they's been spyin'

Ok OkCupid, a little insensitive?

2011-01-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

First, as a service, I love OkCupid. If you're single, I recommend trying it out. I met my previous & current girlfriend on it and I'm psyched. I'm also psyched on OkCupid's blog, OkTrends. They post a lot of interesting statistical work in a fun, playful tone. I mean, if you're going to read about science & math, the writing might as well be good.

But in reading Monday's post, "The Mathematics of Beauty" I was taken aback by the following:

Now I'm the first to admit that, under certain circumstances, with close friends, I might say something like that. But, in academic work (no matter what the style of writing) I'd say this crosses the line and has no place. I think it's tasteless to joke about murdering children in a country known for human rights violations in this setting. The basis for that joke is a serious problem, not one to be used in an off-handed, ill-written sentence for laughs when publishing real research.

I hope OkCupid's editors (if there are any) do a better job in the future.

Bail/Parking Refund?

2010-12-03T09:06:00.001-08:00

The other day I got a check in the mail for 15 dollars from the state of Oregon. It was a bail refund, even though I was found guilty, for some infraction. I called this morning to ask some information and I was told the judge finally read the letter I'd sent from last year. I was also told judges read all of the letters they receive regarding court cases personally. Glad to see the system works even a small way.

Why I don't like the iPhone

2010-03-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

People ask me this, and I just could never put it into words. Well, I could put it into WORDS but not good words. Tim Bray just did that for me. In his recent post on "Joining Google" Tim crafts a few sentences that saw what I never could.

The iPhone vision of the mobile Internet's future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what. It's a sterile Disney-fied walled garden surrounded by sharp-toothed lawyers. The people who create the apps serve at the landlord's pleasure and fear his anger.

I hate it.

I hate it even though the iPhone hardware and software are great, because freedom's not just another word for anything, nor is it an optional ingredient.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. You should follow Tim Bray on Twitter. Really.

Oregon Measures 66 & 67

2010-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

On January 26, 2010, Oregon will hold a special election ballot on 2 big measures. Some of the best, most unbiased info I could find on Measures 66 & 67 is on Ballotpedia.

The reason I'm writing this is because a friend of my mom's sent out a confusing email in opposition to these measures. Knowing a little bit about the friend's political leaning, I decided to dig for myself. What I found, more than info on these 2 measures, was how great a resource Ballotpedia is. I don't need to turn to the Willamette Week, the Mercury, or the Oregonian to only find slightly (or overtly) biased info.

With that being said, I encourage your to read up on these.

Measure 66

Raises tax on household income at and above $250,000 (and $125,000 for individual filers). Reduces income taxes on unemployment benefits in 2009. Provides funds currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services.

A "yes" vote would raise taxes on those filing more than $125,000 individually or $250,000 as a household. Would provide an estimated $472 million for education, health care, public safety and other public services.

Measure 67

Raises $10 corporate minimum tax, business minimum tax, corporate profits tax. Provides currently budgeted for education, health care, public safety, other services.

A "yes" vote would raise corporate minimum tax $10, establishing a $150 minimum for businesses. Estimated to fund about $250 million in public services.

But would taxing based on gross receipts be a bad idea? Maybe...

If you like to vote on party lines, votes "yes" if you're a Democrat, "no" Republican or Libertarian. If you don't vote on party lines but maybe care about which organizations might support a view:

Opponents:

Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes
Oregon Republican Party
Oregon Bankers Association
Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce
Oregon Libertarian Party

Supporters:

Defend Oregon
AARP Oregon
Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon Humane Society
Sierra Club
ACLU of Oregon
Democratic Party of Oregon
American Heart Association
Oregon Nurses Association

I encourage you to read and vote! My personal feeling is that people making over $125k single or $250k joint can pay a little more in taxes. Their taxes aren't going up enough to complain compared to the amount of services they already receive. As for businesses, an extra couple hundred is no big deal either. Taking care of your state is worth it. Again, only my opinion.

ps: an entertainingly snarky article can be found on Daily Kos. Read it if you have a bit of time. It goes to show what the opponents are willing to say and do yet not really able to back up.

Updating to Air 2.0 Beta on Ubuntu 9.10

2009-11-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

One reason I stopped using TweetDeck was links were opened using Firefox, and I use Chromium. This was highly annoying, as it was hardcoded into the Adobe Air runtime, which is a big no-no. @smmehadi suggested I upgrade to the Air 2.0 Beta Runtime, and doing so has solved the default browser issue, and TweetDeck still works.

There's a page on upgrading Air 1.5 to 2.0 which suggested to run the following command on Ubuntu 9.04 (also works on 9.10)

sudo getlibs -l libhal-storage.so.1

Now if you download the Air 2 Beta Runtime using the "Download for Linux (BIN, 10.7MB)" (direct link) you can:

chmod +x air2_b1_runtime_lin_111709.bin

./air2_b1_runtime_lin_111709.bin

If you didn't use getlibs to install libhal-storage, the .bin installer will prompt you installing 32bit Air 2.0 isn't recommended on 64bit systems. Otherwise the upgrade should hopefully go well for you!

Ticketmaster really pisses me off

2009-11-10T10:15:00.001-08:00

Rebecca and I were going to go see the Bravery on Sunday, but tickets were like $25 each with charges. So when 94.7 FM here in Portland emailed a chance to buy tickets to their December to Remember series, cheap $9.47 ticket concert for the Bravery, we were psyched! But, Ticketmaster charges a 45% "Convenience charge" for... what? If my tickets were $125, like they are for Bon Jovi (No, I would not go see Bon Jovi, just wanted to compare expensive tickets) the $17.60 convenience charge is only 14%. Unacceptable in my opinion. My sub-$25 evening if I could purchase the tickets in advance at the door turned into a ~$32 evening. I know, it's only $7, right... but that $7 is 37% of the ticket price.

Not only that, but Ticketmaster will charge me $2.50 to print my own tickets? So they'll print out and send them to me via post for free, but they'll charge me 13% per ticket to save them the cost to print, stick in envelope and mail.

I would like to see this change in the future. It's bordering on unfair.

Lenovo Power Cords are FAILing Me

2009-10-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

I've been very happy with my Lenovo Y650 Ideapad. Well, much happier after I installed Ubuntu 9.10 beta (tangent...) but I noticed last week that the power cable, from the brick to the computer, was fraying. I've only had this laptop a few months, so this is definitely strange behavior.

I called in and Lenovo quickly sent me another one. But within a few days, it started doing the exact same thing!

This is totally unacceptable, so I'll be calling Lenovo now and we'll see what they say.

Update: I'm on the phone with them now, and when I started handling the cord to look at it closer, I could see sparks. Not cool!

Facebook now supports Twitter-like tagging

2009-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Just saw this when posting a message:

Audio stopped working in Flash on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

2009-09-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've been having some audio problems on my new laptop over the last few days. Totally annoying. When I finally got it working again (don't ask me how) audio in Flash stopped working correctly. I reinstalled, which did not help. Finally, I found a thread that suggested this:

sudo apt-get install libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-dev

That worked for me in Firefox. I think I'll have to re-setup Flash in Chromium, but still, better than nothing.

Want an Intel SSD Drive?

2009-08-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Apparently that's undefined.

The Fray - Heartless

2009-08-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

So you might not like Kanye, or you might not like The Fray. Maybe you just don't like the song Heartless, that's cool. Maybe you don't like music in general... well that's messed up. Regardless, if you like animation, watch this video. It's a cool concept and well executed.

I'm on my own

2009-08-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day at Swipht. It's kinda crazy to think I started working for them 4 1/2 years ago. For being in the tech business, a few people have said I stayed there too long. That may be the case, but it's still a bit sad for me. When I told Brian and Jeff last week that I was thinking of leaving, I could barely get the words out. I have a lot of respect for both of them and for what they've accomplished with Swipht. Having been with them since almost the beginning, I've gotten another opportunity to see how a business is started, what steps they can take, and how people come in and out of that sphere. It's been an interesting and ultimately rewarding experience.

I'm setting out for myself now though. I have a few of my own ideas I'd like to see through, and a few partnerships that could work out. It's time to see what I'm made of and do what is going to make me happy.

Wish me luck!

Get Flash to work in Chromium Linux 64bit

2009-08-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, an article that works! Check this article

Mister and Pierre: Best Friends

2009-08-06T22:53:00.001-07:00

Ok, that's a lie. But they haven't killed each other, so that's cool.

Total light saber eyes!

Give a free $50 contribution to the Linux Foundation

2009-07-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the Linux Foundation Visa Credit Card, click and check it out. The Foundation receives $50 for every card activated. If you use Linux, no matter what kind, and have a few minutes, sign up for the card. Not a tax deductible gift, but better 'cause you didn't have to actually give anything! It's the least you could do.

For every card activation, the Linux Foundation will receive $50 as well as a percentage of every purchase made with the credit card.

I believe you'll actually have to use the card for the Foundation to get the $50. DO IT!

update: I just applied for mine. I should know whether I've been approved in 15 days.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Snake Sweat

2009-07-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Damn, some more weird shit.

This is some crazy sh!t

2009-07-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

An enjoyably bizarre music video: Empire of the Sun - Eclipse Broadcast

Sick BMX Video: HHX Velocity

2009-07-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

HHX Velociraptor remix from Platypus films on Vimeo.

Chromium has site search built in?

2009-07-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

I was just going to head over to my GitHub account, so I started typing in github.com... and check out what Chromium has? Site search built in! Press tab and you can search the site. That's pretty nice.

HP Refund for Windows Tax: No refund policy

2009-07-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

I talked with a case manager at HP this morning. Since I didn't have a copy of the license agreement in front of me, it was kinda hard to refute her claim, but what she said was that the computer is a bundle, and that HP's policy does not require them to refund or credit any cost associated with Vista.

Now, I feel I'm at a crossroads. I would like to call it at this point and enjoy the rest of my vacation. But, part of me wants to escalate to Small Claims Court. Actually, and this will sounds like I'm getting on my soapbox, but I'd love to see this go further. We all know I'm not a lawyer, but what gets me is that I did not agree to Microsoft's or HP's license agreement, yet I'm being bound by it. Is that confusing to anyone else?

What I'd like to see in the future is the ability to order any computer I want from Dell, Sony, HP, whoever, and get my money back for Vista. The sticking point is that at a retail level, Vista represents a significant portion of the cost of a new computer. The ones we purchased were $379. At $50/Vista license that's ~14%. If you look at Vista's retail price at $199, that's 52.5% of the cost of the computer. Now you can see how I'd like to get the refund.

We'll see how much further this goes.

OfficeMax over Office Depot from now on

2009-06-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'll be writing in more detail about the computer and the Windows tax later, but I wanted to lead off with a quick review of Office Depot. They suck, and I'll never shop from them again. A little history.

When I was looking for a laptop last year, I was interested in a Toshiba at Best Buy. I took the Ubuntu install disc with me, and they kindly let me run Ubuntu as the live cd so I could test out video driver, sound, etc. The employee was very nice, and while I didn't buy the computer, I was very appreciative of his time.

Today we went looking at a Compaq at Office Depot. The rebate put it under $300, and it would have worked well for my dad and his gf Rita. Before rebooting the computer, I asked one of the employees if it would be ok for me to test Ubuntu out. He flat out refused, saying they were worried about me messing up the computer. I explained what a live cd is and how it would not affect the computer. I told him we were interested in buying 2 computers and a monitor, but he was steadfast. We then talked with a manager, and she checked with the store manager, who said they would not allow me to do it.

Now, I understand that it's a lack of knowledge about computers, and that the employees were afraid of some guy coming in off the street and messing up a computer. Fine. But, the way I see it, if you're selling computers, even at Office Depot, you should know a bit about shit like that.

So, we left and went to OfficeMax. Not only was Kristen, the employee that helped us, extremely helpful and genuinely interested, but they boxed up a display model and gave us 10% off on that. I even gave Kristen a copy of the 32bit version of Ubuntu to play with at home.

We walked out with 2 computers, a 20" monitor, and a new found respect for OfficeMax. I'll never shop at Office Depot again.

Stay tuned for a series on trying to get a refund for unused Vista licenses from HP.

HP Refund for Windows Tax: So far so good

2009-06-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

First off, let me explain that I'm really diggin' Ubuntu, and I want those around me to use it.

My dad has had the same computer for almost 10 years now. It's an old Pentium II, 600MHz, 128MB ram, 20GB hard drive. OLD. Today I bought him a new computer, and his gf Rita got the same one. They are HP Pavilion Slimline's with AMD Athlon X2 dual core procs, 3GB ram, big 'ol hard drives, etc.

They will not be using the Vista that comes pre-installed. Even if I can't get a refund, I'll still be installing Ubuntu. That being said, I read an article on linux.com about a guy that got a refund from Dell and decided to give it a try. There's also a Wikipedia page on Windows refunds, which lists some specific cases. Hopefully they are true stories.

So, I was on the phone with an HP tech support guy for 45 minutes this evening. He was very nice and polite, but tried to feed me most of the lines I was expecting. He tried to convince me that Vista was free, and that if I were looking for a refund, I should try Microsoft. He also told me to return it to the store, but that won't work either.

Tomorrow at 11:30 Central I should be expecting a call from HP. The case was escalated to the complaint department, and then the case manager will review it and let me know what their decision is. Regardless, I hope the info can help others out there that might find themselves in the same boat.

10 year high school reunion: what a blast!

2009-06-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

So far my trip back to Indiana has been awesome, and I expect it to stay that way. I flew in Friday night, and was met at the airport by my dad and Rita. I picked up my rental car, which though I paid for a compact, I was "upgraded" to a mid-size. So I've been driving a Toyota Matrix, which has been fun. On the way back from O'Hare we stopped at the Parthenon in Greektown and had some amazing food. I had no idea the bean salad was THAT good. I'll be making more of that when I get back to Portland.

I stopped in Chesterton to see my old friend Ed Strudas play some music at a bar. I was pleasantly surprised by how well he performed and had a good time. Got back to La Porte and got to bed. Saturday morning I woke up and went to my dad's auction in Gary. Got there toward the end, but I managed to take a few pics and record some video, which I'll have to post soon.

After the auction and some grub, I went back to Chesterton where I stopped in to the bowling alley and saw Jennie Keck. It had been many years! I went up to Porter Beach and hung out for a while before my reunion. It was so nice up there. I forgot how soft the sand is, and the water was nice and warm.

I ended up getting to the reception late. I forgot dinner was served at 6, so showing up at 7:30 was a bit of a mistake on my part. That being said, I had a great time talking to everyone. Catching up was very easy and casual, and everyone seemed really happy. No drama that I witnessed. No one was pretentious or snooty at all. All I can say is I had a fabulous time.

After the reunion, Jacques and I got (eww) Taco Bell, the least unhealthy thing open that late, then went to Hooligans. Definitely not my scene, but it was nice to see some more people. We hung out for a bit with Karen Kenney/Garcia and Valerie Karriman. Karen looked great for having a kid only 6 months ago, and Val was as cute and nice as ever. If you're reading this Val, I'm still angry ;-)

We could only stand the smoke and music for a bit, so I headed over to Bill's house where Marko, Derek Holmgren, Luke Ember and Ben Cole were hanging out. Congrats on Bill on his new house! We left around 2:30 and ended up talking at Ben's until 4:30 or so. Even though that's only 2:30 my time, I'm still a wuss and was tired as hell.

Breakfast this morning with Ben, Derek and Jacques was really fun. I hadn't been to Northside Diner in a looooong time. Thanks to Ben for breakfast! My oatmeal was delicious. Jacques and I ran around for a bit, then met up with Ben for a bit, took a walk, then headed out.

I'm glad this has been such a great trip so far!

How to rip a cd to mp3s in Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

2009-06-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

~: sudo apt-get install sound-juicer gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse
You need the ugly gstreamer plugins to rip to the patented mp3 codec.

Edit --> Preferences --> Edit Profiles --> Edit the CD Quality, MP3

For different bitrates:
audio/x-raw-int,rate=44100,channels=2 ! lame name=enc bitrate=256 mode=0 vbr-quality=6 ! id3v2mux

Close, Close, Close, Extract!

Lost Wall has been found

2009-06-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

So I had heard about the Lost Wall a year ago or so, but never ventured to find it. It's out by Madrone, and with some bushwhacking and guidance from others that have been there, we found it. Along the way I took some shots of a few lizards, which I had not seen out at Madrone. Plenty of banana slugs, but no lizards until today. Cute little buggers!

A snail with some orbs or eggs or something.

Dana and Zach, jaws dropped, looking up at the Lost Wall

My photos turned out dark and I was too close, but it looks like a promising area. I think another 10 routes could go in easily, and once a trail has been established, it won't take 2 hours to find!

Fixie is done!

2009-06-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

The guys at Meticon Bikes helped me finish up the last few issues on the bike (cut down the fork, swapped out the bottom bracket, spaced the hub and put on the chain) and I want to say thanks! Definitely check them out at SE 60th and SE Foster. Anyway, the fixie is ridable!

I'll be swapping out some parts here and there, but otherwise I've very happy with the way it turned out. I've been debating on putting a front brake on, and for the first bit I'm opting not to. I'll just have to be careful going down hills mainly, but I think I'll get a handle on it.

Not bad for my first paint job huh? It's not the best, but definitely good enough for now.

Fixie painted, parts thrown on for some pics

2009-06-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Almost there!

I know, pics are kinda dark. I'll get some better ones once it's done. I thought I bought the wrong bearings, and while that was true, it also ended up being the case that I have a JIS headset (an old Japanese size) and once James down at Bike Gallery sorted that out, I was good to go. I think I'll need some spacers for my headset/stem setup, and I know I'll need some for the rear wheel. Hopefully tomorrow or Saturday I'll have time to take it down to Meticon to finish it off.

My First Fixie: Red Lugs, black accents

2009-05-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

So I painted the red on this weekend and it turned out alright.

You can kinda tell that the paint lines aren't too clean, so I decided to do some outlining in black. This was not the greatest idea, but whatevs, it's my first. So I tried doing a little design like so:

But it didn't turn out that well...

So I decided to go a bit more, and I think it turned out ok. Not fantastic, but ok.

I'll probably go buy a fine tip Sharpie to clean up the red/grey lines, as the black is a little too much. But it'll make for some fun designs. Lesson learned: tape well the first time to avoid runs!

My First Fixie: paint is on - Arctic Grey FTW

2009-05-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

The main color, Arctic Grey, has been applied.

Now I wait a few days, tape off the parts to remain grey, the apply the red. This has been a fun and enjoyable process for sure.

Btw, I'm on Twitter

2009-05-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

You can follow me here: @jc00ke. Yes, those are zeros.

My First Fixie

2009-05-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of building my first fixed gear bicycle. Something about the minimalist in me craves a fixie. And while I'm not into Portland's bike scene, I think the people that ride here have a good style. So, after reading many articles and following several very good fixie blogs, I decided to give it a whirl.

I bought an old Bianchi from Nathan who had purchased it from a friend. It was pretty beat up:

With some reading online of how to repaint a bike, and some very good advice from Joe Neff, I got to work stripping the paint off.

After 2 rounds of spray paint remover, this is what it looked like:

So then I used some gel paint remover and a pack of steel wool, which after 2 more coats and an hour of polishing, I was finally done.

This last weekend I bought a set of wheels, which after looking around I got a pretty good deal on. Surly hubs with Mavic CXP 33 rims.

For shits and giggles I put it all together just to get a feel for it.

I'm going to need to get a new stem, something with a rise of like 15 deg, and some bars that don't sweep back so much. I'll have to get new cranks and a different chainring, because the back is a 15 tooth and the front is 52, which is too much for me. Still trying to figure that out though.

More pics to follow as I prime, paint, etc.

Subprime Animation

2009-04-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Found on Kanye's blog. Yeah, that Kanye.

How to Opt out of Verizon's Customer Proprietary Network Information

2009-03-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

If you don't want Verizon to share your info, make sure to log in or call...

"Verizon Wireless takes the privacy and confidentiality of our customer’s information very seriously. To opt out of CPNI, you may do so online through My Verizon by going to My Profile > Phone Controls > View/Edit Privacy (CPNI) Settings. Alternatively, you can also opt out by phone by calling 1-800-333-9956."

Open Letter to the City of Portland

2009-03-23T23:02:00.001-07:00

CLEAN UP THE FUCKING BIKE PATHS!

I know it's been a while since the snow storm, and I know you have done SHIT to clean up the bike paths. I've gotten 3 flat tires in 3 weeks, twice in the last week. Tonight I rolled over a huge fucking nail. I know I know, it's part of riding... still, the paths are filthy with dust, dirt, glass and SHARP METAL. I blame you.

On that note, thanks to Erin and Moira, Jordan too for helping me out with my bike tonight. If anyone has a spare bike pump they want to donate to the PRG for situations like this, lemme know. If not, I'll be finding one to donate soon.

NIN - Remix it!

2009-03-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Very cool: remix.nin.com

NIN/JA 2009? That's right, Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction downloads

2009-03-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

To download the mp3's, submit your email here: http://ninja2009.com or you can get in on the torrents for:

FLAC lossless (160 mb)

M4A apple lossless (163 mb)

WAVE 16/44.1 (223 mb)

I Never Thought I'd Be On A Boat

2009-02-08T09:17:00.001-08:00

Man, the Lonely Island guys are consistently funny. Slightly predictable in style, but funny nonetheless.

Very Interesting Video on Crows

2009-02-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

David... REMIX!

2009-02-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

Future Junkie

2009-02-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

TMNT - Chick in a half-shell, CRAZY POWER!

2009-02-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

I miss the 80s

2009-01-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

Uni-corns win again

2009-01-29T20:51:00.001-08:00

Last night was our second soccer game as the Uni-corns. First off, I love playing at the MJCC. Not having to worry about rafters makes playing soccer so much more fun. While the field is a little smaller, I can't tell when I'm out playing. Competition-wise, we've steamrolled our first 2 opponents, 9-1 and 9-2. I've scored 3 (the max for a guy) each game, and while my 3 in game 1 were all cleanups, my 3 last night were actually nice goals. One was a close shot to the left of the keeper as he challenged, one was a nutmeg. Just before my third, I kicked a guy in the back of the leg as I was going for the ball. This stretched out a chronic injury in my ankle and really hurt badly. It was painful to stand but I could run ok. I got a pass from Nathan that I stopped with my left foot and immediately kicked it with the right, scoring my final goal. Ice and vitamin I were on the menu at that point.

It'll be interesting to see how well we do next week, as Nathan is no longer on the team. He has a job or something... I think we'll still do well though.

Plus, we have an awesome logo. Shirts to follow!

Glory be to jumproping

2009-01-27T08:36:00.001-08:00

I can only imagine what happened to those boys if they messed up their routine.

Bananas

2009-01-26T17:19:00.001-08:00

Link Dump Jan 2009

2009-01-24T14:38:00.001-08:00

I actually wrote a script to automatically dump my delicious links into a blog post, but it's not reliable because of Google's authentication stuff. Anyway, here are some interesting links. Enjoy!

According to Yahoo!, Portland is the #1 green city. We already knew that.
Did you know Julia Louis-Dreyfus' is a billionaire heiress? I didn't.
Might as well, but seriously, is this guy the lamest Bill O'reilly ever?
Anne Milley from SAS is an idiot.
We have customers who build engines for aircraft. I am happy they are not using freeware when I get on a jet.
I couldn't even start to list the reasons open source is important in almost every aspect of life. R sure as hell isn't freeware either. It's open source. Get it right.
Man's best friend
Writing on the Wall - Nike bmx movie. Very cool.
JS-909: Javascript-based drum machine.
Light Art Performance - beautiful forms and colors
Gnarl Ridge wildfire incident page - a cool site for updated info on natural incidents

Obama's first weekly address

2009-01-24T14:36:00.001-08:00

Gotta love that he's actually using technology.

I finally bought some NAU clothes

2009-01-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

Only because their warehouse sale last weak was SICK. I estimate I bought over $1000 retail for $270. $185 of that was a jacket and a shirt, so $85 of what I paid paid for about $650/$700 worth of clothes.

The clothes are really great. The jacket is stellar for riding. I can basically wear a t-shirt and the jacket in 35 deg weather and still be warm on my bike. I would have never bought any of it had they not slashed their prices ridiculously.

They don't do that

2009-01-22T13:23:00.001-08:00

Condolences to Thad and his family

2009-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Brooke Colvin, a wonderfully cheery and compassionate person, died today on Mt. Hood. Her husband Thad was able to make it down the mountain to get help but Brooke didn't make it. We're all incredibly sorry to hear about this. Our thoughts to her family.

KPTV news post has a few more details.

Clif Bar Recall

2009-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Check the list here: http://www.clifbar.com/press/release/clif_bar_company_announces_voluntary_nationwide_recall_of_clif_and_luna_bra/

Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-20T08:40:00.001-08:00

You can watch it live at UStream.tv if you're trapped on the computer. Obama looks reserved, almost regal.

Potrero Chico 08: Day 15 - Last day, Caves and Hot Springs

2009-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well, we were going to climb today with the intent to finish off Conflict, the 12b in Estrellas yesterday. Mica had heard of a cave tour and needed a day off, so we jumped on. Grutas de Garcia is a limestone cave in the town of Garcia, not too far from Hidalgo. It had some amazing rooms, and our pictures don't do them justice. Surprisingly, it was quite warm up there. There was a shrine in the cave too, along with a heaven and hell motif.

From the cable car:

Some crazy features:

One of the lighted rooms:

We went back in to Garcia and ate some of the best food we've had here. I had asada de puerco, a pork dish that was amazing. Just about everyone else had the pollo de mole, which was at least 1500 times better than the crap we had at Homero's. It's 5 hours later and I'm still full, which is pretty rare for me.

Our next stop was the hot springs. We went to one of two springs in a tiny town in the middle of the nowhere. It was an interesting place. There were 3 pools, cold, cool and hot. The hot pool was in a little room filled with 20 locals. The water was cloudy and smelled of sulfur, but it was still really cool.

A cemetery on the way back:

On our way back we passed an old hacienda, and by old I mean this place was built in the mid-1500s. As you can see from the pictures, it was pretty run down, yet still a place for locals to congregate and hang. Inside there was a tiny chapel with many pictures of what I presumed to be people that had passed. There were many drivers licenses for people that might have died in traffic accidents. It was a somber sight but interesting to see into local customs.

Well, this concludes my Potrero Chico trip for the most part. I doubt I'll write about traveling back to Portland unless I need something to occupy my time. I will try to update the daily posts with links to each day's photos if I find the time once I'm back in the real world.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I can come back next year and experience a few more adventures.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 14 - V and G

2009-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot happened today. After a later start, we warmed up on the Wonder Wall, doing 2 easy 10s. We hiked up to Estrallas Canyon to get on Fear of Flying, 12a. It had come highly recommended, so I got on enthusiastic to see what everyone was talking about. For me, it was the worst climb I've been on here. The first three bolts (the only three I bothered climbing) were exactly the type of climbing I don't like: balancy technical face climbing with sharp crimps. If I want that kind of shit I'll go to Smith. So, with no shame, I backed down.

The woman next to us was saying the same thing, that she didn't like that type of climbing and agreed it's not that important to stick it out if you're not enjoying it. Her boyfriend seemed to agree. She had called him V, and I asked what his name was: Vadim Vinokur. I knew of him from climbing news back when I started climbing. He's onsighted 13b and redpointed 14d. Homeboy used to be SUPER strong, but since he started law school he's had to prioritize. He was walking up the 12s and remembering every piece of beta about each route.

Not only was it cool to see him climb, but we talked about the financial crash, as he's interested in practising financial and securities law. He also lives in Brooklyn and has friends that were employed by some of the big investment banks that went under. It was interesting to hear his perspective: If things don't change soon, the devaluation of the dollar will lead to hyper-inflation, and our money will be better used to heat our houses than pay for them.

We also met some Canadians and we spoke a bit about US politics. That'll have to be a separate blog post. Good night!

Update: Vadim onsighted one of the 13bs up at Surf Bowl. So freakin' strong!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 13 - Follow the stream

2009-01-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

So remember when you were a kid and you'd go exploring? The trail in the woods, the stream bed, the old warehouse or the train tracks? That's what today was like for us. After a late start, and not a lot of motivation to climb, we decided to rent some mountain bikes and check out the interior of Potrero Chico. The bikes weren't great (they were rentals after all) but they got us around without any problems.

A good ways into the park we noticed a stream, and at that point the mission had been set: find the source and any sweet waterfalls in between. After the cool looking tree

we set out to find deeper waters. What we found was a cool little waterfall that provided a good deal of entertainment later. We hiked the streambed all the way to the start, hoping to find a pool. What we found was some concrete and the stream disappeared. We then made our way back to the waterfall and had a bit of fun.
Mica trying it out:

Nathan with the front-butt:

Me after I finally got in:

Exploring like that took us all back to some very happy times in our childhoods. Next time you get the chance to do something like that, just do it.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 12 - Big Market, New Knot

2009-01-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the big Tuesday market. It was cool in the sense I had not been to a market that size before, but really there were 7 things being sold:

socks

shoes

clothes

food

candy

cleaning supplies

bootleg CDs and DVDs

We got back around 12:30, ate some lunch and hiked up to the Dihedrals, right next to the Surf Bowl. We did Dead Man Walking, a super classic 5.9, highly recommended. Then we walked over to Surf Bowl so Nathan could put down Guppy. It didn't happen today, after a few tries, but it'll happen. I got on Surfer Rosa, 13a, and yeah... it's hard. I had set my mind on sending an 13a here but I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape, so I might project Bottom Feeder, 12d, mostly jugs, one hard move. That sounds more my style.

We met a group of climbers from Mexico City who were very cool and spoke English very well. Javier, the dude that sent the 13b on his second go, taught us a new knot. It's a cross between a figure 8 and a bowline. Encontrado is what he called it, but basically it's a self-water knot. It's pretty badass.

No pictures today, at least none now since I forgot my camera. I think we're going to crag tomorrow with Mike and Micah. Should be a good day.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 11 - China's last day, Brrrrrr!

2009-01-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

We got up pretty early today so China could get in a few climbs before her departure. We went up to Estrellas Canyon since it was close and got on a 10b warm-up, right down by the road. Besides having 2 more anchors than necessary, it was a fun route. China felt warm, so she got on Planet of the Marklar, which was given 5.11 in the book. We agree it's more like 11d; it comes with 3 cruxes, the 2nd one being the hardest. Super fun though.

Here's China on it:

and here's China falling:

It was pretty cold up there since the sun was still behind the other walls. On my way up the 3rd route I finally got into the sunshine, which was quite nice. Here's Nathan putting up the 3rd climb:

Our last picture together:

And their last pic here after 3 weeks:

Nathan and I went back up to the park and did a 2 pitch route, Bubba Louie, 5.9/10c. I wanted to practice some multi pitch stuff with him, so we did some simul-climbing and simul-rappelling. Simul-climbing is when both people climb at the same time. Nathan was on lead, and I followed on top-rope with a gri-gri, that way should he want to get belayed for a section, I could immediately do so. The weight of the trailing rope made the whole thing a bit harder to manage, but manage we did.

Simul-rappelling is where both people rap at the same time. I would lower on one side of the rope, Nathan on the other. It's a much faster way of getting down, and it was pretty cool too. Neither one of us brought our cameras, so you're just going to have to imagine how it looked: like a Stephen Segal movie, where he battles ninjas with the aid of Chuck Norris.

Yeah, just like that.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 10 - Outrage Wall caused outrage

2009-01-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Today was China's last full day, and we had not yet been to Outrage Wall. So, we headed up there, only to be totally confused by the worst descriptions of routes I've ever seen. ASDF starts 20ft left of FDSA, which starts 5ft left of JHLJH, which is 30ft left of HEDH, which is 15ft left of 3u22y, which is 60ft left of SOMEPOSROUTE which is 10ft left of the rope. Seriously, it was too relative for us. We bailed and walked up to Plutonia Cave, a boulering cave on the Front Side. Here's China messing around, avec helmet:

We made our way up to Land of the Free and did 2 routes, the 10d and 11c on the left side. Both were really fun, and the other routes look good, but I doubt we'll make it back up. We belayed from the entrance to a mine shaft, and you can see Nathan descending through a hole in the top:

Tomorrow we're going whever China wants before she flies out, then I'd like to concentrate the rest of the trip on Surf Bowl. Werd.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 9 - Rest Day with some futbol

2009-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

We all agreed to take a rest day today. China has 2 more days to climb, and it worked out for Nathan's and my schedule too. We walked into town, and as you can see, it was hot. So hot, in fact, Nathan needed to cover his head.

Once in town, we stopped at one store for a cold drink, where I noticed this rad bread:

<ralphie>tastes like promiscuity</ralphie>

We walked all the way to what we thought was the new, nice grocery store. It was more like a Winco. It being a hot day, I thought it'd be a good idea to wear my flip-flops. What a stupid idea. Hello blisters.

We started up a game of futbol with a few kids, and though we added a few players on each side and each scored many goals, I have a feeling we lost. Wouldn't have been a real trip to Mexico without some futbol!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 8 - Kawai's last day, no up then down then up then down

2009-01-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today was Kawai's last day, and since we were all tired from a few days with a lot of hiking, we stayed low. We warmed up on a few 10s on Central Scruitinizer, which were fun but nothing special. Kawai then lead Gringo Disco, a 165ft 11a. It was a nice lead because it's easy to get off route. The only thing we really didn't like was the decent. You have to rap to anchors on another climb, which was occupied. The rap after that to clean the draws wasn't much fun either. Happy to have done the route; not gonna do it again.

We then turned the corner so Kawai could send his nemesis: Don Quixote, 11d. He had tried it on one of his first days of climbing and couldn't battle his way mentally through the crux. It was a running joke that he had climbed up, then down, then up, then down many times trying to get the mental fortitude to climb the crux. Today was no problem, and he sent without a problem. Nathan and I both flashed it, doing it a bit differently than Kawai and still differently than each other. China also lead it, taking at a few spots but finishing it out in style.

Me on DQ:

Nathan at the crux of DQ:

Kawai killing it:

China, way up high:

My ascent was probably the freakiest for everyone as I forgot to bring a draw for the last clip. You can see I ran out the last section for 25ft or so. Luckily the holds were good!

Cute pug that was running around all day:

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 6 - Rest Day, New Years Eve

2009-01-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Kawai and I took a rest day today, as we needed to get some food. We got a ride down into town from Tami (of Tami's Cafe; what a character!) and got some lunch at a badass seafood place. The fish fillet was bomber.

We got a ride back and read for the rest of the day. I finished Malcom Gladwell's Outliers which was given to me by my mom's cousin Karen. It was a really interesting book, which investigates not how, but why certain people are successful. Short story: It has almost everything to do with your community and the opportunities presented to you. It was a quick read, and I suggest you give it a try.

Happy New Years!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 7 - New Years Day, Crushed Guppy

2008-12-31T18:29:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pics right now of today's action, but it was a good day nonetheless. It started out sad as Dave and Caroline left, but hopefully we'll see them in Australia someday soon.

We warmed up on the Wave, doing La Ola and then the 10d to the right of it. Nathan onsighted the 10d, but no one else did! It was kinda funky at the top, but still fun. We then made our way back to Surf Bowl to clean up Guppy, 12b. The draws weren't on the route, so I climbed it, hanging them and butchering the sequence. I was pretty frustrated but knew I'd get it on my next go, which I did. It's a great route which I hope to get wired. Kawai sent it on his 3rd go, and Nathan gave it a few tries to suss out the beta.

Tomorrow we're staying close to the ground, probably Virgin Canyon for some 11s. It'll be a few days before I can get back up to Surf Bowl to get on the 13a, Surfer Rosa.

Update:
Duh, forgot about this morning's pictures! Before Dave and Caroline left, we got in the pool and took some photos. I ripped off the jumping thing from some of Chamisa's friends. Too fun to pass up!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 5 - I found my new home

2008-12-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a fantastic day. While Dave and Caroline did trail maintenance (and Dave smashed his finger, poor guy) the rest of us went to the Wave that had the best 10b I've ever been on, La Ola. Any time you needed a foot, you had one. Every time you were forced to change body positions, it was well worth it. It's easily the best 10b I've ever been on, and in the top 5 routes. Here's a picture of China near the top, just under the wave.

We then hiked up to Surf Bowl, which is my new home. Guys at work, I quit. Mom, sell my house and send me the money. Give the van to Nathan, I'm moving to Surf Bowl. It has the kind of routes I've been waiting for: overhanging, jugs, underclings and tufas. The climbing was outstanding. I almost onsighted Blue Fin, 12a, getting all the way to the anchor when pitching. I was pumped out of my mind, but might have been able to clip had the draws been on my right. We all did it on our second go. Here are a few pics of us on it.

There were a bunch of Mexican climbers at the wall too. Ricardo and Bruno, both very strong guys, were cranking. Bruno got the 13b (Dave says grade 30 in Austrailian), Nemo, and Ricardo made some progress. It was inspiring to watch them on those routes, and they looked really fun. I almost flashed Guppy, 12b, getting one move from the huge jug before falling. I found some great heel hook beta that's going to work next time. Then on to the 12d, en muerte!

Me on Guppy:

Tomorrow is a rest day, so don't expect a post, unless I get that bored.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 4 - Supernova went DOWN

2008-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

Kawai and I woke up at 6:30 this morning for an early start at Supernova. We warmed up on Mr. Puffer's Wild Ride, a very fun 5.9+ in Estrallas, much lower than Supernova. Kawai was in love with that climb. For a 9+, it was very fun.

After that warmup, we marched up to the base of Supernova. The pitches go at 5.11a, 5.8, 5.6, 5.6, 5.9, 5.6, 5.9, 5.8. I lead pitch one, almost coming off at the crux. I had a decent left hand, a good right undercling, bad left foot and horrible right smear. I managed to make the move without coming off and boogied to the anchor. Kawai followed with no issues, though the ropebag he had on his back caught some air during the crux, yet he held on.

Kawai linked pitches 2 and 3 together, and I did the same for 4 and 5. He lead what I'm sure must have been 6, 7 and 8 all in one. Since the climbing was easy, we skipped bolts so we could link pitches and get to the top. The last pitch wasn't all that great, but getting to the top and seeing the view was awesome.

Kawai at first belay:

Since we only had one 70m rope, it was necessary to make a bunch of short rappels. I would go first, and as soon as I hit the next anchor I'd get off rappel and start threading the rope through the bolts. That way, when Kawai got down, all he had to do was pull the other side, equalize, and throw. I had some good throws, EVERY one of Kawai's throws was bad. We had some good laughs.

The view of El Toro:

We ran into a party of 3 on the anchors of the 2nd pitch. 5 dudes on one ledge was tight, but not as bad as you'd think. We rapped off their draws, hit the last rap station, then got to the ground. First thing... gotta go potty!

We made our way down the slope and back to camp, had hot showers and a little food, and yeah, that's it. Micah should be here any minute, then it's dinner time. We're going to the market tomorrow, which is bigger than Friday's. Can't wait to get some more grubbin' food!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 3 - Today was an off day

2008-12-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a bit cooler than yesterday, maybe 65 in the shade. We started on Moto Wall, and had to walk by Jabba the Hut again. This time he had the gate closed, so I found a hole in the barbed wire fence that we walked through. Gilberto, a guy that works here at Pagoda's, said he doesn't think it's right the man collects money. The man was yelling at us that we should pay because it's private land, but it isn't, so... not gonna pay. We also heard it's tribal land, but Gilberto had mentioned there were no tribes around here. Pretty sure it's just a racket.

Anyway, we warmed up at Moto wall on a 10b. I did something to my left index finger yesterday, so I wasn't keen on cranking today, though I would have otherwise. The climb was fun, but my finger didn't feel right. Still doesn't actually. I think I did just enough to kinda bruise it; I don't think it's a pulley injury.

We heard someone commotion and it ends up someone got hurt. A guy got off route and fell, and we thought he might have broken his leg. Luckily he only skinned his elbow, though I think he went into shock for a bit, as a buddy, Gary, a Wilderness First Responder, ran up the route and lowered the guy down. It was interesting to watch. The injured climber was fine by the time he got to the ground. You can see him being lowered.

After warming up, we walked up to Mileski Wall, which was probably a 30 minute hike up the hill. It was in the sun and felt good. Kawai jumped on Shock T, an 11d but got cruxed out near the top. He took a number of good lead falls though. Nathan got on Mother Superior, a 12a to the left and did well on his first go but didn't onsight it. Aussie Dave flashed it of course, and when I left China was on it. Hopefully Nathan and Kawai both got their routes.

Tomorrow Kawai and I are planning on doing the route at the back of the canyon, highlighted below. I'm forgetting the name, but it's 8 pitches, 11a first pitch, then 10 and below. Should be a fun route!

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 2 - It's getting hot in herr

2008-12-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today the temps rose to close to 90. Our plan was to go up to Surf Bowl, a rad, hard wall. It's on the back side, so you have to pass through the collection gate/extortionist. To explain, I had heard there was a guy that site in his truck and collects money from people that want to climbing inside on the inside. I read that it's actually not legal for him to collect money, since he doesn't own the land, nor does he work for any park service-type operation. So, I decided to walk right passed him. First, he was this over weight guy laying down in a camper. All he did was lift a rope to raise a little flag line to stop people. I just stepped on the line and walked by. He asked us if we spoke Spanish, and since I don't, we didn't respond. If the whole scene weren't so disgusting, I might give him the money. Sure as hell not going to now.

So, Surf Bowl... it's a hike, and it was hot out. There's only one route up there to warm up on, and literally one minute before we got there a group took the pitch. We then decided to head back down to the shade and get on some fun stuff.

We warmed up on some 10s then went up to an area Kawai and Nathan had checked out. There were 2 spectacular routes there, both 11c. I put up the first, falling above the first bolt (a very long move and not super easy to figure out) and David the Aussie put up the other. Nathan flashed the route I put up, Kawai and I got it on our 2nd go, easily. Nathan and I both flashed the other 11c. Both super high quality routes, worthy of the 3 star rating. China also found her project in this route, which could go in another try or 2. Spectacular route!

You wish you were here, right now:

Aussie Dave:

Nathan flashing it in good style:

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 1 - My first day at Potrero Chico

2008-12-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

Wow.

I like waking up to that! Today was great. Nathan, China and Kawai all took a rest day, as we're going to get on some harder stuff tomorrow. I wanted to be a good boy and climb some moderate stuff today to get used to the rock. 10b, 10b, 10c and 10d. All moderate, all very good! Since I was the only one climbing, it was a short day, and we all needed to go to the market anyway. On the way back from climbing though, we passed a little girl that wanted her picture taken. Of course her sister had to join in the fun.

Luckily we caught a ride in the back of someone's truck, as it's a bit of a walk into town.

The market was busy, but not as big as Tuesday's, according to Nathan. I had a ear of corn with mayonaise and sweet chili sauce, which was as good as Nathan said. We had gorditas across the path from a guy that was selling dried cat guts (or something) to relieve stomach issues and back pain. They looked more like bean pods to me, but whatever.

The temps tonight are perfect. This is a fantastic place, and I'm so glad I'm finally here! The first people I met outside our group was David and Caroline from Australia. They're both really cool and quite funny. I also saw Chris Leisch at the market, a buddy from St. Louis/SoIll. Pretty crazy running into someone you haven't seen in 5 years in a foreign country, but cool nonetheless.

Stay tuned for more pics tomorrow.

Today's pics

Potrero Chico 08: Day 1 - I'm here!

2008-12-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting outside Tami's Cafe after just having had some delicious bacon and eggs. Traveling here was pretty good, though I did have an hour and a half delay in Dallas; something about a valve. This is what I woke up to this morning:

Time to go climb!

Chillin' at the gate

2008-12-25T04:57:00.000-08:00

It's 5 am and I'm waiting at the gate. We should be boarding in the next 30 min or so. It's strange, I'm not used to being 1) up this early, and 2) up and hungry this early in the morning. It's sammich time.

Btw, you can follow me on twitter, if you're into that kind of thing. I doubt I'll be updating Facebook anymore. Decent posts will still go here.

7 hours until I take off

2008-12-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

Getting to the airport was easy, in terms of the bus and the Max. Getting down to the bus stop wasn't easy, as my duffel bag is really heavy. I'm pretty sure I'll have to take my rope and draws out somehow.

I got carsick on the bus. So really I got bus-sick. I didn't pay for either the bus or the Max. Bus driver didn't ask, and the Max ticket machine only took coins.

Anyway, I'm gonna go try to get my bag weighed, then get some sleep.

Shitty Weather 08 - I tried to be clever

2008-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

So I thought I'd be smart and go save my bushes. With all the ice and snow, I was afraid they'd get permanently damaged and then cost me some dollaz.

So I decided to fashion a pair of snowshows, because, I don't have any. I looked around for a bit but couldn't find anything that would work, until I stumbled upon some old pegboard.

So I was like "HELL YEAH" and I got to work strapping a pair of Nathan's Gore-Tex shoes on the board.

I thought I did a pretty good job...

until I got outside and damn near slipped every 2 steps.

So, I beat the snow off the bushes as best I could, then walked down to the store. I saw peeps on cross country skis, but no one on snowshoes. I need to pick up a cheap pair. That and a shovel.

glad I ganked that balaclava from my dad years ago!

Shitty Weather 08 - the poor bushes

2008-12-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Shitty Weather 08 - the video

2008-12-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to go to Mexico

2008-12-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

My flight was just canceled. Not much of a surprise, as it's total shite around here. The best flight I could get leaves Thursday morning at 6am, the same flight my bro took. Check the pics below.

I just heard on the news that all Alaska/Horizon flights have been canceled. And that the Oregon City varsity basketball team is STUCK... in Hawaii. Boo fucking hoo.

Pushed back a day

2008-12-20T12:01:00.001-08:00

Just got an automated call from American Airlines. My flight tomorrow morning was cancelled, so I rebooked for Monday morning. Now I go through Orange County on my way to Dallas. Not psyched about that!

A pre-emptive pre/post mugshot

2008-12-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

What I'll look like before my trip:

What I'll look like post:

And what I look like right now:

My first post from my new Eee PC

2008-12-19T22:39:00.000-08:00

I know I know, I haven't written anything of substance in a while. Here's a short recap:

Thanksgiving was delicious
Chamisa and I went to Breitenbush Hot Springs, which was freakin' awesome
My Yiayia visited and tossed coins in my house. I waited 2 years for that!
Chamisa had her going away party
Chamisa left Portland for home before the Peace Corps
Nathan went to Mexico
I got my new laptop

You know, I have written about girls before, but I didn't really write about Chamisa. We knew from the beginning it would be a short term thing, but we made the most of it. She's da bomb.

Sunday morning I'm heading to Potrero Chico for 3 weeks, where Nathan has been for almost a week now. 3 weeks... can't wait!

I don't know what this means

2008-11-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

A pen in our office had this on it:

Our Laboratory is VERY SATISFIED with ROCHE today!
If not, we'll call our representative.

We can't figure out what the hell that means. Who would give that out? What's going on? I'm confused.

Change Fail

2008-11-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Can't believe this didn't make it on FailBlog!

Shiba Inu TV

2008-11-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Get some of this right now!
Full screen flash player

I'm not sure why they don't have ads displayed... can anyone say easy revenue stream?

It really can be a small world

2008-11-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

On my bike ride back from the PRG last night, at the corner of 12th and Hawthorne, I overheard 2 cyclist ask where the Woodstock district was. Since I of course live in Woodstock, I offered for them to follow me. These 2 were on a bicycle trip from Tacoma WA to Arizona. They were psyched to be in Portland and be immersed in the bike culture. As we're riding, the guy mentions he's from St. Louis. I tell him I went to college there, and of course proceed to ask him what high school he went to (it's a thang.) He tells me SLU High School, so I ask if he knows Eric or Brent Venker. He erupts in surprise, as he went to school with Brent for a few years.

Seriously, a tiny world sometimes.

Drunk, Flying Pigs

2008-11-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

Yosh sent me this photo a few days ago. I had no idea what it is, but his wife speaks Russian and did a little research, and the results follow:

Never seen those before. I googled it in Russian and mostly sites with these pics come up, with no useful info but “smart ass” remarks, most posts are from October 2008. But I did find a site-library with various documents/articles that had to do with the Russian space programs (http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/e-g/svin.html). There was an article from 2006 about the story behind those photos. They seem to be real. The label on the bottle of wine says “1936” and the stamp says something about “Military Department”. There were no details in the documentation found in the archives, so they actually found a physics professor who participated in the tests, so he was able to explain quite a bit. The article says that the army was testing (under a close supervision of Beria – an NKVD monster similar and very close to Stalin) the effect of speeds over 12G on the body in jet-propelled rockets.. Beria’s idea was to use similar rockets to descent special forces across the front line. So they shot the poor piggy in the rocket prototype. The article say that they could not get a chimpanzee because they were testing it in 1942 and pigs happen to have internal organs very similar to humans’. This kind of testing happened in Kapustin Yar (a testing ground a little too close to Uralsk – later they even tested nuclear weapons there). They were giving the piglet wine to minimize stress on the animal.

My first spill

2008-11-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

I wrecked on my bike today on the way to the PRG. Not a bad one, but tore my new rain pants at the knee, tore my carharts at the knee too. Tore my skin at the knee now that I think about it. Little bit of elbow too. Gotta watch out for those railroad tracks!

Congrats to Obama

2008-11-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'm actually psyched. I'm genuinely excited to see where this country will go from here. I've been done with the Vietnam era presidents for a while now. Hopefully from here on out, we can have some leadership for the 21st century. It's is really about GOTDAMN time!

Out with the old...

In with the new!!!

Under the Bridge, Literally

2008-11-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Election Night

2008-11-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Obama wins
McCain wins

Pure 80s genuis

2008-10-31T13:14:00.001-07:00

2 of the best songs to come out of the 80s for sure, with a twist.

JAH! Rastafarianism

2008-10-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

Those great fall weekends

2008-10-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weekends have been awesome, both in terms of weather and activity. Last weekend I hit Madrone on Saturday with Moira and Carver on Sunday with Gary and Chamisa. Gary and I talked about Carver this week, and determined it's not worth bouldering there anymore. It's a shame really, but sitting down in mud to put my feet above my hands for a super hard move to get off the ground is not fun.

The week went by quickly, and next thing I know it's Friday night and Nathan lets me know REI's garage sale is at 8am the next morning. Now I'm always up for a deal, but waking up at 6am to stand in line for 3.5 hours to buy used gear doesn't quite do it for me. But, I did get a wicked nice $200 Osprey backpack for $65. We made it back out to Madrone yesterday and I did an extension to a warmup route, 10a, which was really fun. Gotta love jugs, and the weather was perfect.

Today, I woke up pretty late and got crackin' on some yardwork. When I was done, I drove out to Beacon to solo the SE Corner. Most days it's a super chill climb, but today it was windy, VERY windy. Any time I was climbing on the east face of the route, the wind could gust up to 60 or 70 mph. It was crazy, but exhilarating. At no point was I worried, as it's such a secure route. Keeping a cool head is key.

I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with my high school friend Burt. We chat every month or so. Today we talked about politics (surprise!) and the old days. Being reminded of my time in the martial arts always brings a smile to my face. Some day maybe I'll start training again. Someday.

The financial crisis has something to do with champagne

2008-10-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Red States

2008-10-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. It may even include Florida and Ohio, they are seriously considering it. We've given them until Nov. 4th to decide. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country. Since we're dropping the middle states we're calling it United America, or simply the U.A.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. You can take Ted Nugent. We're keeping Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. You get WorldCom. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get Ole' Miss. We get Harvard and 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms, and the highest concentration of pregnant unwed teenagers. Please be aware that the U.A. will be pro-choice and anti-war.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy Redies believe you are people with higher morals then we Bluies.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,
Blue States

I know the solution

2008-10-21T17:31:00.001-07:00

Divorce her and run for your life.

Elect Senator Government!

2008-10-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Vintage Elvis, er Johnny

2008-10-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this funny footage of Cash doing Elvis.

Palin has a dirty mouth!

2008-10-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

The best part about Obama winning in Nov

2008-10-07T22:29:00.001-07:00

is that I won't have to hear McCain say "my friends" anymore.

My dad's last day in town

2008-10-07T22:26:00.001-07:00

The last week has flown by. My dad came out last Wednesday for his first visit to Portland. Short story: he likes it. Though I had to work a half day each day, we managed to hit the Ozone benefit, watch the VP debate, go to the Greek festival (twice,) go to the seafood place he's been talking about (twice,) go check out Vista House and the waterfalls, plus the fish hatchery, and he's fixed pretty much everything wrong with my house and car, AND cleaned the house. I have a great dad.

My 27th Birfday

2008-09-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

I started out my day by meeting Gary at Carver for some bouldering. Though I've talked a bit of trash about Carver in the past, going with someone who knows the area, history and grades makes a big difference. After warming up at the lower area, we went up to work on Triangle Face, a solid v5 (feels hard for the grade.) I was too tired from the Madrone cleanup yesterday to pull the first move, but could do the rest, which includes a pretty dynamic move and a nice topout. I'm psyched to go back.

My Aunt Carol, Aunt Becky, and her friend Chris are all in town this weekend, so we went to my mom's cousin's beautiful townhouse on South Waterfront for dinner. I loved the modern and slightly minimal design. I especially loved the marshmallow carpet! Dieter made some great chicken kabobs and a lot of fun stories about the family were told. Makes me want to learn about both sides of my family.

Madrone Cleanup Was A Success!

2008-09-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

A bunch of people got together to cleanup Madrone, a local climbing area that's been closed for years. It'll eventually be turned into a park, open to climbing. I went to a meeting about that on Wednesday and everyone seems on the same page. Anyway, we removed 3 washers, 2 refrigerators, a crumpled car body, a minibike, a trailor, and bunch of other garbage, along with 100 yards of blackberry bushes and other invasive plants. Though it'll be a long time before it's open, it feels good to put some energy into it. I'm hella sore though!

We as a nation have to ask ourselves

2008-09-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

What the HELL is going on??!!?!!11!