By far, this blog gets more hits from search engines for the words "Honda Insight Battery" and "Wii Fit insults me." If you are a little overweight and have a Wii Fit, you can guess why. As for the Honda Insight...
Have you seen the new 2010 Honda Insight?
Have you seen Honda's new "This Little Light of Mine" commercial? Let it shine... I watched a "making of" feature on the commercial. No computer graphics. Nothing fake. All done with actual Insights and just their headlights. Cool.
4/27/09
4/24/09
Intelliscanner
I have never bothered to catalog my CD collection, nor my vinyl collection, for that matter. Unfortunately, most of the vinyl was ruined some years ago due to water damage during years of storage. So sad. Basically, I've never catalogued everything simply because it seemed like such a colossal waste of time. I lamented to my Dad that I wished there was a cheap product out there which would make cataloging my collection easy.
Well, recently my Dad decided to buy a handheld barcode scanner to scan what was in his own collection (music, movies, etc).
Here is the device in action:
Although it didn't end up being the cheap solution I had hoped for, I told him if it worked I would pay him for half.
There were some initial problems. For example, it wouldn't scan nearly 1/3 of my collection apparently due to age, rarity of items, or simply because so many CDs did not have barcodes. However, it turns out that if I grab the ASIN code from Amazon (available on 99.9% of the searchable items), I could cut & paste the code into the Intelliscan software and it would almost always come up with the item.
Pretty slick.
I still have to enter many by hand because the database doesn’t have some of the CDs or vinyl albums. I don't have much vinyl that survived the water damage, but I am trying to also scan the surviving odd vinyl - with mixed results.
The collection looks odd. I can post it on the web for all to see (there is an export option) but all that would accomplish is to reveal too much of the bad choices I have made over the years. After all, everyone has SOMETHING to hate in someone else's collection. Add to that the fact that since my collection must be nearly 2,000 records (not counting MP3s) there are simply more things for each viewer to loathe.
On a side note:
I've found some fun gems I haven't listened to in ages. The odd thing is the water damage destroyed tons of my college vinyl, but somehow spared some of my bad high school purchases. It was very random what was lost and what survived. Most of my Kate Bush vinyl was spared, yet a very cool marbled vinyl collectable copy of Hounds of Love was ruined. Some lame Beatles collections (best of) were spared, but my collectable White Album on white vinyl on the Apple label was ruined. Nearly all of my XTC vinyl was ruined (some very rare EPs), yet my copy of Neil Young's Reactor was spared. Obviously I had not alphabetized my collection.
As quick as scanning 2/3rds of my collection might be, hand entering the other 1/3 is slow. It could take days before I finish. I am sure I could be spending that time more wisely, but after all these years, at least it is finally getting done.
Plus, it is taking me away from playing Wii games. That can't be all bad.
Well, recently my Dad decided to buy a handheld barcode scanner to scan what was in his own collection (music, movies, etc).
Here is the device in action:
Although it didn't end up being the cheap solution I had hoped for, I told him if it worked I would pay him for half.
There were some initial problems. For example, it wouldn't scan nearly 1/3 of my collection apparently due to age, rarity of items, or simply because so many CDs did not have barcodes. However, it turns out that if I grab the ASIN code from Amazon (available on 99.9% of the searchable items), I could cut & paste the code into the Intelliscan software and it would almost always come up with the item.
Pretty slick.
I still have to enter many by hand because the database doesn’t have some of the CDs or vinyl albums. I don't have much vinyl that survived the water damage, but I am trying to also scan the surviving odd vinyl - with mixed results.
The collection looks odd. I can post it on the web for all to see (there is an export option) but all that would accomplish is to reveal too much of the bad choices I have made over the years. After all, everyone has SOMETHING to hate in someone else's collection. Add to that the fact that since my collection must be nearly 2,000 records (not counting MP3s) there are simply more things for each viewer to loathe.
On a side note:
I've found some fun gems I haven't listened to in ages. The odd thing is the water damage destroyed tons of my college vinyl, but somehow spared some of my bad high school purchases. It was very random what was lost and what survived. Most of my Kate Bush vinyl was spared, yet a very cool marbled vinyl collectable copy of Hounds of Love was ruined. Some lame Beatles collections (best of) were spared, but my collectable White Album on white vinyl on the Apple label was ruined. Nearly all of my XTC vinyl was ruined (some very rare EPs), yet my copy of Neil Young's Reactor was spared. Obviously I had not alphabetized my collection.
As quick as scanning 2/3rds of my collection might be, hand entering the other 1/3 is slow. It could take days before I finish. I am sure I could be spending that time more wisely, but after all these years, at least it is finally getting done.
Plus, it is taking me away from playing Wii games. That can't be all bad.
4/23/09
This American Life
I just got back from the theatrical live broadcast of This American Life with Ira Glass (huge fan). Wow. What a great experience. Chris Ware (huge fan) did images for the intro, as well as an animation for a song by Andrew Bird (huge fan).
I am usually reluctant to give an opinion about something so soon after experiencing it, but every story was well written and entertaining. Great production. I hear they will show it again on May 7th at theaters around the country. I’d recommend it. Check it out.
Edit:
Since someone asked in the comments, I thought I would share... the song Chris Ware animated is from Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire "Thrills" CD from about a decade ago and it is a song called "Eugene"
I am usually reluctant to give an opinion about something so soon after experiencing it, but every story was well written and entertaining. Great production. I hear they will show it again on May 7th at theaters around the country. I’d recommend it. Check it out.
Edit:
Since someone asked in the comments, I thought I would share... the song Chris Ware animated is from Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire "Thrills" CD from about a decade ago and it is a song called "Eugene"
4/22/09
4/10/09
4/9/09
Hanging Artists, day 21
I went to grad school with Al Wildey. He is the Chair at Central Michigan University these days, I believe. Al did a lot of cool stuff -- this is beautiful and very traditional work from him (it is actually three images if you click on the photo for a detail).
4/8/09
Hanging Artists, day 20
A dancer is an artist, right? Although I didn't hang her her on a wall, you'll be happy to know... I found this image of Amy Herrman when I was going through the images of the art on my walls. Amy is a friend from my undergraduate days. She has done some amazing dance choreography (that's the arts connection). On a visit from Chicago, she stayed at our place. I made a little makeshift bed out of our couch and a futon. She seemed to like it.
4/7/09
Hanging Artists, day 19
Lynn Piper is an Omaha artist I met at Creighton. I love the prints she was doing many years ago. I'd love to see what she is doing these days...
4/5/09
All Politics Is Loco
Omaha has three viable candidates running to be our next Mayor: Jim Suttle (D), Hal Daub (R, and previous member of the US House of Representatives and Mayor from ’95 to ‘01) and Jim Vokal (R).
I work with a liberal colleague who plans to vote for the Republican candidate Vokal because Suttle appears to be an idiot (and we don’t want a Blagojevich). Maybe he likes Vokal because he lives in his neighborhood (talk about local). Or, maybe he is the best candidate. I don’t know. All I know is I’ve never really trusted politicians and still quote the following joke that I’ve been telling since college:
Question: How do you know when a politician is lying?
Answer: His lips are moving.
Sadly, that joke has been far too true this past decade, but there is no question I have recently been far more upset with the Right. Carville famously said, “Politics is like the circus: the worst job is cleaning up after the elephants.” I am so vocally thrilled that Obama was elected that at least one local Omaha “friend” posted nasty comments on this blog. Dems are considered Communists by some in the mid-west (insert eye roll), so it is always amazing when a Dem is elected here that isn’t really just a Republican that simply wears a blue tie. Yeah, I’m looking at you and your vote last week, Sen. Nelson.
With only three real candidates in the mayoral race, one Democrat and two Republicans, you’d think it is an uphill battle for Suttle. Omaha admittedly occasionally elects Democrats for Mayor. The city is the blue spot in a very red State. However, after watching the ads by Suttle, I am wondering if my colleague is correct. Dumb politicians run dumb campaigns.
Watch the video and tell me this isn’t a stupid campaign.
I mean, all three candidates could run idiotic puns if they wanted to, but only one has.
“I’m Jim Suttle, but I’m not subtle about Omaha!”
“Hi! I’m Jim Vokal and I’m vocal about Omaha!”
“I’m Hal Daub, and by golly, I’ve daubed around in politics for years, so vote for me!”
Okay, so I made the last two up, but I wish I had made the first one up. I would have liked to see a good candidate for Mayor. I’m not sure we have one, regardless of what I am told...
Local politics in the mayoral race is loco this year.
I work with a liberal colleague who plans to vote for the Republican candidate Vokal because Suttle appears to be an idiot (and we don’t want a Blagojevich). Maybe he likes Vokal because he lives in his neighborhood (talk about local). Or, maybe he is the best candidate. I don’t know. All I know is I’ve never really trusted politicians and still quote the following joke that I’ve been telling since college:
Question: How do you know when a politician is lying?
Answer: His lips are moving.
Sadly, that joke has been far too true this past decade, but there is no question I have recently been far more upset with the Right. Carville famously said, “Politics is like the circus: the worst job is cleaning up after the elephants.” I am so vocally thrilled that Obama was elected that at least one local Omaha “friend” posted nasty comments on this blog. Dems are considered Communists by some in the mid-west (insert eye roll), so it is always amazing when a Dem is elected here that isn’t really just a Republican that simply wears a blue tie. Yeah, I’m looking at you and your vote last week, Sen. Nelson.
With only three real candidates in the mayoral race, one Democrat and two Republicans, you’d think it is an uphill battle for Suttle. Omaha admittedly occasionally elects Democrats for Mayor. The city is the blue spot in a very red State. However, after watching the ads by Suttle, I am wondering if my colleague is correct. Dumb politicians run dumb campaigns.
Watch the video and tell me this isn’t a stupid campaign.
I mean, all three candidates could run idiotic puns if they wanted to, but only one has.
“I’m Jim Suttle, but I’m not subtle about Omaha!”
“Hi! I’m Jim Vokal and I’m vocal about Omaha!”
“I’m Hal Daub, and by golly, I’ve daubed around in politics for years, so vote for me!”
Okay, so I made the last two up, but I wish I had made the first one up. I would have liked to see a good candidate for Mayor. I’m not sure we have one, regardless of what I am told...
Local politics in the mayoral race is loco this year.
Hanging Artists, day 18
Enid Crawford is an artist in Idaho. I don't know what she is doing these days, but she was doing cool small work like this about a decade ago.
4/4/09
Hanging Artists, day 17
Here are two more of Jim Bailey's relief prints. I have four of his pieces hanging, and these two are smaller than the large black and white one I posted a week ago.
Jim is one fine bastard.
4/3/09
Hanging Artists, day 16
I mentioned Amy Nelson the other day. Here is a detail of some of her work (six blocks from a massive installation she did a few years back). She has very cool new stuff that I wish I had...
4/2/09
ArtsyFartsy Baconized
A few friends that don't care about art so much are wondering why I am posting so many images of other artists' work. I live in the hometown where Omaha Steaks is headquartered and the city had a now defunct team that was called the "Beef" (I know). So, for those of you that might fit the mid-western hunger for something more macho than art, you can just baconize my site here and view it that way. I hope this heightens your viewing pleasure.
Baconize me
Baconize me
Hanging Artists, day 15
Endi Poskovic, a Sarajevo born artist that lives in Los Angeles, does these absolutely fabulous massive woodcuts. Damn it is great work. Wish I could afford one of his massive pieces...
4/1/09
Hanging Artists, day 14
This is a work by Chad Sorg. He does this fantastic stuff trapped in resin (which you know I used to love to work with). I could have tons of his work and never get bored with it. In fact, that reminds me... I need to figure out how to get more...
You can also see work by Amy Nelson on either side.
Here is a detail of his piece.
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