Yesterday was Dana's 31st birthday! Happy birthday, gorgeous! I hope this coming year is the best year of your life!!!

Tagging and Category

Tagging is the new buzzword on the net, thanks in large part to Flickr and Delicious. There is a push, with podcasting included, on how to automatically tag rss content. Delicious has opened their api and certain sites are adding delicious tags onto each posting.

Within the rss spec, there is an optional element of category that directly allows the entry of keywords. This could easily be transformed into tagging and allow for aggregators to tag content and aggregate keywords.

This seems like a simple and graceful way to add tagging to rss feeds without using an additional service. The possibility for searching, aggregating, and filter are incredible if this optional element begins being used...

Zoomquilt!

www.zoomquilt.org
Ok...this is FANTASTIC! What a piece of art. Very impressive.

Blogger

Ahhhhh...Blogger is not working yet again! What is happening? Perhaps it is time to use another tool...

Paul Graham

Beating the Averages
I have really enjoyed reading Paul Graham's blog. They are insightful and very action oriented -- get it done. Great inspiration for those of us starting companies...

Improv Everywhere Mission: Look Up More

Improv Everywhere Mission: Look Up More
Ok. We must do this. Must. Our own Union Square would be perfect for it!

The race continues

It looks like Google and Yahoo are truly going to get into a gigantic shootout. While Google kicked everyone's ass in search, Yahoo made a key purchase in Overture to get back in the game. Google took the opportunity to release a shitload of products (gmail, google groups, picasa, google maps). [Given...they did buy Blogger, Picasa, Hello, etc]

Now, Yahoo is fighting back. They have redone their groups interface. They have modified their local searches to include a cross street -- not just directions.

I think the next generation apps will include the search functionality as well as learning for other users. If I am looking for an address, what are some well known landmarks? Well known could be defined by those linked to, those often searched for, those with known relevance (7-11, McDonalds, a Gas Station, a church, etc), or even other local businesses -- it could say in between x and y.

It is amazing to me just how much information the big players have indexed and categorized. I can't wait for them to get all of their systems to completely interact and be a seamless experience. Everyone has the pieces -- Yahoo360 looks like it could be an amazing offering -- and it will obviously be a race to see who can integrate the fastest and understand the consumer the best.

Dana and I went to the San Francisco Fetish Ball a couple of weeks ago. We had a wild time!

Silk Screening

Not only is this a cool tutorial on how to make your own inexpenisive silkscreen, they use a cow for the example. It was meant to be!

Nate and Trisha's engagement party

Trish and Nate celebrating Easter and their engagement!

You can see all of the pictures here!

Out of the house

I-Hacked.com Taking Advantage Of Technology - Hacking Coke Machines
I have to get out of the house more so that I can find a coke machine and try this out!!!

Podcasting Content

Technocrat.net | Science fiction novel available via podcast
This is what is going to make podcasting take off. I would be surprised if he did not hit his 5,000 downloaders very quickly. Well, if the content is not above par, perhaps. But this type of content will drive many people into checking out this media.

First time!

I just heard the emergency warning system for radio kick in while I was listening to NPR. There is a warning for a
water spout! Sooo cool to here it work!

Brianwalsh is Having A Massage

Brianwalsh is Having A Massage
You can too! Just change the domain name!

Online photos

I have always enjoyed online photo storage/albums. I bounced from service to service looking for the best one for my needs. I have gone through Ofoto, Shutterfly, Flickr, and finally onto Fotki. I love certain features of each, and wish there was a great way to just pick those features from each service. For instance, Flickr aabsolutely rules when it comes to sharing, building community, and having open tools to develop new apps on top of their engine. Fotki has AMAZING storage (I currently have over 16G of photos online!), password protection, custom templating, and the ability to sell photos. Ofoto has a slick interface and simple tools. Perhaps someday there will be a way to use the best functions from each provider to build a custom tool that kicks ass.

In other online photo news, Ofoto is changing their name.

Interesting!

San Francisco Bay Guardian News
I have never really considered the Examiner a "real" newspaper in SF. In fact, just about everywhere I have lived, I have considered a single newspaper -- New York Times, Washington Post, etc. However, it sounds like the Examiner is really covering San Francisco and is more in tune with what is going on. Seems like I may need to read it a bit more...

Great

This is a GREAT piece of advertising by 3M.

The Onion | Infograph

The Onion is sooooo damn funny. Love it!

What?

Forget Me Not - How to win the U.S. memory championship. By Joshua Foer
Ok...memorizing the order of a deck of cards in under a minute? That is insane. Insanely awesome. File under "wish I could do that."

How To Save The Internet

Whatever you do, don't listen to this group of people if you are trying to save the internet. CIO magazine is publishing this article -- I hope for an early April Fool's joke -- that is aboslutely horrible. It gathers a group of CIO's in a round table discussion. So much for the fringes. So much for the garage startup. So much for global adoption.

Amazon SIP

onfocus.com | Amazon's Improbable Phrases
Amazon is analyzing the text in books for Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs). This is sooooo cool. A new insight into catch phrases of the future, as well as documentation of the past!

HAVE TO!

I really want a Landspeeder for Burning Man this year. Christian, can the Deep End please buy me a Landspeeder for Burning Man this year??? Pretty please?

E-Tech

megnut.com has a great roundup of first day links from E-Tech. I will present there. And I will have people raving. I will.

The Trademark Blog

So someone is trying to trademark the word podcasting. WTF!?! Go ahead and try to steal someone else's ideas...

Catching up

I have always been fairly fluent in many of the new social tools that are popping up on the web -- rss, atom, rds, foaf, opml...the list goes on and on. But as we are working on our own implementation, I am realizing that much of my knowledge is conversational and I am playing a TON of catch up.

On the plus side, as long as I am a savy surfer, I don't have to wade through a ton of the conversations/arguments that have been going on in regards to standards, who is right, who is wrong, why Dave Winer sucks, why Dave Winer is great, etc. It does take a little sluething, but the answers are all there!

So...back to work...

Handlebar Club Picture Gallery

Hahahahahahaha - I want to be a member soooooo bad!

BitTorrent and TV

I will be catching all of the episodes of West Wing via BitTorrent.

learn UNIX in 10 minutes

This is a really handy reference for those of us that just need refreshers every once in a while!

Funny

Ok, this is fucking funny. Really fucking funny.

Interesting

This article points out some interesting points for candids. I personally LOVE my 70-200/2.8 L and have taken AMAZING candids with it. Partly because I generally take photos at events where I am known. It is very difficult for me to disappear among everyone when I am shooting, unless I am standing a good deal away from everyone. Interesting read, but I have to disagree that I end up looking like a celebrity-stalking paparazzi!

When it's cold

These crafty folks in Alaska are building quite the enormous ice sculpture. It is amazing...go through the different pages to get to the very large masterpiece at the end. It is wild!

Hahahahaha

It's Just a Plant
This is a kid's book about Marijuana. It looks absolutely hilarious. Could be a great coffee table book.

HP & DJs

HP is at it again creating technology that doesn't live in a techno world...or in this case, completely lives in a techno world. Would love to get Aaron Pope in on this and have him test it for them. Sounds bad ass!

2005 Snow Sculpture Championships

I am very, VERY, VERY good at making snow angels. But the pictures of snow sculptures blow my mind. I just can't imagine what it takes to make one of them.

Bravo!

How to say no!

I am not good at saying no, but this list is really good. It is difficult for me to say no - I feel like I am leaving the person hanging without support. And then, I begrudgingly agree, and the person is even more dissapointed because I didn't do what I said I would!

Just say no!

Yahoo! Netrospective: 10 years, 100 moments of the Web

Yahoo! Netrospective: 10 years, 100 moments of the Web
Interesting editorial choices throughout as to the top 100 moments of the web. Very intersting...

I kiss you.

Incredible

I could watch this shredding machine destroy things from couches to steel drums to huge tires all day long. It is WILD!

The Deep End

Ok...these fake taxidermies are AWESOME! I really think we should have a ton of these on the playa this year.

Bad ass

AaronJae.com

I was one of the first 50 people to sign up for Aaron's mailing list and he mailed me a copy of his newest mix on CD. IT IS BAD ASS! He has it for download on his site.

Cool software

Neslo Software, Inc.

The desktop rover software is pretty damn cool. With the keyboard & mouse from my laptop (main machine) I can control the server under my desk, but still use the monitor that is on that machine. Pretty cool.

Gnomedex 5.0

Gnomedex 5.0
This may be a great show to present at!

Yahoo

Yahoo
Wow...you've come a long way, baby.

Symphony

The night before Dana and I went on our first date, I went to the Symphony alone. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I was left in tears after the show...sobbing. Upon returning home, I place a Craigslist Missed Connection for the SF Symphony:

To MTT & the SF Symphony:

That was the most intense experience I have ever experienced at a symphonic performance. I wish there was a place in craigslist to post this under connections and not missed connections; I was moved to tears by our connection this evening.

The tenderness of the strings throughout Firebird. The soaring horns leading the Prince to find Kashchei’s magic egg. The race through to the end of the finale. These are trademarks of Stravinsky that you not only brought to life but launched upon an audience innocent to the voracious riot unleashed before our ears. The strings, whispering together in preparation for the incredible, reverberating chords bellowing from the low brass sank my body into my seat and raised the hairs on my arms. I have never strained to hear an entire orchestra play together so softly, so beautifully. I found smiles leaping from my face throughout the piece. Stunning.

I am taken aback at the ferocity with which you attacked Rite of Spring. A round of cheers for David Herbert, the timpani player! Unheard of!! The end of Part I, with such ravenous energy and sheer belligerence, capped by MTT’s final charge for a release left me realizing I had not breathed in too many measures. The small sentences of melody, passed throughout the orchestra like a painter slashing at his canvas, became full paragraphs of color and emotion. If there was a riot in Paris, it was caused by the performance of the ballerinas.

The tears streaming from the corners of my eyes were only matched by my sore shoulders and burning palms from cheering your success and attempting to thank you. I am in awe.

I am in contempt for not bringing everyone that I know.

That was religious.

Thank you.

On perseverance and conviction

I don't know why, but a story from years ago has stuck with me today. I soooo vividly remember it! First a bit of background...

Prior to my existence in this world as "The Party Cow", I was the biggest band geek in the world. I don't say that in a degrading fashion. Rather, it is a badge I wear with honor and a respect that I maintain for those involved with artistic education, as a student or teacher. For the 5-6 years prior to my move to San Francisco, I was the Director of Operations for Youth Education in the Arts in Northern New Jersey.

My years there are some of my proudest. We won world championships. I performed with STOMP. I was involved with or produced events with Disney, Fox Studios, the Olympics, Times Square, etc. I had the amazing opportunity to get to know and educate THOUSANDS of young people every year. It was quite a magnificent experience and taught me countless life skills.

One of those skills is persistence and conviction. Never giving up. Never letting a blockade stop me. Never saying I can't do it. I was forced, in so many situations it is funny to think about, to figure out a solution to a seemingly impossible tasks and many times execute that solution immediately by myself. A thick skin. A zest for minimal sleep. A creative mind that flourishes under pressure. These well attributes that were fired in this kiln of a not-for-profit.

On one specific night, I was fast asleep with my girlfriend while the Drum Corps were on the road. I generally would sleep 4-5 hours and slave in our offices while the corps were on the road and I was stuck at home. Some people love having the time at home. I never liked it! Anyways...the Magic of Orlando were travelling through Iowa and were having a horrible time with their buses. Around 3 AM EST, Terry Valentine, their Director, called on my cell to alert me that one of their buses had broken down.

As I remember the conversation...

"Where are you"
"Somewhere in Iowa"
"How long have you been on the road"
"About 3 hours"
"Do you know what mile marker you are on?"
"No"
"Have you called a tow? Have you called the police?"
"No. We are on the side of the highway and have no help. What can you do?"
"I will call you in 30 minutes."

After being rocketed from bed, I immediately got to work to make a solution. The state police should be notified so that the kids would be safer on the side of the road. The bus needed to be towed. Another bus was needed to transport the kids to the city where they had to perform that night. Another driver may be needed.

At 4AM local Iowa time.

While I was sitting in NJ.

Not knowing where they were.

It was a flurry of calls, a lot of guessing, a ton of selling the not-for-profit story to get people out of bed, and a million notes that I was jotting down as fast as I could write. That poor 56k dialup connection to the internet was getting quite the work out that night. And my cellphone was burning through batteries.

But I solved it. The police got there and kept their lights on to alert traffic. A bus repair shop towed the bus and repaired it the next day. A bus rental company got one of their drivers out of bed and sent him out with us. etc, etc, etc.

I don't state this as gloating. Rather, not-for-profit management put me in positions that forced me to overcome any fears or hesitations and get the job done. For the mission statement. Be passionate and follow through beyond all else.

It was quite a training by fire experience, but one that has paid off ever since.

Sunday event

Pre-Drawing Toast: Beach Drawing by Jim Denevan
Another cool event on Sunday!

Bunny Jam

Bunny Jam

More Bunny Jam pix from my favorite photographer, SuperSnail!!!

I first met Julian at Burning Man in 2000.

FUCKING AWESOME!

BunnyJam 5: Adventures in BunnyHOPolis! - 3.26.05
This party looks AWESOME! I am absolutely, without a doubt, 100% doing this. FANTASTIC! Anyone else want to go?

Oh, shit. Dana will be in Miami for the WMC so she won't be able to go. That sucks! But I will still be going, with our own brand of hijinks ensuing. Perhaps a herd of cows to trample the bunnies????

Check out the pix...

Weekend plans

The Urban Iditarod is this weekend and looks to be AWESOME! I have an exec meeting for the deep end camp this Saturday afternoon as well. So...hopefully I can sneak over there and get some photos.

I am going on 2 weeks of being dry and sober -- personal choice! It has not been easy, but I feel great. Tuesday night, we had dinner at Kelly Peters house with Clark and Rachel. It was a ton of fun, but a struggle not to have a glass (or more!) of wine. Last night, we had dinner at Roy's and didn't order any cocktails or wine. Pretty damn weird feeling. However, I get up each morning and feel fantastic. I don't feel the need to stay out later or stop by another place on the way home to see what is going on. We will see how long this lasts, but it is a nice break.

Dana and her girls are headed up to Tahoe for Girls Weekend Out and see Space Cowboys at Squaw. I know they are going to have an amazing time. I, on the other hand, plan to have my head in code all weekend to develop a working model of my business idea. Everyone it has been pitched to likes it, but warns of just how much competition there is going to be. I HAVE TO GET THIS UP!

So...back to work.

Geeks

This is truly as geeky as it gets!

All consuming

The process of conceiving an idea, flushing out the business plan, networking, creating a working model is frightening and exhilarating at the exact same time. I am amazed at my changed attitude and work ethic in the four days since the conception of my idea. I am jazzed to be going hard all day and sad to pull myself into bed. Last night, Dana and I had dinner with friends, and rather than looking forward to it, I was a bit disappointed that I actually had to stop working on it! [Now, I did have a wonderful time at dinner and really enjoyed the stories, conversations, etc]

There is an incredible fear that rockets through me when I look at all that needs to happen in the next month. However, I keep telling myself to look at the big picture and focus on today. I am most productive when focusing and working on individual segments of the entire picture; ticking off items from the master todo list. I can't allow myself to dream about the possibilities of the rewards...focus on the ways and means!

Dana is headed with her girlfriends to Tahoe this weekend and will be having a blast at Squaw with Space Cowboys. [If you are looking for something to do, it should absolutely be an incredible throw down at Squaw with the Space Cowboys.] So...I am going to put my head down and work my ass off building the first version of this app. Trying to scope out different parts right now so that I am building with an eye for the future.

Ok...back to work.

Sex Dolls

Sex Dolls
Ok, this is the funniest thing that I have read in a long, long time. I believe my friend Christian actually put this together. Holy hilarious, Batman!

Gmail notifier problem

Ok...I just realized a problem with Gmail notifier...

When you boot your machine, Gmail notifier will prompt you with an account login for account name and password. However, if you have logged into Gmail with IE and checked "Don't ask for my password for 2 weeks", it will always default to that account.

I learned this because my girlfriend logged in using IE to check her account. I always use Firefox to check my mail. The notifier always popped up her incoming mail, not mine. Regardless of how I logged into notifier, it would always default to her mail. It was not until I opened IE, logged out of her account and logged back in as myself that Gmail Notifier actually reverted back to my account.

This seems like a security problem with Gmail that needs to be addressed.

Mavericks surf competition

Mavericks surf competition set for Wednesday
Wow! I have always wanted to see the Maverics and never made it. And NOW, I have my first really good business idea and am ABSOLUTELY pumped about it and I don't want to do anything but work on it.

The idea may or may not work and I am flushing it with quite a few people. I am always amazed at just how talented my network and extended network is. I am very fortunate.

Off to the races...

RIAA

It is funny...I am running through a new business idea that I find absolutely intriguing and profitable, however, I keep stumbling over the RIAA. The rash of lawsuits that they have unleashed upon downloaders, aggregators, and internet radio stations causes a knee jerk reaction for me: avoid innovating in a space where the RIAA may have concerns.

Instead of approaching a revenue generating idea with the mindset of how it can this make more money for me and the artists, I am shying away from the idea for fear of a lawsuit. While companies like Ludicorp, Yahoo, Amazon, and Google continue to build web services engines and ask individuals to create new businesses using their services, the RIAA would rather instill fear in all for creating any new product or services.

How sad. How very sad.

What a flood

Pix
So...last Friday was the 1 year anniversary of my house flooding due to rain. Amazingly, this year, it has been extremely rainy during the exact same time period!

I guess I will always be nervous about the rain this time of year.

Podcasting facesgrowing pains

Boston.com article
I think one area for revenue in a startup is an adwords mechanism for podcasting. There are many differences in the ad models, however, an automated way for advertisers to put ads on downloaded podcasts, following Google's bidding model, has potential to generate $.

Google doesn't seem to be finishing

Yahoo! Search Web Services
Google has done an amazing job of putting out awesome beta products quickly. They have one of the best maps out there. Gmail absolutely rocks. Local search. Let the list go on and on and on and on. However, they have slowed on moving products out of beta and into full production. I have not seen an update to gmail in quite a while, yet the address book function is still LACKING at best.

Yahoo, while seemingly not as fast and flexible as Google, proves again to be an extremely strong player that is innovating and following through. Perhaps the immaturity of Google is displayed as they move from beta to beta and do not have the discipline to finish a product.

Or perhaps Larry and Sergey are introducing a new age of products always in beta...