk proud, like you are a strong leader. A dog will respond to this, they will sense it.
- The person walking the dog decides when the dog is allowed to sniff or pee, not the dog.
- Pack leaders do not call the pack to come with them, the pack instinctually follows. The dog needs to learn he is following you, and tune into the person walking the dog. Do not praise your dog for walking calmly.
- Make the dog sit quietly, do not allow the dog to bolt out the door. The dog needs to see you are the one deciding when it's time to leave.
- Taking your dog for a walk is an important ritual in keeping your dog mentally stable. A dog, as an animal, is a walker/traveler by instinct.

Since Tuesday morning, Sugar Bear and I have worked on the Sit and Stay commands. I make him sit in the house when I'm getting dressed, instead of following me around, and outside when he wants to least, like in the park or when he sees something interesting across the street. When we walk outside towards our destination, I make him walk next to me, holding his leash close to the collar, and don't let him stop to sniff most of the time. We've been going on two outings a day, once to the little hilltop park near my house and once to a fenced-in dog run in Golden Gate park. His whimpering has mostly stopped, he's getting an appetite, and today he ran, really ran, for the first time in the neighborhood park.

seedy & weedy

2009-04-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Per usual, I couldn't help but email the 'faker fakeone' guy and say: "Just a friendly word of advice. I would never hire anyone whose email address reads as yours does."

I know, none of my business, but jeez. Even the email address itself read as 'stabfake@(theISPname). How unprofessional can you get? I'd want someone to point that out to me if I was, you know, that clueless.

Just checked my Yahoo inbox for his response and as expected, FakerOne did not appreciate my suggestion one little bit. (Ok, I can't blame him, but don't blame me either...) His response was pure class act with absolutely no grammatical mistakes whatsoever. Just proves my point about gut feelings.

this why i'm not fat...

2009-04-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

...Because instead of eating this super-yummy bloat food, I just drool over the photos on www.thisiswhyyourefat.com. I feel horrible laughing and coveting while staring at this site but it's so wrong and funny. Guess my laughter would only be considered mean if there were photos of the people who regularly eat this crap.

Gawd I wish I had thought of this website. Eek, I am so hungry now. Do NOT look at this site after a glass of wine at 11pm.

chipotle experience = bravo

2009-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

We occasionally order lunch for our small company and Chipotle's mexican food is often the venue. Last lunchtime, I put the order through their Chipotle.com website and I was delighted by the experience. It's not often that one can say that. The layout was fun; I knew exactly where i was in the ordering process; choosing the items and toppings was easy; and I could even save my order for future use.

Makes their overpriced suburban burritos feel a _little_ more worthwhile.

realism in advertising, part 1

2009-04-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Because hot girls wearing lingerie are always sitting in front of the computer managing the render farm.

1970s style

2009-04-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

My friend sent this cartoon a few weeks ago. As I was an elementary school lackey in the 1970's, it is no wonder that I've always had an aversion to math, sheesh.

Makes me remember an incident in my 8th grade class. One of the few male teachers at my junior high, a pretty nice English teacher, left the school. On his last day at the school, he kicked all the guys out of the classroom and had a few minutes with the girls. He told us to be strong because our private school definitely favored the male population and we needed to take that bias into consideration and not let it affect our performance and self-worth.

new dogs for all of us!

2009-04-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well President Obama has his new dog and I now have mine. He's a Rottweiler Chow mix, two years old and 60 pounds of pure love. I'm calling him Sugar Bear until something better hits me.

(weed) whacked personalities

2009-04-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I love the randomness of Craigslist because of the randomness it brings out in people. Last week, I posted a few free items on the site, and also put up an ad for someone to come over to cut the grass in my back yard. I wrote:

"TITLE: Weed whack my back yard
BODY: My back yard is roughly 25 x 35 feet. It is uneven terrain and can't be mowed. I need someone to come in and cut the grass with a weed whacker or similar tool of your choosing. You must have your own equipment and be able to bag and haul away the grass that is cut. Feel free to ask questions in your email and/or schedule a time to come over to see the yard, but I do need to hear a general estimate of your costs before I will respond. Thanks!"

Part of the charm of posting an ad like this is seeing if people can actually follow simple instructions. Most can't. Or won't. The other charm is getting a feel for people's personalities by what they write. Some people are really personable and -- bonus plan -- can actually write in full and correct sentence structure. Other people just grunt into the email and even then they spell shite wrong. It's astounding.

For instance, this guy ignored everything I asked for. Didn't give me a quote or any indication as to why I should hire him. He wrote in ALL CAPS which immediately disqualified him anyway. And his email title looked like spam ('HELLO') which is a pet peeve of mine.

This person wrote a novel, which would have been fine if he had included a ballpark figure as requested.

This responder gave me a quote but his approach skeeved me. Why couldn't he include his real name in his address?

This guy took the prize for greatest schmuck. Who could possibly think that I would hire someone into my HOME with an email alias that reads 'Faker Fakeone'?

Out of maybe two dozen emails that arrived in a few hours' time, this was the first professional response. I hired him after he came over for an onsite estimate. His quote wasn't the cheapest -- some people actually low-balled for $50 -- but it was completely reasonable and i knew he would be someone i wouldn't mind having in my house.

don't choke on the schwagg

2009-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Stuff like this makes me giggle. Who ever would have the idea to make this horrid looking schwagg. The NAB show is next week and as long as companies aren't completely stressed about the economy, i suppose that some equally silly giveaway will be ready to pounce like an ailing Kung Fu panda.

purring before the storm

2009-04-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Fierce Peanut this morning, purring on my chest as I woke up. Little does she know that in a week, she will be competing for cuteness with a doggie.

DA in reverse

2009-04-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is how our company logo is supposed to look:

This is how my Mac OS mistakenly previewed it in a desktop window. Cool rendition of the image. I'm guessing there's an alpha channel that is confusing the Mac.

silly things to buy, part 1

2009-04-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Surely I will find more items to add to this list. Photos borrowed from the websites listed below.

Computer mouse that acts like a car on Roadmice.com:

Marketing blurb: "The original Road Mice™ are “Officially Licensed”, Optical Wireless Computer Mice. Our unique designs have the look of a replica automobile and the functionality of the best pointing devices on the market. The functioning headlights and smooth lines give the car a realistic look and feel. So sit down, buckle up, and “Cruise the Web in Style! ™” Then enjoy the ride."

Robotic mini-me listed on Ananova.com:

Item description: "Robotics firm Little Island claim they can create a tiny likeness of anyone - even replicating the sound of their voice. Customers place their £1,500 order and simply submit a photo of the person they'd like their new toy to resemble. Six months later, and their very own Mini-Me will turn up on their doorstep."

Wedding cake that looks like the bride, shown on Cakewrecks.com:

From the blog: "Obviously someone needed to rein in this woman during the wedding planning. What kind of ego does it require to commission a life-sized replica of yourself in cake? But what really baffles me is this: the details are exact right down to the hair clip, so what the heck is UP with that tacky red rick-rack down the skirt of the cake? "Sure, we hand-painted a matching bodice-design, copied the make-up and hairstyle, and have identical veils - but then we thought this giant rick-rack would add just the right extra touch!"

10 Business Lessons From 'Battlestar Galactica'

2009-04-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

I've just started watching the TV show Battlestar Galactica. Perfect timing since the season finale was last Friday. I hear it was great except for the last three mintues but idontwannaknow yet.

I did stumble upon this clever article in the Washington Post called
Just In: 10 Business Lessons From 'Battlestar Galactica'.

"You think your business has it rough? The people of Battlestar Galactica have lived through a recession you wouldn't believe... But regardless of the fate of that ragtag fleet, the tale of Galactica is rife with lessons that can benefit any business leader."

The article continues with 10 truisms like:

#1. Tech isn't always the answer. In the premiere episode, the Cylons took out the entire human battle fleet by exploiting a weakness in the computer network. Only the Galactica survived, because its network was offline. The takeaway? Overdependence on technology can be your downfall.

and

#3. Some things can't be outsourced. Pretty much every terrible event that befalls humanity in Galactica is the direct result of an overzealous push toward outsourcing human labor to robots. The business lesson here is clear: While outsourcing may save short-term costs, outsourcing the wrong jobs can ultimately destroy your business, the economy, or your species.

and

#9. The mission can change at any time. Galactica accomplished its primary mission and arrived at planet Earth. Yay. Unfortunately, the entire place had been rendered uninhabitable by a nuclear holocaust two millennia earlier. Boo. New mission: Find someplace else to survive. Your mission can change at any time, whether you're ready for it or not. Be flexible.

oops. Guess I just found out the ending of Battlestar Galactica. Ah well. Still a good article.

2 things that made me happy last week

2009-04-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

I lent our programmer the book Where The Wild Things Are last week. He grew up outside the US and had never heard of the book. He came in a few days later and showed me a QT trailer that's just come out for a movie adaptation. It's posted, among other places, on a site called Film School Rejects. Anything but!

From the article: "The first trailer for Spike Jonze’s film Where The Wild Things Are debuted online this morning on the Ellen show and has since popped up online. And we’re more than happy to bring it to you, thanks to the 13 reader emails that I’ve received since it went live. Needless to say, it appears as if many of you are excited about this film — and so am I. The adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book has always felt right in the hands of Spike Jonze. And even though we’ve heard rumors about studio meddling and reshoots and so and so forth, I have a feeling that it will still make for one of the more memorable film experiences of 2009. At least for those of us who grew up with the book."

A few days before, on March 21 for Spring Equinox, a Hungry Caterpillar logo went up on Google.com. Turns out its the 40th anniversary of the book's publication. I love, love, love that book and am pleased to realize that its birthday was a week or two after mine. Dug through my bookshelves and realized that I own a few Eric Carle books but not that one, sadly. This needs to be rectified.

The official Eric Carle website: www.eric-carle.com The site has great info about activities based on the book and gatherings that celebrate its anniversary.

pixie pie, whoops... that's cake!

2009-03-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ladies brought this to a Burning Man meeting, one day after my Big Birthday and two days before the big bash celebration.

Entourage is like a bad relationship

2009-03-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Just in time for spring and the equinox, I finally joined the year 2006 and upgraded my Mac desktop from a non-Intel G5 to an Intel G5 desktop.

The newer machine has been available to me for awhile but I have the admittedly bad but self-preservation habit of only upgrading when it's absolutely necessary. Why mess with something that's already working? But I've been simultaneously running After Effects, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, the MS Office suite, and some misc lil' apps for all of the projects that I am juggling and that poor PPC Mac was getting heartburn.

The speed difference on the Intel is astounding, and now I have five lovely drives to spread my files between. It feels like a feast though the process made me entirely cranky and I lost 24 hours of my life doing the switch. In part because...

...Microsoft Entourage decided not to run on my new Intel. Of course. Why do I stay with this application? It is like being in an abusive love affair. I adore the functionality of the app, but he (she?) constantly lets me down and causes me heartache.

I spent most of an afternoon hunting for info in Microsoft forums, removing MS Office through a simple Remove Office function that no one thought to identify where to find that function, then reinstalling the app and jiggering around my Entourage file. Again. Like making restitution after an argument with the boyfriend.

'spiritual' not 'religious'

2009-03-11T01:24:00.000-07:00

This US Today article called 'Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds' makes a lot of sense to me. From the article:

"When it comes to religion, the USA is now land of the freelancers... So many Americans claim no religion at all (15%, up from 8% in 1990), that this category now outranks every other major U.S. religious group except Catholics and Baptists. In a nation that has long been mostly Christian, "the challenge to Christianity … does not come from other religions but from a rejection of all forms of organized religion," the report concludes... Meanwhile, nearly 2.8 million people now identify with dozens of new religious movements, calling themselves Wiccan, pagan or "Spiritualist," which the survey does not define."

I'm not actively on the dating personals at the moment, but when I was, the choices for displaying one's religion were vast. It was a little humorous to me that i was one of the few people who chose Jewish. Got a little flack for it actually. I can't recall seeing anyone i interacted with having anything selected from the Christian categories. Most people choose Spiritual or Agnostic.

The choices for Nerve.com and Okcupid.com:

This part of the USA Today article makes me a little sad, though I myself fall into the cultural-not-practicing Jewish category. It's odd to think that some religions -- like Judaism -- may die out and take history along with them.

"Jewish numbers showed a steady decline, from 1.8% in 1990 to 1.2% today. The percentage of Muslims, while still slim, has doubled, from 0.3% to 0.6%. Analysts within both groups suggest those numbers understate the groups' populations... Meanwhile, some Jewish surveys that report larger numbers of Jews also include "cultural" Jews — those who connect to Judiasm through its traditions, but not necessarily through actively practicing the religion."

Michelle Obama fashion; why do i care?

2009-03-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

It absolutely drives me nuts that I consistently click on an article about Michelle Obama's clothing or fashion trajectory before anything else, like say, the financial situation or hunger campaigns. Like this piece of semi-fluff in the New York Times by Maureen Dodd.

" Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps. Her husband urges bold action, but it is Michelle who looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff and all the corporate creeps who ripped off America.

In the taxi, when I asked David Brooks about her amazing arms, he indicated it was time for her to cover up. “She’s made her point,” he said. “Now she should put away Thunderand Lightning.” "

Or all of these articles on Salon.com (search for 'Michelle Obama fashion' if these results don't come up) about the First Lady's hair, dresses and posterior.

Ah well. At least I can honestly say that I don't read gossip or fashion magazines. This is apparently my only guilty pleasure.

funny, you don’t look jewish

2009-03-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me a YouTube link yesterday to a performance called 'The Hebrew Mamita'. It's slam poetry by an artist named Vanessa Hidary.

Certainly a well executed performance but maybe a lil’ hard edged, though I guess that is what slam poetry is meant to be. The performer talks about a guy at a bar telling her she doesn't look Jewish -- well of course not, she looks (or talks) as if she is part hispanic -- and how generally insulting that is. But I think otherwise. Typically when someone says ‘oh, you don’t look jewish’ it’s just a function of culture. It’s like saying you don’t look Irish or you do look Italian. Just using visual and social norms to make a personal connection with the person who is standing beside you.

life lessons from birthday cakes

2009-03-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

In the past two months, I've bought surprise cakes for three birthday parties and learned from each experience. I know, who learns something from buying cakes? Well, me apparently.

The first cake I bought was for a friend's 40th. It had been awhile since I bought a birthday cake and there wasn't much time, so I defaulted to the local Safeway supermarket. Picked out a chocolate layer cake, kinda plain but yummy looking, and I asked the woman behind the cake counter to add custom icing. She formed his name semi-legibly in a horrible blue cursive and added scary red flower clumps along the rim. Looked like Superboy had written his name while on crack.

My instinct was to be nice and thank the woman, which I did, but then I wandered around Safeway for 5 minutes trying to decide what to do with this mauled cake. I felt like being honest and taking the cake back to the counter to ask her to ice a new one. But explaining why she needed to re-ice would hurt her feelings, and it was improbable that she would do a better job the second time. So I abandoned the cake on a discount rack by the women's room. Went to a bakery around the corner and bought a more expensive but very sophisticated looking cake. The lesson was being true to what worked for me without sabotaging someone else. Oh, and not getting caught.

Bought a second birthday cake one week later, also a surprise for a non-surprise party. Went to a different Safeway -- nothing like giving a second chance because you've no alternative -- this time after regular business hours when the bakeries are already closed, the neighborhood has turned a little sketchy, and the secondary entrance is blocked with a bread shelf. This time I found a cake that looked vaguely gourmet, a creamy tort with glazed fruit topping, but it was behind the cake counter and after the cake lady had gone home. I thought about getting one of the crap cakes in the open display, discarded that idea, and walked behind the cake counter to take my cake from the closed glass display. Even assembled a cardboard box. This was an exercise in doing things without permission. And not getting caught.

This weekend i finally did the birthday cake right. Bought a chocolatey chocolate at Trader Joes the night before, then went to a local party supply store to get a tube of icing and fun glittery candles. Wrote my friend's name in white just before going to the party. Preparation was the final lesson.

kooky SF house

2009-03-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

Passed by this house a few months ago and I just found the photos in a digital pile. It's located in one of the outerlying neighborhoods of San Francisco. My imagination runs wild in trying to imagine who lives here (other than Superman and Ronald McDonald).

Mission Science Workshop & Science Cafe

2009-02-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

I went on a really cool science 'field trip' yesterday in the SF Mission district. The venue is called Mission Science Workshops, www.scienceworkshops.org. It was founded by engineer Dan Sudran as a hands-on science learning space for kids. I had heard of the place through news coverage like this article in the SF Chronicle.

"Something is everywhere in the workshop, a nonprofit program serving 3,000 children year-round from 20 San Francisco schools where science is sparse or nonexistent. With little formal science training, Sudran started the workshop 17 years ago in a couple of City College classrooms. It's become a national model and has spawned a dozen more in California, from Oakland to Los Angeles, and a half-dozen in other states. Known as Community Science Workshops, they serve as a counterweight to the textbook-and-test approach to science prominent in the era of No Child Left Behind. Kids in the Mission workshop find flywheels, oscilloscopes, microscopes, homemade radios, musical instruments and just about everything useful but a bubbling cauldron. It's all old-school; no computers."

Found out about the event through a Facebook link (i heart FB) that was organized by Science Cafe, www.sciencecafesf.com, which turns out to be the lovechild of a very nice ex-chemist. Here's his description: "We're going to replace the kids part and have an adults only night at MSW. Play with bones of everyday animals, create a mini terrarium, see what a big magnet does to a TV screen. Dan will take guide us through a famous experiment from the late 1800s as well. Consider it a throwback to your ol' science class, except a lot more fun."

And that's exactly what the two hours were like. The MSW has all sorts of cool stuff, like a vacuum pump for sucking the air out of balloons and marshmallows. A big table full of bones that are completely non-antiseptic. You can still see the fur of rat face on its skull, and the bones of dolphin flipper flay out against a cardboard backing. We tried to fit the bones of a cow together and we looked at little terrariums of snakes and lizards. Cool stuff!

We also played with candles (=fire!) and did some fun discovery of their properties. Is a candle heavier or lighter after it burns and why? What is the moisture that appears inside a glass jar after the candle inside is extinguished? Probably all 4th grade level science experiments but everything felt fresh to me. It's been awhile since 4th grade.

mixed bag o'product design

2009-02-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

Two web articles about how innovative companies set themselves apart from other companies through their design and development processes. A mixed bag of ideas, just like product design itself.

From the Techbeat, a blog for Business Week, an article about 'Apple's design process':

"Interesting presentation at SXSW from Michael Lopp, senior engineering manager at Apple, who tried to assess how Apple can ‘get’ design when so many other companies try and fail. After describing Apple’s process of delivering consumers with a succession of presents (“really good ideas wrapped up in other really good ideas” — in other words, great software in fabulous hardware in beautiful packaging), he asked the question many have asked in their time: “How the f*ck do you do that?”"

The article summarizes an Apple product manager's speech how Apple's careful but open-minded development process churns out great products. I really enjoyed reading the points, especially about the Paired Design Meetings, but was disappointed that many of the comments left were stupid and even a little bitter. I don't like most of Apple's customer and developer policies, but the company certainly deserves praise for their ability to rethink product design. Although... maybe not _always_.

From the New York Times, an article about 'How Google Decides to Pull the Plug':

From the article: "GOOGLE recently set the blogosphere abuzz by announcing that it was pulling the plug on several products... “There’s no single equation that describes us, but we try to use data wherever possible,” said Jeff Huber, the company’s senior vice president of engineering. “What products have found an audience? Which ones are growing?” All of the shuttered projects failed several of Google’s key tests for continued incubation: They were not especially popular with customers; they had difficulty attracting Google employees to develop them; they didn’t solve a big enough problem; or they failed to achieve internal performance targets known as “objectives and key results.”

The gist of the article is that Google knows when to stop product development. This reminds me of my business partner's mantra of not 'throwing good money after bad' when an idea doesn't seem to be working. He didn't come up this statement of course, but he has become pretty good at making the call to abandon a project and eat the cost to date, rather than continuing to work on something that will ultimately fail.

an Apple is an apple unless it's Braun

2009-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I admire Apple product design -- even broke down and bought a few expensive iThings. This Gizmodo.com article brings up a large topic in all areas of design: If you successfully borrow and reinvent something, does that mean you didn't design it yourself? Or does that mean you're smart enough to recognize the value of what is hidden?

"The year 2008 marks the 10th Anniversary of the iMac, the computer that changed everything at Apple, hailing a new design era spearheaded by design genius Jonathan Ive. What most people don't know is that there's another man whose products are at the heart of Ive's design philosophy, an influence that permeates every single product at Apple, from hardware to user-interface design. That man is Dieter Rams, and his old designs for Braun during the '50s and '60s hold all the clues not only for past and present Apple products, but their future as well:"

email... or kids' art?

2009-02-20T00:38:00.000-08:00

I was on a forum recently looking for a solution to a problem, and I ran into this post.

Everything about this post makes me cringe. The ridiculous use of emoticons; the lack of ability to do one's own research; the 'I want quality without paying' attitude. As a former freelancer, I can smell that attitude a mile away, and the rest of the post (which isn't reprinted here) confirmed it.

Apparently the moderator felt the same way because she gave a four word response.

Friday 13th = $800 toilet

2009-02-18T00:18:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th started off with bright sunniness and a cafe breakfast. During which time the sky darkened and hail came down, enough little hard white pellets for my friend to make the tiniest snowball ever. He threw it at me and the snowball maybe traveled a few inches before flaking and melting apart.

This was a sign because upon returning home, I realized that my downstairs toilet -- which had threatened to overflow the night before -- could no longer be resuscitated. Called one of the two plumbing services I use. The principle's name is Rooter Bong; how perfect is that? He came over to snake the toilet for $150, found that task impossible, pulled off the toilet, couldn't figure out the stoppage problem without cracking it open. I opted for a new toilet instead.

A friend called to say that the water company typically gives a rebate for dual flush toilets, and they're environmentally friendly anyway. So I called Rooter as he was on his way to pick up a low flush toilet and changed the order. That added an extra $200 to the tab.

Now I have a toilet with an expensive smile. It's almost like paying for orthodontic braces. I'm going to stay away from bathroom fixtures on Halloween.

Easter on Valentines Day?

2009-02-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

From the WTF annals: Today I went into the drugstore to buy a few toiletries and the Valentines Day candy display still hadn't been stripped of its signage, but Easter candy was in full force already. It's only Feb 17th!