Toyama Koichi 08! (OsakaNYC (kitzke)) by matt

Give up, monarchs?

I’m so voting for him, or is that not voting. I’m confused.

Posted in: fun , japan , politics , posts

Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle (OsakaNYC (kitzke)) by matt

I’m laughing at Barak Obama Is Your New Bicycle and it’s companion John McCain Stole Your Cookies

Faves:

• Barack Obama parsed your error
• John McCain sent you an email without a subject line

Posted in: fun , politics , posts

FaceYourManga (OsakaNYC (kitzke)) by matt

Tylor helped me make our family at FaceYourManga

This is me (Sue doesn’t think it looks like me, but Tylor and I do)

Sue

Tylor

Posted in: default , family , fun , pictures , tylor

Paris Hilton is running for president [fun, politics] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

See you at the debates, bitches!

See Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad and more funny videos on FunnyOrDie.com

Surprisingly more funny than you might imagine.

Posted in: fun , politics

Animated Get Your War On [fun, politics] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Whoa!! One of my favorite comics ever, Get Your War On is now available in animated format. Can I just say that the animation of this thing is pretty freaking awesome. It’s still got that low-tech feel. Just watch it. I love the dude’s phone cord jiggling as he walks around:

Posted in: fun , politics

Weekend Fun! Open Air. DROID: Blue+Silver at the beach! [pointnshoot] (chris@csoltis (cjs)) by Chris

Yes I know there was a friggin earthquake today! i'm not blogging about it. ;)

John Tejada, Jason Emsley, Marc Schnider, and P-man played to a small crowd at a beach
i had to share for the choons.

earthquake weather right here, mother nature always wanting to take what she gave us, because it's too good. :-o

my friend rene dancing to a funky track
lol

yay! here's my last one.

I've also covered this for my pointnshoot series.

Posted in: beach , droid , fun , funny , interesting links , openair , photography , random , techno

Lakeview Broadcasting Company [fun, partying] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Honestly I didn’t see too much of the place. I just picked up my forty ounces of Old English:

Traded back and forth with other people on the free arcade machine. Played Donkey Kong, some Pac-man and Digdug.

Danced a little and then went home to go to sleep. It was raining pretty badly last night, but it was fun! A+++, would do again.

Posted in: fun , partying

You don't know me! [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

This is family guy clip is funny even if you don’t watch America’s Next Top Model:

Posted in: fun

I love Judge Judy [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

I agree with SM, we should start calling idiots “marginal” from now on.

Posted in: fun

Clint Ecker [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

What do you guys think of my awesome new tshirt? I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they would wear a “Clint Ecker” t-shirt which makes me both giddy and frightened at the same time ;)

I got this for our trip to Boston, it works well for meeting new people ;)

Posted in: fun

Tecmo Bowl: Bo Jackson [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Posted in: fun

Weezer video for Pork and Beans [fun, music] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

The guys in Weezer (including Cuomo’s amazing ‘stache) has put together a great video for their new single, Pork & Beans, using a mixture of mimicked and real people who starred in popular internet memes.

Watch it, you’ll find it extremely funny ;)

Posted in: fun , music

It's funny because it's racist [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Posted in: fun

Wired magazine covers, then and now [apple, fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

So I’ve had a mint copy of one of my favorite Wired magazine issues (5.06 from June 1997) laying around forever. Just recently, Wired released an updated version (16.04 from April 2008) which I thought was super clever:

Posted in: apple , fun

Not unlike lava [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Saw this over on Justin Williams’ blog and laughed my ass off:

What do you expect?? It’s lava!

Posted in: fun

This American Life live [fun, life] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Last night Jacqui and I rode our bikes over to the Kerasotes theater on Western and Maplewood to see a live broadcast version of This American Life.

This was unique because the filming was done in New York City and then live broadcast to theaters all over the country. It was really fun and if you haven’t seen much of the video version of This American Life, it was a real treat.

The place was packed and we got some of the last seats in the upper area. We also ate popcorn and drank giant tubs of diet soda, which is also a treat because we never really go to movie theaters any more.

It was a lot of fun and if you haven’t had a chance to check out the first season of This American Life, I think it’s out on DVD right now (and on iTunes) and the second season begins this Sunday on Showtime, if you have cable TV, and it should also be running in iTunes as well.

Posted in: fun , life

Networking for fun and profit (Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach)) by Cailin Coilleach

Until recently I used to hate networking, the perceived obligation to talk business with people whom I had no interest in. Over the past year or so a realisation has been growing in me though: networking is something that happens automatically, to a certain degree. And you can make the parts that need to happen consciously as fun as they need to be.

Example 1: Like many young folks in IT I hated the idea of networking and actually tried to avoid it. I reckoned that I had no network whatsoever and didn't care about it that much either. However, after eight years of working in IT I realised that I -do- have a network and that it's rather expansive! My friend/colleague Deborah recently nudged me to get onto Linked In and I managed to map out a large part of my network with minor effort. That's 150 names right there, that I can tap into if I ever need help with my job, a technical question, or whatever. In case you're curious, here's my profile.

So yes, everyone has a network. Even you. All the people you have worked with, or for? Network! All the friends you made at that IT conference? Network! And so on...

Example 2: Sometimes you stumble upon stuff that peaks your interest. Case in point, I recently poked around in and wrote a review about Ephorus. The product is Europe's leading anti-plagiarism software and both the teacher and the sysadmin in me got curious as to its workings. I managed to get my hands on a trial account (not normally given to students) and tried it out. I liked it well enough.

Then a few days later followed an e-mail from their directory, asking if I'd like to come in for a talk. We had a great chat this morning, about Ephorus, about my work, about their work and just stuff in general. I had a great time and I even got a few -very- helpful suggestions that could help my career in the near future.

So you see? Networking consists of two things: the stuff you do every single day and just shooting the breeze with people you don't know. The third part, the obligational marketing talks to possible customers, I'll leave to the sales folks ~_^

Posted in: ephorus , fun , networking , profit

Networking for fun and profit (Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach)) by Cailin Coilleach

Until recently I used to hate networking, the perceived obligation to talk business with people whom I had no interest in. Over the past year or so a realisation has been growing in me though: networking is something that happens automatically, to a certain degree. And you can make the parts that need to happen consciously as fun as they need to be.

Example 1: Like many young folks in IT I hated the idea of networking and actually tried to avoid it. I reckoned that I had no network whatsoever and didn't care about it that much either. However, after eight years of working in IT I realised that I -do- have a network and that it's rather expansive! My friend/colleague Deborah recently nudged me to get onto Linked In and I managed to map out a large part of my network with minor effort. That's 150 names right there, that I can tap into if I ever need help with my job, a technical question, or whatever. In case you're curious, here's my profile.

So yes, everyone has a network. Even you. All the people you have worked with, or for? Network! All the friends you made at that IT conference? Network! And so on...

Example 2: Sometimes you stumble upon stuff that peaks your interest. Case in point, I recently poked around in and wrote a review about Ephorus. The product is Europe's leading anti-plagiarism software and both the teacher and the sysadmin in me got curious as to its workings. I managed to get my hands on a trial account (not normally given to students) and tried it out. I liked it well enough.

Then a few days later followed an e-mail from their directory, asking if I'd like to come in for a talk. We had a great chat this morning, about Ephorus, about my work, about their work and just stuff in general. I had a great time and I even got a few -very- helpful suggestions that could help my career in the near future.

So you see? Networking consists of two things: the stuff you do every single day and just shooting the breeze with people you don't know. The third part, the obligational marketing talks to possible customers, I'll leave to the sales folks ~_^

Posted in: ephorus , fun , networking , profit

Facebook advertisers think I'm gay [fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten gay ads. You know, not that I mind, I’m just curious as to why! :)

Posted in: fun

Biking around Wicker Park [biking, fun] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Rode to Walgreens to pick up some vital supplies and thought I’d try my hand at the Flip.

Posted in: biking , fun

Bike ride on beautiful spring Chicago day [biking, fun, health & lifestyle, life] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

It was 60°F yesterday and it was the perfect opportunity to take Jacqui out and hit the pavement on her new bike. We rode from our place out to Lincoln Park zoo, saw all the animals and then rode down to North Avenue Beach, up and down the lakefront trail, and then took a break and snapped some photos:

It was a great day. Jacqui’s a little sore, but well worth it. Here’s the whole Flick Set (18 photos) and a map of our photos and where they were taken.

Posted in: biking , fun , health & lifestyle , life

Those TNG transcripters sure did go all out [fun, space] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Who would’ve thought they’d transcribe the Klingon dialogue as well?

Posted in: fun , space

Irvine, Bacardi, Subnetting (Eighty1 (Thallium)) by eighty1

I went up to Irvine yesterday to hang out with Mitchell. We went to a party at one of his friend’s house and had a damned good time. I had four Jello shots (Bacardi 151 sucks, by the way), four bottles of a rather decent oatmeal stout (forgot which one it was though) and a rum and Coke. We played darts, played some Rock Band and shot the shit. A great night overall, even if some dickhole called the cops on us at 9:30PM. I actually sobered-up before the drive back and made it from Irvine back to San Diego very quickly (I won’t comment on my average speed on the way back down). I really hope those people throw a party again; I had tons of fun and they were all incredibly cool people. Great times, and it was one hell of a save from what could have been a criminally boring Saturday night.

Matt, Steve and I are studying for the CCNA and if we can keep it up, I should have that cert soon. I’m also thinking of going for a VMware cert and that should seriously increase my value in the marketplace.  I make decent money but I feel I’m worth more; the trick is to get a better job despite the shithole that is the economy. We’ll see.

Posted in: ccna , fun , irvine , jello shots suck ass , news & such , party , vmware

Awesome little robot [fun, technology] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

I’ve built robots before, and I probably will again in the future. I ran across a post about this robot today in my feed reader and I absolutely adore him!

The Yellow Drum Machine robot’s sole purpose in life is to avoid obstacles, find a flat surface, and then to play a tune on it with little drum sticks. He tests it out, and if it has a good sound, he records a sample of himself playing the tune, and plays it back and plays along with it, building up cool little percussive tunes.

Check out the video, not only is the idea a cool one, but the robot itself it just plain cute! Check him out in action:

Posted in: fun , technology

Forbes traveler names Hopleaf one of america's best beer bars [fun, health & lifestyle, life] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Saw the link over on Buzz’s blog (he’s been posting a lot of good stuff!) about Forbes Traveler’s best american beer bars. I decided to skip through it and I found one of my favorite spots here in Chicago!

At our old apartment in Uptown, we lived within walking distance of Hopleaf and visited it quite a few times. The bar is amazing and always packed, but they make some mean bavarian-inspired food as well. If you’re ever in the area, be sure to check it out!

Now we live far away in Bucktown/Wicker Park, but there’s a nearby place I hear is also pretty good. It’s called the Map Room, and I hope we can check it out someday soon.

Posted in: fun , health & lifestyle , life

I want to be like Daft Punk when I grow up [design, fun, music] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Posted in: design , fun , music

Great weather in Chicago: Did a 20 mile ride [fun, health & lifestyle] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

The weather shot above 45F for the first time for what seems for like forever in Chicago. It’s one of those days where you know that you absolutely know that you have to take advantage of it. So I decided that I was going to go on an epic (for me) bike ride around the city.

It turns out that I wasn’t the only person in Chicago who had the idea to go outside and enjoy the weather. When I finally got off North Ave. at Lakeshore to jump on the Lakefront Bike Trail I was greeted by literally hundreds of people running, biking, walking, playing, rollerblading, and walking dogs. I took the trail south for the first time and rode all the way to Shedd Aquarium and took some photos while I rested on the edge of Lake Michigan. The northernly wind was brutal at times, but even that obstacle didn’t seem like that big of a deal on a day where I wasn’t rushing to get somewhere on time. I was just riding around to ride my bike.

On one side of me was the huge lake, with the shoreline still covered in ice and snow, and on the other was the beautiful skyline of Chicago:

From there, I rode back up the Lakefront trail all the way to 4600N, or Wilson Ave. for those familiar with the area. I grabbed a drink at a Walgreens near our old apartment and took Damen all the way back home through a little bit of rain.

All in all it was a real fun ride. My first 20 mile ride, with my longest previous ride being around 12 miles. I feel that for the first time in my short biking history, I could probably bike about any distance I wanted. It was a good feeling and I felt great when I was done! As a parting gift, here’s a map of my trek:

Posted in: fun , health & lifestyle

Bin Wine Cafe plus Pint, a beautiful night [fun, life, partying] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

Had an excellent time out with Jacqui last night. Ran into her coming out of Cooking Fools with two big chunks of tasty looking cheese in hand. We walked to Bin Wine Cafe where we each had a wine flight, shared a cheese plate, and devoured a large order of their tempura green beans.

Once complete, we walked practically next door to Pint. We drank $4.00 Blue Moon pints for a couple of hours while laughing, talking, and generally having a good time.

Oh, I think we also ate some potato skins in there somewhere!

We started at 6pm and were done and in bed by 11pm. There’s no better way to do a Friday up right ;)

Posted in: fun , life , partying

Steve Jobs Is Your New Bicycle killed the meme [apple, fun, internet] (Clint Ecker (clintology)) by Clint Ecker

My stupid little site got a lot of linkage. The first big site to link was Violet Blue’s TinyNibbles.com (NSFW). I emailed Violet a screen grab of what I considered to be one of the funnier lines I wrote, “Steve Jobs Told Katie Cotton That You’re Rude,” because it was specifically about her (Violet’s) experience with Steve Jobs on the floor of Macworld.

That got a lot of people linking to the site on Pownce, Twitter, and elsewhere.

Yesterday Eric Zorn, a technology blogger at the Chicago Tribune, emailed me with a series of questions about.
His article on the meme ran yesterday:

I am using] 66 [random phrases] currently, I started with about 20 I made up myself, but I had my friend Josette Torres help me with a bunch as well. I add a few each day as I think of them. The site is really simple. When you load or reload the site, a list of phrases is read in and a random phrase is chosen and displayed. A new item of the 66 possible choices is shown every time you load or refresh the site. It works just like a magic 8 ball except this one has 60+ possible phrases!

Around the same time yesterday, Christopher Beam, wrote a short post called “The Life Cycle of an Internet Meme” which sent a lot of traffic. Christopher created a timeline of each of the most popular “is your new bicycle sites” from February 14th when the Obama site was created through Feb 18 when I created my site, up til Feb 19 when the extremely meta, http://isyournewbicycle.com was created, successfully imploding the meme.

Even though my site hasn’t gotten nearly the same level of attention as the others (obviously), I still think it got way more popular than I had ever expected. Fun stuff :)

Posted in: apple , fun , internet

Map amusement (Durf.org (Durf)) by Durf

The PakTribune article isn’t amusing for its content: 90 militants killed in S Waziristan clashes.” But the map accompanying the text is solid gold.

The geographic features on that map belong to a different place entirely.

(Spotted in a comment on the Strange Maps blog.)

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Posted in: asia , fun , web