A Pretty Sweet way to make guitar picks out of all of those maxed out credit cards & soon to be used up gift cards in your wallet!
Friday, November 05, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Ember's 1st Halloween
Royksopp - The Drug
Only electronic musicians can get away with spending so much money on a video for such a non single. Arty, Visually Engaging, Vague. All the usual qualities.
Curious to hear the rest of the new album, "Senior", supposedly on a more introverted ambient tip.
Enjoy
Monday, October 25, 2010
Having issues with iOS 4 and IMAP Mail accounts syncing? You're not alone.
Chris Hardie posted a great piece back in June on this topic and updated it in September.
I post this today because even after multiple restores I still have syncing issues with multiple mail accounts that that seem to just ignore the fact that I deleted a mail message. 10 times. The same message. I wanted to put my head through a wall.
Essentially I'll delete a message move on to the next then when I go to jump to another message, BAM! There's all the mail I just deleted.
Makes mail on your phone really (un) useful.
Chris posted that after upgrading to 4.1 his issues went away, but mine persist. Especially on my MobileMe account. Which kinda bugs me. A LOT!
Hope some of you find this link useful and entertaining.
http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2010/08/iphone-ios4-imap-mail-syncing-problem...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
When are young girls gonna stop using the "stranded, no money for gas" con?
Scenario: I pull up to a Gas Station and a young girl asks...
"Do you have a few dollars I can have? I'm stranded with out my wallet, I live in Boca and I need gas!"
This isn't the first time I've heard this con.
Me: "Oh man, that sucks. Where's your car?"
Girl: "Oh, um... It's down the street?"
Me: "Do you need help getting it to the gas station?"
Girl: "No, I just need a few dollars to get home."
Me: "OK, but how are you going to get gas in the car if it's down the street? Do you have a gas can?"
Girl: "Um, No... I just need a few dollars and I'll take care of the rest."
She's getting irritated now, I'm a poor mark and she's already looking for other guys at the gas station to sell her story to.
Me: "Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, I don't have any cash, but I could use my card to spot you $5.00 to get home"
Girl: "Oh forget it!"
As she storms off.
Me: "That sounds like a great idea!" said with a great big smile.
I've got no problem helping out someone who truly needs it, but when you smell a con it usually is just that, a con.
While I was pumping gas she was pretending to call her mom to amp up the story for the next guy to over hear. Then a cop pulled up, she suddenly didn't need any spare change and just went walking.
On to the next gas station...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
1st bath
For a kid who freaks every time he wets his diaper, he sure does enjoy his bath. Go figure.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Catching some rays with daddy.
Oops! Made the mistake of watching TV in real time again.
Kristen's mom had been telling us about a new show on TV she started watching called 'The Middle' and wanted us to check it out.
Well, I'm not sure if they just had an off episode or if the show is always this lame but I was bored out of my mind. Half exhausted, half in awe of my 10 day old son in my arms, I was in the mood for a good laugh. I didn't get a single one. But since I was comfortable and Kristen and I were kinda talking through the show anyway we left the TV on for the next show, 'Better With You' at least I think that's what it was called.
Another dud.
Reaching the point of irritation with how lame the 2nd sitcom was, I made my exit and head to Target to grab a few groceries. When I returned, Kristen had made her way to TLC and 'Sister Wives'. Intriguing from what I can tell, but I don't know if I'll make it through an entire episode.
After putting the groceries away and finally settling in on the couch comes Kat and 'LA Ink'. The faux reality of this show just kills me.
I'm about 5 minutes into it and I'm ready to just throw a hammer at the TV.
As you may of noticed by now I don't really enjoy much TV. I mostly use my TV for the Roku and primarily to listen to MOG or Pandora and watch the occasional movie of Netflix or Amazon.
I watch so little TV that it's hard for me to believe that 1) people watch this crap and 2.) these shows were green lighted.
Many people signed off on creating multiple episodes of turd and millions tune in.
Blows my mind.
Mental Note: stop watching TV in real time it's slowly sucking out your soul.
Yikes!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Ember fights off the sleep
While fighting the urge to fall a sleep, Ember gives a cute little smirk.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuckered out...
Ember kept us up the entire night as he worked hard to help get Kristen's milk to come in. Finally at 11:51 he passed out for more than 20 minutes allowing time for Kristen to get a shower, me to send some emails to the office, make breakfast, write this post and hopefully take a nap.
Sent from my iPhone
My Perfect 10
Ember Brighton Thomas Shockley
Born at our home at 8:05 AM on 10/10/10 weighing in at 8 pounds 0 ounces and 20.5" in length.
WooHoo!!!
We're exhausted and going to sleep now.
Birth Story from Dad's point of view coming in the next few days.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Wait for it...
This woman is a welcomed sight after a long day. I often see her doing her funky dance while walking her dog in the early evenings on my way home from the office. She always makes me laugh and leaves me a with a big o'l goofy smile. Perfect way to end a work day.
Enjoy!
Friday, October 08, 2010
Dinner & Card Game.
42 Things You Didn’t Know About Thom Yorke (And 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kid A)
Everyone knows that Thom Yorke is passionate about climate change, that he purchased the entire Warp Records catalog after OK Computer, that he was born with his left eye fixed shut. But did you know that he can’t read musical notation? Did you know that he said he’d “start skanking dancehall style” if Radiohead were to split up? Did you know that today marks his 42nd birthday? If not, this list of 42 things you didn’t know about today’s birthday boy might very well shift your paradigm.
via flavorwire.com
Not sure where all the facts come from, but they're interesting none the less.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Maternity Photo's Slide Show
As promised a quick slide show for some of my favorites from the Maternity Shoot.
Enjoy!
Music
Artist: Coldplay
Song: Don't Panic
Album: Parachutes
On Ember's Due date; No baby yet but we do have Maternity Photos...
We did a Maternity Photo shoot with Liz Lauren back in August and the Photo's just came in today! We're quite pleased!
Here's a quick sampling of the photos, more can be found on My Gallery or on Kristen's Facebook Page.
Video Slide Show To Come...
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
It Gets Better
via youtube.com
So with the recent suicides of young LGBT kids, I think it's fitting to post this. Not just for young gay kids but for all kids. Middle School Sucks. Period. High School for many sucks just as much if not even more. The one thing I can say, Is yes, it gets better.
When ever you have just the worst day ever, watch this video and remember, It will get better and you should stick around to see how much better it can get.
Joe
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
TEDxNextGenerationAsheville - Birke Baehr - "What's Wrong With Our Food System"
via youtube.com
This kid is on to something. :)
The Skofflaws - William Shatner
So I was going to write about Dax Riggs this week, but <a href="http://www.bemorewithless.com/2010/10-ways-to-simplify-your-music/">after reading this article</a> I was inspired to 1st clean up my iTunes library a little bit, you know just for about an hour or so. Well 3 hours later I had reached Art of Noise and I was exhausted; fatigued from rating, renaming, categorizing & deleting files. Dax was gonna have to wait.
Think about it, do you realize how many albums Aphex Twin has?
To cleanse my pallet a bit and switch tasks around the house I started importing a few old CD's and came across The Scofflaws - Ska in Hi-Fi.
I was never a hugh Ska fan, I came up during the 3rd wave of the Ska movement which was more Ska-punk than ska, but I still to this day have a soft spot for those ska groups that were more of the classic 1st wave Calypso meets R&B meets Jazz vibe and 2nd wave 2 Tone vibe. The Scofflaws fit somewhere between that 1st and 2nd wave.
A lot of their songs are pretty goofy, Including William Shatner, but they feature great musicianship and are lot of fun to listen to. I saw the band live once in '95 or '96 and I remember a lot of the kids not getting it. Their sound wasn't punk enough, but the Ska purists, they got it and loved it.
More on the Scofflaws: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scofflaws
Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Robert Plant's Band of Joy and their Monkey (cover).
Nestled in the mix of Banjo laden covers and bland country ballads is this gem, a brooding cover of Low's "Monkey". It's just brilliant. The take would of fit perfectly on the Cure's Pornography or Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. It's dark, menacing, spooky and oozes that tribal gypsy vibe that Robert Plant does so well.
Such a surprise.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Today's fortune was pretty accurate... Apple & Ping.
Some how the fortune cookie new what would come today from Apple. Crazy.
Sent from my iPhone
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Total. Buzz. Kill.
Upon further inspection of the shipping box it was pretty easy to see how it was damaged. At some point in the process someone was even nice enough to cover the hole in the box with packing tape to avoid potential water damage. That was nice.
Long story short, New crib is on order and old one is going back. Certainly not the most horrible thing in the world, but a total buzz kill.
Joe
Friday, August 27, 2010
Nutrigrain Ad - A "GREAT!" Web Classic
via youtube.com
I was reminded of this Ad today, fortunately Denise found it for me.
"Babies Everywhere!!!"
Love it!
Cami Secret Parody (Boob Apron)
via youtube.com
The original concept is dumb enough, this parody just amps up the dumbness!
Friday, August 20, 2010
F**K YOU
via youtube.com
Cee Lo Green comes soulful, funny and funky with the break up Jam of 2010.
Clever title ;)
-Joe
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Take This Job & Shove It
Just read a great little article while waiting for printer software to install. I love my job on most days, but there are some great tips in this article that can be useful for anyone.
Excerpt and link below.
Tammy: One of my favorite parts of Take This Job and Shove It is your discussion of the F*** You Fund. Can you tell us a little bit more about the concept and what our readers can do today to start building an F*** You Fund?
Tyler: So, a F*** You Fund is the money you set aside while you’re still working so that when the day comes, you can walk into work and telling your boss to “take this job and shove it.” Of course, it doesn’t have to be so dramatic, but I found that giving it a name like that makes it more fun to actually keep up with.
I go into a lot of details in the free guide about how to build it and stick with it as well as some of the misconceptions around it like the idea that it has to take a long time or that it has to be a ton of money, but I think Rowdy Kittens readers are great candidates for building a F*** You Fund because their already predisposed to living what I call a “low overhead” lifestyle.
Anyone interested in minimalism that has a few personal finance skills already has exactly what it takes to be super effective with the information in Take This Job & Shove It.
My #1 tip for someone that wants to start today, though? Open a savings account and set up a weekly automatic transfer to it. Doesn’t matter how much. Just get it started.
<a href="http://rowdykittens.com/2010/08/take-this-job-shove-it/
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Ethyl Meatplow - Car
What a record this is! Oh my! All the wonderfully horrible things I did while this record was on in the background. I was in 10th grade when this record came out, learning everything I could about Industrial Music and jockeying for the music director position at the greatest radio station in the world (in my mind at the time anyway) 88.5 FM WKPX; our High School Radio Station with a 3000 Watt Transmitter that reached downtown Ft. Lauderdale and the most northern tip of Miami. We though it was pretty damn cool and for most people into the Alternative music scene back then, it was.
I didn't get the MD postion that year, but my friend Shannon did and I can still remember when she introduced me to the trio of noise makers known as Ethyl Meatplow. I can remember her asking me, "do you think we can get away with this track? How about this one?" The Album was so filthy; full of sexual innuendo and drug references, it's amazing that we were able to play any of their music at all on our station. Of course we did find a few songs that weren't branded NFAP (Not For Air Play), one of which was 'Car', though listening to it now, we got lucky on this one. Obnoxious and Abrasive Keyboard Sounds, Shouting and well played & well engineered Drums that just pound their way through the whole song. What more could you ask for? Well the song 'Sad Bear' which is at the end of the album and adds a memorable chant to that mix, but that's not the song I'm posting today.
Ethyl Meatplow fit some where between Jane's Addiction, Silverfish, Thrill Kill Kult, Consolidated & Nitzer Ebb. They had a definite LA sleaze vibe, but they also mixed sounds and textures in away that wouldn't become popular until a few years later with more subdued groups like Cibo Matto and Luscious Jackson. Certainly ahead of it's time, so much so they couldn't keep it together beyond this album, but they did tour this record, and I managed to catch them at the Cameo in South Beach with my buddy Mark Del Campo. They opened for Front 242, who were heading full on into their spandex short phase, and just blew them off the stage as the opening act. Even though most of the music was pre-recorded and coming off of keyboard sequencers, Ethyl Meatplow's attitude and energy we undeniable. They had to change disks on the ensoniq keyboards in order to load to the new sequences and samples in between songs and they made tons or racket and distracted you with half naked dancers; one of which was a young woman who's head head was shaved bald, had black X's taped on her nipples and sported boxing trunks and suspenders. Obviously the distractions worked, It was wild. When they got their act together and hit you with the songs it was mighty! They just delivered with such conviction, it didn't take long for me to be hooked. Again the Live Drums pounding away, the Synths & Samples blasting you in the head and the Guy/Gal trade off Sing Alongs just completed the package. It was Raw and It felt like the future, two things I always look for in new music. Front 242 didn't stand a chance, Mark I and left midway through their set in hopes of scoring some Ethyl Meatplow Merch, No luck. But we did manage to get a few stickers, I still have one on a record box flight case in my garage (that will be finding a new home some time in the next year I hope, the case that is).
After this record Carla Bozulich went on to form Geraldine Fibbers, a band that was such a departure from Ethyl Meatplow's sound that I never gave them a chance, drummer Biff Sanders went on to play in Polar Bear with Eric Avery and Vocalist/Programmer Wee Wee is getting his masters in Social Work. "Hi, I'm Wee Wee your social worker..." I'm sure that's going well.
On the whole, 'Happy Days, Sweetheart'. stands up really well... gasp, 17 years later! Sure there a few crappy synth bass sounds here and there, but on the whole, it still sounds new, fresh and vibrant, highly recommended, especially if you find your self enjoying this tune.
-Joe
Ethyl Meatplow - Car
What a record this is! Oh my! All the wonderfully horrible things I did while this record was on in the background. I was in 10th grade when this record came out, learning everything I could about Industrial Music and jockeying for the music director position at the greatest radio station in the world (in my mind at the time anyway) 88.5 FM WKPX; our High School Radio Station with a 3000 Watt Transmitter that reached downtown Ft. Lauderdale and the most northern tip of Miami. We though it was pretty damn cool and for most people into the Alternative music scene back then, it was.
I didn't get the MD postion that year, but my friend Shannon did and I can still remember when she introduced me to the trio of noise makers known as Ethyl Meatplow. I can remember her asking me, "do you think we can get away with this track? How about this one?" The Album was so filthy; full of sexual innuendo and drug references, it's amazing that we were able to play any of their music at all on our station. Of course we did find a few songs that weren't branded NFAP (Not For Air Play), one of which was 'Car', though listening to it now, we got lucky on this one. Obnoxious and Abrasive Keyboard Sounds, Shouting and well played & well engineered Drums that just pound their way through the whole song. What more could you ask for? Well the song 'Sad Bear' which is at the end of the album and adds a memorable chant to that mix, but that's not the song I'm posting today.
Ethyl Meatplow fit some where between Jane's Addiction, Silverfish, Thrill Kill Kult, Consolidated & Nitzer Ebb. They had a definite LA sleaze vibe, but they also mixed sounds and textures in away that wouldn't become popular until a few years later with more subdued groups like Cibo Matto and Luscious Jackson. Certainly ahead of it's time, so much so they couldn't keep it together beyond this album, but they did tour this record, and I managed to catch them at the Cameo in South Beach with my buddy Mark Del Campo. They opened for Front 242, who were heading full on into their spandex short phase, and just blew them off the stage as the opening act. Even though most of the music was pre-recorded and coming off of keyboard sequencers, Ethyl Meatplow's attitude and energy we undeniable. They had to change disks on the ensoniq keyboards in order to load to the new sequences and samples in between songs and they made tons or racket and distracted you with half naked dancers; one of which was a young woman who's head head was shaved bald, had black X's taped on her nipples and sported boxing trunks and suspenders. Obviously the distractions worked, It was wild. When they got their act together and hit you with the songs it was mighty! They just delivered with such conviction, it didn't take long for me to be hooked. Again the Live Drums pounding away, the Synths & Samples blasting you in the head and the Guy/Gal trade off Sing Alongs just completed the package. It was Raw and It felt like the future, two things I always look for in new music. Front 242 didn't stand a chance, Mark I and left midway through their set in hopes of scoring some Ethyl Meatplow Merch, No luck. But we did manage to get a few stickers, I still have one on a record box flight case in my garage (that will be finding a new home some time in the next year I hope, the case that is).
After this record Carla Bozulich went on to form Geraldine Fibbers, a band that was such a departure from Ethyl Meatplow's sound that I never gave them a chance, drummer Biff Sanders went on to play in Polar Bear with Eric Avery and Vocalist/Programmer Wee Wee is getting his masters in Social Work. "Hi, I'm Wee Wee your social worker..." I'm sure that's going well.
On the whole, 'Happy Days, Sweetheart'. stands up really well... gasp, 17 years later! Sure there a few crappy synth bass sounds here and there, but on the whole, it still sounds new, fresh and vibrant, highly recommended, especially if you find your self enjoying this tune.
-Joe
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Today Show video: Can money buy you happiness? featuring minimalist blogger @rowdykittens.
Can money buy you happiness? New York Times reporter Stephanie Rosenbloom and psychologist Jeff Gardere discuss contentment and its link to wealth and the pitfalls of keeping up with the Joneses. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/38655998#38655998 As we prepare for the birth of our 1st child (and I sit in the waiting area of my dealership as they run a diagnostic on my car to determine why my Check Engine Light came on this morning), the minimalist approach to living is becoming more and more enticing.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Consumers Find Ways to Spend Less and Find Happiness
A two-bedroom apartment. Two cars. Enough wedding china to serve two dozen people.
Yet Tammy Strobel wasn’t happy. Working as a project manager with an investment management firm in Davis, Calif., and making about $40,000 a year, she was, as she put it, caught in the “work-spend treadmill.”
So one day she stepped off.
Inspired by books and blog entries about living simply, Ms. Strobel and her husband, Logan Smith, both 31, began donating some of their belongings to charity. As the months passed, out went stacks of sweaters, shoes, books, pots and pans, even the television after a trial separation during which it was relegated to a closet. Eventually, they got rid of their cars, too. Emboldened by a Web site that challenges consumers to live with just 100 personal items, Ms. Strobel winnowed down her wardrobe and toiletries to precisely that number.
Her mother called her crazy.
Today, three years after Ms. Strobel and Mr. Smith began downsizing, they live in Portland, Ore., in a spare, 400-square-foot studio with a nice-sized kitchen. Mr. Smith is completing a doctorate in physiology; Ms. Strobel happily works from home as a Web designer and freelance writer. She owns four plates, three pairs of shoes and two pots. With Mr. Smith in his final weeks of school, Ms. Strobel’s income of about $24,000 a year covers their bills. They are still car-free but have bikes. One other thing they no longer have: $30,000 of debt.
Ms. Strobel’s mother is impressed. Now the couple have money to travel and to contribute to the education funds of nieces and nephews. And because their debt is paid off, Ms. Strobel works fewer hours, giving her time to be outdoors, and to volunteer, which she does about four hours a week for a nonprofit outreach program called Living Yoga.
“The idea that you need to go bigger to be happy is false,” she says. “I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness.”
While Ms. Strobel and her husband overhauled their spending habits before the recession, legions of other consumers have since had to reconsider their own lifestyles, bringing a major shift in the nation’s consumption patterns.
“We’re moving from a conspicuous consumption — which is ‘buy without regard’ — to a calculated consumption,” says Marshal Cohen, an analyst at the NPD Group, the retailing research and consulting firm.
Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June, according to a new government report. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could — as a raft of new research suggests — make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics that retailers and marketers began deploying during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are proffering merchandise that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
“This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently,” says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. “There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money.”
CONSPICUOUS consumption has been an object of fascination going back at least as far as 1899, when the economist Thorstein Veblen published “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” a book that analyzed, in part, how people spent their money in order to demonstrate their social status.
via nytimes.com
Read the whole article, there's a lot of truth to the theory of less is more, more time time for happiness that is.
I've done a cleanse of possessions a few times in my life and it feels very liberating. I may have to do some more soon. I think it's time to go through that massive record collection once again and clear some space.
:)
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