Archive for November, 2007

Three of us had left at an earlier stop to check out the hot springs. Studds, Marlene and I remained to ride the bus back into town and head on home to a warm lodge full of blazing heaters and Beatles songs on loop. Studds and Marlene road together in a seat, I sat on…

:: rogerebert.com :: Commentary :: The best movies of 2006 Ebert’s recommendations for 2006 movies. Might be a little dated but that just means all the more opportunity to pick them up on DVD. I need to check out quite a few of these movies. (tags: movies) Adventures in $40 eyeglasses | 43 Folders (tags:…

YouTube – Chocolate Rain by Chad Vader Awesome parody of that awful Chocolate Rain song that did the rounds on YouTube. (tags: humor video) J. LeRoy’s Evolving Web: Jimmy Wales Grows Them Good and Organic Wikipedia is a centuries-old ingredient in Chinese food. (tags: food fun)

株式会社丸勝 | 【オリジナル陶器・グラスの企画・製造・販売】のCRAFT MK Homepage of the really cool homewares store we saw in Kappabashi-dori. (tags: japan home) YouTube – Guiness Ad – Tipping Point Taking dominoes much further than it should go. The same director as the guy who did the bouncy balls ad for the Sony Bravia. (tags: fun video) YouTube – Cal…

I am back home in Seattle. The skies are clear, the temperature is just above freezing point, the omnipresent drizzle says hello and the city is lit up like Christmas. At a distance, the fluorescent lights of offices glow warmly and the street lights spew orange. The trip was great; so unexpectedly great. We all…

Riding the bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto, the sun starts hitting me in my eyes. I pull down the blind. At the next stop, a young-looking man in a red sweater starts crouching to peer underneath the blind. Across the aisle from me, the boy says goodbye to his father through the window. The…

So, umm… I think it is Thanksgiving right now? Sure, why not. The last few days were spent in Nikko (日光). We were lucky enough to catch the last few days of the brilliant Autumn leaves and the first snow of the season. At the top of the mountain, we watched as the town cleared…

Yes. Are you still alive?

Rands In Repose: The Nerd Handbook Rands teaches people how to understand nerds. Why they can be closed off, shy, rude, dismissive, obsessive, everything. It may sound ridiciulous and self-helpy but this article describes me perfectly. (tags: advice geek reference social productivity) Imprints 3: Taking the piss “I am a beautiful misunderstood shadow full of…

Blah, blah. I shouldn’t be blogging. But I am because I just read this fantastic post by Rands called The Nerd Handbook and it describes me so well that I’m a little happy that other people out there share my personality and a little disappointed that I have to take my God complex down a…

So as it turns out, I do have internet access. And dear blog, I just couldn’t stay away. (Note that the apostrophe on a Japanese keyboard is achieved with Shift+7, this is kind of awkward so I am going to stop using contractions.) I am currently in the Kansai region, in a place called Oji…

ze’s page :: zefrank.com: songs you already know : scared Ze is just so awesome. I don’t want to say I miss his show… but I do. (tags: music video) YouTube – Tyra Banks helps women learn what’s up….down there!!! Tyra talks vagina health. I usually tell people that Tyra is crazy but this is…

“Kissu shite.” There’s actually a pocket phrasebook for umm… courting lovers in Japan. Lamentably, I bought the book next to it. Either because a) I am already such an accomplished lover that language poses no barrier or b) I won’t be getting any. Anyways, I’m off to Japan soon. My cab will come pick me…

ideasonideas » Blog Archive » How to disarm 10 difficult client observations/requests Great ways to deal with difficult or inarticulate client feedback. The reponses sound passive aggressive so I wouldn’t just recite them. Understand the process of exactly what is useful about the client’s feedback and reject everything else they say. (tags: programming advice) Beating…

So I’m checking the times of my flights on the United Airlines website and NOW I find there is a tool to allocate your seats online. Less than 2 days before I fly out. Great. I bought these damn tickets in June, gosh darn it and the travel agent understood that I wanted window seats….

Derek Powazek – How to Shoot Events Great tips and insight on being an event photographer. (tags: photo)

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #464 by Ape Lad This comic made my day. :) The album getting the most spins BY FAR this month is The Beatles – Love. This is the first time I’ve really sat down and listened to The Beatles and its just jaw-droppingly good. Love was actually released in late 2006 and it…

This morning I have errands to run. It’s fucking ridiculous but ever since I moved out and started living on my own and being all independent, I have to “run errands”. It’s not even a euphemism for masturbation or something, I literally have to go out and do things like banking, exchanging purchases, and other…

I’m cranky today and I shouldn’t be. This morning I was actually having fun. I woke up early, got to work very early and got more stuff organized for my Japan trip. I was also planning to leave work a little early so I could rush home into the arms of Guitar Hero 3. But…

The Escapist : Zero Punctuation This guy does very accurate games reviews in video form and stays very funny throughout. A welcome breath of fresh air in today’s crowded field of games journalism. (tags: games video humor) Where Have All the Heroes Gone? « gedblog Spoilers. A spot-on criticism of the ending of Heroes season…

YouTube – Pierre Henry “Psyché Rock” A very fun music video from 1967. I’m sure this song will remind you geeks of a certain TV show. (tags: music video)

Bawk! on Vimeo Your ovaries? Exploded. Leta is adorable in her chicken costume and how she mentions her fluffy feet and dear god kids are awesome. (tags: parenting) Motorhead Messiah | Fast Company Really, really fascinating article about this guy who is doing all sorts of amazing diesel and diesel-hybrid conversions on cars and doing…

So, I’m short another grandparent. Time marches on and I find that my maternal grandmother no longer marches with us. I’m surprised and I’m not surprised, which I think is an entirely appropriate reaction. I’m not surprised that she’s passed on and I’m not surprised that my mother kept it from me until I finally…

Getting Waterboarded // Current Is waterboarding a legitimate interrogation technique or is it torture? This looks scary as hell. (tags: politics video)

‘V’ Mask and ‘Yes I Want to Get Sent Home From School’ Denim Jacket on Flickr – Photo Sharing! Next Halloween? ‘V’ mask, cloak and hat. Plus 12 months of intensive voice training to sound like Hugo Weaving. (tags: photo) Paul Boutin – Everything I know about writing Hrm, sound advice. (tags: writing) Byroglyphics –…

My neighbours? They have a noticeable pile of mail slotted in their door. This isn’t regular mail but notices from the apartment building about events, building maintenance and reminders to be quiet. See, the mail is jammed between the door and the door frame. It’s been that way for weeks now. Everytime I walk past…