The Apple iPad. Ganked from apple.com/ipad

Apple just announced their KindlePod Touch Plus today.  It does everything the Kindle and iPod do, AND MORE!

Stuff you can do:

• Read newspapers
• Read books
• Read email
• Read websites
• Watch videos
• Listen to music
• Play games
• Run existing iPod and iPhone apps
• Manage finances
• Make iWork documents
• Create art (in the Brushes app, for instance)

Ways you can do it:

• Wi-fi!
• Bluetooth!
• 3G (if you want to pay a little more)!
• Full color capacative touch screen
• Available keyboard dock

It has the same size screen as a Kindle DX (9.7 in).  And a way shittier battery life.  It has a way better screen than the iPod Touch and about the same battery life.    It does as much or more than a netbook, and faster, apparently.  And you look more stylish using it.

So stop bitching about what it DOESN’T do (flash, OS X apps, camera, webcam) and think about this…

$259 – Amazon Kindle
$299 – Apple iPod Touch (32GB)
$489 – Amazon Kindle DX
$599 – Apple iPad (32GB)
$699 – Apple iPhone (32GB, no contract)
$729 – Apple iPad (32GB 3G)

Myself, I’m going to wait for the iPad 2G (which I’m sure will be a vast improvement over this, even.  GPS? Webcam?)  Either way, given the device’s current capabilities, the price point really is terrific.  Early adopters should love it.

This is going to be short and sweet because my piece of shit Macbook Pro battery died without warning and ate an excessively lengthy post.  It won’t be as fun, either, because I’m pissy right now.  Welcome to my professional facade…

Friday

Super awesome.  Left work, met wife and friends at The Med for happy hour.  Podcamp Boulder planning session next.  It was excellent.  numerous people that I deeply respect and completely adore were in attendance, including Jeremy Tanner himself (who planned the whole thing).  I threw two ideas up on the board to consider for sessions:  Workflow Simplification and Portrait Photography.

Workflow Simplification is important for people like me who have a very low ratio of content creation to ideas.  The hope was to have someone who was good at that help me become … at least slightly less bad at it.  In honesty, I think my problem is more one of laziness and general disorganization (or scatter-brain-ed-ness) than of having an inefficient workflow.  Semantics.

Portrait Photography is important for everyone who photographs people during an interview, at a social event of any sort, or for any other reason at any other time.  Representing people in the best possible light looks as good for the photographer as it does for the subject.  Not only do I want to learn a few simple techniques to make YOU look better at our next event, but I also want YOU to learn a few techniques to make ME look better.  Let’s face is, you and I being completely gorgeous models is only part of a great shot.

In the end, neither of my topics were selected in the free-for-all melee that followed.  A time slot grid was crammed with topics and the people who intended to speak or lead the discussion.  Due partly to the quality of people present, and partly to the quality of beer (a variety of flavors of Avery Brewing Company’s finest), the whole evening was rich.  I was sad to leave so soon, but Saturday was fast approaching…

Saturday

We began in pursuit of bargains at the Hospice Thrift Store.  From there, it was time for breakfast burritos at Whole Foods.  Then we picked up our Windsor Dairy milk share in Boulder and my wife dropped me off at Threadless HQ.  I had already missed the first sessions and half of the second, so I slipped in quietly on the first one I found.

PodCamp Boulder givaways from Blue Microphones

Given the format, most of the sessions very much blended together.  The day feels like one giant conversation, the management of which just changed hands a few times.  The conversation lived, breathed, moved, changed form, and danced beautifully through the day.  It was really fantastic.  In an effort to fully experience this magnificent creature, however, I took no notes.  I just followed the dance and participated as best I could.  No aspects stand out, aside from a very small session lead by Larkin, in which we discussed disaster response.  By that time, my wife had arrived to join us.  She participated in these steps of the dance, and her contribution was lovely.  I think the fact that it took place in the main conference, behind closed doors, was one of the main aspects that delineated it from the rest of the day.

Nothing concrete came of any of the talks, I confess, but that is not the point of the day.  It is a starting point.  And I was thrilled to be there.

Another sponsor, Blue Microphones, provided SEVEN (7!!) microphones to give away.  3 Snowball mics, 2 Snowflakes, and 2 Mikey high quality iPod/iPhone mics.  NICE!  We won a Snowball.  Unfortunately, the manual explicitly states that it should not be stored in the freezer.  Fortunately, we’ve both been wanting a terrific mic, and this is very obviously that.  We are THRILLED to be the proud owners of this.  In fact, my wife is playing with it right now.

After the sessions were over, Jeremy gave a terrific talk on the actual planning of the event.  It was a session in and of itself that many people wanted to know more about.  Afterward, we were welcomed to mingle and converse among ourselves for a while.  We began our round of farewells, but kept getting caught up in brilliant conversations.  It was maybe a full hour before we finally found our way to the street.

Saturday Night

Unexpected Gift of FUN!

After Podcamp and a tasty salad at home, I made my way to the home of Gwen and Joel for a Nintendo-sponsored event about connecting the Wii to the internet.  The ingredients for a few hours of tremendous fun were as follows: excellent people, 2 Wii consoles each on a big screen, 6 total controllers, a few platters of great food, a couple bottles of wine, and a small crowd of excited people.  Everyone had a blast.

Afterwards, Nintendo, and the event organizers, Brand About Town, wanted to ensure that everyone continued to have fun.  The ingredients to ensure that were: 1 Wii Sport console with included cables and a controller, 1 additional controller, and 2000 Nintendo Points.  Those ingredients were for each guest in attendance.  We were all thunderstruck by the hospitality and generosity.

Sunday

As if the weekend had not already been full of amazement, and utterly exhausted of adjectives to describe it, there was another full day left.  The night before, we had invited several people to join us for breakfast at Centro Latin Kitchen.  Their breakfast is unbelievably good, and the company was even better.  After brunch, the group of 7 broke off for their own activities, with 3 of us finding ourselves at The Cup.  There, we ran into another excellent person and had delightful conversation for another couple hours.

Not Every Surprise Is Welcome

At brunch, we learned that a friend had been hospitalized on Saturday.

After we got home, I spoke to a family member who informed me that their marriage was in trouble due at least in part to to their spouse being an alcoholic.  This was far from shocking news.  In fact, it was good to hear that the issue is being acknowledged.  I look forward to seeing positive action.

And then I was able to follow up with the hospitalized friend to find out that no cause had been found for the problem, but they will be doing followup tests to look for anything serious.  They are in good hands, and are going to do everything possible to make sure that the best care is sought.  And they have health insurance.

Since things sometimes seem to happen in threes, I later found out that a dear (if not close) friend has had two unfortunate situations recently.  I offered what words I could, but everything that can be done is being done here as well.

While these three surprises were the least welcome of the weekend, there is still a silver lining.  One had been a long time coming; another, while sudden and surprising, is being swiftly and thoroughly addressed; and the third has the smarts and support to get through everything.

Finally

I want to thank everyone who made this weekend as completely outstanding as it was.  I will never turn down free stuff that I have a use for.  I will never turn down enjoyable time spent with amazing friends.  I will never turn down engaging and thought-provoking conversation.  And I will certainly never turn down an opportunity to be there for a loved one in a time of need.

To all of you both near and far, I offer my gratitude and strength.

The subject of confidence is never far from my mind.  I’ve discussed it several times before, and it often comes up when I’m speaking on an entirely different subject.  It is one of those fundamental things on which life is built.

A couple days ago, a light bulb went off over my head.  Literally.  And I realized one of the fundamental ingredients of my self-confidence itself.

The Level Playing Field

You have several disadvantages.  You may be offended to hear this from me, but inside, you’re nodding.  You already know it.  And those disadvantages torment you.  This isn’t news.  You lack confidence, often times when you’re doing the most to seem confident.  You are not perfect – not even close.  And it drives you crazy.  You lack the time and patience to gain the skills and abilities that you want.  You are sometimes just overwhelmed with your own inability.  And it hurts.  It even hurts to acknowledge it.

You should not let this bother you, though.  First of all, everyone else feels the same way, whether they are willing to admit it or not.  To some degree or another, everyone shares these feelings.  Second of all, you have more control than you think.

No, you cannot change the number of hours in a day.  You cannot pause time and learn how to do everything you want or catch up on sleep or take extra time to do something Just Right.  In fact, you only have control over one of those things.  But that one thing will change all of the others.  It will give you an advantage – the advantage – to overcome all the rest.

Be Confident

It will not happen overnight, but it can happen just because you decide it is so.  And once you realize that everyone is on the same, level playing field, it is almost easy.  Once you realize that your confidence is the one advantage that you have over everyone else on that playing field, it does become easy.  Once people recognize that advantage in you, they reinforce your confidence.  The other confident kids choose you to be on their team (even if you used to be the last one chosen for kickball and the first “easy out” in dodgeball).  The other kids look up to you.  And you start to develop a little bit of a strut.

Don’t Let it Go to Your Head

Alright, cut the strut.  You’re starting to look like a punk.  Your confidence is a strength.  Your cockiness is an annoyance.  While they do kind of go hand in hand, there is a difference.  There is a line between them that you can slice through.  Keep the good stuff only.  Now that you’re on the winning team, praise the other players when they do well, and help them join your team, or at least become a more positive contribution to their own.  Remember, even with your brilliant new confidence, you still have the same skills as everyone else out here.  You just go for it a little harder and miraculously succeed a little more often.  Or it seems that way.

You Continue to Fail

In truth, you still fail as often as everyone else.  The only difference is that your failures are no longer a discouragement.  They are a lesson.  You know that life is a long string of failures.  You also know that you can’t fail all the time.  Your positive attitude is appealing and inspiring.  Heck, even I am surprised by your progress already.  And I knew you had it in you all along.

Your failures are brilliant.  Your confidence is enviable.  Your ability to leverage your strengths and stride on through mistakes and mishaps makes you an amazing creature.

I’ve always thought new years resolutions are a bit silly.  Why wait until this arbitrarily significant date to decide to improve one’s quality of life?  But then I’m a human, and humans are also silly.  Silly creatures do silly things:

1. I resolve to increase my resolution. The current picture is too grainy for this, the HD-era.  You need to see every pore and each individual hair of my stubbly face.  (”All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”)
2. I resolve to do yoga, at least once every 2 weeks.  Even if it’s the “easy” stuff.  My strength is degraded and my flexibility is crap.  I’m starting to have back pain from lack of stretching.  NOT ACCEPTABLE.
3. I resolve to cook two meals a week.  I’ve made a LOT of strides in the kitchen over the last year, and I’m a LOT more comfortable in there.  With a baby on the way, I would do well to prepare more meals for the walking blessing to whom I am married.  (Here’s a fun bit of inspiration on Lifehacker.  And we’ve got some awesome cookbooks at home.)
4. I resolve to keep a tidy home.  This will require getting rid of some stuff, as I currently have too much.  Then I will organize the rest.  Starting today, however, I need to at least keep up on the dishes.  The goal is to have the house unexpected-company-ready by February and baby-ready by May.  (Maybe I’ll do the Apartment Therapy home cure off-season.)

That’s enough for one year, right?  I also hope to do a few fourteeners, but that’s not really a resolution, to me.  It’s just a goal.

I spent a little over an hour in Illustrator tonight vectorizing my stamp avatar.  My wife got the stamp for me for Christmas last year.  It’s a stamp, and I love it!  She ordered it custom on Etsy.

The stamp itself is amazing.  This is the image on the back of it, which I scanned (and photoshopped to fill in the corners, because the stamp is actually an oval).  It works pretty well on the computer, but I thought it would be fun to vectorize it so that I could scale it up to a building size if I wanted to.  Because let’s be honest … I could need that some day.

The other cool thing is that when I exported the PNG file at 600×600, it’s only 24kb.  PNG is an amazing file format.

Religion

Let’s first be upfront and admit that this post has NOTHING to do with religion.  Commercemas is the best of all the winter holidays:  Commerce.  Retailers have united to get you to spend money in the name of your faith, belief, love, and obligation.  So no invocations of God or gods, ok?  :)

Your Relationship

You’re not married?  Whatever.  Fiancee.  Girlfriend.  Significant other.  That’s a guy?  Ok, look, ladies … you know better.  You can stop reading now.  I’m just talking to the guys, because I know what dumbasses we can be.

Know Thyself

You know what you love.  And you know the golden rule.  But you also know that not everybody is exactly like you.  Least of all you wife.  I say this because I’ve found that many people marry their complement.  (Different word from compliment, but those also work well in marriage!)  I am nerdy and extroverted.  My wife is neither.  Her wishlist, if she had one, is almost nothing like mine.

Know Thy Mate

So knowing that your wife is not yourself, you need to get inside her head to figure out what she would most love.  This is a multi-step process, because you need to get everything else OUT of your head first.

Get these out of your head:

1. your own selfish inclinations
   (We’re human, and we all have selfish inclinations.  It’s natural, so don’t get all defensive and act like you DON’T have them.  Acknowledge them and then put ‘em aside.)
2. ads
   (Everyone from Jared to Wal-Mart wants you to know that they know EXACTLY what your woman wants.  Really, they’re just trying to sell stuff.  Turn off the TV and radio)
3. the Internet
   (Ratings and reviews aren’t important right now.  This is from your heart, not your head.  If you need to check the reviews on it first, it may not be a suitable gift.  If it is, you can come back to the internet after you’ve decided.  example: spa treatment.  Check Yelp for sure.)
4. Everyone else
   (This may exclude her best friend, but try to do it all by yourself first.  Use the wisdom of her best friend as a last resort, but make sure you plan a little farther ahead, yourself.)

Now there exists but one person in the universe: Your Wife.  She is wonderful and divine.  And you want to bring a smile to her face.  Think about her smile.  When and where do you see it?  Remember those places and occasions, and create a new one with your gift.  If your girl just loves ice and bling, then go get her some jewelry and you’re done.  Great.  But if her truer desires run deeper than “Every kiss begins with Kay,” you need to put some thought AND FEELING into this.

I want you to think about a few things, big spender:

• Hand made
  These things have a special touch, whether they were made by you, a local artist, or someone else of impressive and formidable talent.  If nothing else, consider hand-making a card with some pretty paper, a glue stick, some ribbon, sparkles, whatever she likes.
• Surprise memory
  If you remember something that caught her eye and she never got, go to there.  If you bring her back something that reminds her of a special time you had this summer, her heart will warm.  This could be as small as a trinket or a framed photo.
• Promises, services, and conveniences
  Coupon books can be so passé, but a gift card to a spa and a promise to watch the kids ALL DAY SUNDAY could earn you a fountain of grateful tears.  Making her life easier and more enjoyable some day in the future is a gift today, a gift THAT day, and delightful anticipation every day in between.  Make it special.
• Blow everyone’s mind
  Of course there are things I haven’t thought of.  There are things only you know, so only you can think of.  Put your mind to it, and she’ll be thrilled.
• The honest failure
  If you try like hell, come up with nothing, and are dreading the realization of your list minute failure, go buy a little piece of jewelry, hide it in a bouquet of flowers, write her a card telling her of your failed adventure, and give her the sweetest kiss of the year.  If she doesn’t appreciate the effort, she’s a heartless monster.  ;)

Lots of boys buy lots of girls lots of things, but how often is it really special?  Asking more of other people rarely ends well, but we can always ask more of ourselves.

Things Not To Get Your Wife For Commercemas

Having said all that, I promised you a list.  There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, but MOST guys can be certain your lady doesn’t want any of these for a special holiday gift (even if she wants them for some other occasion).  And now is a time of special holiday gifts.

• Video games (She better love the HELL out of video games if you’re getting her gift at Game Stop.  The Wii appears to be an occasional exception, but the unless a Wii Fit is SPECIFICALLY requested, it could be misinterpreted as a “you’re fat” gift.  Do not get yourself knifed.  ERs are busy on holidays, too.)
• A new smartphone (Especially if you’re getting her the cheap one in a Buy One Get One offer.  Your selfishness is transparent.)
• An engagement ring (Holidays are holidays.  Proposing to her can make another day special ALL BY ITSELF.  This is the one big jewelry exception.)
• Tickets to the game (unless she REALLY loves the game)
• Tools  (Really, you tool?)
• Douche  (Really, you douche?  Just kidding.  I just wanted an excuse to call you a douche.  This is the perfect gift.)
• Clothes  (Unless you know how to buy clothes that make her feel comfortable and beautiful)
• Gift cards (unless it’s for a service, like a spa treatment, gift cards scream “I didn’t really want to have to think about it, so here.”)
• A Pet (You’re really going to give her a new chore for a holiday present?  Not a safe choice, man.)
• Kitchen appliances (This is a tool.  And a chore.  And a double-fail.  Buy her a blender in January if she needs one.  Make the holiday gifts SPECIAL.)
• Knives  (Just in case you mess up some other way.  Remember … the ER is busy on holidays, too.)

Happy Holidays and good luck.  If you’re reading this for any other reason than boredom, I wish you the best.  You’re running a little late.  Especially if you’re Jewish.  ;)

Happy Holidays!

I removed the spaces, so it sounds like a Japanese Video Game.

In a not-so-rare fit of materialism, I’m going to list out a few things that are insignificant in the overall picture of my life, but I would nonetheless like to have.

Leica D-LUX 4

This is just the most beautiful camera I’ve ever seen (for less than a grand, anyway).  I’ll gladly trade my my Nikon D40 for it.  Seriously.

iPhone or Droid

I want a smart phone.  A really good one.  Dunno which, though.  Funny, huh?

PS3

I hear it does everything.

Once upon a time I was a total loser.  I’m exaggerating with the use of the word ‘total’ but the rest of that sentence really is true.  I would fail and give up.  I would settle for whatever I got.  I was not happy.  Those days are gone, and I am grateful to be aware of the lessons learned on the road to becoming the man I am today.

These were the two greatest lessons I can think of from that transition: Fake it til ya make it, and Be the best you that you can be.

There are tons more tremendous lessons, like love, which are far greater than these two little things.  But love was a lesson I already knew.  I’m talking about the 2 big things on the path from being a bit of a miserable loser to being the kind of person who is happy to say what kind of person they are.  But you just got those for free.  Do something with it.  :)

Fake it til ya make it

This is what I was going to present on at IgniteBoulder this week, but I stopped promoting my topic.  Another person is talking about owning situations, which is similar in goal to my talk.  And his popularity is immense.  It would’ve been silly for both of us to talk.  So now I get to have a stress free evening while James Baber lays down the gospel of being awesome.  He’s probably better equipped to do so anyway.  :)

Anyway, the lesson is one of confidence.  The breadth of benefits of this lesson exceeds the scope of this tangent.  Suffice to say I learned that it has to come from within, not without.

Be The Best You That You Can Be

Back from our little tangent.  Here’s the meat.  After a string of failed relationships, I focused my energy on creating a better relationship with myself.  The logic is simple:

When I meet the woman of my dreams, will I be the man of her dreams?

Then it became a question of potentially lost opportunity, which would lead to regret and all sorts of other unfortunate things.  I could prevent that.  But I would have to prepare.  We can’t claim any opportunity at any time, you know?  We have to be ready.  Like this job I’m working at.  I never would’ve gotten it before Miami, because the decision to hire was based on knowledge I gained working at HMOs down there.

And so, with all this in mind, I had work to do.  It was hard work, honestly, but it paid off in very little time.  Now I am a proud, strong, and warm husband.  I have a loving, brilliant, sweet wife.  And we are expecting.  My career has skyrocketed to inpredictable heights, and my life is, for the most part, very much in order.

Not only do I have everything I need, but I am also a very fulfilled person.  There is always something to want, but my wants are for the trivial things, like a cranberry bagel, or a sunny weekend.  All of the big things … have just fallen into place.

And yet my work continues!  I must work to keep my relationships, not just with my wife, but also with my friends and family, strong and healthy.  I must work to keep my job, and to advance my career.  I must work on my education, to continue learning and growing as a person.  It is mostly happy work, though.

You know, then there’s the other stuff, like brushing my teeth or taking out the trash.  but until we trade in all our non-white people for robots and flying cars, there’s not much to do about that.  ;)

(Culturally insensitive Jetson’s reference for the win!)

I want to what you consider when deciding who to follow on Twitter.  How do you find new friends?  When someone follows you, how do you decide if you’re going to follow them back or not?  Who do you block?  Who do you report for spam?

I want to know your criteria.  Drop a reply on here, start a discussion with me on Google Wave (tcabeen), hit me up on Twitter (tcabeen) or Gmail me (tcabeen) or simply tcabeen me (what?!?).

This is some graduate level research.  You will not be monetarily compensated.  Results of the study will be shared with participants for their benefit.

Doom to men’s cancers, that is.

This month is No Shave November, and also Movember.  It’s a big month for facial hair.  And for cancer fighting.  So really, we’re all like super heroes, except with bushy scruff instead of capes.

Superman: Caped Hero
Sam Elliott: Moustachio’d Hero

The method of our heroism is simple: We raise money for two super awesome groups:

So now that you’re convinced that we’re Really Impressive, and you want to join our cause, here’s what you can do.

DONATE TO ME, and at the same time, feed my heroic ego!

Because if I get the most donations, then I can run around all ego-crazy about how great I am.  But more importantly, I will feel like this remarkably uncomfortable facial hair has been worth bearing with for this month.

Laugh at me, and at the same time … be full of mirth!

Seriously.  I have some funny stuff going on here.  I’ve never been a particularly hairy dude, and my wife clowns me for having a bald spot on my face.  Terrific.  And now that my moustache has grown long enough that it can reach my lip, kissing her (my wife) feels REALLY weird.  Like … my own facial hair is coming back at me.  And I don’t like it.

Come to the Party, and at the same time, be full of beer!

Fortunately, I’m going to lose the fuzz this Friday.  And it’s going to be awesome.  You can go read Matt Bernier’s blog post on the subject (and see his own scruffage), or simply:
RSVP for the Party on Dec 4th at The Rackhouse Pub

I look forward to seeing you there!

Photo credits:
Superman: The Internet.
Sam Elliott: Dave Hogan / Getty Images from About.com.
Beneficiaries screengrab: Click the image

You: want to play with the Twitter API and don’t need much help figuring it out.  Just a little syntax.

Me: Still learning, but hopefully a week ahead of you. So I’ll help as much as I can, but won’t get all know-it-all cocky.

Requirements:

1. Know HTML
2. Know a little bit about programming or scripting or something like that
3. Have PHP5 already setup and installed somewhere
4. Be able to follow directions

Reasons:

1. Because we’re making a webpage
2. Because the logic is the hard part. I’m just helping with syntax
3. Because I don’t know how. So you’re on your own
4. Because I’m not going to tell you twice  :)

Narration:

Ok, I’m on dreamhost.  So we have PHP5 already installed.  I started learning this through the Zend Framework, which was supposed to be easier, but it actually made things more complicated for me at the beginning.  So I tried using the Twitter API directly.  That worked really well for me, because CURL is neat.  If that doesn’t make sense, don’t worry about it.  It’ll work.

BEGIN: Create a file and test PHP

Create a nice HTML file.  Whatever your flavor or style is fine.  We’re going to put some PHP in it.  Let’s do a quick test to make sure it’s working ok for you.  Drop this in the BODY of your HTML file.

<?php phpinfo() ?>

Yep.  That’s it.  That’s all you want between the <body> and </body> tag.  It’ll fill up a whole page of information.  At the very top, it’ll tell you what version you have.  Below that, it’ll give you lots of information.  Not more than you could shake a stick at, mind you, but you can shake a stick like nobody’s business.  I’ve seen it.  Put the stick down and go make sure that works.

If so, YAY.

If not … go look up a tutorial on installing and configuring PHP.  Because like I said … you’re on your own, there.  :)

Trending Topics and Search

This is where things get really easy for me.  You’re going to start where I did when I gave up on the Zend thing.

Go here: How to Use the Twitter API

Come back next time and we’ll learn how to authenticate our username with Twitter.  Neat!  Oh, don’t worry.  I’m not abandoning you.  You’re in really great hands with this tutorial.

This one’s going to seem like a bit of a stretch.  Maybe a little racist.  Maybe a little sacrilegious.  Bear with me and it’ll all make sense.  Ok, it’s definitely a stretch.  But it’s all in good fun.  (Also, I cleared it with my wife, so I’m covered.)

So I saw a maybe 11 year-old black kid rollerblading down the sidewalk in a commercial area of Lafayette, CO tonight.  And he didn’t have strong ankles.  So the rollerblades were all wobbly and at a steep angle.  It didn’t look like a good situation for his ankles.  Besides that rollerblades are dorky to begin with.  And it occurred to me that black people don’t have to look dorky.  Ever.  Urkel did that for them.

Jesus died for the world’s sins.  He suffered so that we do not have to.
Urkel was a dork for the world’s blacks.  He spared his people a great deal of suffering as well.

Urkel was only looking out for his own, though.  Which is fine.  It’s not like he was the son of God or anything.  He was just a kid with high pants on.  Both were noble goals, though on slightly different scales of significance.

Given the sacrifice that Jesus made, it’s a sad thing for a Christian to see someone squander that gift.
Given the sacrifice that Urkel made, it’s a really sad thing to watch a black kid stumble around on rollerblades like a dork.

If I had any authority in the matter, I’d start a mission to help dorky black kids be not dorky any more.
For white kids?  Well, there’s not much hope there, now, is there?

Five years ago today, Kraftwerk played the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach, FL.  I had two tickets and didn’t have any local friends who were interested in the group, so I put them on Craigslist.  The first person to respond was a girl I’d met the previous month when I needed a room.  I never got the room, and didn’t think I’d ever hear from this fascinating woman again.  So when I did, I was almost too shocked to respond.

I was definitely too shocked (and excited) to respond eloquently.

Somehow, she agreed to go to the show, though.  And so we went.  I wasn’t looking for a date.  Just an intelligent person with at least this one common interest.

Well, as we talked, we found a multitude of common interests.  Some time before we got married, we were engaged.  Some time before that, we had a second date.  And on that second date, we decided that the concert had ended up being our first date.

Wedding anniversaries are important occasions, and well worth celebrating.  For me, this anniversary holds an equally high status.  Today, I celebrate having Kia as a part of my life for five full years.  I never could have imagined so much joy as she has shared with me.

Some Minor Updates Pending
(Still need to devote some time to photo cleanup)

The Bitter Bar is part of Happy Noodle House, both of which are part of the Big Red F Restaurant Group.  Other Big Red F restaurants include:

• Centro Latin Kitchen
• Zolo Southwestern Grill
• West End Tavern
• Jax Fish House (home to the recent Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg)

There’s a bit of prestige there, which I believe is due to a LOT of talent. And that talent knows that events draw crowds. Well, good events do, at least.

So on Sunday, The Bitter Bar held an event called the Mad Men Cocktail Social.  And it was beyond good.  It was excellent.  Five bartenders (from Big Red F establishments) each contributed one drink to the event.  The drinks were expertly prepared, beautifully presented, and artfully described by its contributor.  The list of people and drinks follow… in order of presentation:

Ben Foote (Bitter Bar): Brandy Punch
Erin kerns (Centro): rum swizzle
Sage Swink (West End Tavern): Madison Ave. (pama’ old fashioned)
Ben Foote (again): French 75
Britt Henze (Bacaro Venetian Tavern): Brandy Alexander

Several others were on-hand to help with the preparation and serving of these fine drinks and a small suite of period-appropriate appetizers like chicken salad crostinis, deviled eggs, and chips with dip. The entire evening was offered for $25. Please understand how shockingly low this price is.

Most of the revelers dressed as appropriately as possible. One was particularly slackerly in a modern hoodie, and a couple went above and beyond to earn the best-dressed prize for the night.

The tone was magnificently set, and there was a genuine swagger in the air. Best (and perhaps least appropriate to the time) of all was the fact that no women were mistreated in the making of this excellent party.

If you missed it (and are sad), you can follow @happynoodle and @thebitterbar on Twitter, and friend Happy Noodle House on facebook to stay abreast of future events.  (You don’t have to join Twitter – there are RSS links in the sidebar)

Mad Men Crowd

After the jump: 18 more pictures!
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I’m watching PBS this morning. Between the cooking shows, the science shows, the nature shows, and the history shows, I feel compelled to deliver a message.

• Food Network!
• Discovery Channel!
• Animal Planet!
• History Channel!

I’m'a callin’ you out!  Show some love to your forefather.

And to you, PBS, I just gotta say, you’re a crazy, prolific, sexy beast.

We got 18.5 inches of snow dumped on us in October. I wanted to take a picture that captured its beauty, weight, and depth. Did I succeed? How could I have better captured it?

October Snowdump (click for full size)

Nikon D40 with AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
18mm

It’s a light subject for a fairly heavy subject: Your mortality in the modern age.  That’s right.  This post is about death.  If you are newly grieving, you will probably not be ready to read something like this right now.

Costa Rican Cemetary

And if that is the case, please accept my deepest condolences for your loss.
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This is the first post in a series where I show you my photographic suckery and you tell me how I could’ve done it better.  Everybody’s a critic, right?  Well, now you can be a critic for a good cause.  Or something.

Sunset in Golden

(click for full-size)

Nikon D40 with AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED
1/3 sec at f/4.2, ISO 200
26mm

I took this shot as I was leaving work, leaning out the window of my car.  I’m surprised it’s mostly level.  It’s the second of 2 photos.  The first was deleted on grounds of blurriness.

Given the context of leaning out my car trying to get a picture of neat clouds when there was hardly enough light to get a steady shot at all … what could I have improved?  In this case, I can’t think of anything.  Except maybe admitting to myself that if a photo was worth taking, it was worth putting a little more effort into, and I shouldn’t've bothered at all.

IgniteBoulder is something I’ve talked about in the past. I’m going to just randomly say a few things. Most of them will likely be true. You’ll have to guess (research?!? Hahaha!) to be sure, though.

• I spoke at IgniteBoulder5
• It was one of the better presentations of any ignite ever
• Ignite is a presentation format based on Pecha Kucha, only Ignite rushes you more
• Being a little more rushed is a good thing
• Tomorrow is November 10
• Tickets go on sale November 10
• Voting for topics begins on November 10!
• Voting and Tickets all start up tomorrow!
• There’s going to be beer there
• It’s a really fun event
• When I spoke at IgniteBoulder 5, I did it on Community
• I was hardly what one could call an expert on the subject at the time
• I’m hardly what one would call an expert today
• My next presentation will be on Confidence
• I will call the presentation “Fake it til ya Make it”
• It will be a case study and encouragement in doing things you’re hardly an expert in
• It will even touch on doing things you’re hardly qualified for at all
• Like speaking on community
• I’m talking about myself, there

And with your blessing, I’m going to speak at IgniteBoulder 7 as well.

You can too!  Submit a topic, buy a ticket, and vote for the topics you want to see happen!

Here’s a reminder of how awful I was last time.  One could call it encouragement to vote for me this time.  One would be silly to think it was really that great.  I don’t care.  I had fun presenting and want to do it again.

You can view my Ignite posts here and here:
IgniteBoulder5 Post Party Post
Find Your Community.  Or Build It.

I got one awesome, thorough comment on yesterday’s blog.  Really excellent.  So I’m in Singing-Praises mode.

Snipe.net is superb.

As a result of what I’ve learned, partly from this post, and partly from tweeting back and forth with Snipe’s proprietor, @snipeyhead, commenting no longer requires registration.  And also, my website is ugly.  I mean comparatively speaking.  That’s ok, though.

I set up akismet, and it seems to be working ok.  I’ll do some more security stuff later.  Wordpress is some robust stuff.  The plugins available make it even more so.