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December 27, 2003
December 26, 2003
Happy Holidays!
Ahhh a nice quiet Xmas, so nice, so very nice! First let me say thx to Gator Dave for puttin the word out on the holiday bliss, and thanks to Troy on Floozy Stats! Yes Floozyspeak has grown well this year! More to come i'm sure.
So its friday, i woke up at 7am and watched hours of tivo goodness. I've gotten the hang of burning dvds on the unit and I have to say, thats is one slick piece of tech. Its mindless dvd burning that works... heavenly at last!
So the to do list today, clean clean clean and maybe Paycheck or something. Need a movie.
Oh ya and here are some random link goodness:
I like SkyCaptain, is retro, it screams daness, I like it, hopefully it will actually be good. Its like a glossy polished version of Battlefield 1942 or something, ok maybe not but it looks so good. Maybe too much CGI, and those bots with the wavey arms, they stole them from Mizyaki and Laputa but still looks good. Nice flash site as well. Simple clean, ya know like fashionpixel, once i figure how to edit those files. Chronicles of Riddick is another nice lookin trailer. Never heard of this before really but its Vin can't be too horrible.. ha! The Stepford Wives looks strangely tasty as well. We'll see!
Dave needs one of these.
December 25, 2003
Merry Christmas
... and to all a good night. Merry Christmas, everyone. Gator Dave.
December 24, 2003
FloozyStats....
Ya know.. Dan comes along and says HEY! I need this thing called MT! I want this site called Floozyspeak! We says sure dano! Dan says it won't eat very much bandwidth, I'm not that popular!
Anyway, I guess congradulations go out to Dan since he seems to be a more popular guy in 2003 then he thought. Since this site went up back in May, I think it was, the average unique hits have gone from about 5 a day to over 100 a day, and average monthly Bandwidth usage is up to about 400-500 Megs. Floozyspeak to date has consumed almost 4.6 GB of bandwidth! Whoop.
So some totals eh? 4.6GB of Bandwidth Consumed, 890 Unique visitors, and 213,000 hits since May, of those hits 83% of them were by MS Internet Explorer browsers, 59.3% were browsing from Windows XP with the next highest being Windows 2000 machines at 11.4%. Go Dan go.
I'm board to death so I thought I would post some stats. ;) Oh and I need to get Dano to design another site for me now... Something to make up for all this free goodness!
December 22, 2003
what?
did any of that last entry make any sense? i don't know. i must be trippin', yo. i just saw Lord of the Rings three times in a row... i'm really tired. if you must see a second movie this year, see Lord of the Rings. the first, still Lost in Translation. i will guarantee that Lost will win the major awards of 2003. stay tuned for the next installment of Talkin Crops with dan and dave where will we will be discussing popcorn and 1000 uses of the used cob. ok, i meant Talkin Crap... Lord of the Rings. coming to an internet near you very soon.
Happy Christmas from Gator Dave
it's the most wonderful time of the year... shut the F*&$ up!!! this time of the year is not wonderful for many people. for many it means anxiety in many forms. whether your shopping for relatives that you don't know what to buy for or just shopping in general, it can be exhausting. if you have to see relatives and you have to take a couple of days just to prepare yourself mentally to see them, you've got problems. it may be that your family lives far away and you won't be able to see them. or even just someone that you care alot about... that can be difficult. it feels that at this point i'm supposed to say... "i've got the cure for you!!!" its "fearaway!!!" brand new from the makers of "getagrip!!!"
i don't have the answers to these or any other problems. you see... i just write about the things that i see going on around me everyday and then i sum up the answer in one sentence at the end of the entry (the moral of the story). i do have some advice though. ok, ok, i know... this is coming from Gator Dave. a guy who is single, 30ish, and likes to wrestle gators... good night!!! he just loves reptiles in general and he serves lattes in his off time. anyway, i lived away from family for many years and i was not the happiest at the holidays. my answer to these problems may sound to me to be simple but i know given some circumstances is not, is communication. talk to your family, talk to people who are in line with you while you are doing that last minute shopping. and most of all smile... smile till it hurts. and hey, i hope you all have a merry christmas and a safe and happy new year, and if you are spiritual, like me, i hope you remember the love that this holiday represents.
and lastly if you don't like my advice, go f#$* yourself. by the way, that's "flub", from the olde english "flob", meaning to take a hot shower and relax.
by the way, i just recently found out that when you look up gatordave and gator dave on google or yahoo you get this website and my old website, which i still love and will always be my first love even when gatordave.net is online.
one more thing... i just realized that jon and stacey remind me of nick and jessica... think about it.
the moral of the story is... don't burn down the house this christmas, let is shine with the love of the holiday... what?... yea.
December 15, 2003
kinda reminds me of lost in the translation
An excellent video called Statement of Agreement..., I know Dave will like.. maybe Mike will too.
pressure cooker
10 days before xmas and we've got about 15 or so different deliverables that need to be met. Always happens this way, right up to the holiday everyone wants their goodie in before xmas day. Its pretty silly and stupid, just added stress for the holiday rush of madness. No client will read a report next week and think about its impact, nope, its just something to be read next next next week. Yet we got to get it in this week. Blah I say!
ok change that...
Instead of clearly just ignoring CNN i'm going to do a little research on them. Its something i've wanted to do for awhile now in my obession of propaganda engerineering. As you know, I love things like Obey Giant, an artist paying homage to the art of propganda merely for fun but it creates an interesting view thru the looking glass of how propganda works and comes in many many art forms and flavors.
My experiement will be a front cover analysis of CNN vs BBC world news networks, the web look. For 30 days I will review the presence, the push, the wording, the style, the very essence of the front page, yes just the front page of both CNN and BBC world news pages. In particular I will be noting in various experimental ways, color coding both positive and negative words, ad placement if any, overall layout of page and how it breaks down or compells a user to look inside. The first page is everything its the front cover of a book you desperately want people to read, or is it just your book and you could care less. We'll see. If anyone else wants to particpate with me on this research idea let me know.
This is actually something I've wanted to do for awhile. I think the press has a big impact on people, positivie or negative projection via the media in particular is powerul in my opinion, provided yer in tune with it. The morning paper, how much of it selling you a concept, how much of it is causing you to fear, or projecting fear, how much of it is truly sending you the message that life is any good. Is the paper really a source of knowledge i want influcing my life? My feeling is what the press thru its first page appearance to a user has is faced with a morality issue of pushing either the negative side of the current press reality and world news etc or the positivie side. I need two comparable organizations initally to do this test, CNN and BBC are world opposites and much easier to compare than say FOX and CNN two US networks.
Not all news is positivite thats clearly evident yet can it be worded and presented in such a way that it doesnt fuel the negative vibe construct? Deep! I think so, but does that sell papers? Clearly if I do the research on my own it will be my analysis, id like to get other involved as well since we are all different in our intake of what is viewed as good or bad.
What I hope to do is get a 30 day view of front pages and come back with an analysis that says CNN used the word "killed" 34 times more than the BBC etc... and i really want visual views of the page. If you could only see in vibes, negative or positivie and neutral what would this page look like. Thats exciting to me. The captures have begun! Lets see how it pans out for the 30 days.
what tivo does to me
Ok so its been just a few days now that i've had the pleasure of TiVo in my life. I've been enjoying the Pioneer DVR-810H-S in all its glory and finding out the little things TiVo is doing to me. I never really saw commericals as a terrible thing before the TiVo, sure they were in the way and all but just had to deal with them. Now however, they are pure evil, get away from my recorded material, i never wanted to record you. Seeing it all on the TiVo timeline you clearly get a sense for how much of the broadcast you just recorded is total trash. How dare you push the products on me, i'm trying to record here, helloo?!!?
So much trash on tv these days, some good but alot of trash. Figuring out what I want to record has been the first hurdle, thx to Bob & Clint I got down the basics of what I wanted. I've got a new spider sense now too. I watch tv and see promos for things and before I'd just go "oh well thats nice" but now I go "oooh i can record that too!" and quickly write that name down on a napkin to put into the TiVo later.
Seems like I'm more in tune with what will happen on the tv now, which is a bit unsettling since I never really cared for it much before. I'm also finding I spend most my time on the TiVo exploring settings and finding shows to record and not much actual watching of tv. I think I got my basic channels messed up, WSYX isnt what TiVo thinks it is, so I need to correct that, hopefully I wont need a phone line (but it probably does need it) to correct the confusion.
The setup was a bit less than desirable, I thought if I had a net connection going i could by pass all of the inital setup, but it didnt like my wifi adapater choices, and never presented a network option until after i hooked it up to a phone line to configure. Luckly, it was a total fustration cause I myself dont have a phone line, I had to swing it by the folks and connect there etc. This worked ok cause I'm trying to get the folks hooked on TiVo as well, but i worry my folks wont be able to read the screen from so far away to well. In the end they need a bigger tv and TiVo. Ok so we'll get to that soon.. wireless first!
So anyways in the end on my end, TiVo is connected network, yet with a cable at the moment until I get my wireless access point working.
On the recording side of things I find myself blowing shows away too quickly, I tried to stop that this weekend and record something on the dvd burner. Ok so enter Willy Wonka and Chocolate Factory which is a really messed up flick, sure its happy its magical its also really distrubing at times, Gene Wilder plays the part as if hes Dr. Frankenstieen. So I put wonka medium mode on a dvd, running at 2hrs and 30mins on a dvd with 40% room to spare. Hmmm need to try more stuff at high quality. Quality is another thing i keep playin around with. Shows I blow away instantly, I dont really need to record them that high least thats my thinking. So simpsons, and such, low levels. Animation doesnt show the freaky cube magic as bad as people do. Its also kind of interesting watching the mpeg alogorythims at work, what doesnt move is nice kinda thing. I know strange but interesting to me.
So I have to say that recording on a blank dvd and then printing some selected dan art on it is really fun. Its forced me to record even more. And my stuff not these suggestions.
So I had suggestions turned on at first and it did ok like the first two shows. I wanted to catch some Adult Swim material off The Cartoon Network and it sent TiVo Suggestions for a loop and it start recording just about everything off that channel. Bad Bad Suggestions! Know anime from other shows, just know it! Ok i had to turn that off. :P
Another odd thing is no on or off button. I expect devices these days to have some kind of on and off button, more expensive the device the more I think i'd see a button but not on this gizmo. Which is kinda unsettling when you want to turn it off just unplug it from the wall and the whirling hard drive will slow down and be fine ok.. and coolio with you just yanking its plug. Sure ive done that on my home pc when i get a nasty blue screen o death or something but its gotta button, i just didnt use it, this thing has no button.
I think its nice, I dg the TiVo and its about time I got one. And Willy Wonka scares me and thats bad cause I love chocolate, the umpa luumpas dont scare me and I remember they used to as a kid. You dont see many films like Willy Wonka any more ya know, strange musicals with moral messages of goodness, scolding the bad bad kiddies of the world.
On another note, I'm boycotting CNN! Yes I will never watch or read CNN news again, or for a long long while. Yesterday I had it running in the background while I was crafting some cd art and in one interview section with an important US general who was in Kosovo or what not in the trial of Milosevic for war crimes trial and he was there etc, anyways CNN picks him up on video feed and starts nailing him to a wall on the latest news of Saddam found etc and how this general now feels about the war in iraq. The general was clearly against it and didnt feel like we should of done it without more world support from other countries etc and clearly said now as hes done in the past that he thinks it wasnt needed and there was no threat of saddam at the time etc. So CNN, in particular this interview woman Diane just repeatedly pins the guy in a corner on remarks that Saddam has been found and look how that shows you up ther general and yer negative view of the war. Then it proceeded to question him at least 3 times on the same frickin answer, and he fought her every time, he stood behind his word, he still thinks its a bad idea and got noticebly pissy with her that she kept fishing for some collapsing remark on his part.
Soo frickin typical for the press to dig and construct negative vibes since that is clearly selling papers and pushing the story. Positive has a life span of minutes where negatives can linger on for months. The whole press engine is messed up we have lost our way in creating a fair system of the press. Its owned by someone or something else.
Then she brought up a comment he made about Bush being an idiot regarding the war and made it look like and sound like as if all of the nation watching was there pinning him against the wall say "well you think hes still and idiot now huh.. now that we caught saddam.,.. huh.. well huh?!?! HUH?!!?!" and he answered quietly, yes I do think he is. I pray that general never speaks to CNN again after that battering of an interview, clearly CNN is owned by homeland security or the white house, cause its not free press, its push the war efforts press. Crap media. I couldnt beleive it, it was clearly distrubing to watch that interview and its amazing the power TV has.
Let the dogs of war continue to carve up this world.
December 11, 2003
you have the right to back down...
Voodoo Extreme: Rockstar Responds To 'Human Rights Violations' Accusation
Yesterday, the New York Human Rights Commission demanded that Rockstar removed the phrase "Kill Haitians" from all copies of Vice City.
December 04, 2003
pretty funny
found a Flash site that allows you to make custom story tapestries.
blog roll
Well its about time!! You've seen them everywhere right? Blog Rolls and such, well its about time i got one going. Bloglines has quickly taken over how I read blogs lately, I can get more info faster than ever before. I still like to check out the full sites, but getting just the pure gist of it via RSS.. is so nice! So here it is.. check out the blog roll, it grows daily!
So what are you getting for xmas? eh? Laptop? Games? Tivo? One of each?! Maybe...
i need a dvd tivo combo! thats what i need.. yes..
yes!
December 03, 2003
yes!
Microsoft Unveils Visual Studio Tools For Office, Development Kit For Tablet PC
December 02, 2003
dead leaves
Retro, its in.. its comin back its here.. you know retro is all the rage when it lands in anime. Look at these colors, the classic look is back.. well in a distorted way. Classic. Should be good. Check out Dead Leaves. Whats really scary is that its basically computer assisted retro! Even better! Can you spot the flashness of it? I dunno its like Super MilkChan meets FLCL. In other anime news one of the first shows I worked on while I was at ADV was Cutey Honey! Oh I remeber it now... "...edit fast!" And now she's gone live action! Gah... Gotta love that song! While yer at it, check out Kiddy Grade, ok bad name but decent production values.
December 01, 2003
mind to matter
Optimize Magazine > Strategic Innovation > Turning Mind Into Matter > November 2003
Business and technology innovation can be generated at many levels of the organization, but it takes the right people to put ideas into action.
sad
CentreDaily.com - Your State College Everything Guide
Nearly 10,000 U.S. troops have been killed, wounded, injured or become ill enough to require evacuation from Iraq since the war began, the equivalent of almost one Army division, according to the Pentagon.
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I heard on NPR this morning that this past weekend was the bloodiest since our attack on Iraq, er our freedom attempt.
7 spanish intelligence officers
2 south korean contractors
2 japanese diplomats
and a host of troops
got the axe this weekend in various attacks, not to mention we capped off 45 iraq's in a town that really disliked us.
it goes and goes.. why the hell are we in there??? where are the weapons of mass destruction, whats up with the oil, and all this press on bush's thanksgiving pr trip, who cares, get our boys back and lets call it day. we are going to be there for soooooo long, how many kids need to die to push an agenda that hell were not even clear on any more, why are we there??
he was bad bad man, well get in line man cause this world has alot of them, and the fact we havent captured him or captain bin ladden.. we just keep diggin that hole deeper and deeper.. we must look like fools to the world, least our prez does...
early adopter
New Economy: Markets Shaped by Consumers
Eric von Hippel, a professor at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argues that a huge swath of innovation can be traced to elite consumers whom he calls lead users. These imaginative and technically adept consumers spot a need and invent a solution, often changing whole industries, from sports to software.
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Ahhh a refreshing read from the NY Times. Lead users, early adopters all very good indeed. Not really new info for me but I like seeing it in the press, helps boost awareness to the cause.
Hopefully Lextant will be able to surf a few waves on this kind of press. The research itself is exciting provided you can spot the lead user. A lead user isn't just a gadget guy or notable trend, to me, its a progressive wave you can track thru different means.
Where do lead users get their start? College? Dropouts? Highschool? How about where they hang out? Coffee Shops and bars? Maybe bookstores?
I've worked on three projects where we had to idenify, discover and investigate lead users, often called early adopters. Most were college students or recent grads just beginning to shake down life for their piece of the pie.
It was fun learning from lead users researching their values, their approach not just on the fields they were exploring but on their overall view of life. Its not to say that open minded folks are lead users, but there is I think a mix of personality traits that lead us to lead users.
Course firms these days are like this article points out very interested in lead users. In mass they will shift the market, they will make others notice, its like a force, a wave about to it. Spotting the wave is good, setting the wave is better, knowing the make up of a wave even better, put yourself in the hits club, keep on hittin.
All the hooopla over social networking software yadda dadda is still a bit in the kettle to me. Sure things like AOL and SMS on phone technology have made a signifcant dent on how teens especially communicate, that is cleary evident, both in the research projects ive worked on and my own self analysis of that, yet this trend of things like Friendster, Tribes, MySpace, Ryze, etc.. the jury isnt out on that yet. Needs more time to cook. I feel like alot of those are steps to something bigger.
Lead users often set trends, trend spotting has always been an incredible lure for me, I love being able to spot a trend, wager in my mind if is to come to pass, and often being rewarded mentaly when it does. The more I look into trends the more I want to understand what forms them, the right mix of elements and lead users are only a piece of puzzle, important no doubt but not singled out as the soul motivator for keeping a trend alive.
i keep seeing this
I keep seeing this lovemarks graph on the net lately.. had to check it out.
Lovemarks | Brussels, Belgium, Apr'03
From brands to a fast word on management - the other half of the brand management equation. You won't get to Lovemarks by management - doing things right. Nor just by leadership - doing the right things. The fast track to Lovemarks takes a higher road. One word. Inspiration.
Inspiration to make the world a better place;
Inspiration to embrace emotion rather than fear its power;
Inspiration to touch consumers with ease and grace.
Inspiration turns up the heat. Awakens people to action towards purpose. Makes them Inspirational Players. It takes individuals and organizations from high performance to a theory and practice that is my academic focus. Peak performance.
new tablets!
Tablet PC Talk - Your place for Tablet PC News and FAQs
Comdex 2003 Tablet PC Pictures
nice list
Internet-based Distributed Computing Projects - Active Projects
Does your computer spend most of the day running screensavers or otherwise wasting its computing cycles? Why not use those spare cycles to help solve some huge problems?