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November 30, 2004
Finally!
Okay! It has taken too long, but I am finally done with posting my vacation pictures.
Go... Look... Fawn...
All the pictures from the trip are under the SamerFest link. You can also see all the pictures for each city (San Francisco, Eugene, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver), each state (California, Oregon, Washington) or each country (USA, Canada). We slice, you decide.
Posted by Samer at 11:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lava Lamp Kills Man
I don't know if I should cry or laugh, but apparently a Kent, WA man decided to heat his lava lamp on the stove top. It blew up, sending glass everywhere and killing him. Herewith is the police report:
Death caused by exploding lava lamp ruled accidental
Kent, WA - November 29, 2004
At about 8:00 p.m., Sunday, November 28, 2004, an Auburn couple found their 24 year old son dead in his south Kent trailer home. Kent Police Detectives examined the scene. It appeared that something had exploded on the stove top sending shards and splinters of glass in all directions. Remnants of a lava lamp were found around the kitchen area. It is believed that for some unknown reason the deceased placed a lava lamp on the stove top to heat it up which led to the explosion of the fluid container part of the lava lamp. The deceased has several lacerations and one large shard of glass embedded in his chest.
The young man talked to this father on the phone about 9:00 a.m. Sunday. His parents were called by his girlfriend about 7:30 pm when she had not been able to contact him all day. His parents drove from their home in Auburn to south Kent to check on him. On entering the trailer home they turned off the burner on the stove and then discovered their son in the bedroom.
The medical examiners office determined that the flying shard of glass caused his death and ruled it to be an accidental death.
A contender for a Darwin award, perhaps?
Posted by Samer at 08:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Beatles
I was listening to Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) from the album "Rubber Soul" by The Beatles and it is my favorite song of theirs. But I got to thinking about how astounding it is that the music they created, those four mop topped guys from Liverpool, how it still reverberates.
I love listening to them, songs so familiar and still fresh after all these years. Maybe that's why they endure decade after decade, and no one can really remember a thing by any of the boy bands and so on.
Posted by Samer at 06:39 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 27, 2004
Smoke
After being out on the west coast, where smokers are mostly shunned (or at least forbidden from smoking indoors), I've found my reaction to smoke to be rather strong. Last night, at Dr. Dremo, I couldn't take it as it made me feel ill. I had to leave, it was so bad.
The odd thing is, a few days ago in Vancouver, I went to a place called the Cambie which had a smoking room. We spent a good deal of the evening in the smoking room, and it didn't really have an affect.
And Dremo was not the only place where I had this... When I got back on Thanksgiving I went to Whitlow's and the smoke there really got to me. Wonder if this is a trend.
Posted by Samer at 07:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Holidays Are Upon Us
How do I know this? Beer.
Everywhere I went out west there were tons of seasonal brews. From Granville Island's Lions Winter Ale to Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve. Last night I went to Dr. Dremo. They had the Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, Clipper City's Winter Storm and Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout on tap.
This is pretty much the only reason I enjoy the holidays.
Posted by Samer at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 26, 2004
Exit
I'm sitting in seat 8A. On the CRJ this is the emergency exit over the wing. I've sat in this spot on CRJs before, and I've sat in window exit rows on countless other planes. I've never been given instructions as clear and focused as those given by the Air Canada crew.
The stewardess sat next to me, explained everything (from what the pilot would say, what I should look for before opening the exit and even the mechanics of what the door would do once opened). Then she looks at my bemused face and asks if it was too much information and if it was making me nervous.
I wasn't nervous, but I gotta say, I wish more airlines would tell people exactly what will be required from them instead of treating the exit row as seats with more leg room.
Posted by Samer at 12:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Flying to DCA?
In case you didn't know, when you are flying from Canada you "preclear" US customs and immigration at the Canadian airport. That means, particularly if you are flying through Toronto's Pearson International, make sure you leave plenty of time.
And if you happen to be flying to Washington National, well, prepare for the most annoying and repetitive search and security procedures. After you clear customs they ask you to tell them if you are flying to DCA, and tag your bags accordingly. From there, you head off to have your bags x-rayed. That's apparently enough to enable you to fly to Dulles, or any other location, but to DCA you need to get your bags scanned for bombs using the sniffer. Once that is completed, they will hand search your bags. Right, that's three screenings, in addition to the screening at Vancouver.
But, just in case you were starting to feel comfortable and confident, you now have to go through security yourself. Because you go from one terminal to another, you need to clear security again. Metal detector, carry-on x-ray, jacket searched, wand, the works. Whew, glad that's over with.
So you start down the long (385 meter) path to podium "U". On and on down the hallway that won't end. You pass the people at podium "T", comfortable in their area not having been made to take off their shoes as they are headed to IAD. Finally you see the last gate. Before you can get to a seat, your boarding pass and passport are required. Then you are ushered into another room.
You wait your turn and then your bags get searched, again. This time by hand. Same for your jacket. You are made to unbuckle your metal belt buckle. You are wanded from the front and from the back, asked to sit down and the soles of your feet are wanded too. Your shoes are also searched. And you have to give a card with your name on it to the airline for them to turn over to the TSA to do God-knows-what with.
Sounds really good and secure, right? But why go through all this? I think the answer is obvious: you want to make sure no one can jack the CRJ and fly it into the White House or Capitol or someplace else. Not a bad idea, but, again, we have more "security theater".
Sure, this flight is secure. Probably well secure, what with the thirty minute from landing seating regulations and all. But what about that flight to IAD? That's likely a bigger plane than the CRJ, too. Dulles is 22 miles from the Capitol and less from the Pentagon. Why are we risking that? What about other locations? New York City? Boston? Chicago? Why are they not getting the extra security? I hope it isn't because our government cares more about protecting itself than protecting its citizen. Surely, that can't be it, can it?
Posted by Samer at 12:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Airline Food
Yuck.
I can see why most people don't complain about the lack of food served on flights these days: most of it is just awful. Air Canada served us something very orange in color as a salad (I tasted it, and it vaguely tasted like julienned carrots and raisins in some sort of a creamy mixture), pasta with an okay tomato sauce, but with really crappy cheese and herbs on top, and some leaden, gelatinized excuse for a sweet bread as the dessert.
Inedible dreck. And how ironic: the in-flight magazine's focus is food.
Posted by Samer at 12:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 25, 2004
Rain
Vancouver is a great city. Not just because the views are spectacular, the food is good, or the architecture cool. It rains here. It rained every day I've been here. I like the rain.
I think I want to move here. It is like a cross between San Francisco and Portland. There's a lot of hustle and bustle in downtown, but you can also go two miles and be in a rain forest. Did I mention the views are spectacular. I hope to have pictures up from here in the next few days.
For now, I'm homeward bound. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you living in the USA.
Posted by Samer at 10:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 24, 2004
Internet Access
"Is there internet access in the rooms," I would ask. "Unfortunately there is no broadband in the rooms, sir," was the reply. "But you can use dialup," she said helpfully.
Listen up hotel operators of the world: it is 2004. There is no excuse not to have free wireless internet access. None. It costs pennies and is a valid criteria by which a hotel will be judged. In fact, for me, it is going to be the number two criteria after location.
Your hotel needs internet access anyway, so that broadband pipe should already be there. Share it. I know, you make some money off idiotic $10/day internet access, but that does turn off a not insignificant number of people.
Then there's the business center. At the Crowne Plaza in San Francisco, internet access could be had there on an old computer that cost $3 to set up and $0.89 per minute. What are you people thinking?
The Homewood Suites in Seattle was the only place to have free broadband. It rocked. The only downside to that hotel was that the windows don't open. I'll take that tradeoff. But there really is no excuse for the likes of a four star hotel like Le Soleil to not have it. Inexcusable that the Double Tree in Portland, probably the most wireless city in America, has $10/day wired access.
Get your acts together, people.
Posted by Samer at 01:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 23, 2004
Cascades Service
I've completed the train part of my trip. I've travelled on the Starlight Express from San Francisco to Eugene, and from there on the Cascades to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. I'm pretty impressed.
The Starlight Express starts off in Southern California and goes right up the coast. It is a slow, lumbering train, that often gains a lot of delays on the way up. LVH and AB both warned me that it would likely be late and just get later. But the train left Emmeryville just about 10 mins late and, almost 15 hours later, arrived in Eugene.
Yeah, 15 hours is a long time to be sitting in a seat. But that's just one of the great things when you compare Amtrak to flying. For one thing, you don't have to sit in your seat: you can get up, walk around, go to the dining car or the lounge. The views are spectacular, even in the fog. Your seat mates are sometimes a fun bunch, and sometimes just crazy. Oh, and there's no long security lines or annoyances that make flying a pain in the ass.
Here's a shocker for those used to dealing with Amtrak's NE Corridor and big city staff: the staff on the west coast are just amazingly nice people. They were all helpful, even to the annoying people on the Starlight Express.
There's decent food at not too high a price, the seats are comfortable, and did I mention that there are no body cavity searches? If time is on your side, what's there not to love?
Posted by Samer at 07:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Ed Crane
Here I was wandering the Pike Place Market in Seattle when I spotted a nice view out a window. I walked down there, and an affable older gentleman was sitting sipping on some coffee and reading the paper. He welcomed me with a booming voice. It was the sort of voice you don't forget, you know? Deep and authoritative. A broadcast voice.
He asked where I was from, and I told him "DC". He smiled and told me he knew DC quite well. He'd been the traffic reporter for a bunch of radio stations, including WTOP, WMAL and WRC. We talked for about ten minutes, and he shared the story of the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue, and how he basically broke that story that sad morning in 1995.
It was pretty cool to hear his stories and remember the old days in radio and TV. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Crane.
Posted by Samer at 03:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 22, 2004
Portland Rocks
Portland is great town. I want to move there. It is a nice small town, with all the amenities of the big places. It does not feel like it is missing anything.
I met up with AB and we went out to McCormick and Schmick's. where they have a special after 9.30 bar menu. $2 gets you hummus or a cheese burger. Apparently they do these deals depending on the location, so I'm going to have to check the local M&S...
One of the most beautiful things about this city is its closeness to amazing natural things. AB took me to Multnomah Falls and then for a drive around Mt. Hood. What a spectacular view. It really is amazing. Pictures are forthcoming, trust me.
It was cool to hang out with her, though she says I should come up there in between semesters when she can spend more time hanging out. Perhaps I will.
Posted by Samer at 01:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 21, 2004
Traveling Alone
I enjoy traveling alone, at least I have prior to this trip. I've met up with some friends on this trip and it's been a lot of fun. But as soon as they leave, I get a sad feeling.
I don't know why, but I'm really down when alone, lately. Probably has to do with all the stress recently, but I really have been craving human contact. In some ways, while this is a fun trip and I am enjoying myself, I sort of want to be home.
Posted by Samer at 11:50 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 17, 2004
Skinner Butte
LVH told me to go up to Skinner Butte in Eugene. Lots of nice views of the city from up there, and will give me something to do while she was at work. She warned me it was a steep climb to get there.
So I found Skinner Butte and started looking for a road or a clearly marked trail. I did find a not well kept hiking trail that seemed to go straight up. Never being one to shy away from a good view, I started up the trail. The mud and leaves made not falling a tricky proposition and I had to find a stick to help steady me.
Each leg led to a fork, and each fork led to more up hill trudging. Slowly but surely I could see the peak and was waiting to crest and see this amazing view. Not really all that amazing. It seemed to be filled with more trees and some highways. Nothing really eye popping or worth the effort.
Then I noticed the hippies. Three of them, a baby and some Chinese food. They looked like they had driven up -- no mud or sweat or any indication of a tough climb. Huh, well look over there. A road. How did I miss that?
I start walking down it, when I notice a look out point. Wow. What a view. Very nice. Well worth the hike, though a walk up the road would have been much easier.
Posted by Samer at 09:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Live from the Cascades
I'm on board train 504 Cascades from Portland to Eugene. I'm posting this live using Bluetooth to the phone and the phone's internet connection.
It is slow, but how cool is that?
Posted by Samer at 12:13 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 16, 2004
The Coast Starlight
I took the train from San Francisco to Eugene, OR. It really was a cool experience and not one that seemed as dreadful as you might expect from a 15 hour overnight train trip. Much more comfortable than flying ever will be.
I also learned, but to no useful purpose, that the sleeper cars can be had for considerably less if you buy on board, rather than before your trip. Of course, you may not be able to, as the sleepers might be sold out. No matter, really... The seats are comfortable enough to sleep in.
And, it turns out, all the crazy people in the world ride the train, especially through Oregon. You should be well entertained.
I highly recommend the train.
Posted by Samer at 12:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 15, 2004
Odd Town
San Francisco has an odd aura about it. It is a great fun town, with a lot to do and see, but it is very quirky.
Other cities, big cities like New York and London, all have their quirks, their oddities. But in most of those places "odd" is an undercurrent. It pops up here and there, like in Soho in London, or the Village in New York. But for the most part you only notice the odd when look for it.
Not so in San Francisco. "Odd" not only seems to be in the mainstream, it seems to be work like a badge of honor. And it makes for a great fun city. What's so odd about San Francisco? Well, let's begin:
On a typical day walking through downtown you will run into hundreds of possibly homeless people. I say possibly because you can't really tell in this town who is and who is not homeless. People walk around, shabbily dressed, talking to themselves. Constantly. Some sing, some have conversations, but most are just nattering on about something or the other to an uncaring audience.
On one day, on one bus ride, I saw a dozen people try and sneak onto the bus by getting on at the back door. The best part of it all was the bus driver. He's wearing the MUNI brown uniform and it looks a bit like a communist state military outfit. He's also of Asian origin and was wearing huge "Blu-Blocker"-style glasses. He looked like a caricature of the North Korean leader. And he would get up and yell at these people, and they, in turn, would try and haggle with him. That was a fun bus ride.
Another oddity about the city is that in the heart of its tourist center, all the bars seem to close at midnight. Well, all the bars that you want to drink at, that is.
Posted by Samer at 08:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2004
One thing
If there's only one thing you should do before you die, well, I'd highly recommend putting walking across the Golden Gate Bridge up there.
I took a bus to Golden Gate Park on Saturday. Hopped on a different bus and wound up at the foot of the most magnificent piece of architecture and design, all in one. To see this monster of a bridge spanning across the Golden Gate is almost as moving as seeing the aurora. A living, breathing monument to what we, as a people, can do when we decide we need to. The whole thing was built in 52 months. It opened in 1937. 1937.
I walked across the bridge and took some good pictures, and when I got to the other side, I climbed up into the Marin County Headlands. I stood there, with most of the bridge beneath me. One of the most beautiful and amazing sites that I've ever seen.
Posted by Samer at 04:02 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Magnolia
One of the great things about traveling is that you get to taste a lot of good stuff that you would not normally have access to. Beer, mostly. Magnolia is a great little brewpub up in the Haight, close to Ashbury. Yeah, that selfsame Haight/Ashubry that was once the mecca of the counter culture but now has a GAP and a brew pub. Go figure.
I stopped into Magnolia after my little walkabout Golden Gate Park on Friday. I was thirsty and hungry. The other good thing about traveling is that you meet the nicest people. The bartender here, just as at Toronado, was most helpful in picking out food and drink.
First up was a nice cask conditioned bitter. This was the first time they had brewed the Pearly Baker's Best Bitter, and it was really nice. Resiny, with a noticeable hop aroma and profile, this dark straw colored beer was very smooth and enjoyable. Quite the thirst quencher.
I followed it up with the Cole Porter, a very dry, quite roasty porter that was very enjoyable after lunch. Lunch was an excellent beef brisket sandwich with horseradish mayonnaise. Another great suggestion from the bartender.
I managed to get Ben the brewer to show me around the very small brewery underground. The pictures, when they get posted, will show you just how tiny the place is. He had just finished wrapping up the third brew that week.
Ben also gave me a taste of the 7% abv Proving Ground. This beer has a 100 IBUs and is pretty well balanced for having so much hops in it. Shame it was only mid-day and I had an entire afternoon and evening ahead of me, as I'd have liked a pint or two of that.
Posted by Samer at 02:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sloooooow
I'm in a hotel that does not seem to understand what it means to do business in the 21st century. I mean, not only do they not have high speed internet in the rooms (WiFi, what's that?), they don't even have access for free in the business center. They charge $3 to set up the connection and 59 cents per minute. To use the internet. In the most wired city in America. Really guys, it might be time to pack it in and see if having something your clients want and use might make them come back.
Luckily I've got plan B. What's that you ask? Well, a GPRS connection over my GSM P800 phone. Enough acronyms? Using Bluetooth, I can make a wireless connection to my wireless phone. The phone has internet connectivity, and the computer can use that. Unless, of course, the stars are not just so.
The problem with this solution is that it is slow. S. L. O. W. That makes blogging pictures a tad difficult. Roundtrip times between me and some servers here and there are all over a second, and most over two. That makes FTPing a picture to the server very difficult, if not impossible.
I am blogging offline (I'm writing this as I wait for a friend to show up so we can go drink), and as soon as I get me some high speed, I'll post. So look for a flurry of stuff on Monday morning.
Posted by Samer at 02:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 13, 2004
Toronado
Went to Toronado last night. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm not sure why not.
A grubby, dive-y kinda place located on the Haight. You enter through the front door, which is split so only the bottom is closed. There's a long bar to the right and a bunch of tables to the left. There's a small seating area in the back.
Immediately you notice all the freaking taps. Holy hell, they have a lot of beer. But they also have tons of taps adorning the walls. To say this place has character would be an understatement: The bartenders are all colorful and very informed. I was quite happy to let them pick the beers for me. All I asked was that they be somewhat local. Of course, that means I missed some great beers, but they have so many it would be hard not to.
First up was the Speakeasy IPA, a nicely hopped strong IPA which really hit the spot. Then I had the Russian River ESB, and that was smooth and really nice. Vinnie, the owner of Russian River, is at RFD for a couple of days, so I'm sad to have missed his beers there. Lastly I got a pint of the El Toro Duce, a very hoppy, flowery double IPA. Quite strong, too.
They don't serve food at Toronado, but there's a sausage place next door that will let you order and take food in there. Zagat says of the Sausage Grill: "They do one thing and they do it perfectly." Who am I to disagree? Their Hungarian smoked was very tasty and wonderfully smoked -- next time, I will try it alongside the Alaskan Smoked Porter which they had on tap. The Italian hot was fantastic. Hot enough to feel it, but not hot enough to overwhelm every other taste.
Posted by Samer at 04:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 11, 2004
Rainy Day
Got to San Francisco this morning and it was raining. Took the shuttle from the airport to downtown, it only set me back $30, which is better than having had to navigate the BART and go up Powell Street with my luggage.
The hotel is nice, though they lack internet access in the room. The Crowne Plaza is among the dozen or so hotels that have locked out their janitorial staff over the latest contract. Apparently the hotels want a five year deal, which is what it always was, but the union wants a three year deal.
The city is great. The buzz of this town is kinda cool. Even in the rain, it has an energy that seems pretty unique. I stumbled on the Apple Store here, and Union Square is kinda nice, even if it is filled with the same cookie cutter shops like Starbucks and the Cheesecake Factory.
I think I'm gonna head to the Haight and try and have a few beers at Toronado.
Posted by Samer at 10:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
jetBlue
Flew to Oakland on jetBlue. They are quite nice. The free on board DirecTV was a bonus, but not really worth all the hype. Watching Mario Batali cook up Italian food at 35,000 feet is just not all you would expect it to be. Or maybe you would.
The leather seats are comfortable, the staff attentive enough, the airplanes clean. We took off on time, and it looks like we'll land on time or early. Yes, I know I'm a geek cause I'm blogging at cruising altitude. It is either this or "I Love Lucy". Again.
They offer snacks, but no meal. Come to think of it, do any non-international flights offer meals anymore? Carr's Table Water Crackers, process cheese spread (what the hell is that process?), Biscoff biscuits and a Creme Saver. Bottled water, sealed, so you don't have to worry about contamination. Right. All this, and low fares.
For a 06.30 flight, damn it is packed. Once I figure out how to get the hotel (I'm told BART is the answer), I think I might get a bite to eat and a nap. All they need is some massaging chairs. Wonder why no one's thought to do that?
Posted by Samer at 07:30 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Fly Naked
Security was a breeze at Dulles. Well, the line moved quickly.
Honestly, there's just no dignity in flying anymore. You want to know why airlines are losing money? Just go to a major airport an see the cattle call that airport security is. "We recommend you take off your shoes because we're scanning for thickness," said the TSA drone. What the fuck does that mean? Is there an approved thickness for shoes? Did she mean we're scanning for explosives? Say what you mean, dammit.
So, shoes, jackets, sweatshirts, belts, laptops, keys, phones and everything else gets tossed on the belt. slowly, ever so slowly, it moves past the disinterested x-ray technician. Oooh! She's spotted something. A small keychain Swiss Army knife. These things are dangerous items. Very very dangerous. So much so, the supervisor had to be called over to explain to the fine gentleman what a grave danger to national security it was to bring that along. For crying out loud, you can't cut through duct tape with that thing, much less take over an airliner.
His options were to have it confiscated or to go back out and check it into the hold. Why is there not an option to fill out a card and have the item shipped to you, at your expense if need be? Why is there forfeiture without a trial, without a judicial order? Why are airports special?
Well, mostly it is because what I've heard referred to as "security theater". The visual of trained officials doing something, anything, is apparently what we want. Meanwhile, we're not any more secure, just a lot more harassed. Airlines are sinking into mounds of debt and when they go under, some of the blame surely has to go at the feet of the "security at any cost" crowd.
One woman, who was getting dressed after going through the line, noticed me doing the same and said, "we should come naked to the airport, next time." Not a pretty image.
Posted by Samer at 07:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 10, 2004
Keep up with my travels
Okay, so you don't read the blog all the time, but you want to know when I post something new... I've got just the solution for you...
Over on the left hand side of the main page is a "Stay Updated" box. Enter your e-mail address and this nifty software called Notifier will, well, notify you of any new posts I make.
Posted by Samer at 09:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Whirlwind Vacation
I'm off to see the west tomorrow. I'm headed to San Francisco then to Eugene and Portland, OR and Seattle before winding up in Vancouver. All this, and I'll be home for a very late Thanksgiving day dinner.
Follow along here and over at the new photo blog to see where I am.
Posted by Samer at 09:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New Digs
As you can see, I've made some changes to the blog. The changes were precipitated by moving to GoDaddy for hosting. Yeah, I know it is a silly name, but they have good deals and a reasonably good and responsive staff.
In addition to moving up to MovableType 3.1, changing the look of the blog and renaming it to 'samer/thoughts', I've created a photo blog. 'samer/pictures' will be the place to look for the latest pics from my travels (more on that soon).
Drop me a line if you like what you see.
Posted by Samer at 07:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bluetooth posting
I'm sitting outside, using a wireless Bluetooth connection from my Mac to my P800 and surfing the web via the phone's internet connection. Sweet. I'll hopefully be using this to post pictures and blog entries while on the train.
Posted by Samer at 07:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 09, 2004
1001
There's this newish photo hosting service called Flickr, and I've come across a pretty nifty program that uses your Flickr account to get and download some of the latest pictures. It displays the thumbnails and lets you click on them to see the images full size. 1001 also displays a floating window that sits transparently atop all others. You can "flick" through those images when they get downloaded.
I'd requested the author make the floating window have an option to automatically flick through the new images for you, seeing as I'm really lazy and such. Amazingly, just days later, he added that. Thanks!
I never really thought it would be a cool program. It sounded interesting enough, but I couldn't really see how I would use it more than once or twice. I left it running in the background and pretty much became addicted instantly. There's a voyeuristic aspect to this, peeking in on other people's lives by seeing the pictures they choose to share with the world. A lot of pictures are ho-hum, but some are quite compelling. I'm fond of this one, which just flicked on my screen.
And, yes, in case you were wondering, this is the same guy who wrote ecto, which I wrote about recently.
Posted by Samer at 08:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 08, 2004
Let Go
Again, clarity comes to me from a friend and a song. My friend Nikki gives me the best slaps of reality of anyone, and I sought her out and talked to her for a bit this weekend. And just as things were becoming clear(er), Frou Frou come along with the song "Let Go":
So, let go
Jump in
Oh well, what you waiting for?
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
So, let go
Just get in
Oh, it's so amazing here
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
There is beauty in everything. Sometimes, the breakdown is even more beautiful. Everything devolves, everything entropies, why not see the beauty in that?
Posted by Samer at 09:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 07, 2004
Google Goes Wireless
Anyone who knows me must know how much I love Google. Well, I love them a little more this morning.
They have a new service in beta called Google SMS. It allows you to send a text message from your phone and get Google information back via SMS. You want to find out local chili parlors, just send an SMS to 46645 with the text "chili xxxxx", where the "xxxxx" is the zip code you want. You need a price check on something you are about to buy? Just send a message with the UPC code (ISBN in the case of books) and it comes back with the Froogle best price matches.
So head on over to the SMS page that Google has set up and check out the FAQ and the examples that they provide. And get txting.
Posted by Samer at 12:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 06, 2004
ecto
I've been blogging a lot, lately, and you might have wondered why. To be honest, it comes down to one thing: ease of use.
Blogging through a web interface can be tiresome: you have to log in, wait for the server to load stuff, etc. And, no matter how nice the tools you use are, like MovableType, the interface is still not all you would like it to be.
Enter ecto. This is a very well thought out and written application that lets you blog on your desktop and does the rest of the stuff in the background. It supports a number of blog publishing tools, it has a very simple and nice interface, it will do linking and images for you, it will let you add your own markup and HTML. I'm sure there's tons more features that I've just not figured out yet.
Ecto's got a free two week trial, so go try it out. I've been using mine for a week or so, since I noticed it on bOINGbOING, and I just paid the $18 for it. This software really rocks. Oh, it it even works on Windows.
Posted by Samer at 10:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 05, 2004
Too Low to Find My Way
This has been the week from hell. Without a doubt, this has been the worst week of my life.
I recently saw "Garden State", and I bought the soundtrack. On it is a great song from Thievery Corporation called "Lebanese Blonde". The first bit of the song is:
Too low to find my way
Too high to wonder why
I've touched this place before
Somewhere in another time
Now I can hear the sun
The clouds drifting through the blinds
A half a million thoughts
Are flowing through my mind
A half a million thoughts are flowing through my mind. What a shitty year.
Posted by Samer at 10:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Death in a connected world
On the DCRTV site the other day was a notice that a college buddy had passed away. If it wasn't for one of my coworkers seeing that someone at WJLA had passed away, we might not have known for a while.
Mike Bayus was a funny, great guy who really took his job, even when it was at a campus TV station, seriously. He always had a smile and he would sing various TV theme songs all the time. He was a great guy, and it is a loss to everyone that knows him.
The really sad thing is that I never really stayed in touch. I'd hear his news every now and again. But, while I knew he was at WJLA, which is only a mile down the road, I didn't even know he lived in Arlington. It is a shame that, in this interconnected world, we often don't have the time to stay in touch with the good people of the world.
Rest in peace, Mike.
Posted by Samer at 10:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
One Twelve
I really never thought that this week could get worse. It did. Tremendously worse.
There's some seriously bad work shit going on, and it is driving my stress levels very very high. How high? I went and saw the doctor today for a regular visit. He was a bit concerned that the nurse measured my resting heart rate at 120 and he got 100. He decided to do an EKG.
He found nothing wrong, but my resting heart rate was about 112. For those playing along at home, that's fucking high for resting. That's what it should be if you run.
His explanation, after I told him what had happened this week, was that it was stress. Stress from my job, my life and this election. In that order. That should tell you what a shitty week it has been.
Posted by Samer at 10:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A few funny (sorta) links
They'd be really funny if they didn't sum up how I feel.
This site tries to apologize to the world in pictures. If that link fails, try this one.
You want to move to Canada? Did the sites I put up the other day not do it for you? Try marrying a Canadian. That could be fun, too.
Lastly, I saw this on Flickr the other day, and loved it. Kinda sums up this election.
Posted by Samer at 10:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 03, 2004
Where to?
Excellent tongue in cheek (or maybe not) article in Harper's on how to emigrate from the US and your options on November 3.
From "Electing to Leave":
Perhaps the most elegant solution is to join a country that exists only in one’s own—or someone else’s—imagination. Many such virtual nations can be found on the Internet, and citizenships in them are easy to acquire.
Kinda fun to consider. For those really looking at going to Canada, check out the CIC Canada site. Perhaps Scandinavia is more your speed? No problem.
Posted by Samer at 10:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Depressed and angry
This election has me depressed and angry. Why? From all accounts, it seems that a good portion of the country are bigots and want the government to be your nanny. Another large portion seem to be morons, easily frightened into voting for someone who has done more to make them insecure. There also seems to be a rather large and fanatical fundamentalist Christian population. You know what the difference is between Muslim and Christian fundamentalists? Let me know.
I also think there's some really bad stuff going on in various election locations, including vote rigging. No, I don't have proof and I don't know if it would have made a difference. But the story of the numbers remains to be told.
The one heartening thing is that a lot of people did go out and exercise their right to vote. Yay us.
Posted by Samer at 10:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 02, 2004
The Election
This is it. Time to vote. Do what you have to get to a polling place. Be heard.
Why? Because this is the most important election we're going to see in our lifetime. If Bush wins, the course of our government, and the world, is going to a turn for the worse. His party and the country will move to the right, the conservative Christian fundamentalist right. If Kerry wins, the Republicans will have an internal civil war. One the fundamentalists can't win. Oh, and this country might actually become secure and have a good name among our allies, again.
I'm heartened by the statistics that Electoral-Vote.com has up today. Kerry gets 298 votes, with 270 needed to win. I think his methods are fair enough, but polls are polls. We get the final poll tomorrow. The thing I did enjoy on EV today was finding out that the Votemaster was none other than Andrew Tanenbaum, famous for Minix and other computer science stuff.
He wrote a great piece on why he did this:
Let me tell you a short story. When I was in elementary school, the school was plagued by a bully. He was the biggest, strongest kid around and would beat up anyone he didn't like. We were all exceedingly polite to his face, but hated his guts behind his back. One day he was chasing some poor kid and he tripped and skidded a considerable distance, scraping his face on the rough asphalt of the playground. He was bleeding and in pain, screaming for help. But nobody came to help him. We all just walked away. George Bush is the world's playground bully. The world sees him--and by inference, America--as arrogant, self-centered, and mean. I spoke to Americans from dozens of countries at the DA caucus. Everyone told the same story--the world hates America. When talking to foreigners, I can tell them about the Bill of Rights or freedom or World War II, or whatever I want, but all they see is this big, stupid, arrogant, playground bully and a stolen election in Florida last time. I think America deserves better. I want America to be respected in the world again, and John Kerry can restore the respect America deserves.
So, go out and vote. Do the right thing. I hope it does not end in court.
Posted by Samer at 12:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack