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I didn't know what 'leet' was before reading this, or at least I didn't know the specific term for typing with symbols instead of standard alphanumerics... but I found portions of this |-|!££@R!0$.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Amazing Clock Design
http://www.christiaanpostma.nl/
--
Simply one of the coolest clock designs I've ever seen... as long as you're ok with only having a general idea of what time it is. (I am.) :)
On the clock page, link "3" shows a fast-forward illustration of what the clock looks like in action.
--
Simply one of the coolest clock designs I've ever seen... as long as you're ok with only having a general idea of what time it is. (I am.) :)
On the clock page, link "3" shows a fast-forward illustration of what the clock looks like in action.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Long Overdue -- The Best Films of 2007 v3
***Or, from best to worst, the films that I saw in 2007. I was waiting to make this list until I saw Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, but I still have not seen I'm Not There, Rescue Dawn, Planet Terror, La Vie en Rose, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly... Balls of Fury...***
1. No Country for Old Men. No surprises here. I loved it. So did most everybody. (Because it was that good!)
2. There Will Be Blood. This was the hardest spot to pick. There are a number of movies I feel like I need to, or really want to, see again. This is at the top of that list... so it gets #2 in my list.
3. Juno. I'm going to cut down on the comments here... But Juno was good too. :)
4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I loved watching this movie. About the most fun I had in a theater all last year.
5. Once.
6. Atonement.
7. Michael Clayton.
8. The Darjeeling Limited.
9. Into the Wild.
10. Zodiac.
11. Across the Universe.
12. Gone Baby Gone.
13. Death Proof.
14. The Namesake
15. Ratatouille.
16. Sunshine.
17. Knocked Up.
18. 300.
19. Sicko.
20. The Bourne Ultimatum.
21. 3:10 to Yuma.
22. Charlie Wilson's War.
23. Disturbia.
24. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
25. Waitress.
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
27. 28 Weeks Later.
28. The Mist.
29. Super Bad.
30. Dan in Real Life.
31. Eastern Promises.
32. Breach.
33. American Gangster.
34. Live Free or Die Hard.
35. The Lookout.
36. The Simpsons Movie.
37. Shooter.
38. Fracture.
39. Oceans Thirteen.
40. Transformers.
41. Blades of Glory.
42. The Number 23.
(Now to see how many times I change my mind now that I have it all down on paper...)
1. No Country for Old Men. No surprises here. I loved it. So did most everybody. (Because it was that good!)
2. There Will Be Blood. This was the hardest spot to pick. There are a number of movies I feel like I need to, or really want to, see again. This is at the top of that list... so it gets #2 in my list.
3. Juno. I'm going to cut down on the comments here... But Juno was good too. :)
4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I loved watching this movie. About the most fun I had in a theater all last year.
5. Once.
6. Atonement.
7. Michael Clayton.
8. The Darjeeling Limited.
9. Into the Wild.
10. Zodiac.
11. Across the Universe.
12. Gone Baby Gone.
13. Death Proof.
14. The Namesake
15. Ratatouille.
16. Sunshine.
17. Knocked Up.
18. 300.
19. Sicko.
20. The Bourne Ultimatum.
21. 3:10 to Yuma.
22. Charlie Wilson's War.
23. Disturbia.
24. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
25. Waitress.
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
27. 28 Weeks Later.
28. The Mist.
29. Super Bad.
30. Dan in Real Life.
31. Eastern Promises.
32. Breach.
33. American Gangster.
34. Live Free or Die Hard.
35. The Lookout.
36. The Simpsons Movie.
37. Shooter.
38. Fracture.
39. Oceans Thirteen.
40. Transformers.
41. Blades of Glory.
42. The Number 23.
(Now to see how many times I change my mind now that I have it all down on paper...)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Vasaloppet. You betcha.
What was to be the culmination of my winter training took place yesterday out in the frigid plains north of Mora, Minnesota... It was to be the final test of how far back into this sport of cross-country skiing I could come in one season of moderate training, with a renewed attention to form and also a growing desire to once again broaden my enthusiasm for athletics.
I signed up for the 35k division of the Mora Vasaloppet, an annual ski event of international proportion, last November. For the past 8+ years, entering these big races (with their big, non-refundable entrance fees) has been a pretty risky proposition considering the strangely-snow-shy part of the world we've been living in. This season seemed a cinch though, and as my dad convinced me, registering for this race would give me the motivation I would need early in the season when I was starting to train. Thankfully the snow has stuck around, for the most part, and I've gotten in a lot of quality skiing: at Como (many times around that 5k loop this season), the excellently maintained Theodore Wirth (lengthening and broadening my training later in the season), a long weekend trip to ski the exquisite trail system at Giant's Ridge in Biwabik, MN, and a warm-up competition in the 25k Marine Obrien Race in late January. Pretty good, all and all.
Unfortunately, little can prepare a person for skiing in fifteen-below-zero weather (w/forty below wind chills) -- and more than that, this person does not WANT to be prepared to ski in that kind of weather! On any other day like with weather like that, you'd have to pay to get me outside. But as it was, I'd already spent enough in money - and mostly time, not to go out and give it whatever I had.
And I'm glad that I did.
It was cold. (Duh.) But I did it. And so did hundreds of other people. So I think that I would have totally felt like a tool if I'd stayed at home. I am, however, considering some of the other late-season races now, not because I did poorly at the Vasa, but I still never got to ski that out-of-my-mind-fast kind of race that I'd been hoping for. Maybe I won't even be able to do that this season, but I'm tempted to try again.
Anyway, here is acool series of shots of the lead pack somewhere in the middle of the race. (It's an animated GIF, so hopefully that works in all y'all's browsers. If not right away, click to view it by itself.)
Just kidding. Here is a picture of me though... trying not to fall over from what it looks like.
I signed up for the 35k division of the Mora Vasaloppet, an annual ski event of international proportion, last November. For the past 8+ years, entering these big races (with their big, non-refundable entrance fees) has been a pretty risky proposition considering the strangely-snow-shy part of the world we've been living in. This season seemed a cinch though, and as my dad convinced me, registering for this race would give me the motivation I would need early in the season when I was starting to train. Thankfully the snow has stuck around, for the most part, and I've gotten in a lot of quality skiing: at Como (many times around that 5k loop this season), the excellently maintained Theodore Wirth (lengthening and broadening my training later in the season), a long weekend trip to ski the exquisite trail system at Giant's Ridge in Biwabik, MN, and a warm-up competition in the 25k Marine Obrien Race in late January. Pretty good, all and all.
Unfortunately, little can prepare a person for skiing in fifteen-below-zero weather (w/forty below wind chills) -- and more than that, this person does not WANT to be prepared to ski in that kind of weather! On any other day like with weather like that, you'd have to pay to get me outside. But as it was, I'd already spent enough in money - and mostly time, not to go out and give it whatever I had.
And I'm glad that I did.
It was cold. (Duh.) But I did it. And so did hundreds of other people. So I think that I would have totally felt like a tool if I'd stayed at home. I am, however, considering some of the other late-season races now, not because I did poorly at the Vasa, but I still never got to ski that out-of-my-mind-fast kind of race that I'd been hoping for. Maybe I won't even be able to do that this season, but I'm tempted to try again.
Anyway, here is acool series of shots of the lead pack somewhere in the middle of the race. (It's an animated GIF, so hopefully that works in all y'all's browsers. If not right away, click to view it by itself.)
And here's a shot of me, some odd 125 people behind them.
Just kidding. Here is a picture of me though... trying not to fall over from what it looks like.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Obama @ the Target Center
Hello folks,
Barack Obama is going to be speaking this Saturday at 1:30pm in the Target Center! Whether or not you like the man's politics, he's still one of the better speakers of our time, and could possibly be our next President! If you're interested in going, you have to fill out a form (here) to get an E-ticket sent to you. (They say tickets are required. It was easy though, and I just got mine.) Otherwise you can go to one of the locations listed on the bottom of that page to get a ticket in advance.
Let me know if you'll be out there, or if you want to meet on the way out.
Barack Obama is going to be speaking this Saturday at 1:30pm in the Target Center! Whether or not you like the man's politics, he's still one of the better speakers of our time, and could possibly be our next President! If you're interested in going, you have to fill out a form (here) to get an E-ticket sent to you. (They say tickets are required. It was easy though, and I just got mine.) Otherwise you can go to one of the locations listed on the bottom of that page to get a ticket in advance.
Let me know if you'll be out there, or if you want to meet on the way out.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Oscars '08
Woot! The nominations are out, and for the most part, look great.
http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2008/html/printer.html
I AM GOING TO SEE THERE WILL BE BLOOD BEFORE THE OSCARS. That's my mantra for the time being. :) Otherwise I've done better than usual at seeing all of this year's top films.
What was your favorite film of '08?
http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2008/html/printer.html
I AM GOING TO SEE THERE WILL BE BLOOD BEFORE THE OSCARS. That's my mantra for the time being. :) Otherwise I've done better than usual at seeing all of this year's top films.
What was your favorite film of '08?
Friday, January 18, 2008
Presidential Milkshakes?
A list I came across today.
(List under: I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but know exactly what he is saying...?)
Presidential Milkshakes:
(List under: I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but know exactly what he is saying...?)
Presidential Milkshakes:
I drink your milkshake! -Daniel Plainview
I drink your milkshake, even though I opposed drinking your milkshake four years ago. -Mitt Romney
I drink your milkshake, but only if the Bible says it's allowed. -Mike Huckabee
I may drink your milkshake for another 100 years, if that's what it takes. -John McCain
I drank a milkshake on 9/11. -Rudy Giuliani
I'll drink your milkshake a few months after everyone else does. -Fred Thompson
I drink your milkshake, but I'm paying for it with gold. -Ron Paul
America deserves a new milkshake. -Barack Obama
I will fight the corporations so that you can drink your own milkshake. -John Edwards
I have 35 years of milkshake-drinking experience. *sob* -Hillary Clinton
I peacefully drink your milkshake. -Dennis Kucinich
It depends on what your definition of "milkshake" is. -Bill Clinton
I voted for drinking your milkshake before I voted against it. -John Kerry
Global warming is melting your milkshake. -Al Gore
We're making good progress in the war on milkshakes, and make no mistake: we will prevail. -George W. Bush
link to originalFriday, January 11, 2008
Old Photos, New Link
I put up our wedding photos on a easy to use Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/gp/8797776@N08/1FUs71
Enjoy!
-Bjorn
http://www.flickr.com/gp/8797776@N08/1FUs71
Enjoy!
-Bjorn
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
"I am a Golden God!"
In this last year I've been collecting and assembling the various supplies and equipment necessary to start my own little screen printing shop. In the beginning I had a screen made at work and bought the inks and squeegee and that was that. I printed a shirt. And it wasn't pretty. Or easy. Or economical.
Tonight though, I've taken a big step forward. I just got done washing out a screen that I coated and exposed myself, with equipment that I researched and built myself. Even better, I've seen workable results on this first time through, which is awesome, and I'm excited now to sharpen my skills. Watching that emulsion wash out for the first time was a really really nice feeling. Like all of the time and money that I've invested in this junk is maybe going to work out!
(If you don't know anything about screen printing, there's a lot of PROCESS between IDEA>>>and>>>IDEA PRINTED ON A SHIRT... and I was going to try to explain it, but maybe another time... for now, maybe you'll get an idea of what it's all about with these pictures.)
"Safelight"
"Exposure Unit" Usually cost $1000s, I built mine for under $200...
...including this darkroom timer to control my exposures.
Screen after un-exposed region (blocked by the film pos.) is washed-out. (Sorry it's sideways. I'm being lazy now.)
Some edges are burning in, so I'm actually over-exposed after a 5-min. exposure window. It'll be faster next time! (Many home-built units can take from 30-60 mins. to expose a screen, so I'm pumped!)
Otherwise we're relatively sharp.
Pre-exposure-unit: Another, less efficient, way to work. Painting Screen Drawing Fluid onto a screen. Still fun though!
A shirt I printed for some of the luckier Hagstroms this Christmas - the screen I had made at Northwest Graphic Supply. (Hagstrom is a real guitar company, and the Super Swede is a real guitar...) A nice fit for the fam. But now, I can make the screen myself!
Tonight though, I've taken a big step forward. I just got done washing out a screen that I coated and exposed myself, with equipment that I researched and built myself. Even better, I've seen workable results on this first time through, which is awesome, and I'm excited now to sharpen my skills. Watching that emulsion wash out for the first time was a really really nice feeling. Like all of the time and money that I've invested in this junk is maybe going to work out!
(If you don't know anything about screen printing, there's a lot of PROCESS between IDEA>>>and>>>IDEA PRINTED ON A SHIRT... and I was going to try to explain it, but maybe another time... for now, maybe you'll get an idea of what it's all about with these pictures.)
"Safelight"
"Exposure Unit" Usually cost $1000s, I built mine for under $200...
...including this darkroom timer to control my exposures.
Screen after un-exposed region (blocked by the film pos.) is washed-out. (Sorry it's sideways. I'm being lazy now.)
Some edges are burning in, so I'm actually over-exposed after a 5-min. exposure window. It'll be faster next time! (Many home-built units can take from 30-60 mins. to expose a screen, so I'm pumped!)
Otherwise we're relatively sharp.
Pre-exposure-unit: Another, less efficient, way to work. Painting Screen Drawing Fluid onto a screen. Still fun though!
A shirt I printed for some of the luckier Hagstroms this Christmas - the screen I had made at Northwest Graphic Supply. (Hagstrom is a real guitar company, and the Super Swede is a real guitar...) A nice fit for the fam. But now, I can make the screen myself!
"Clock of Nines"
http://www.walyou.com/blog/2008/01/06/the-math-clock-for-geeks/
The arguments going on in the comments on the Waylou page are pretty funny. I thought Lou, at least, would have an opinion.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
SLEEPTRACKER®
I got the SLEEPTRACKER® watch for my birthday (Thank you, Änna!), which if you haven't heard about it, tracks your sleep patterns, marking your 'wakeful moments' with the help of an accelerometer to determine when the best time to wake you is on a given morning.
I'm really excited to test this thing out. If it works as promised, it will only wake me when I'm most ready to get up, and not when I'm in the middle of a deep sleep.So far I've only worn the watch on a holiday, so I let myself wake up naturally. Seeing the sleep data was cool for sure, but the first real test will be getting up for work tomorrow and seeing how refreshed I really feel.
You can go to the SLEEPTRACKER® site to learn more about how the watch works, or just wait to hear more about it from me. (Sorry, I sound like a product rep.) :)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Photoshoped?
Part one.
I've been reading a kind of a lot about news photography/photo journalism/faked photos lately, mostly in regards to good/cool/editorial Photoshop chops, and then today I came across this photo and I thought, "No way is this real..." But I haven't read anything that purports it as a fake. It which case, it's quite the picture. Or wait, does that matter?
Part two.
Does it matter if a photo is "real" or not? Do we still believe by seeing? And isn't the term "Photoshop Fake" redundant? :)
In terms of judging imagery for its visual appeal, I don't think that these things matter all that much really. I like to look at pretty things, and most of the time I just don't care how the image came to be. Other times I'm excited by images that show the mastery that a person can have over their images, equipment and software. It's when these images are purported as News that things can get confusing.
How about this: What's the difference between a photographer dodging and burning his photograph and increasing the contrast to bring out the smoke of a burning building (all very old-school) and a (new school) photographer using Photoshop tools and brushes to make that same smoke look more menacing?
Or what if the above photo is chopped/faked, but based on factual information? (The gator was seen holding the zookeeper's arm in its jaws, knuckles curled and severed 3/4ths of the way between the wrist and the elbow - with 3" of tattered bloody flesh trailing out the severed end...) Gruesome, right? But why not make that picture to get people's attention? I think some gory headline would be just as sensational as a "fake" photo.
Thoughts?
(...all of that just so I can show a crazy picture that I saw today...)
I've been reading a kind of a lot about news photography/photo journalism/faked photos lately, mostly in regards to good/cool/editorial Photoshop chops, and then today I came across this photo and I thought, "No way is this real..." But I haven't read anything that purports it as a fake. It which case, it's quite the picture. Or wait, does that matter?
Part two.Does it matter if a photo is "real" or not? Do we still believe by seeing? And isn't the term "Photoshop Fake" redundant? :)
In terms of judging imagery for its visual appeal, I don't think that these things matter all that much really. I like to look at pretty things, and most of the time I just don't care how the image came to be. Other times I'm excited by images that show the mastery that a person can have over their images, equipment and software. It's when these images are purported as News that things can get confusing.
How about this: What's the difference between a photographer dodging and burning his photograph and increasing the contrast to bring out the smoke of a burning building (all very old-school) and a (new school) photographer using Photoshop tools and brushes to make that same smoke look more menacing?
Or what if the above photo is chopped/faked, but based on factual information? (The gator was seen holding the zookeeper's arm in its jaws, knuckles curled and severed 3/4ths of the way between the wrist and the elbow - with 3" of tattered bloody flesh trailing out the severed end...) Gruesome, right? But why not make that picture to get people's attention? I think some gory headline would be just as sensational as a "fake" photo.
Thoughts?
(...all of that just so I can show a crazy picture that I saw today...)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Re: Huckabee
Hey [friends],
Some of you have... expressed your concerns, shall we say, over my casual support of Republican Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee in my last post. And although I might not be entirely coherent, educated, or logical in my theories on Presidential politics, I thought I might be able to clear up my stance a little bit - at least for this upcoming election.
For one, I don't actually think that I'd vote for Huckabee if it turned out to be him verses, say Clinton... especially not based on one ad. (Now if Chuck Norris was standing next to the ballot booths while I was voting, that'd be another story!) :)
It is interesting though, that because of the "political climate" in America, I find myself caring less about what a candidate claims that s/he stands for, and rather more about the impression that said candidate makes on me [or doesn't] as a loyal, trustworthy citizen. And Huckabee seems to be a solid, stand up guy. I agree with you that on most [if not all] accounts, Huckabee takes a different stance than I might on the issues, and so technically I shouldn't even consider him. But I find myself trusting him more than, well... most of the viable candidates.
Some of these candidates I see as bearing a cross, or caring an agenda that's outside of doing the best for the country. (Power? Pride? Fame?) And I hate watching these debates where candidates squirm their way around answers and try to distract us from the severity of the issues with snappy comebacks and winning smiles... So I'm cynical about the process and the people in it, and I feel that regardless of where a candidate stands these days, I want them to be genuine. Because the reality is, if we have a genuine leader in the top position in this country (and not a no-brained, power-hungry-war-monger), the power will stay with the people - and it will be the people making unified decisions on the big issues with the President as their voice.
An ideal President doesn't have to agree with me on everything. They just have to be sensible enough to understand the many sides of the issues at hand, and selfless enough to act in the best interest of the country. All of the candidates say that they could do that. For the Rebulicans, Huckabee seems the most capable.
Maybe he's just the best actor. Yeesh.
Like I said, I probably wouldn't vote for him over the Dems top pick next fall. On paper, he stands just too far to the right. There's just that part of his character that I think is missing, for the most part, in politics today. Obama is the other candidate that I find some of that same quality in. I think that he would still be carrying quite a bit as the first black Pres., but the man's genuineness is apparent. Huckabee and Obama talk like they believe what they're saying - whereas Clinton, Romney, Giuliani, Edwards, McCain... I suspect them of having their fingers crossed half the time they're talking...
Sorry. There's a big mix of patriotic idealism and cynicism going on in this post, and honestly I'm still pretty lost. If anything though, this race is interesting, and likely, the results will be historical. And I hope that the following 4-8 years follow suit. [Well, historical in a good way... not like the past 8 years!]
Some of you have... expressed your concerns, shall we say, over my casual support of Republican Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee in my last post. And although I might not be entirely coherent, educated, or logical in my theories on Presidential politics, I thought I might be able to clear up my stance a little bit - at least for this upcoming election.
For one, I don't actually think that I'd vote for Huckabee if it turned out to be him verses, say Clinton... especially not based on one ad. (Now if Chuck Norris was standing next to the ballot booths while I was voting, that'd be another story!) :)
It is interesting though, that because of the "political climate" in America, I find myself caring less about what a candidate claims that s/he stands for, and rather more about the impression that said candidate makes on me [or doesn't] as a loyal, trustworthy citizen. And Huckabee seems to be a solid, stand up guy. I agree with you that on most [if not all] accounts, Huckabee takes a different stance than I might on the issues, and so technically I shouldn't even consider him. But I find myself trusting him more than, well... most of the viable candidates.
Some of these candidates I see as bearing a cross, or caring an agenda that's outside of doing the best for the country. (Power? Pride? Fame?) And I hate watching these debates where candidates squirm their way around answers and try to distract us from the severity of the issues with snappy comebacks and winning smiles... So I'm cynical about the process and the people in it, and I feel that regardless of where a candidate stands these days, I want them to be genuine. Because the reality is, if we have a genuine leader in the top position in this country (and not a no-brained, power-hungry-war-monger), the power will stay with the people - and it will be the people making unified decisions on the big issues with the President as their voice.
An ideal President doesn't have to agree with me on everything. They just have to be sensible enough to understand the many sides of the issues at hand, and selfless enough to act in the best interest of the country. All of the candidates say that they could do that. For the Rebulicans, Huckabee seems the most capable.
Maybe he's just the best actor. Yeesh.
Like I said, I probably wouldn't vote for him over the Dems top pick next fall. On paper, he stands just too far to the right. There's just that part of his character that I think is missing, for the most part, in politics today. Obama is the other candidate that I find some of that same quality in. I think that he would still be carrying quite a bit as the first black Pres., but the man's genuineness is apparent. Huckabee and Obama talk like they believe what they're saying - whereas Clinton, Romney, Giuliani, Edwards, McCain... I suspect them of having their fingers crossed half the time they're talking...
Sorry. There's a big mix of patriotic idealism and cynicism going on in this post, and honestly I'm still pretty lost. If anything though, this race is interesting, and likely, the results will be historical. And I hope that the following 4-8 years follow suit. [Well, historical in a good way... not like the past 8 years!]
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Huckabee/Norris '08
Well, that's pretty much un-toppable. I'd have to say that my choices for President now go: 1. Barack Obama, 2. Mike Huckabee.
I think I'm serious. Along with sounding like the most reasonable Republican candiate since I've been alive (...and boy is that Mitt Romney a douche bag... ), Huckabee now comes out with the best campaign platform ever. BECAUSE CHUCK NORRIS SAID SO.
Although you can't help but think of the new Chuck Norris jokes that this will spur...
"Chuck Norris endorsed Mike Huckabee for President, but Huckabee still didn't win... because everyone wrote in CHUCK NORRIS! on their ballots instead. And Chuck Norris wouldn't accept the Presidency [as usual] because he didn't want to downgrade to President, from his current status of Chuck Norris".
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Yeah, but can he do Elliot's Exploding-Wine-Glass-Trick?
I busted out the Gyro Ring (aka Jitter Ring, Chatter Ring) at a party last night in an attempt to steal some of the fire out from under the Wii: that I knew would be otherwise dominating the nerdiest of party goers' attentions. I'm happy to say that my friends are at least as 'cool' as they used to be (I definitely am), and many of them really had fun with the toy - and Elliot even invented a new trick... (I wish we had a video of that... Sorry Baker and Marie!) :)
I got one of these at a toy store back in high school, right after the Yo-Yo craze, and recently decided to try to get my hands on one again. Not knowing what the thing was called, it took some creative Google searching to come up with the right item, but I eventually found them for sale (on Ebay) . I'm already as good as I once was, but that's not saying much. I expect that I'll play with it a couple more times in the next month or two, maybe learn a new trick, and then back to the closet it'll go.
But it'll be fun while it lasts.
Friday, November 16, 2007
SGIA '07 - Orlando
Me, working the booth in Orlando.
At the end of last month I got to go to Orlando with 'the guys' here at Northwest Graphic Supply and help out at our Screen Systems booth. Mostly, I acted as a general technician and TJET operator, but I got to try out my share of sales pitches on the passing crowds as well. (Usually my customer interactions went something like, "Oh yeah, that's a great product. What's in it?/What's it used for?/What's the distributor discount? etc... Oh, I don't know, I'm just the booth lackey, but I can have you talk to one of our sales people as soon as one's free... How 'bout this weather?") But by the end of the show I actually felt like I had helped out quite a bit.
These pictures are from inside the Convention Center. Uncrating (above), working the booth (left, below right). Bob, Dave and Ben (and me, in the right corner) are in the picture here to the right. Alan (my boss, the company owner) and John were also at the show, but we took turns manning the booth so everyone had time to wander the floor. You can see Canon has a booth a couple rows behind us, Anatol (a big screen printing press maker) is right next to us, 3M was off to the left a couple rows. Also at the show were Epson, Brother, HP, Graphtec... basically all of the big names in printers/printing, as well as thousands of smaller outfits you've never heard of.
It was pretty cool after all was said and done. And definitely a nice break from the day-to-day type of work I do at the shop. (And we actually got to go to some pretty incredible restaurants for dinner each night too!) I hope that they decide to take me again next time... or maybe I'll have to go as a representative of NWG to one of the international shows I hear my boss talking about.Paris anyone? :)
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Grounds for Impeachment
I started reading this article, Joseph A. Palermo: The Starr Report: How to Impeach a President, not knowing exactly what it was all about, but I quickly guessed where it was going... Still though, I thought the article well written and thought provoking -- enough so that I could realistically consider the points that it raises for the impeachment of our current president.
For the most part, the arguments I've heard for Bush's impeachment have come across as bitterly idealistic and as unhelpfully accusatory as the allegations against Clinton that are noted in the above article. (The Palermo article is mostly about Clinton/Starr, and builds a case against Bush by weakening Starr's and the public's attack of Clinton.) But this article seems sincere, and sincerely worried about the state of our country and it's unfortunate leadership.
And where I'll certainly agree (with my terribly limited knowledge of US and Presidential history) that Bush is the worst President of all time, I can't see him doing anything as horrible as people like Palermo are forecasting... Again, that kind of thinking sounds like 'bitter-liberal' to me... But after reading this article I have to agree, if Clinton deserved impeachment, so does Bush. Not that necssarily I think we should go there.
See, as partisan as this country is, I wouldn't want impeachment to become a trend for every President down the line... Then I suppose it just goes downhill until we have another civil war.
Sorry. Not funny. Thoughts?
For the most part, the arguments I've heard for Bush's impeachment have come across as bitterly idealistic and as unhelpfully accusatory as the allegations against Clinton that are noted in the above article. (The Palermo article is mostly about Clinton/Starr, and builds a case against Bush by weakening Starr's and the public's attack of Clinton.) But this article seems sincere, and sincerely worried about the state of our country and it's unfortunate leadership.
And where I'll certainly agree (with my terribly limited knowledge of US and Presidential history) that Bush is the worst President of all time, I can't see him doing anything as horrible as people like Palermo are forecasting... Again, that kind of thinking sounds like 'bitter-liberal' to me... But after reading this article I have to agree, if Clinton deserved impeachment, so does Bush. Not that necssarily I think we should go there.
See, as partisan as this country is, I wouldn't want impeachment to become a trend for every President down the line... Then I suppose it just goes downhill until we have another civil war.
Sorry. Not funny. Thoughts?
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