An Epic Tale of Geekdom

Pumpkin Search

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:55:15 -0500

Another really QUICK entry...
A couple of weekends ago, we headed down to The Elegant Farmer for carmel apples and to get the pumpkins for Halloween. Here are a couple of pictures of the boys from the iPhone.

Highland Games

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:30:06 -0500

How far behind am I on blog posts? This one’s from late September!
We made our annual visit to the Wisconsin Highland Games in Waukesha (check out their photo gallery) with the goal of throwing sharp objects at targets. (Well, at least the boys and I had that goal.) The beer and food were good, as usual.
I have some video, but no time to cut it together at the moment. So all you get is a picture or two for now.
More to come...

The Taste (Of Many) Beers

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 12:55:12 -0500

Continuing to work our way back in time...
Back on September 28th, we went to the Harvest Fair. More specifically, we went to the Microbrew Tent at Harvest Fair with the goal of tasting a good number of the 30 beers they had on hand. I whipped together another one of those panorama things, if you feel like clicking on the picture up there.
A few of the ones I enjoyed the most were Fallen Apple, Furthermore; Cranberry Special Ale, Sand Creek Brewing Co.; and (no surprise) my old favorite of many years - Woodchuck Draft Cider. New Glarus Brewing Co. also had their EXCELLENT Octoberfest style, Staghorn, on hand. Mmmm, mmm, goooood.

The Brewers Are Done

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 16:49:12 -0500

Trying to catch up just a little bit on stuff I’ve been meaning to post...
On Sunday we went to game four of the Brewers vs. Philadelphia division series. This was Milwaukee’s first playoff appearance since the early 80’s and only the second game here in town. The crowd was absolutely INSANE, having won the previous day’s game. Everyone was hoping we’d pull off another win. It wasn’t to be. The opening pitcher, Supan, sucked. And we never recovered. But it was a great game.
I made a little panorama of Miller Park from some pictures I took with my iPhone. Click on the picture up top to see the whole thing.

A Night At Lambeau

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:21:34 -0500

Last Sunday we drove up to Green Bay for the game against the Cowboys. While the Packers lost, it was still a good time. It was the first warm game I’ve been to up there in forever. The stadium was completely full (as usual) and it was a good game to watch.
Before the game, I had a Cowboy fan talking to me about how awesome it was for him to finally visit Lambeau Field. That really says something about football in Wisconsin, doesn’t it?
Go Packers!

A Little Taste Of Germany

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:41:46 -0500

I was out at the Gasthaus the other night for a business dinner/meeting of sorts. Not that this is interesting or anything, but I snapped this picture on my iPhone on a whim while I was waiting for a coworkers to arrive. Just thought it was unique because of the angle.
Fall is such a great time of year... Spaten Oktoberfest is in season!

Irishfest 2008

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:31:07 -0500

I give up. I don’t have the time to edit this video properly nor add any voice-over to it. So this is what you get... a few random clips for our trip to Irishfest a few weeks ago. I didn’t have much good film to work with either. So don’t expect anything exciting. ;)
But to summarize, it was the last day of the festival (a Sunday night). I wanted to get down there to see Gaelic Storm and have a few beers. Mission accomplished.

Origami

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 14:57:56 -0500

Did I make this? You bet your ass I did... not.
I’d seen this guy, Robert Lang, on a news magazine program once before and kind of forgotten about it until mi amigo, Tony, mentioned it to me today.
This video is absolutely fascinating, both from an artistic and a technological perspective. And check out the online gallery. You won’t believe some of his creations!
And further, you will please note that he’s using a Mac. ;)

Back To The Grind

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 10:58:01 -0500

I’m falling behind on my posts again. I’ve got plenty of stuff, but not time to get it online.
So, today being the first day of school, I thought I’d at least get the picture I took of The Boys this morning. (We take one every year.) Connor is starting 6th grade and Trevor 4th. And no, Connor isn’t short at all. Trevor is just that tall.

Evernote

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:42:53 -0500

Continuing on the “OMFG” theme for things I’ve found to be incredibly incredible...
Evernote is something that I think could be extremely useful to me, personally. You might find it to be as well. But even if you don’t, you might find a few of the features downright amazing.

Photosynth

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:55:33 -0500

I’ve got plenty of stuff to blog about, but just no time whatsoever to do it. With sports every day and major projects at work, I’m buried.
However...
Yesterday I saw a review of a new technology (from Microsoft R&D) called Photosynth. The review is a bit cheesy, as it comes from David Pogue of the New York Times (whose middle name is “Cheesy”). To put it mildly, it’s mind-blowing. (And you know how much it pains me to admit that about anything from Microsoft.) It’s so incredible, in fact, that you’ll be sure to see it on this blog before there is a web browser plugin for Mac to view it. (Sorry, fellow Mac-fanatics.)
You really need to see this for yourself. An explanation can’t do it justice. Take a few minutes to watch the how-to video on their site. You’re just not going to believe what this thing can do.

Lord Stanley

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:50:37 -0500

So I get an email from a friend in Minnesota that a few of you know, Mike... Yes, that’s the real, genuine Stanley Cup he’s holding. (Mike is on the right.) Mike played hockey for Minnesota when we roomed together there (and is probably the single biggest reason I’m a hockey fanatic years later).
I’ll admit that at first I thought he was completely screwing with me, and I told him so. He replied:
No joke – the real Cup!!! We sold our house to Mark Hartigan. He won the Cup last year w/ Anaheim and again this past year with Detroit. Last year, he had his day w/ the Cup in his hometown in Canada, but he decided to have it at our old house this year. It was surreal. You will notice he “helped” hoist the Cup over my head. Believe me, I could have powered it up there myself. The reason he was doing that is because you aren’t allowed to hoist the Cup yourself, unless you have won it. Now that I have touched it, however, I am doomed to never win the Cup myself (I guess I have passed my prime anyway and the likelihood of owning a team that wins the Cup is remote as well).

Reflections

Wed, 6 Aug 2008 11:44:10 -0500

Sometimes it's the simple things that you enjoy most... Well, maybe its MOST of the time. At least, it is for me.
I'll forewarn you that this isn't going to be a particularly interesting blog entry. And perhaps, it may be even a bit odd - but hey, no surprise there, right? :)) I’m just feeling reflective, perhaps even philosophical.
Last night was one of those completely ordinary, uneventful summer nights - the kind you would normally cruise through on autopilot, not able to recall what it was like or what you were doing just a week later. We all have those, right?
I had the rare opportunity to go to the grocery store solo (no kids!).
I'm the type that can spend hours at the grocery - checking out the produce, choosing what unusual imported cheese I want to try, drooling in front of the seafood and meat counters... yeah, it's pathetic. ;) But that's just not an option very often these days.
And spend the time, I did. Loved it. Every minute.
I paid up and casually made my way out of the store into what was shaping up to be a great summer night. The temperature had dropped a little and the sun was setting. Add a cool, gentle breeze to the scene and it was just perfect. I love to drive on nights like this.
Since I didn’t have to head home just yet, I decided to take the long way back... open the windows, get some tunes going... sound familiar? Who hasn’t done that before? (And dear god, if you haven’t... do you have any idea what you’re missing?)
Eventually, I ended up on Highway 16, heading west into the sunset. There’s something about driving into the sunset at dusk that puts me completely at ease. I could drive like that for hours and hours. More than once I’ve had the (admittedly strange) thought, if I only could drive fast enough to keep up with the setting sun.
Maybe add the right music, and sometimes you can lose all sense of self.
No thoughts to disturb you — neither good nor bad. There is only the experience of the moment, directly.
It’s at times like this that I begin to have some understanding of something of a quote that is well known in Zen circles. It’s a statement about the miraculous, mystifying nature of life in even the most simple of things, when you stop and experience them fully, with no thoughts between you and the moment.
How miraculous, how wonderful!
I draw water, I carry wood!
— Layman Pang
And it really is, isn’t it?

The Arts

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 12:28:05 -0500

Some cultural enrichment for today...
The first is a re-post of something I put up a few weeks back, but inadvertently deleted without noticing. I’d definitely classify it as something that appeals to the music lover.

The second is something I saw on TV the other night and later found on YouTube. It has to be one of the most interesting choreographies I’ve seen and the couple that performed it completely nailed it. It runs from 4:33 - 6:00
Okay, there you have it... culture. Now I’m of to the State Fair for beer, fried food and Queensryche!
So much for culture, hey?

Baseball In Milwaukee

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:44:00 -0500

I threw together a short, rough video from some clips I took last Saturday at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. They came from behind late in the game to beat the Astros and move into a tie with the Cubs for first. Alas... they’re no longer tied with the Cubs.
BTW, I’m trying a new thing with comments right on the video timeline that show up as you play them. Like this:

If you put your cursor over the play-head as it moves along (or pause the video), a little green + sign pops up. Click it and you get a menu. Choose ‘Add Comment’ and that should be just about it (I think)!

Seriously, I can’t make it any easier than that, can I? ;)

The Goslings? Seriously?!

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:48:58 -0500

Over the weekend, we had several baseball games in Watertown as part of a tournament being played there. So we passed the high school a few times as we drove back and forth.
And then I saw the sign in front of the high school.
I ask you: has there EVER been a more completely wuss, gay, pansy-ass mascot in the history of America than... The Goslings?! I can’t even imagine the trash talking going on during football games against these guys!

Strawberry Catfish

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:45:47 -0500

We made something last night that I’d forgotten I wanted to post on the blog to share after the last time I had it.
I will just say that this stuff is fantastic and leave it at that. Personally, I like to pan fry in a cast iron skillet over a wood fire, but it should work pretty much any way you care to fry it. It’s the slightly spicy strawberry sauce that really makes it, though! Mmmmm MMM!!!
So here’s a pdf scan of the recipe. Enjoy!

Pickens Plan

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 10:45:49 -0500

It was your average morning today, and I was getting ready for work while the live feed from CNBC.com on my laptop droned on in the background. Usually, I tend to tune out the meaningless chatter and market predictions from the talking heads on the morning show (Squawk Box) while I go through the usual morning rituals. (Sometimes, I even shower and brush my teeth! ;) )
But today, my attention was caught by a plan being laid out by an (extremely) wealthy, 80 year old Texas oil-man to save America from its frightening (terrifying?) dependence on foreign oil. It impressed me to such a degree, that I’ve gone to the trouble of downloading his TV spot and converting it for display here.
I’ll save you the political rant and instead leave you with this thought before you watch this minute long video: I don’t care if you fall from the tree-hugging, bleeding heart end of the spectrum to the pure capitalist profiteer (and I’m a little bit of both) — this just makes sense.
So please, take a moment to watch this. And then visit www.pickensplan.com for something just a little more detail.
WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
If anyone has any thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them...

The Taste Of Beer

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:34:25 -0500

First, let this image be a warning to parents. THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILD if you let them grow up to play tuba. I’m not exactly sure why this guy thought the shredded plastic cup on his head was stylish, funny, cool, or all of the above. But, he wore it all day. Maybe it just appeals to tuba players in lousy polka bands.
In any case, we spent the afternoon yesterday at a beer tasting festival in Hartland. The weather sucked, but as you can imagine... I enjoyed it anyway! Mmmmm... beeeeeeer.

The Day The Trēo Died

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:37:26 -0500

Fate has played its hand. And Fate wants me to have an iPhone. But I must suffer a little first.
This morning, my Trēo 650 leaped to its death. It’s survived falls like this before, but I think this time its will to live was gone. I think it knew I was hoping to get the iPhone 3G soon. I couldn’t revive it after reassembling the pieces.
But... but.. THE iPHONE DOESN’T COME OUT UNTIL JULY 11th! What am I going to do without a smartphone for 2 weeks! How will I find my way home? Who am I? I depend on my phone for this stuff!!!
Goodbye, my trusty little Trēo. You’ve served me well (sort of). But you really do suck compared to an iPhone, and I’ll be even happier to get off of Sprint’s terrible coverage and service!

Steve Jobs In 60

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:33:54 -0500

Not many people are going to sit through the lengthy keynote speech Steve Jobs & Co. gave at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference this week with the rapt attention I was able to give it. But I mean, c’mon! It’s the iPhone 3-fuckin’-G for Christ’s sake!
Having come to grips with the reality that few are as geeky as I quite some time ago, however, I HAD to share this video when I stumbled across it. And so I give you... “Steve Jobs WWDC Keynote (in 60 seconds)”

Mug Shot

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 08:47:17 -0500

I’ve heard this more than a few times in the last couple of months:
“Hey! I didn’t even recognize you!”
And since I’m always trying to come up with fodder for this blog, I thought it might be at least of passing interest to a few if I were to post a picture of myself. Yeah, I should have shaved, but it was Sunday and I get a little lax about that kind of thing on Sundays. :))
So... there I am. Now you have no excuse to not say hello if we see each other!

Daaaa Bears

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 11:45:05 -0500

Can you tell I’m having fun with this video thing?
Last weekend we went to the Milwaukee County Zoo because Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin was having some sort of employee appreciation thing. Never one to pass up the opportunity to take a few pictures, I of course brought the cameras.
I let Connor play with the videocam for a few minutes, and as a result, we have this rare, close-up footage of me... the guy that spends most of his time behind the camera. And that’s probably a good thing! And speaking of pictures, here’s the gallery of a few I took. I was practicing with camera settings and only got a few that I liked. Try the slideshow button in the upper right! SmugMug now has a really nice, full screen slideshow feature.

Weekend Update

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:47:02 -0500

Nothing tremendously interesting to report from the Memorial Day weekend.
We spent time working on things around the house, enjoying the weather, and hanging around with our neighbors. But on Monday, the big news (as far as The Boys are concerned) was the trip to Best Buy to purchase an Xbox 360 with the money the two of them had been saving. They spent the rest of the day playing Halo 3. I can see that I’ll want to get a better TV and sound system for this thing soon. It’s addicting!
As for the video above, I let our little neighbor (who is quite the ham) have the videocam for a few minutes. This is her interview/commentary with Connor.

@ Bat

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:31:41 -0500

Nothin’ much. Just a really brief video of Connor taking a little batting practice last night.

The Tako-jin

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:29:46 -0500

Wednesday was Trevor’s 9th birthday. (Yes, you read that correctly — 9th.) And when asked where he’d like to go for his birthday dinner, what do you think he wanted? Pizza? Burgers? Nope. Sushi!
So last night, off we went to Yokoso. (It’s not like you need to twist my arm to get me to go for sushi.) But there is just one growing problem. And that is: both of the boys are growing. We can’t just get them a few pieces of sushi anymore to fill them up. Now it’s, “I want 5 pieces of octopus, 3 surf clams, ...” and so on with each of them. And I can’t get those big “chef’s selection” dinners for them because they’re very particular about what they want. (Octopus being #1 on the list.) So, I’m thinking it may have been a bad idea to introduce them to sushi so young. It may begin to drain the college fund before long!
Then after we ate, Connor sits back and announces, “I’m ordering at least 10 pieces of octopus next time we come.” Therefore I have named them The Tako-jin... The Octopus People.
And if I may say so, the Sho Chiku Bai Organic Name Saké is the best saké I’ve had in a long time! Excellent stuff, if you like saké...

The Ace

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:36:43 -0500

Yes, I’m biased. I know it. But my boy can really pitch.
When Connor made the local baseball team this year, he insisted that he didn’t want to pitch. But the coaches had all of the kids pitch before the season started. They liked how he did and he’s been asked to pitch in some of their first few games.
Well, I think he’s changed his mind about pitching. Last night, he threw for the first three innings with the following results: 27 strikes, 13 balls, no walks (including 3 and out in the first inning with 2 strikeouts). He received so many compliments from coaches, teammates and parents that after the game he said he thinks that he might like to pitch more. Ha! Let’s hope his next visit to the mound goes as well. ; )

Da-Nah-Wah’uwdsi (Little War)

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:36:21 -0500

Lacrosse, anyone?
This past weekend was my first experience with the sport of lacrosse, other than highlights on ESPN. And I, for one, am giving it a big thumbs up. A thought shared by the majority of the parents at the weekend tournament we attended, I dare say.
Trevor signed up for the 3rd/4th grade Lake Country team this year. (He’s in 3rd, btw.) A few of his friends from hockey played last year and he really wanted to give it a shot. And as you know, Trev is all about the gear, so you can see the obvious appeal there! At this level, our team is all about skill development and learning the game, and therefore we only have practices. But this year, they put together an informal tournament with Sun Prairie and Verona to give our kids a little game experience.
For never having played any games, they did very well, winning 1 of 3 but narrowly missing 2 of 3. I talked a lot with a guy from Sun Prairie that told me he was very surprised at how well our boys were doing.
It’s a tough sport — a bit like a cross between hockey and soccer. And there’s plenty of action. On the bright side, it’s WAY less expensive than hockey! But I’ll make this prediction: Within 5 years, this sport will begin displacing soccer in our area. The kids love it, and I can’t tell you how many parents I know that are bored to tears with kids’ soccer games.
Trevor played well, and LOVES the contact. You’ll see it a few times in the video I slapped together. (Just a few quick clips of the action.) And as you can see from the picture of his shins battered by stick hits, he’s a tough little guy. I’m looking forward to a few seasons from now when he’s allowed to body check in hockey.
Alright, well... that’s pretty much it for lacrosse for this season, since we have no more games. But I hope you enjoy the video. Trevor is #7 and I think he was the only kid with green shoulder pads on the field most of the time. You’ll see a few hits, a lot of running, and one goal. Soundtrack courtesy of Metallica. ; )

In Search Of BBQ

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:30:42 -0500

Just FYI: The movie in this post is 38.7 Mb and (as with most of my personal videos) requires QuickTime to view.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy a not-so-very-exciting 5 minute synopsis of my quest for steak, barbeque and beer on my recent visit to San Antonio, Texas.

Once, I Wuz Smart

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:49:13 -0500

I discovered Google’s patent search recently and decided to see if the one and only patent I have to my name from my days at Scubapro would turn up.
And it did! Check this out! (Mitch, are you reading this?)
See, I was once more than a computer geek... I was a dorky engineer too. Ha!