What a whirlwind week - got my nose to the monitor, doing tons of research, and writing, writing, writing...
and not enough time to blog here...
Then one of my writing colleague, Clinton Fitch at GearDiary finds a gem that inspires me:
Meet Nathan Sawaya. He is a Lego Artist. He’s not a Lego Builder. He is a Lego Artist. What is the difference you ask?
I learned some cool tech stuff today just by asking a simple question: "What are you passionate about?"
For instance I learned:
If I liked listening to XM Radio on my Cingular Blackjack phone, then AOL Radio is a free app that works also on the Mac. (via Don)
If I wanted to print wirelessly with a traditional printer then there is a print server that accepts non USB printers. (via Susan)
When buying a SLR camera, take your existing lens and shop for a camera body first that can accept what you have on hand. (via Sharon)
My contribution back: Talking about a Slingbox which I will demo at a upcoming Nashville Palm User's Group June 9th.
What are you passionate about?
Google Builds Team in Quest to Conquer China
If you can't beat them with weapons of mass destruction, then entice them with free Gmail accounts and web searches. Works for me.
The importance of China to Google should not be underestimated. China has around 150 million people online and is expected to have more broadband users than the United States in the next 12-24 months.
Photo Hunt Theme: Colorful
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One of my favorite photos from a bird bath...
xxx
I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.
Eyeballs don't fail me now...
In today's Tennessean newspaper, the headline reads:
"Trio suspected of stealing from Franklin Wal-Mart"
The story goes on to read:
Today, Franklin Police released images taken from a security camera at the Wal-Mart on Mallory Lane. The suspects can be seen entering the store one at a time.
Ok, I'm curious so I click to enlarge the photo and I get this:
Good luck with catching the thieves!
Even Lasik won't help out identifying these guys.
*** UPDATE ***
Bunny Swan, an Asian woman who works as a manicurist at the Gorgeous Pretty Beauty Nail Salon (which she mispronounces as "Goja Pitty Booty Nay Salon" provided a statement to the Franklin police - "Okee, I tell you eh-we-ting: he look-a like a man!"
I turned kinda old May 8th... well let me explain:
Some people I talk to think that I look much younger than my true age; when I tell Mrs. WonderDawg that I was engaged in a conversation with someone that thought I was thirty or so, she just looks at me with an incredulous response, "So, what teenager have you been talking to today?"
I was recently strolling down Broadway, when I was summoned by R2-D2 or "Artoo" to take a knee and recieve a gift from a really cool friend in Texas (who will go unnamed, but my friend is a very giving person of their time, talents and humor!)
(click the picture to embiggen)
To my amazement, the gift bestowed upon me straight from R2-D2's belly is a LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer with 1366 pieces! Note that ages 9 - 14 can build this LEGO kit. Obviously, I'm young enough to handle this gift with care.
Look for a unboxing posting soon as I build this Imperial Star Destroyer now that all of the season ending TV shows are wrappng up. All of a sudden, I find myself with ten extra hours a week to focus my eyesballs elsewhere.
I will cherish this gift always - thank you, thank you, thank you, my friend - I am not worthy!
I've got two choices on my July calendar...
Spend the night in front of a Cingular store waiting for the iPhone (probably not)
(fast forward to the future for the iPhone unboxing)
or....
see this movie! (probably will)
The new Transformers trailer...
Photo Hunt Theme: Cooked(ing)
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I'd cooked up a VERY FILLING meatloaf birthday cake More details here if you want to make your own! (no sugar added - just a ton of starch!)
xxx
I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.
I'm still digging this song two weeks later from when I first heard it at Best Buy - "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John
A music video I [saysthegiraffe] did for my Film and TV portfolio at NYU
The video quality isn't good because of youtube's upload limit
The intro song is "Overture" by Viktor Vaughn and the main song is "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John
... and this is cool ...
Davey Dance-BLOG. Pick a pop song. pick a location of historical interest. then dance. (video shot by Barb Domue)
The dreaded phone call... every man hates to hear:
"When are you coming home?"
"Soon. Why?"
"We're having a yard sale this weekend."
Wish I was on a business trip listening to someone read his PowerPoint presentation.
After a day of reviewing and writing legal language, I needed to dezone from lawyer talk by visiting the Green Hills library and later settling down with some take out beef brisket, Brunswick Stew and sweet tea from Jim 'N Nicks BBQ restaurant just down the street from the abode in West Nashville.
I was curious to find out how fast the drive-thru would move as normally the service inside takes 10 to 20 minutes from the previous times I've been there. No sooner than I drove up to the menu board, the speaker box was ready to take my order. $21.85 for a Beef Brisket platter with two sides, 2 orders of Brunswick Stew and a big cup of sweet tea (with crunched ice!) would be a nice change of dinner fare from our routine of salads and pasta since it was nearly 7:15 pm and too late to cook up anything at home.
So I'm settling down at the dinner table and "O crap - they forgot the sides!"
So I pick up the phone resigned to the fact that it could be a case of (a) tough luck, (b) drive back, or (c) next time I'm in, speak to the manager and he'll work out something. Preprogramed responses from a history of oops - that stinks for you - customer service.
To my surprise, the voice on the phone (on the first ring) apologized and ask if I could hold to speak to the manager Eric. Eric jumped on the line, and quickly stated, "We need to make this right... where do you live? We can run it by your house - I just need your address and zip code so that I can MapQuest the address."
"What???"
"For an order of fries and apples?"
"Sure! We need to make this right!"
Ten minutes later, Taylor (with his permission to be photographed) brings the missing side items and more!
This is amazing customer service. Turns out Eric the manager at Jim 'N Nicks is Eric the owner. Now I know why I always get stellar service and food - everything rises and falls on leadership.
Next time I go back to eat at Jim 'N Nicks, not only will I tell everybody about my experience, but I will always think of the restaurant as Jim, Eric 'N Nicks like Manny, Moe and Jack - the Pep Boys.
Jim 'N Nicks
7004 Charlotte Pike | Nashville, TN | 37209
Phone: (615) 352-5777
Pack Rat Day
When: Always on May 17th
Do's and Don't's:
Don't clean your room, basement, garage or any other area today.
Don't discard anything today...It may be valuable.
Don't even empty the trash today. You might have accidentally thrown out something useful.
Do keep an eye out for useful stuff being discarded by others.
Do go to garage and rummage sales. They can be pack rat goldmines.
Do look around your belongings and be thankful for what you have.
Do spend time thinking of uses for your things. Justification for saving is satisfying.
Big hat tip to SunyDazy!
I've been struggling with the sleepies after eating lunch... after a good meal, I sit back at the desk in front of the PC and then my eyelids get heavy... yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking (not everybody is round eyed), but when the sun starts beating in through the windows and I hear the clickity clack of the trains on the tracks blowing its lonesome whistle, it's all I can do to keep my head from smacking the wooden desk.
Getting up and walking around seems to help - so today, I thought I would eat a Smart Meal, and head outside with my camera to do a little photoblogging. The wind was blowing hard and I was watching these guys struggling to place these banners up....
One banner flew off the pole to the parking lot below, and being a good guy, I asked if I could go fetch it for him.
"Dude, if you go get it, you can have it... There's no way I'm walking down there to get it!"
He was right - it was the equivalent of walking four long blocks to retrive the banner, although we we looking straight down at it.
Anyhoo, I have a CMA Fest banner to throw in my garage. Might fetch ten cents in my estate sale fifty years from now.
Feeling energized of trotting four long blocks retrieving a CMA Fest banner made me feel... GOOD.
The kicker is, I had another forty minutes or so on my lunch break, so I headed toward the Frist Center for the Visual Arts toward Broadway when I saw another banner: "First Tennessee Free Day at the Frist"
First Tennessee Bank was offering free admission! 
My mind was blown, as I took in some Matisse, Picasso, and the School of Paris. Upstairs in another gallery: Brushed with Light: Masters of American Watercolor from the Brooklyn Museum and my favorite: 
Hiraki Sawa - Going Places Sitting Down.
I was memerized as I saturated my mind with brushstrokes from the masters and totally unplugged from the internet. A big smile and a warm glow filled my spirit as I simply felt creativity flow through my brain as I physically sat and enjoyed every minute I spent at the Frist.
When I got back to the office, I felt refreshed and energized. I found my solution to the lunchtime sleepies: eat semi-light (I'm working on it!), walk, shoot a few photos and enjoy some art and unplug from the internet.
Cool. Very cool.
This explains the world I live in... (not that there's anything wrong with it!)
I wish I knew the source!
(Click to embiggen)
I was at Best Buy Sunday when I saw ten Nintendo Wii's for sale - I took one step forward and two steps back...
"Do I really need to spend $249.00 NOW" on an impluse buy?
When would I ever get the time to play?
and... I think playing the Wii involves exercise...
Megan can tell you all about it, so for now that works for me!
I haven't posted an entry since my birthday Tuesday; I'm wanting time to slow down! NOT speed up!
When i'm on the keyboard so much at work, home on this blog and the others I contribute to and writing reviews, I'm all tapped out. My fingers can't take no mo.
I've had ASL sign language interpreters and court reporter friends tell me they don't like shaking hands - they are all worn out from the fingering.
I may need to try Dragon Speak and let my words do the typing -
I may be overdosing on too much technology and social networking.
For example:
Opened up a MySpace account for work / research purposes and talk about a butt ugly site & interface. Too much billboard clutter!
Twitter is cool, but I can't keep up with the chatter; at times it's like monitering a police scanner. Lots of conversation going and too many trains of thought to filter. But it's a cool way to keep up with breaking news or someone's trip real time.
Lately using SMS messaging is my form of communication. Perfect when I just need a Yes or No answer.
I'm not even close to using 1400 minutes of talk time - loving Cingular for rollover minutes.
Got a new Samsung Blackjack phone on the way; might be time to phase out the Palm operating system.
Keeping up with eight email accounts only works using the Getting Things Done methadalogy - two minutes or less to respond; delegate or turn into a project.
Speaking of email, I believe that some people think that email is nothing more than a forwarding technology for jokes, inspirational poems and videos. I have a friend that will not let up; with twenty plus emails flowing through any given week, I just mark them all as spam and delete them. Since my wife is on the same list, I let her tell me which ones are worth watching. 3%.
Got a ton of photos to upload, but lately I'm all Flickr (ed) out.
And last, correcting a friend's training PowerPoint presentation - 30.2 mg !
Two resources:
bad PowerPoint
and
Vacationing pastor lets PowerPoint lead service
But I still love my Mac.
Sleep might be good for my next phase of life - I'm finding out that four hours each night is no longer sustainable.
Goodnight and a big shout out to Mothers and Mommas everywhere!
During lunch today I wasn't feeling particularly hungry knowing that later in the evening I was going to a birthday boy Chinese buffet king's feast with crablegs, shrimp and my thing with eating lots of jello.
So I head out walking up Broadway from the Frist Museum to the Nashville Arena with my trusty camera, experimenting with taking lots of artsy angled shots from a kid's point of view. 
On the way back, I'm trying out some perspective shots on the porch of Cummins Station with the repetition of the lamps and signage...
After I'm done, back to work inside I go when the opposite door opens at the same time. Out of the corner of my eye, I do a double take...
"Would it be cool to take a photo, unless it's your day off..." I asked.
"No problem man."
Class act that Steve McNair.
On my birthday too.
When one lives a full life with material things of all sorts and lately, gadgets AND the blessing of having a company of friendships that are long lasting, I'm not wanting for much for my 53rd birthday. I did get a new job, so that rocks!
Mrs. WonderDawg asked what I wanted for my birthday Tuesday - May 8.
"How about a surprise party?"
"NO"
"What do you really want?"
Since it's illegal for a group of guys to go rent a tank and pillage a local village (and I'm in no mood to join the Army and pillage a village in Iraq or Iran), then the next best thing is getting some guys together with some BBQ and brews and watch one of my favorite movies - the classic Waterboy on the projector outside in the cool evening air.
But darn, we're all so busy, that it's hard to even round up three guys up to see the Predators play - last time, I had to call thirty guys to get three to go sit in some prime seats. But I did make them promise to be on call for last minute deals the next time prime tickets fall into my lap.
So it's been decided; cash for a brake job on my Honda Odyssey (I hate paying full price - is there anybody out there who can shade tree mechanic my brakes?); Chinese food buffet with crablegs and new socks and jeans. I'm easy to buy for!
I love helping people with computer problems; but for some folks (bless their hearts) they need to start at the basics.
"You Have To Learn Computers," the Rafael Alonso I.T.F Technical Computer Institute is a good place to start!
Thanks to GeekSugar for the hook up.
Ok students, hat tip to TechieDiva for this gem:
What exactly is the Internet? Webopedia says: "The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols."
Most of the time it's confused with the Web, but the Internet is actually the hardware-Web is software. But who better to explain the Internet, than America's Next Top Bubblehead, Jessica Simpson.
Photo Hunt Theme: Childhood
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Five baby chicks... geese... ? As seen crossing the parking lot at Opry Mills from the Cumberland River.
UPDATE: Oops - got my theme messed up; originally "FIVE", but it's supposed to be "CHILDHOOD" - so I think this photo worked out... thanks for the comment!
xxx
I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.
I always discover music in the most wonderful ways... I can be standing in a check out line at Target or American Eagle and hear a catchy song over the intercom or while on hold on a phone.
Tonight, I was at BestBuy and heard a song piped out of the car audio speakers - the only lyrics I could catch was "young folks" with a distinctive hook - thanks to iTunes, here's what I found!
I'm loving me some good pop music and my latest purchase from iTunes. Awesome!
Peter, Bjorn & John - "Young Folks" (featuring Victoria Bergsman)
and we don't care about the young folks
talkin' bout the young style
and we don't care about the old folks
talkin' 'bout the old style too
and we don't care about our own folks
talkin' 'bout our own stuff
all we care about is talking
talking only me and you
and knowing that you're probably tapping your feet, let's keep it going with dawn Landes - Young Folks (bluegrass style)
Peter, Bjorn & John web site.
dawn Landes web site.
Ok, here's the news - I'm downtown at Cummins Station having a blast working with a great team of guys and gals. Being in my element, yet being challenged with new methodologies, processes and creative sparks is refreshing. I got my MacAquarium on my desk, a big monitor and laptop burning up the tubes and wikis with the finger on the mouse and nose to the screen - it's all good!
I'm the new marketing manager at ZOI Interactive Technologies, Inc.
"Headquartered in Nashville, TN, ZOI is a development-stage company that designs and implements interactive, web-based content, supported by advertising and end-user revenues. ZOI’s patent-pending R.E.A.C.T. platform provides a venue for advertisers to engage active internet users over long periods of time through various applications, including interactive games and lifestyle enhancement programs. R.E.A.C.T. helps advertisers offset the declining impact of traditional advertising by developing enhanced relationships with a wide range of potential customers in a highly-controlled and traceable environment."
Translation: "We develop products that consumers like and use that also allows advertisers to build meaningful relationships with them."
Thanks for all your prayers and support - I hope to see my downtown/West End corridor friends for lunch soon!
I'm going to ask if I can post a blurb to all where I'm working now here on this blog - many, many of you have been very gracious and supportive during my transition and just know I that am deeply grateful for your support and kindness.
Off to downtown I must go!
I do like being in close proximity to the Frist Museum - for a visual person like me, it's like strolling through the park on my lunch hour....
Any downtown Nashville workers up for a potential lunch?
