I could use a little fuel myself…
Another Quick Take. I know…the joke is a little inside, but I will point out that TT and I did it originally before Michael Scott did. Now, if I could just find that old video.
In the meantime, here’s the homage from TC. Notice the cat calls for the Manhattan hotties against the wall in the background.
Merek and Trey had a Wacky Hair Day at school today. This was them on their way out the door.
Here’s Trey, my youngest son. He smiles. A lot.
He had an interesting day yesterday. It seemed like most every other day at first, but some time after school and before I got home from work, Trey saw this in our bathroom.
Ignoring all logic and despite the use of this object by his mother for any haircuts or hair trimming that is done at home, Trey decided he wasn’t exactly sure what would happen if he turned this on and ran it through his hair. Being an inquisitive young man, he determined that this specific time in his life was the best time to figure out what would happen under those circumstances, so this was Trey shortly thereafter.
Not as much smiling. He does, however, now know what will happen when he turns that thing on and runs it across his scalp. As for the timing; two days before school pictures, and at a school that doesn’t allow caps to be worn. So, here is our smiling Trey now that mom had to try to even things out a little. This is how he will be immortalized in his 2nd Grade class pictures.
The smile is back. As for Mom and Dad? Well, we had a difficult time controlling our laughter so we wouldn’t make him feel too bad. Seriously, what would we do for laughs without kids?
If anyone hasn’t checked out Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” yet, go ahead and enjoy it right here. Joss (the creator of several comedy/sci fi TV Shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the current, less comedic, more dramatic, The Dollhouse) and his brothers have created this three act webisode feature that is absolutely incredible. In fact, it might be the most creative thing I’ve seen “on TV” in quite a while. All three acts total about 42 minutes, so about the time it takes to watch a TV Drama without the commercials (does anyone watch commercials anymore?).
In any case, it is worth a watch. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, and, well, you remember Doogie Howser don’t you?) and Patricia Day (of another popular webisode series, The Guild) are incredible. Nathan Fillion (as Captain Hammer) makes a great villainous-hero (roles are reversed in this one). The writing is great, the humor is subtle at times, and performances and timing are fantastic. I’ve seen it five times now, and every single time I discover something new. Not sure that trend will continue beyond 5 views, but nevertheless, there is a lot of comedy hidden in this gem. A sequel is in the works…but the medium and timing are unknown at this time. For more information, check out the official fan site. Enjoy, and leave comments on what you think. Don’t miss the full screen button in the upper right corner of the video…sit back and relax while you watch.
A quick Photoshop session today after talking with David Allen produced this. See my post on my Student Pilot Cast website for the background. I’m still chuckling a little.
I found this a couple of months ago…and of course it still reigns as my favorite tech unboxing video yet. Enjoy.
Okay…so I usually don’t go all out for seasonal decorations…it’s just not my thing, but for some unknown reason, I decided to put a little effort into our pumpkin carving this year for Halloween. I did a little research on the interwebs, and decided to “help” my kids do their pumpkins. After seeing some success, I asked my wife to pick up a pumpkin for me, which she kindly did, and I proceeded to undertake the most difficult carving job of my young carving career; the mug of Sarah Palin. I figured with the election being a short three days away or so, it was apropos. I had been taught via the web that you can actually accomplish “shading” with pumkin carvings, which I didn’t realize was possible before three days ago.
Well, it created quite the stir in the neighborhood. Word spread of the unlikely masterpiece, and people started coming as if to the neighborhood pumpkin Mecca. Lot’s of comments and ooh’s and ah’s. Honestly, while I was working on it for the two hours that I spent, I really didn’t think it would turn out (and neither did my wife, Crystal). Even when it was mostly done I thought it was a bust…but I put a little light in it and turned down the lights, and voilà! I did some finishing touches to bring out the glasses a little more, and added shading to the hair, and I was done. We put them out for all to enjoy who could make it by…and now I’m putting them out for you.
First, the kid’s pumpkins.
And, for the Palin.
All in good fun, I guess.
I know these have been around for a while…but I have never seen one, until this week. I ended up in Las Vegas a few days ago on business, and ran into my first Sony Vending Machine in the airport. I could not resist snapping a quick picture of it. 
While music videos looped on the LCD display, a myriad Sony electronic gadgets and accessories attempt to lure you into parting with your money. Look, I’m all for not having to talk to lame, pimple-faced teenager, uninformed store salesmen that you find in most electronic stores, but this takes half the fun out of shopping, or more accurately, returning, electronics. Who are you supposed to yell at? Additionally, this was in the Las Vegas airport, inside the terminal (i.e. the business side of the ever-so-vigilant TSA). Even if you could drum up the gumption from deep inside yourself to come back and yell at the machine, you’d have to buy some sort of airplane ticket for the privilege. I suppose there’s a phone number you can call if you have problems, but that’s not face to face yelling, so it’s not the same.
On the other hand, if you’ve just paid $5.00 to United/US Air/Delta/[Insert your dysfunctional airline here] for a $0.20 replica of a pair of headphones on your flight (along with $3.00 for a water and $7.00 for some crackers and cheese), you may be inclined to buy a pair of Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones from the vending machine (which they prefer to call a robotic storefront, but let’s be real) for $200. This is worth it because you get a return of $100 over your next 20 flights by not having to buy the crappy earphones that they are selling every time, and the other $100 of value comes from not having to listen to any of the announcements from the cockpit or the flight attendants asking you if you want to buy a $3.00 water. After all, these cancel noise, and that’s what you want. Another thing…what do you think the chances are that they pre-charge the electronic devices that need batteries. How disappointing to buy your new PSP for the 3 hour plane ride but you have no juice. This just helps prove my theory above…it’s for the disembarking airline spit-outs, not those all fresh for their travel. They expect your defenses are down AFTER the flight.
So, the next time you step off that plane all hot and bothered about just getting mugged by the airline, pull out the credit card (if you have any money left), and keep your eyes out for one of these Sony vending machines, and purchase your headphones/PSP/MP3 player/etc. Trust me, you’ll feel better. Or not.
Well, when your buddy who has a night job can’t stay awake for game night, we can’t be held responsible for what happens.
Writing on Todd's Face from Bill Williams on Vimeo.
Sorry for the video quality…it was dark!
This just might be the best use I’ve seen yet of a video blog. Unfortunately, you have to watch these online (not a podcast for downloading automatically from the RSS). Worth it though. This is the latest episode.
“Davey Dance-BLOG. A project started while traveling Europe during Spring 2007. Armed only with an ipod and a Canon PowerShot, Davey picks a location and a pop song. Then Davey records an improvised dance.”
Davey Dance Blog -47- DUBLIN – Talking Heads “Houses in Motion” from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.
Dance on.