August 2007 Archives
August 31, 2007
-
I need business cards. Any ideas?
August 30, 2007
-
A nice bit of Mac evangelism. Yes, Dad, they really are just better.
August 29, 2007
-
Cool profile of David Ortiz
-
I used to love this show. Although the one where they were in space was funnier.
August 28, 2007
-
An ad I was served on a blog today. The Amish guy cracked me up.
-
I’m getting ready for football season. Are you?
-
Special BTP song of the day. Send a buck towards Katrina rebuilding. Get a sweet REM live track.
-
My project for the weekend.
-
More for the weekend.
-
A dissenting view on the facebook explosion. Worth a read.
-
Remember, Ohio State runs on the blood of puppies. Just sayin.
-
Developing for iPhone. Drool.
August 27, 2007
August 26, 2007
A photo essay in 3 parts. See the rest of these snapshots here.
Part 1: Oh. My. God. There’s so much stuff.
Part 2: Where’s it all going to fit!?
Part 3: That’s what Penske is for!
I went to Comerica and lost my head, even though the Tigers lost. Tracy was very, very patient.
See the rest of the photoset here.
More from the great iPhoto cleanup of 2007
August 25, 2007
After a four hour rain delay and four and a half hours of baseball, Carlos Guillen drove run deep into the wee hours of rain-soaked Detroit, setting off a frenzy among the thousands of fans who stuck it through and at least one bleary-eyed apartment in Boston.
This win is huge. For weeks, the Tigers haven’t been able buy a big win. It seemed like all the magic pixie dust that was sprinkled so liberally last year was sealed up tight in a jar.
But last night - this morning - we caught just a little bit of a break. I’m not saying this win will necessarily be the start of something huge, but it’s so nice to see my Tigers catch a frickin’ break.
The Tigers are 1.5 GB in the AL Central and 5 GB in the Wild Card. The march to October began at 3:30 AM this morning.
When we went to Michigan back in May, I took Tracy up to my home town of Grahnd Blahnc.
Finally! She understands where I come from.
See the full photoset here. Some highlights are below.
First, here’s a picture of me at the best place on Earth.
Second, Leave to dear ol’ GB High to post the god-talk at the front of the high school.
August 24, 2007
-
I’ll be attending October 26 - 28!
-
To think I sang hymns and performed at churches in my high school choir.
-
Alec Kraft’s summer just keeps getting better. The best part - he’s in remission.
-
If any one is looking for a birthday present for me…
August 23, 2007
-
I’m learning more about Google Ads. I don’t expect anyone to get rich, but I’m interested in how they work.
-
How to set and recall cookies. I think I’m going to do an experiment with serving ads to non-regular readers.
August 22, 2007
The new Rilo Kiley hit the streets on Tuesday and even though it was only my second most anticipated album of August, I think it might actually be better than the Weakerthans album I wrote about last week.
It’s been so much fun to listen to the last week - connections, natch - that I couldn’t just pick one song of the day.
First up is the video for “Silver Lining,” the first track on the album.
The video is an imagined wedding scene between the band’s two singers, indie rock megababe Jenny Lewis and countrified guitarist / songwriter Blake Stennet. Blake does not win the encounter.
The imagery hits all the dreamy, breezy, but just a little dark notes that run through the entire record. Plus, Tracy can’t stop singing along.
I think the song on the album I like best, however, is the Beyonce-sounding one. That’s right, the Beyonce-sounding one.
Well, I suppose it’s really a “disco-sounding” track. But saying Beyonce is more fun.
Anyway, this record is about disco, handclaps, and sex. The chorus to this song is unbelievably catchy. And ooo, ahhh, feels good to be free.
That’s all I have to say.
-
Tigers win! Tigers win! Jair Jurrjens is my Tiger! No Joel Zumaya is my Tiger! No, Aquilino Lopez is my Tiger!
-
He’s back. And the Tigers win. All is right with the world.
-
My buddy Adam collected reader stories of the Warriors 1975 championship run to compile “The People’s History” of the dubs. Absolutely astonishing.
August 21, 2007
So they have prom at law school. I’m not even lying.
More from this event.
(From the great iPhoto cleanup of 2007)
-
So bad it’s good? NO! So good it’s awesome!!!
-
All new episodes!
-
While still exciting to me, the prospect of a live CD/DVD boxed set would have made 17-year-old Todd lose it. Absolutely lose it.
Per Adam (BTP’s Official NBA Correspondent): Wait for the end. It’s worth it
He’s so totally right.
The song itself isn’t really all that good. You can’t really make out the words. And most of it is just “Repeat Chorus.”
But as Adam said, “It’s like the Foo Fighters Cliff Notes.” It’s just so driven and rocky and…perfect, that you can’t help but love it.
Just discovered some photos I took during the Boston Marathon in April. None of them are really all that amazing, although I do dig these really cold guys cheering on Colleen.
Thing is though, it all happened RIGHT OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT. Like, out my frickin’ window.
Anyway, click here to see the rest.
August 20, 2007
-
Not necessarily earth-shatteringly brilliant, but it seems solid and well-thought out. Rove is a relic of a bygone era. Still, if I were a floundering, second-tier R prez candidate, I would shovel money at him.
Tracy represented the two of us this weekend at Hugh and Rana’s wedding in Pittsburgh. I know my mom will dig seeing the photos, so I’ve embedded Tracy’s Picasa Web Albums slideshow above.
See the complete Picasa album here. (Downloads, Favorites, etc.)
August 19, 2007
-
An essay from the excellent new blog by Delicious Monster programmer Mike Lee.
August 18, 2007
-
It’s not that they actually want abortion to be illegal, they want it to stop happening. It’s a subtle distinction, but in actuality, actually STOPPING something illegal from even HAPPENING AT ALL is a much higher bar.
-
Be sure to watch the video. Absolutely astonishing.
August 17, 2007
-
While this guy is debating whether or not the grass is green enough to play on, I’m going to choose a side. This kind of “I’m OK, You’re OK. Don’t be partisan.” tripe makes me ill.
-
Good points, but I hadn’t once used the previous iMovie in 4 years of Mac ownership. In a week of having iMovie ‘08, I’ve made 3 movies and anticipate making more.
I am pleased to announce the immediate availability of “Love and Grilled Meat in the Time of Mini Golf,” a short film that serves as a preview trailer for a larger work currently operating under the working title “Vermont 2007.”
This epic short has it all: drama, action, and grilled meats. Characters are born, grow, and burn out in brilliant supernovae in just seconds of run time. The trailer itself is a work of Kubrickian proportions and it merely whets the appetite for the full-length feature.
The Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers beat the Yankees tonight 8-5 behind Carlos Guillen’s first inning grand slam and a good, if not great, pitching performance by Justin Verlander, who’s my Tiger.
The victory puts the Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers back into sole possession of first place in the AL Central and knocks Jason Giambi’s team out of the wild card lead.
It also brings the Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers’ record to an even .500 over the last 10 games. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be anything to celebrate, but the Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers have been down for the last month or so.
They are now a quarter of the way through what’s probably the toughest, most important 12-game stretch of the season (6 vs. CLE, 6 vs. NYY). Sure, it’s only 3 games, but they’ve been able to pull out two victories and get a strong pitching performance in the loss. Optimistic signs, all.
My dad thinks they only need to go 7-5 during this stretch and he’s probably right. I’d very much like to see 8-4.
Go Defending American League Champion Detroit Tigers.
(4.1 MB MP3)
Breezy, druggy, and destructive, the first single from Ms. Polly Jean Harvey’s new album harkens back to her best and most intense work on To Bring You My Love and the Thome Yorke duet “The Mess We’re In.”
I’ve always appreciated Harvey’s screamy side, but loved her quieter music. This leak has me eager for White Chalk which drops 9/24 in the UK. No US release just yet.
August 16, 2007
-
Service to upload your video to all the sites at once. Looks promising.
-
This is ridiculous. We’re all supposed to hate Barry Bonds because we cqan’t prove he did steroids, but now it’s OK to love Jason Giambi because he’s giving money to youth baseball leagues?
-
Another example of the new iMovie. I didn’t shoot the video, but I edited it all in about 5 minutes today at the Apple Store. 1 click later and it was uploaded to the new .Mac gallery. Slick stuff.
August 15, 2007
-
Jon Stewart’s tearful introduction to the post-9/11 world. I’d never seen this before.
-
The Republicans want another 9/11. Can we start calling them Terror-cans? Just sayin.
-
Oh no! Now I’m completely out of date!
The Weakerthans, “Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure”
(5.9 MB MP3)
If you were a brilliant song writer who had previously written about the loyalty and steadfast companionship provided by your loving cat and your beloved animal started going deaf and couldn’t “remember the sound that you found for [her],” you’d probably write a heartbreakingly devastating song about having to put her down too.
Reunion Tour drops September 25 and will be a serious contender for album of the year.
Update: As befitting a band from Winnipeg, the Weakerthans have a song about curling (“Tournament of Hearts”) and a spoken word tribute to Rangers / Canadiens all-time goalie Gump Worsley (“Elegy for Gump Worsley”).
Classic.
August 14, 2007
-
Dinner Monday.
-
Go Tigers! That is all. (From my dad)
Tracy and I took a whirlwind side trip to Syracuse, NY this weekend to see our friends Heather and Jason get married.
The service was a beautiful celebration of joy and love and I came away feeling uplifted and inspired. Heather and I went to school together and I was so happy to see her just beaming when on her special day.
A great time, with some great photos. More…
August 12, 2007
Tracy beat Todd in sudden death.
August 11, 2007
-
Research for an upcoming project.
-
1. Google “LOLCAT.” 2. Kiss afternoon goodbye.
More from Vermont!
See MORE photos ready for the front page of Bon Appetit over at my Flickr..
August 10, 2007
-
Breakfast Friday. Winner, Best Donuts in Boston
-
Dinner Saturday. Yum.
-
Dinner Monday. I’ll probably make a few modifications.
-
Dessert Saturday. Tracy’s favorite!
-
Interesting post on the new Mac keyboards. I’m dying to see one of these in person. Also - love the design.
-
More wisdom from Baratunde. This time a smart critique of Facebook.
After just scratching the surface of Apple’s new iMovie ‘08, color me very very impressed. I made the video above in about 20 minutes just by poking around the interface and playing with video clips taken with our point-and-shoot digital camera.
The result is, I think, pretty fun.
Some have complained that the new iMovie takes away some features and fine control. But I think it more than makes up for it in making the whole thing accessible and fun.
Now, instead of making carefully constructed timelines of every wipe, fade, and dissolve, you just fling short clips into your project, add some polish, and one-click upload to YouTube. It’s really pretty slick.
So, congrats again to Jim and Gretchen. Let me know what you think!
August 9, 2007
-
Merry Christmas to me?
-
A depressingly good article on how American seemingly can’t do great things anymore. I don’t believe all is lost, but we’ve been driving in circles for a long, long time.
-
Sweet mural of the warring hardball tribes.
-
Updated del.icio.us client from my friend Justin. I think the spotlight integration is the big winner for this release. Please try it out and buy a license if you like it!
…And you should to!
I love the new ad from people-powered Texas Senate candidate Rick Noriega.
First, he does shy away from Hurricane Katrina. I feel like too many have brushed this episode under the rug, but Noriega remembers that the wounds are still raw and points out that he did all he could to help.
Second, there are two great lines that are totally dog-whistle politics to me:
America is not afraid.
We will use our strength to build a lasting peace, in place of never-ending war.
The first line is a direct repudiation of the “Fear Itself” politics coming from George Bush and his Republican cronies. The second is a too-rare example of a politician using the word “peace.” As an honest-to-god pacifist, that does it for me.
Anyway, I was so impressed, that I gave $10 to his ActBlue page. I think you should to. Noriega faces a well-financed primary challenger, so every little bit will help put the race on a level playing field.
Bush, during today’s press conference:
Enemies that would like to harm the American people would be emboldened by failure [in Iraq].
Todd, ready to throw a shoe at the TV:
Then stop failing in Iraq, you moron!
We certainly cannot call Iraq a success right now. George Bush’s failed status quo can and must change. The sooner the better.
If you need to record streaming video (Windows Media, Real Player, etc.), use Snapz Pro X.
It’s the quickest, easiest way to grab a video stream off the web and turn it into a Quicktime movie suitable for Blip.tv or YouTube.
When creating a central point for your audio/video podcast or other media content, use Blip.tv to store and manage the files. But post everything to YouTube too.
This was good advice from my friend, Baratunde. Blip.tv is an excellent service that stores your media files (including multiple formats and sizes), quickly and easily cross-posts your content to a variety of different sources (Facebook, MySpace, blog, etc.), provides advanced statistics compared to YouTube, and can help you create branded media players for your website - all for free!
It’s a pretty slick service that I’m just getting into, but so far it’s been great.
Thing is, you still gotta post to YouTube. I know that my friend had some experience using both services. When I asked him, he reminded me that no matter how great the blip.tv tools are for you, the content producer, the audience still sees YouTube as a destination for video.
When people come to your website looking for audio or video, feel free to serve up the blip.tv player. But you never know what will go viral, so you have to have your content on YouTube, too, to reach the widest possible audience.
I haven’t done a mountain of video in my day, but I thought this was solid advice. Consider it something learned today.
Congressional campaigns can’t put video clips of the House floor on the campaign website.
Needless to say, my plan for today was to grab a cool clip from the C-SPAN archives and repurpose it for a campaign I work on.
C-SPAN has no problem with this. In fact, they recently restated their copyright policy to make this explicitly OK. As far as C-SPAN is concerned, the proceedings of the House are in the public domain.
Thing is, we learned that House ethics rules forbid Members from using footage of the House floor for campaign purposes. It seems like a dumb rule to me, but thems the breaks.
Conclusion: The bad news is that number 3 basically made numbers 1 and 2 useless to me for now. But the good news is that I did learn 3 new things today.
Flipped the switch tonight to migrate the ol’ blog from one server to another tonight. In the process, I’m upgrading to the latest and greatest version of Movable Type.
The transition should be completely seamless to you, dear reader.
If you visit bethepower.com, you’ll see a refreshed site design. Nothing too drastic, just some wider columns and a spiffy, iPhone-inspired bar stretching across the whole browser window.
If you use a feed reader, you shouldn’t really notice any changes at all. I publish my feed through FeedBurner, so it should all be seamless.
Please take a look-see at the new site. Let me know if you see any bugs, so I can stamp them out.
I obsess unreasonably over my little corner of the web. I figure the least I can do is make it look nice for y’all. :)
August 1, 2007
-
An amazing sports story from my dad. You’ll need kleenex.
-
YES!
