A real blogging gig that pays!

Do you read Engadget and Engadget Mobile like, a hundred times a day? Do you live and breathe gadgets? Good. Now, can you write about all this stuff with wit, concision, and authority? If so, Engadget needs you -- we're looking for someone to help us cover the world of wireless over at Engadget Mobile, and for a weekend writer to steer the ship while some of us try and catch up on some sleep. You don't have to be a professional journalist, but you do have to be able to commit to blogging for us daily or on the weekend, depending on what you're looking for. And yes, you will get paid -- this is a real job, believe it or not.

More details here: I-want-to-write-for-engadget

Friday Flashback "The Golden Path"

Thanks to YouTUBE, I'm going to post a music video every Friday... just for kicks.

Here's The Chemical Brothers - "The Golden Path"



The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo, comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Initially they called themselves "The Dust Brothers", after the noted US production duo of the same name, but their burgeoning popularity and the threat of legal action from the originals led them to change their name in 1995. Along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method and a few other lesser-known acts they were pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre, and are known for high-quality live sets.

(Note: since the video takes a while to load based on your bandwidth, just hit play, then pause... while the video buffer gets full.)

The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers Web Site

Nobel Prize in Marketing ? ! ?

A mindreading seminar coming soon to your area !

Coming soon to a prom near you...

In less then 8 weeks, Exotic Coach and Learmousine are about to revolutionize the Limo industry once again. What you are about to see is the world's first Lear Jet limousine. We've taken a $7,000,000 Lear Jet fuselage and have converted into a fully functional and street legal Limosuite. Not Vegas, Hollywood or even Miami...Chicago will reign as the launching site for the very first of its kind.

My Grandpa's iPod

Worth100.com has a new challenge:

In this contest your challenge is to take modern products and display them in a vintage light, through advertisements, packaging or even the product itself. You can also reverse the challenge and take vintage products and display them in a modern way (i.e. make gas-lamp headlights for your Porsche or a cellular telegraph).

The rules of this game are thus: Take modern products and display them in a vintage way, or take vintage products and display them in a modern way.

1000 songs for your pocket

Apple has a new ad - 1,000 songs in your pocket.

If memory serves me correct, I saw this on last Monday's episode of 24.

The 20 Most Important Tools Ever

David M. Ewalt writes:

From dawn to dusk, humans rely on tools to get us through the day. And from the beginning of civilization, we've used them to build and shape our world. In order to celebrate these devices, and so we might reflect upon the ways that we are the tools we use, Forbes.com decided to compile a list of the 20 most important tools of all time. These are the tools that have most impacted human civilization and helped move the course of history.

As for me, I need my eyeglasses. I flown from Nashville to Lousiana without my wallet; but I will never leave the house without my eyeglasses. Now if Honda could only make a prescription windshield for an Element (covered by insurance), that would be cool and help me move the course of history (at least through the streets of Nashville).

Friday Flashback "Luka"

Thanks to YouTUBE, I'm going to post a music video every Friday... just for kicks.

Here's Suzanne Vega - "Luka"

Suzanne Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her poetic lyrics and eclectic folk inspired music.

On a 1987 Swedish television special, Suzanne Vega said this about the song "Luka" :

A few years ago, I used to see this group of children playing in front of my building, and there was one of them, whose name was Luka, who seemed a little bit distinctive from the other children. I always remembered his name, and I always remembered his face, and I didn't know much about him, but he just seemed set apart from these other children that I would see playing. And his character is what I based the song Luka on. In the song, the boy Luka is an abused child -- In real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different.

Also, in an ASCAP interview, she responded to a question about "Luka":

Interviewer: When you can touch so many people with songs like "Luka," it must be pretty rewarding.

Vega: Yeah. It's an amazing feeling. Especially since that particular song is a very special song. It's a song about child abuse, so therefore it does touch a lot of people in a different way than if it were, say, a love song or some other kind of song.



(Note: since the video takes a while to load based on your bandwidth, just hit play, then pause... while the video buffer gets full.)

Suzanne Vega website

One Year of Blogging

Holy dooley! (An Australian exclamation of surprise = "Good heavens!", "My goodness!" "Good grief!" or similar)... I forgot that March 11th was my 1 year anniversary of blogging. Below was my very first post on March 11th 2005.

I learned to add links, photos, visited over 600 blogs for my visiting 100 blogs in 100 days project, made some great friends along the way, guest blogged at Nashville Is Talking, picked up a couple hundred dollars along the way and actually posted over 600 entries.

Thanks everybody for stopping by. I guess today was the day as I'm getting a Palm LifeDrive in the mail (the two aren't connected, but I do like how the Good Lord works!) See ya next year!

xxx


Welcome to my blog - I guess I better say something! Should I rant, rave or simply encourage and speak life? The Wonder of it all!

This is my first attempt at blogging or even writing publicly, but over the coming days, my desire is to capture thoughts, pictures or provide links that inspire, affirm, encourage, build up and speak life - one could say use technology for a redemptive purpose.

So after reading many blogs, being a junkie for useful information, fascinated by wisdom in quotes, proverbs, biblical principles, great literature, wonderful godly mentors in my life and even the humourous way that life unfolds that cracks a smile or even generate a belly laugh, I say why not start writing a blog?

At the same time, I want to see life through heaven's eyes. Am I talking about prayer? Most likely - I'll dig into this on another posting...

Gordon McDonald in his book

Ordering Your Private World

has a masterful section of capturing thoughts in a journal. He writes, "Journal Keeping--A Way to Listen to God"

"When I studied some of the mystic and contemplative Christians, I found that one practical way to learn to listen to God speak in the garden of my private world was to keep a journal. With a pencil in hand ready to write, I found that there was an expectancy, a readiness to hear anything God might wish to whisper through my reading and reflection."

So I guess this blog is just an extension what I can share publicly; do I dare share my hurts, pain and challenges publicly on a blog? Probably not - those are best done in a context of a covenant friendship sharing coffee sitting at a kitchen table.

But going back to why even do this thing called blogging, I'm going to share what I am passionate about! I trust that I'll connect with others that are passionate about the same things I am engage in - but at the same time be ready to enter into a dialogue, read, understand and listen, really listen and see life speak all around me. As a Christian, I want to be sensitized to hear God when He speaks -

And along the way, I'll learn to write, craft sentence structures, use proper grammer, HTML and other byproducts of being disciplined to content this blog.

So here goes - I got my hands on the plow; no looking back!Welcome to my blog - I guess I better say something! Should I rant, rave or simply encourage and speak life? The Wonder of it all!

Earl's Guide to Karma

One of my favorite shows is My Name Is Earl - although it takes place in a beer-and-trailer-park world, those in the corporate world could gain from Earl's Guide to Karma... hey, I wouldn't be surprised if a business book came out of this Guide. Yes, simplicity and innocence rules! (and feeling good about yourself rules over how you look in the eyes of others...)

Earl sez:

As I go through life, fixing my mistakes one at a time, I've learned a thing or two about Karma, and part of keeping good Karma is sharing it with others. I hope these notions help you as much as they've helped me.

Do good things and good things will happen to you. Do bad things and it will come back and bite you in the ass.

If you want a better life, you need to be a better person.

Bad luck might be contagious. It wouldn't be fair to bring someone into your life until you clean yours up.

Never underestimate the power of confidence. And never underestimate fifteen beers, a little enlightenment, and the power of Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock.

A person needs a little rest after having his moustache tickled at a gay bar.

You have to do the hard things in life sooner or later.

If you want the reward, you have to do the work.

The secret to life is fixing all the bad things that you've done.

Whether picking up trash, returning stolen merchandise, or helping a homosexual find love, it always has the same reward... feeling good about yourself.

Karma. You got to love it.



Take the Karma Quiz

The Art of Sucking Down

Guy Kawasaki shares this gem:

A friend who worked at O'Hare International Airport told me this story. He once watched a passenger absolutely scream at an airline ticket agent. The ticket agent, however, remained completely calm. After the tirade was over, my friend asked her how she could remain so calm, and she said, "That's easy. He's going to Paris, but his bags are going to Sydney."

One of the great misconceptions of selling, pitching, and partnering--basically, any time you want to get someone to do something for you--is that you should suck up to the people with the big titles and "A list" designation. Sometimes you do--as you've already read in this blog, but the ability to suck up to the folks who don't have big titles but make the world run is more useful.

Learn the nine keys to The Art of Sucking Down; you just may get an epiphany. They will serve you well... if you already know them pass it on - - kinda of like Earl Hickey dealing with Karma.

Photo

My favorite software - iDVD

Last Friday, I created a iDVD movie for a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for those who gave of their time at last year's Promise Keepers conference in Nashville.



After culling through 900 jpegs from photos of the sold out event, iDVD from Apple was the perfect tool to assemble all of the photos.

Here's the description:
Why rent someone else's masterpiece when you can create your own? From Hollywood-style home movies to multimedia wedding albums to professional slideshow portfolios, iDVD 6 helps you put it all on DVD. And no ordinary DVD, mind you. A jaw-dropping widescreen DVD with coordinated menus and ambient audio. A DVD with thoroughly professional polish. A DVD so captivating, it will make it onto everyone's must-see list.

NO KIDDING!

The photos were assembled in logical order, which I grouped into conference preplanning; stage setup, volunteer shots, the conference itself, lunch time feeding of 17,000 men in 30 minutes, and post conference shots.

Using the Apple provided template, I just simply selected a Road Trip template, dragged and dropped photos and QuickTime movies, preview the mix and when to burn a DVD mode. Thirty minutes later, the first DVD was completed. If burning additional DVDs in the same writing session, the following copies took approx 7 to 10 minutes.

One great feature is adding songs from the iTunes library to sync with the slides. iDVD will tell you how many slides to add or delete to synchronize with the slideshow.

Another reason to own a Mac...

Friday Flashback "Carribean Blue"

Thanks to YouTUBE, I'm going to post a music video every Friday... just for kicks.

Here's Enya - "Carribean Blue"

Enya, birth name Eithne Ní Bhraonáin (sometimes presented in the media as the Anglicized Enya Brennan; born May 17, 1961), is Ireland's best-selling solo musician. As a musical group, Enya is really three people: Enya herself, who composes and performs the music; Nicky Ryan, who produces the albums; and Roma Ryan, who writes the lyrics in various languages. Enya is a phonetic approximation of how Eithne is pronounced in her native Irish. Enya is one of the biggest selling female artists in history, and was the world's biggest selling female artist of 2001 and 2002.



(Note: since the video takes a while to load based on your bandwidth, just hit play, then pause... while the video buffer gets full.)

Enya discography

Enya website

When big corporations enter the blog world

Remember this video flying around the Internet?



DATELINE has the scoop!

When big corporations enter the blog world (Josh Mankiewicz, Dateline correspondent)

One of the things I like about blogs is that they're kind of cool and subversive. Anyone can contribute anything, and the private thoughts of one person are posted right next to the latest pop-up from corporate America. But of course, you can block pop-ups.

Which brings me to Exhibit A: This video is flying around the blog world. If you've ever watched "The Simpsons," then you by now know that the video circling the Web is an expertly-made, live-action copy of the animated opening of the show. Video shows Homer working at the nuclear plant, Bart on his skateboard, little Maggie getting scanned at the supermarket --- and bloggers can't get enough of it.

Here's how ingenious it really is: It looks like a cleverly done amateur video, maybe a student film. But then you realize producing a film this good isn't cheap - so it would have to be a student with a huge trust fund.

And so who's really behind the Simpsons video?

Answer here

Monolithic Insanity and Brain Death by Dull Cubicle

Two articles regarding cubicles...

Everyday, I praise God that I work at home!
The bad memories abound - loud music, coarse joking, A.D.D. cubemates, the loud talker, cubical butterflies, lack of privacy, cubes so small that I couldn't turn my chair around and on and on...

The only redeeming thing I miss about cubicals is the close proximity to facilitating pranks on some poor helpless officemate who desperately deserved it...

First, Julie Schlosser, FORTUNE Magazine writes about The Great Escape...

Forty million American employees toil in soulless cubicles. How did they get there -- and can business ever break out of the box?

Robert Oppenheimer agonized over building the A-bomb. Alfred Nobel got queasy about creating dynamite. Robert Propst invented nothing so destructive. Yet before he died in 2000, he lamented his unwitting contribution to what he called "monolithic insanity."

Propst is the father of the cubicle. More than 30 years after he unleashed it on the world, we are still trying to get out of the box. The cubicle has been called many things in its long and terrible reign. But what it has lacked in beauty and amenity, it has made up for in crabgrass-like persistence.

Reviled by workers, demonized by designers, disowned by its very creator, it still claims the largest share of office furniture sales--$3 billion or so a year--and has outlived every "office of the future" meant to replace it. It is the Fidel Castro of office furniture.

Read the rest here

And

Kathy Sierra's Brain death by dull cubicle

You always knew that dull, boring cubicles could suck the joy out of work, but now there's evidence that they can change your brain. Not mentally or emotionally, no, we're talking physical structural changes. You could almost say, "Dull, lifeless work environments cause brain damage."

I said "almost", because it depends on your definition of brain damage. What the research suggests is that in unstimulating, unenriched, stressful environments, the brain STOPS producing new neurons (more on that later). But it's only been the last few years that scientists have finally realized that the human brain can build new neurons. For most of the previous century, it was believed that we were born with all the neurons we'd ever have.

Read the rest here

StarWars Orchestra (Sir Lego, Conductor)

Friday Flashback "Hands"

Thanks to YouTUBE, I'm going to post a music video every Friday... just for kicks.

Here's Jewel "Hands"

"Jewel is noted for her songs' qualities of stark honesty and soulful introspection. Her songs resist categorization, but, because of their mostly guitar accompaniment, have sometimes been categorized as folk music or the hybrid class folk-pop."

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear
My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken

From the abum Spirit, (November 1998) The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 4 million copies in the US. The songs "Hands" and "Down So Long" hit the Top 10.



(Note: since the video takes a while to load based on your bandwidth, just hit play, then pause... while the video buffer gets full.)

Jewel Web Site

Source: Wikipedia: Jewel

Thinking Outside the Box

Two posts down (I'm Not Feeling Lucky With Google), DiamondKT, as promised posted the answers to the Google interview questions. "I think part of the weird question style is to throw the person off, but it's also to see if you can "think outside the box" and how creative you are."



Question one:

1. Solve this cryptic equation, realizing of course that value for M and E could be interchanged. No leading zeros are allowed: WWWDOT - GOOGLE = DOTCOM

Answer: 777589 - 188106 = 589483 or 777589 - 188103 = 589486

Put your brain to rest on the other six questions with the answers here. Great post... the answers do make sense... only you're thinking outside the box.

Getting Things Done / Palm Users Group Meet Up

Everyone talks about how fast-paced life is today and how it seems like there's never enough time. Ever wonder why that is? Well, the answer is simple - we're being asked to do more than ever before. Our responsibilities today are broader and more far-reaching than ever and the result is an ever-expanding task list that is bursting at the seams. Luckily for us, there appears to be a better way!

The book "Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress Free Productivity", by David Allen provides a method in which you can take control of your responsibilities and reduce your stress along the way. By focusing on working on the right task at the right time, not only will you get more done in a given day, you can lead a happier and more carefree life.

This Saturday, March 11, we'll walk you through the basic concepts behind the book, "Getting Things Done" and then show you how to apply those principles to your Palm OS device. In most cases, all you need is the built-in software, but we'll also take a look at some of the more popular 3rd Party applications out there and how to use them the GTD way.

Nashville Palm Users Group meeting is Saturday, March 11th at 10:00am.

Edmondson Pike Branch Library, which is located at 5501 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, TN 37211

Click here for more details and check out the prizes to be given away.

I'm (NOT) feeling lucky ... with Google

DiamondKT shares about a set of actual interview questions should you ever want to be employed at Google. See if you're feeling lucky with these questions!

1. Solve this cryptic equation, realizing of course that value for M and E could be interchanged. No leading zeros are allowed: WWWDOT - GOOGLE = DOTCOM

2. How many different ways can you color an icosahedron with one of three colors on each face?

3. Which of the following expresses Google's over-arching philosophy?

a) I'm feeling lucky
b) Don't be evil
c) Oh, I already fixed that
d) You should never be more than 50 feet from food
e) All of the above

4. You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

5. How would you find out if a machine's stack grows up or down in memory?

6. Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew.

7. How many gas stations would you say there are in the United States?

Must go lay down; my head hurts. Read his post here...

The Five: Shows that I don't see in reruns anymore

Joel Keller from TV Squad and I must have a near brain melt / sync earlier today when he talks about five series that used to be on in reruns all the time, but don't seem to see anymore:



F Troop For a show that was only on for two seasons, it sure as hell lasted a long time in syndication. But it was classic '60s TV, with 65 episodes that basically laid out the same plot week after week. Accidental commander Captain Parmenter led an inept army troop in the Old West, with Sargent O'Rourke and his simpering buddy Corporal Agarn (who'd instill discipline in the troops with a quick whack with his hat) always partaking in get-rich-quick schemes. O'Rourke often made deals with the local "enemy" Hakawi tribe. Recurring jokes abounded in the show, like the watchtower that constantly got knocked down for one reason or another.

and



Third Rock From The Sun: This is another show that burned up the syndicated landscape from the late '90s until about three years ago, and for good reason: Aliens! That look like humans! Living in Ohio! It was a funny show, especially as the Solomons first felt out the wonderments of life on Earth (like the orgasmic look that came over Sally's face the first time she sneezed).

Read Joel's other three here

Not big on his other three choices, but I would add:



Looney Tunes: I miss the shenanigans of Bugs Bunny, poor Sylvester (who could never eat Tweety Bird), Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. I grew up watching Looney Tunes since I fell out of the cradle and later fulfilled all of my pre-puberty fantasies when I worked for Warner Bros in the early eighties acquiring all of the cool Bugs Bunny promo stuff (which is still carefully stashed in my house). Probably my two prized possessions are my Bugs Bunny in a flasher raincoat standup merchandising piece that held four LPs in his open raincoat and the red satin jacket with the WB with Bugs busting out of the logo jacket. A bit out of style, but nonetheless a fashion throwback when satin jackets were the apparel to wear (and a chick magnet).



Bonanza: I just found out today that each of the sons was born to a different wife of Ben Cartwright! Never even thought about it... Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright, Dan Blocker as Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright and Michael Landon as Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright never mentioned it on the show, so I guess old dad kept it hid well being that the Ponderosa ranch was near some old cathouse in Nevada. Thanksgiving must have been awkward. Oh well... Unsolved Mysteries: The Three Wives of Ben Cartwright.

and last... (strike up the band!)

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets
On the Muppet Show tonight



Kermit, Fozzie Bear and The Swedish Chef (bork bork bork) were awesome, and I think Janice was the first "groovy" female guitarist that I really liked! She is the classic hippy and does bear a resemblence to Joni Mitchell. Maybe that's the connection. Miss Piggy really grinded my teeth, but the Muppet Show was definately geared for adults. Just like the Simpsons' writers, the Muppets slipped a few "in between the lines" humor.

I'm sure more will come to mind, but I'm pretty consumed with 24, Survivor, The Simpsons and other shows to even think about other reruns.

Day 99 of visiting 100 blogs in 100 days...

On Day 99 of visiting 100 blogs in 100 days... the question is... What is a manifesto?

Traditionally defined as: A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature....

At Change This they define the word manifesto as one of many PDF files on their site that's an argument, a reasoned, rational call to action, supported by logic and facts.

So who is Change This?

ChangeThis was built in the summer of 2004 by Amit Gupta, Catherine Hickey, Noah Weiss, Phoebe Espiritu and Michelle Sriwongtong. The original idea behind ChangeThis came from Seth Godin.

In the summer of 2005, ChangeThis was turned over to 800-CEO-READ. In addition to selling business books, they keep ChangeThis up and running with their love and tender care. To learn more about 800-CEO-READ, read their daily blog.

"ChangeThis is creating a new kind of media. A form of media that uses existing tools (like PDFs, blogs and the web) to challenge the way ideas are created and spread. We're on a mission to spread important ideas and change minds."

More than a blog, Change This is a wellspring of wisdom, carefully crafted ideas, beautifully presented in a well designed PDF format. I'll guarantee you will download and print every PDF in their vast inventory.

I remember using The Long Tail manifesto as a baseline to change some faulty thinking with a group of peers; the precepts didn't work for some, while others embraced the thinking contained within and went onward to great success culturally and financially in their company. Thus the power of a manifesto.

So who writes these manifestos? Some of my favs of the hundred plus manifestos available include:

GUY KAWASAKI, former Apple Fellow and entrepreneur extraordinaire, on up-starting a start-up
Art Of The Start

Have you ever received AN EMAIL IN ALL CAPS? End the madness here, with ELLY MARKSON's brief but powerful guide to email etiquette.
How To Be A Boor

Interested in starting a weblog for your company? Before you begin - or even if you've already begun - read "The Corporate Weblog Manifesto" by Microsoft evangelist ROBERT SCOBLE.
Corporate Weblog

Want to make more out of life? Do Less. SETH GODIN, entrepreneur and author of several best-selling business books, including Purple Cow, on how to maximize quality and time.
Do Less

Speaking "teen" is not easy. It means knowing the difference between Beyonce, Britney, Ashlee and Jessica. Josh Shipp will help you become fluent in "teen". He'll teach you to entertain, inspire and empower.
Teens Language

Interested in learning advanced business concepts, but don't have the time or money for a traditional MBA program? Business schools don't have a monopoly on worldly wisdom - if you care more about increasing your effectiveness at work than a diploma and a few lines on your resume, the "Personal MBA" is for you.
Personal MBA


and the previously mentioned classic:

Editor-in-Chief of Wired, CHRIS ANDERSON says that the future belongs to those that serve the millions of untapped niche markets as well as they serve the masses. Read his manifesto to find out how unlimited shelf space and personalization can revolutionize your business.
Long Tail

By the way, got something to say? If you've got an idea for a manifesto you'd like to write or publish through ChangeThis, submit a proposal. If it's approved, your proposal will appear on the site and visitors to the site will be able to vote on it.

Read. Listen. Discuss. You just might learn something from some great mentors, if you dare.

GPS

Savage Chickens by Doug Savage

I'm Lovin' It

So what does Kate Stelnick, a 115 pound freshman at the The College of New Jersey and Eric "Badlands" Booker have in common?



Go there now...

Also check out what Kate did with her gift certificate - such a class act and true champion!

Embracing with much joy...

Louie Giglio from Passion Ministries has a post on the 268Blog that describes an indescribable God working through this present generation... and there is a challenge for us all to be part of it!

"The Passion Movement is gaining momentum as more and more of us are seeking to leverage our moments on earth for His fame. While everyone spends their hours and days making much of something, a generation is emerging with a desire to make much of the One who truly should be made much of."



"More than events, our large gatherings are a touch point for people with a similar heartbeat for the supremacy of Christ and His renown...a generation seeking to make Him known to all people by any means possible. It's something about that pure core that make Passion gatherings what they are, Godward moments fueling Godward lives."

Read the rest here

Passion 07

Top 10 Strangest (or Coolest...) Lego Creations

Most people know that I'm semi wild on Legos. It's a fantastic winter and rainy day hobby!

Legos are a throwback to my youth when I built 1/32 scale model cars. These days Legos are a much safer alternative without any styrene glue and spray paint brain damaging chemicals to inhale! Plus I don't have any siblings around to destroy what I've built, now that we are grownups.

Presently, I am somewhat exhausted from trying to build grand Lego masterpieces in the middle of the night, as they can be quite noisy digging through the three 22 gallons storage bins that I have them in. Thus I was kicked out of the kitchen to craft my hobby in the garage.

I had the wild idea that I would try to build a structure that used every possible piece of Lego on hand - which only made a small dent in my inventory. I buy my Legos from eBay in bulk by the pound, so I get a mish-mash of all kinds of pieces. I then sort them into ZipLoc baggies by color and shape. Then the building begins!

My original concept was an aircraft carrier, but it was 5 feet long, which took up too much kitchen table space, so I chopped it down to 24 inches. Thus the carrier morphed into a battleship/cruise ship/Red Cross hospital/space ship hybrid built in a modular fashion for multiple tier future-add-on building. If I build any higher, it would aesthetically be too top heavy (and ugly), so I somewhat in a stuck mode.

Here's it is... the base part:



the top part...



stacked together...



and the rear view...



and the top front view...



It's kinda cool ... and somewhat strange... but nothing like these unusual Lego creations...

Courtesy of Tech Blog, the editors are presenting the Top 10 Strangest (or Coolest...) Lego Creations.

Ranging from this PC...



to: Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite



Nathan Sawaya used over 10,000 Lego pieces and spent 3 months making this "Han Solo in Carbonite" masterpiece.

and a: Lego Harpsichord



This Harpsichord was constructed entirely from Lego parts (over 100,000!), including keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand. It has a range of 61 notes and weighs 150 lb.

Check out the other eight items that make up the Top Ten from Tech Blog here!

Ron, Pimp my VW pleaaasse!

Ron Patrick wanted a VW Beetle with a jet engine (hey, who doesn't?). But he also wanted to be able to drive it on the open road, rather than just on a closed airport runway surrounded by fire engines and EMT crews. His solution? A dual-engine vehicle, with a normal VW motor for day-to-day transportation, and a GE T58-8F helicopter turboshaft engine converted to run as a jet, to get through rush-hour traffic.

Courtesy Engadget

Hmmm, if I won the lottery, here's another way to burn some cash!

Real Live Simpsons!

For all Simpsons fans - the reality version!



Hat tip: Rob's Place

Those 2

Creative! Hat Tip: Sacred Sandwich

Seeker Sensitive Churches Become "Bathroom Friendly"

This cannot be real... but it took a Real Man of Genius to come up with this!

Hat Tip: Todd Rhoades

The rush to be seeker-sensitive has made it's way to the nation's megachurch bathrooms. Many top churches are now installing Atech's "iLounge hybrid toilet paper dispenser/iPod dock". The iLounge supports all iPod models that have a dock connector and has an integrated USB slot for the Shuffle. Speakers are hidden in the dispensers arms with navigation buttons located conveniently on top for easy access.

"People are used to taking their iPods with them everywhere... what a great opportunity to reach out to them by offering full stereo iPod capability in our restrooms" said Bill Morgan, Executive Pastor of Rolling Stone Community Church near Houston. "People can even listen to "Takin' Care of Business" while they're taking care of business."

Special pricing on the units are available from the Willow Creek Association.

Now the link to the commercial: Bud Light Real Men of Genius Mr Restroom Toilet Paper Refiller

Thanks to Lynette @ the Fun Times Guide!

I've Got Men of Genius of My Mind

Everywhere I turn, I see Real Men of Genius images...

Apparently the BudLight commercials are breathing inspiration into my winter dull brain infected thought patterns.

See the next post....

Looking for Real Men (of Promise Keepers)

Attention Nashville area promise keepers. Integrity Music is gathering a community wide men's choir for the PK7 "Unleashed" CD, and the recording is in Nashville, TN on Saturday, March 4th at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Church, located at 15354 Old Hickory Boulevard in South Nashville, between Nolensville Road and Edmondson Pike.

Bring ear buds or headphones like the ones you'd use with iPods, walkmans or stereos. They will have some available if you forget.

Friday Flashback "Time After Time"

Thanks to YouTUBE, I'm going to post a music video every Friday... just for kicks.

Here's Eva Cassidy "Time After Time"

"Although possessing a soulful voice, an extraordinary range, and a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop, she still remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington, DC, when she died of melanoma in 1996. However, her posthumously released recordings have since sold in excess of four million copies"

Source: Wikipedia: Eva Cassidy



(Note: since the video takes a while to load based on your bandwidth, just hit play, then pause... while the video buffer gets full.)

Passion 07 registration opens...

Passion 07 registration opens... with a mighty click.

"The Passion07 registration page didn't go live until 12 noon EST and the first 500 spots for next year's gathering (discounted at $99) were gone in 6 minutes! Six minutes. Crazy! By then, people were in the system and the second 500 (at $109) vanished in 2.5 minutes. That's 1000 people coming to Passion07 in 8.5 minutes!"

Indescribable.

go there

After two years in Nashville at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, Passion07 moves to their home base in Atlanta at the Phillips Arena / Georgia World Congress Center for bigger digs to accomodate their logistical / footprint needs.

Parking Tickets - A life or death issue?

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An investigation concluded that a Des Moines woman faked her own death to avoid paying traffic tickets.

Polk County investigators said Kimberly Du, 36, faked her own obituary and forged a letter telling a Polk County, Iowa, judge she was dead. Du is spending time in the Polk County Jail in connection with a forgery charge.

read the rest

Observing Lent

Rob has a challenge regarding Lent.

"Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus on His retreat."

My Challenge

This year I want to challenge myself to read the 4 stories of Jesus as told by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament during the 40 days. I have a simple plan to follow that includes daily reading (sans Sundays). It's a simple plan and not difficult. Most days I'll read 2 or 3 chapters.

Your Challenge

I want to challenge everyone to join me in this reading. It'll help keep me accountable to it also. Whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, or Martian, why not take up this challenge also?

--

My Response
I'm in - I do need to push away from the Mac and blogline feeds, data lookup and tech gadgets -- things that feed busyness - - to reflect on the goodness of my faith in Christ. As I'm preparing go outside to read today's readings, I immediately reach for the closest PDA to read the passages! Nope, I'm going traditional with the print version.

Resources:
Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. more here

take the challenge regarding Lent.

Say It Ain't So - NFL Salary Cap

"People are going to be stunned -- not just by the quantity of players who are cut by Thursday, but by the quality, too. It's going to be ugly. There's going to be blood in the streets and, compared to past years, it's going to be from some bluebloods, guys who can still play."
-- An AFC team executive

"Most fans couldn't care less about the collective bargaining agreement and, justifiable or not, view any discussions of negotiations aimed at extending labor peace through the 2013 season as just another example of the avaricious nature of already overpaid players."

By Thursday, however, when the real-world ramifications of the failed labor talks become more apparent, fans in a lot of NFL precincts will take notice. With negotiations toward an extension having broken off Tuesday afternoon -- despite earlier optimistic reports that the sides were poised to strike an agreement -- salary cap managers from several franchises are readying themselves for what one general manager suggested late Tuesday will come to be known as "Bloody Thursday."

Len Pasquarell from ESPN.com details out the implications of the failure of the National Football League and The Players Association to resolve the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Translation: Because so many teams are up against the projected cap limit of $95 million to $96 million for 2006, and the lack of a CBA extension means there are few options for relief, some big-name players will be jettisoned by Thursday, when teams must be in compliance with the spending limit.

How is the Salary Cap determined? Ask the Commish

pro football salaries

Picture source

iTunes - sponsored by Bud Light

I downloaded several clips of Bud Light's popular radio spots "Real Men of Genius" into my iTunes list. To my surprise, when I'm playing my collection in random mode, a commercial will pop up - which makes it fun (and no longer commercial free!)

From Answers.com:

Real Men of Genius is a popular long-running humorous series of American radio advertisements for Bud Light beer created by copywriter Bob Winter. Each ad is sixty seconds in length. The series began in 1999 and was originally called "Real American Heroes". The name was changed after the 9/11 attacks, as the Budweiser corporation felt that they could not continue to use the term "hero" in that context after so many people had performed genuine acts of heroism. As of 2005, over 100 installments in the series have been produced. Winter's campaign has since become the most award-winning radio campaign in the history of advertising.

The ads feature a somber-but-sarcastic announcer (Pete Stacker) and an unctuous rock singer who echoes the announcer's sentiments over schmaltzy "dramatic" piano music. The rock singer's vocals are by one-time Survivor singer David Bickler, not the band's founder and frontman Jim Peterik as is often reported. Bickler was a personal friend of the musician who wrote the "cheesy '80s music" used in the commercials. A female chorus also appears on many of the ads.

Each commercial pays tribute to an "unsung hero" (all of whom are male) such as:

Mr. Chinese Food Delivery Guy
Mr. Pro Wrestling Wardrobe Designer
Mr. Supermarket Free Sample Guy
Mr. Really-Bad Toupee Wearer
Mr. Silent Killer Gas Passer
Mr. Bass Plaque Maker
Mr. Really Really Really Bad Dancer
Mr. Supermarket Deli Meat Slicer
Mr. Foot Long Hot Dog Inventor
Mr. In The Car Nose Picker
Mr. Push Up Bra Inventor
Mr. Fancy Coffee Shop Coffee Pourer
Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor
Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock wearer
...and others

MP3s available here

Lazy way: Download the entire zip file Courtesy of Ryan Hall at theravyn.org

Aspiring cover band? Get yer lyrics here

One of my favorites? Mr. All You Can Eat Buffet Inventor

Like fine wine, don't try to gulp the entire collection in one listen!